Pumpkin and White Chocolate Cookies

This recipe comes from my latest feature for Crumbs magazine (check it out here), but I thought I should also share it with you dear readers. Mostly because I'm feeling guilty for not blogging in a very long time. 

Now pumpkins are a pain in the ass. I know that. So in my kitchen, the only thing that will lure me into wrestling with these orange beasts is the promise of a batch of puree that will taste miles better than anything you can buy in a can, and that I can keep in the freezer to later turn into warm pumpkin and walnut bread; a batch of spiced pumpkin muffins; a classic pumpkin pie; or these soft and chewy pumpkin and white chocolate cookies. 

So, once you have done battle with your almighty vegetable – or should that be fruit, technically speaking? - place the pumpkin flesh into a large saucepan with a cup of water (use as little as possible to avoid a finished puree that is too soft). Bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer for around 20 minutes. If you only want to use your puree for sweet recipes, then I like to throw in a cinnamon stick during the process, for added flavour. It also makes your house smell wonderfully wholesome and Autumnal. 

Then whizz with a hand-held blender and separate into batches. From two medium-sized pumpkins, I’m usually able to get around 750ml of puree, which I separate into three 250ml batches – each of these being equal to one American cup sized measurement, which is rather handy seeing as many pumpkin recipes seem to be American.

Now you have your puree, here's the simple recipe for my cookies. What else will you make?

Makes 12-15 large cookies

250g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

100g unsalted butter, softened

150g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

250ml (one cup) pumpkin puree

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g bar of white chocolate, broken into small chunks

Preheat your oven to180°C.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla and combine thoroughly.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to this, and stir in the chocolate chunks.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

Cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet.

I really really really love weekends.

The Raven

It's officially the season of pie. And gravy.

Which, if you're in Bath on a cold rainy night, demands a visit to The Raven pub for a Pieminister and a pint.

You can choose from a selection of pies and homemade gravies, and can have it with mash or chips (although who seriously chooses chips over mash when there's pie involved?) 

I'm not sure why I even bother looking at the menu as I always order the Beef Raven Ale Pie with Guinness and Red Onion Gravy (and mash, naturally) and a glass of Raven ale to wash it down.

Pair with a cosy jumper and a good friend, for a perfect Winter's evening.  

Lunch with Friends

 

Today - lunch with some very dear friends. These boys could not possibly get any cuter than they were today.

Sausages with Warm French Lentils

Ahhh Autumn - the days get shorter, the evenings chillier, and cravings of sausages for dinner become infinitely more justifiable. 

This dish is one that I often find myself returning to at this time of year. It gives you all the curl-up-in-your-pyjamas-with-a-glass-of-wine comfort of sausages and mash, minus the feelings of over-indulgence afterwards. 

The lentils are cooked with onion and carrots, and dressed in a french vinaigrette. I also add some chopped spinach at the last minute, to up the nutritional content and make it a complete meal. I adapted the recipe from this original one by Ina Garten. If you have any lentils leftover, they'll make a delicious cold salad for lunch the next day. 

I won't give you any instructions for cooking the sausages - because that would be silly and, quite frankly, I expect more from you! But I will say this: I prefer to use good quality chipolatas for this recipe - they somehow make the whole dish a little more refined and, dare I say it, French. 

                  

     Makes 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 carrots, scrubbed and 1/2-inch-diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 cup brown lentils or green Puy lentils
• 1 whole onion, peeled finely diced
• a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 
  

       Directions

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onion and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 more minute, and then set aside.

Meanwhile, place the lentils and 4 cups of water (or vegetable stock, if you have it) in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the chopped spinach, as well as the onion and carrot mixture, for the last few minutes of cooking. Place all of this in a medium sized bowl and add the butter.

Meanwhile, whisk together the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the lentils, stir well, and allow the lentils to cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (The longer the lentils sit, the more salt and pepper you'll want to add, so beware of this).

I hope it soon becomes an Autumn staple in your kitchen! 

A Day to Remember

My Sunday involved: a sunny morning lie-in; a trip to the Vintage and Antiques Market in Bath, where I felt all Christmassy and nearly bought a make-your-own gingerbread house kit; an equally Christmassy and rather wonderful turkey, stuffing and cranberry pasty; some Christmas present shopping; and being very moved by the Remembrance Sunday parade through town, which made me both humble and thankful that any of the fun stuff I get to do is even possible. 

Lest we forget.

Banana and Bacon Waffles with Homemade Pancake Syrup

Well now, isn't this an indulgent looking breakfast? But I say if you can't allow yourself a little indulgence at the weekend then you really have to question your life choices.

We had our toasted waffles with good quality smoked streaky bacon, sliced banana, and my homemade syrup - if you can't bear the price of maple syrup sometimes then try making this, I think you'll love it:

  Simply put 1 cup (in American measurement - it equates to 250ml) of light soft brown sugar into a saucepan. Add just 3-4 tablespoons of water to the pan, then bring to the boil and leave it to boil for 1 minute - don't stir it or it may start to caramelise! Then remove from the heat, decant into a fancy jug, and there you have it - almost instant syrupy indulgence. Happy weekend, everyone!