Bats, Brains and Spiders

Fabio and I have been hard at work getting ready for today's school Halloween cake sale. Cutting out the bat's wings took far far too long and anyway we liked the brains best. The idea for those came from Lily Vanilli's terrifying cupcake book, we just added few maggots

Child-friendly Cucumber Sushi

Cucumber rolls are a good introduction to sushi. They're enjoyable to make and there's nothing in them even the terrible two year old could object to eating. This will be us next week !

Serves 2
150g sushi rice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
large pinch caster sugar
5cm piece cucumber, cut into batons
2 sheets nori seaweed
1 tbsp sesame seeds
sweet soy sauce

1 Put the rice in a small pan with 300ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, cover and leave to cool completely.

2 Divide the rice between the 2 sheets of nori, spreading it out evenly over the seaweed but leave a 1cm clear border at the bottom. and 3cm at the top. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice then lay the cucumber batons across the centre.

3 Fold the bottom edge of the seaweed over the filling then roll it up firmly. Dampen the top border with a little water to help it to seal the roll. Continue with the second roll then wrap them individually in cling film and chill until ready to serve.

4 Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 rounds. Serve with sweet soy sauce for dipping.

Fishy Fingers

Makes 12
250g skinless, boneless white fish
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
6 tbsp bread crumbs
2 tbsp plain flour
1 egg, beaten
olive oil, for shallow frying

1 Cut the fish into chunky fingers.

2 Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs.

3 Dip the fish first in the flour, then the egg and finally the cheesy crumbs.

4 Heat some oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Cook the fish fingers for 5 - 8 minutes until crunchy and dark golden.

Squashy Marshmallows

This is not one for children to attempt on their own as it involves boiling sugar but the finished marshmallows are so much yummier than commercial ones, they're really worth having a go. The liquid glucose is not strictly necessary but is an insurance against the sugar crystalising and you having to start all over again.

Makes 100
30g icing sugar
30g cornflour
9 sheets gelatine
450g granulated sugar
1 tbsp liquid glucose
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Line a 20cm x 30cm tin with baking paper.

2 Sift together the icing sugar and cornflour and sprinkle half into the tin.

3 Put the gelatine into a large glass jug with 150ml water and set aside.

4 Put the sugar, glucose and 200ml of water into a pan and bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes without stirring until the syrup reaches 125C on a thermometer.

5 Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

6 Take the syrup off the heat and let the bubbles subside. Carefully pour the syrup into the gelatine jug and mix well.

7 With the beaters switched on, steadily pour in the hot syrup and the vanilla. The mixture will slacked but keep whisking on full speed (5 - 10 minutes) and once it's nicely thickened, pour into the prepared tin. Leave to set for a couple of hours.

8 Peel off the parchment and cut into squers, rolling them in the reserved icing sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container.

Summer School - Buttermilk Pancakes

Given a choice between two pages from a writing workbook or to cook a dish and write up a recipe every day, Fabio has chosen the second option. Say hello, to the Landcroft House cookery school for seven year olds. So far, we have made toad in the hole, fruit smoothies, chorizo omlettes, chocolate chip cookies and fresh pesto (not used any knives yet...)
Today, buttermilk pancakes for breakfast

Makes a lot
You could halve the recipe but then you're left with half a pot of buttermilk you'll never use. Any leftover pancakes can be toasted tomorrow.
250g self raising flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
100ml milk
2 eggs
284ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp melted butter
sunflower oil
butter and maple syrup, to serve

1 In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

2 Pour the milk into a jug, crack in the eggs and beat well. Whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla and butter then mix into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter.

3 Pour a tiny bit of oil into a large, non-stick frying pan and cook spoonfuls for a minute or 2 on each side until puffed and golden brown. Eat with butter and maple syrup - also good with a handful of blueberries or some sausages.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Suddenly Baby turned one this week. Don't know how it happened so quickly but there we are. As she doesn't have any friends yet, she had to have her cake in the middle of Scrap's Hallowe'en party, in amongst the bats and the eyeball jellies. Not that she noticed.
This is a good chocolate cake for kids as it's very light and not actually very chocolatey and I find that it suits those below five better that way. It's basically a big red velvet cupcake but a lot easier and without all the unnecessary red food colouring.

Serves 18 - 20
300g caster sugar
120g butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
280ml carton of buttermilk
25g cocoa powder
300ml plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp wine vinegar
sprinkles, to decorate
FOR THE FROSTING
600g icing sugar
150g butter
200g soft cheese
75g milk chocolate, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 170C / Gas 3. Using an electric whisk, beat the sugar and butter together until soft and pale - this takes a while and once you've had enough of whisking add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla and buttermilk then cocoa and flour. Add the bicarb and vinegar and whisk again for a couple of minutes until light and voluminous.

2 Divide between three buttered and lined 20cm cake tins and bake for 25 minutes. Lift onto wire racks and leave to cool.

3 Whisk together the icing sugar and butter - I find it easier to add the icing sugar a bit at a time so the whole kitchen doesn't get coated in a fine layer of dust. Once it's well beaten, add the soft cheese and whisk again - don't over beat at this stage or the icing can start to over-soften.

4 Take a third of the mixture and stir in the chopped ch0colate, use this to sandwhich the cakes toegther then swirl the rest of the icing all over. Decorate with sprinkles (I cut a heart out of a piece of paper and used as a template) and leave to set. Happy Birthday!

Baby's Oatcakes

8 months old and still no teeth, Baby's gums are giving her gip. Oatcakes take minutes to make and are good for gnawing. Add salt, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, cumin seeds or grated Parmesan for the grown ups.
Whizz together 120g oats, 100g plain flour and 80g unsalted butter. When well blended add 4 tablespoons of cold water to make a firm dough. Roll out fairly thinly and bake at 180C / Gas 4 for 10 minutes or so. Cool then keep in an air tight box.

Elderflower and Lemongrass Cordial

Me and Scrap picked a little bunch of elderflowers on our walk in the woods yesterday and thought we'd have a try at some home-made pop. There are tons of recipes, all roughly the same, showing how to make your own cordial but I followed this friendly version and just added a couple of bruised lemongrass stalks.

We made enough to fill 8 bottles, so that's one for him, one for me, one for his teacher Mr Gray, and the rest for the school summer fair. Don't think there's much chance of us waiting a month before we drink it though.....Scrap's already got the fizzy water ready and I'm thinking about a little splash in the bottom of a cool glass of Prosecco.

Baby-Friendly Frittata

We're at the 'stuff everything you can grab into your mouth' stage with baby this week. The lovingly steamed butternut puree rarely gets close to her mouth before she's yanked the spoon off me and shoved it into her ear. Despite my best efforts with a damp flannel, she trundles through East Dulwich with her wispy hair plastered to her head in various veggie shades of green and orange. So now I'm introducing food she can hold herself and gum away at without causing too much destruction. Frittata seemed to be a good place start (its easy to sweep up) and Scrap went for it too and with a few sticky chipolatas on the side, he didn't notice the complete lack of seasoning.
Serves 2 - 3
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
handful of fine green beans, halved
4 Clarence Court eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
chunk of Cheddar, diced

Add the potato to a small pan of cold water and bring to the boil. When almost done, add the beans and cook for 4 minutes until just tender then drain.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and stir in the drained veg. Heat the oil in a small non-stick pan and pour in the mixture. Scatter over the cheese and cook very slowly until set almost all the way through.

Pop the pan under a medium, preheated grill for a few minutes until golden and completely cooked through. Cut into fingers or wedges and serve warm or cold.

Home Made Easter Truffle Eggs

If you've got two long weeks off school to fill, these eggs are easy for kids to make and they taste nice.
Makes 12
200g dark chocolate
200g milk chocolate
400g sponge cake such as Madeira or marble cake, made into crumbs
100g rasins, sultanas, dried blueberries or cranberries
50g chopped nuts or dessicated coconut
To decorate
Dessicated coconut, cocoa powder, finely grated dark or white chocolate

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water until smooth. Str in the cake crumbs, fruit and nuts.

Chill for 30 minutes then mould into 12 egg shapes.

Scatter some coconut, cocoa or grated chocolate onto a plate and roll the chocolate eggs in it to coat. Line cardboard egg boxes or egg cups with circles cut from greaseproof paper and sit in the eggs. Can be stored in the fridge but are best eaten at room temperature.

Children's Chocolate Party Cake

One of the mums at Scrap's nursery organised a leavers' party this weekend. It was held in a lovely sports pavillion and while the nice girls quietly joined in with the juggler and his plate spinning, all the grubby boys spent their time running the full length of the fields, only legging it back when he started fire-eating.
Anyway, I made the cakes - some little fairies and a very basic chocolate sponge made to look exciting with curly wurlies and rolos.Serves 20
6 eggs
300g caster sugar
275g self raising four
25g good cocoa
300g softened butter
FOR THE ICING
180g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
250g butter, softened
280g icing sugar
chocolates: minstrels, buttons, planets, maltesers etc

Mix together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Divide between two lined, 23cm, loose-bottomed tins and bake at 180C for 20 minutes or so until risen and just set. Leave to cool.

Beat together the chocolate, butter and icing sugar. Use a quarter of it to sandwich the cakes together then spread the rest up the sides and over the top. Scatter the chocolates on top and leave to set.

Chewy Chocolate Biscuits

Makes 18

75g dark chocolate

100g butter

125g brown sugar

100g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

125g any chocolate (dark, milk, white or mixture) roughly chopped

These biscuits are good. Crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle. Add some nuts too if you like them.

Preheat the the oven to 180 C/ Gas 4. Melt together the dark chocolate and butter. Add the sugar, flour, bicarb, vanilla and egg and whisk until smooth and well blended.

Stir in the chocolate and place heaped teaspoons, well spaced apart on non-stick baking sheets. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes - the biscuits rise and then flatten out - take them out as soon as they flatten. Leave to firm up a bit on the tray then lift off and cool completely on a wire rack.

Toffee Flapjacks

Makes 16
200g butter
200g brown sugar
200g honey
350g porridge oats
100g mixed dried fruit and seeds
75g Maya Gold or other good dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 160 / gas 4. Heat the butter, sugar and honey together until melted. Stir in the oats, fruits and seeds and press into a rectangular non-stick baking tin. Bake for 20 - 40 minutes until golden. The longer you bake, the firmer and more toffee-ish the flapjacks. Leave to cool and harden before removing from the tin and cutting into squares or bars. Drizzle over the melted chocolate and leave to set.

There Is Nothing Not To Love About This

Feist on Sesame St

South Korea's Got Talent

Sungha's 11 years old. How soon can I get Scrap playing, do you think?

Easter Chocolate Tarts

Makes 24
500g shortcrust pastry
80g dark chocolate
40g butter
25g plain flour
50g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
TOPPING
50g dark chocolate
2 tbsp milk
icing sugar
Cadbury’s Mini Eggs

Heat the oven to 180C /gas 4. Roll out the pastry thinly and use to line 2 x 12 hole tartlet tins. Prick with a fork, line with a bit of foil and bake for 8 minutes then lift out the foil and cook for a minute more.

Melt the chocolate and butter together and leave to cool a little. Beat in the flour, sugar and eggs. Spoon into the cases and bake for 6-8 minutes until just set. Leave to cool.

Melt the chocolate and milk together then leave to cool a little. Add a bit of icing sugar to sweeten and thicken - if it starts to set before you're ready, just give it a few seconds in the microwave. Place a little dollop of the chocolate mixture on top of each tart and sit some eggs on top.

Spiderweb Cakes

Scrap stayed up well past bath time last night working on his cakes for the nursery sale today. They were a practice run for his Superhero 4th birthday party next month and they turned out well though the green icing looked a bit more Halloween than the menacing Spiderman Vs Green Goblin vibe he was aiming for.
He cracked four eggs into a bowl and matched the weight with sugar, self raising flour and room temperature butter. He added a drop of vanilla extract and the grated rind of 1 orange then did some vigorous mixing. He then divided it into 16 muffin cases and baked them at 180C for 18 minutes. Green icing, a few sugar sprinkles and some squashed, squid-like spiders made from black regalice and they were ready.

Charlie's Fingers

Scrap asked his nursery pal Charlie round for tea yesterday. This a new thing for me, a play-date-tea and a 3 1/2 year old who has started fixing his own social calendar. We spent all weekend talking about what we might cook for Charlie and agreed on fish fingers. Anyway, it was very nice, very noisy and Charlie's mum and I were on the cava by 5.30. Luckily, lovely, well-behaved Joseph from over the road came by at the last minute, to set a good example and tackle the fish finger pile.

I know fish fingers are hardly rocket science but they are just yum so here's the recipe anyway. I am a big fan of the hoki fillet.

Makes 12
250g hoki fillet
2 tbsp plain flour
1 egg
1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan
80g dried natural breadcrumbs
half and half sunflower oil and olive oil, for shallow frying

1 Cut the fish into fingers. Dust with flour.

2 Beat together the eggs and Parmesan. Dip the floured fish fingers in the cheesey-egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.

3 Place on a plate and chill until ready to cook. (See pic)

4 Shallow fry for 5 - 8 minutes until dark golden and crispy.

Fruit and Nut Fridge Cake

Not exactly the same as chocolate crispy cakes, but not far off:







2 x 100g bars Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate
50g butter, diced
4 tbsp golden syrup
200g ginger biscuits
100g macadamias or almonds
200g glace cherries
1 tsp cocoa powder, to dust

1 Break the chocolate into a small pan then add the butter and syrup. Heat very gently, stirring from time to time until smooth and glossy.

2 Break the biscuits into a large bowl. Stir in the nuts and cherries then carefully stir in the chocolate mixture until evenly coated.

3 Tip the mixture into a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin patting down carefully. Chill for a least two hours. Dust the surface with cocoa before slicing with a serrated knife.

Lemon Curd

I do like lemon curd, especially in tarts or on toast. Waitrose have a very good soft set lemon curd recipe that you make in the microwave. Otherwise, you can, of course, always rely on Delia.

If you're not in the mood to make it yourself then I highly recommend Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Lemon Curd. One 325g jar and one 375g pack of ready-rolled (roll it out a bit thinner) shortcrust will make 12 tarts. My tip is to keep the oven low so the pastry gets crisp and the curd doesn't get hot enough to bubble up over the edge of the pastry and make the tarts stick to the tin.