Minnie's Soup Kitchen

Usually I love June. After all, my birthday falls in June. Roses are the flowers of June and pearls are its birthstone. I used to assume that the weather would be good on my birthday and that I was entitled to good weather on my birthday. How innocent I was! Last year we had lovely weather but all was not right with the world. This year there is more to be positive about.  Cranachan cheesecake with raspberry coulis I have baked some very good cakes and other items since the end of April. Exactly a month ago I baked a cranachan cheesecake , using a recipe from Paul Hollywood's book Pies and Puds . My mother-in-law had asked me to provide a dessert for a family lunch and I was happy to oblige.  Orange and marmalade cake A second recipe from the same book was a marmalade and almond cake . A couple of people said that orange and almond shouldn't work and then they tasted the cake. Orange has been a surprisingly luxurious flavour or ingredient in anythin...

Raspberry mousse gateau in progress Last month (March 2017) I forayed into a couple of my older cook books for recipes. My aunt and uncle came for lunch at the beginning of the month, so I used Bridget Jones' recipes for boeuf bourguignon and raspberry mousse gateau. The latter was accompanied by mango kulfi (recipe from the Kaul sisters' The Three Sisters Indian Cookbook .  Brunswick bun My favourite bake of last month was Bronte Aurell's Brunswick bun ( Hygge and Fykke ). It was my first attempt at baking with yeast and took nearly all day. The flavour and aroma of warm cardamom - oh, pure delight! I was inspired to write a poem about cardamom and it was well received by a small audience.  Blueberry stud muffins Other recipes of Bronte's that I tried were the blueberry stud muffins (okay) and the saffron bundt with pears. The latter was not a success (too much batter for the size of my ring-tin) and I realised I don't like the ...

Butternut squash and shallots roasted with smoked paprika and caraway seeds Puffed Up with Pride My first new recipe of 2017 was from Norfolk's Own Cookbook: Everything Stops for Tea . The book practically fell open at "Sausage rolls with roasted vegetables." There were some unused shallots and carrots in the fridge, smoked paprika, and a few of the other listed ingredients in our cupboard. At the butcher's I asked for sausagemeat and was given the choice of having the meat removed from prepared sausages or a lump of frozen meat. I chose the former but not happily.  Sausage and roasted vegetable rolls Butternut squash - the tough nut of vegetables. You have to batter through the skin with a sharp knife. Then the dicing begins. Carrots are grated. Oh, the anxiety! Will I sever a finger or break a nail? Phew! I got through the prep work with no mishaps.  I can't remember when I last used puff pastry. I thawed out a packet for the sausage rolls - ...