Tag Archives: fresh thyme

Tonight I dream , Tomorrow I do !

Another archived post from 2015..Cured Pork Belly, Art and Spiders. I hope you enjoy my older posts as they give you the reader some insight into what makes me tick…

Retired? No one told me!

Well, I flipping hope so.

I have spent days trying to figure out this linking. Had some great advice thank you, you know who you are.

Thought I had cracked it. Wrong! Published it and nought but blanks this picture is soooooo me at the moment.

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Where’s the vino???????

Rant over.

I’ll start again.

Good Morning everyone what a lovely sunny day it is.

The bacon has been sizzlingSAM_6497 and sampled so as promised here you go folks.

The Recipe:

2 Kilo’s Pork Belly.

For every Kilo of Pork use:

2 parts rock salt to 1 part sugar.

4 cloves garlic.

2 bay leaves

A bunch of Lemon Thyme.

20/30 Mustard Seeds,

12 Pepper Corns,

Celery Juice.

Method:

Finely slice bay Leaves and lightly crush with other Spices in Pestle & Mortar.

Combine with Sugar and Salt and mix with Celery juice until damp.

Rub into Pork.SAM_6494

Place Pork in a sealed container…

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Christmas Recipes… Saltine Crackers

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Christmastime …So many different dips to eat…Pate’s, Salsa, Hummus, Taramasalata, a Smoked salmon one…What is your favourite? I love most of them and at Christmas, my 80% via 20% takes an about turn and not for the best …Oh No!

Well, we need crackers to eat with our dips and I love saltine crackers…In the past, I have probably bought enough boxes of those to fill a warehouse…no kidding…I love them…

These little crackers are so easy to make you will wonder why you haven’t just knocked up a batch of them before…

Saltine Crackers:

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 2 tbsp of butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6-7 tbsp water
  • Extra butter and salt for the top if required.

Let’s Cook!

Preheat your oven to 325  degrees

In a medium bowl sift together the flour and salt. Add the melted butter and water and get those fingers in there to bring the mix together.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and roll the dough out very thinly. Or to stop the dough sticking roll it out on parchment paper and it is easier when removing from the baking pan. The thinner you roll the pastry the crisper your cracker and if you have a pasta maker pass it through that for lovely thin crackers.

Cut into cracker shapes and if you have one of wheely thingies ( pizza cutter)which give you crinkly edges then so much the better…I normally just use a knife and away I go if there are a few different shapes then it adds to the rustic charm… But you don’t always then get an even bake.

Place onto a baking sheet and cook for about 10 minutes then reduce the oven to 200 degrees you may need to turn the baking tray in the oven to get an even bake.

If required brush the tops of the crackers with melted butter when you remove from the oven.

For a crisper cracker leave the crackers to cool in the oven with the door open slightly.

For a bit of a change, I sometimes add some Thyme to the mix or a little cheese, seeds anything you fancy experiment you are only limited by your imagination. If you are adding anything to the top of your crackers use the rolling-pin to just help the topping stick.

Tomorrow I will give you some easy to make dip recipes…

 

Christmas Recipes…. The Beautiful Juniper Berry…. Saucy…

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Christmas is coming and very quickly now so I will be giving you a daily recipe of either a tried and tested family favourite or something new to me…

Every year I try to make at least one new dish and it is so much easier here as so many people come and go from all corners of the world through my life now and I mostly manage to wheedle a recipe or two from them…lol

The Juniper Berry I had heard of but not used in my cooking until I moved here…My Swiss friend gave me a recipe for Surre Moche…..which is very, very nice and similar to the Beef Bourgogne which was the very first dish I cooked for my husband…A man who didn’t like garlic, spices anything that wasn’t meat and two vegs…..Guess what? He does now.!..haha

The Juniper Berry comes from beautiful evergreen trees which can grow as high as 131ft or Junipers can come on small low growing spreading shrubs so depending on where you hail from in the world you should able to find these luscious little berries.

They are also used to  make a spice which is used in a variety of cuisines and culinary dishes.

But ladies just in case you didn’t know it the primary flavour in Gin….

Oh yes, one of those would go down very nicely at the moment…lol… Cooks perks!

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I also have a recipe( for) most things and I just happen to have one for a lovely homemade tonic water and once you make it you will never ever buy a can or bottle of tonic again…I will share the recipe with you not sure which day so keep watching and don’t miss a post…

The sauce recipe paired with game meat like Venison, quail, pheasant it makes a great sauce. I give you…Ta Da!

Juniper Berry Sauce:

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana shallot peeled and finely chopped.
  • 8 juniper berries very lightly crushed.
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 200 ml white burgundy or a dry white wine.
  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 40 gm butter
  • 25 gm flour
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves.
  • 3oo ml venison stock
  • 100 ml double cream
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Let’s Cook!

Put the shallot, garlic, sugar, white wine vinegar, juniper berries, white wine and the fresh thyme in a pan and bring to the boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes this needs to reduce to about 2 tbsp.

In another pan melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux.  Strain your wine reduction through a fine sieve and still whisking…we don’t want a lumpy sauce now do we? Add the wine reduction….keep whisking!

Pick out the juniper berries from the strained mix in your sieve and add to the sauce. Keep whisking and add the stock slowly ….to the sauce a ladle at a time.  Cook the sauce for 10 mins or until it coats the back of a spoon.

Finally, pour in the cream and bring to a very slow simmer.

Remove from the heat and season.

The sauce can be used immediately or reheated when it is needed.

This is a beautiful sauce over when poured over a  luscious piece of beautifully cooked venison or my favourite quail… if you have guests for dinner or just for that special occasion.

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Enjoy!