Category: Hilary’s Culinary Corner

Hilary’s Culinary Corner is the new (Nov 2024) cooking column

Quick and Easy Macaroni Cheese & Easy Christmas Cake

As we approach the busy festive
season, some very quick recipes to try out

Quick and Easy Macaroni Cheese

Ingredients

250g macaroni
1 tsp Dijon mustard (or other preferred mustard)
180g grated cheddar cheese
200ml crème fraiche (light version also works)

Method

Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the macaroni and a pinch of salt and simmer for half of the cooking time instructed on the packet.

Scoop out a mugful of the cooking water before draining. Mix together crème fraiche, mustard and three quarters of the grated cheese in an ovenproof dish. Add the hot macaroni and 3 tbsp of the pasta cooking water. Stir until combined and season to taste. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on the top and bake for 15-20mins

Easy Christmas Cake

Ingredients

100g sultanas
150g self-raising flour
150g unsalted butter
225g mincemeat
2 eggs
120g caster sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c/gas 4.

Lightly grease springform cake tin and line with baking parchment.

Put the softened butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl and mix to cream until pale and fluffy around 2-3 minutes. Beat in 2 eggs one at a time. Beat in the mincemeat. Fold in the flour and half tsp of salt.

Fold in the sultanas.

Transfer to the lined tin and bake for 55-60 mins until golden, risen and a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean.

Leave in baking tin for 10mins, remove and cool on wire rack.

 

 

Sausage and Mash Pie & Moist Ginger Cake

 

As the weather turns, and the nights draw in, we’re in the mood for warming comfort food to see us through the chilly evenings. Some favourites to try

Sausage and Mash Pie

Ingredients

75g butter

6 pork sausages, roughly chopped

2 leeks, sliced

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

3 tbsp. onion gravy granules

200g frozen peas

500g floury potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard

Method:- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) Mark 6. Melt 25g butter in a medium casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the sausage pieces, leeks, carrots and celery and cook for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sausages are golden. Stir in the gravy granules, 300ml water and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2mins, stirring until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the peas. Make the mash. Put the potatoes into a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat and simmer for 10-15 mins, or until tender. Drain, reserving a cupful of the starchy cooking water. Leave the potatoes to steam dry for 5 mins. Return potatoes to the empty pan and mash. Mix in the remaining butter, season and a small splash of the reserved cooking water (add more if mash is dry). Stir in the mustard. Top the sausage mixture with the mash. Cook in the oven for 25mins, or until golden and bubbling.

Moist Ginger Cake

Ingredients

350g golden syrup

125g block butter

250g plain flour, sifted

½ level teaspoon salt

1 ¾ level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 level teaspoon ground ginger

½ level teaspoon mixed spice

1 large egg

275ml milk 

Method: –  Pre – heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)  gas mark 4. Weigh a saucepan on the scales and  weigh the syrup into it. Then add the butter to the  saucepan and melt the two together over a gentle  heat. Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl, then  gradually pour in the syrup mixture, mix well. Beat  the egg and milk together in a separate basin then  add that bit by bit, again mixing thoroughly. The  cake batter will seem very liquid at this stage but  that ’ s OK so don ’ t worry, just pour it into the  prepared oblong tin, well buttered and with a liner.  Bake near the centre of the oven for about 45 – 50  minutes or until the centre is springy. Cool in the tin  for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire tray to  cool. When it ’ s cold, cut it into squares .