Simple dishes for great eating..Vegetarian and Vegan at it's best

OK, so in Britain today is a public holiday called Boxing Day, traditionally when the horses race and folks go to the stores en masse to hunt for afterChristmas bargains.
Sad that it is not observed anywhere else.

As most of my client's are away visiting family out of state, my menu is small, but very very good winter weather dishes that make the most of vegetables.

Two blended soups a zucchini with thyme and a sweet potato (garnet yam) with carrot finished with  grated nutmeg

A great chunky packed with vegetables, Provencal Sauce for pasta...own grown eggplants, mini yellow and orange bell peppers and butternut squash( substituted for zucchini), makes a warm colored and inviting, fragrant sauce.
This is finished with red wine, avocado oil and chopped black olives ( as it has it's own depth of flavor there is no need for cheese, so it becomes a great Vegan dish).
Added herbes d' Provence and topped with fresh chopped rosemary, this is a BOLD sauce and a winner in wintertime.

For dessert  Fresh ( flash frozen this summer) Raspberry Bars to be cut at client's home. These are a great vehicle for fresh fruit and oatmeal adds to the texture, also made with whole wheat flour, dairy butter and brown sugar...enjoy the photos:

Flash frozen raspberries for the dessert

The completed Zucchini soup

Previous 3, the Provencal Sauce for pasta

Previous 2, the Raspberry Bars

Previous 2, the Garnet Yam and Carrot soup

THANKS To my WORLD of READERS IN OVER 145 COUNTRIES,

I began this Blog, my first, in March 2012 and to date, I have had over 6,000,000 pages/recipes read on my 3 food blogs (updated APRIL 7th 2015)

I  operate 3 other blogs on blogspot :
www.chorleycakes.blogspot.com sister blog to this one but has recipes for meat and fish.

 www.divineintrvnshun.blogspot.com  which feeds the spirit.

www.amusebushe.blogspot.com which is for Gobsmacked baking  and goes hand in hand with my  latest www.amazon.com/kindle  recipe/bio book
"Gobsmacking Cookies and other Treats Recipes.

Over 40 recipes ranging from Farmer's Wife plain cookies from 18th century England  to outrageous cookies of the 21st Century USA.
All these are basic recipes and can be made into hundreds of combinations.
Great ideas for holiday home baking.
$7.00 www.amazon.com/kindle

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John Nigel Crook

The REAL Trifle ..THE GREAT BRITISH PUDDING Recipes

Nothing says special times in England better than a great own made sherry trifle.

Sweet Sherry makes a lot  of dishes really tasty and I frequently use it in  some Asian dishes in place of sake.
In trifle it makes all the difference.

A Traditional British Trifle is a complex affair but if you practice it can be made fairly easily, the main thing to remember is to have everything at hand, and the better the ingredients, the better the finished product.

Trifle is much better eaten the day after the base has been made, when the flavors have been allowed to marinade ( sweet); marinate (savory).

you will need for  6-8 persons:

1 pound cake or vanilla sponge cake ( the size of a 2 pound loaf)
1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

Cut the cake in half and spread with jam, press  together to be a sandwich cake then cut into 1/4 inch cubes.
Place in the bottom of a large serving dish ( in UK people have glass trifle bowls, in USA use a large glass fruit bowl, pudding dish..something presentable as it is served in the dining room, and better if it is clear glass so the layers show).

1/4 sweet/cream sherry..sprinkle over the sponge cake and add, the juice and fruit from a 14.5oz canned fruit ( usually fruit cocktail or peaches, pears or pineapple).
Allow the fruit, juice and sherry to soak into the jam sponge cubes, set aside.

Pastry Cream: ( after WW2 folks make a custard using a cornstarch brand named mix by Bird's; you may also use a sauce a l' anglaise given in blog dated Dec 18th Great Winter Desserts..with that recipe for trifle add 2 extra egg yolks).
Here is a great pastry cream recipe that is truly delicious if made with a vanilla bean or real vanilla extract:

1 cup white sugar ( 8ozs)
1/4 cup all purpose flour ( 4 ozs plain flour)
1 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups milk (Can be made with nut or soy milk)
4 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Whisk eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale lemon colored.

Add the flour and cornstarch and mix well.

slowly bring the milk to a rolling boil in a heavy bottomed pan, adding the scraped vanilla bean.

Whisk the hot milk onto the eggs and flour mix, very well.

Return to the pan and bring to boil stirring all the time ( the sugar will scorch if left unattended).

When mixture has thickened, remove from heat and add the scrapings from the vanilla bean.
remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl or serving jug
Sprinkle top with powdered sugar and allow to cool ( this prevents a skin forming).

When cool pour over the sherry, fruit and cake, and allow to cool.

Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge overnight

whipping cream/ heavy cream ( heavy cream is lactose free).whipped to stiff peaks, do not sweeten..add to the top of the cold custard and cake mix and decorate with candied cherries and angelica

The amount of cream is up to you, and the size of your bowl/stomachs..may also decorate with sugar sprinkles

you may also use Greek yogurt in place of whipped cream  and for small children you may omit the sherry.

variations:
For extra indulgence mix the pastry cream with 1/2 pint ( 1 1/4 cups), whipped cream, then top with cold whipped cream
 
Chocolate trifle:
use chocolate cake in place of vanilla sponge, apricot jam, fresh bananas in place of canned fruit, chocolate or coffee liqueur in place of fruit juice and sherry. Top with chocolate pastry cream (add 4 ozs grated chocolate to the custard recipe), top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Mocha Trifle
use a vanilla sponge with Nutella/hazelnut chocolate spread, Coffee liqueur; top with a pastry cream flavored with 2 tsp instant coffee granules.
Add whipped cream and chocolate covered coffee beans or shaved dark chocolate 


A  less expensive, a good children's version without sherry is a Fruit trifle made with Gelatin Jelly:

Cube the sponge cake as original but omit the jam.
Make up a packet of commercial jelly/powder or cubes, according to the recipe, and allow it to cool,
then pour over the cake cubes  ( you may add the drained fruit from any can of fruit, and add the juice to the jelly mix, replacing some of the water )

Allow the jelly to set/chill.
Then top with cool pastry cream/custard
 with whipped cream and candy sprinkles    

Creme Brulee..the ULTIMATE high end party dessert
makes 6 small/individual portions

1/1/2 cups whipping cream/1/2 pt single cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream /1/2 pint double cream
4 medium egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans scraped
1/2 cup white sugar

In a double boiler, heat the vanilla bean & creams together, until luke warm.
Then strain and add to the (thickly beaten and pale colored) egg yolks with 1 tbsp sugar, blend well with a whisk.
Add the scrapings from the vanilla bean.
pour back in to the double boiler, and heat until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain into ramekins/small heat-proof dishes.

Place the filled ramekins in a roasting pan filled with hot water and bake in a 325f/gas mark 3/170c for 8 mins until a skin forms on the top.
remove from roasting tray, cool and then refrigerate overnight .
3 hours before serving sprinkle each ramekin liberally with remaining sugar and grill under a broiler until sugar caramelizes..refrigerate again until service .

These are THE best.


Variations add 2 ozs grated dark chocolate to double boiler for second heating for a chocolate cream brulee