French Pea Soup ~ Soupe Aux Pois

I use split-peas for this
 hearty nutritious soup.

One bowl and you'll be back for a second. 

Ingredients:

2 cups split peas,

I soak the peas overnight.

1 cup chopped ham.
 (A ham bone, hocks, salt pork or
chopped bacon is nice also.)

1 box chicken broth, 900mls.

1 large chopped onion

2 celery stocks chopped

(I also add the leafy ends of the celery)
1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove chopped

3 large carrots
1 small turnip

2 potatoes diced

1 tsp savory

1 tsp thyme 

pepper and

salt to taste.

Rinse the peas and add 
to the soup pot with the chicken stock,
add the onions, celery,  bay leaf and garlic.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer for 45 minutes.

Chop up carrots and turnip,  
and add to pot.
Add water to cover the vegetables.

Chop up Potatoes
add to soup pot.

Add the spices, savory, thyme, salt and pepper.

Simmer for about 1/2 hour.

The last 15 minutes of cooking 

Add the cooked ham. 

delicious!

Thanks for your visit xo

How To Make Red Currant Jelly.

Red Currant Jelly,
A great tasting bright red jelly,

I picked my currants,
in the Summer and froze them. 

12 cups red currants.
(I used frozen ones)
6 cups water
6 cups sugar

In a large pot bring currants and 
water to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or
 until currants are softened. 
Use a potato masher to mash up the currants.

Pour into prepared jelly bags and 
let drip overnight... without squeezing.

or use a colander lined with cheesecloth.

Measure liquid. 
You should have around 6 cups.
place in a deep pot and bring to 
a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar in a steady stream,
(Add equal amount of sugar to 
equal amount of liquid.)
 stirring constantly. 
Return to a full boil, 
stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.
Boil without stirring about 10 minutes
 until it has reached the jelly stage, 220 deg.F.

I insert a wooden spoon through the 
hole in the handle 
of my thermometer and it holds well
over the pot.

Remove from heat and skim of any foam.

Ladle into sterilized jars.

My bush was loaded this year.

So Delicious.
I also have a Black Currant bush,
Next year, I'll try making Jelly with it.

I got the recipe from this lovely
book, bought from Avon,
many years ago.

Enjoy.

Thanks for visiting my blog xo

Plum Torte

 A few simple ingredients, combine
 the sweet tangy juices of these 
plums with a buttery moist cake. 
This recipe fits a 9inch springform pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

2 large eggs

12 plums, halved and pitted.

2 tsp lemon juice

(1tbsp cinnamon with sugar 
to sprinkle over the torte.)

1 pinch salt.

Whisk together flour and baking powder.

With an electric beater, beat together
the butter with sugar until fluffy,
add in the 2 eggs, beat until combined.

Mix the flour mixture and the egg mixture together.

Put in a 9" (ungreased) spring-form pan.

The mixture will be thick,
smooth it out with a spoon.

Place the halved plums in a circle on top of the dough.

Mix together about 1 tbsp sugar and cinnamon

 and sprinkle over the top of the torte. 

Bake 350 deg.F. for 45-50 minutes.

Insert a toothpick

in the middle, if it comes out dry,

the cake it done.

Let cool on a rack about 5 minutes,
before removing the sides.

Taste better the next day
when all the juices of the plums have
sunk into the cake.
(But who can wait that long.
 We had a piece right away).

Great served with vanilla ice-cream.

These little Italian Plums are a delight to bake with.

They come ripe at the end of September 

and have a short season. 

Excellent to eat raw and taste even 

better when used in baking.

To view my blog on Plum Tart, click here.
I also make Plum Jam. my favorite Jam.

The difference between a Tart and a Torte: 
a Tart is fruit with a buttery pie crust.
A Torte is fruit with a buttery cake. 
A variation of fruit may be used....

Thanks for your visit xo.

Pumpkin Cranberry Scones

Pumpkins, paired up with cranberries,

a great combination 

for afternoon tea scone.

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

(Cloves and Ginger may be used 

or Pumpkin spice).

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Butter cubed

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
3 tbsp Milk
1 large Egg
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,

 brown sugar, baking powder, 

baking soda and spices, also salt.

Work butter into the flour mixture

 until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a smaller bowl, 

whisk together Pumpkin Puree

 Milk, Egg and Vanilla

Fold the cranberries in the flour mixture.

Add the egg mixture and flour together.

Roll out until about 1/2 thick.

With a cookie cutter cut out the scones.

Place on cookie 2 cookie sheets

Bake 400deg.F for 12-15 minutes.

Mix 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1 tbsp milk.
Dribble over scones.

Thanks for your visit xo.

Rhubarb Orange Jam.

 I used frozen rhubarb for this jam recipe.

Orange zest and juice heightens the flavour

and sweetens the tanginess of rhubarb.
Great tasting on toast or as a topping on ice cream. 

We always had rhubarb growing, when 
I great up and my Mom made large batches 
of this jam, to feed her large family. 

2 1/2 lbs chopped rhubarb
 2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
Grated rind of one orange.

Put rhubarb and sugar in a large pot 
and let sit for a few hours,
or overnight.

Bring to a boil and cook on low 
for 30 mins or until the jam thickens.
Pour into hot sterilized jars.

Enjoy...

Thanks for visiting my blog xo.


Check out Rhubarb Jam with Strawberry Jello, click here.

Plum Tart

An elegant European dessert.

Fast and so easy to make

with only a few ingredients

and so delicious.

These Italian small blue plums ripen at the end 
of Summer and have a short season. 
Excellent to eat raw and taste even 
better when baked in this tart.

Buttery Pie Crust 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed. 1/4 cup ice cold water. In a large bowl combine flour salt and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. . Place pie crust in an 8" tart pan. I place the pan on the dough and cut  larger to measure for the sides. Place the tart shell in the freezer several hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 deg.F. Plum Filling 1/2 lbs plums 1/4 cup white sugar (or to taste) pinch of salt. Remove pits from plums and  slice the plums lengthwise into 4 pieces. Place the cut plums in a large bowl  and toss with the sugar and salt. Remove crust from the freezer and  quickly place the plums, in neat concentric circles in the  frozen tart shell. Crowd the fruit,  but do not overlap. Place the pan on a cookie sheet. and put in the oven.  Bake the tart at 400 deg.F.. until the crust is golden brown  and the fruit has sunken into itself,  about 40-50 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Thanks for your visit xo.