shoestring cottage: Finish What You Started

Monday, June 5, 2017

Finish What You Started

As far as my crafting endeavours go, I have to admit to being a great starter but not so good in the finishing department. There are always so many ideas swirling around in my mind, tempting fabrics, new colour combinations and inspiring images seen in books and magazines, and even in daily life. The time has come to try to finish some of the many things I have started over the years and it has been a very productive year so far, with two new quilts completed.

The first quilt I tackled was one which was inspired by an issue of Simply Vintage Quilts & Crafts, (Summer 2015, No 15),which included a project entitled Circle of Birds, appliqued on linen and surrounded by a crocheted border. In modifying the project to suit my own needs I used an old woolen blanket and some woolen fabric which I dyed various shades of blue for the swallows. I am a complete pushover for anything with birds, especially swallows.

Of course that was a good start but it needed a little something more, and so it grew and grew into a very large quilt using scraps from other project plus some things I had saved and never been bold enough to cut up because they were so special. The cotton hexagons frame the centre panel of wool.

There were some old men's shirts,

some embroidered doilies,

some hand printed fabrics I bought years ago in Melbourne at a craft market, and which seemed too precious to cut up for many years,

especially the piece with swallows

some old pieces from dresses I made for my girls when they were little,

and even some bits from maternity dresses. (Waste not want not.) Because of the swallows theme I tried to work in as many hexies with birds as I could lay my hands on

but I also had to squeeze in a pansy or two, of course

and a couple of iris for Mrs Peaceable, since they are her favourite flower.

Also lots of toile because I find the images so endearing and sometimes downright mysterious.

(What is the story with this goat, for instance? It seems to be about to receive a wreath.)

I used to take the pieces to my work and baste the hexagons over papers during my meal break which eventually led to some questions as to when this quilt would ever be completed. Apparently it was on the go at work for at least a year, so I was very pleased to be able to take photos to my doubting work colleagues and prove it was indeed finished. The quilt just went on getting bigger and bigger and it is indeed a good sized coverlet now. I have to say "coverlet" rather than "quilt" because it is all hand pieced and consequently took an inordinate amount of time to finish and though I like the look of heavily quilted work, I have had to admit defeat finally and face the fact that if I was to hand quilt my quilts as well as hand piece them, then I would never finish the ones I have started, never mind being able to move on to any of the others I would like to attempt.

Having finished that one (which has now been named Large Blue in my head), it was the turn of an even larger challenge, Big Red. I saw a photo of a similar quilt once in a magazine and thought, "Well, I like the look of that and I'm sure I could make something similar to use up all my red scraps" but as I didn't start out with any particular dimensions in mind Big Red just kept on getting larger and larger, in order to develop a balanced quilt with equal numbers of both sort of row. It has two distinct types of shaped rows pieced together to achieve the deceptively simple look and so balancing it out meant that it got wider and wider.

The hexagon row

and the elongated diamond row make up the components of the quilt.

The finished coverlet actually reaches down to the floor on both sides of the bed and because the hand piecing wasn't relieved by the woolen centre panel of Large Blue, it took even longer to finish.

I particularly liked the bee images on some of the hexagons in Big Red.

I am very pleased with it and it feels as though it was worth all the feverish activity in the last few weekends, because putting the backing on both quilts became rather fraught as they were so large and too big to spread out easily on the floor at Shoestring Cottage. I am very pleased with both backings though - it's a bit of a bugbear of mine to see a quilt which is beautiful on the front but has an obviously unsuitable back. Large blue has an old flanelette sheet for the backing, a perfect shade of blue and all the more cosy and comforting for having been washed a lot, and very good colour match for the front of the quilt.

Big Red has a combination of a mattress ticking in beige/red combination

plus a gorgeous strip of special fabric running down the centre, (French General from Moda Fabrics) so I am well pleased with the back as well as the front of the quilts.

It hasn't all been stitching though. In between times Mr Shoestring and I had a delightful trip to the South Island and trawled through the op shops on the way. The Southern Ladies in Invercargill treated us to a night of wonderful hospitality and we dined in royal fashion on the wonderful repast prepared by Sandra. It was made all the more special for being served on the most pretty china with beautiful table settings and in her home with original art deco features including some wonderful lead glass windows. Heavenly. They went with us to a fair in Arrowtown where Mr Shoestring treated me to a birthday present which will be going to winter deco, a handbag which includes the most adorable little built in purse. I was a very happy birthday girl that day.

From the same vendor we bought the beautiful little brooch (bird themed of course) to embellish art deco collars this July.

I also spotted this black fabric handbag which needs a little restoration but will be perfect for winter deco, though these bags are miniscule and it's obvious deco ladies only carried the bare necessities. My handbags are usually very heavy and it would force a person to be more disciplined if she used these bags on a daily basis.

Mr Shoestring found himself a plate to add to his terrier collection

and I added greatly to my collection of gloves for deco also.

The Dancing Queen remembered my envy at seeing her beautiful green glass deco measuring jug and managed to track down an identical one for me, what a great birthday present and how much it relieves the tedium of cooking at Shoestring Cottage on days when inspiration is lacking

My sister also treated me on my birthday and I love the book she found by P G Wodehouse (yes, he of Jeeves and Wooster fame)

but the best thing about this book is the plate inside which celebrates the rather mediocre achievements of the person who received it as a prize "For Regular Attendance and Good Behaviour". Somehow I feel that this is the kind of prize I would be likely to receive; nothing much to think of when wracking the brains for positive attributes but at least turned up on time and didn't get into any fist fights.

Also a lovely cup, saucer and plate to add to my violet china collection, hoorah!

The Lady Canuck gave me a delightful little gift also, which really charmed me. It is made from matchboxes and old Christmas cards and the matchboxes are all attached together and completed with little beads for opening them. (You can see a little green bead at the bottom left.) I think a child would have made it for a Christmas gift, and somebody has kept it for all this time as a memento.

Now that Large Blue and Big Red are finally completed I'm determined not to rest on my laurels and I am moving onto two other quilts as the next "must do" projects.

This one is a "quilt as you go" affair so it will be lightly quilted, and the clever thing about it is that I have figured out a way to make the reverse side in a different colour combination, so in effect there will be two quilts for the labour of one, very exciting.

We have had a dreadfully wet but warm season so far, and it is very strange to have camellias and roses blooming at the same time. Nice in theory but somehow wrong, just plain wrong!

I can't help but feel that we will have to pay for it next summer, because the aphids and other pests will be loving this warm winter. Maybe we will have a couple of good hard frosts before the season is out though, it's only the beginning of winter now after all.

This must be the most picture heavy blog post I have ever posted, but there was lots to report and now lots to do, keeping up with the quilt finishing off project! Apart from the one pictured above there is a chicken themed one, which I am very much enjoying. Happy days to you wherever you may be, hoping that you are having time to do the things which you enjoy and especially wishing you joy in creating.

PS: I really must give my heartfelt and sincere thanks to Mrs Peaceable and the Lady Canuck for helping me take out all those wretched papers in Big Red and Large Blue, I don't think I ever would have finished them without your help. After the scissors gave me a swollen and red thumb I was quite despondent and having your company and assistance made me persevere. Also Madame Aviatrice who contributed and made it into a more enjoyable experience on the evening when three of us were all toiling away together. XXOO

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Welcome to shoestring cottage

Shoestring Cottage –
Where “frugal” is not a rude word

Use It Up, Wear It
Out, Make It Do Or Do Without!

Mr Shoestring and I spend our
working weeks in Auckland, but
our free time is spent at Shoestring Cottage. Because we are as poor as church mice things
have to be done on the sniff of an oily rag, but we try to make a virtue out of
necessity and since buying Shoestring Cottage in December 2010 we have made all
our improvements and renovations as cheaply as possible including installing a
discarded kitchen, using windows and doors given to us by relatives, and using
fixtures and fittings donated by friends or bought from second hand and charity
stores. Our furniture is cast
offs or second hand and we have learnt to relish the challenges this creates.

We are devotees of the art deco period, including the time after the great financial crash of 1929 when
Western world was plunged into the great depression and there was a “make do
and mend” approach to day to day living and things were recycled and repaired of
necessity. We attend Art Deco Weekend
every February in Napier and also the winter weekends in July.

This blog is about our
cottage and our doings there, including gardening, renovating, crafty crafts and trawling op
shops for treasures. Also there are some
recipes and some tales about our “real” lives during art deco events.

Favourite Recipes

Summer Fruits Pudding

1 1/4 cups flour

120 g salted butter, melted

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 tblspns sugar extra (raw, brown or coffee sugar is nice)

4 cups seasonal fruits, sliced (or four cans various colourful fruits including cherries, apricots, peaches for colour)

Blend the flour and sugar together. Add the melted butter and eggs. Put the mixture into a greased, loose bottomed 24cm round cake tin. (One of those clippy ones which can be undone after cooking.)

Drain the canned fruits or if using, slice the seasonal stone fruits. Arrange the fruit on top of the cake mixture, making a pretty pattern and putting small things such as cherries or berries on last. Press down slightly. Sprinkle with the extra sugar and bake at 180 degrees for one hour. Serve warm with whipped cream for winter time, cool in summer time.

Excellent Lentil Salad

One large tin puy lentils

1 red onion, chopped

1 cup cranberries (or raisins/sultanas/currants)

1/3 cup capers (or 1/2 cup if you love them as much as I do)

Vinaigrette dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tbspn maple syrup

1tbsp mustard powder

2 tspn salt

2 tspn pepper

1 tspn ground cumin

1/2 tspn ground cumin

1/2 tspn turmeric

1/2 tspn coriander, ground

1/2 tspn cardamon, ground

1/4 tspn cayenner pepper

1/4 tspn cloves, ground

1/4 tspn grated nutmeg

1/4 tspn cinnamon

To Suit You as Extras:

Baby spinach leaves

Almonds or other nuts

Feta

Fresh coriander, basil or parsley

Bean sprouts

Drain your lentils, rinse and dry. Put them in your serving bowl and add the onion and all the other "large" ingredients. Make sure the onion is very finely chopped so it doesn't overpower the flavour of the other ingredients.

Mix up your vinaigrette, pour it over and stir to combine. Leave for a little while for the flavour to permeate. This salad tastes even better the next day and it is delicious with the addition of feta, coriander and other herbs.

Israeli Couscous Salad

(Israeli is the large ball type couscous, not the small couscous which looks like it has been milled or ground)

1 cup Israeli couscous

1 cup toasted seeds or nuts (sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds are good)

1 handful of chopped coriander, parsley, or a mix

sea salt, black pepper

2 cups vegetable stock

1.5 cups dried cranberries

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

Zest of one lemon and its juice

Optional Extras

Crumbled feta, baby greens, chopped cherry tomatoes, basil

Use a heavy bottomed large saucepan and heat 1 tlspn of olive oil. Add your couscous and stir until it is lightly browned. This takes a few minutes.) Stir in the vegetable stock, cover your pan with a close fitting lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Drain in a colander but don't rinse it. Leave it to cool and then stir in the rest of the oil and the rest of the ingredients.

Spinach, Pea and Blue Cheese Soup

1 tblspn butter

1 large white onion, chopped

6 cups chicken stock

packet baby spinach leaves

500g frozen peas

1 wedge blue cheese, crumbled up finely or chopped

salt, black pepper

sour cream and mint for garnish

Melt the butter, add the onion and saute until the onion is soft. Add the stock, spinach and peas, bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Use a stick blender to puree then return to the pan and reheat. Turn the heat off, then add the cheese. Check seasoning and add pepper if necessary, but it should be quite salty because of the blue cheese. Ladle servings into bowls, add a bit of sour cream to each and put a piece of mint on top of each bowl.

Kumara, Spinach and Coconut Soup

1 tblspn rice ban oil (or another oil with no flavour, not olive)

1 large red onion, chopped,

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tblspn crushed root ginger

1.5 tspn chilli paste

2 medium orange kumara, peeled and chopped finely

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup coconut crean

1 bag baby spinach leaves, stalks removed

salt and black pepper

coconut cream to garnish

Heat the oil, add the onions, ginger, chilli and saute for 5 mins. (Stir to prevent sticking and burning.) Add kumara and stock. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Use a stick mixer to puree, then return to the pan and reheat. Add the coconut milk and prepared spinach, but just simmer until the spinach has softened and the soup is warmed through. Add pepper and salt to taste at this stage. Pour into warmed soup bowls and add a little coconut milk to the top of each, swirl.

Summertime Fruit Cake

Whatever is in season is good - especially if you have a glut

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

120g butter, melted

2 eggs

about 4 cups sliced fruit (I used nectarines peaches apricots and berries for colour)

2tblspns sugar

Mix the flour and sugar together, then add the melted butter and beaten eggs. Pour this mixture into a loose bottomed, greased 23cm cake tin.

Slice up the fruit into reasonably even sized slivers, leave the skin on and then arrange the fruit over the top of the cake mixture. Put berry fruits randomly over the surface last if you are using them. Press down the fruits a bit. Sprinkle with the last bit of sugar and bake at 180 degrees C for an hour, or until the base feels set and the fruits look pretty and glazed slightly. Serve with yoghurt or cream if desired, or just unaccompanied.

Red Onion Soup

200g good red wine (not El Plonko please)

2 bay leaves

2 whole cloves

4 sprigs thyme

1 tblspn butter

2 tblspns olive oil

8 red onions sliced thinly (use food processor if you can)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 tspn salt (use smoked salt if you prefer)

1 tblspn tomato puree

2 tblspns good balsamic vinegar

1 litre beef or chicken stock

Pour the wine into a large pot with the bay leaves, cloves and thyme. Boil until it reduces by half, strain and reserve the liquid. Use the same pot, heat the butter and the oil and put in the onions and garlic. Add the salt, stir all up and lower the heat to the lowest setting. Cover the pot, leave to cook very gently for 30 minutes. Check from time to time and if it is sticking, stir and add a little water. (If the seal is good on the lid it shouldn't stick because of the liquid in the onions.)

When the onions are tender add tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, reduced wine and stock. Cook gently for another 30 minutes.

Serve your soup with toasted croutons topped with Parmesan cheese finished under the grill - delish!

The colour is very rich and autumnal, the flavour is deep and slightly sweet because of the addition of the balsamic vinegar.

French Onion Soup

1 tblspn butter

1 tblspn oil (mild flavoured)

4 brown onions, very finely sliced (I use a food processor to save tears)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 clove crushed garlic - or more if you prefer

Good dash vermouth or dry white wine (optional)

1 litre beef stock

salt and pepper

8 rounds French stick

100g grated cheese (strongly flavoured)

Melt the butter and oil in a heavy pan. Add the onions, cover and cook very gently until they are soft. Stir from time to time. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Uncover the pan, raise the heat slightly and add the sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are a nice even brown (about 15 minutes longer). Stir in the garlic and wine (or if you are not using wine, a dash of the beef stock). Scrape the pan to loosen the caramelized juices. Pour in the rest of the stock, season with salt and lots of pepper. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Dry the bread slices in the oven until they are slightly brown. Ladle the hot soup into a serving dish or four bowls. Float the bread on top and cover thickly with cheese. Slide under the grill until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve and use all the French phrases you can think of, pretending you are in a little cafe in Paris at 3am. Put on your striped T-shirt and your red beret. Become silly and wait to be told to quieten down.

Popeye's Pie

At the moment we have masses of spinach and silver beet in the garden to use up, and this is a good way of chomping our way through it. Lots of people dislike using filo pastry because they feel it is too "fiddly" and fragile, but in this recipe it is simple to use. If you have your own chickens, spring is a great time to make this recipe and use a few eggs.

8 - 12 spinach leaves (or more if you are determined!)

1 medium onion

250g feta cheese

125g strong cheddar cheese

pepper

5 eggs

6 sheets filo pastry

60g butter

Wash spinach well, pat dry, chop fairly finely. Finely chop onion, add to the spinach. Add crumbled feta, grated cheddar, pepper to taste.

Take a sheet of pastry and fold to fit the greased baking dish you're using. Bush with melted butter. Place another sheet of pastry on top, again brush with melted butter. Repeat with a third sheet of pastry.

Spread the spinach and cheese mixture on top of the pastry. Beat egg until frothy and pour it over the spinach. Cover with remaining sheets of pastry, brushing melted butter between each layer and on top of the final sheet. Cut into squares. Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot, with a green or Greek salad to accompany.

Rendang (Indonesian dry beef curry)

A hearty winter time curry

Serves 6

1.5kg chuck steak (or blade steak)

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

400ml coconut milk

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 teaspoons dried chilli flakes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 stem lemon grass, crushed

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Trim meat of fat, cut into 3cm cubes.

Place onion and garlic in food processor, process until smooth.

Place coconut milk in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium. Cook 15 minutes or until the milk is reduced to half and oil has separated out. Do not let the milk brown.

Add coriander, fennel, cumin and cloves. Stir for minute. Add meat, cook for 2 minutes or until it changes colour. Add onion mixture, chilli, lemon juice, lemon grass and sugar. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 2 hours or until liquid reduced and mixture has thickened. Stir often to prevent sticking.

Uncover and continue cooking until the oil from the coconut milk begins to emerge again. Let the curry develop flavour and colour. Make sure it does not stick. When it is brown and dry it is ready.

Slice some extra onions and fry until crispy, along with some almonds. Sprinkle these on top to serve.

Broccoli Stir Fry

Humble ingredients but a delicious result.

Serves 3 - 4

1 medium brown onion, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts

2 tblspns peanut oil

1/2 tspn salt

1/3 cup hot water

1 desertspoon soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tspn cornflour

1tblspn cold water

Wash broccoli and cut stalks into slanting slices. Divide the head into florets. Get all ingredients ready and to hand before starting cooking. Mix cornflour with cold water.

Heat a wok, add the oil and then toss in onion and stirfry for a minute. Add broccoli and salt, continue to stir fry for about three minutes. Add 1/4 cup of hot water with soy sauce and sugar, cover and steam veges for a couple of minutes. Stir and add 2 more tablespoons of water if it looks a bit dry. Cover and steam a minute longer until broccoli is crisp but tender.

Throw in the sprouts, stir, reduce heat and make a hollow in the middle of the veges. Toss in the cornflour mixture, stir it in the base of the hollow then mix it through the vegetables. Serve straight away.

Pork With Broccoli And Almonds

Serves 4

250g thinly sliced pork schnitzel

1tblspn soy sauce

3 medium onions, peeled

300g broccoli

2tblspn soy sauce

1tblspn dry sherry

1tblspn brown sugar

peanut oil for frying

1tspn cornflour

salt

Cut pork into thin strips and mix with 1tblspn soy sauce.

Cut onions into crescent slices.

Wash and cut broccoli heads into florets, stalks into match sticks. Drop broccoli into pot of boiling water and cook 2 minutes, drain, cool in cold water, drain again.

Mix 2 tblspns soy sauce with sherry, cornflour and sugar.

Heat wok, add oil, stir fry onions until light golden brown Do not let them darken and become crunchy. Remove onions.

Fry pork in batches, cooking until just done. Remove from wok. Return onions to the wok, add broccoli and pinch of salt. Stir fry until broccoli is to your taste, stir in pork, add sherry/cornflour/sugar mixture. Cook a few minutes longer, stirring. Serve with hot boiled rice.

Fran's Fabulous Apple Cake

Fran has been a dear friend for more years than I can remember - but it must be 30 at least. This apple cake recipe she shared with me decades ago has always been a trusty standby and has never failed me yet. Thanks so much Fran!

2 cooking apples

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn salt

1 tspn cinnamon

1/2 tspn nutmeg

1/2 tspn allspice

125g butter

1 egg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

icing sugar

Peel, core and dice the apples. Measure to get 1 1/2 cups. Turn into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Melt the butter and beat the egg.

Chop the walnuts.

Blend the melted butter and beaten egg into the apple and sugar.

Add the dry ingredients, stirring until just mixed. Add the raisins and walnuts. Stir until just mixed.

Turn into a well buttered tin. (A ring tin is good.)

Bake at 180 degrees C for 50 - 60 minutes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before taking from the tin.

Cool completely.

Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

If preferred this cake can be served warm as a pudding with yoghurt or cream.

Artichoke Dip

This dip is probably the most fattening and calorie laden food known to humankind - but delicious nevertheless. Thanks very much to Marie for sharing it with our craft group last December.

1 tin artichoke hearts
1 cup green olives
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup mayonnaise (use best quality)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Chop artichokes and garlic then mix all ingredients together

Bake at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes

Serve hot with ciabatta or French baguette

Fresh Berry Icecream
This icecream can be whizzed up in moments and is deliciously cooling in summer time.

1 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup of cream
(Vary quantities according to taste)

Blend the berries in the food processor until the consistency of coarse sugar. While blending pour in cream and add caster sugar. This will only take seconds.

Serve with a little grated chocolate on top if desired, or with a few fresh berries on the side. Yoghurt can be substituted as a healthier option to cream if desired.

Dead Easy Carrot Salad
In case you thought we live on icecream and artichoke dip at Shoestring Cottage, here is a very delicious, simple and useful carrot salad.

Coarsely grate a few carrots and put in a pretty serving dish. Take a handful of black mustard seeds and put them in a small pot with a lid, heat with the lid on while rotating the pot on the heat to prevent burning. When the seeds have finished "popping" pour them into the grated carrot and stir through. Put some freshly grated black pepper, salt and plenty of balsamic vinegar on the salad and stir that through also. Looks pretty with sprinkles of freshly chopped parsley on top as a garnish too.

Kumara Salad

For those of you who don't live in New Zealand, kumara is a type of sweet potato much enjoyed here. I think most families have their own favourite recipes which are always requested at family get togethers and this is one of ours. Our number two daughter has asked me to put it on the blog for easy reference.

1kg kumara, peeled

1 orange, segmented

2 rashers bacon, diced and cooked until crisp

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1tsp curry powder (or more to taste)

Cook kumara until tender; boil, steam or microwave Drain i thoroughly. Dice the cooked kumara, and combine with all other ingredients apart from the parsley, mayonnaise and curry. Mix these 3 ingredients together and pour them over the salad. Lightly mix all to incorporate.

Serves 8 - 10

If you like, sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

Sinfully Rich Chocolate Mousse
200g plain good quality dark chocolate

4 large egg yolks

4 tblspn strong black coffee

2 tblspn dark rum, cointreau, orange essence or what you prefer to flavour your mousse

4 large egg whites

pinch salt

3 tblspn castor sugar

250ml cream

small amount extra chocolate to decorate

Break the chocolate up into squares and put into a large bowl over a pot of simmering water.

In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, coffee and rum together. Once the chocolate has melted stir it until it is smooth, and quickly whisk in the beaten egg yolk mixture until thick and blended together.

In a clean bowl whisk whites and salt until stiff. Whisk in sugar. Stir a few tablespoons of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder. Use a large metal spoon; don't beat or stir or air will be lost.

Whip the cream until thick and fold it in.

Turn the mousse into 8 individual serving dishes. (Pretty unmatched old crystal glasses are pretty but then there may be a disagreement as to who has the largest serving.)

Chill for several hours before serving.

When serving, sprinkle a little shaved chocolate over each one.

Cheese, Mushroom and Ham Turnovers

250ml milk

1tbsp each butter and flour, mixed to a paste - and a little extra flour for dusting

140g mushrooms, cut into quarters

1tbspn olive oil

140g ham, sliced small

85g cheese (leftovers, use what you have), cut into small pieces

1tbspn mixed chopped herbs - sage, parsley, chives, tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 beaten egg

1. Make a white sauce as the base for the turnover filling. Bring the milk to simmering point, add the butter and flour paste. Whisk the past into the milk and allow it to boil for 4 minutes, whisking all the time to stop "catching". Now you will have a thick white sauce. Cool it while you fry the mushrooms in the oil until golden, then leave them to cool down.

2. Put the ham, cheese and mushrooms into a bowl. Gradually add the white sauce until everything is well coated. Add the herbs.

3. Roll the pastry onto a floured surface until it is nice and thin. Cut out four rounds, using a saucer to shape the pastry. Brush the edges of each circle with the beaten egg. Spoon the mixture onto one side of each circle, then fold over and seal the edges. (If you like, you can now freeze the turnovers for a month if you need to.) Brush the turnover with the egg, chill for 30 minutes.

4. Heat your oven to 180C. Put the turnovers on your baking tray and cook for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden. Leave them to cool a little, but eat warm.

Onion and Cheese Tart

Pastry

250g plain flour - and a little bit more for rolling

125g butter cut into cubes

1/2 tspn salt

Filling

2 onions, sliced thinly into circles

1 tblspn oil

2 eggs

280ml cream

250g cheese leftovers - especially strong cheeses such as cheddar and blues

1. Put butter, salt and flour into food processor - pulse till the mixture is fine crumbs. Put in 4 tbspn cold water, pulse until you have a dough. Turn out onto a floured bench, shape into ball. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes. Heat oven to 200C while pastry is chilling.

2. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface till large enough to line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin. Line it with the pastry, leaving excess pastry overhanging. Line with baking paper and bake blind. Bake for 15 minutes on a baking sheet, take out the paper and the weight you use to bake blind. Bake for 10 minutes longer until the pastry is golden.

3. While the pastry is cooking, fry the onions in the oil for 10 minutes until golden brown. Beat the eggs and the cream together, add salt and pepper to taste. Crumble up the hard eheeses and chop the creamy cheeses into small bits. Put the cheese in the pastry case, then add onions. Pour in the egg mixture. Turn the oven down to 160C and bake 40 minutes or until the tart is set and lightly golden.

Pea and Haloumi Fritters

250g frozen peas

125g ml milk

2 free range eggs

30g cornflour

100g plain flour

1/2 tspn baking powder

2500g haloumi cheese, chopped into cubes

1tbspn mint - and extra to serve

Oil for frying

1. Boil the peas for 2 minutes and drain. Puree them in a food processor or use a stick mixer, until smooth.

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, flours, baking powder and pureed peas in a bowl. Fold in the remaining peas, mint, haloumi cheese, salt and pepper.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add tablespoons of the mixture to the pan in batches. Press each fritter to flatten a little. Fry for 3 minutes or until browned on each side. Drain on paper towels and serve with mint, some lemon wedges and roasted tomatoes.

Post Overindulgence Soup

1 litre container Campbell's vegetable stock

2 carrots

4 spring onions

6 mushrooms

1C frozen peas and corn

2cm fresh ginger

1 sachet of miso concentrate

2 tblspns soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

chilli paste to taste

handful fresh coriander

Tip the vegetable stock into a large pot and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, chop the carrots into matchsticks. Toss in the carrots, peas and corn and simmer a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and spring onion. Coarsely grate the ginger and add that, along with the sachet of miso concentrate, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Put in some chilli to taste if you like your soup hot and spicy. Boil for 5 minutes, serve up in a pretty bowl and float the chopped coriander leaves on the top.

Miso can be found in the "International" section of supermarkets and is inexpensive.

Pan Bagna

1 French stick

1/2 cup olive oil for vinaigrette

2tbspn wine vinegar

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 large tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1 red pepper

20 black olives, stoned

5 anchovies

Slice the French stick in half lengthwise, but do not cut right through. It will be "hinged". Shake the oil, vinegar and garlic together and drizzle over the inside of the bread. slice the tomatoes, olives and red pepper and finely chop the olives and anchovies. Spread all these over one half of the bread. Close the bread, wrap in clingfilm and weigh down with a heavy pot or similar heavy object for a couple of hours.

Delicious Feijoa Sorbet
2C feijoa flesh

2tbspn lemon juice

3/4 C sugar

2 egg whites

1C cream

Mash up the sugar with the feijoas and lemon juice. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Whip the cream until it is thick. Fold the beaten whites into the mashed up feijoa and fold in cream.

Freeze until it is firm.

Half an hour before serving time, take it out of the freezer so that it can soften. Cut it into wedge shapes.

Serves 4

Blackberry Liqueur
3C 80 proof vodka

3C white sugar

3C ripe blackberries

1C water

Shake the water, vodka and sugar together to dissolve the sugar.

Carefully mix together with the blackberries so that the blackberries aren't damaged.

Leave to infuse for 12 days, or until the berries lose most of their colour.

Pour the mixture through a fine strainer (a sieve lined with muslin is good), and throw the berries away.

Pour into pretty bottles, label and add gift tags.

Quince Vodka
Wash 1kg of quinces to remove any fluff on the skin, then grate the skin and flesh. Throw away any pips you find. Alternating layers of grated quince with 150g golden caster sugar, fill a large jar. If you like you can add a cinnamon stick or split vanilla pod then top up with about 1.5 litres of vodka. Shake the jar every day for a week to dissolve the sugar. After that, shake once a week for about eight weeks. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or a coarse sieve lined with muslin, funnel into bottles and seal and label them.

shoestring cottage

Monday, June 5, 2017

Finish What You Started

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