CUP CAKES

Cup cakes are all the rage. Make a stir with these delightful little cakes. This recipe is easy and perfect.
Ingredients
Three quarter cup unsalted butter
Three quarter cup sugar
Six heaped tablespoons  self-rising flour
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to  350F
Method
Line a 12 cup cake pan with paper liners or grease
Beat eggs in a bowl until well mixed
Put all other ingredients, including beaten eggs in a large bowl
Beat with an electric mixer until  light and creamy, about 2 minutes
Divide the mixture evenly between the the cake cases
Bake approx. 18-20 minutesuntil  risen and firm to touch.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and transfer to wire rack.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Frost and decorate as desired.

RASPBERRY TRIFLE

This makes a glorious dessert for a special occasion. Trifle is often served in England at a special afternoon tea.

Ingredients
1 and half cups heavy cream
Quarter cup sugar
1 prepared pound cake, ladies fingers, or sponge cake
Half cup sherry
Raspberry preserves
2 (8 ounce) packets of cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 and half teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 (10-12 ounce) packages of frozen raspberries, thawed

Method
In a medium bowl beat cream with quarter cup sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and half cup sugar. Fold two cups of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Reserve remaining whipped cream.

Slice cake into half inch slices. Sprinkle with sherry or fruit juice.Cover and let stand so all alchol can evaporate from the sherry. Next spread a layer of raspberry preserves on each cake slice. Layer a decorative bowl with the cake, drained and thawed raspberries and cream cheese mixture.
Top with remaining whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder and a few whole thawed raspberries as desired.

LAVENDER CUSTARD

This perfumed custard, an edible reminder of the purple fields of lavender.
Ingredients
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
Half cup sugar
one tablespoon pesticide-free fresh or dried lavender flowers, no stems

Method
Pour the milk into a saucepan, place over medium heat and heat until small bubbles appear along the edges of the pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Pour about half cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and lightly coats the back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Do not allow it to boil.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in the lavender flowers. Pour into a pitcher. Cover with plastic placed directly on the surface to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day pour custard through a sieve. Return custard to pitcher, cove with clean plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface. Refrigerate for up to two days before serving.

FISH PIE

This is a delicious and economical dish. Serves 4

You may use any white fish, such as cod and haddock. Adding shrimp and peas enhances the flavors. Once you have this prepared it is very easy to keep in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of days.





Ingredients
2 large fillets of fish(about 1 and 1/2 pounds in weight)
1 leek trimmed, washed and chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed. washed and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peel shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
Half pint of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 generous teaspoon all-purpose flour
3 hard cooked eggs,peeled and sliced
1 and a half pounds of potatoes, boiled and mashed with a little milk and butter

Method
Gently fry leek and celery in oil, until soft, about 10 minutes. Do not brown.
When soft add the fish, shrimp, peas, seasonings, then the stock. Brig to a boil, then immediately
lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Using a sieve strain the above over a bowl. Keep both.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Return pan to heat. Add butter and flour, as if you were making a white sauce.
Now add the liquid from the fish, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Mix in the fish,eggs and vegetables.

Pour the whole mixture into a deep baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. Bake for about 25 minutes. Serve when brown op top and bubbly underneath.

CLOTTED CREAM

Clotted cream is the name given to the cream of Devon and Cornwall.
It is not something that is eaten everyday or we would all be very round, but as a treat with scones and preserves. It is only available in jars, here in the US, but you can make the following, which is a very good substitute.



Ingredients
1 pint of heavy cream
2 pints whole milk
1 pint half and half

Method
Pour te above into a shallow pan. Cover and leave to stand in a cool place (not the refrigerator)
for approx. three hours. Transfer pan to stove gently, so as not to disturb the layer of cream.
Keep at the lowest possible temperature for about oe hour until the surface is rich, encrusted and golden. Carefully remove from heat. Cover and leave to stand overnight in a cool place to set.
Using a slotted spoon skim off into a dish.

Use the residue to make scones.

BREAD PUDDING

Don't confuse Bread Pudding with Bread and Butter Pudding, they are somewhat different. Both use stale bread, but bread pudding can be cut into squares and eaten with the fingers. It is economical and tasty.
This recipe was served with caramel sauce and was a big hit at the recent British Club Pub. night. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 8" sq. tray.

Ingredients
10 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed
Half pint milk
8 ounces mixed dried fruit
Grated zest one lemon, one orange
Half cup soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon mixed spice
Quarter stick unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

Method
Soak bread in milk for about 30 minutes. Now squeeze out all the excess moisture. Do this by placing the milk soaked bread in a colander and pressing with the back of a large spoon.
Put the bread in a large bowl. Mash with a fork until it looks rather like smooth oatmeal. Add the fruit, orange and lemon zest, brown sugar, spice and melted butter. Stir together well.

Tur this mixture into the prepared pan. Cook for 1 and half hours. Allow pudding to cool in pan.
5-10 minutes before turning out. Cut into squares. Serve with caramel sauce if desired.

CHILLED BLUE BERRY SOUP

Ingredients
3 cups fresh blueberries, washed or
16 ounce packet frozen blueberries
Half cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Half cup water
Quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch salt
2 cups plain yoghurt

Method
In a large saucepan, combine blueberries, water, sugar
lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon stick and salt. Cover and simmer gently
for about 10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and cool mixture slightly.
Pour mixture into blender or food processor. Process until smooth.

Refrigerate until mixture is thoroughly chilled.
Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with yogurt and lemon slices.

VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE

The Victoria Sandwich was Queen Victoria's favorite cake. It was, and still is today served at Royal tea and garden parties. It is said that Queen Victoria ate a whole cake at one sitting, which may be why in her later years she became quite heavy.
This cake is one of the very first cakes to use butter in the ingredients. This helped prevent the cake from sinking in the middle, which often happened as at that time ovens had no thermostats. A Victoria Sandwich cake is usually two large round cakes sandwiched together with strawberry preserves and for a special treat, whipped cream as well.

VICTORIA SANDWICH

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
4 and half teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
Quarter cup warm water
1 cup sugar
1 cup soft margarine or whipped butter
12 ounces strawberry preserves/ whipped cream (optional)

Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 325F

Method
Sift flour and baking powder together twice
Using an electric mixer beat together eggs, water, sugar, margarine or butter until very light and fluffy. Add the flour/baking powder all at once, resume beating until mixture is pale and has a glossy appearance.
Divide mixture equally between the two pans.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until tops are lightly brown. Cool pans on racks.
Turn out cakes and sandwich together with the strawberry preserves and whipped cream, if using.
Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

COOKING WITH LAVENDER

These are lovely cookies, not too sweet with just a hit of lavender flavor.

Ingredients
1 and one half cups unsalted butter
Two thirds cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh or dried pesticide free lavender flowers
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 and one third cup all-purpose flour
Half cup corn starch
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 325F
Cover bottoms of two baking sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl cream together
butter, sugar, lavender and mint, using an electric mixer. Cream until light and fluffy.
3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch and salt. Beat until incorporated. Divide dough in half. Flatten into two squares. Wrap in plastic. Chill in refrigerator until firm. On a floured surface roll or pat out each square to a thickness of half inch, Cut dough into 1 and one half inch squares. Prick each cookie with a fork.
Bake 20-25 minutes until pale gold in color. Do not over bake. Cool slightly.
Transfer to wire rack. Sprinkle with lavender powdered sugar.

Lavender powdered sugar: Put 4 - 5 sprigs of lavender flowers in a sealed jar with the powered sugar for a day before using the sugar.

COOKING WITH TEA - Tea Punch

Half pint strong black tea
6 ounces sugar
Half pint orange juice (not solid)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cans ginger ale
1 large bottle seven-up
1 orange sliced

Put hot tea in a bowl. Add sugar until dissolved. Add orange and lemon juices. Strain.
Chill. Just before serving mix in the ginger ale, seven up and orange slices.

COOKING WITH TEA NATURALLY - Tea dressing/Marinade

Half cup strong Earl Grey tea (substitute another flavorful tea, such as English breakfast, if desired.
2 tablespoons orange juice
Half teaspoon sugar
Half teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Quarter cup fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Quarter teaspoon salt and pepper

Place tea, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan or skillet. Bring to boil.
Reduce to about two tablespoons. Combine tea mixture, vinegar, garlic, slat, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Stir in basil.
Use for cooked pasta,green salads etc.

COOKING WITH TEA -Sencha Scented Lamb on Rosemary Skewers

1 pound lean lamb
1 recipe Sencha green tea marinade
12 rosemary skewers
24 garlic cloves, roasted.

Marinate lamb in Sencha green tea for one hour
Cut meat into cubes, skewer size
Saute lamb in olive oil until medium rare
Roast garlic cloves in 350F degree oven until soft and golden
Place roasted garlic, peel if desired on each rosemary sprig and then a cube of Sencha lamb. Continue with lamb, until it is all used. End with the other garlic clove. Serve immediately. Substitute chicken if desired. Serves 6

COOKING WITH TEA - Sencha Tea Marinade

Marinade
Half cup Sencha green tealeaves
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic
sea salt
pepper
1 shallot

Pour boiled water over tea leaves in an open dish. Chop garlic and shallot finely.
Add garlic, shallot and lemon juice to tea leaf mixture.
Use to marinate meat, fish or poultry. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

COOKING WITH TEA -Chai Tea Bread

1 three quarter cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Half teaspoon salt
three quarter cup sugar
8 ounce packet cream cheese
2 large eggs
Three quarter cup mashed bananas
Quarter cup of brewed Chai tea

Preheat oven to 350F. In separate bowl beat sugar, cream cheese and eggs until light and fluffy. Add mashed bananas, brewed chai tea and mix together gently. Gradually add flour
until thoroughly incorporated. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9" x 5"baking pan.Baking for approximately one hour, until bread tests done.

COOKING WITH TEA - Tea Jelly

Tea Jelly:

2 lemons
1 packet lemon jelly
Half pint (approx.) freshly brewed tea
Whipped cream to decorate

Grate zest from the two lemons. Place jelly in measuring cup and make up to one pint with the freshly brewed tea. Stir until dissolved, then cool. When jelly is slightly thickened stir in lemon zest and pour into rinsed one pint mold. Refrigerate until set.
Unmold. Decorate with whipped cream.

COOKING WITH TEA-Fried Tea-Scented Basmati Rice

Half cup lapsang souchong or other black tea
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
Half tablespoon red pepper flakes
Half each red & yellow peppers chopped small
1 small onion chopped small
1 cup snow peas
2 cups cooked basmati rice
2 green onions chopped

In a bowl whisk together tea, fish sauce, light soy sauce & toasted sesame oil.

Heat canola oil in Wok, over medium heat. Add to red pepper flacks. Cook for one minute, until slightly browned. Increase heat to high. Add peppers and cook for about 3 minutes. Add snow peas and reserved tea mixture. Boil 2 minutes until liquid is reduced and somewhat syrupy. Add cooked rice and green onions, cooking tossing together for three minutes.

Add cooked shrimp, chicken if desired. serves 4

COOKING WITH TEA - Pasta Salad/Earl Grey Tea Vinaigretet

Dressing/marinade

Half cup strong Earl Grey tea
2 tablespoons orange juice
Half teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon onions, minced finely
1 clove garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Quarter cup chopped fresh basil

Salad

4 cups cooked fussili or other short pasta
1 cup each red and green pepper diced
1 cup red onion, finely chopped

Place tea, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan or skillet and bring to boil, reduce to about 2 tablespoons.Combine tea mixture, vinegar, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and sesame oil. Stir in basil. (Can be made two days ahead).Doubles easily.
In large bowl toss together, pasta, peppers and onion. drizzle over dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

COOKING WITH TEA - Tea Soup

5 cups vegetable stock
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons dried thyme, lightly crushed
3 cups broccoli, chopped small
Half pound shelled macaroni
1 cup green tea, prepared at regular strength
Juice one lemon
Eight teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the stock, garlic and thyme in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Stir in broccoli ad macaroni. Reduce heat and simmer until the macaroni is just at the al
dente stage, about ten minutes. Stir in the green tea. Heat through for about one minute.
Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and pepper. Adjust seasonings,adding a little salt if desired.

Homemade Buttermilk Scones

Preheat oven to 400F

Ingredients

4 cups flour
Third cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Half teaspoon baking soda
1 and one half sticks unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream for brushing

Method
Combine sifted flour sugar,salt,baking powder,baking soda in large bowl.
Add butter. Mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add buttermilk until just combined.
Transfer dough to a floured board. Divide into two parts.
Cut each round into 8 wedges and place, slightly separated on a greased baking sheet.
Brush tops with cream and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm, split in half with whipped cream and preserves such as strawberry, raspberry or lemoncurd.