Cheery scones

No it's not a typo, cherry scones make me happy:-) They are so colourful looking and if the cherry colour runs a little into the mix they have a pretty pink tinge!

 I got this recipe from Mrs C after I had the fluffiest scones ever one weekend in Mayo. You can add any fruit really. I heard somewhere if you add fresh fruit you should coat it in flour to stop them sinking in the oven...can anyone confirm or deny this trick?

Cherry SconesIngredients(makes 12)900g flour170g butter

3 eggs

pinch of salt

60g caster sugar

3 heaped tsp baking powder  

425mls lowfat milk

100g glace cherries(or other fruit)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees celsius.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together.

Rub in the butter. Cut the cherries in half and add to the dry ingredients.

Whisk the eggs with the milk, add to the dry ingredients and mix into a soft dough.

                              

Put lots of flour on your work surface.

The mixture is quite sticky. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough before kneading lightly into a round shape.

Roll out to about 2 and a half inches thick and cut into scones.

Place on a baking sheet.

Brush with egg wash...

...and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

.

Bake in a hot oven for 10-15mins until golden brown.

Baby Boom

Coming soon to a blog near you!!!...Baby Battenburg Cake, Baby Blue and Pink Cupcakes and Lynders Amazing Nappy Cake...

Breaking news: We have become aunties!!! Two of our group had little boys this week, one arrived yesterday and another cutie today...Congrats girls!
...and we still have one more baby due in 3 weeks, so it's a very exciting time for us. We have been busy making baby-themed goodies over the last few weeks so we will post those recipes soon! The nappy cake was deadly, so don't keep us in suspense for too long Lynder, we want that "recipe"!

Smoked salmon and sweet potato frittatas

Don't you just love the idea of those websites where you can search a list of ingredients in your fridge/cupboard and it gives you a recipe suggestion! Ingenious! 

The inspiration for this recipe came when I had smoked salmon to use it up so I searched for smoked salmon recipes on google and I came across "mini frittatas with smoked salmon and herbed creme fraiche" on salmon recipes.net, eh yummmm! So then I had a look in the kitchen for potatoes and creme fraiche...I found sweet potatoes and sour cream...that'll do pig, that'll do;-)

Sweet potato frittata with smoked salmon and herbed sour cream 

Ingredients(serves 2)
15ml spoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely sliced

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Quarter of a red pepper

Quarter of a green pepper
Half a 285g jar of artichoke antipasto, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium size eggs, beaten
125g pack smoked salmon

75g sour cream

15ml spoon freshly chopped dill/dried dill

Gently heat the oil in a 20cm frying pan. Cook the onions for 1 minute, then add the peppers and cook for another minute.

Add the potatoes and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle over the artichoke and mix in gently. Now season the beaten eggs and gently pour over the base. 

Allow the frittata to cook gently for a further 7 minutes until almost set, finishing off the frittata under the grill until golden brown.

When cool to the touch slice into wedges and pile the smoked salmon on top. Mix the sour cream with the dill. This can be served on top of the salmon or on the side.

ENJOY!

Sweet, sweet potato, roasted chilli & feta muffins

More Savoury Muffins...

This recipe came from a book I bought in work from the Book Club of Ireland. The book is called Home Made Baking and is a UK publication. It's one of those cookbooks I had to get at the time but I haven't cooked anything from it since I got it(we are talking years!). I have many cookbooks like that :-(

But the recipe was easy to follow and was tasty so I will have to use that book again:-)

Sweet Potato, Roasted chilli and Feta muffins
Ingredients(makes 12)
1 medium orange-fleshed sweet potato
1 fresh hot red chilli
300g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Half a teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Half teaspoon cumin powder or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225mls low fat milk

Tulip wraps

3 tablespoons olive oil
75g feta cheese


use a 12-hole muffin tray. 
Again I used tulip wraps for presentation purposes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius/400 degrees fahrenheit/Gas mark 6

Bake the sweet potato for 30-45mins having stabbed it with a fork several times and placed it on a baking sheet. I made the mistake of peeling the sweet potato before I baked it. However once it is cooled you can scoop out the flesh, mash it and set aside. 

I have always wanted to get a blowtorch for cooking but thought creme brulee would be the only reason to use one, so couldn't justify it. For this recipe I could have done with one to blacken the chilli. Instead I brushed it with a little oil and put it under the grill until it was scorched. Then put the chilli in a sandwich/freezer bag until cool enough to handle. It can be easily peeled now. Slit the chilli open lengthways and remove the stem, seeds and membranes. Finely chop the chilli flesh and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the garlic, cumin and basil. In a separate jug, beat the eggs, milk, olive oil and cooled mashed sweet potato together. 

Add the egg mixture and the chopped chilli to the dry ingredients. Now crumble the feta in and briefly mix until just combined. 

Crumble the feta in

Yes, I know, it looks like a bowl of vomit.

Spoon the batter into the muffin wraps, dividing evenly. Bake for 20-25mins or until well risen and golden.

Cool in the tin for 10mins, then turn out onto a wire rack. 

These muffins had a much more subtle flavour than the spinach and cheese muffins