Tasty Tatties

As usual I made far too much creamed potato for our meal last night, so rather than waste what was left I popped it in the fridge and waited to be inspired.  This morning as I pondered what to have for my breakfast I remembered the mash.  What about some good, old traditional Scottish tattie scones (or potato scones to the uninitiated). 

unadorned scrambled egg with potato scones

These flatbreads are savoury and go very well with sausage, bacon and eggs in a traditional Scottish breakfast or just with a scrambled or poached egg. They also freeze very well, just allow them to defrost and then reheat in the frying pan or under the grill. 

A quick and simple recipe to use up leftover potato and tasty enough to encourage you to make more mash than you need.

with a dash of HP sauce

Tattie Scones
Ingredients
leftover creamed potatoes (potatoes boiled and mashed with milk and butter)
plain flour
pinch of baking powder

Method
Mix the potatoes with enough flour (about 50g per 200g potato) and pinch of baking powder to make a soft dough.

Roll out the dough quite thinly and cut into about 6-8 scones and prick over with a fork.  Traditionally they should be triangular though mine were cut into rounds.

Heat a heavy based frying pan until hot then turn the heat to medium.  Cook the scones for 3 minutes each side, then remove from pan and cover with a cloth.  Eat warm with topping of your choice or cool and freeze for later.

A Set At Last!

Having had two recent attempts at jam making with neither providing a decent set I was beginning to think that I'd lost the knack.  Two batches of Opal plum jam have failed to set properly, though we are using it poured over icecream and added to plain yoghurt; which has proven a real hit.

sampling!

But I was longing for some proper jam...then whilst doing the weekly shop yesterday I bought a couple of punnets of British strawberries reduced in price for a quick sale.  My initial intention was just to eat these, they were beautifully ripe and smelt delicious.  Then whilst wandering down the baking aisle I saw some jam sugar with added pectin and, thinking of my recent failures and my need for jam, I bought a kilo and headed home to defeat the setting gremlins.

I didn't have quite enough strawberries for the recipe so I added a small box of Holly Grove raspberries that I had in the freezer. I have to say that I was exceedingly nervous, however...we have jam!  Can't wait to try it on my toast this morning, I may even make some scones later today...ooo, with a dollop of double cream...yummee!

all set and jarred up

Strawberry Jam with a Touch of Rasberry
Ingredients
Makes about 3.5lbs
800g strawberries
100g raspberries
1kg jam sugar
knob unsalted butter

Method
Hull the strawberries then put in a preserving pan with the raspberries and mash the fruit to extract juices.  Add the jam sugar and place the pan on a medium heat.  Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved - do not allow the fruit/sugar mixture to boil at this point.  When the sugar has dissolved add a knob of butter and stir until the butter has melted.

Gradually bring the mixture to a rolling boil stirring all the time.  When a rolling boil is achieved stop stirring and boil rapidly for 4 minutes - by this time the jam should be at setting point, I used a sugar thermometer to check.

Immediately remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars and seal.
Et voila! strawberry jam with a touch of raspberry.

Summer Pudding?

I've been so disappointed in the weather this summer and have felt like I've been fighting nature making summer desserts; sorbets, cheesecakes, icecream etc.  So last night I decided to give in to my instincts and make a good, oldfashioned, comforting, pudding.

out of the oven...

The pudding in question was a lovely, creamy rice pudding.  This has been at the back of my mind since seeing Simon Hopkinson make one on his latest television series, The Good Cook, a couple of weeks ago, though the recipe I used wasn't this one. 

I can't remember where my recipe came from and I've also had to amend it.  I didn't have enough milk in the fridge or any double cream but it turned out just as I recall from those Sunday afternoons when my boys were younger and they would always vote for creamy rice pudding, baked exceedingly slowly in the oven - lovely memories, lovely pudding...


...and onto our plates

Yummy Rice Pudding
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
4ozs pudding rice (I didn't have any so I used risotto rice)
1.5ozs demerara sugar (or caster sugar)
1 litre whole milk (I used organic soya milk and 0.5oz of skimmed milk powder)
2-3 tbsp double cream (I used creme fraiche)
half a whole nutmeg, finely grated
1oz butter, finely diced

Method
Mix the pudding rice (milk powder, if using) and sugar in a large pie dish or casserole dish.  Pour in the milk and cream (or creme fraiche) and stir together.

Grate the nutmeg over the top of the mixture and dot with the butter.  Place the dish in an oven preheated to 150C.  After 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven and stir well.  Return to the oven and stir again after another 30 minutes.  Return to the oven and leave to bake gently for a further 60 minutes.

You should now have a lovely creamy rice pudding sitting under the milk skin.  Simply serve on its own or as we did with some homemade (slightly underset) plum jam - yummy!