How To Bake Just A Small Batch Of Muffins

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The buffet table at breakfast is filled with fresh fruit, fruit and natural yoghurts, Bircher muesli, homemade bread to toast, freshly squeezed orange juices and local apple juice and a selection of cereals. I also like to put some sort of baked goods on there as a treat.

At this time of year when I can pick blackberries from the wildflower meadow, the only thing to make is Blackberry cinnamon streusel muffins. If guests can’t manage them after breakfast  they can always take them away for a snack later when they get peckish.

The trouble with muffins is that I think they taste best warm from the oven and I don’t think they taste as good if they’ve been frozen or the next day. But the problem is all muffin recipes seem to produce 10-12 muffins and if I ate all the leftover muffins every day I’d soon need a new wardrobe.

So my challenge was to create a method that allowed me to make just 2 or 4 muffins with no waste. And I’ve done it! This recipe is also quite quick in the morning as much of it is already prepared for you. You just scoop out as much of your prepared dry mix as you need and then combine with the wet ingredients.

I’ve spent years looking for the perfect muffin recipe and I eventually found it the American Culinary Institute Cookbook.  The original recipe is for Raspberry pecan streusel muffins. This one is for blackberries. You can use any fruit that you think will work and add different nuts to the streusel or leave them out as I’ve done here.

Note when I talk about cups I mean American Measuring cups. They’re easy to buy in the UK these days but I’ve also included weights in grams.

Making Your Dry Mix

You need a large airtight jar. I have a bit of a thing about Kilner jars and can’t walk past them without buying them. The jar needs to be big enough so there’s room in there to shake all your ingredients to make sure they’re really well combined before each use.

First you put all the dry mix ingredients into your jar and shake really well. This is the ratio of ingredients you need but you could double ( or even triple if your jar is big enough ) them.

• 1.5 cups ( 225g ) plain ( all purpose ) flour
• 0.5 cups ( 115g) caster ( fine ) sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 0.25 tsp salt

Making Your Streusel Topping

You don’t have to use it but the streusel topping really makes these muffins. You can add nuts or different spices if you like. I make up a big batch of streusel topping and put it in the freezer, then just scoop out 0.5 tablespoons per muffin

• 2/3 cup ( 110g) plain ( all purpose flour )
• 2/3 cup ( 110g) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons ( 60g) melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then mix in the butter till you get a crumble like mixture with big crumbs. I use my Kitchenaid mixer for this because I’m lazy but you could do it in a big bowl with a wooden spoon.

Put this into a freezer proof container or a plastic bag, seal and put in the freezer.

Making Up Your Muffins

For each muffin you need 35g or 3.5 tablespoons of dry mix combined with about 35g or 3.5 tablespoons of the wet ingredients.

This is where it can be a bit problematic as you may need you find 1/2 an egg. You could always beat up the egg and throw half of it away or use it in scrambled eggs, an omelette or another recipe.

For 4 muffins I used one of our very small eggs which I weighed ( out of the shell ) to be 40g.  A normal egg is about 80g.

I wouldn’t get too worried about being that precise with the ratios of the wet ingredients. What you’re aiming for is about the same volume of dry ingredients to wet, so if your egg is a bit bigger just use a bit less buttermilk.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius ( 170 degrees for a fan or 375 F )

For 4 muffins you’ll need

Wet Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ( 50g ) buttermilk
• 1/4 cup ( 50g ) melted butter
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 small egg ( about 40g or whatever size egg you have beaten and weigh/measure out 40g or 4 tablespoons )

Beat the wet ingredients together. Shake your prepared muffin mix well and weigh out 140g ( 3/4 cup + 2 tbs ) into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until it is just combined. Don’t beat or over mix as this makes the muffin tough. Stir through the blackberries ( I use about a tablespoon per muffin ).

Put into 4 prepared muffin cases in a muffin tin. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 0.5 tbs streusel mix straight from the freezer. Bake for a bout 20 minutes until risen and golden.

Gluten Free Banana Oat Blueberry Pancakes

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I often get requests for gluten free options at the B&B and try and offer a good choice.

On request, I can do a gluten free lemon drizzle for the rooms and the gluten free banana bread at breakfast has proven to be very popular even amongst the gluten eaters!

Pancakes are a popular choice at breakfast but by just replacing the flour with gluten free they can taste a bit gritty.  So, as it's the quiet time of year for the B&B, I thought I'd have a bit of an experiment.

I'm very pleased with the result and they have the added benefits of being high in fibre and with no added sugar.

This recipe serves 1 with 3 pancakes. You could also replace the blueberries with chopped apple and add a teaspoon of cinnamon.

The calorie count ( according to my fitness pal ) is about 320 calories for 3 pancakes - 8g fibre, 50g Carbohydrates, 15g sugar, 10g fat, 10g protein.

Adding a tablespoon of maple syrup adds 40 calories.

Gluten Free Oat and Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

1 small banana
1 small egg
40 g ( 1/2 cup ) gluten free porridge oats
1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
25g blueberries
3g butter for brushing the pan

Method

Whizz all the ingredients together in a blender until the mix is smooth. Leave for about 20 minutes to allow time for the mix to thicken up.

Heat a non stick frying pan on a medium heat. Brush with melted butter. Spoon the mix into the pan, creating 3 pancakes, Sprinkle the blueberries over the pancakes. Cook the pancakes until small bubbles appear and the bottom are golden brown, then flip the pancakes, cooking until golden brown.

Best served with lashings of maple syrup......

Buttermilk Blueberry and Lime Zest Scones

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I'm always overtaken with an uncontrollable urge to bake something for breakfast the morning after watching the Great British Bake Off ( GBBO). Unfortunately most of my B&B  guests have filled up on fruit, bircher muesli, toast and full Shropshire breakfast, so don't touch the baked goods, but when a girl's got to bake she's got to bake.

For some reason I've been thinking about making blueberry scones for some time. Scones are a big thing for breakfast in America, but they tend to be shorter crispier beast than the traditional English scone.

These scones are a version of the traditional scone we get in the UK, but with the addition of blueberries and lime zest. They are not too sweet and the lime zest isn't overpowering but somehow enhances them.

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. I use buttermilk in most of my baking - it really does make a difference. If you don't have buttermilk you can use milk with a teaspoon of lime ( or lemon juice ) added a few minutes before you use it.

Ingredients

• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40g cold butter diced into small cubes
• 40g caster sugar
• 140 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 50g blueberries
• zest of a lime

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C or fan 200 degrees.

Place some baking parchment or silicon sheet on a baking tray.

Mix the flour and baking powder together, then rub in the butter till it resembles fine breadcrumbs ( I always do this in my mixer as I'm an incredibly lazy cook ).

Stir the sugar and lime zest into the flour mix then, in a small separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture gradually into the flour mix, mixing gently together.
You're looking for a soft, not sticky dough, so you may not need all of the liquid. Be careful not to overmix.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and fold it in half a few times. Pour the blueberries on top and fold it over a few more times.

I don't bother with a rolling pin, just press out the dough with my hand till it's about 3cm thick. Then using a cutter cut out your scones. A round 7 cm cutter will give you about 6 scones. Pull any bits of dough together and press out again so you get the maximum number of scones out of your dough.

Put the scones on the baking tray and brush with leftover buttermilk/egg mix. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes. You're looking for a nice golden brown top and a well risen scone.
Best eaten warm!

Light and fluffy buttermilk blueberry scones with a freshly brewed coffee

Cheese and Oat Biscuits

I've become very bad at doing Christmas and especially presents. In fact Mr B&B even took me to see Scrooge's grave today in the hope that it might have the same effect on me that it had on Scrooge himself but sadly not.

A little explanation here if you're not from Shrewsbury. The classic 1984 George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol was filmed in Shrewsbury. For the film they took an old gravestone in St Chad's graveyard and inscribed it with "Ebenezer Scrooge" and the gravestone remains there today.

Back to biscuits. Last year, 2 hours before attending a friend's Christmas party, I realised I had no presents so I did a quick search on the internet and found these cheese and oat biscuits.

These biscuits really are very good. They are flaky and cheesy and taste fantastic straight from the oven. But they are also very good bunged in a kilner jar ( once cool ) and tied with a ribbon and presented as a present. Best eaten whilst sipping a Prosecco or Kir Royale

Ingredients

75g rolled oats ( I swear by Shropshire Pimhill Farm Oats )
125g plain flour ( using OO pasta flour gives a great result but it's not essential )
85g cold butter cut into cubes
75g very strong cheddar ( Oakly Park Cheddar from the Ludlow Centre is good )
25g pecorino ( or you could use parmesan if you prefer )
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt
1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper ( I love pepper, you may prefer less )
cold water

Optional ingredients that would be good are 1/2 tsp thyme leaves or chopped rosemary or a pinch of cayenne. Experiment with the cheeses or use whatever leftover cheese you have, provided it can be grated.

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 180 degrees C or 200 degrees C

Mix together the oats, flour, salt & pepper, herbs if using, and rub in the butter till you get the texture of large breadcrumbs. I just chuck it all in the mixer. Then grate in the cheese and mix well. Put in the egg yolks and mix together until you get a firm dough. Don't over mix. You may need to add a bit of water to get it into a dough.

Halve the dough and roll it out till it's quite thin. Then using a scone or biscuit cutter, cut out your biscuits. Pull any bits of dough back into a ball and keep rolling out and cutting biscuits until you've used all the dough.

Put on a baking tray ( I always line mine with  a silicon liner ) and bake for 10 minutes until golden. There will be too many biscuits for one tray so I do mine in batches.

If you can manage not to eat them all from the baking tray then place them on a wire tray to cool.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins

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We're a bit of a fan of cinnamon here at Hopton House. My husband is particularly keen. Normally I can't tempt Jess & Rob with a fresh baked muffin in the morning, but they both make an exception for these.

This recipe takes the banana bread recipe and raises it to a different level. You can make it in a 1lb loaf tin to make a traditional banana bread. However it takes quite a long time to cook  ( 50-60 minutes at 160 degrees C non fan oven ) & needs to be completely cool before cutting. By cooking as muffins no cutting is required so they can be served warm from the oven and
only take about 20 mins to cook. They are also incredibly easy to do as it's one of the mixes where you just bung everything into the mixer. They also last quite well so can be cooked the day before.

Makes 6 muffins

Muffin Ingredients

50g softened butter ( or you could use 50ml vegetable oil )
90g soft brown sugar ( caster sugar will do )
1 tsp mixed spice
1 egg
1 ripe banana
110g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp buttermilk ( you can happily substitute 1 tbsp milk or 1 natural yoghurt as who wants to open a whole buttermilk carton for 1 tbsp but it does create a fluffier result )

Cinnamon Swirl Mix
4 tbsp of white sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C ( or 180 degrees for a fan oven ). Put all of the muffin ingredients ( not the cinnamon swirl mix ingredients these are added separately ) into a mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high for 2 minutes. Combine the white sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Line a muffin tin with a 6 muffin cases. Put a tablespoon of muffin mix into the bottom of each case. Take a good heaped teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl mix then  sprinkle over the wet muffin mix. You're looking to have the mix completely covered with sugar & cinnamon. Then add the remaining wet muffin mix to the cases and finish off with another good teaspoon of the sugar & cinnamon.

Be careful not to overfill the cases - you only want them 3/4 full - they will rise quite a lot.

Bake for about 20 minutes till they're firm to touch. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't brown too much.

If you have any remaining sugar & cinnamon mix you can store it in a airtight jar for next time ( or sprinkle some on your porridge in the morning )

Sarah's Chocolate Cake

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I can be very boring on the subject of Twitter and the real life connections it makes, but, living in a rural area and quite often stuck in the house waiting for guests to arrive/leave, it is a real lifeline for the country B&B landlady.

Just this week I had another B&B landlady Twitter friend to stay. We've talked online by direct message nearly every day for the last 3 years & it was finally time to meet. I must admit to being very nervous before their arrival. The nerves were two fold; first they run a fabulous 5 star B&B that has won B&B of the year & second, if we had hated each other in real life, it would have been the end of a beautiful online relationship & left a huge gap. And I have discovered that just because you get on well with someone online doesn't always translate to a great face to face relationship. Luckily it all went well & I was very sad to see them leave.

A few months ago I met another virtual B&B friend, Sarah of Ferndell in Shrewsbury. I took the train up to the "big city" and we nattered for hours and compared B&B stories over coffee & lovely cake. Sarah is known for her chocolate cake and has kindly offered to share the recipe with us all! In fact if you were looking for a country / town 2 centre break in Shropshire you might find Hopton House & Ferndell would be the perfect combination......

Over to Sarah:

Chocolate sponge

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Firstly I would like to thank Karen for asking me to place my chocolate cake recipe on her lovely blog, I usually ask my daughter age 12 to make me a quick cake before the guests are due and between the pair of us it usually turn out alright…

I use a Kitchenaid mixer to do the hard work starting with mixing the Marg and Sugar together, then add 3 eggs mixing again followed by the flour and cocoa powder…how simple, I don’t even use a sieve. I separate the mixture between two 8” tins greased and lined and into the bottom Aga for 25 minutes but luckily with an Aga  if you forget a few extra minutes wont spoil it…as my Aga is off at the moment (sad face) I have to use a timer on the oven so 25 minutes at about 150/160..

Now the butter icing I simply make straight in the bowl the cake mix has come out of, so Marg Cocoa Powder and Icing Sugar, all whizzed up leaving a cloud of icing all over me and the worktop etc as I often forget to drape a damp tea towel over the mixer.

Sandwich together and generously sprinkle over icing sugar (my favourite bit)

Sponge mix                                                          

6oz marg                                                               
6oz granulated sugar
3 Free range eggs
5oz SR Flour
1oz cocoa powder

For the butter icing I tend to plonk the marge icing sugar cocoa in and if it looks too sloppy add more icing sugar and if its too stiff add a little more marg…not very professional I know

Cheese and Herb Sausages

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I always try and provide a good selection of vegetarian breakfast options that aren't just the full English without the meat. However quite a few people still choose the full breakfast but with vegetarian sausage. So I decided to have a go at making my own veggie sausages.

I have tried different recipes in the past but without any huge success. I needed a sausage that I could make in bulk, freeze and then be able to cook from frozen without it all falling to mush.

This is a recipe from Delia's Vegetarian Cookbook. Her recipe uses Parmesan in the coating. Parmesan isn't actually suitable for strict vegetarians, so I've replaced it with a strong local cheddar from the Ludlow Food Centre which is suitable for all vegetarians; Oakley Park Cheddar.

Delia's recipe reckons it makes 12 sausages but I've only every managed 7-8.

I freeze them individually on trays and then put into plastic bags.

I use whatever bread is leftover from breakfast. But I find it works well with a mix of my homemade seeded granary bread & white bread.

Sausage Ingredients
100g vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated
125g breadcrumbs ( white, granary or wholemeal or a mix )
1 medium onion, either grated or minced in the food processor
1 tablespoon mixed fresh  herbs ( I use parsley, chives & thyme )
3/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1 egg yolk
salt & pepper

Coating
1 egg white, beaten
25g breadcrumbs
25g very finely grated cheese

Mix together all of the dry ingredients for the sausage, then mix in the egg yolk. I find it easier to do this with my hands. Take small amounts of the mix and form into sausages. Roll the sausages in the egg white the mix of breadcrumbs & grated cheese.

If you're eating straight away I would suggest putting them in the fridge for about half an hour to firm up. Otherwise freeze on trays and then bag up when frozen.

To cook fresh, fry them gently in olive oil till golden all over - 5-10 minutes.

To cook from frozen. Brush with some olive oil and bake at about 200 degrees ( or top AGA oven ) for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

Sticky Ginger Cake with Ginger Wine Butter Icing

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If you've stayed with us at Hopton House you'll know that there is a whole cake waiting in your room on arrival. This is normally a homemade lemon drizzle. It's a fairly safe bet as it seems to be most people's favourite! However I'm always happy to make something different on request.

 

This week I was asked for a sticky ginger cake with butter icing. I'm glad I'm not asked to make this that often because it is one of my favourites, and I would end up eating far too much of it! It is so sticky & light all at the same time.



My favourite butter icing has a teaspoon of vanilla extract in it. Since my homemade vanilla extract is just rum with vanilla pods steeped in it I decided to switch it for a teaspoon of ginger wine and it works very well.

I've done this recipe in imperial measures as it's so easy to remember that way. It's easily halved if you don't want to make 4 cakes.

I bake it in 4 1lb loaf tins, lined with loaf liners. This means I have 1 cake for the guest room and the others I put in bags, seal and put in the freezer for up to a month. The cake keeps well and gets stickier over a few days.

The icing is enough to generously cover 1 cake

Cake Ingredients
8oz treacle
8oz golden syrup
8oz dark muscovado sugar
8oz butter
16oz white self raising flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
2 large eggs
1/2 pint milk

Icing Ingredients ( for one cake )
2 oz very soft butter
7 oz icing sugar
1tsp ginger wine

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius Fan oven, 170 degrees Celsius non fan.
Put the flour, ginger and mixed spice in a large bowl and mix well.
Put the treacle, syrup, sugar and butter in a large saucepan and heat gently until it all melts. Mix it well together.
Beat together the eggs and milk.
Pour the contents of the saucepan and then the eggs & milk into the flour and spices and beat well till it's all well combined.
Divide the mixture between the 4 loaf tins and baked for about 40 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
Leave to cool completely then make the icing by beating together the butter, sugar and ginger wine. Spread it over one cooled cake.

Raspberry, Banana, Honey & Oat Smoothie

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Like many people I find it a bit of a struggle to eat healthily at this time of the year. It's made worse as I'm constantly baking for guests - mince pies and shortbread straight from the oven are so very hard to resist.

It's also difficult to find seasonal fruit to eat. I love clementines but there are only so many I can eat in a day!

So I try and at least start the day fairly healthily. This is my standard smoothie but by adding in the oats I make it a bit more substantial. Oats, of course, are great for lowering the cholesterol. The raspberries are frozen but you could use fresh.

This smoothie gives you almost 3 of your 5 fruit & veg. It's not particularly low calorie but I find it does keep me going till lunch and stops me raiding the leftover guest croissants. These ingredients make 1 big smoothie!

80g frozen raspberries
1 small banana
100ml apple juice
40g porridge oats
150 ml ( 1 standard small pot ) of natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon local honey

Put into blender and whiz for at least a minute.

Enjoy!

Mince Pies

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I'm not a keen pastry cook and, every year, have always searched in vain for a decent mince pie pastry recipe. However a couple of years I was recommended a recipe by Darren ( @urdygurdy on Twitter ) and chef at the Minfford Hotel near Tal-y-llyn in North Wales ( a stunning part of the country if you've never visited ).

The ingredients are from Darren but I can't blame him for the recipe. Also the orange zest is my own addition.

I couldn't decide whether to put the mince pies or the lemon drizzle in the guest rooms so I've put both in in the run up to Christmas.

5oz cold butter, cut into cubes
8oz plain flour
1oz sugar
zest of half an orange
1 egg
1 jar of mincemeat
a little water
1 small beaten egg

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or Fan oven to 180 degrees C.

Rub the butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs ( I use the food mixer ), add the sugar and orange zest and mix well. Add the egg and mix well until it forms a stiff dough. You made need a few drops of water but not a lot.

I put the pastry wrapped in clingfilm for at least 30 mins.

Cut the pastry into 2 then roll out quite thinly on a floured surface. I use a large and medium pastry cutter to cut out 16 large and 16 medium sized circles. You'll probably need to pull together the trimmings of pastry and reroll them a few times.

Take a mincepie tin and line with the large circles. ( My mincepie tin only has 12 holes so I do it in 2 batches ). Put about a teaspoon of mincemeat in each ( be careful not to overfill ). Brush the edges with water and then put the smaller circles of pastry on top. Crimp the edges together. Brush with beaten egg and put in the oven for 20 minutes. My oven isn't very even so I time for 10 minutes then turn round the tin and cook for another 10 minutes..

Put on a cooling tray and dust with icing sugar.

Spiced Plums

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This dish is very popular on the breakfast buffet table. The plums go very well with granola and yoghurt, bircher muesli and even porridge.

It improves in taste overnight and will last a couple of days in the fridge. It's great for using up a surplus of plums and is also good with those rock hard plums you buy in the supermarket to "ripen at home"

It's been a bad year for plums here but, when I do have a glut, I cut the plums in half and freeze on a tray before putting into a bag in the freezer. I then cook them straight from the freezer.

It's also good as a base for a plum crumble or with rice pudding.

I've used ground cinnamon here but you could use a cinnamon stick instead and put in a star anise.

7 or 8 plums cut in half with stone removed
3 tbs soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
water

Preheat oven to 200 degrees ( 180 for fan oven ) or use the top oven in the AGA. Take a medium sized baking dish and pour in about 1/2 cm water. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir around. Add the plums, cut side up.

Put in the oven for about 30 minutes. You need the plums soft but, preferably, not falling apart.

Apricot Almond Mini Cakes

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I have another lovely virtual Twitter friend, Deanna Morauski, who runs the Old Hen B&B in Snoqualmie Valley in Washington. Deanna and her husband have recently been featured on the Live Well Network in the USA ( details below ). I watched the video of it the other evening and it was great to see her in "real life"

Here Deanna shares her recipe for Apricot Almond Mini Cakes Recipe.

Apricot Almond Mini Cakes Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cup apricot jelly (for topping)
• 1 cup sliced almonds (for topping)
• 2 cups (or 16 ounces) high quality semi-sweet chocolate (for dipping)

Place eggs in mixing bowl. Add sugar and beat on high setting for about 3 minutes or until well combined and frothy. Lower setting on mixer and add flour slowly. Add butter. Mix until butter is completely mixed into batter. Add almond extract, baking powder and salt. Place cake in two 9X13 baking pans that have been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake until fork poked into center of each cake comes out clean - start checking at about 20 minutes.

When cake done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool. Heat apricot jam for about 45 seconds in microwave (not necessary but helpful for spreading). Spread jelly evenly on top of cakes. Chill cakes in fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up jelly and make cake easier to dip into chocolate. Make mini cakes but cutting with a 1 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter. Push the cookie cutter into the apricot topped cake and gently push the cake up through the top to remove from cookie cutter so that the jelly topping stays nice. Place on a parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Dip each mini cake into chocolate up to jelly (coating bottom and sides) using a fork or a chocolate dipping tool. Place dipped cakes back onto the tray covered with parchment paper to cool. When finished will all the cakes, place tray in fridge to set for about a half an hour.

Place in mini cupcake liners or candy liners on a pretty platter to serve.

This recipe makes about 60-70 mini cakes.

About Deanna:

You can see Deanna on Joey Fatone's new show "My Family Recipe Rocks" on the Live Well Network this month on October 27th. You can watch her episode here: http://livewellnetwork.com/My-Family-Recipe-Rocks/8432939 She will be making four scrumptious recipes throughout an entire episode filmed at her B&B, The Old Hen. Follow along on her Facebook page or on Twitter for updates .

Deanna’s love for baking and cooking began as she sat upon a baker’s stool as a little girl. Her love for people grew in the midst of church potlucks. She expresses her loves today creatively through speaking, writing for her foodie blog, television appearances as well as hosting guests, including celebrities, at her award-winning inn, The Old Hen Bed & Breakfast http://theoldhen.com in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

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I often have guests with specific dietary requirements staying & am always looking for suitable alternatives to dish up for breakfast.

I've learned a bit about a gluten free diet from various guests over the years. Catering specifically for a coeliac diet can be a bit tricky as you can't let any wheat flour contaminate the food you're preparing.

Gluten free bread has to be toasted separately & you have to ensure that items like butter, jams etc haven't accidently got bread crumbs in them.

I buy brand new bags of gluten free, flour, sugar etc when I have to bake gluten free.

I made this banana bread for breakfast this morning - it worked very well and was almost indistinguishable from that which I make with normal flour.

I would have added a tablespoon of honey & 1 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of the mixed spice but both were open & I couldn't guarantee no random flour particles!

( BTW I forgot to take a photo of the bread so this is picture of my normal banana bread - looked exactly the same ;0)

50g softened butter
90g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 ripe banana
110g gluten free self raising flour
1 level tsp gluten free baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp milk

Put all the ingredients in a mixer and beat for 2 minutes.
Put into a 1lb loaf tin lined with a paper liner and baked at 180 degrees ( fan oven ) for about 40 minutes until golden & firm.
Leave to cool a bit before slicing.

Three Fruit Marmalade

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It's about this time of the year that I start to run low on the Seville Orange Marmalade I made back in January. I do have some frozen seville oranges in the freezer for this but last last week I decided to make three fruit marmalade as it does seem very popular with the guests.

I need to confess that I don't like marmalade so I have no idea if it's good or not. I put the first pot on the breakfast buffet table this weekend and have just had a request to buy some so it must be OK :)

1 Large Orange
1 Red Grapefruit
1 large lemon
1 Kg sugar ( not Jam sugar, granulated, preserving or caster sugar is fine )
1.5 litres water
1 knob of butter
1 muslin bag
1 large pan
6 x 454g jam jars with lids

Scrub the fruit well. Halve the fruit and juice, retaining all the bits of flesh & pips that accumulate in the juicer. Scrape out all of the flesh from the fruit & put into the muslin bag along with the rest of the flesh & pips. Tie the top of the muslin bag securely.

Cut the peel as finely as possible and put in the large pan with the juice,water and the muslin bag. Bring to the boil then simmer very gently for 2 hours ( if you have an AGA the ideal place to do this is in the simmering oven ). You need to reduce the liquid by half so I use my Maslin pan that has a scale on it.

Put a couple of saucers in the freezer.

Whilst you're doing this put the jam jars and lids through the dishwasher on a hot cycle to sterilise them. Take them out and ensure they are completely dry then put the jars on a tray in a low oven to keep warm.

On a low heat, add the sugar to the pan. Wait for it to dissolve completely, stiring whilst you do this.
When the sugar is dissolved then increase the heat until you get a fast rolling boil ( one you can't stir down with a wooden spoon ). Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and test for set - put the marmalade on a saucer from the freezer and draw your finger across it - if it wrinkles it's ready. If not boil for another 5 minutes. Repeat this process until you get a set.

Once it's ready take off the heat and add a knob of butter to remove the accumulated scum. Stir.
Leave for 15 minutes, then pour into the hot jam jars. Screw on the lids - hey presto-marmalade :0)

Apricot and Vanilla Compote

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

It's getting to the time of year when strawberries aren't as sweet as they were and fruit compotes start to make their way onto the breakfast buffet table.

Today I had some leftover apricots from preserve making so decided to test a new recipe for apricot compote. I suspect, like most compotes, this is going to taste better the next day, though it's still tastes pretty good freshly cooked.

500g fresh apricots ( halved and stoned )
75g caster sugar
200ml water
a vanilla pod ( I used a rum soaked one out of my homemade vanilla extract )

Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat. Add the apricots and vanilla pod and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until the apricots are soft.

Leave to cool and put in the fridge and serve next day for breakfast, or, this would taste fabulous with some rice pudding for dessert.

Lee House Cherry Almond Yoghurt Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

One of the things I love about social media is how it's created connections and friendships with other B&Bs all over the country. We share recipes and ideas and commiserate when things go wrong.

I was alerted to this cake recipe by Pauline at Lilac Tree Lodge in Sussex http://www.lilactreelodge.com/ who was given the recipe by Caroline of Lee House in Lynton in North Devon http://www.leehouse-lynton.co.uk/

The photo is by Pauline and the recipe by Caroline

Lee House Cherry Almond Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients

*1 x Stapleton Strawberry & Clotted Cream yogurt

1 x tub ground almonds

2 x tubs of sugar (granulated or caster)

2 x tubs of self-raising flour

1 x 200g carton of glace cherries

½ tsp baking powder; 1 x tub sunflower oil

3 x large eggs; ½

1 capful of almond essence

1-2 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional)

margarine and extra flour preparing the tin

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 24cm Bundt tin/Savarin cake tin (at Stapleton we did not have either of these so we just used a regular round 20cm cake tin which has worked well too). To measure ingredients, pour straight from the packet into the empty yogurt pot. Ingredients should be uniformly level with the top of the pot for each ‘tub’ measure required.

1) Cut cherries into quarters. Empty the yogurt into a large bowl; use a flexible spatula to ensure you get every last drop of yogurt out of the pot.

2) Measure the ground almonds and pour onto the yogurt in the mixing bowl; repeat this process with the sugar. Measure out one tub of self-raising flour (no need to sift) and pour half the tub into the bowl. Drop in a few cherries, then alternate layers of flour and cherries until the remaining one and a half tubs of flour and cherries have been added to the bowl. Lightly mix cherries and flour together with your fingers to coat the cherries. Add the remaining ingredients (up to and including the almond essence) in the order listed above. Stir ingredients together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

3) Spoon mixture evenly around the prepared tin and spread the top level. Bake at 180°C for approximately 45–60 minutes (the shorter time for fan assisted ovens), until well risen and golden brown (if using a round cake tin, you may need to place some baking paper over the top of the cake to prevent it from getting too brown!). Test for ‘doneness’ with a metal skewer.

4) Leaving the cake in its tin, place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Ease the cake away from the edges of the tin with your fingers and then carefully turn the cake out onto the wire rack. Dust with icing sugar when cool if liked.

 Pauline's note *I couldn’t find that make so bought another make of strawberry and cream yoghurt in 150 g tub (large individual size) and this is the tub you use for other measurements.  There is a lot of mixture so if you cook in normal tin I would suggest lowering temp a bit and cooking for longer to make sure cooked through in middle.  It is a very moist cake when first cooked and we preferred it a few days later when not so moist. Freezes well

AGA Roast Tomatoes with Halloumi on Brioche

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This is one of our most popular specials at the B&B for vegetarians and meat eater alike. I use Greek Basil, which I love. It has tiny leaves so you don't need to do any chopping, just strip the leaves from the stem. It's also easy to grow from seed and, if you keep picking it, it lasts for ages.

I make brioche buns most mornings and use any that are leftover toasted in this recipe or for brioche french toast. You can slice them up and freeze them.

For one person

3 Slices Halloumi
8 or 9 Cherry Tomatoes, halved if too big
Sea Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Greek Basil ( or normal basil leaves torn into small strips )
Brioche sliced

Put the tomatoes in a small ovenproof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Add the small basil leaves, retaining a few for garnish. Put in an oven at about 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and oil is sizzling.

Toast the brioche ( be careful as brioche has a high sugar content it can burn very quickly ).

In a small frying heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on a high heat then fry the halloumi until golden brown on both sides.

Put the toasted brioche onto a warm plate, spoon over the tomatoes with its juice, then lay the halloumi on top, sprinkling with the reserved basil leaves.

Bircher Muesli from the Ashton, Lancaster

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Mr B&B sometimes travels on business and he came back from one trip raving about the Bircher Muesli he'd been served for breakfast on his BA flight. It's not often I've been asked to replicate airline food at home, though I did once have a rather fabulous soy salad dressing on a flight to San Francisco that I've been trying to make ever since.

I know that James at The Ashton in Lancaster, currently holder of the title of England's Best B&B, had mentioned a Bircher Muesli recipe to me, so I asked him to send it through.

It's best to soak the oats overnight apparently but I've made it in the morning with just an hour to go and it tastes fine in my opinion. Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a big main breakfast.

I've also seen recipes with currants, sultanas etc. I'm not keen so they're not in this recipe.

100g porridge oats
200ml apple juice
2 apples grated
150ml natural yoghurt
Toasted Flaked Almonds
Summer Berries

The night before, put the oats into a large bowl and pour in the apple juice, stir well and then cover and put in the fridge overnight.

In the morning grate in the apples, add the yoghurt and stir in the berries, leaving a few to sprinkle on top.

The sweetness of it will depend on the apple juice you've used. If it's not sweet enough for you, I reckon a drizzle of honey would be perfect.

Apricot Danish

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Apricot tarts & croissants are probably my favourite sweet pastry. Croissant pastry is complicated and takes a long time to make, but I've come up with a bit of a cheat that's quick & easy to prepare in the morning.

320g pack of ready rolled all butter puff pastry
Ground almonds
flaked almonds
16 ripe apricots
3 tbs apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Cut the pastry into 8 rectangles and place on a baking tray.
Cut the apricots in half.
Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the ground almonds into the centre of each rectangle of pastry, leaving a small border of about 1 cm.
Lay 4 halves of apricot onto each pastry and then sprinkle with a few flaked almonds.
Bake for about 15- 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Melt the apricot jam gently, then brush over the pastry and apricots as soon as they come out of the oven.

Herby Mushrooms on Granary Toast topped with a Poached Egg

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk


I've recently put this onto the breakfast menu as a permanent feature and it's proving very popular. I pop it onto some homemade granary bread that has been toasted but it would also work well on toasted brioche.

4 or 5 medium sized flat mushrooms - mini portabella work well but it's also nice with chestnut
2 or 3 sprigs of lemon thyme ( or use normal thyme with a little lemon zest added )
2 or 3 sprigs of parsley
2 or 3 chives
salt
pepper
good knob of butter
thickly sliced granary bread
a poached egg ( see earlier recipe in this blog )

Slice the mushrooms thickly.
Strip the leaves from the thyme, Roughly chop the parsley. Snip or chop the chives into tiny pieces.
Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the mushrooms over a medium heat and fry till they start to release their juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper ( for me this is about a quarter teaspon of salt and 4 grinds of black pepper ). Add nearly all the herbs to the mushrooms, leaving about 1/2 teaspoon
Toast and butter the bread.
Pile the mushrooms onto the toast on a warm plate. Top with the poached egg and add the remaining herbs.