cheese – Feasting Is Fun

Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne

Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne bubbling, gooey, pungent cheese.

Do you like cheese? Then you will love this rich, melted Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne, perfect for dipping, dunking and feasting on.

FF Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne — **Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne** with homemade breadsticks, apple and chicory.

When asked by Pong Cheese to bake this heady Epoisses De Bourgogne, I knew that I would need my hubby’s help. First, I needed a hand model and also I absolutely knew he would relish the taste of this incredible cheese. A semi-soft to soft, pasteurised cow’s cheese, washed in Marc De Bourgogne, creating a spicy, pungent cheese. Most importantly, this incredible cheese is only made in the Burgundy region of France and therefore has an AOC – authentication of origin certificate.

Homemade breadsticks break through the crust to reveal the warm, bubbling, unctuous cheese below. The full taste is revealed when eaten with bread. Salty, spicy and pungent, any cheese lovers dream.

Chicory, with it’s crunch and slightly bitter flavour is a perfect accompaniment to the melted cheese. While sweet, red apple provides contrast to the saltiness of the cheese. This for me was my favourite flavour pairing, my husband preferring the full flavour of the cheese, unhindered by the breadsticks.

While, this is hardly a recipe, the method and increased flavour of the cheese, means it is extremely worthwhile taking the extra step to bake it.

Recipe: Baked Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne

250g Whole Epoisses De Bourgogne available from Pong Cheese

Sprig of rosemary – either fresh from the garden or order a plant from most supermarkets such as Waitrose

Breadsticks, chicory, apple, pear, crackers for dunking

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Baking The Cheese

You will need an ovenproof dish that is about the same size as the Epoisses. A Camembert dish will be fine, any bigger and the cheese will spread as it bakes.

First, remove all of the packaging from the Epoisses.
Next place the whole cheese into the ovenproof dish, laying a sprig of rosemary on the top.
Now place the ovenproof dish on to a baking tray and place in the middle of the preheated oven.
Bake the cheese for 15 minutes, or until you can see it bubbling around the side of the dish.
Once baked remove the baking tray, with the bubbling cheese in its dish, from the oven.
Allow the cheese to sit for a couple of minutes as it will be extremely hot.

Serve the cheese in its dish with a selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and bread or crackers. Most of all share with good company and an excellent glass of wine!

Sharing this baked cheese, either with a group of friends, or with the one that you love, infinitely improves the whole experience of eating it. Since memories are created and observations exchanged, whilst feasting together.

If you have enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:

Bath Soft Cheese Chilli Tarts

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins

Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts

Cheese is such a versatile ingredient. Whether baked and eaten as is, piled on top of chilli pickle in a crunchy filo tart, or simply eaten cold with crackers, it remains one of my favourite ingredients. As with most things that have a relatively high fat content, their flavour truly comes alive when heated. Baking the Epoisses De Bourgogne certainly brought all of its delicious and interesting flavours to the fore.

Do you enjoy using cheese as an ingredient?

Have fun baking, making and creating in your kitchens, preparing a feast.

Sammie xx

Pong Cheese supplied me with the Epoisses De Bourgogne for this recipe. All opinions, views, photographs and content are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts

Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts, delicious morsels of light, flaky, puff pastry, filled with onion marmalade and topped with vibrant, melted Sparkenhoe Red Leicester cheese. Resulting in the perfect party canapé.

FF Mini Red Leicester Tarts — **Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts** perfect canapés.

While tasting this cheese, it has a nutty, almost grassy flavour that sets it apart from any similar cheese I have tried before. And a gorgeous golden wedge of unpasteurised cheese coloured using Annatto, a natural plant based dye that imparts it’s characteristic colour. Also, it makes a dramatic addition to any cheese board.

Since this cheese has a firm texture is perfect for slicing and finely grating. Encased in an all butter puff pastry, the grated cheese melts into the onion marmalade and creates the most delightful mini bites.

Topped with chives, that both echo the mild onion marmalade and grassy flavours found in the cheese, these little tarts are perfect to serve as canapés, party food, at a buffet or just for snacking on, warm from the oven with a glass of your favourite wine.

Made in minutes, these tarts are easy to make, bake in minutes and then ready to serve.

Recipe: Makes 28-32 Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts

Note: Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Cheese is UNPASTEURISED

320g Puff Pastry – I used ready rolled puff pastry from JustRol

100g/4oz Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Cheese – available from Pong Cheese

4tbsp Good Quality Onion Marmalade – I recommend Hawkshead Relish Red Onion Marmalade

3tbsp Chives – finely chopped

Method: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7, 425F

You will need a mini muffin tin to make these Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts. Alternatively, use a larger tin to make larger tarts!

Making the puff pastry tarts:

First of all, if frozen remove the pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight.
Cut the rind from the cheese and finely grate.
Unroll the pastry and cut into 5cm/2″ squares. I actually used a ruler to measure out the squares.

If your mini muffin tin is not non stick then spray with a little oil.
Place one pastry square on to each mini muffin hole and press gently so that it dips in and forms a cup.
NOTE – I overlapped two of the smaller pastry strips, squeezing them together, from the edge to create more tarts.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of onion marmalade to each pastry square.

Place 1 teaspoon of finely grated cheese on top of the onion marmalade.
Snip over a sprinkle of fresh chives.

Baking the cheesy tarts:

Place the tin in the middle of the preheated oven and bake the tarts for 10-12 minutes. They are baked when they are risen, golden and full of bubbling, melted cheese.
As soon as the tarts are baked remove from the oven.

Finally, remove the tarts from the tin and place on to a serving platter, if serving immediately, or on to a cooling rack for serving later.

I served these tarts with a few extra chives snipped over for an extra pop of colour.

Served warm these Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts are at their best. Especially as the mild onion flavours pair beautifully with the warm, nutty cheese. Also to make ahead, store in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge. Refresh by popping on to a baking sheet and into a medium, preheated oven for 5 minutes.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Mini Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Tarts here are some others you may also like:

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins

Asparagus Prosciutto Ham Tart

Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones

Cheese comes in such a variety of textures and flavours. I am thoroughly enjoying experimenting with and using them as ingredients to create different recipes.

I hope I have inspired you to both make and try different cheeses?

So, whatever er you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

Pong Cheese provided me with the cheese for this recipe. All opinions, views, content and photography are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones

For someone who genuinely did not like scones, I have been baking rather a lot of them recently. And I have concluded that homemade, or well made bakery scones, are a million miles away from the prepackaged, heavy, scones of my past. During my recent scone bake-a-thon I adapted my Super Light Scones recipe to create an all butter version, which makes the most delicious savoury scones. Welcome my Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones.

These Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones are incredibly tasty and two out of our three children loved them. Let me add that they would not eat blue cheese on a cracker. A massive win for me as a mum!

Flavour Alchemy

Truly though, their taste is a reflection of just how much delicious flavour is packed into these scones. The salty melted Beauvale Cheese, against an all butter scone, with the crunch of toasted walnuts and balanced with just a hint of honey.

And I bet you didn’t see that last ingredient coming?

Because blue cheese and honey pair beautifully together, I was going to caramelise the toasted walnuts in honey. Finally though, I decided that I wanted the sweet honey to be no more than a kiss on our tastebuds.

Beauvale Cheese is a soft blue cheese, that doesn’t have the intensity of Stilton. Beautiful eaten with bread or crackers and served on a cheese board, this cheese comes alive when baked in the scones. Warm and melted, it has a rounder, salty and buttery flavour that blends nicely with the toasted walnuts and that little hint of honey.

So, I urge you to try these Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones, they are incredibly simple to make and are perfect for using up leftover cheese.

Recipe: Makes 12-14 Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones

50g/2oz Walnut Pieces or Halves

450g/1lb Plain White Flour

3tsp Baking Powder

75g/3oz Very Cold Unsalted Butter

125g/4.5oz Beauvale Cheese – mine was from Pong Cheese

250mls/9fl oz Milk – Whole or Semi Skimmed

3tbsp Milk for glazing the tops of the scones

3tsp Runny Honey

1/4tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon

1/4tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7

Making The Scone Dough

First of all, in a dry iron skillet or frying pan add the walnut pieces and place over a medium until lightly toasted. You will just be able to start smelling the wonderful walnut oils. Remove from the heat and set to one side to cool.
Into a large bowl sift the flour and baking powder.
Add the sea salt and pepper.
Using the large grating side of a box grater, grate the very cold cheese straight onto the flour – I find it easier to have my bowl on digital scales.
Cover the butter with flour, use a butter knife to separate any clumps, so that the butter is evenly distributed.

Next break off chunks of the Beauvale Cheese and drop them into the bowl.

FF Beauvale Cheese Scones — Golden Beauvale Cheese with a ripple of blue.

Using a butter knife flick the flour over the cheese so that it is covered. This will stop it from clumping together.
Chop the walnuts roughly and add to the bowl. Stir with the butter knife to distribute evenly.
In a jug add 2 teaspoons of honey to the milk. Whisk briefly to disolve the honey.
Make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour the milk/honey mixture in.
Use the butter knife to briefly stir the ingredients and then use your hand to bring them together into a rough dough.
The trick to creating the lightest scones is to handle them as little as possible and only very lightly flour the worktop on which you roll and cut them out.

Shaping The Dough And Portioning The Scones

On a lightly flour dusted worktop tip out your scone dough and flatten with your hands so that it is 5cm/2″ deep.
Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough to 2.5cm/1″ thickness.

Line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Using a 7cm/3″ cutter press straight down and cut out the scones. If you twist the cutter as you cut the scones it can cause uneven rising.
Add the last teaspoon of honey to the milk, stir and then brush the tops of the scones.

Baking The Cheese And Nut Scones

Place the scones in the top of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25minutes, until they are risen and golden brown in colour.
As soon as the scones are baked remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack – be careful as they will be hot!

Enjoying These Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones

These utterly delicious Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones are perfect served warm, split with butter, a little extra cheese (the contrast between the cold and baked cheese is delicious), or just on their own. Also they taste great cold and so are perfect for packed lunches, picnics and afternoon tea.

Since these scones have higher fat content, they will last 3-4 days in an airtight container. Also, I have successfully frozen similar scones for up to one month. To refresh, defrost and place in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes and they’ll taste as though they’ve been freshly baked.

If you have enjoyed this Beauvale Cheese Walnut Scones recipe here are some others you may also like:

Asparagus Proscuitto Ham Tart

Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins

There are so many wonderful ways of using cheese in cooking and baking. And during the next few months we will discover together, wonderful sauces, dinners, recipes and bakes.

Pong Cheese has a wonderful selection of cheeses on their website. I look forward to widening my cheese palette and creating recipes with all the different cheeses.

I hope that you will join me on this creative journey and together we can have fun discovering new ways to make and bake with cheese in our kitchens? Having fun along the way as we cook up some cracking feasts.

Sammie xx

Pong Cheese provided the cheese for this recipe. All opinions, views, content and photographs are my own. This is not a sponsored post. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins vibrant strips of aromatic basil run through these delicious buttery cheese, pine nut studded muffins.

Also these delightful muffins are so easy to make, quick to bake and perfect for breakfast, packed lunches, picnics……

Whenever we have friends and family round, I always provide a cheese board. Since I have more of a savoury palette, I generally choose cheese and crackers over dessert on most occasions. While I adore all cheeses, this Goddess Cheese, sent to me to try by Pong Cheese is beautifully buttery and creamy.

A cider washed edible rind conceals the most gorgeous, gooey, buttery cheese, perfect for spreading on crackers, with a glass of something chilled to go alongside. The initial buttery flavour is layered with a nutty taste that is perfectly paired with the pine nuts in these Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins.

Whilst spreading this cheese on crackers is a perfectly acceptable way to indulge your senses, my creative side knew that it would taste so good baked in a muffin. After a party or family gathering I am quite often left with cheese and other delectables. I avoid waste as much as I can, so incorporating this beautiful cheese into a bake gives it a second life in these delicious muffins.

Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins are incredibly easy to whip up and bake. In fact these took less than 30 minutes from start to eating!

Oh boy, these muffins are fabulous warm out of the oven.

Recipe: Makes 12 Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins

50g/2oz Pine Nuts

300g/11oz Plain White Flour (self raising can be substituted – leave out the baking powder)

2tsp Baking Powder

2 Whole Free Range Eggs

200ml Semi-Skimmed or Whole Milk

4tbsp Vegetable/Sunflower Oil

Goddess Cheese 150g/5oz – mine was from Pong Cheese

6 basil leaves

1/4tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon

1/4tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6

First of all place the pine nuts into a dry skillet or frying pan and toast over a medium heat until golden. Remove from the pan and place on to a plate to cool. Reseve some pine nuts for topping the muffins.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
Pile the basil leaves on top of each other and cut into fine strips.
Add the cooled pine nuts, basil, and seasonings to the bowl.
Stir with a fork to incorporate.
Break the Goddess Cheese into lumps and add half to the flour mixture – I found it easier to have the bowl on the scales.

Cover the cheese in the bowl with the flour mixture. This will stop it clumping together.
Add the other half of the cheese, again pinching off gooey lumps and dropping them into the bowl. Cover in the flour mixture as before – dry mixture.
Into a jug add the milk, oil and eggs. Lightly mix with a fork – wet mixture.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture.
Stir with a fork approximately 10-12 times until the ingredients are just mixed.

Note: Over mixed muffins will be tough!
Place muffin liners in a muffin tin – I didn’t but would advise you to as it does make the muffins easier to remove.
Divide the muffin mix between the 12 cases.
Top with the reserved pine nuts – if you have forgotten to reserve any don’t worry they will still look and taste delicious.

Place the tin in the top of the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
The muffins are cooked when they are just firm to touch and golden brown.
As soon as the muffins are baked remove from the oven.
Transfer the Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins to a cooling rack until warm and then devour!

Enjoy these muffins at their absolute best, warm straight from the oven. While the cheese is still slightly melted and the flavours of the toasted pine nuts and basil come through.

Having had to split a muffin for the photographs, I also really enjoyed them cold. All the buttery, nutty cheese, pine nut and basil flavours are still present which I am really pleased with. This makes the Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins perfect as portable food.

I will definitely be making more of these for picnics, packed lunches and just for eating warm from the oven!

Muffins are always best on the day made, however, stored in an airtight container they are good for 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. To refresh just pop in a moderate oven for 10 minutes and they’ll taste like they’ve just been baked.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins you may also like these:

Feta Cheese Herb Muffins

Cheese Bacon Breakfast Muffins

Chorizo Goats Cheese Muffins

No longer do you need to look at an oozing, gooey leftover Goddess Cheese and wonder what to do with it. Instead you can make Goddess Cheese Pine Nut Muffins and as they don’t use a whole packet of cheese, leave you enough for your cheese and crackers.

This recipe started in my mind with the intent of using up leftover cheese. Oh no! These are so good I would happily buy the cheese to make them.

Whatever you are making and baking in your kitchens, have fun and enjoy sharing the feast you are preparing.

Sammie xx

Pong Cheese provided me with the cheese to make this recipe. All content, views, opinions, recipes and photographs are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche

I love chutneys, relish, chilli jam, savoury marmalade. So when I saw the varieties that Hawkshead Relish make and sell I was in my element. And challenged to use the jellies and marmalade as an ingredient, I immediately thought of quiche. So I set about making this delicious Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche.

Perfect Shortcrust Pastry

First of all, however, I set about creating a foolproof all butter shortcrust pastry recipe, for both sweet and savoury bakes. You can find it here – Perfect All Butter Shortcrust Pastry.Also, you will find another quiche recipe using Hawkshead Relish Ale Jelly as an ingredient!

So, with a reliable, consistent pastry recipe, that has been tested and retested, I was then able to let my creative imagination run wild.

Flavour Inspiration

We have some tea rooms near us that are joined to a local artists gallery and a wonderful shop that stocks local pottery, glass and a million other things. Going to the tea rooms is truly a treat day out. In the tea rooms they serve a range of dishes, from light lunches to hearty meals. One of my favourites is their Quiche Lorraine, particularly as it is always served with chutney and onion marmalade in separate little pots.

And this memory sparked my idea was to have the red onion marmalade inside the quiche. Then I needed to decide what to pair it with. A recent love affair with crumbly, salty, Greek Feta Cheese provided the answer. Finally, topped with freshly sniped chives from the garden this Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche is so much more than the sum of it’s separate parts.

Quiche Indulgence

The chives provide a beautiful top to the quiche and indeed echo the onion flavour from the marmalade. While the feta cheese mellows in the eggy custard providing the perfect balance to the warm red onion marmalade. The difference that a small amount of heat adds to the base layer of this quiche is quite dramatic.

If you enjoy Red Onion Marmalade with your cheese and crackers, using it as an ingredient in a dish lifts it to a whole different level. Since the sweet/sour caramelised onion flavours come alive on your tongue. It is pure heaven!

Recipe: This makes one deep Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche serves 2-3, baked in a loose bottom tart tin.

For a larger quiche, double the recipe.

1/3 Quantity All Butter Shortcrust Pastry

50g/2oz Feta Cheese

2-3tbsp Red Onion Marmalade from Hawkshead Relish

4 Large Free Range Eggs

2tbsp/30ml Whole Milk

1/4tsp Sea Salt I use – Maldon

1/4tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1tsp Chopped Fresh Chives

Making And Baking The Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6, 400F

Prepare the pastry and blind bake according to the instructions given for Perfect All Butter Shortcrust Pastry.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 375F.
Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of Red Onion Marmalade into the bottom of the pastry tart shell.

Crumble the feta cheese on top.

Crack the eggs into a jug. Add the milk and seasoning. Whisk to combine.
Carefully pour the egg mixture into the tart shell, taking care not to overfill it. Better to have some egg mixture left over, than over fill the tart case.

Place the quiche carefully into the centre of the preheated oven.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the egg is set in the middle. It should be firm and not wobble.

Leave to cool slightly before serving.

I personally like this Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche best when it is warm. Served with a crisp, green salad, my Tangy Lemon Potato Salad and an extra spoonful of the delicious Red Onion Marmalade.

Perfect to take in your packed lunch as a change from sandwiches. Once cooled, wrap in cling film and store in the fridge. Also, this quiche freezes successfully for up to one month. Remove from the metal tart tin and wrap in cling film and then foil.

I found this really handy when I was recipe testing and made 6 quiches over one weekend!

If you have enjoyed this Feta Red Onion Marmalade Quiche recipe, here are a few others you may also like:

Spicy Sausage Rolls

Quiche Lorraine

Sausage Plait With A Twist

I was so thrilled with the outcome of this particular recipe. Because it had honestly never occurred to me before to use savoury chutneys and marmalades as ingredients. And look out for the upcoming Hawkshead Relish Review where there will be other tasty recipes using their products as ingredients.

The flavour and texture of the Red Onion Marmalade is very different from traditional, sticky onion marmalade. Since this marmalade has a chunky, more chutney texture and the flavour is delicious. Sweet, caramelised onions, with a very slight sour vinegar flavour that works to balance the whole taste experience.

Has this encouraged you to try using condiments as ingredients?

Thank you for sharing all of your makes and bakes with me on Twitter and Instagram. I not only enjoy seeing you bake my recipes, but whatever you make inspires me. Please keep the comments coming. Not only do I really enjoy reading them, but I’ve been told other readers also enjoy reading them too.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

Hawkshead Relish provided me with a sample of their Red Onion Chutney. All recipes, content, photography, views and opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Sundried Tomato Bread

Sundried Tomato Bread perfect packed up for warm summer picnics, or sliced and toasted with melting cheese on a chilly Winter’s eve.

I have been wanting to try my hand at Sundried Tomato Bread for literally ages, somehow though it always seemed to get put off.

Well not this weekend! I set about creating this beautifully coloured and delicious loaf on Saturday morning. I started with my Farmhouse White Loaf recipe and went from there.

Sundried Tomato Bread with cheese — Good sharp cheddar and vine tomatoes compliment this **Sundried Tomato Bread** beautifully.

Sundried tomatoes are usually available either stored in oil, or dry packed in a cellophane bag. Mine were the latter and I had a hunch they would be too dry for this recipe. So I chopped them up and warmed them gently in some olive oil. I’m pretty sure this step is what gave the crust a delicious chewy texture, rather than crisp and crunchy,

To add extra flavour some smoked paprika was added to the dough, oh boy this makes such a difference to the flavour. A very subtle, smokey – you know something’s there but you can’t quite put your finger on it – flavour, that compliments the slight sweetness of the sundried tomatoes.

Chewy Crust Sundried Tomato Bread — **Sundried Tomato Bread** the colour alone is so inviting.

This bread can stand up to strong flavours and would be the perfect accompaniment to game pate, sharp cheddar, or torn into chunks and used to mop up a spicy soup. Ooh mulligatawny soup would pare beautifully with this bread.

I am a firm believer that bread should add to the taste, not just be a carrier of flavour from whatever it is topped with. This Sundried Tomato Bread ticks that box one hundred per cent. Adding another level to a cheese and chutney sandwich. The flavours coming alive when warmed and toasted with melting cheese dripping over the sides.

Flavourful Sundried Tomato Bread — **Sundried Tomatoe Bread** adding another flavour dimension to sandwiches.

Sundried Tomato Bread is a total knockout on the flavour front.

Recipe: Makes one Sundried Tomato Bread

500g/1lb 2oz Strong White Bread Flour – I use Organic White Bread Flour from Shipton Mill

320ml Tepid Water

7g/1 sachet Fast Action Dried Yeast

1tsp Smoked Paprika

100g/4oz Sundried Tomatoes plus 2 tbsp oil that they come in or 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

7g Salt – I use Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Method:

Chop the sundried tomatoes in to fairly small pieces. If they did not come packaged in oil, add to a small saucepan and pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Warm over a medium heat for 2 minutes, the sundried tomatoes will soak up the oil. Set to one side to cool.

The ‘bowl’ is either the container used for mixing/proving and baking in a bread maker, or the bowl of a stand mixer.

For both methods:

Pour the water into the bowl, then add the yeast.

Add the flour on top of the liquid.

Add the salt and smoked paprika.

If using a bread maker, set to dough cycle and start the program. When prompted by the machine, or 5 minutes prior to the mixing finishing, add the sundried tomatoes and oil.

Once the dough cycle is complete re-start for 2 minutes. This ‘knocks back’ the dough. Remove the dough and place on a lightly floured surface, it will be quite sticky.

Flatten the dough with your hand into a rough rectangular shape. Fold the bottom third upwards and then the top third downwards, like an envelope.

Sundried Tomato Bread dough — Look at the gorgeous colour of the dough.

*Place the log shaped dough onto the baking tray, cut a couple of slashes through the dough diagonally and dust with a little flour. Cover with a clean, dry tea towel and leave in a draught free place until doubled in size – approx 1 hour.

If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and mix on medium speed until all the ingredients are combined. Add the sundried tomatoes and oil. Continue to mix for a further 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Stop mixing. Scrape the dough from the dough hook and combine with the dough in the bowl. Form into a ball, place back into the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a draught free place until doubled in size (approx. 1hour).

Once doubled remove the cloth, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed using the dough hook. This ‘knocks back’ the dough.

Flatten the dough with your hand into a rough rectangular shape. Fold the bottom third upwards and then the top third downwards, like an envelope.

*Follow as above.

Risen Sundried Tomato Bread — Beautifully risen and ready for the oven – **Sundried Tomato Bread**.

Approx. 10 minutes before the loaf is ready, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan.

Once the dough has doubled in size place into the middle of the preheat, hot oven.

Bake for 30 minutes. The bread is baked when it has a good firm crust and sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckle.

Once the Sundried Tomato Bread is baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack immediately.

I know you want to tear into this loaf as soon as it is out of the oven, I know you do, cos I do too. Please leave the loaf to cool, ideally until cold, but just warm should be ok too!!

Whole loaf Sundried Tomato Bread — **Sundried Tomato Bread** there’s a good chewy crust on this loaf.

This bread is made for feasting. Imagine, cheeseboard on the table, steaming bowls of spicy soup and thick chunks of this savoury, slightly malted flavoured bread. Oh and all your friends and/or family sitting around chatting, dunking, eating and having fun. Who said there’s no feast without bread eh?

Yummy Sundried Tomato Bread — **Sundried Tomato Bread** perfect for an indoors or outdoors picnic.

Actually this bread has a sourdough, chewy quality to it, with a few larger holes throughout the loaf and a hint of that unique soughdough flavour.

If you enjoy bread packed with flavour, then this Sundried Tomato Bread is definitely a loaf you should try. Please let me know if you do bake it? I love hearing how your bakes turn out,

If you have enjoyed this Sundried Tomato Bread recipe then you are going to love these other bread recipes:

Large White Bloomer

Wholemeal Cob Loaf

Knotted Popyseed Rolls

Whatever you bake and whoever you bake for, have fun!

Sammie xx

Any questions? You can leave a comment or contact me via Twitter @sammiefeasting (also Pinterest and Intagram handles).

Perfect Panini Pizza

Hi, I’ve just made the easiest, tastiest, lunch ever: Perfect Panini Pizza. It’s so simple, yet so delicious.

Our daughter is at home, working hard on study leave. It’s exam time people! That means lots of study and lots of brain fuel – FOOD!! So in an effort to make lunchtime fun I decided to turn 2 panini rolls (ciabatta rolls would work fine too) into something other than a sandwich! Not that sandwiches aren’t good, but I wanted to change things up a bit and treat Star to a fabulous lunch. Perfect Panini Pizza totally hit the mark!

Perfect Panini Pizza - fuel for studying! — Perfect Panini Pizza – fuel for studying!

I’ve made pizza using baguette before, but I’ve always found it really, really hard to stop the curved edges of the baguette from toppling the whole pizza over, dumping the topping as it rolls. Now I’ve found a solution – Ciabatta bread. It’s flat!! I know right!! Takes me a while to catch on sometimes (always!!!!). But I got there in the end and ooh what a delicious result.

Perfect Panini Pizza - totally scrummy! — Perfect Panini Pizza – totally scrummy!

The best thing about this recipe is that you can top your pizza with whatever you have in the fridge. I’ve used Salami, but ham, peppers, olives, sweetcorn, really the list is endless. If you try this please let me know what toppings you try?

Recipe :

1 Panini roll/1/2 ciabatta loaf per person

Olive Oil

Tomato Salsa – or tomato pasta sauce (in a jar!)

Mozzerella Cheese – or any other good melting cheese

Salami – or any topping of your choice!

Method : Preheat oven to 200C/185C fan

I specifically haven’t given quantities for the ingredients above as it really depends on how many pizzas you are making and how hungry the people you are making them for are!!

Here is how I made our Perfect Panini Pizzas :

Take two panini rolls.... — Take two panini rolls….

Slice in half, place on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with Olive oil.

Spoon over some bought tomato salsa/pasta sauce, so it just covers the bread. Don't overdo it or your pizza will be soggy. — Spoon over some bought tomato salsa/pasta sauce, so it just covers the bread. Don’t overdo it or your pizza will be soggy.

Lay slices of mozzarella over the top...... — Lay slices of mozzarella over the top……

Bake in the oven for 20 mins until the base and edges are all crispy and the cheese is gooey and melting over the sides!

Remove the pizzas from the oven and get ready for the best lunch ever!!!!

Star and I thoroughly enjoyed our Perfect Panini Pizzas and had fun deciding what other toppings we’d like to try. The perfect break from studying. Rested and refuelled.

I’m sending lots of love to all students and school children ( it’s SATS week ) who are studying and taking exams at the moment.

What is your favourite refuel food?

Sammie x

Chicken Four Cheese Lasagne

Hi, roadway I’m sharimg my recipe for Chicken Four Cheese Lasagne. It is a tasty twist on a classic dish. While there are a few steps to follow, each part of the recipe is easy to follow. And there is no need to precook the lasagne sheets. Making this recipe using minced chicken is a tasty twist on an Italian classic.

Delicious, cheese sauce topped, chicken lasagne - delish! — Delicious, cheese sauce topped, chicken lasagne.

As a busy household, make ahead meals are a life, or should I say a sanity saver.

A perfect, portable meal for sharing with others.

By substituting beef with minced chicken, the resulting baked lasagne becomes a lighter dish. Not lighter in calories, with the delicious four cheese sauce. Rather, not as heavy on the stomach. And the four cheese sauce was the result of me raiding the fridge for leftover Christmas cheese.

The Four Cheese Sauce tops of this lasagne perfectly!!

Since minced chicken may not be available everywhere, minced turkey is a great substitute. Alternatively, processing skinless chicken breasts, thighs or a combination in a food processor would be another way to make your own chicken mince. Another option, finely chopped chicken using a sharp knife would work and give the lasagne added texture.

Recipe : Chicken Four Cheese Lasagne Serves 6-8 portions.

Chicken Lasagne Sauce

450g/1lb Chicken Mince

1 Large White Onion

2tbsp Olive Oil – I use Filippo Berio

2 Celery Stalks – the larger outside stalks

1 Green Pepper – washed, deseeded and finely diced

2-3 Carrots – peeled and finely diced

3 Garlic Cloves – minced or crushed (using a garlic press)

3 x 400g Chopped Tinned Tomatoes

2tbsp Tomato Puree

1tsp Dried Mixed Herbs – or fresh basil, oregano, parsley and thyme – to taste

1tsp Sugar

Salt and Ground Black Pepper – to taste

Cheese Sauce :

3tbsp Butter

3tbsp Plain White Flour

750-800ml/Approx 26fl oz Whole Milk

6oz Hard Cheese – I used a 50/50 mixture of Mature Cheddar and Swiss Cheese cut into small cubes or grated

4.5oz/125g Riccota Cheese

250g/8.5oz Mozzarella Cheese

1 tsp Nutmeg – freshly grated if possible

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Butter – For Greasing the Lasagne Dish

1 packet Dried Egg Lasagne Sheets 375g/13-14oz – dont worry if the packet requires pre-cooking you won’t need to.

Method:

A rectangular, ovenproof dish approximately 30cm x 20cm x 9cm (12in x 8in x 3.5in) is needed to make this lasagne.

Making The Chicken Lasagne Sauce

First of all finely chop the onion, celery, green pepper and carrots.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes over a medium heat until the onions start to turn translucent.
Next add the diced celery to the pan and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes until the celery starts to soften.
Push the onions and celery to one side of the pan and add the Chicken mince to the other side. Alternatively if you don’t have a large sauté pan, remove the onions and celery, into a separate dish and then add the Chicken to the pan.
Cook the chicken, using a wooden spatula to break up the mince so large clumps of meat don’t form.

Having a large sauté pan means you can cook all the ingredients in one go!!!

Unlike beef mince, the chicken mince will get lighter as it cooks.
Cook the chicken turns opaque but not browned.
Now add the carrots, green pepper and the minced garlic.

As soon as everything is mixed together add the tomatoes. Also fill each empty can almost to the top with water and add that to the pan.
Add the tomato purée, dried or fresh chopped herbs.
Give everything a good stir then add the sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grinding of black pepper.
Turn the heat to medium-low and leave to gently bubble away on the stove for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Making Four Cheese Sauce Lasagne Topping

Place a medium sized pan over a gentle heat. Add the butter and cook until melted and starting to sizzle.
Next tip the flour on to the melted butter stirring constantly until combined and smooth.
Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.

This is what the butter and flour should look like.

Start slowly adding the milk, stirring vigorously as the paste thickens. Continue stirring while adding small amounts of milk.

The sauce will become very thick. DON'T WORRY!!!! — The sauce will become very thick.

As more milk is added lumps may form, switch to a balloonwhisk at this stage.
Continue until all the milk has been added and absorbed.
The sauce will be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.

No lumps here - if you squint!!!!!! — No lumps here – if you squint!!!!!!

Remove the pan from the heat and add the ricotta and the other cheeses (except the mozzarella), stir vigorously.

The Ricotta gets dumped in and then add the hard cheeses.

Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ricotta cheese will give the Four Cheese Sauce a slightly grainy texture, that’s normal. While grated cheese will melt into the sauce easily, cubed cheese will almost never become completely smooth, that’s ok as it will when it’s baked in the oven later. Also the addition of freshly ground nutmeg elevates the flavour above and beyond, but please, if you can, grate your own nutmeg.
Set to one side to cool.

Assembling The Lasagne Layers

First of all liberally butter the ovenproof dish. Since I’ve made a LOT of lasagne buttering the dish before hand not only helps when serving, it also doesn’t require 3 days soaking to remove baked on lasagne.

I wasn’t joking when I said that you don’t have to precook the lasagne sheets. Since I’ve used lots of different makes, some with ruffled edges, green spinach lasagne sheets, egg versus plain AND this recipe works with all types.

These are dried lasagne sheets. Any brand will do!

As soon as you have buttered the dish place a layer of hot chicken lasagne sauce into the bottom of the dish, so that it is completely covered.

The first layer is down, time to start building!!! — The first layer is down, time to start building!

Next place enough lasagne sheets to cover the bottom layer. The layers should meet or very slightly overlap.

If your lasagne sheets don't fit exactly, just snap bits off to adjust them. — If your lasagne sheets don’t fit exactly, just snap bits off to adjust them.

Repeat the sauce/lasagne sheet layering twice more finishing with a sheet layer.

All the bits and pieces of the lasagne sheets will be covered by the Four Cheese Sauce.

Pour the cooled cheese sauce all over the top of the lasagne sheets.

Ooh this is going to be sooooo good - look at that yummy cheese sauce layer! — Ooh this is going to be sooooo good – look at that yummy cheese sauce layer!

Finishing The Lasagne

Drain and slice the mozzarella cheese.

The final gooey, stringy, adornment for this fab lasagne dish!

And now arrange the mozzarella slices on top of the cheese sauce.

The Four Cheese Sauce tops off this lasagne perfectly!! — The Four Cheese Sauce tops off this lasagne perfectly.

Finally leave the lasagne for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight. So that the dried lasagne slices have time to absorb moisture from both sauces. Also this dish can be made 1-2 days in advance, wrapped in cling film and left in the fridge.

Baking The Lasagne

As soon as the lasagne is ready to bake preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven, 350F, gas mark 4.
Place the lasagne dish on to a slightly larger baking tray; this dish can bubble up and over.
Bake the lasagne for 1 1/2 hours until piping hot all the way through and golden brown.

Remove from the oven 10-15 minutes before serving. Doing so allows the lasagne to cool slightly and more importantly, hold it’s shape when served.

This Chicken and Four Cheese Lasagne is delicious on it’s own, served with a salad and freshly baked Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bead. Also it can be frozen at the pre-bake stage or in individual portions, wrapped tightly in foil and popped into the freezer. Or why not double the quantities and make an extra meal for the freezer?

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Chicken Four Cheese Lasagne you may also like these:

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

FF Chicken Four Cheese Lasagne — Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

Smoked Bacon Asparagus Quich

Creamy Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta

While traditional recipes will stand the test of time, importantly it’s fun to change things up. And sharing those changes is especially important as is sharing the food we make. Most of all if you know a new mum, or someone who has been ill for a while, or just a very busy family that you would like to bless, then this is THE perfect, portable, all in one meal for sharing!

Sammie x

Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake

Hello there, thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I hope it inspires you to make this delicious, very economical, Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake – covered in a scrummy Cheese Sauce!

I’m sorry that I haven’t posted anything for a few days, unfortunately my body has been very uncooperative and I’ve been struggling with a lot of pain. Not looking for sympathy, just explaining.

Anyhow this morning, once I was up and dressed I was determined to make the Christmas cakes ( I know this blog is about the Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake – but I have to tell you the whole story, so bare with please??!!). One cake for us and a smaller cake for my lovely hubby’s Ma and Pa. They love Christmas cake like no other people I have ever met and since I love them and making cakes I thought I’d bake them a cake as well!

Once the cakes were happily baking away in the oven I turned my attention to dinner. I happened to have 8 rashers of streaky bacon in the fridge and thought ‘You know what, I’ll make Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake’. Not only that, but as I have tended to be a bit lazy with my savoury recipes, I also made a note of exactly what I used and took some photos to show you how to make it yourself!!

Recipe: Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake serves 6

For the bacon and tomato sauce you will need –

1tbsp Olive oil

1tbsp Butter

8 x rashers streaky bacon (smoked or not the choice is yours) – any rind removed

1 Large White Onion

2 Sticks of Celery

1 Green Pepper

6 – 8 Chestnut or Button Mushrooms

3 Bulbs of Garlic

2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes and their juice

1tbsp Tomato puree

1tsp Mixed Dry Herbs

1/2tsp Sea Salt (1/4tsp free flowing salt)

1/4 tsp Nutmeg – freshly grated

1/2tsp Black Pepper – freshly ground

1/2tsp Sugar

For the Cheese Sauce :

2tbsp Unsalted Butter

2tbsp Plain White Flour

500ml/1.25 pints Whole Milk

175g/6oz Strong Cheddar

1/4tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method

In a large saute pan (or shallow casserole dish) melt the Olive oil and Butter together over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped Onion and Saute until translucent (approx 5-8 mins). Add in the Bacon – I usually snip this into approx 1/2″ pieces, directly into the pan, however you can chip up the Bacon with a knife and then add it.

Let the bacon sizzle until it had rendered out some of it’s fat, but not so much that it goes crispy. Add in the Celery and Carrot ( which have both been finely chopped and cook for another 5 mins.

Sautéing the bacon, onions, carrots and celery.

After 5 mins add in the finely chopped Green Pepper and the Mushroom ( I slice the mushrooms fairly thinly, then cut the slices in half – it just looks nice in the dish!). Add the crushed (or finely chopped) garlic and continue cooking for another 5-10 mins, until all the vegetables are slightly softened.

Green Pepper and Sliced Mushrooms added. How chunky or fine you chop your veg is entirely up to you!!!). — Green Pepper and Sliced Mushrooms added. How chunky or fine you chop your veg is entirely up to you!!

Once the vegetables have started to soften add the tinned, chopped tomatoes. Rinse each tin out with cold water (fill the tin to just over half with water and swish the tin to dilute any tomato juice left, into the water) and add the tomato purée. Add the seasonings next: salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg and mixed herbs. The sugar balances out the tartness of tinned tomatoes and makes a very real difference to the finished dish.

Allow the bacon, vegetables and tomatoes to bubble away, uncovered, on a low-medium heat for at least an hour.

Cheese Sauce:

Melt 2tbsp butter on a medium heat in a saucepan. Once melted add 2tbsp of plain white flour and mix thoroughly, lowering the heat very slightly.

Cook the flour and butter together for a couple of minutes to get rid of the 'raw flour' taste. — Cook the flour and butter together for a couple of minutes to get rid of the ‘raw flour’ taste.

This flour/butter mixture is now called a roux. Now gradually add (50ml at a time at the beginning) whole milk to the flour/butter mixture, stirring constantly. As the milk warms it will gradually become incorporated into the flour/butter. In the beginning, for the first few milk additions, the mixture will be very thick and stiff to stir. If you find the milk is not incorporating into the mixture, or it is very lumpy, it’s fine to switch to a whisk, this will ensure a beautiful, lump free, smooth sauce. Add 450-500ml of milk until your sauce has the consistency similar to custard.

Add a pinch of salt, a good grinding of black pepper, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and mix thoroughly. Off of the heat add a good 2 handfuls (4-6oz) of grated mature cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly until the cheese has melted into the sauce.

The Pasta

I have used penne rigate pasta for this dish. Basically pasta tubes, cut on a slant with ridges in the outside! I like penne rigate as it holds firm, the sauce not only goes into the pasta tubes, but also the sauce clings to the outside ridges of the pasta. I cooked about 3/4 of a 500g packet (350g if my maths is correct??).

I said earlier, this is such an economical dish – 8 bacon rashers, bits of veg you have in the fridge, a couple of handfuls of mature cheddar and not even a whole packet of pasta!! Not only that but it tastes fab and is easily transportable, so ideal to give individual portions to friends/family or pop in the freezer!!

Once the pasta is almost cooked (not quite al dente) drain and add to the bacon sauce.

The pasta dumped on top of the bacon sauce.

Mix the sauce and pasta together. If serving a separate portion to give away, remove a generous portion of the pasta/bacon mix, ensuring you get a good mix of the sauce, bacon, veg and of course pasta.

Not the most elegant container, but foil containers make transporting, or freezing the individual portions sooooo easy!!

Spread the rest of the bacon pasta evenly into an ovenproof container. Tap the individual portions to settle the pasta and remove any air bubbles.

Cover your pasta dishes with a good dollop of the cheese sauce. For added prettiness (and because the cheese sauce didn’t reach the edges!!) I sliced ripe, ruby red tomatoes and placed them around the outside edge of the pasta.

Beautifully decorated - and no one knew my secret!!!! — Beautifully decorated Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake

Slightly overstuffed, once the cheese sauce was added, so just wrapped in foil. One individual portion ready to go!!!

So a super tasty, super economical meal to eat and share!

For a bubbly,scrumptious meal, ready for the table: Cook the large Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake at 180C for an hour until thoroughly heated through, 1/2 hour at the same temp for the individual portion.

An amazingly tasty, versatile dish that’s easy on your wallet and tasty on your tongue.

Have fun, feasting and enjoy sharing your meal!!

Sammie x