The Homemade Heart

serves 6

My brother lives in London, and it is always a complete joy to see him when he visits, as he did last weekend. I saw him on Saturday, and he visited for brunch on Monday. The boys were off school for half term, so I knew by 11am I would have some very hungry stomachs to fill. As well as bacon, sausages, black pudding and roast cherry tomatoes, all of which could be cooked slightly in advance and kept warm, I found a recipe for savoury bread and butter pudding in 'Dorset Cereals the breakfast book', which looked delicious, and as though it would provide the required ballast for three hungry men.

I approve of dishes made using bread, they make me feel thrifty and efficient (a most welcome and unusual sensation).We are a very bread-hungry household; breakfast toast, lunchtime sandwiches, after school snacks, supper time bread and jam, we get through a huge amount of bread, and there is often an elderly loaf languishing at the back of the bread bin. This recipe is perfect for using up slightly stale ends of loaves. I adapted it very slightly by substituting 100ml of the milk with double cream for added richness, but that aside it is lifted straight from the book.  Serves 6 (or one visiting uncle and two ravenous nephews).

Ingredients

30g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley plus extra for garnish

1 tbsp. finely snipped fresh chives plus extra for garnish

6 large free range eggs

650ml milk

100ml double cream

200g day old good quality bread, cut into smallish chunks

125g cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry off the onion, stirring occasionally, until very soft and translucent but not browned.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and cream in a bowl or large jug, stir in the parsley and chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Butter a 3 litre baking dish. Place half the bread chunks in the dish and sprinkle with half the fried onion and half the grated cheddar. Gently pour over approx. half the egg and milk mixture. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Gently press down any dry peaks with the back of a wooden spoon to ensure all the bread is in contact with the liquid. Cover with a dish, or cling film, and leave to one side for 30-60 minutes to allow the egg and milk to fully soak into the bread.

Preheat oven to Gas5/190c and bake for 45-50 minutes until puffed and golden on top, and cooked through. Scatter reserved parsley and chives on top before serving.

Serve with bacon, sausages, roasted cherry tomatoes, a jug of maple syrup, and fresh orange juice.

a pile of new books:1

There are few things in this world that make me happier than a pile of new books.

In the spirit of new year's resolutions in January, I committed to not buying any new books until my 'to read' shelf had been thoroughly explored, and I have stuck to it pretty well. I have resisted the lure of Amazon's 'Recommended for You' page, and bought books only from charity shops or borrowed them from the library, with the exception of books for my book group, though I very conscientiously selected a book from my 'to read' shelf when it was my turn to choose.

However, I did have a 'get out of jail card' in my possession, in the form of a book token, which I had been hoarding  for some months. Derek had very kindly gifted me a quilting course for my birthday earlier this month, to start in August, and this presented the perfect excuse for a trip to Waterstones to look for a quilting book. Derek had already given me 'Homemade and Happy' by Tone Finnanger, (he really is an excellent gift-chooser!) so after a delightfully lengthy browse I chose 'Quilt Me' by Jane Brocket; full of inspirational ideas for quilt making, and fearless in the choice of fabrics used. I thought this would be a very helpful counterpoint to the rigid 'rules' of quilting I will be exposed to during my course!

I have recently become fascinated by the Bloomsbury Group, and when I saw  'The Bloomsbury Cookbook' by Jans Ondantje Rolls I swooped on it like a merlin; I love a cook book that combines recipes with background information, and this book is a rich resource. It has hundreds of recipes, some sourced directly from members of the Bloomsbury Group (or more accurately from their cooks), some from 'Good Things In England' by Florence White, some from the author. It also contains drawings and paintings by the Bloomsbury Group; excerpts from their letters and diaries and lots of other biographical information. I find 'straight' biographies deadly to read; making food and recipes the focal point appeals much more.

 

I have since sourced 'Charleston' and 'Bloomsbury at Home' from Amazon marketplace for the purposes of cross-reference, which purchases I thought acceptable within the 'no new books' rule as they were second hand. In that peculiar way that sometimes happens, when your interest is piqued, you see references to the subject everywhere. In the back of a weekend magazine supplement, I found an article about Vanessa Nicolson, granddaughter of Vita Sackville-West , member of the Bloomsbury Group, now cut out and tucked away for future reference. Mary Addison also mentioned the Bloomsbury Group recently on her excellent blog, which appears prima facie to be about embroidery; but is also about botany, baking, religious festivals, books, fashion, paintings, history and so much more. Finally, reading recently about Caroline Zoob's embroidery, I learned that she lived in Monks House, Virginia Woolf's Sussex home, and in that delightfully cyclical manner that the universe loves to provide, has written a book about it.

 

post-script....

Sunday morning dawned, cool, and blustery. Perfect weather for running the Glasgow Great Womens 10k. 

Thousands of women converged on Ballahouston Park on the south side of Glasgow, to take part in what has become a massive event over the years. Despite all the preparation, I felt quite jittery before the start, but as soon as I started the run, I began to relax, and enjoy the extraordinary experience of running with around 7,000 other women. I  tried to maintain a steady pace, keeping a little energy in reserve for the finish line (even those of us with a very small ego want to end with a modest flourish!) It felt a long way, and I inwardly cheered at the sight of the pipers heralding each kilometre mark. I crossed the line in 1hour and 6 minutes, which I was very happy with.

I came over the finish to the welcome sight of Derek and the boys cheering me on, and rushed over for a big hug. Isaac said I looked  'very unlikely' coming over the finish line, and Derek said I looked exhausted (!), Jacob just gave me a big huge hug, and despite looking pretty awful, with hair scraped back, no make up, and a red face, I felt brilliant.

Thank you so much to those generous readers who donated to my Just Giving page to help raise funds for my chosen charity, Funding Neuro, I am so grateful to you. And to all the kind souls who left encouraging comments on my previous post, thank you, thank you.

There is a post-script to the tale...

Whilst running the 10k, I was aware of pain in my right foot, which my adrenalin and I decided to ignore- I wasn't stopping for anything. However, when I reached home and took my trainers off, my foot began to swell, and weight bearing became very difficult. Yesterday morning I took myself up to the local Minor Injuries Unit, and it turns out that I had unwittingly run 10 kilometres on a stress fracture. I had probably fractured it sometime in the preceding week and hadn't realised, and then running the 10k aggravated it. So I am now wearing  huge black air cast boot and will be for the next 4-5 weeks. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry, but in the meantime I am plodding around lop-sidedly, trying to stay positive, knowing that I wont be able to run again until the summer time. It will be like starting all over again. And, who knows, maybe that's no bad thing. 

just giving....

I started running last September, you can read about it here. I have carried on, through dark, freezing mornings, pelting rain, and glorious sunrises. I have seen wild geese in flight, swans asleep on their huge twiggy nests, deer running startled in the early morning light. I have been splashed by passing lorries, frozen by piercing winds, and soaked to my knickers with rain.

In the most unscientific, un-runner-y way, I have steadily added on extra running minutes every week, and am now running for 64 minutes each run, taking me to a distance of about 9.4km. In a fairly last minute decision, I decided I was ready to try the Great Womens' Glasgow 10k on May 17th. I do feel a little nervous about running 'in public', until now, it has been a rather private affair!I am running in aid of a charity called 'Funding Neuro' which you can read about here. If you would like to (and please don't feel you have to!) you can donate by clicking on the link on the sidebar.(n.b. I have now taken down this link)

Wish me luck! I will report back after the run, and once again, a big thank you if you donate, but please don't feel obliged in any way to do so! (I did hesitate to add the just giving link, and post this piece, but in the end thought that I would set aside my natural discretion for the valour of the charity, I hope no-one is offended or embarrassed by the post, it is meant only to do good.) 

keeping it neat

Isaac turned 13 a couple of weeks ago, and half-jokingly requested 'a cake made of chocolate cookies'. Although there was nothing to stop me making a heap of chocolate cookies and sticking them together with icing, I felt slightly at a loss as to exactly how to proceed. Fortunately, I found a recipe in April Carter's 'Decorated' that fitted the bill perfectly.

The cake turns out quite small, about 6"/15 cm diameter, but is very dense, so the given quantity yields about 10 slices. It has a high novelty factor, and went down well with the birthday boy and  friends.

Ingredients

125g butter

85g caster sugar

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

175g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

225g plain flour

1 level teaspoon bicarb of soda

1/2 level teaspoon salt

Method

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

Add the beaten egg, ensuring all is well combined, then add the chopped chocolate.

Sift all the dry ingredients together and add, beating until all ingredients are well combined, but don't mix beyond that point.

The dough will be quite soft. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with clingfilm, or pop into a freezer bag, and chill for a minimum of two hours, or overnight. This step helps the dough keep its shape when it is baked, and should not be skipped.

After chilling, preheat the oven to Gas 3/ 170c.

Weigh the dough, and divide evenly by 8. Roll each eighth into a ball between your palms, and then pat firmly into a flattish disc, about 4"/10 cm across. Place apart on a baking tray, they will spread.

Bake for approx. 10 minutes until just cooked through, golden at the edges, but still slightly soft in the middle. leave the cookies to cool slightly and firm up on the baking tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing

200g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

160g very soft butter

180g icing sugar, sifted

Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has fully melted.

Beat the butter and icing sugar together until fully combined, and a creamy consistency. Gently stir in the chocolate; do not beat or the chocolate may seize.

To assemble the cookie cake

Anchor the first cookie onto your chosen serving plate with a dab of icing. Gently spread icing on the cookie to give a thin layer, keeping it neat. Place the next cookie on top and continue to build the cake, taking care not to dislodge the underneath layers as you proceed.

This cake lasts surprisingly well; the cookies acquiring a slightly soft texture due to the layers of icing, which is rather decadent.

Year in books- May

Thanks as always to Laura at Circle of Pine Trees for hosting the Year in Books project, where bloggers post their book of the month.

Last month, I read Anne Tyler's latest book 'A Spool of Blue Thread', which I was also reading for my non-virtual book group.

In this novel, we are introduced to the Whitshank family, at the point where ageing parents Abby and Red are starting to cause their children some concern. Abby is becoming slightly disorientated, and Red is very deaf, and can no longer maintain their home as he once used to.

Adult son Stem and family move in with Abby and Red, at the same time as prodigal son Denny makes one of his sporadic reappearances. This causes conflict, and the first half of the book reveals decisions made in their childhood, by Abby, which have ultimately led to their simmering sibling rivalry.

The second half of the book explores the family history of their immediate antecedents, and tells the story of how Abby and Red met, which is slightly different to Abby's telling of the story over the years.

The telling, re-telling, and interpretation of family stories is one of the main themes of the novel; how family history morphs into family folk lore and becomes altered and romanticised over generations.

How families are viewed from within, and from without, is another theme. Family celebrations, events, or holidays that may be judged by the outside world as being happy and  harmonious, may feel very different when viewed from within.

I have read many of Anne Tyler's book over the years, and always enjoy her clear-eyed depictions of people struggling with the enormity, or the minutiae, of life. Her characters are always drawn with a tender regard for human frailty. 'A Spool of Blue Thread', however, was not my favourite novel of hers. Although some passages were an absolute joy to read, and Abby's character, in particular, was warm and eccentric, some sections did not hold my interest as much. Perhaps my expectations were unfairly high, as I usually love her work so much. Having said that, I would still recommend this book to others, and it will be staying on my bookshelf.

 

My book choice this month is 'The Aftermath' by Rhidian Brook.

This is also my book choice for my non-virtual book group. As I have explained before, I am fortunate to be a member of a very committed, long running book group, and this month it is my turn to choose our book.

When selecting a book for the book group, I try to choose one that looks well written; seems to have an interesting story, and has broad moral, social or ethical themes that will encourage wide ranging discussion. Additionally, it should be one that is new to all readers, including me.

'The Aftermath', described as 'Profoundly moving, beautifully written' ('Independent'), tells the story of Rachael Morgan, who is reunited with her British husband in the ruins of post war Hamburg, in 1946. He has been charged with overseeing the rebuilding of the city, and Rachael is stunned to discover that they will be sharing their new home with the previous German owners, a German widower, and his troubled daughter.

Issues of grief, forgiveness, guilt and love are explored, so I am hoping that this will be not only an excellent read, but will also provide good fodder for discussion.

Whilst looking for potential questions for the forthcoming discussion of 'The Aftermath', I found this page, on the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group site, which gives excellent suggestions for book group questions; tips on meetings, and suggestions of how to start a book group, for anyone who is thinking of setting up a group but is not quite sure how to take the plunge.