Lemon Yoghurt Cake

This is my quick fall back cake, so easy and quick to make , plus you can ring the changes by adding other ingredients such as Ginger or fresh Raspberries.

Ingredients 

One 150 grm pot of natural organic yoghurt
Keep the empty pot to measure out the other Ingredients.
Zest of one large or two small lemons
One empty yoghurt pot of unsalted melted butter
One empty yoghurt pot unrefined white sugar
3 medium sized eggs
Two empty yoghurt pot measures of cake flour
pinch of organic vanilla powder ( you can use vanilla sugar instead of the unrefined sugar them omit the vanilla powder)
one teaspoon baking powder
one teaspoon bicarb

Place all the ingredients except the flour into a mixing bowl and mix them thoroughly, then fold in the flour. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured cake tin and bake at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes, test the cake by inserting a wooden skewer, if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
Leave to cool and sprinkle with a dusting of icing sugar.

To ring the changes...

Add a tablespoon of crystallized  chopped ginger 
Add a teaspoon cinnamon powder
Do a mix of Orange and lemon for a citrus version.
In season add some fresh Raspberries or Blueberries.

Autumn Flavours

Autumn Flavours

The season for root vegetables, and I love them. Sliced raw with a mandolin to make a crunchy winter salad, roasted or cooked to form a beautiful soup. The most delicate of flavours for me is Celeriac, that ugly looking fragrant root. Celeriac Puree is beautiful served with a piece of venison, it is fragrant roasted with a garlic infused chicken, but for me it makes the most beautiful scented soup braised with Fennel and Orange.

Celeriac, fennel and citrus soup.

Ingredients

Serves two hungry people or three not so hungry souls

One Celeriac Bulb

One Large Fennel Bulb

One Onion

One Potato

One small Orange ( Zest and Juice)

Two Garlic cloves

One Teaspoon fennel seeds

Two Bay leaves

One litre Chicken stock

Slosh of Olive oil

Tablespoon of Creme Fraiche

Tablespoon of chopped fresh Parsley

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel the celeriac and the potato, then chop into small pieces, slice the onion and fennel and toss the lot into a warm pan with the olive oil, add the fennel seeds and chopped garlic cook on a low heat for three minutes. Zest the Orange then add the zest and the juice to the pan. Lastly add the Bay leaves and pour in your Chicken stock. Place a lid on the pan 

and let the liquid simmer for forty minutes. Remove from the heat, and blitz the liquid in a blender until smooth,season to taste add the Creme Fraich then pour into two large serving bowls and top with the chopped parsley. Eat greedily with warm bread.

Citrus Season

The days are short and the nights are cold. Autumn is about to join hands with winter, which means one thing in the world of fruit, Citrus. The lemon is the most useful fruit to grow. I drink lemon water each morning before reach the coffee machine, the lemons are used for cakes and puddings, they add life to chicken, they add zing to some fresh fish and they make a simple bowl of pure comfort in only a few minutes, that comfort is my Lemon Pasta. The most simple dish with lemon a knob of butter, some fresh chilli and sage, spoon into a bowl and curl up in front of the fire
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Lemon Pasta
Serves two hungry people

250 grm spaghetti
Juice and zest of one large organic unwaxed lemon
 Large knob of butter
100grm  Pecorino cheese plus a little more to sprinkle on the pasta at serving ( if you do not have pecorino use parmesan )
One tablespoon of fresh sage chopped
One fresh Chilli finely chopped.
Place the pasta into a large pot of salted boiling water, while it is cooking heat a large knob of butter in a frying pan,turn down the heat so the butter does not burn, and add the chilli and fresh chopped sage leaves, coat them with the butter, now add the zest and juice of the lemon and lastly the pecorino, turn off the heat, by now your spaghetti should be cooked Al dente, drain the pasta and pour into the sauce in the frying pan, coat the pasta with the sauce add a little more of the pecorino a large pinch of black pepper and sea salt and devour, wash it down with a nice glass of chardonnay and relax.