Baking Is Good For The Soul

Having some spare time on my hands and wanting to enjoy myself before Uni starts back up on Monday I thought to myself "Have a baking day".

So on goes the oven at 160 degrees Celsius and turn up some cheerful Christmas music. Yes, I know you might be thinking it is too early for Christmas music but I couldn't resist when baking Chocolate & Orange Biscuits. The scent of orange being grated reminds me of this magical time of year.

Basic ingredients (makes one log-20 biscuits): 100g soft unsalted butter, 50g caster sugar & 175g plain flour
~ Combine all ingredients till it forms a soft dough (may seem very dry/crumbly but it's meant to be). ~ Form the dough into a log shape- approx. 18cm, wrap in cling film and place in fridge till firm- around 2hours.
~Once firm slice into 5mm discs (you should get 20biscuits or so), place on a baking tray and bake at 160 Celsius for 15minutes.
 ~Remove from oven, cool completely before decorating!

Extra ingredients you could use to flavour the biscuits with: Orange zest, vanilla or almond essence, cocoa powder, lemon zest, fresh lavender or whatever takes your fancy.

Note: For making the chocolate biscuit you replace 10% of the flour with cocoa powder. In this case it would be 157.5g of flour & 17.5g of cocoa powder.

To decorate the orange flavoured biscuits: Melted dark chocolate to dip biscuits in & finish with candied orange peel.
To decorate the chocolate flavoured biscuits: Orange icing~ mix together 125g icing sugar and 3tbsp of orange juice till the mixture is smooth, place in a piping & decorate as you wish. To finish, sprinkle on chopped candied orange peel.

Note: Combine any flavours and edible decorations as you wish just make sure you use the exact basic ingredients/method. Have fun with it! ~Enjoy :)

Feel free to send feedback or any biscuit recipes with me...

Fish For Thought

It may sound rather weird but I've had fish on my mind for the past week or so. Maybe it’s because I've eaten it more than normal and it is said to be food for the brain…

During my childhood years my consumption of fish was low to none at all. I’d say the most fish I consumed would have been in fish-cakes (mainly consisting of potato), maybe the odd piece of battered fish from the chippy (normally went for a sausage instead) or the odd tuna sarnie. We weren't a fishy family and I think that was due to my Mum not being keen on fish or preparing it.
However, in the last 4 years I would say my fish & shellfish intake has risen. This is related to the skills I've acquired through catering college. Learning about the varieties of fish and the ways to prepare/serve them.  Now I truly appreciate these delicate creatures of the sea. Unfortunately my stomach doesn't see enough of them. Mainly because I'm a student and can’t afford it. But I’ll definitely eat any coming my way when I can!

Why should we eat fish?

1.       Full of omega 3

2.       Great source of vitamin D

3.       High in protein

4.       Low in fat

5.       Fish oil is good for the heart & blood vessels

How should we get our dose of fish?

It’s recommended to intake fish once or twice a week.

Lunch ideas:  The classic tuna sandwich- add some sweet corn for the sweetness and crunch or the up and coming cream cheese and salmon bagel. Easy, yummy & healthy :)

Dinner ideas: There are a lot of easy fish options that have been created for us such as;

• Breaded or battered fish- can be found in the frozen or chilled section of supermarkets
•  Fishcakes- try and go for the ones in the chilled section that contain a higher quantity of fish
• Fish ready meals, watch out for the added salts & sugars
• OR treat yourself, buy some fresh or frozen fish and have a go at cooking it! It’s not as daunting as you may think.

Here’s a handy website that I use A LOT for easy recipes:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/fish

Alternatively try out my recipe for fish goujons, easy & fun to make

Lemony plaice goujons with a crunch-Serves 2

Ingredients

      4 fileted, skinned & deboned flat white fish fillets (ask your fishmonger if you’re unsure)

Juice of half a lemon

1 egg, whisked and seasoned

50g Seasoned flour

Mixture of 60g breadcrumbs & 40g sesame seeds (you could use any other seeds or crushed nuts)

Also, you can add different herbs (dried are best) or spices to your taste.

Method:

1.       Cut your fish fillets into strips, place in a bowl with the juice from of half a lemon. Let stand covered in the fridge till required.

2.       Set up an assembly line. Plate with the flour on, bowl with the egg in and a plate with the breadcrumb mixture.

3.       Get your fish strips out and do as follows:

4.       Coat in flour, tap off any excess. Dip in the egg. And roll in the breadcrumb mix. Repeat.

5.       Heat your deep fat fryer to 180 degrees Celsius or heat oil in a deep pan (be careful!)

6.       Deep fry your goujons for approx. 3minuts until golden brown.

7.       Remove from oil and place on absorbent paper to soak up excess fat.

8.       Serve with your favourite dipping sauce. I made a Marie Rose sauce which is equal amounts of mayonnaise and tomato ketchup mixed together.

This is a great way to get children started on fish. They could also help with the coating process as its fun getting your hands stuck in!

Here’s an interesting guide to sustainable fish, start thinking about fish from a new perspective: http://www.goodfishguide.co.uk/ 

How often do you eat fish? What kind of fish do you eat? And how do you prepare it?