this last weekend (may9th-may11th) the skinflints kitchen hit the road with the old caravan in hot persuit .. to dorset

no we didnt go hunting for river cottage .. altho i was tempted ( just for rik )

a fab time was had by all we stayed at a little family run caravan park in sea town 2 mins walk past the pub and onto the beach.

plenty of people were fishing on the beach and it looked like a good catch was more than possible

best thing was ..it was incredibly cost effective weekend break

while there we had an excursion to bridport and wandered around the market in the blistering sunshine

i thougherly recomend this place to visit... i shall be .. but for my anual 2 weeks rather than just a weekender

 

 

 

well this hot weather has helped the veg patch this week , and we are now sat under a little raincloud for a while, but i don't mind it has saved me getting the watering can out .

my next door neighbour has informed me where we can go and pick some sloe's later in the year .. yay .. sloe gin !!!! so thats christmas prezzies for the family sorted for the next couple of years

i love a bargain me .... especialy when it's free

foresters pie ..

for all those of you who gather your own game

 

1 pheasant

1 pigeon

1 quail

 

marinade

 

1/2 pint red wine

1/4 pint olive oil

2 dessertspoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped sage

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

pinch of salt

2 cloves of garlic

a few juniper berries

8oz mushrooms

8oz streaky bacon

1oz butter

 

hot water crust pastry

 

6floz water

4oz butter

4oz lard

1lb flour

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon salt

 

begin by boning out the birds, and place the meat in separate bowls (roast the bones to make a stock for the gravy)

make the marinade by putting all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and mix well together. share the marinade between the 3 bowls of meat and leave to marinade for as long as you have ( preferably over night)

fry the birds in 1oz of butter keeping the meat separate as before for 3-5 mins.in another pan fry the mushrooms and streaky bacon in 1oz of lard for 1-2 mins,do not over cook at this stage as the filling will be cooked further once the pastry has been applied.

 

to make the pastry

this quantity covers an 8inch pie dish or 21/2 pint pie mould

warm a mixing bowl ans seive the flour and salt into it.make a well in the centre and hide the egg in the flour.

heat the butter,lard and water gently in a pan until melted before boiling point is reached, pour into the flour and egg mixture and mix well, when the dough has cooled slightly turn out onto a floured surface and kneed until smooth,at this stage it is a good idea to wrap pastry in cling wrap and rest it for 20 mins.

 

to assemble the pie

then roll out 2/3 of the pastry to line the pie dish keeping back 1/3 to top the pie.

pack the pastry lined pie dish with the cooked meats in layers with mushrooms and chopped herbs inbetween each layer. pour over gravey made from the roasted bones ( thickend gravy is best for a moist pie, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon)water the egde of the pastry (this helps the top stick) and place the pie top onto the dish.

brush with beaten egg or milk . crimp the edge of the pie crust using fingers .dont forget a small air hole in the middle of the pie to let the steam out or the top will "pop". also decorate with pastry leaf shapes if required.

bake  at  190 oC or gas mark 5  for 30-35 mins

honey and lavender ice cream

what is better than a bowl of home made ice cream on a summers eve sat in the fading sunshine on the patio... fab!

 

any old flavours will do .. but this version is just what the chancellor would tax as a luxury item .

 

2-3 tablespoons boiling water

2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender flowers or leaves

3 tablespoons runny honey

4 egg yolks

1 pint milk

1oz caster sugar

1 drop vanilla essence

1 pint double cream lightly whipped

 

start by making the light egg custard. beat the eggs and sugar together without making them frothy.

heat the milk until just nearly boiling and pour it gently over the eggs stirring with a whisk at the same time so not to scramble the eggs.flavour the custard with vanilla.

return custard back to pan and heat gently stiring all the time until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, (thick as pouring double cream).

leave to cool

make an infussion of lavender in 2 tablespoons of boiling water, allow it to infuse for 15 mins.remove lavender.

in a small bowl add the honey and the lavender water and gently mix together,then add this mixture to the cooled custard,add the whipped cream and transfer to a freezer box with a lid and freeze, stir every 30 mins,this stops large ice crystals forming, or if you have one .. use an ice cream machine

 

decorate with a chunk of honeycomb YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ELDERFLOWER WINE .. GO ON HAVE A GO !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I shall soon be off to pillage the hedgerows again to help stock the old larder, at this time of year it's elderflour i am after, for my elderflour wine store.

if any of you lot out there in blog land would like to join in this year and make your own i shall post the recipe in another blog, well worth a try if you like white wine.

also good to give as prezzies.

later on in the summer i shall be foraging for elderberries to make the red wine version which i am informed is like a nice port. also the berries can be used in jams and pies. yes i shall blog the recipe dont worry;)

 

if anybody would like to request a recipe before it is blogged please do ask me ..

ok enough for now

blog ya all later