Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for butter
Bread and butter pudding
Just because today was a crappy day, I feel the need to post about some real feel good food, classic, dependable, unfussy and fuzzy wuzzy. Bread and butter pudding is my saviour – since I bake my own bread, there’re always times when the bread is a little too dry but would taste simply lovely in blankets of eggy custard and sprinkled with cinnamon or vanilla sugar.
This time I had a slightly failed batch of buns (let’s not get into this so much as to say that I need to use some more common sense) to work with – they were barely risen, hard lumps, but I knew how to comfort myself. These look prettier than your average perfectly risen buns, because they kept their shape, but really, anything sort of slightly stale bread will do.
For those of you who already have a go-to recipe and what to know whether this one is any different: this is not a watery/liquidy pudding. It goes “glop glop” when serving rather than “squish squish.” It does not have chocolate, and personally I doubt that chocolate would improve things, or too many other over excited additions. Sorry, but this is a classic, okay? If you’re pregnant and have a craving, I would understand, but otherwise, try not to overwhelm the flavours.
Thanks goes to Laura at Hungry & Frozen for the original recipe, and delicious prose.
Bread and butter pudding
serves two
2-4 buns or enough thickly sliced bread to fill a small ovenprood dish about halfway. Don’t use that cottony soft supermarket sliced bread, it’s too thin and too soft – unless you like a soggy pudding.
25g softened butter
30g brown sugar
2 small eggs
1c milk (none of this low fat stuff, y’hear?!)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (best stuff you can find, or home made)
optional: extra sugar and cinnamon for dusting
Heat the milk and vanilla in a small saucepan until hot to the touch but not boiling. Layer buns or thikc slices of bread in a casserole dish or ovenproof fish. Beat butter and sugar together, then beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, and pour the mixture over the buns. Preheat the oven to 170C (330F) and let the pudding sit until the oven is up to temperature (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes.
Better than a cafe’s cafe-style fudge slice
Apricots and white chocolate, as a combination, are incredibly under-rated, as I found out last night. We had a surprise visit from Ro (one of my dearest cooking friends), but not without a delicious sweet treat whipped up in Clare’s kitchen. I’m not sure if this is really a true fudge (what with the addition of biscuits and all) but does it really matter? It’s delicious, it’s a true marvel of white chocolate and apricot bliss, and to boot, there’s no need to turn the oven on or any of that finicky business. It’s also rather classy (despite all my dislikes for white chocolate), and thus looks rather impressive (like the sort of stuff you fork over $3-$4 for at a swanky, inner city cafe by the arts centre…cough…but better!). Plus, it’s cute, see?
So, with Ro’s lovely recipe in hand, I shall now share the fudge you will remember as the fudge that made you instantly (more) famous and popular with all your workmates and friends, should you choose to share it. Even if none of them liked white chocolate (aye, that would be me) or apricots (they may be from another planet).
Roro’s white chocolate and apricot fudge
Fudge bit:
1c sweetened condensed milk
125g butter, chopped
350g plain wine biscuits (if in NZ) or sweet shortbread type biscuits, crushed
1 1/2 c finely chopped dried apricots
350g white chocolate (broken up buttons or blocks)
1 c dessicated coconut
Heat condensed milk and butter together on a very very low heat in a medium to large saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, and combine well. Add biscuit crumbs and combine well. Mix in all other ingredients – the chocolate will partly melt, which will be fine. Press the mixture into a slice tin or casserole dish. Pop in the freezer for about half an hour (or until set).
Icing
250g white chocolate buttons (about 1c)
2 Tbs milk
2 Tbs dessicated coconut
Heat chocolate and milk together on a very low heat in a saucepan until the chocolate is melted, stirring to combine. Remove from heat once choc is melted. Spread over the fudge base, sprinkle over dessicated coconut, and return to freezer for about 10 mins.
Remove from freezer, cut into pieces, then leave in fridge until fully set. Enjoy with a tea or coffee, preferably with friends, and enjoy your newfound popularity!
Bubble and squeak
This is one of those surprisingly mouthwatering things made up of very ordinary ingredients (even leftovers potentially), which, once mastered, will be a regular feature for dinner. I’ve made this several times now: mashed potatoes, cabbage, onion, garlic, and lots of butter. Individually, the ingredients aren’t all that special (except for the garlic and butter), but together…oh my. Oh. MY. It’s not effortless of course, and for some, the flipping process will have you either exceptionally smug or screaming in anguish. However, even if your bubble and squeak ends up more of a pile of vegetables rather than a cake-like looking thing, it won’t affect the taste at all, I promise. If you’ve been freaked out, don’t be: this requires one pan and one large bowl, so it’s not hard, and has plenty of time where you just leave the thing to bubble and squeak without having to touch it (in fact, touching it during that time will bring you peril later on, trust me). So even though in total this might take about 45 minutes to make, 30 of that you’ll be free to whip up a simple salad on the side, or whatever else you may like. Also, it’s incredibly versatile: In the pictured one, I added some shredded silverbeet I threw into the pan with my cabbage, and it worked great (by which I mean I didn’t taste the silverbeet :P). Here’s some encouragement:
Never mind that the other half ended up being more of the aforementioned “pile” of veges…but yesh. Also, do I get bragging rights that this salad was made with vegetables that were entirely home grown? By moi?
It’s just a simple variety of lettuces, baby bok choy leaves, tomatoes, and radishes. Easiest veges to grow ever, and so versatile…anyway. Onto bubbling and squeaking!
Bubble and squeak adapted from Linda Fraser’s essential vegetarian cookbook.
Makes one 1″ thick (approx) 24cm wide “cake” (to serve 2 as a large side or 4 as a small side). Use a larger pan if needed, and make sure you have a plate the same size to invert the cake onto.
Either: approx 2c ready mashed potato,
or 600g raw potatoes, cut so that each piece is 2″ max width/length, pricked with a sharp knife at several points. Don’t need to skin.
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped
approx 250g thinly sliced raw green cabbage or 200g cabbage cooked (or other veges, see suggestions at end)
30g butter, split into two lots. Extra if using raw vegetables.
salt and pepper, plus any herbs you want (sage, thyme and/or oregano work well)
If using raw vegetables:
Put potatoes into a glass bowl and microwave for 3 mins on high. Flip each bit 180 degrees, then microwave for another 3 minutes on high or until a sharp knife inserted goes in easily (ahem). Cut potatoes up and mash roughly.
In the same pan you’ll use for the bubble and squeak, cook onions, cabbage and herbs with salt and pepper to taste in some butter on a medium heat until the vegetables are beginning to turn golden. Add garlic, cook for another minute, then remove from heat and add to mashed potatoes.
—
Mix everything together (except for butter), so that it is relatively uniform. Melt half the butter (approx 15g) in the pan you’ll use to cook the bubble and squeak (you absolutely must use a non stick pan or you will drive yourself mad), on the lowest heat setting on your cooker. Add the potato and vege mix to the pan, patting it down and levelling to make a cake that fills the pan. Once flattened, set a timer for 15 mins, and let cook for the full 15 mins WITHOUT TOUCHING IT. This is very important.
After 15 minutes, place a plate on the frypan (clean side down), and as quickly as you can, invert the cake onto the plate (you want to minimise the time the pan and plate are not horizontal). The cooked side should be a deliciously golden brown. Melt the second half of the butter in the pan, and very carefully shuffle/slide the cake back into the pan (try not to nudge it in with anything, as this will munt the shape of it). Once back in the pan, tuck any loose bits (if you have any) back in to form the cake shape again. Let cook for another 15 minutes (I suggest setting that timer again).
After the second side is cooked, either invert or slide it onto the same plate you used earlier. Cut into quarters. If it falls apart, don’t worry too much, just serve it in a pile – the taste of this will totally win you over again! Best served with a salad.
Instead of cabbage, you could try cooked chopped cauliflower, chopped brocolli, brussels sprouts, shredded silverbeet or spinach, shredded carrots, chopped green peppers, chopped mushrooms…just don’t use veges that will emit a lot of water once cooked, unless you use it with cabbage (spinach is one example).
Easy cheesy potato thyme warm salad
Do not cringe at the word salad, for there are no fiddly leaves in this bar some thyme. I don’t really need to try and sell this to you, as it has butter, parmesan, thyme and potatoes (and erm…nothing else, actually…although you could add salt and pepper if you like your potatoes like that). Yes, all the good things in life. Now, I know not everyone is a fan of parmesan (whether it’s the rotting socks smell of it or the price tag for a decent chunk), but it’s not at all rotting-socks-like in this at all. It’s simply there for the cheese factor, a mild flirt on the side…don’t worry, it won’t try to abuse your nose. It won’t even abuse your pans! (I say this after having roast potatoes stick to my roasting pans even if I all but deep fry them in the oven…)
Now you can use any herb you like, it’s just that I’ve developed a liking for parmesan and thyme starchy things. Especially crackers or biscuits.
Parmy thyme ‘tatoes
No recipes here! Just get as many potatoes as you want to eat, wash and de-sprout them, chop them into 1 inch chunks, and boil them with some dry thyme until a fork inserted goes in without a hitch (or if you’re truly spastic, just goes in without too much resistance). Drain well, throw into a bowl, and while still hot, chuck in as much butter as you think you can handle. Grate over some parmesan (again, use your judgment), and mix it all up. Taste, and add salt and pepper or more parmesan if necessary. Don’t worry if things start crumbling a little, either. If you have fresh thyme, use it as a garnish.
Works with any potatoes, but I’m guessing they’d taste best with new season baby ones. Enjoy!
Making your own butter
Is fun and so so easy! I discovered Kay’s recipe (well…method) over at Kayotic kitchen (brilliant, brilliant site – really simple, easy food that is purposeful and flavour-packed without a huge long ingredients list. Highly recommended), and seeing as I have no more exams, I just had to give it a try. As promised, it was spectacularly easy (all you need is a sieve, spoon, bowl and food processor), and really quite interesting to watch. It didn’t take long (it must have taken 7-10 mins max for the butter to form) and it was sooo nice! I’m not sure if it’s the freshness or the fact that at home you can’t quite get all the buttermilk out, but omg…you don’t want to use this on just anything (I’ve reserved it specially for spreading on our fresh bread, but obviously you can use it in anything). I won’t post the method (visit Kayotic Kitchen), because the original post is really perfect as is, but below are some details about it.
The amount called for in the original recipe (500ml) can be bought in one bottle. It makes about 200g butter and 1 1/2 c buttermilk (which I will post a buttermilk pancake recipe for, and buttermilk parmesan potatoes). You don’t have to add salt (I didn’t as I plan to add cinnamon and brown sugar to my butter!), but this will mean it keeps longer. I guess price wise it’s not hugely cheaper than buying butter and buttermilk, but the great thing is the perfect amount it makes – you never need a whole carton of buttermilk really and aside from that, both taste AMAZING. You just can’t compare it with supermarket stuff. So go gourmet after your exams (or during… whatever), and don’t forget to try different things in your butter. I loved smushin some spring onions in…heavenly on bread. I’m going to try fresh basil next, which is maturing on my windowsill nicely.
Ok, so it doesn’t win awards for being pretty, but you wouldn’t look pretty either if you’d been whipped around in a blender like that for 7 minutes straight.
