Sunshine on my shoulder

Makes me happy as in the words of John Denver.

Today the sun is out it is cheerful weather although the gentle wind (compared to yesterday) has a bit of an edge to it.  But we have to be thankful for small mercies for this time of year the weather really is not that bad. 

With the clocks going back last night there has definitely been a shift in the Circle of the Year I can feel it.  It is the time of year where everyone hibernates like hedgehogs, and either watches TV or is busy working on something that interests them in the meanwhile.  As usual it has also sent by bodyclock haywire including OH.  He was up at 5:00am this morning instead of the usual 6:00pm!

I have been to the local shop and had a root around the reduced counter and have come away with two trays of stewing steak (£2.30 a pack) and two sirloin steaks (£2.75 a pack) and a chicken for £2.50.  All will be useful additions to this week's recipe menu.  Steaks are for tomorrow night.  Stew for the night after and I will just cook the chicken and we can pick at it inbetween for sandwiches or whatever.  It will not get wasted just something else to pad out the meals and also the stock from the chicken carcass, and I will possibly get a soup or stew out of some of the meat as well.  I also have usual veggies, hispi cabbage, carrots. peas and broccoli. I always buy them loose as you get more for your money out of them this way and I can get at least three or four meals out of them.  I also got some petit pois peas.  

I have also bought some Conference pears to make a batch of the pear and chocolate jam and maybe some pear and ginger as well.  It will all be useful for pastries, cakes, puddings, spread on fresh bread etc. or on toast. Its just a little something different to the norm.  I believe I have popped a recipe up for this quite a way back with some ideas on how to use it as well.  Its just something a little bit different to the norm and a way of using up the hard Conference pears or other pears.

I think the jam will be very nice in a chocolate sponge with layers of cream and then the chocolate and pear jam and then covered in home made chocolate rose leaves. 

I make a trifle out of a chocolate Swiss roll (with the cream in - you can use shop bought for this).  But I think it could well be nice if you make your own, fill with the chocolate and pear spread and then buttercream). 

You basically slice a couple of Swiss rolls and then arrange them in your chosen dish (I use a deep one) and then build the Swiss roll up the sides of the bowl.  There will be gaps which is all quite normal.  You then add sliced pears in syrup, dribble over some of the syrup onto the sponge, going up the sides as well.  You then make a chocolate Blacmange or custard (home made is lush and not difficult to do) and spoon this into the dish making sure the custard is deep in the bottom of the dish but also coating the rest of the Swiss roll so that the custard goes into the gaps between the Swiss roll.  It has not got to be deep on the sides but a good coating is required.  I then leave the custard to set.  Then add a layer of whipped cream and then either some chocolate curls or sprinkles to the top and pop back into the fridge to chill.  This is a yummy alternative to a trifle and can be had at anytime of the year.  It is a recipe I used a lot when the children were living with us at home.

I also have Clementine and Passionfruit jelly to make.  This one is a new recipe to me but it sounds heavenly.  I absolutely love Passionfruit anyway and oranges.  Hopefully I might also get some little Clementines bottled in syrup, which are delightful to serve up at the Christmas tea table but also extremely fiddly to prepare. I do use a proper paring knife for this process which is not very big to handle and gets rid of the pith without damaging the fruit very effectively but it is time consuming like peeling shallots or pickling onions and indeed making your own preserved ginger in syrup for the pantry shelf or crystallised ginger and kumquats in syrup which are lovely and very different.  My Dad was quite taken with these. All of which I have done at one time or another and will no doubt do again (probably when things quieten down again and I can then pop up for next year).

I have the mustard to do this week as well. I use different beers, different combinations of mustard seed brown, black and yellow.  There are lots of different ways of using them.  Not everyone likes mustard but I do.  I often add a blob to gravies (OH is not keen so I don't tell him what goes in) we also use it in bacon and cheese puff pastries as it accentuates the flavour of the cheese.  The same with cheese straws.  You cannot beat home made cheese straws.

The sun is still shining as I finish this post; however I do have things to do in readiness for the week to come and also get Sunday tea on.  Today we are definitely having a roast.

Catch you shortly.

Pattypan

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