Cupcakes for Lara: coconut cupcakes with blueberry curd

For many years I thought that if I ever had a daughter, I would call her Lara. I secretly wished for a boy during my first pregnancy, and my wish was granted. I still remember the scan lady announcing to us during the 20-week's scan "I can see gender!" (how very American to say gender rather than name the actual body part). I am blessed with two boys, and I love them to bits. They are my Universe, my alpha and omega, my everything. Life would be meaningless without them. But sometimes, just sometimes my heart is aching for that little blue-eyed girl who I never had and never will.

Just the other day I was looking at the photos of a little lady called Lara, a daughter of the talented blogger Attachment Mummy and thinking that this little girl seems to have inherited the strong will, great personality and beauty of her namesake. She is a perfect modern Lara.

In a wave of nostalgia for my long-left homeland, I decided to bake some cupcakes (always a mood-enhancing process). Coconut frosting might not be a Russian ingredient as such, but it does remind me of the snow and frosty mornings. I also had a jar of the blueberry curd that I wanted to play with.

I have seen the reports on the new limited edition blueberry curd created by The English Provender to celebrate the birth of The Baby George (and I don't mean Peppa Pig's little brother), but haven't seen it in the shops. Luckily I was able to satisfy my curiosity when I came across The English Provender's stand at The Big Feastival. This curd looks very Royal indeed: a gorgeous deep purple colour, and tastes intensely fruity and sweet. And while I prefer my curds to be more tart and tangy, I thought this curd would be perfect in baking.

Coconut cupcakes with blueberry curd (makes 8)
Ingredients:
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
3tsbp dissicated coconut
2tbsp ground almonds
100g butter, melted
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
4tsp blueberry curd
For the frosting:
100g caster sugar
40ml water
1 egg white
4tbsp dissicated coconut
2+tbsp icing sugar
Queen writing icing/icing pens and Dr Oetker soft silver pearls (optional)

In a deep bowl beat two eggs with the sugar and vanilla essence. Add the coconut, ground almonds, baking powder, flour, mix well. Add the melted butter and juice, and mix again.
Spoon the cake mix into paper cupcake cases and place them in the muffin tin.
Make the indentations inside the cupcakes and add half a teaspoon of blueberry curd inside each hole. Top up with more cake mix to cover the curd.
Place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool.

For the frosting bring the sugar and water to boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg white and slowly add the sugar syrup to it, continue whisking. At this stage it is still quite runny. Add the icing sugar and coconut and whisk again, until you get a thicker frosting.
Spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
Decorate with the icing pens and soft silver pearls (optional).

I've been testing the OXO Good Grips juicer recently (I received it together with an OXO Good Grips box grater for the blogging challenge, see my post Apple and pine nuts cupcakes), and used this handy kitchen gadget to juice lemon and orange for this recipe. It has two different reams for different-sized fruit. The base has measurement markings, so you know exactly how much juice you've got. My only suggestion for improvement is to make the strainer slots smaller so that they would catch all the pips (the smaller ones keep falling through inside the base cup). Otherwise, no complaints, it is very convenient to use, very steady and easy to clean.

And just because I wanted to use my new Spode Seasons plate in the photo, I have decorated one of the cupcakes with the blue icing pen. Can you believe, I found this treasure in a charity shop for £8.95?
Eddie scoffed his cupcake in 60 seconds, pearls and all (don't know why they are called soft pearls, they are actually crunchy).
And now he's wandering in circles around the kitchen, counting the remaining cupcakes: One for Papa, one for Mama, one for Sasha, one for me...

These cupcakes are for Lara: the passionate Lara of the classic novel, Leta's blue-eyed beauty and the little girl that I would never have.

Lemon polenta gluten free muffins

As we were still celebrating Eddie's birthday today (every morning for the last week Eddie asks if it is his birthday, bless him), for our mini-tea party we had a shop-bought Peppa Pig cake and lemon polenta muffins.

Lemon polenta gluten free muffins
Ingredients:
2 medium eggs
100g caster sugar
100g butter, melted
75g ground almonds
75g polenta (I use Polenta Valsugana for all my baking, cannot recommend highly enough)
100g gluten free flour
1tsp vanilla essence
2tsp essence of orange blossom water (The English Provender: optional but so very moreish)
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 2 lemons
1tsp baking powder, gluten free
flaked almonds (about 3tsp)

Cream the eggs with the caster sugar. Add the grated zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1 lemon. Add the ground almonds, polenta, gluten free flour, vanilla essence, essence of orange blossom water, baking powder and melted butter and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Spoon the mix into 6+ muffin cases (we got 6 muffins and 2 mini cupcakes). Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top. Bake for about 18 minutes until golden brown (check with the wooden skewer, if it comes clean, the muffins are ready).
Very easy, quick and lovely.

Pork with Bramley apple sauce and pomegranates

Shhh don't tell anyone, but sometimes I buy the meals in trays that need just to be put in the oven, like Easy to cook range from Waitrose. They had the dinner for 2 at £10 offer, and I picked a main dish of a pork leg with a Bramley apple sauce. When I opened it, I thought it looked quite boring and needed jazzing up. The little pouch of the apple sauce that came in the tray was very indistinct. Luckily I had half a jar of The English Provender Bramley Apple sauce with calvados. And a nice juicy pomegranate. And so with a few personal touches, a boring dish came up trumps. And next time I decide to cook a leg of pork, I'll just buy a leg of pork and add my own ingredients, as the Easy to cook dish wasn't very exciting.
Here's my pork with Bramley apple sauce and pomegranates.

Pork with Bramley apple sauce and pomegranates
Ingredients:
500g pork leg joint
Bramley apple sauce (half a jar of The English Provender Bramley Apple sauce + the pouch of apple sauce from the kit, or use 1 jar of The English Provender apple sauce - 210g)
1 medium apple
1 pomegranate
1 tbsp of brandy
1 tsp of olive oil
1 orange
salt, pepper (I used the Cornish sea salt with pepper)

Chop the apple and scatter around the seasoned pork in a tray, add the brandy, the olive oil, the juice of 1 orange and the apple sauce, cook for about 50 minutes at 180C in the oven. Add half of the pomegranates for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Let it rest before serving and scatter more pomegranate seeds on the sliced pork.
I served the meat with the leeks and courgettes side dish plus some rigatoni with pesto.
It certainly beats the Waitrose offering.
The Bramley apple sauce from The English Provender added a much needed interest in flavour (I have already enthused about this apple sauce, it's one of my favourites, just try it in the simple cheese sandwich, mmm), the pomegranates gave it taste, texture and colour. And it is counting towards your 5 a day too!

A posh onion gravy for sausages and mash

Sausages and mash are the ultimate comfort food, which can only be enhanced by a rich sticky gravy, preferably made from onions. I have been playing with different versions of the onion gravy, adding different ingredients like the balsamic vinegar, sherry or brandy. This version which I call the Posh Onion Gravy is made with an addition of the Bramley apple sauce with Calvados from The English Provender (which is exceptionally good, I buy it often and use in many meat-based dishes, like roast chicken etc).

Posh Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

• 2 big onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 dash of brandy or dry sherry
• 2 tbsp apple sauce (The English Provender Bramley apple sauce with Calvados)
• 1 small pot of Bisto stock melts beef
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• Salt (I use the homemade coriander and rose petal sea salt)

Slice the onions thinly (in circles). Melt the butter with oil in a large saucepan or wok over a low heat, add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
After the onions acquire a translucency, add the sherry or brandy, a small pot of Bisto stock melts beef and enough water to immerse the onions in it. Cook on low for another 10 minutes, again stirring often and adding water if necessary.
If adding the cornflour, first mix it with the small amount of the cold water to prepare a thin runny paste, and pour slowly in the onion gravy, mixing well. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Season with salt. Add the Bramley apple sauce with Calvados almost at the end of cooking and mix well.

Serve warm with your choice of sausages (I cooked the pork and Bramley apple sausages as well as Toulouse sausages), baked apples and mashed potatoes.

Life full of flavours: Caramelised Red Onion Chutney from The English Provender (review)

If you love chutneys, you might have seen the enticing jars of chutneys from The English Provender Co. on the shelves of the supermarkets and the delis.
I have a couple of jars of their chutneys in the fridge, in case we have visitors who invited themselves for a cuppa tea. These chutneys are superb with the cheese, but also are my secret weapon when I am making little open tarts. Just add a generous helping to the shortcrust or puff pastry, top up with a goat's cheese or brie, bake for 10-15 minutes, and you have a mouthwatering treat.

Lovely people at The English Provender have offered to send me a jar of their new Caramelised Red Onion Chutney.

The design of the jars has been recently revamped and now has a see-through label. It clearly says: "I have nothing to hide. Look at me! Can you resist me?" (at least that's what I think it says).

Apart from the obvious sandwiches and cheese platters, you can use the caramelised treasure to add a pizzazz to a number of dishes.

Just earlier today I have been baking croissants for breakfast. My hubby having a sweet tooth, wanted his pastries sweet, but I am more of a savoury breakfast girl.
So, my croissants were made with a dollop of the red onion chutney and a good chunk of the goat's cheese.

If you fancy trying the same, buy a tin of the Jus-Rol croissant pastry. Unroll the triangles of the pastry on the board, add the red onion chutney and top up with the goat's cheese (a chunk of brie or any other soft cheese would be a good alternative).

Roll the croissants, put on the baking tray and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180C. If you don't want the cheese to escape the pastry, just tuck in the two ends.
A lovely breakfast, which beats a boring cereal any time.

The chutney itself has a beautiful rich colour & is full of flavour.

It also adds richness to a beef stew.

All in all, a versatile product at a very reasonable price.