Category: Recipe

Recipe

Cherry slice

Nannie RaRa

My grandson loves glace cherries so I made these cherry slices for him. He is coming to play tomorrow so I prepared these specially for him.

Ingredients

ingredients

  • 3 oz plain flour
  • 1 oz caster sugar
  • 2 oz butter
  • 3oz glace cherries

Topping

  • 2 oz butter
  • 2 oz caster sugar
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 oz ground almonds

Method

Set the oven to 170C fan, 190C or 375F

Line and grease the base of a shallow tin – approximately 12 x 4 inches or an 8 inch round tin.

Put the flour into a bowl, add the sugar and mix together. Rub in the butter until the mixture binds together.

mix base until binds together

Press into the tin in an even layer. Place the halved or quartered cherries evenly over the base.

add base and cherries to pan

Make the topping by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

mix sugar and butter

Add the egg a little at a time, beating really well.

beat in egg

Fold in the ground almonds.

add ground almonds

Spread the mixture evenly over the cherries.

spread over base

Place in the oven for about 35 minutes until the cake is set and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

bake until golden

Cut into pieces when cold. This can either be eaten as a cake or with thick cream or ice cream as a dessert.

eat as cake or dessert

Enjoy!

Adapted from Good Housekeeping Easy-stages Cook Book 1972

Recipe

Summer Mess

Nannie RaRa

This is a very simple summer dessert, a take on Eton Mess using summer fruits which are plentiful now. It also works if you only have a few fruits. I have made a version of this using damson puree instead of grated lemon.

Ingredients

Ingredients
  • 300 ml double cream
  • 2 dessert spoonfuls icing sugar
  • grated rind of one lemon
  • meringue – you can make your own but I used ready-made ones from the supermarket
  • summer fruits – I picked raspberries and strawberries from the garden

Method

Add the icing sugar to the double cream.

add icing sugar

Grate the rind from a lemon and add to the cream. (An alternative is to add damson puree).

grate lemon rind

Whisk together until the cream thickens and forms soft peaks.

whisked cream

This can be used now or placed in the fridge for an hour or two until you need it.

Break the meringues into pieces.

Gently fold into the cream mix.

Put onto individual plates – this makes four servings.

Dot the fruit around. I used a mix of fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries.

summer mess

Enjoy!

You can now find all of Nannie RaRa’s recipes in one place: Recipes

Recipe

Melting moments

Nannie RaRa

This recipe for melting moments is at least thirty years old. My sister-in-law gave it to me when both our children were in primary school and always hungry when they came in.

Ingredients

ingredients
  • 3 oz caster sugar
  • 4 oz soft butter or margarine
  • 5 oz self-raising flour
  • 1/2 egg
  • approximately 2 oz porridge oats

Method

Switch on oven to 180 C. Grease a flat baking tray – a swiss roll tin is perfect.

blend sugar and butter

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and light. Add the egg and beat well.

add flour

Mix in the flour, making sure the flour is well blended into the mixture.

roll in oats

Using your hands take golf size pieces of the dough and form them into balls. This quantity makes between 10 and 12 melting moments – this time I made 11.

Coat the balls in rolled oats.

Place on the baking tray and flatten slightly.

put on baking tray

Lightly press half a cherry into the centre. I forgot to do this and added the cherries when the melting moments came out of the oven. The cherries didn’t stick so well 😉

Cook in the oven at 180 C for about 15-20 minutes until the melting moments are turning golden.

Cool on a wire rack.

cool on wire rack

Enjoy!

Recipe

Cheese scones

Nannie RaRa

A simple recipe today for cheese scones, perfect for afternoon tea in autumn.

Ingredients

ingredients
  • 8 oz self-raising flour
  • 2 oz hard butter
  • 3 oz strong cheese, plus extra for topping
  • approximately 1/4 pint milk

Method

Switch on oven to 200 C.

Grease a flat baking tray – a swiss roll tin is perfect.

Put the flour into a mixing bowl.

butter and flour plus cheese

Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until no lumps are left. I use hard butter as it rubs in better than using spreadable butters.

flour, butter and cheese mixed together

Mix in the 3 oz of grated cheese. Strong cheese gives a better flavour – mine was classed as having a strength of 6.

Add the milk a little at the time using your hand to blend it into the flour and butter mix. Gradually collect the mixture together into one piece. Knead lightly to form a soft dough.

cheese scone dough

Roll into a thick sausage shape, about two-inch diameter. Cut into 8 pieces. Knead each slightly into a round about an inch thick.

Add grated cheese on the top of each scone pressing gently so that it sticks to the scone.

add grated cheese on top

Place the scones on the greased baking tray and cook in the oven for fifteen minutes until well risen and golden.

When cooked, cool the scones on a slatted tray or trivet.

cooked cheese scones

You can either eat these warm or cold. If you like, spread butter and jam in the middle. Perfect with a cup of tea.

sliced cheese scone

Enjoy!

Recipe

Plum pudding cake

Nannie RaRa

My greengage plum tree has had a super crop this year, but it has been a battle harvesting the plums as the blackbirds like them a lot. The trouble is the blackbirds don’t just eat one, they peck a hole and eat a little bit then go onto the next. I’ve picked several pounds of plums and stewed and frozen some, and given loads away.

I decided I’d make something a little different and produced this plum pudding cake. It can be eaten either as a cake or with cream as a dessert.

If you don’t have greengage plums, any plums will be a good substitute.

Ingredients

ingredients for plum pudding cake
  • Approximately 20 greengage plums quartered and stoned
  • 4 oz butter
  • 4 oz soft brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 oz self-raising flour
  • 1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 dessertspoons granulated sugar

Method

Switch on oven to 180 C

Grease and line a 7 ½ inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.

First quarter the plums. I score round each one with a knife then twist the sections off. Discard the stones.

quartered greengage plums

In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time beating each egg into the mix. Add the flour, stirring well to make a smooth mixture.

mixing the ingredients

Put half the mix into the prepared cake tin, smoothing it level.

Layer half the quartered plums on top of the mix, pushing each quarter down slightly.

first layer of plums

Spoon the rest of the mix on top, levelling as before.

Put the rest of the quartered plums on top pressing them into the mix slightly. I start with a circle round the outside, then inner circles from that. The whole surface should be mostly plums.

top layer of plums

Sprinkle the cinnamon on top, then scatter the demerara sugar over to give a crunchy top. You can use more sugar if you like a sweeter taste.

sugar and cinnamon on top

Bake in the oven at 180 C (fan), for an hour and a quarter.

Remove the pudding cake from the tin, and if not eating it warm, cool on a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper.

the finished pudding cake

Keep the plum pudding cake in an airtight tin.

The plum pudding cake can be eaten warm or cold either as a cake or a dessert.

My favourite is cold as a dessert served with thick cream, but then a slice with a cup of tea is rather good.

pudding cake with cream

Enjoy!