Strawberry "fridge jam".

Strawberries are plentiful now, too, and I've been freezing them into vanilla-scented parfaits as one way to avoid wastage.
I also won't get through the summer without making at least one batch of strawberry "fridge jam".
This low-sugar, fast-cooked preserve has a fresher, fruitier flavour and softer set than standard jams; as well as dolloping it on to toast, I use it as a kind of fruity sauce.

To make it,
combine 1.5kg of lightly crushed strawberries with
the juice of one lemon and
1kg jam sugar with pectin.
After leaving this to sit for an hour, bring it to a rolling boil and keep it there for just five minutes before potting in sterilised jars.
After opening, it will keep for about three weeks in the fridge.

Rhubarb makes a delicious jam as well, particularly when combined with ginger.
To ensure success, follow some basic preserving etiquette.
First, measure and weigh your ingredients carefully and follow recipes closely – there's some science involved in preserving, and all instructions are there for a reason.
Second, remember that cleanliness is paramount.
Don't use very damaged or slightly mouldy produce, and always sterilise jars or bottles.
This is very simple: just wash the jars or bottles and lids in very hot, soapy water, rinse them in equally hot, clean water, then put them in the oven at 120C/250F/gas mark ¼ for 20-30 minutes.
This dries them and heats them up (hot preserves should go into hot jars), but also knocks on the head any lingering bacteria.
Another sterilising method is to run the jars through a hot dishwasher cycle, then use them straight away, while still hot from the machine.

Gooseberry curd.

Mid-season gooseberries are fat, flavourful and juicy: combine ripe with slightly under-ripe berries for the best jams.
I also love gooseberries in a smooth but tart curd.
This is a little more subtle and complex than a pure lemon curd, with the floral flavour of the gooseberries dancing on the tastebuds.
There's nothing better on a scone or hot breakfast pancakes.
Makes about five small (250-300ml) jars.



500g gooseberries
100ml lemon juice (around 3-4)
125g unsalted butter
450g granulated sugar
200ml strained beaten egg (around 4-5 large eggs)

Sterilise some jars - Place your jars in the oven and heat to 140°C.
Leave them there until needed.
Put the gooseberries in a pan with the lemon juice.
Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring often, until the fruit starts to release its juice, then simmer gently for five to 10 minutes until the fruit has collapsed.
Rub this mixture through a fine sieve to get a thin, smooth gooseberry puree.

Put the puree, butter and sugar into a large basin over a pan of simmering water.
Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Take off the heat and let it cool for a minute – you don't want it to be too hot when you pour in the eggs, or they will scramble.
It should be cool enough that you can comfortably put your finger into it.

Pour in the strained beaten egg, whisking all the while.
Return the pan to the heat and stir the mixture over the simmering water until thick and creamy and registering at least 82C on a sugar thermometer.
This requires patience – it will take a good 10 minutes, probably more – but the curd is much less likely to get too hot and scramble than if you cooked it directly in a pan.
If the curd does start to scramble, take it off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.

As soon as it has thickened, pour the curd into the hot jars and seal.
Leave to cool before labelling.
Use the curd within four weeks; once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a week.

New Potatoes Leek Soup.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
bacon chopped
2 to 3 not large leek stalks, chopped
2 to 3 large potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and sliced into big chunks
1L vegetable broth
2 stems fresh thyme
1 bay leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice

for the sour cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt

optional toppings:
reserved bacon bits
reserved horseradish sour cream
snipped chives or green onions sliced
grated cheddar cheese

Instructions
soup:
In a soups pan add the olive oil
- add the bacon.
Cook until crispy, and then remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Reserve for garnish.

- Saute the leeks, stirring frequently until very soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, 1 L of water, plus the thyme and bay leaves.

For the Sour Cream:
While the soup cooks, prepare the sour cream.
Add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk well.
It will not be perfectly smooth because horseradish is coarse.
Taste, and add a little more horseradish, if you'd like extra heat.

Finish the soup:
Remove the thyme stems and both bay leaves.
Add a big pinch of salt to the soup, and use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your preferred texture.
Go slowly and stop frequently to scoop out a spoonful of the soup to text for texture.
In a small mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup of the sour cream, and pour a 1/4 cup of the hot soup over it.
Whisk immediately, until smooth
Stir into the soup

Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Add splash of lemon juice to enhance the flavors, if necessary.
Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the horseradish cream, and bacon toppings.
Notes
My recipe for 1 person!

Caramelised Apple and calvados Brioche.

Recipe from Crumb: Show the dough who's boss by Richard Bertinet!

Bulgarian sweet bread Kozunak.

- Bulgarian sweet bread Kozunak recipe - Balkan Food Recipes
Ingredients:
1 fresh yeast (40 g)
6 eggs
250 g sugar
200-230 ml of hot milk
2 bags (8 g) of Vanilla sugar (16 g)
1 kg wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
200 ml butter
1 lemon
60 g raisins

Brushing and sprinkle:
1 egg
powdered sugar

First crumble the yeast into pieces.
Then pour some warm milk (not too hot and yet not cold; make it lukewarm), stir in a teaspoon of sugar and a little flour and leave in warm place to rise for about 20 minutes.
Depending on the heat this period can be a bit shorter or a bit longer.

After you’ve prepared the yeast, mix egg and sugar well and add warm milk and vanilla sugar.
Put the flour and salt in a separate bowl, make a hole and add the egg mixture and risen yeast.
Knead the dough and add melted butter gradually.
When the dough is smooth sprinkle it with flour.
Cover it with a cloth and leave in a warm place to rise (30 minutes and then punch down and let rise for 45 minutes).
When the volume is doubled add lemon zest and raisins.

Divide dough into two parts.
Make braid.
Put shaped dough in a higher baking dish greased with butter and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Brush sweet bread with beaten egg and bake.
Oven should be preheated at 180°C (350°F).
Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes.
Once the dough is golden brown and easily separated – it’s done.

When it’s baked, pull Bulgarian sweet bread out and leave it covered with cloth for about 15 minutes before cutting it.

Chilled Kozunak sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut.

Stuffed chicken thighs with lemon sauce.

Stuffed chicken thighs with lemon sauce recipe - BBC Food

Bread roll by Nigel Slater.

- Bread roll recipes | Nigel Slater | Food | The Guardian
Soft rolls with feta and kefir
These rolls prove more slowly than usual because of the cold kefir.
Speed things up by using a warm bowl and by warming the flour in the oven for a few minutes before adding the yeast and liquid.
You will also need a rectangular baking dish or bread tin, approximately 25 x 16cm. Makes 6 rolls

plain flour 500g
fast-acting yeast 1.5 tsp
sea salt 0.5 tsp
kefir 200ml
olive oil 3 tbsp
warm water 100ml
feta cheese 200g
rosemary 3 bushy sprigs
thyme 5 bushy sprigs

To finish:
olive oil a little
thyme and rosemary a few sprigs

Put the flour (500g), yeast (1.5tsp) and salt (0.5tsp) in a large, warm mixing bowl.
Put the kefir (200ml) in a jug, add the olive oil (3tbsp) and the warm water (100ml) and stir well.
Combine the kefir mixture and flour with a wooden spoon or your hands and mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough.

Crumble the feta (200g) into a small bowl.
Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop them to give you 1.5tbsp, and add to the crumbled cheese.
If you are making the dough by hand, tip on to a floured board and knead the cheese and herbs into it.
If you prefer the easy way, use a food mixer fitted with a dough hook to knead the cheese and herbs into the dough.
Continue kneading for a couple of minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary to stop it sticking, then put the dough back in its bowl, cover with a clean, warm cloth and put it in a warm place.
Leave the dough in peace until it has risen to almost twice its original size.

Line a deep-sided baking tin with a piece of baking parchment.

Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces then shape each one into a round bun.
Place the buns in the baking tin, three down each side, then return to the warm place, cover with the cloth and leave for about 30 minutes, until nicely risen and touching one another.

Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 8.
Toss the herbs in the olive oil and scatter them over the rolls then bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Michel Roux’s brioche (fresh yeast) .

- Michel Roux’s brioche dough | French recipes
Recipe from Michel Roux, basically
70% butter,
60% eggs,
14% milk,
7% sugar,
1.4% salt,
1.4 % instant yeast.
Bulked overnight in the fridge.
Warm milk, plenty of butter and a yolky glaze are the secrets behind the perfect melt-in-the-mouth classic French brioche.

22/12/2018
Michel Roux's brioche dough recipe
The perfect breakfast bake

Ingredients
70 ml tepid milk
15 g fresh yeast
500 g plain flour
350 g butter, slightly softened, plus extra to grease
30 g caster sugar
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash
6 eggs, beaten

Directions
Pour the milk and yeast into a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast.
Put the flour, one teaspoon fine salt and beaten eggs into an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour in the milk and yeast mixture.
Mix on slow speed to combine and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes.
By this stage, the dough should be smooth, elastic and combined well.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the butter and sugar together.
Add a few small spoonfuls of the butter mix to the dough, then with the mixer running at low speed, add the rest a piece at a time.
When the butter mixture is all incorporated, increase the speed and work for 6 to 10 minutes, until the dough is very smooth and shiny and comes away from the bowl with perfect elasticity.
Remove the dough hook, leaving the dough in the bowl.
Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Knock the dough back by flipping it over two or three times with your hand.
Cover the bowl again and refrigerate for at least six hours (but not more than 24 hours).
The dough is then ready to use and mould.
To shape a large brioche: divide 600g dough into two-thirds (400g) and one-third (200g).
Shape the larger piece into a ball and place it in the bottom of a well-buttered brioche mould, measuring 16 centimetres across the top, eight centimetres across the base.
Make a deep indentation.
Shape the small piece of dough into an elongated oval and gently press into the indentation in the large ball, so that only a little is left visible, resembling a ‘head’.
Lightly brush the dough with egg wash.
Leave to rise in a warm place for about one and a half hours, until it has at least doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
Brush the brioche lightly again with egg wash.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the setting to 180C/gas mark 3 and bake for another 30 minutes.
Leave the brioche in the mould for 5 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack and leave the bread to cool before serving.
Recipe: The Roux Legacy, Good Food Channel

Pickle tomatoes (express method).

tomatoes - 1 kg
brine: per 1 liter of water
2.5 tbsp salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp mixtures of peppercorns (green, pink, white)
3 bay leafs
10 Whole allspice berries
5 garlic cloves

It is advisable to do in the evening.
Wash tomatoes, put in a jar.
Bring the water to a boil, add everything from above except garlic to it.
Boil for 3 minutes.
Pour the hot pickle in a jar with tomatoes.
Cool naturally to room temperature.
Add peeled and chopped garlic.
Put in the refrigerator.
In the morning, the tomatoes will already to eat.

Cranberry sourdough bread.

300g bread flour(85%)
50g wholemeal flour (in the UK) (15%)
273g water (78%)
70g levain (20%)
7g salt (2%)
60g of dry cranberries

08:00 refresh levain (1:2:2)

12:00 - mix water and flour,
* 12:00 - 13:00 - autolyse
- if your levain isn't ready at 13:00 no worries, keep the autolyse going until levain is ready.
13:00 - add levain (5 hours active on its peak, 1:2:2), mix, rest 30 min,
13:30 - add salt, mix, rest 30 min.
14:00 - lamination, + add berries on rectangle, rest 45 min,
14:45, 15:30, 16:15 - 3 coil folds every 45 mins,
16:15 - 18:15 - Leave untouched for 2 hours.

Total bulk is 6 hours - 13:00 - 18:00 (time starts from adding levain).
18:15 - preshaping, rest 15 min,
18:30 - shaping, proofing room temperature for 30 min,
19:00 put in refrigerator for 16 hours,
19:00 - 11:00 - refrigerator.

10:00 turn on the Oven - my is max 250°C,
11:00 - bake 230°C with closed lid 25 min,
11:20 - open lid 230°C for 10 min,
11:30 - 220°C for 10 min.
11:40 - finish!

* - the temperature is set depending on your oven is.
The majority of home ovens are horribly inaccurate and uneven.
Most ovens can be calibrated, so buy yourself a cheap oven thermometer, pull out the oven’s instruction manual, and try to get the oven calibrated as best you can.

Sourdough Rye Bread with molasses and chocolate.

adapted recipe of Sourdough Rye Bread

Emma Freud cooks.

Emma Freud cooks for Nigel Slater | BBC Good Food

Vegetarian Patè

Vegetarian Patè

6 Amazing Blogs For Bread.

6 Amazing Blogs For Bread Recipes | Make Bread At Home

Russian small pies.

Pirozhki.

about 30 small pies
250 grams of cold butter,
3 cups flour, grits or chop.
Yeast - a quarter of the sticks (25g) diluted in half a glass of warm water, and then put a half spoonful of sugar and salt a little bit.
Yeast left for 10-15 minutes and mix with flour,
there add 250 grams of sour cream, make a ball and put in the cold for 2 hours.

top with egg white or just milk. eggs - more glossy.
The dough is good for the cabbage filling,
Bake at 200C.
Until they turn brown on both sides.
Then you can apply the butter on top.
And cover with a towel for 10 minutes.

NOTE:
Dr.Oetker dry yeast a bag 7g.
The bag is for 500g of flour.
The content is equivalent to 21-25g of fresh yeast.
Thus, if the recipe is 50 g of fresh yeast, then you need about 2-2.5 bags of dry.
One bag of SAF-MOMENT 11 g corresponds to 60 grams of fresh yeast and goes to 1 kg of flour.
About 4 teaspoons.
That is, one teaspoon of SAF-MOMENT corresponds to approximately 15 grams of fresh pressed yeast.
And remember, all types of yeast are fermented as quickly as possible at 30C - a little hotter, and the yeast will be spoiled.

Salzburger Nockerl by David Lebovitz

Salzburger Nockerl - David Lebovitz

The Best Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) by Bronte Aurell.

- Recipe: The Best Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) - ScandiKitchen





36 Buns
Make the dough:
If using fresh yeast, add the luke warm milk (36C) to your mixing bowl in a stand mixer and add the yeast; stir until dissolved.
If using active dry yeast (granules), pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together.
Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly.
Pour into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter.
Allow to combine with the yeast for 1 minute or so, then add the sugar and mix for a minute.
In a separate bowl, weigh out 800g of flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together.
Start adding the flour and spices into the milk mixture, bit by bit.
Add the beaten egg.
Keep kneading for 5 minutes.
You may need to add more flour – you want the mixture to end up a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger if you poke it.
It is better not to add too much flour as this will result in dry buns – and you can always add more later.
The mixture has enough flour when it starts to let go of the sides of the bowl.
Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a clingfilm.
Allow to rise for around 30 minutes – or until it has doubled in size (this time can vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen).
Dust a table top with flour and turn out the dough.
Using your hands, knead the dough and work in more flour if needed.
Cut the dough into two equal pieces and using a rolling pin, roll out one lump of dough to a 40 x 50 cm/16 x 20 in. rectangle.
Using a spatula, spread the filling across the dough in an event, thin layer.

Traditional Swirls:
Simply roll the dough lengthways into a long roll and cut into 15-16 pieces, place on a lined baking tray, and leave – covered – to rise for another 20 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining lump of dough.
Beautiful Twists:
Want to make cinnamon bun twist, like in the photo? Just scroll down to see how to twist (video).
The twists are shown at around 4 minutes in.
Roll out the dough, and fold it once you have spread the filling on it.
Make sure it is even and flat – then using a pizza cutter, cut out even sized strips.
Hold one end of the dough while you twist the dough back on itself and allow it to roll into a twist.
Always make sure the ends are tucked underneath or they will unravel during baking.
Leave to rise for a further 20 mins before brushing with egg.
Bake:
Heat the oven to 200C (fan).
Brush the buns lightly with beaten egg, then bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden and done.
Watch it, they can burn easily and different ovens vary in temperature: My oven bakes these on 180C fan in 8 minutes.

While they are baking, heat the golden syrup and date syrup in a pan until warm and liquid.
If you cant get hold of date syrup, just use golden –but Date syrup does add a lovely flavour to the buns.
When the buns come out of the oven, immediately brush lightly with the syrup, then add pearl sugar (nibbed sugar) on top of the buns and cover with a quite damp tea towel.
The tea towel stops the buns from going dry and forming a crust – leave it on there for at least five minutes.
If you cannot get hold of nib sugar (pearl sugar), you can use chopped hazelnuts etc instead as an alternative.
The buns last only for 24-36 hours – as with all fresh bread – so freeze as soon as they have cooled down if you cant eat 36 buns in one go.
Notes
Note for cardamom and cinnamon: buy the seeds (already de-podded) online and grind as you need, using a spice grinder (you can do it by hand, but its hard work).
Or buy pre-ground, but it loses potency quickly.
For cinnamon, never skimp on the quality – buy good ground cinnamon – the cheap stuff is not great and you need lots more to get a good flavour.

From book:

How Canadian Meredith Erickson became the queen of cookbooks - The Globe and Mail

How Canadian Meredith Erickson became the queen of cookbooks - The Globe and Mail

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake from the cookbook Tartine: A Classic Revised.

- House & Home
by Elisabeth M Prueitt, Chad Robertson
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Fruit Layer
2 3/4 cups (275 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp orange zest

Caramel
3/4 cup (135 g) brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter

Cake
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups (265 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup + 3 tbsp (280 g) crème fraîche
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Butter a 10 by 5 inch (25 by 12 cm) loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side.
To prepare the fruit layer, combine in a bowl:
the cranberries,
brown sugar
orange zest
- gently mix with your hands or a rubber spatula to coat the cranberries and evenly distribute the sugar and zest.
With a spoon, transfer the fruit from the bowl to the prepared pan, keeping in mind that there will be more fruit than the bottom of the pan can accommodate.
The cranberries will shrink during baking so the fruit settles into an even layer.

To prepare the caramel
- stir together the brown sugar and butter in a small, heavy saucepan;
bring the mixture just to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to combine with a rubber spatula, so the sugar doesn’t burn before the butter is fully melted.
When the caramel has softened and begun to boil, remove the pan from the heat.
Immediately pour the caramel evenly over the fruit mixture in the loaf pan and set aside to cool and set without agitating the mixture.

To make the cake
- sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add the granulated sugar and salt and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche and vanilla extract.
Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl.
Mix on low speed until the mixture is sandy and the butter can no longer be seen.
Add the egg mixture, and then beat thoroughly on medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute, stopping the mixer halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Pour the cake batter on top of the fruit and caramel in the prepared pan and smooth to the edges with an offset spatula.
Give the pan a few hard raps on the counter to knock out any air bubbles from the batter.

Bake the cake until it has risen and become a deep golden brown color, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
It might require more time.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
To unmold, run a small, thin knife around the sides to detach any hardened bits of caramel from the cake pan.
Place an inverted serving dish onto the surface of the cake, and, using a towel or oven mitts, flip the cake pan and dish and carefully slide the pan from the cake.
Gently peel off the parchment and allow the cake to continue cooling at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
The cake will keep, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days.


- Tartine: A Classic Revisited: 68 All-New Recipes + 55 Updated Favorites (Baking Cookbooks, Pastry Books, Dessert Cookbooks, Gifts for Pastry Chefs)
by Elisabeth Prueitt - Published October 1st 2019 by Chronicle Books

- Tartine (Baking Cookbooks, Pastry Books, Dessert Cookbooks, Gifts for Pastry Chefs) by Elisabeth Prueitt, Alice Waters, Chad Robertson - Published August 24th 2006 by Chronicle Books

- Check the price at Cheap books - compare book prices then buy at the cheapest price - Best Book Price

Pilaf rice.

300g white basmati rice
Salt
Generous knob of butter
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 stick of cinnamon
2 strips of lemon zest
Pinch of saffron (optional)

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly and tip into a large saucepan of boiling, salted water.
Stir, bring back to the boil, and cook for 7 minutes.

2. Drain well and season to taste.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a clean pan over a medium heat then add the spices and lemon zest.
Cook for a minute, then add 2 tbsp water and a layer of rice.
Heap the rest on top in layers, making sure not to push it down.
Make 5 air holes in the surface with the handle of a wooden spoon, wrap a lid of the pan in a clean tea towel and cover.
Cook over a very low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Have 5cm of cold water ready in the sink.
When the rice is done, plunge the pan into the water and leave for a minute, then turn the pilaf on to a platter.

Is pilaf rice's finest hour or do you prefer it fried, baked or boiled with milk and plenty of sugar?
Which country does the best version: do you prefer palau, pilau or plov?

- Finally…Mrs.Shopkeeper’s Secret Recipe for Bulgar Pilavi…. | Veggiestan