This was a really unusual recipe. The chicken (or capon, if you can find one) is essentially steamed over a bed of herbs and wine. So the skin doesn't crisp as all due to the moist environment, but it does come out incredibly tender.

Capons Stwed

Take parcelly, sauge, isoppe, rosemary, and tyme, and breke hit bitwen thi hondes, and stoppe the capon therewith; colour hym with safferon, and couche him in a erthen potte, or of brasse, and ley splentes underneth and al abouʒt the sides, that the capon touche no thinge of the potte. Strawe good herbes in þe potte, and put thereto a pottle of the best wyn that thou may gete, and none other licour; hele the potte with a close led and stoppe hit abouʒte with dogh or bater, that no eier come oute, and set hit on þe faire charcole, and lete it seeth easly and longe till hit be ynowe¹. And if hit be an erthen potte, þen set hit on þe fire whan þou takest hit downe, and lete hit not touche þe grounde for breking. And whan þ3 hete is over past, take out the capon with a prik; then make a sirippe of wyne, reysons of corance, sugar and safferon, and boile hit a litull; medel pouder of ginger with a litul of the same syn and do þereto; then do awey the fatte of the sewe of the capon, and do the siryppe to þe sewe, and powre hit on þe capon, and serve it forth.

Capons Stwed

Slightly adapted from Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks by Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler

Ingredients

• 1 capon or roasting chicken
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley
• 3-4 sprigs fresh sage
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3-4 sprigs fresh hyssop
• coarse sea salt²
• 1/2-3/4 tsp. saffron threads, divided
• 2 c. wine (red or white), divided
• 1/4 c. dried currants
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
2. Crush the herbs in your hand.
3. Stuff half of the herbs into the chicken and place the rest in the bottom of a tagine or clay pot.
4. Crumble 1/4-1/2 tsp. of the saffron and rub it and the salt into the skin of the chicken.
5. Pour 1 c. of the wine into the bottom of the cooking vessel with the herbs.
6. Place a rack in the pot/tagine and place the chicken on top.
7. Cover very tightly.
8. Place covered pot/tagine in oven and reduce oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until done. (20 minutes per pound + 20 minutes usually works well.)
10. Remove chicken from oven.
11. Strain the liquid from the bottom of the pot, chill, and skim the fat.
12. Meanwhile, combine 3/4 c. of the remaining wine, currants, and sugar and bring to a boil.
13. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
14. Stir in the remaining wine, saffron, ginger, and strained juices and cook for another 5 minutes.
15. Serve the chicken with the sauce and sides of your choice.

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¹ I'm generally pretty good at figuring out the various middle and early modern English spellings, but I could not, for the life of me figure out what "ynowe" was supposed to be. Apparently it's an inflection of "ynogh", which is much more easily recognizable as an archaic version of "enough". I just didn't realize that it declined like that! ^Back
2 Neither the original recipe nor the modern interpretation of it called for any salt, but I really felt that it probably wanted some salt. My chicken was ~1.5kg, so I used 1/2 Tbsp. of salt. (I usually find that 1 tsp. of salt per kilo of meat is about right.) ^Back

RM put me onto this recipe a while ago. I had hoped to make it with some fresh limes from Reiver's tree while I was in NZ, but I never quite got to it. Luckily we had a bunch of limes in the freezer here though and Granny Smith apples are easy to come by, so I decided to give it a try after I got home instead.

I cut back the sugar significantly in the cake. And I was tempted to skip the icing altogether. But TF was keen on having a bit of frosting, so I did end up using it in the end.

The icing was good. Although I was definitely glad to have cut back the sugar in the cake once the frosting was added. That said, I think that next time I'd be inclined to swap out the American buttercream for a cream cheese icing. I think the cream cheese tang would complement the other flavours nicely. And cream cheese icings tend to need proportionally less sugar and butter to begin with. So, while still not a health food by any stretch, it would still make for a marginally less sweet and calorific topping.

Green Apple and Lime Slice

Adapted from Twisted Citrus

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 Granny Smith apples, grated
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 125g butter
• 3 Tbsp. golden syrup
• 240g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 125g unsweetened applesauce
• 2 c. dessicated coconut
• 1 c. sultanas
• 1 c. dried currants
• 2 large eggs

Icing

• 100g butter, softened
• 240g cream cheese, softened
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 250-300g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Mix the lime zest and 2 Tbsp. of the juice with the grated apples.
3. Combine the butter and golden syrup in a small pot and melt over low heat.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl with the apples and mix in the salt, cinnamon, sugar, applesauce, coconut, sultanas, and currants.
5. Pour the butter mixture into the bowl and stir to combine.
6. Add the eggs and mix well.
7. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
8. Bake at 180&det;C (350°F) until done (~30 minutes).
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan.
10. Meanwhile, make the icing byt beating the butter with the cream cheese until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
11. Beat in the lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla.
12. Sift in icing sugar until desired consistency is reached.
13. Once cake has cooled completely, spread the icing on top.
14. Cut into squares and serve.

This worked out really well!

I'd never made a boiled pudding before. Or baked with suet. Lard, yes, but not suet. I'd used suet in cooking and making things like mincemeat. But I don't think I'd ever done a classic suet pudding before. So this was a bit of an experiment, but also a lot of fun.

I made this as a gluten-free, dairy-free clootie dumpling. I just used a commercial gluten-free flour mix and some rice-based GF breadcrumbs and then swapped in some oat milk for the cow's milk. The flour I used did have some vegetable gums added to try to compensate for the lack of gluten, but my dumpling was still somewhat lacking in structural integrity. I might try adding an extra egg next time, just to help bind it a little more. It was still delicious either way, it just didn't stay intact.

Clootie Dumpling

From BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 175g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 175g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 175g beef suet, grated/shredded
• 100g dark soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 100g currants
• 175g sultanas
• 2 tbsp black treacle or golden syrup
• 150mL milk
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Boil a pudding cloth for 15-20 minutes, then wring it out and dust it liberally with flour.
2. Tip the breadcrumbs, flour, suet, sugar, salt, baking soda, spices, and dried fruit into a large bowl and stir to mix.
3. Whisk the treacle or syrup into the milk and egg using a fork until well blended.
4. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients with a fork or butter knife to make a soft dough.
5. Use the floured pudding cloth to line a large bowl and then press the dough into it to make a large, round ball.
6. Dust the top of the pudding with more flour and then bring the edges of the cloth up around the top of the pudding and tie it off, leaving enough room for some expansion.
7. Fill a large pot with water, place an upturned plate in it, and bring to a simmer.
8. Place your cloth-wrapped pudding into the simmering water, cover, and cook for 3 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
10. Tip the pudding into a colander to drain, then carefully peel off the cloth.
11. Place the pudding on an ovenproof dish or baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes to dry it off and produce the classic skin.
12. Serve sliced with custard, cream, or ice cream—and a dram of whisky if you like.

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Variations

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Version

Ingredients

• 175g gluten-free breadcrumbs¹
• 175g gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting
• 175g beef suet, grated/shredded
• 100g dark soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 100g currants
• 175g sultanas
• 2 tbsp black treacle or golden syrup
• 150mL oat milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
• 1-2 large eggs

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¹ As noted above, I used some dry, rice-based breadcumbs for my version in order to keep my dumpling gluten-free. This seemed to work fine. That said, I think I'd probably aim to get a loaf of GF bread next time and make my own fresh breadcrumbs. ^Back

I made this... quite a while ago. Honestly, at this point, I don't even remember making it. But it's in my notes, so I must've done at some point. I've just been bad at keeping up with all the recipe write-ups this year. There's been a lot going on and the write-ups (along with a lot of other stuff) have been falling through the cracks. I'm doing my best to catch up now though. We'll see how far I get.

Quinoa with Asparagus, Portobellos, and Feta

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. quinoa
• 2 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 1/3 c. dried currants
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 450g asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 125g feta, crumbled

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa with 2 c. of the stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the currants and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed (~15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside. (Keep covered.)
4. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add garlic, mushrooms, and onion and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté until they begin to brown (5-6 minutes).
7. Add the vinegar and cook until absorbed.
8. Add the asparagus and toss to coat.
9. Add the remaining 1/2 c. of stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is fork tender (3-4 minutes).
10. Add the quinoa, parsley, lemon zest, and feta and serve.

I still have a tonne of other recipes in the queue that I need to do write-ups for, but I tried out yet another new waffle recipe this morning, so I figured I'd post that first. (Hopefully I can get some of the other write-ups done soon!)

These waffles are an interesting mix: they combine yeast with a cornmeal batter. And then you add in brown sugar, molasses, and currants which all add their own distinctive flavours.

I quite liked these waffles. Especially with a little bit of mango yogurt and maple syrup! But they weren't a favourite for either TF or the Kidlet. Still enjoyed, just not devoured with the same enthusiasm that some of the others were.

And while the yeast-leavened nature of these waffles does mean that you have to be organized enough to mix up the batter the day before, that also means that it's all ready to go the next morning! It was very convenient being able to sleep in a bit and then just roll out of bed, flip the switch on the waffle iron, and be churning out fresh waffles just a few minutes later. Definitely a nice feature of this recipe.

I had slightly more than 1/2 a cup of currants left in the bag and, in retorspect, I wish I'd just mixed them all in. I liked the currants in these waffles, but it would've been nice with even more. Next time I think I'd aim for ~3/4 c.

Anadama Waffles with Currants

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 175g all-purpose flour
• 150g (~1 c.) cornmeal
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. dried currants

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, yeast, and salt and mix well.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk.
3. Whisk in the melted butter, molasses, and brown sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
5. Stir with a spatula to make sure there are no dry spots. (A few lumps are okay.)
6. Cover and allow to ferment in fridge for 12-24 hours.
7. Once the batter has risen, preheat your waffle iron.
8. Add the currants to the batter and stir to combine.
9. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Serve with maple syrup, molasses, yogurt, and/or fruit of your choice.

We had some harissa left over from last time we made it, and Symbol was able to divert some for this recipe before I ate it all. And it came out pretty tasty!

Glazed Chicken Breasts with Currant-Pistachio Couscous

Cook's Country April/May 2019 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 1+3+1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ dried currants
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½+1 tsp salt, divided
• ¼+¼ tsp pepper, divided
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1½ C water
• 1¼ C dry couscous
• ½ C decorticated pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Whisk together apricot preserves, harissa, and 1 tbsp oil in a small bowl.
2. Transfer 1 tbsp of this mixture to another bowl and add currants, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and 3 tbsp oil.
3. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
4. Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides and 160°F internally.
5. Remove chicken, butter, and brush with first harissa-apricot mixture.
6. Add water to skillet and bring to a boil.
7. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat; let stand five minutes.
8. Stir in pistachios and harissa-currant mixture.
9. Slice chicken and serve over couscous.

This is an American recipe for English-style scones. They're very buttery and rich. Honestly, I think they're richer than I'm used to actual English scones being. And I even swapped out the heavy/whipping (35%) cream for half-and-half (10% MF)! I mean, I'm not complaining; they were delicious. But I am glad that I made them a bit smaller than the recipe called for.

They're quite nice with the currants in, but I would be interested in trying some of the suggested variations at some point. The savoury bacon, cheddar, and scallion version sounds great. (Although I think I'd want to reduce the butter somewhat if adding cheese to them.) And TF seemed enthused about the prospect of swapping out the currants for ginger. Which is especially noteworthy since she's not normally a big fan of scones!

English Cream Scones

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. dried currants
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Mix in the sugar and salt.
4. Cut in the butter.
5. Mix in the currants.
6. Pour in the half-and-half and mix with a fork until just combined.
7. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a large disc ~2-3cm thick.
8. Use a 6 or 7cm round cookie cutter to cut out as many scones as you can and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
9. Combine all the scraps and pat into a disc again and cut out a few more scones and transfer to the baking sheet.¹
10. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15-17 minutes.
11. Serve with clotted cream and/or strawberry jam.

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Variations

Bacon, Cheddar, and Scallion Scones

I've now had a chance to try these scones. I made them with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, omitted the salt entirely, used the full quantity of butter, but swapped out the half-and-half for milk. I think next time I might try reducing the butter as well, but this was a good start. They came out nicely flavourful and tender. But definitely still very rich!

Ingredients

• 140g all-purpose flour
• 110g whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1 c. diced Cheddar
• 375g bacon, cooked and chopped
• 35g green onions (or fresh chives), chopped
• 1 c. milk

Serve with fried or scrambled eggs (if desired).

Ginger Scones

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. chopped crystalized ginger
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 1 small egg white²
• 4-5 tsp. Turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Make as directed above (substituting ginger for currants), but brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg white just before baking and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Bake as directed.

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¹ I got 11 scones total. The original recipe calls for making eight, but she was also using a 7.5cm circle for hers. ^Back
2 The recipe says to brush with egg white, but I've seen a lot of traditional scone recipes that call for brushing the tops with milk. I'd be inclined to go with the milk option unless I had egg whites in the fridge already that needed using. ^Back

This recipe may need a little tweaking. I wasn't super enthused about how the coconut oil behaved when added to the other wet ingredients. I had melted the coconut oil, but it froze again when the milk and eggs were added. This led to having big chunks of solid oil in my batter. I know it would probably behave somewhat better if I'd let my milk and eggs come to room temperature beforehand. But coconut oil is still pretty solid even at room temperature (at least at the temperatures my kitchen generally is). So, I worry that it would have issues anyway, even with warmer wets.

I think, in the future, I'd prefer to use an oil with a lower freezing point instead. I think corn or canola oil would work well.

I also think it needs more spices. I've added some vanilla and cloves to the recipe here, although I haven't had a chance to try it with these additions yet. Experiment with it and see what you like!

Sourdough Carrot Muffins

Adapted from Everyday Healthy Cookbook by Dana Jacobi

Ingredients

• 120g whole wheat flour (hard or soft)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 c. dried currants (or golden raisins)
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 c. finely grated carrots
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 250g sourdough discard (unfed starter)
• 1/3 c. neutral oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• seed sprinkle topping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease wells of a muffin tin (or line with papers).
2. Sift baking powder and baking soda into flour.
3. Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
4. Add the currants, walnuts, and carrots.
5. In a large measuring cup, mix the buttermilk, sourdough discard, oil, egg, and vanilla.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
8. If desired, add some seed sprinkle topping.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~20 minutes.
10. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 120g whole wheat flour (hard or soft)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 100g organic brown sugar¹
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 c. dried currants
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 c. finely grated carrots
• 1/2 c. nut milk + 1 tsp. vinegar
• 250g sourdough discard (unfed starter)
• 1/3 c. neutral oil
• 1 flax egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• seed sprinkle topping (optional)

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¹ Some sugar is produced using bone char. But it is not used in organic brown sugar. At least not in North America as far as I know. ^Back

Iç Pilavi ("Stuffed" Rice)

TF and I both like liver but, for me in particular, I get burnt out quickly. Liver and onions is great, but I only really want to eat it about once a year... if that. We have a few other liver dishes that we make occasionally: liver fried rice, Burmese curried liver, etc., but I'm always on the lookout for something new and tasty. This Turkish liver pilaf definitely fit the bill.

Apparently it's normally made with either chicken livers or lamb liver, but I figured that calf liver would also work pretty well. My version also has a lot more liver than it's technically meant to have. I put about double the normal quantity in. Mostly because I had it on hand in the freezer and have been looking for a good opportunity to use it up!

Personally, I quite enjoyed this dish, but I did find it a bit on the greasy side. I think next time I'd cut back on the ghee slightly. I'd also be inclined to add a few more currants. There were lots of nuts and liver, but the currants kind of got lost in the mix. I've updated the recipe to reflect these changes.

Aside from that, I think the only thing I'd change is serving it garnished with a few pomegranate arils. It's meant to be served with lemon wedges so that you can add a hit of tart lemon juice just before digging in. I liked the idea of adding something tart (especially since it helps cut through the grease a bit), but I felt like the pomegranate seeds made for an even better accent than the lemon juice. I think a small drizzle of pomegranate molasses might also work in a pinch, but fresh (or thawed frozen) arils seem best here.

Iç Pilavi

Slightly adapted from The Turkish Kitchen by Ghillie Başan

Ingredients

Pilaf

• 1/4 c. dried currants
• 2 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 3/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 250-500g chicken, lamb, or calf liver, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish

• 1 Tbsp. pine nuts
• extra dill
• fresh pomegranate arils and/or lemon wedges

Directions

1. Soak currants in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp. of ghee over medium heat. (Sauté medium if using InstantPot.)
3. Add onion and cook until softened.
4. Add pine nuts and almonds and cook until nuts begin to turn golden-brown.
5. Add drained currants, allspice, cinnamon, and rice and stir to combine.
6. Add stock and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. If using InstantPot, seal and pressure cook on "high" for 20 minutes. If you are not doing this in an InstantPot, your cooking time (and the amount of liquid required) will be different.
8. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. of ghee over medium heat.
9. Add the liver and cook until browned, stirring/tossing occasionally.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Once the cook cycle on the InstantPot has finished, allow for a 10-minute natural pressure release, then release the rest of the pressure manually.
12. Fluff the rice and add the liver pieces to it.
13. For the garnish: toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden-brown.
14. Garnish pilaf with toasted pine nuts, extra dill, and fresh pomegranate arils and/or lemon wedges.
15. Serve with a vegetable side, salad, and/or additional dishes of your choice.

I usually don't eat much of the breads I bake. I love baking them and the rest of the family loves eating them, but I usually only have a slice or two from each pair of loaves. This bread was different. I couldn't get enough of it! And when the end of the last loaf started to go a bit stale, it made phenomenal bread pudding.

Spicy Currant Bread

From the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried currants
• 2 c. apple juice
• 1/3 c. (17g) wheat bran¹
• 1 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 830g hard (bread/strong/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. (14g) coarse sea salt
• extra juice and/or water

Directions

1. Rinse the currants.
2. Add the currants to the apple juice and simmer for five minutes.
3. Drain the currants reserving the juice.
4. Add water to the juice to bring the volume back up to 2 c.
5. Stir the bran and allspice into the juice. Cover and set aside to cool for an hour or two or as long as overnight.
6. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
7. Stir the oil and molasses into the juice mixture.
8. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
9. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture as well as the apple juice mixture.
10. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids, working from the centre outward.
11. Knead for 15-20 minutes, then work in the currants.
12. Shape dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise.
13. When dough no longer returns a 1cm deep wet fingerprint it is ready to be knocked back. Knead it a few strokes and return it to its covered bowl to rise again.
14. Once the second rise is complete, knock it back again and divide into two equal portions.
15. Round each portion, stretch the gluten tight across the top surface, cover, and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
16. Shape each portion into a loaf by flattening it, folding it into thirds, and rolling it up. Place in greased loaf pans.
17. Cover and allow to rise until fingerprint is only gently returned. (This usually takes ~45 minutes for me, but will vary with the temperature of your room.)
18. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~45 minutes.

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¹ I didn't have any wheat bran, so I just used a bit of oat bran instead. ^Back

Yet another gem from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. No surprise there. I love these muffins. They're tasty and not so sweet and oily that you feel guilty having a couple for breakfast. My only minor nit-pick is that, recipe as written, I only got 11 (rather than 12) 1/4 c. muffins.

Currant and/or Blueberry Muffins

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. blueberries or steamed/rehydrated dried currants
• 1 1/4 c. soft (pastry/plain/standard) whole wheat flour¹, divided
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/16 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 3 Tbsp. salted butter
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 c. milk

Directions

1. Prepare a muffin tin according to your preference (papers, grease, grease and flour, etc.).
2. Sprinkle berries with 1/4 c. of the flour, toss to coat, and set aside.
3. Sift remaining cup of flour together with baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Stir in wheat germ.
5. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar.
6. Beat in egg.
7. Stir in 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by half the milk.
8. Repeat, finishing by adding the final portion of dry ingredients.
9. Fold in the flour-dredged berries.
10. Scoop ~1/4 c. of batter into each well of the prepared tin. (This should make ~a dozen 1/4 c. muffins +/- 1.)
11. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15-20 minutes.

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¹ Soft flour is best for muffins and quick breads, but a harder whole wheat flour (like all-purpose) will work if that's all you've got easily to hand. ^Back

The Mother of All Fruitcakes!

I've never been terribly partial to fruitcakes. That said, I haven't even tried a fruitcake in something like fifteen years, so I have no idea whether my fruitcake tastes and opinions have changed since then. And catalyst is a huge fan of fruitcake. On top of that I have a fondness for old traditional recipes and a fascination with baked good that need to age before eating.

Edmonds has an entire section dedicated solely to fruitcakes. Admittedly, it's a small section, but still! It has a fruitcake chapter! This includes a whole range of cakes. Everything from a light, blonde lemony cake with sultanas and candied lemon peel as the only fruit... all the way up to the "rich Christmas cake" which includes seven kinds of fruit + almonds, orange juice, rum (or brandy or sherry), and two types of citrus zest. This cake takes two days to make, four hours in the oven, and is meant to sit for a full two months before serving. It also weighs just shy of five kilos! This cake does NOT mess around.

Rich Christmas Cake

Very slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. orange juice
• 3/4 c. dark rum¹ or brandy + an extra 2 Tbsp. for soaking
• 2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
• 500g dried currants
• 500g raisins
• 2 c. sultanas
• 2 c. chopped dates
• 150g crystallized ginger, chopped
• 150g mixed peel
• 150g glacé cherries, halved
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 c. slivered almonds²
• 2 1/2 c. strong flour ("high grade", bread, or all-purpose)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 250g (salted) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. treacle³
• 5 large eggs (or 6 medium eggs)

Directions

1. Combine orange juice, 3/4 c. rum, and orange zest in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Combine dried fruit in a large bowl and pour juice mixture over it. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
3. The next day, add the vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, and almonds to the fruit mix.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and spices.
5. Prepare your baking tin and tie a double layer of brown paper around the outside. Edmonds suggests lining a deep 23cm (9") square pan with baking paper. I greased and lined the bottom of a 10" springform pan.
6. In a third (very large) bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and treacle/molasses.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the fruit mixture.
9. Scoop the batter (which should be more like a bowl of dried fruit with a thin coat of cake batter on it) into the prepared tin.
10. Smooth the top with wet hands and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 4 hours.
11. Remove from oven and let cake cool overnight.
12. Poke a few holes in the top of the cake with a skewer or toothpick.
13. Pour 2 Tbsp. of rum (or brandy or sherry) over the top of the cake and let it soak in.
14. At this point, Edmonds says to wrap the cake in tinfoil and a cloth and store in a cool place. I didn't like the idea of the tinfoil being right up against the cake, so I wrapped it in baking paper first (I just reused the paper from the outside of the tin) and then wrapped it in tinfoil followed by a tea towel.
15. Cake should be baked by late October in order for flavours to have fully developed by Christmas.

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¹ I used spiced rum because that's what I had on hand. ^Back
2 Edmonds calls for blanched (presumably whole) almonds. I used slivered both because I felt like that might allow for a more even distribution and because, as with the rum, I already had some on hand. ^Back
3 Treacle isn't really a Thing in Canada, so I tend to just substitute molasses whenever I come across a recipe that calls for treacle. They're pretty close. And I've had good results doing this so far. ^Back