Parsley and lemon crusted haddock – Recommended Recipe!

 Parsley and Lemon Crusted Haddock – serves 4

Ingredients

4 thick fillets of haddock (or other firm white fish)

100g breadcrumbs

Zest of 1 lemon

3 tsp finely chopped parsley

4 large ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1.       Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. In a bowl, gently combine the tomato and onion slices with the balsamic vinegar and oil, season to taste. Lay them in the bottom of an oven dish and roast for 10 mins.

2.       Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs with the lemon zest and parsley, top each piece of fish with a thick layer and a drizzle of oil. Place the fish fillets on top of the tomatoes and onions and cook for a further 15 mins until the crust is brown and the fish has cooked through

3.       Serve with wedges of lemon.

Source: Bart Spices recipe card.

Raspberry and lemon cake - Recommended Recipe!

Raspberry and lemon cake - serves 6-8, preparation 5 minutes, cook 30 minutes.

Ingredients
300g caster sugar
350g butter, softened
2 tsp almond essence
6 medium eggs, beaten
150g ground almonds
300g self raising flour
grated zest of 4 lemons
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the drizzle
150g icing sugar
3-4 tbsp lemon juice

For the filling
300ml double cream
150g lemon curd
200g raspberries

For the icing
300 royal icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
yellow food colour


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.  Grease and flour 2 x 20cm (8in) cake tins.
2. Beat the sugar, butter and almond extract together until pale and fluffy.  Gradually add the egg, then fold in the ground almonds, flour, lemon zest and juice.
3. Spoon into the tins, smooth the top and bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
4. Make the drizzle by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together.  When the cake comes out of the ove, turn out onto a cooling rack set over a plate.  Prick all over with a skewer and drizzle with the syrup. Set aside to cool.
5. Whip the cream and fold in the lemon curd.  Set one cake on a plate, level the top if necessary and spoon over the cream.  Sprinkle with raspberries and set the other cake half on top.  Set aside.
6. To make the icing, mix the lemon juice and icing sugar until it's a spoonable consistency, but still quite paste-like.  Use a few drops of the yellow colour to make a pastel yellow shade and spoon the icing evenly over the cake, allowing it to drip down and coat the sides.  Run a spoon or palate knife around the sides to neaten and evenly distribute the icing.

Source - Morrisons instore magazine.

More Macmillan Cakes! Luv It! Bermo's Fundraising Coffee Morning

Here's the second installment of Macmillan Coffe Morning Cupcakes (and muffins this time!).  We have....

Mallow Chrysanthemum Cupcakes

Royal Iced Macmillan Vanilla Cupcakes

Ginger & Lemon Cupcakes and Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Mango & Papaya Muffins with Mango Buttercream

I hope the event gets lots of support as Macmillan do a fantastic job supporting cancer sufferers and their families in times of need.

It's a scary thought but one in three of us will get cancer and it’s the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you’ll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way.

Macmillan Cancer support provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

£25.00 will pay for one hour for a Macmillan nurse to support a family affected by cancer.

£51.00 could buy a liquidiser for someone who can't eat solid food as a result of their cancer treatment.
£70.00 could help run a large Macmillan information and support centre for an hour.
£191.00 could pay for a Macmillan nurse for a day, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential support.
£220.00 could pay for travel and accommodation for a support group member to attend a dealing with loss workshop.
£333.00 could pay for a Macmillan Grant that helps a family affected by cancer take a holiday and enjoy precious time together.

Help us to raise some funds for this great cause! Pop in for some coffee and cake this Saturday 11.00- 3.00pm, look forward to seeing you all :)

 

So do what the lady says!  If you're close enough, pop to Luv It! Bermo tomorrow (Saturday 29th Sept 2012) and show your support.

Macmillan Coffee Morning Fundraiser - Cakes, cakes, cakes!

Just a quick "hello" today and some updated cupcake photos!  To support Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning I'm baking for 2 local coffee mornings - one takes place tomorrow and here's a selection of my contribution...

Drum roll please.... we have ginger, honey & lemon; chocolate fudge; chocolate orange; royal iced; butter iced and marshmallow chrysanthemum cupcakes!!!

I've not decided what I'll be baking for the second one at the weekend... we'll see!

The Big Fair Bake 2012 - Fairtrade Awareness

Baking tastes better when you share, so the Big Fair Bake is the perfect excuse to get inspired put on your pinny and bake up a treat for others; not just the friends and family we share it with, but also the farming communities who grew the ingredients.

Fairtrade tea, coffee, bananas, sugar, chocolate, cotton.... to name a few products that we all use daily and by switching to Fairtrade we can all make a difference, one step at a time.

I have chosen a recipe (Chocolate Orange Muffins) from the Fairtrade website here, but also added my own twist... to devise and bake a recipe using only Fairtrade ingredients... sort of like a "Ready, Steady, Cook" for the Fairtrade industry.... the last part of the challenge is to share my culinary creations and delights and share the message of Fairtrade.

Even though I live in a small town with little choice for supermarkets, I'm lucky that the main supermarket is the Co-Operative... in 2000 they developed and launched their own label range of Fairtrade products.  The ethics behind their products is great and they stock over 250 Fairtrade products, each displaying the Fairtrade badge to make them easily recognisable.

So, the ingredients that I can choose from are.... tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas, honey, sugar, beansprouts(!), wine, blueberries, pineapple, mangoes, oranges, grapefruits and lemons..... I'm not sure where the beansprouts will come in however my son loves them in a quick stir-fry...not with fruit salad though!  But, the wine will definitely be for drinking, no questions there!!

I'm thinking along the lines of "Banana tea bread muffins", "Chocolate blueberry muffins" and "Tropical fruit salad".  These delights will be created over the next couple of days and shared with family and friends... I'll publish the recipes to share with you all too...no secrets here!

Why don't you have a go... a simple fruit salad can provide your 5 a day and help the farmers at the source of the industry.... and everyone loves cake - Fairtrade just makes it better!