An all time favourite

I had never heard of Baklava before I met Nick, then again apart from one holiday to Rhodes Island with my parents, and inter-railing as a teenager I had no real knowledge of Greece full stop. When I fell for Nick I also grew to love the country his father grow up in, from the customs and welcoming nature of the people to the wonderful food the country boasts. I am known for my sweet tooth and as such Baklava is just heaven to me. I have been disappointed with bought replicas in England so, for Nick's Big Greek Birthday Party earlier this month,  I decided that I would make my own. I was pretty sure from a Google search on recipes that I could come up with a combination that would beat the shops and indeed I did. This Greek traditional desert is actually very simple yet looks like it took hours to prepare!

Ingredients

180g Granulated Sugar

50g Runny Honey

180ml water

15 - 20 ml squeezed lemon juice (1 good size lemon)

120g butter (ideally unsalted) melted

420g Filo pastry (2 packs of filo pastry from the chiller cabinets in the supermarket is ideal)

175g pistachio nuts

250g Dried figs (if you don't like figs, dates work just as well)

Method

In a saucepan, gently heat the water, sugar and honey. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat then stir in the lemon juice and set aside to cool.

Brush a shallow 20 x 30 cm baking tin with melted butter

Line the tin with 8 sheets of filo pastry brushing each sheet with the melted butter as you go.

Chop the pistachio nuts into fine peices (I used a food mixer) and sprinkle over the buttered pastry layers

Layer another buttered 6 sheets of filo

Chop the figs as the nuts and sprinkle these over. Finish with another 8 sheets of buttered filo.

Brush the top with any remaining butter.

Cut the Baklava into 20 peices with a sharp knife

Bake at 180degrees for 30 - 35 minutes till golden and crisp.

Pour over the syrup mix and leave to cool in the tin.

Serving

Delicious served alone or with Greek yogurt.

   

Sticky Toffee Pudding to die for

Of all the puddings I make for the Coombe Mill Cuisine range this is still my favourite. It is so mouth wateringly tasty and over the top delicious, but it does take a sweet tooth to really appreciate the flavour. On reading the ingredients the name Calorie Catastrophe becomes abundantly clear! I promise this one is worth 'banking' a few calories in anticipation! The quantities here will serve 8.

Ingredients for the sponge

50g butter

325g granulated or caster sugar

85g of evaporated milk

2 eggs

150g chopped dates or raisons

150ml water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

150g SR flour

 Ingredients for the Sauce

75g butter

260g sugar (brown is more tasty but granulated will do)

255g evaporated milk

 

Method

Beat together the butter with 150g of the sugar, when fully mixed gradually beat in the eggs (if you are wondering why there are 4 eggs in mine, it's because I scale everything up with a large family and the business)

 

Meanwhile on the hob bring to the boil the milk, water and dates with the rest of the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Make sure the saucepan is a good size as it will bubble up when the soda goes in.

Use a metal spoon to fold the flour into the beaten egg mixture (it is very stiff towards the end)

Stir in the date mixture till it is all smooth and transfer to a buttered oven proof dish and cover loosley with foil.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for about 40 minutes.

To make the Sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat until butter melts, then bring to the boil stirring constantly and boil gently till the sauce thickens - about 5 minutes. Serve with the pudding. Yum!

 

 

Here at Coombe Mill

 

For the Coombe Cuisine range I pour the sauce liberally over the top before freezing to make a lovely gooey pudding served up after a hard day at the beach with clotted cream from our shop fridge! Worth helping the children to dig a few sandcastles with this treat in store! 

This recipe freezes really well and can be reheated in the microwave (retains the moist texture better than re heating in the oven).

Do give it a go and let me know if you agree that this is a secret worth sharing.  

How can anyone want a recipe for bangers and mash? The answer is all in the ingredients and a few 'cooks know how' tips!

Bangers and mash is a childhood favourite, but let's face it, who doesn't get peckish at kids tea time and think - I could fancy that too? Well here is my family recipe that the kids enjoy with an adult twist too!

OK we are lucky enough to have our very own sausages from our farm but any good butchers own are a cut above the rest!

Simply oven cook or grill on a rack to catch the fat whilst boiling some Cornish potatoes on the hob.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and toss in sliced onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes before adding mushrooms and peppers. Just a couple of minutes on a high heat, then add a little red wine and seasoning to taste, simmer for a further couple of minutes and remove from the heat.

Chop the cooked sausages (or leave whole if you prefer)and place in a pie or casserole dish, add the saute veg with a slotted spoon, reserving any juice and any lightly boiled veg too (carrots or peas work well). Drain and mash the potatoes with milk, butter and salt to taste.

Drain all the fat from the sausage tin bar the sticky bottom layer. Place tin on the hob and heat with the remaining reserved juice, a couple of stock cubes, any veg water from the peas or carrots and a sprinkle of plain flour stiring all the time into a rich gravy. Poor over your casserole, top with the mash.

All ready to heat and serve,or freeze for another time. It is a great one to defrost and pop in the oven after a busy day. Watch out for them in our "Coombe Cusine" Freezer when you come to stay on the farm!

Coombe Mill Farm Holidays. Magical for children, toddlers and babies