Tag: Happy New Year

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Spiced Cranberry Muffins

This year’s home baked Christmas Cake has gone down well in the ADK household – so much so that we are now down to the final few crumbs on the serving plate. How to fill the gap, I wondered, and maybe also use up some of the tasty ingredients left over from making it?

We still had some currants, golden sultanas, glace cherries and mixed candied peel in the cupboard. There was also the last of the juicy red cranberries, left over from making the sauce I’d been merrily ladling on to my roast turkey.

Too good to waste, of course, so they’ve all ended up in these New Year muffins. I’ve incorporated cinnamon and nutmeg to add to that seasonal feel of deep midwinter, so cosy up and enjoy.

Servings

Makes 12 muffins.

Timings

15 mins to make, 20 mins to bake in a fan oven at 160C.

You Will Need

  • 280g plain flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • half tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 110g fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped in a food processor
  • 20g currants
  • 20g sultanas
  • 20g glace cherries
  • 20g chopped mixed candied peel
  • 240ml milk
  • 90ml veg oil

Method

  1. Prepare a muffin tin or mould. Switch on a fan oven to 160C.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, chopped cranberries, milk and oil. Stir in the currants, sultanas, glace cherries and candied peel.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir so that no dry ingredients are visible.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the tin/mould, and bake for 20 mins.
  6. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Customise It!

Basically, the rule here is that if it might have gone in your Christmas Cake, and is sitting left over in the cupboard, then it’s good enough for the muffins! Swap in raisins for some of the currants or sultanas, for example. Chop up some nuts and add them in. I didn’t go so far as to feed in a teaspoon of brandy but, hey, why not try it? If mixed spice is all you have, then use it in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg.

First musical selection of 2025 is from Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I enjoyed her New Year’s Eve Disco shown on TV here. She performed Groovejet and Murder on the Dancefloor, both of which I have always rated, and also this one, which I don’t think I’d heard before. It is a paean to the classic Sheila B. Devotion track, Spacer, so can’t really go wrong. Here’s Sophie with Crying at the Discotheque.

Categories
Blog

Around the World in 80(ish) Plates

As 2024 draws to a close, I’ve been looking back at some of the many dishes enjoyed on my travels over the past 12 months. I’ve reached some far-flung destinations over that period, as well as some places closer to home, in a bid to savour some of the best food and drink the cuisines of the world have to offer. It’s a tough job, I know, but hey, someone has to do it 🙂 .

I’ll start with my main photo above, taken in Satay by the Bay in Singapore, where I visited in March. They served up a plate of chicken and beef skewers grilled over hot coals, along with a pot of peanutty satay sauce for dipping. Perfect fast food.

Kampong Gelam is the heartland of Singapore’s Malaysian community. The traditional Malay dish, Nasi Lemak (shown above), was excellent – a pandan leaf parcel is unwrapped to reveal steamed, soft and fluffy jasmine-scented and coconut-flavoured rice.

The breakfast shown above was a sight for sore eyes on arrival early one morning off a plane, very hungry, in Sydney, Australia : eggs benedict served with spinach and bacon on sourdough toast, with a balsamic drizzle.

I had wanted to try an Acai bowl for some time, and managed to do so at the Drip Bar in Melbourne, Australia. This purply-chocolate coloured acai berry smoothie is topped with fresh banana, crushed cacao, coconut, ground almonds, granola and a very generous (ahem) drizzle of peanut butter.

The Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, saw my introduction to Asian Fusion – bringing together the sights and tastes from the culinary traditions of India, Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, China and Japan. Amongst a tasty and adventurous buffet, my fave was this Miso Caramel Eggplant shown above – chunks of roasted aubergine coated in a sticky sauce, topped with spliced snake beans, coriander and sesame.

The month of June saw a trip to France, where they do food rather well. One highlight of several is shown above – an Entree of cod and yuzu croquette, served with baby gem lettuce, and a sweetcorn and avocado salsa. I liked the Gallic flair with which the dish was presented, resembling artistic brush strokes of red pepper aioli and lemony yuzu.

In summertime in France, it is always a simple pleasure to enjoy an evening al fresco buffet with purchases from the local fromagerie and charcuterie (see above) – along with a bottle of the the local vin rouge, of course.

A July trip to Belfast provided the opportunity to visit St. George’s Market to sample the best of traditional Ulster food. A breakfast of toasted soda farl, here filled with egg, bacon, roasted cherry tomatoes and avocado, certainly satisfied the appetite.

The month of September was spent motorhoming around Cornwall in England’s south-west, sampling numerous pasties like the one shown below. This one is named Veggie Power, and has the traditional filling of steak and potato replaced by mushroom and butternut squash.

I found my visit to Cornwall’s Eden Project very inspiring, and an opportunity to learn more about sustainable food production. All the tea, coffee and chocolate now making its way into the ADK kitchen is certified Fair Trade. The dishes on the Eden menu are made from local ingredients, such as this griddled flatbread shown above, topped with white bean paste, leaves, marinated roasted vegetables, tomatoes, balsamic drizzle, herbs and toasted seeds.

Revisiting all of these meals has now made me hungry again, so I will leave it there! Thanks to everyone who has followed along, read, liked and/or commented in 2024. My travels, along with the home bakes and recipes, will be continuing into 2025 here, on Instagram and on X.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Cranberry, Orange and Pecan Muffins

Just as I thought the UK season of imported fresh cranberries was coming to a close, what should I find? Only that a whole new batch of them has just appeared in Morrisons. North American friends – you have answered my prayers!

Time then for another round of muffins, obvs. This time I have blended the cranberries with the zest of an orange and chopped toasted pecan nuts, finished off with a whole pecan garnish. They can be enjoyed as a breakfast, a dessert or, erm, a naughty snack.

The pecan on the top gets a nice, deep roast as the muffins bake. Sometimes I save that whole to the last bite, to savour its rich smoky and nutty taste.

What better way to start 2024! Here we go, then…

Servings

Makes 12 muffins.

Timings

15 mins to make, 20 mins to bake in the oven at 180C.

You Will Need

  • 280g plain flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • half tsp salt
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 110g fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped in a food processor
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 240ml milk
  • 90ml veg oil
  • 60g chopped, toasted pecan nuts
  • 12 pecan nuts to garnish

Method

  1. Prepare a muffin tin or mould. Switch on the oven to 180C.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and stir in the sugar.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, chopped cranberries, orange zest, milk and oil, and stir to combine.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir so that no dry ingredients are visible. Add in the chopped pecan nuts with the last few strokes.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the tin/mould, and top each muffin with a pecan. Bake for 20 mins.
  6. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Customise It!

Omit the nuts if they are not your thing – the mix of juicy cranberry and orange will still taste great.

Fresh cranberries aren’t the only great American export featuring in the ADK Kitchen in these first few days of 2024. I’ve been playing a lot from Interpol, the group that the NME once described as the most important band to come out of New York. Hmm sorry, they’re not – just pause for a moment to think of some of the competition to that claim: The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Strokes to name a few.

They are very good, though. I went to see them live a few years ago at London’s Kentish Town Forum. It was on a weeknight, and I remember telling my boss that I had to leave work early that day to get to London to see Interpol. A look of fear and intrigue flashed across her face, worried that I had become entangled in a mysterious web of international crime.

At least I was able to see them play this track, which is one of my faves. Here are Interpol with C’mere.

PS. Happy New Year!

Categories
Blog Drinks Mains

Lo/Hi

We’re nearing the end of 2023. I’ve been fortunate to travel to many interesting places this year, and have enjoyed sharing my experiences of the local food, drink, culture and the music it inspires, in my posts here on A Different Kitchen. As the year draws to a close, there is one more fun place to tell you about.

In December I spent a few motorhoming days in the picturesque town of Bridgnorth in Shropshire. The place is actually made up of two distinct towns: my main photo above is taken in Low Town, by the banks of the River Severn, looking up towards High Town.

My photo below is then taken having climbed up to High Town, where there are great views looking out over, er, Low Town.

From the Middle Ages, traders’ boats travelled up the River Severn to unload their cargo at the Quay in Low Town. The goods were then wheeled up by hand cart to the market hall in High Town via The Cartway – a twisting, cobbled path. You can still walk this route today, see my photo below.

It is as steep and winding as ever, though many of the cottages along the way are now cosy, bijou holiday residences, judging by the number of lockboxes on the frontages.

The goods imported were mainly rum, spices and exotic foods from distant lands, and they were exchanged for local ceramics, metalwork and coal. The market hall still stands in the centre of High Town and hosts a market, though these days it features regional meats and speciality cheeses.

Trade continued until the mid 19th Century when, according to the Town Guide, it was overtaken by the arrival of the railways. My own alternative theory is that, after years of hauling their beautiful rum, spices and exotic foods up to High Town, to exchange them for a few of our pots, pans, and pieces of coal, the tired and hungry importers eventually realised they were getting rather the bum end of the deal.

Among the many curious features of High Town is the Castle Keep. It is all that remains standing of the Castle, which was largely destroyed in the English Civil War of the mid 17th Century. I say standing, but leaning is a more apt description – see below.

To borrow a word styling from American Football commentators, it is amongst the most leaningest structures in the world. In fact, it is 4 times more leaningest than the Tower of Pisa in Italy. How it hasn’t fallen over, I don’t know. Even though it moves a few degrees each year, it is reportedly safe – there are no cones or hazard warning tape to keep pedestrians at a distance. I can only assume the Town Council’s Health and Safety Department has a commendably relaxed attitude to risk. Still, I wouldn’t dawdle while going past/under it, if I were you.

Food options are many, varied and good quality. I stopped for lunch in High Town’s Coffee at d’Arcy’s, tempted by the seasonal vegan toasty – a hot panini filled with slices of nut roast and cranberry sauce. Delish!

I accompanied this with a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I have to confess to being somewhat late to the party with this concoction. For some time I have held the puritan view that, if the coffee beans are good quality, roasted with expertise and ground by a skilled barista, the drink should not then be ruined with a shot of sweet syrup. That was before I had the benefit of trying one, however, when I realised how great it tastes. I am now a convert who believes that, used correctly, a shot of syrup can complement and enhance a good quality coffee, rather than overpower it.

The unique geography of Bridgnorth kept reminding me of this track, which played a few times on my headphones as I walked around exploring. I am quite sure The Black Keys – those heavily blues-influenced rockers from Ohio – didn’t write this about a picturesque market town in Shropshire, but it’s a great song and the title fits well. Here they are with Lo/Hi.

Happy New Year everyone! Onwards to more travel, sounds, food and frivolity in 2024.