Quince and Ginger Marmalade with Rosewater - a delicious recipe from Lavender and Lovage

I was very lucky to be given some wonderful quinces, grown in the garden of a friend's neighbour.  I used them to  supplement my small (and very expensive) supply from Waitrose.

I decided to use one of Karen's recipes, which always look so delectable on her blog Lavender and Lovage. (If you click the link you will find her recipe.)

Her recipe was very clear and her instructions precise, as a result I have produced some fantastic jars of  these lovely preserves.  If I get any more quinces I will certainly make more jars, they are  wonderful, the whole house is full of the most heavenly smells.

If you have (or can get) some quinces, do give this fantastic recipe a try, and have a look at Karen's other recipes, she has plenty of wonderful ideas.  I think her blog is a great resource for all home cooks, and I certainly look forward to her daily posts.

Beautiful, amber coloured
Quince and Ginger with Rosewater Marmalade.

The fantastic quinces,
I do wish you could smell them, truly divine!

Checking Karen's recipe

Gathering the ingredients, (where is the lemon)?

Stirring the boiling fruit and sugar

Thank you Karen :-) The marmalade is just superb!

Ssshh! I've been baking for the Holidays!!!!

Yes I do mean Christmas!  I know it's still September, but I do find it easier to be organised, though this does seem very early!

The Christmas Holidays are a huge thing in my family,  my eldest son's birthday is 2 weeks before Christmas and my younger son's birthday is 11 days after!  So it has always been a time of great celebration for us and with two children's parties (when they were younger!) and presents to organise as well as Christmas Day and New Year's Day to think about, I have had to be prepared well in advance!  But this is the earliest time ever that I have baked or cooked food, I think  it must be something to do with blogging as I've noticed Christmas and Holidays mentioned in other blogs!

Last week I baked two fruit cakes, one will be for Christmas and I have started 'feeding' it, the other is nearly half eaten already.  Fruit cake is very popular in my house!

Yesterday, I made my Christmas Pudding and 9 jars of Mincemeat!  Now I feel that I have started!

And they were all easier then a Gingerbread House!

Fruit Cake - disappearing fast!

9 Jars of Mincemeat

Full of super dried fruit, apples and almonds

The pudding, enveloped in paper and tin foil!

Of course, I photographed the preparation of these delicious Christmas foods.  I will write some posts with instructions and links to Christmas recipes and websites over the next week or two... watch this space!

And before I dash for the school run, I just wanted to thank everyone who has left comments on my Gingerbread House post.  I will make one for my daughter's school, and feel far more confident to tackle it with such wonderful encouragement.

THANK YOU!!!! :-) Jude x

Fall of the House of Gingerbread

As you know I sometimes bake with my little girl, making biscuits and fairy cakes, which  she takes into school to share with her class.  There is one problem with this, I have now got a reputation (undeserved) as a baker.  As a result I have been asked to make a gingerbread house as a raffle prize for the school Christmas Fair!

When I was first asked I gulped!  I have never made anything as intricate or challenging,  but I said I would have a go and see what the results were before I committed one way or another!

If your brave enough, look below and see the photos of my (very) unsuccessful attempt!

I am going to have a further go!  Since this disaster I have googled, and you-tubed gingerbread houses, and I have also discovered kit gingerbread houses, so that may be the way for me to go.

Advice welcome ;-)

The sad results of my first Gingerbread House!

The ingredients

Flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger

beating eggs and treacle

dividing the mixture before chilling

The roof of the house before baking

Out of the oven

laying out the house before putting it together

Just the door to add (I used royal icing for the joins)

A moment before collapse!

a gable wall

the roof

a window in a wall

The end!

Blackberry and Apple Crumble

Yesterday  both my sons came for lunch, which was a real treat for me.  As small boys they had particularly enjoyed old fashioned puddings, so my little girl and I made a scrumptious crumble for them.

We used Bramley apples and blackberries,  which we layered with brown demerara sugar.

For the crumble topping we used plain flour, oats, brown demerara sugar and butter.    The oats add a lovely toasty flavour, and the brown sugar gives the topping a beautiful colour.

The finished crumble

Ingredients 

flour, sugar and oats

add the butter (cold and cubed)

rub in to make "bread crumbs"

Slice the apple and add sugar

Then add the blackberries

After a second layer of fruit,
 cover with the crumble topping

bake in the (medium)  oven for about 40 minutes

This is delicious with cream or with vanilla ice cream.  A great pudding for an autumn lunch or supper.

More from the Still Room

I was fortunate to find some damsons from Waitrose, and some more at   the Kew Garden's Students stall at Ham House.  So I have been able to make some Damson Gin (this is my standby incase I miss the sloes in Ireland!)

I made the gin using a recipe from the River Cottage Handbook No. 2, Preserves by Pam Corbin.

I pricked each damson several times with a cocktail stick, added sugar and filled the jars with basic gin.  The jars are now sitting, maturing in the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom.

To accompany the damson gin, I made some Blackberry Whisky.  This recipe came from  the Guardian newspaper, and is written by John Wright who also wrote the River Cottage Handbook No. 7, Hedgerow.

As with most home made liqueurs, it involves steeping the blackberries with sugar, in a good quantiy of  whisky.  John Wright recommends leaving it for a long time, up to a year!  So it will sit happily in the back of the cupboard for several months, I hope!

Ripe Damsons

Checking recipes

Blackberries and sugar

Adding the whisky

Damsons from Waitrose

Delicious

poke each plum with a cocktail stick

The liqueurs waiting to be stored.

Yesterday, I was delighted to find some quinces in Waitrose, having bought How to Make Your Own Drinks by Susy Atkins, I was keen to try one of her recipes so decided to combine quinces and vodka, to make Quince Vodka (what a surprise!) 

Simple ingredients

A great book!

Whoops! Messy counter, I had just grated the quinces!

I hope some of these drinks will be ready for the Christmas and New Year Holidays!  And that they taste  wonderful!  I will let you know!

Cake Pops!!!

Yesterday I attended a course at Cakes 4 Fun, in Putney!  It was great fun, a whole day learning how to make and decorate Cake Pops!

The bakery is a lovely little shop, on the Lower Richmond Road, in Putney.  The course ran from 10am to 4pm, and Lisa (the instructor) and Catherine  took us through the various stages of Cake Pop production.

One of the lovely things about the courses here is the small group sizes, yesterday there were five of us all keen to learn. We crumbled cake, and then added butter cream, forming the dough into small balls and other shapes.  The mixture was then frozen, while we made flower sugar decorations (very tricky).

After a short lunch break we commenced decoration, and using chocolate and candy melts we each made about 20 fantastic Cake Pops.

It was wonderful to have a chance to use so many different colours and decorating techniques, and I am now confident to tackle Cake Pops at home.

Cakes 4 Fun offers a range of delightful courses, from cupcakes and cake pops, to more serious detailed icing, as well as some professional courses.  For anyone like me who simply wishes to explore new techniques, or for the person planning their own cake making company, I would highly recommend having a look at their webpage and courses.


Thanks Lisa and Catherine for such a super day!

An array of fun Cake Pops!

I love the startled look of the pigs!

The strawberries were wonderful (my little girl's favourites)

I like the trufflesk balls covered in glitter

The hearts were made using a ganache,
more of an adult taste, delicious

All sorts of shapes, the 'cupcakes' and 'wedding cakes', were great fun

It was lovely to use some of the flower sugar paste decorations
 we had made in the morning

The outside of the bakery

Last year I took the Advent Cookie class and really enjoyed it.  I am looking forward to booking other courses in the future!

Please note, that I paid for the course myself, I was not asked to recommend it!