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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Brioche French Toast

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Sometimes only something sweet and salty will do at breakfast and that's when I cook up some french toast and bacon with maple syrup.

You can use normal white bread for this but I prefer it with brioche. It's great if you have bread that's a few days old as it works better and is less likely to fall apart.

I have a sliced loaf of homemade brioche in the freezer and pick out a slice whenever I fancy ( or a guest orders french toast )

My daughter is also a great french toast aficionado but finishes her by dipping it in a bowl of caster sugar......

Ingredients

1 thick slice of brioche
1 egg
2tbs milk ( preferably full cream )
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp caster sugar
A large knob of butter
a few drops of sunflower oil

Beat together the egg, milk, vanilla and sugar in a wide shallow bowl. Dip the bread in for a couple of minutes on each side until soaked.

Add the butter and few drops of oil to a frying pan ( the oil has higher burning temperature and will stop the butter from burning ). Heat to a medium to medium /high heat then put in the toast. It'll need a couple of minutes on each side but keep an eye on it as it can burn very quickly.