Overspill from http://munchmun.ch/. Because there should be no limit on how often a girl can munch or, indeed, blog about the act of munching (in a foodie - not filthy - way, of course)!
Must keep the excellent Le Comptoir Colonial in mind next time I need to re-fill the stock cupboard. I grabbed a very attractive bottle of balsamic vinaigrette as a present for a friend and I’m sure it will go down well.
I love our local wine shop. Bottle Apostle is just down the road in Victoria Park Village and stocks a really delicious selection of reds. Not only does the helpful owner sell lovely well-selected booze, the shop allows for pay-as-you-go sampling and hosts tasting events. Perfect!
Lust. For years I’ve been promising myself a Kitchenaid Artisan Mixer. This one in empire red would go perfectly in my kitchen. Time to stop dreaming and start saving.
A recipe to try…
The boy has been home brewing and, as a result, there’s forty pints of St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale sitting in a keg in the corner of our living room. Hopefully, my recipe for ale loaf will be a good way of making use of our moonshine.
Ingredients
- 250g currants
- 80g raisins
- 250ml strong dark ale (preferably CAMRA approved!)
- 90g soft brown sugar
- 75g self-raising flour
- 90g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 3 free-range eggs
Method
- Put the dried fruit into a large pan and cover with the ale
- Gently heat the fruit until the ale is hot, remove from the heat, cover and leave to soak (6 hours minimum)
- Preheat the oven to 140C
- Add the sugar, flours, mixed spice and eggs to the fruit mixture. Stir well
- Pop the mixture into a loaf tin or mini loaf tins
- Bake for 1¼ hours until risen, pale brown and firm to the touch (approx 40 mins for the mini tins)
- Remove from tin and leave on a wire rack to cool
- Wrap the loaf tightly in cling film and it should keep for up to a month in a cool, dry place
Taylor & Colledge Vanilla Bean Paste is made using 100% natural vanilla beans. I only discovered this pretty little jar of yumminess three months ago and already it’s become a staple ingredient in my baking. As well as being a super-quick alternative to scraping out vanilla pods, just opening up the pot releases what is - in my view - one of the most delightful smells in the world.
