Cheese and Onions
7 or 8 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 cup water
14 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Put half of onions in a microwave proof dish and add water. Microwave about 15 minutes, drain and put into a glass casserole dish. Put half of cheese on top of onions. Repeat with remaining onions, adding them to dish when cooked in microwave and adding remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until cheese is browned to your taste. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Parkin
This gingerbread from England stores well in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes one 8-inch square cake
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Blend in the oatmeal. Place the syrup, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until just blended. Stir into the dry mixture.
Beat the egg with the milk. Add to the mixture. Pour into a lightly greased 8-inch square cake pan. Bake at 275 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours (or until firm in the middle). Cool before serving.
Eccles Cakes
Frozen flaky pastry
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup currants
2 tablespoons mixed candied peel, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of allspice
1 beaten egg white
Sugar to sprinkle
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Stir sugar into melted butter. Add currants, peel, nutmeg and allspice.
Roll out pastry very thinly and cut 6-inch rounds, using a saucer. Heap filling in the middle of each round. (Makes about 8 to 10 cakes - divide the filling between them.) Dampen the edges, draw up the pastry over the filling, pinch together, turn over and flatten with rolling pin until a few currants just show through. Make 3 small cuts on top of each cake. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Traditional English Shortbread
1/4 pound granulated sugar
1/2 pound butter
1 pound flour
Mix flour and sugar together. Work in butter with spoon. When dough is formed, roll and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 degrees F until pale brown.
Sugarplums
6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more sugar for coating
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup apple juice*
2 1/2 cups finely ground vanilla wafers
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Candied cherry halves
* For ‘grown-up’ sugarplums, substitute brandy for the apple juice.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir in the 1/2 cup sugar, the corn syrup and the apple juice. Off the heat, stir in the wafer crumbs and pecans to make a paste-like mixture. Let mixture cool enough to handle.
Roll small bits of mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the additional sugar. Press a candied cherry half into top center of each ball. Store in an airtight container. These cookies improve with age.
Makes about 48.
Raspberry Cranachan (Raspberry Pudding - Scotland)
4 teaspoons medium oatmeal
4 teaspoons vanilla essence or Drambuie
10 fluid ounces double cream (chilled)
2 tablespoons castor sugar
8 ounces fresh raspberries
Mint leaves (to decorate)
Toast oatmeal lightly in a heavy skillet.
Whip vanilla essence (extract) and Drambuie until soft peaks form, adding sugar slowly. Fold oatmeal into cream with half of the raspberries. Decorate with remaining raspberry and mint.
Toad-in-the-Hole
This is a classic British dish consisting of a Yorkshire pudding batter with pre-cooked sausages in it.
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 pound small link pork sausages
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
Place the butter and sausages in a 12-inch roasting pan or cast-iron skillet and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift the flour into a bowl and beat in the egg. Add half the milk slowly, beating until the batter is smooth, then add the remaining half of the milk and beat until very smooth. Pour the batter into the pan with the sausages and bake 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the batter rises up the sides of the pan and turns golden brown.
Serves 4 to 6.
Londonderry Beef Stew
1 1/2 pounds beef steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 medium parsnips, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
8 medium potatoes
1 cup beef stock
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, to taste
Boil some water in a large saucepan, sufficient to cover the meat, and have approximately 1 inch left above. Put in the large chunks of meat, and lower the heat to keep the stew simmering. Put in the chopped or diced carrots and parsnips. Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add peeled whole potatoes and some stock/soup mixture or cornstarch to thicken. Keep the mixture simmering and stir occasionally. After about an hour from start time, taste it and check the potatoes.