Cooking
I like cooking. When Patrick comes home he has 2 favourite recipes which I have to make
1 Apple cake
I first tasted this cake in the coffee shop in Stephen Pierce pottery in Cork a few years ago. I asked re recipe and was told it was from the BBC website. (I hope they can rescue the Stephen Pierce pottery business which has had its troubles lately)
Here is the recipe
I take lots of shortcuts in it. Not everyone likes cinnamon in the family so I leave it out. I mix flour, baking powder and sugar together. (This isn't recommended but I find it works fine). Next rub in butter. Next add in lots of apple in big chunks (about twice the amount in recipe). Add liquid, throw into tin, sprinkle brown sugar over top and into oven. Five minutes max
Another shortcut since I make this cake so much is to cut circles for the bottom of cake tin from a full roll of Parchment paper in one go so don't have to do it each time. I end up with 12 circles done as one job!
One night I got a phone call from Patrick from the states looking for the recipe for this cake as he was going to a party and wanted to make it. Next time I was talking with him, I asked him how he got on with the cake. He said great, he made eight of them. I asked him where did he get the cake tins. He told me he used saucepans and it worked perfectly!
2 Pea salad from the Avoca book
Tried to get this recipe online but failed. This is my adaptation of the recipe
Basically mix the following ingredients
Defrosted frozen peas (petit pois, the smaller peas)
Chopped red onion
Baby Spinach leaves
Chopped mint
Chopped cooked bacon
Feta cheese
Olive oil to which crushed garlic clove and lemon juice are added
This recipe is fool proof and really great.
I bought the Avoca Salads book with the earnest intention of trying a different recipe each day. This recipe is on page 1. I haven't really progressed beyond as everyone keeps looking for it.
Maybe 2010 will be the year of page 2, who knows!
