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How to make Teacake’s confit duck and poppy seed pancakes

Pancake Tuesday has crêped up on us again, so we’ve been in touch with Teacake owner Bob Miller who has shared his favourite pancake recipe.

Get in the kitchen and give it a go – let us know how you do! This recipe does involve marinating the duck so we recommended reading all the way through and preparing some time before you plan to eat.

bob3-edited-scaled How to make Teacake’s confit duck and poppy seed pancakes

Pancakes ingredients

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 2 medium eggs
  • ½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
  • Splash of milk
  • Small knob of butter

Start by mixing the sugar, flour, eggs and poppy seeds. Next, gradually add the milk and whisk until you have a thick pouring consistency.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter. Add a ladle of the mixture and tilt the pan to cover until the mixture reaches the edges. Leave to cook for around one minute or until you start to see bubbles forming. Then flip and cook on the opposite side for around 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and repeat until all of the mixture is used. Set the pancakes aside under a clean tea towel to keep them warm.

Confit duck ingredients

  • 3-4 duck legs
  • Tablespoon of mixed spice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon crushed pink pepper corns
  • 500ml – 700ml duck fat
  • Drizzle of rapeseed oil

Begin by taking the duck fat and massaging into the duck legs – you want them to be covered as much as possible. Place on a plate and cover with cling film before leaving in the fridge for around eight to twelve hours.

Next, remove the duck from the fridge and use a paper towel to remove any excess fat from the legs. Place in a slow cooker and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil before cooking for around four hours on a low heat. Once ready, the meat should bull away from the bone with a fork.

Sweet chilli & soya reduction

  • 250ml soya sauce
  • 100ml sweet chilli
  • Zest of one lemon /juice of ½ lemon
  • Zest of one orange/ juice of ½ orange

Place all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for a few minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Once you’re ready to eat, take a pancake and add the duck mixture. Top with a drizzle of the reduction. You may also want to add some garnish, such as spring onion and cucumber or a few sesame seeds. Enjoy!

The Crafty Pickle Co’s Sauerkraut Recipe

Great as a condiment with hearty and healthy food during autumn, sauerkraut is a tasty way to get some greens into your diet.

Surprisingly, it’s relatively simple to make this fermented favourite and local to the North East, The Crafty Pickle Co. has an easy recipe to making your own this season. Read on to find out how and remember the company’s four rules to success – shred, salt, pound and pack.

white-cabbage-2705228_1920-1024x768 The Crafty Pickle Co's Sauerkraut Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 500g of sauerkraut

Ingredients

  • 1/2 white cabbage
  • Salt (to taste)
  • A selection of fruit or vegetables such as apple, carrot, garlic, onion or leek

Start by removing a couple of outer leaves from the cabbage before washing in cold water and putting to one side.

Next, shred the remaining cabbage by cutting it in half, carefully taking out the core and copping into fine strips. Put the strips into a bowl.

Add a small amount of salt, around a tablespoon, to the bowl of cabbage and use your hands to ensure that every bit is covered. If there isn’t enough salt then add some more – you can sample as you go to make sure the kraut is suited to your taste.

Grate or chop your choice of fruit and vegetables before mixing in with the cabbage. You can also add some herbs or spices if you like.

Using your hands, pound the mixture by massaging and squeezing the mixture until water begins to run from your fists. If you’re not able to use your hands then you can also use a rolling pin.

Place a handful of the mixture into a clean jar and pack down so that they’re in there tightly. Make sure there’s no air bubbles as the kraut needs an oxygen-free environment to thrive. Once you’re able two inches from the top, stop and pour any excess liquid over the vegetables to cover.

Take a portion of one of the leaves that you left to the side and place on top of the jar. Push down onto your kraut so that the leaf acts as a seal.

Cap the jar and leave on your worktop or counter out of direct sunlight. The jar can be left for between three days and three weeks – just try different stages and see what you like.

The Crafty Pickle Co. is a regular stall holder at the Chapelton farmer’s market. To find out more about the company, it’s range of products available and a video on fermenting sauerkraut at home, visit www.thecraftypickle.co.uk/post/ferment-in-fifteen-make-fermented-sauerkraut-at-home

Foodie Quine’s Banana Strawberry and Honey Muffins

Leading food and drink blogger Foodie Quine shares another of her favourite recipes for the muffins she provided at the refreshment table of this year’s Chapelton 10K.

One of my favourite things about the Chapelton 10k in 2018 (apart from the fab medal) was the fantastic selection of homebakes available after the race for the runners. Having signed up to take part again in 2019 (I’d clearly forgotten about THE HILL) I wanted to contribute something for the refreshment table so whipped up a couple of batches of Banana, Strawberry and Honey Muffins the night before the race.

Alas by the time I’d plodded my way around the course they were all gone! I’m going to have to run faster next year. (To put it into perspective Robbie Simpson won in 32:25. I reached 5k at 33.20)

Love Food Hate Waste – This recipe is ideal for using up bananas – the blacker the better. Did you know that you can freeze over ripe bananas to use in baking (or smoothies) at a later date?

Banana, Strawberry and Honey Muffins

Ingredients for 10 muffins

280g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 large well ripened bananas

75g honey

1 free range egg, beaten

60ml milk

90ml sunflower oil

150g strawberries, finely chopped

Method

  1. Prepare muffin tins with 10 paper cases and preheat oven to 200c
    In a large bowl sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt
  2. In a separate bowl mash the bananas, add the honey, egg, milk, oil and mix well. 
  3. Pour all wet ingredients into dry and stir until combined.
  4. Gently fold in three quarters of the finely chopped strawberries.
  5. Spoon into 10 muffin cases.
  6. Top with the remaining strawberries and bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are lightly browned and springy.

Recipe: Teacake’s Spring Starter

Spring is most definitely in the air and with that comes the opportunity to experience seasonal produce.

Here, Teacake owner Bob Miller shares his recipe for the perfect spring starter – lamb shank bonbon with garlic and baby gem puree, peas and samphire reduction. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party al fresco or celebrating a family occasion with a BBQ, this is the perfect way to begin a spring meal.

Ingredients and Method

To make the shank bonbon

  • 1 x lamb shank
  • 1 x carrot chopped
  • 1 x stick of celery chopped
  • 1 x garlic clove chopped
  • Sprig of rosemary
  • Sprig of thyme
  • Pink of lamb or chicken stock
  • 2 x eggs
  • 1 x cup of plain flour
  • 2 x cup of breadcrumbs
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

In a hot pan, sear the lamb shank and season well. Remove from the heat and fry the vegetables and herbs in the same pan, using the stock to deglaze.

Add the meat and vegetable mixture to a slow cooker and cook for six to eight hours until the meat comes away from the bone. Alternatively, you can braise the meat in an oven, 180C, for two to three hours.

Remove the meat from the liquid (set aside to be used as a gravy) and once cooled pull the meat away from the bone using a fork. Season with salt and pepper and roll into small balls. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, arrange three bowls – one with beaten egg, one with plain flour and one with breadcrumbs. Remove the lamb balls from the fridge and roll in the flour, then egg and then breadcrumbs. Once covered, shallow fry in a pan with a little olive oil.

To make the baby gem and wild garlic puree

  • 2 x baby gem lettuce
  • 200g wild garlic 
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • 200ml double cream
  • 2 x banana shallots (diced)

Blanch the wild garlic and baby gem for 40 – 50 seconds and then refresh in cold or iced water.

In a hot pan, sauté the shallots before deglazing with stock and then cream. Reduce for a few minutes then blitz in a food processor with the gem and garlic before seasoning to taste.

To prepare the greens

  • 100g frozen peas 
  • 100g samphire
  • 100g shelled green beans 
  • 3 x white asparagus stalks
  • 6 x green asparagus stalks

Blanch all greens then toss in hot butter in a pan and lightly season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon the puree onto a dish before topping with a shank bon bon and accompanying greens.

FOODIE QUINE’S EASTER FUDGE

As one of Scotland’s leading food and drink bloggers, a resident of
Newtonhill and a regular visitor to Chapelton, Claire Jessiman (aka Foodie Quine) is a familiar face to many.

Sharing her passion for great Scottish produce, local restaurants and cafes and inventive recipes, Claire’s blog www.foodiequine.co.uk is the place to find great inspiration for eating out or dining in. Here, Claire shares one of her latest recipes – Easter fudge.

More of Claire’s favourite recipes and cooking tips can be found at www.foodiequine.co.uk or on the Chapelton blog.

Recipe_1-1024x768 FOODIE QUINE'S EASTER FUDGE

With only two ingredients, no tricky temperatures or boiling hot sugar required, this microwave Easter Fudge is quick and easy to make. Once you’ve mastered it you can adapt the toppings to suit the occasion and personal preference. You can make it with white, milk or dark chocolate. I use supermarket own brand which works just fine. More expensive chocolate may be even better, I just haven’t tried it! You can also make it in a bowl over boiling water if you don’t have a microwave.

Ingredients
• 500g White Chocolate
• 1 x 397g tin Condensed Milk
• Suggested toppings – mini eggs, gummy fried eggs, Easter sprinkles

  1. Line a traybake tin (aprox 34cm x 20 cm) with baking paper.
  2. Break up the chocolate and put in a microwavable bowl
    along with the condensed milk. Microwave in a series of 30
    second bursts.
  3. Remove, stir and check each time until it the chocolate has
    melted. Beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth.
    At this point you need to work quickl    y
  4. Tip the fudge into the prepared tin and spread it with
    a palette knife into a smooth and even layer. Push your
    selection of Easter toppings into the fudge.
  5. Place the tray of fudge in the fridge to set for at least four
    hours (or ideally overnight).
  6. Once hard cut into chunks with a large knife.

Haggis Lasagne with Bannerman Butcher

It’s Burns night this month, a night celebrating Scotland’s national treasure, Robert Burns. After the success of their delicious hanger steak recipe back in summer, we’ve teamed up with Bannerman Butcher again to bring you a haggis dish with a twist, perfect if you’re having friends round to celebrate Burns Night.

This delicious haggis lasagne recipe is simple and comforting, putting a Scottish twist on an Italian classic. Best served with a Burns’ poems and a nip of your choice. 

You Will Need

For the Filling

  • One packet of steak mince plus enough water to cover the mince once browned
  • Gravy mix sachet of your choice
  • Bannerman homemade haggis mix
  • One large turnip cut into chunks  
  • 1.8kg potatoes cut into chunks

For the White Sauce

  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • Whisky of your choice

Extras

  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Sprinkle of cheese for the top
  • Sprinkle of parsley

Recipe

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C fan.
  2. In a large pan start by browning the mince, once browned add enough water to cover. Season and bring to the boil.
  3. Once the steak mince is cooked, stir in gravy mix to thicken then crumble in Bannerman homemade haggis. Give a good stir and set to the side.
  4. Par boil turnip and the potatoes in salted water then drain and set to the side.
  5. Melt the butter in a pan and add in flour, stirring to make a roux. Once you have formed the roux stir in whisky of your choice to create a white sauce.
  6. In an oblong baking dish, layer the haggis mince mix, turnip, potatoes and lasagne sheet. Cover in the whiskey sauce and then repeat.
  7. Sprinkle a little cheese on top and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
  8. Cut into large slices and sprinkle with parsley

This recipe is great for having guests round for a Scottish celebration but doesn’t have to be just for burns night. Enjoy this warming dish on a cold night when comfort food is needed to warm you up.

Christmas Cookie Recipe

As we approach Christmas we all have our own routines that help us feel festive, be that curling up with our favourite Christmas films, listening to festive Christmas music or decorating our homes to inspire festive cheer.

Another great way to get yourself in the Christmas spirit is by baking some delicious Christmas goods. These tasty sugar cookies are so simple to make and can be used as ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree, wrapped in cellophane and given as a gift or simply enjoyed with a festive hot chocolate. Take a look at the recipe below.

You Will Need

 For the Biscuits

  • 100g of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten lightly
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 275g of plain flour

Method

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5, then line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy.
  3. Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
  4. Sift in the flower slowly until the mixture comes together as a dough before rolling out on a flowered work surface to a thickness of 1.5cm.
  5. Using cookie cutters or a glass, cut shapes out of the dough and carefully place onto a baking tray.
  6. If you are planning to use the biscuits as Christmas tree decorations, this is where you would use a straw to cut a hole in the top of the biscuit. Remember that the dough will spread out when baking so ensure the hole is not too small.
  7. Next, bake the biscuits in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until they are a pale-golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave them to firm up for 5 minutes before cooling them on a wire rack.

For the Decorations

  • 400g of icing sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp water
  • 2-3 drops of food colourings
  • Edible glitter (optional)

Method

  1. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to create a smooth mixture. Stir in a few drops of your choice of food colouring until you are happy with the colour
  2. Carefully spread the icing onto the biscuits using a knife and sprinkle over the glitter or any other decorations you’d like to use. If using the biscuits for a Christmas decoration you could add bows, just remember to remove them before eating.
  3. Set aside until the icing hardens, then enjoy with friends, wrap as gifts or decorate your tree.

Disclaimer: Please note the recipe for these Christmas cookies was adapted from BBC Good Food’s recipe here.

Spicy Squash and Apple Soup from the Liberty Kitchen

There has certainly been a chill in the air in Chapelton recently as Jack Frost has arrived just as the clocks have gone back.

If you are looking for something a little more warming than just a sandwich for your packed lunch, why not try this recipe for spicy squash and apple soup from the Liberty Kitchen? Using seasonal winter vegetables, this delicious soup is comforting and sweet with a spicy kick, perfect to take in a flask to work or enjoy later at home by the fire.

For the Soup You Will Need:

1ltr vegetable stock

1/3 of a large butternut squash/pumpkin

1 x red onion

1/4 of a red chilli

4 x apples

1 x red pepper

Small piece of fresh ginger/teaspoon of ground

1tbsp coconut oil

Method:

  1. Lightly fry the finely chopped onions, chilli and grated ginger in the coconut oil until soft
  2. Add the remainder of the chopped vegetables and soften.
  3. Add the stock and simmer for around 30 minutes then blend.
  4. Squash seeds can be rinsed and lightly toasted on a baking tray with a little olive oil or coconut oil until crunchy, then sprinkle with sea salt as a lovely crunchy topping. Enjoy!

Celebrate Chocolate Week with Local Blogger Foodie Quine

Celebrating all things chocolate, Chocolate Week is the nation’s favourite themed week, taking place from 15th – 21st October.

With hundreds of events taking place across the UK with the country’s top chocolatiers and stores, this is the perfect excuse to indulge on the sweet, whether that’s purchasing a bar of quality chocolate from your favourite local supplier or using the ingredient in a new recipe.

To celebrate Chocolate Week, here in Chapelton we have partnered with local and highly successful blogger and foodie Claire Jessiman, aka Foodie Quine.

Here, Claire shares some of her top chocolatey recipes.

Strawberry, Almond and Chocolate Chip Muffins

blogger-image-970122118-300x300 Celebrate Chocolate Week with Local Blogger Foodie Quine

The combination of sweet strawberries and dark chocolate makes the perfect muffin. Quick and easy to make, these are great for a grab-and-go breakfast, with a cup of tea or as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

http://www.foodiequine.co.uk/2017/06/strawberry-almond-choc-chip-muffins.html

Tunnock Teacake Rocky Road

blogger-image-1504203261-300x300 Celebrate Chocolate Week with Local Blogger Foodie Quine

Teacakes are a classic and old favourite. The biscuit and marshmallow goodness is iconic in Scottish confectionary and the ideal ingredient for making rocky road.

http://www.foodiequine.co.uk/2016/02/tunnock-teacake-rocky-road.html 

For more of Claire’s amazing recipes, visit www.foodiequine.co.uk or follow her on Instagram at @foodiequine

Teacake’s Cullen Skink Soup with Cheese and Mustard Scone

As we reluctantly say goodbye to warm summer days and light evenings, we welcome the cool crisp air of autumn and the orangey, brown leaves and the need for blankets, scarves and hot chocolates.

Another great way to keep warm during the cooler months is with a nice hearty soup, so we have teamed up with Teacake to bring you this recipe for delicious Cullen Skink soup, served with warm smoked cheddar cheese and mustard scones. Try the recipe below for yourself to enjoy this rich, warming treat.

For the Cullen Skink Soup You Will Need:

 500g pale smoked haddock boned & skinned

1 large potato peeled and diced

1 medium onion peeled & finely diced

1 large leek washed and halved then sliced

100g chopped flat leaf parsley

400ml milk

400ml double cream

200ml of fresh chicken or smoked fish stock

Salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Heat a pan with some oil and sweat off all of the vegetables until they are lightly coloured. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Add the smoked haddock to the same pan and add the cream, milk and stock. Simmer on a medium heat until the potatoes are almost soft.
  3. Add the chopped parsley and stir the soup until the fish has broken up. Season to taste, and if desired, add more stock/cream to reduce thickness.

For the Cheese and Mustard Scones You Will Need:

455g plain flour

113g butter/margarine

1 egg

100g grated smoked cheddar cheese (use majority in mix but save some to sprinkle on the scones at the end of baking)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Splash of milk

1 Teaspoon of grain mustard

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. In a food processor add the flour, cheese, butter, mustard, salt and pepper and mix until the ingredients resemble bread crumbs.
  3. Add the egg and mix through, and pour in milk a little at a time until the mixture binds together.
  4. Knead the dough on a floured surface and lightly roll out.
  5. Cut the scones into the desired size and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  6. Bake scones for 21 minutes until risen and lightly golden.
  7. Serve your scones warm with the soup as a delicious, warming lunch.

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