ArchiveJune 2008

Artisan Food Producers take the Limelight

By Darina Allen
June 28, 2008
In Saturday Letter
12 Min read
Recipes
  1.          
  2. Grainy Mustard Sauce:  also delicious with pork
  3. Garnish
  4. Flat parsley or watercress
  5. Mushroom Bruschetta with Parsley Pesto and Parmesan Shavings
  6. Parsley Pesto
Food is hot and at last the farmers and fishermen and artisan producers are emerging from the background and into the limelight and getting the recognition they deserve.    

Virtually every county has a food festival, and at last we are beginning to celebrate and value our indigenous and traditional local foods.

Recently we participated in the hugely successful Taste of Dublin Food Festival now in its third year.

Over thirty thousand people poured into the Iveagh Gardens to eat, drink and be merry.   The organizers who had been unlucky with the weather in 2006 & 2007 beamed, as the sun shone and the public queued up to enjoy the much-enlarged event.  This year there was lots of covered seating and free plastic macs ready to hand out if the ‘heavens’ opened.   They were scarcely necessary, just one shower on Sunday evening.

Twenty two of the capital’s most celebrated chefs cooked their signature dishes.   Good Food Ireland had six stalls where their members dished out tastes of their products to eager foodies.

Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh, (067-32596), couldn’t keep up with the demand for his wife Mary’s salad dressing, chutneys and legendary marmalade, for which she roasts the orange peel in the Aga.  Ralph Haslam’s organic Mossfield cheese from near Birr, Co Offaly,  sold out, as did Dick and Anne Keating classic and smoked Baylough cheese made near Clogheen in the foothills of the Knockmealdown Mountains (052-65275).  Traditional butcher Jack McCarthy from Kanturk, Co Cork, www.jackmccarthy.ie  and his team were offering tastes of their rashers and sausages, biggest hit was a large Ardrahan and smokey bacon sausage wrapped in one of their home-cured rashers on a skewer.   The curing skill has been passed down through the generations since 1862.  Tom O’Connell of O’Connells Ballsbridge, and Kenneth  Kelly, son of Sean Kelly of  Kelly’s of Newport, Co Mayo couldn’t keep up with servings of black and white puddings with Bramley Apple and Grainy Mustard Sauce.

Kellys of Newport are award-winning artisan butchers who have won All-Ireland Gold awards every year since 2003, as well as a slew of  international awards for their hand-made black puddings and putógs, (www.kellysbutchers.com )   One of the rare butchers to use fresh blood from their own abattoir in their products, hence the delicious crumbly texture.

Another innovative butcher, T.J. Crowe from Dundrum in Co Tipperary, (062-71137)  had a wide range of products including crubeens and organic bacon.

Birgitta Curtin from Burren Smokehouse in Co Clare (www.burrensmokehouse.ie) was inundated for tastes of her smoked fish.   Maxine Hyde and her pals were handing out tastes of Ballymaloe Country Relish and their new range of pasta sauces as fast as they could (www.ballymaloecountryrelish.ie) .  All are members of Good Food Ireland, an organization whose members are dedicated to using Irish, local and artisan food produce, (www.goodfoodireland.ie) 

Altogether there were lots of great artisan food producers and wine, and Gerard Coleman from Artisan du Chocolat (www.artisanduchocolat.com) in London brought his hand made chocolates  to gauge the Irish reaction – his company is the only company to conch their own chocolate from scratch and his innovative flavours have won plaudits from chocoholics all over the globe.   The green tea chocolate was simply divine and the liquid salted caramels in the words of Jay Rayner are ‘to die for’.  

I also met Grégoire Saint Olive of L’Oustaou who was selling very interesting flavoured vinegars and flavoured oils. (www.oustaou.ie) 

Top Irish and UK chefs were demonstrating in the Drumm’s Chef Theatre- Antony Worrall Thompson, Ross Lewis, Angela Hartnett, Rory O’Connell, Rachel Allen, Arun Kapil, Derry Clarke, Clodagh McKenna and dozens more.

We were all kept busy in the first Ballymaloe Cookery School at the Taste of Dublin, sponsored by Falcon Cookers and run by Pamela Black and Debbie Shaw  – 16 cookery classes in four days – all terrific fun.

This weekend the event is coming to our very own capital – Taste of Cork will be held in the Cork Gaol ,(Convent Avenue, Sundays Well)  from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th.   Twelve Cork restaurants and sixty eight food and drink producer stalls will entice us to taste, sip and enjoy the best that Cork has to offer.   There’s a terrific line of celebrity chefs, including Antony Worrall Thompson, Mercy Fenton, Ross Lewis, Clodagh McKenna, Rachel Allen, mé féin……..

As in Dublin there will be lots of live music and fun. Don’t  miss it!

For further details check out www.tastefestivals.ie Tickets from Cork Midsummer Festival Office in Merchants Quay, or Tel 021-5005055

Hot Tips
Charleville Agricultural Show runs this weekend – 28/29th June –
Sunday’s main feature is ‘Flair for Food’ an exciting event that will seduce everyone’s taste buds with the main attraction Clodagh McKenna giving three cooking demonstrations throughout the day,  there will also be Farmers Markets, Artisan Producers, Food Tastings etc.The Blackboard Bistro, The Basement, 4 Clare Street, Dublin 2. Tel 01-6766839
Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Friday and dinner Saturday night.  Closed Sunday and Monday – a few yards from the Mont Clare Hotel, facing the entrance to the new wing of the National Gallery – take in a visit to the Impressionist Interiors Exhibition at the Gallery – running till 10th August (pre-book)  www.nationalgallery.ie  Eat Sherkin! A Celebration of Island Food 2008 takes place next weekend on Saturday and Sunday 5th and 6th July.  Saturday sees a host of food and drink tastings and gourmet workshops including keeping a few hens in the garden, – with Giana Ferguson of Gubbeen,   and a cookery demonstration on  making the most of garden vegetables in summery salsas and relishes by Karen Austin of Lettercollum Kitchen Project, Clonakilty.  In the evening enjoy a gastronomic treat of fresh fish cooked on the barbecue by food writer Dianne Curtin and artisan producer Iain Flynn.  On Sunday, browse the stalls of Ireland’s first ever off shore artisan food market.  Guest of honour Darina Allen will be in attendance, and there will be a lovely lunch including Sherkin Oysters, mussels and prawns, whole roast hog on the spit and much more.  For workshop bookings and more details call Matt Stephens, Sherkin Island Development Society on 028 20802 

All recipes published on this website are copyright Ballymaloe Cookery School.    

 

  

 Ardrahan and Ballygiblin Sausages wrapped in Smoked Bacon
 Jack McCarthy linked up with Mary Burns of Ardrahan Cheese in Kanturk, Co Cork to make these terrific sausages with Ballygiblin outdoor free-range pork.Easy peasy casual food – great for a summer barbecue.Serves 8
 8 fat sausages8 rashersThread the sausage onto a satay stick.Wrap a rasher around the sausage, secure with a cocktail stick.Preheat a George Foreman grill.

Cook the sausages for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally until the bacon is crisp and the sausages are cooked through.

Eat immediately.

Black and White Pudding with Grainy Mustard and Apple Sauce
 Serves 12 for canapés, 4-6 as a starter
 Butter or extra virgin olive oil
6 slices best quality black pudding approx. 1cm (1/2 inch) thick and 6 slices of white pudding
Bramley Apple Sauce:
1 lb (450g) cooking apples, e.g. Bramley Seedling or Grenadier1-2 dessertsp.  water2 ozs (55g) sugar, depending on how tart the apples are

     

 

 

Grainy Mustard Sauce:  also delicious with pork

8 fl. oz (250ml) cream
1 dessertsp. smooth mustard
1 dessertsp. grainy mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    

 

Garnish

Flat parsley or watercress

Make the apple sauce – Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut the pieces into two and put in a stainless steel or cast iron saucepan with sugar and water. Cover and put over a low heat. As soon as the apple has broken down, beat into a puree, stir and taste for sweetness.
Make the mustard sauce – Put the cream and both mustards in a small pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally.  Taste and season if necessary.
Melt a very little butter in a frying pan and fry the pudding on both sides on a medium heat until cooked through. Remove the skin from the pudding. Make a bed of apple sauce on the serving plate or plates.  Lay the pieces of hot pudding on top of the apple.  Spoon a little Mustard Sauce carefully over the top.Garnish with flat parsley and serve immediately.Chargrilled Chicken Paillarde with Aoili and Roast Cherry Tomatoes
 Serves 44 (150g/6oz) free range chicken breasts (skinless)2 tablespoons olive oilMaldon sea salt and cracked pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

Aoili
2 egg yolks, preferably free range
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of English mustard or 1/4 teaspoon French mustard
1 dessertspoon white wine vinegar
8 fl ozs (250ml) oil (sunflower, arachide or olive oil or a mixture) – We use 6 fl ozs (175ml) arachide oil and 2 fl ozs (50ml) olive oil, alternatively use 7/1
1-4 cloves of garlic, depending on size
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
 4 branches of cherry vine tomatoesfresh rocket leaves

Fist make the aioli.
Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the crushed garlic, mustard, salt and the white wine vinegar (keep the whites to make meringues). Put the oil into a measure. Take a whisk in one hand and the oil in the other and drip the oil onto the egg yolks, drop by drop whisking at the same time. Within a minute you will notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken. When this happens you can add the oil a little faster, but don’t get too cheeky or it will suddenly curdle because the egg yolks can only absorb the oil at a certain pace. Taste and add a little more seasoning and vinegar if necessary.
If the Mayonnaise curdles it will suddenly become quite thin, and if left sitting the oil will start to float to the top of the sauce. If this happens you can quite easily rectify the situation by putting another egg yolk or 1-2 tablespoons of boiling water into a clean bowl, then whisk in the curdled Mayonnaise, a half teaspoon at a time until it emulsifies again.  Finally add the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning.
 Next prepare the chicken paillarde, remove the fillet from each chicken breast and save for another dish.  With a sharp knife slice each chicken breast from top to bottom, so that you can open it out like a book. Press flat with the palm of your hand to ensure a good flat shape.  Drizzle with Extra virgin olive oil.  Season the chicken paillardes with salt, freshly ground pepper and some chopped rosemary.Just before cooking season with Maldon sea salt.  Preheat the grill-pan.  Cook the chicken for approx. 4 minutes on each side, turning each after a few minutes to give a nice criss-cross effect.To ServeServe the chicken on hot plates garnished with a bunch of roast cherry tomatoes, rocket leaves and a dollop of aioli.Roast Cherry Tomatoes
 Preheat the oven to 250°C/400°F/Mark 6.Lay the cherry tomatoes on the vine on a baking tray.  Drizzle with extra virgin oil, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and roast for 8 – 10 minutes until the tomatoes just burst.Foolproof Food
How To Crush Garlic
Here is a tip for crushing garlic. Put the whole clove of garlic on a board, preferably one that is reserved for garlic and onions. Tap the clove with a flat blade of a chopping knife, to break the skin. Remove the skin and discard. Then sprinkle a few grains of salt onto the clove. Again using the flat blade of the knife, keep pressing the tip of the knife down onto the garlic to form a paste. The salt provides friction and ensures the clove won’t shoot off the board!  Alternatively use a microplane.
 

Mushroom Bruschetta with Parsley Pesto and Parmesan Shavings

Serves 2This is a poshed up version of mushrooms on toast. Virtually all fungi are delicious on toast so this can be very humble or very exotic depending on the variety chosen.2 slices of crusty country white bread, 1/2 inch (1cm) thick
1 clove garlic
Extra virgin olive oil                                              4-6 flat mushrooms or large oyster mushroomsmarjoram, thyme or rosemary

1 clove garlic (optional)

rocket leaves

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano if possible

parsley pesto

Toast or chargrill the bread on both sides and rub immediately with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.Heat a little olive oil or olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and place them skin side down on the pan in a single layer, put a little dot of butter into each one or better still use garlic or marjoram butter.  That is made quite simply by mixing some chopped garlic and parsley or some annual marjoram into a little butter. Alternatively, sprinkle with freshly chopped marjoram and some crushed garlic if you like. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook first on one side (the length of time will depend on the size of the mushroom: it could be anything from 3-6 minutes), then turn over as soon as you notice that the gills are covered with droplets of juice. Cook on the other side until tender.  Meanwhile, rub the surface of the warm crostini with a cut clove of garlic, put on 2 hot plates.  Arrange a few fresh rocket leaves on each one, top with overlapping mushrooms.  Drizzle with a little parsley pesto.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan shavings and serve immediately.  If there are any buttery juices in the pan, spoon every drop over the mushrooms for extra deliciousness.Foolproof food

Parsley Pesto


25g (1oz) flat parsley leaves (no stalks)

1‑2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

40g (1 1/2ozs) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

25g (1oz) pine kernels

125-175ml (4-6 fl ozs) extra virgin olive oil

salt

  

Put all the ingredients except the oil into the food processor.  Whizz for a second or two, add the oil and a little salt.  Taste and correct seasoning.

 

By Darina Allen
June 21, 2008
In Saturday Letter
12 Min read

Virtually every week I have at least one query about special foods for those who suffer from food intolerances, or full blown allergies.

Some people are at their wits’ end trying to cook for a family member who has an acute allergy, or in some cases multi allergies.

There are many theories on why these conditions seem to be on the increase. Better diagnosis will also have increased the recorded numbers.  Some cases are unquestionably genetic, others regard allergies as a ‘disease of modern society’ and cite factors such as environmental chemicals and pollution.    Some scientists adhere to the theory that improvements in hygiene and medical science have contributed to weakening our immune systems.

We are eating a myriad of foreign foods with a whole new challenging set of bacteria, rather than local foods which our systems have become accustomed to over many generations. Others blame the fact that we no longer have access to unpasteurized milk.  A 2006 study by the University of London found that drinking just a couple of glasses of raw milk a week reduced the risk of allergy-related conditions such as excema and hay fever in children.

Alice Sherwood was thrown into the bewildering world of food allergies when her nine-year old son Archie was diagnosed with severe nut and egg allergies.

She became more and more frustrated with the unappetizing allergy-free recipes on offer, so she set about devising her own.   Alice, a doctor’s daughter loves food and cooking.  In her allergy-free cookbook she concentrated on the four major food allergies, wheat, dairy, nuts and eggs.   She explains the difference between food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances and auto-immune conditions like coeliac disease.   There’s advice on shopping and reading labels, eating out, surviving travelling, how to support an allergic child, staying positive, allergy etiquette and how to stock your store cupboard. 

Allergy-free cookbook – by Alice Sherwood published by Dorling Kindersley, in association with Allergy uk.      Four cookbooks in one – each recipe can be made without one or more of the ‘big four’ allergens – eggs, dairy, nuts and gluten.

The book’s foreword was written by Dr Adam Fox, the Consultant Paediatric Allergist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London.   The book also has a resource list of Support Organisations and suppliers of specialist foods and ingredients for those with allergies.

 Hot Tips for 21st June
  

‘Head is a pub with rooms on the Cornish coast, worth knowing about.  The rooms are simple chic, the food delicious, Charles Inkin and his brother Edmund, who also own the renowned Felin Fach Griffin between Brecon and Hay-on-Wye in Wales, have won many plaudits for their stylish comfy inns with simple menus that reflect the seasonal produce of the local area. Terrific value for money.  Great walks along the coast.  Fly to Newquay (surfers paradise) and grab some lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall overlooking Watergate Bay,  (just five minutes from the airport), before driving south for about an hour.  Foxgloves, pink campion and marguerite are in full bloom at present along the roadside and there are many beautiful gardens open to the public also.   The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor, West Cornwall, Tel 0044 1736 796928  www.gurnardshead.co.uk enquiries@gurnardshead.co.uk     2008 Good Pub Guide, Best Cornish Dining Pub.

Green Saffron Darbar on the Lawn at Ballyvolane House, Castlelyons, Co Cork, on Thursday 26th June 7.30pm – 11.30pm
Cocktails on the lawn, cooking demonstration, meal of Green Saffron’s beautiful curries, rice and riata with accompanying wine and Indian beer, sumptuous surroundings and gorgeous marquee with hosts Justin and Jenny Green.   Price €70 per person, booking 025- 36349 – www.ballyvolanehouse.ie Fat Bap
Is a new food concept thought out by Eliza Ward, Nenagh, Co Tipperary and Bernadette Reynolds, Cork, two Culinary Arts graduates in CIT.  Armed with a little white van and full farmers market kit, they will provide you with fascinating and interesting casual good value food – they will call to your home, party, sports club, offices, ‘apres match’ or post wedding celebrations with gourmet organic burgers and artisan sausages and set up their stall. They will cook in your garden or yard or pitch and can also provide salads, bread, local organic leaves, desserts, cheese and help with drinks etc. Contact Bernadette on 087-7704356 or Eliza on 087-6100182  email:thefatbap@hotmail.com

Fish Pie – from Allergy –Free Cookbook by Alice SherwoodA winning combination of firm white fish and prawns in a creamy, parsley-flecked béchamel sauce under a mound of crispy-topped mashed potato, makes this a fabulous lunch or supper dish.   You can vary the fish according to taste or season.   Serve with buttered samphire, mixed peppery leaves, or a tomato salad to add contrasting flavour and colour.Serves 4-6
  Egg and nut free
 750g (1lb 10oz) cod, halibut, or other white fish, filleted 250g (8½ oz) smoked haddock or other smoked fish500ml (16fl oz) milk

1 small onion, roughly chopped

Bay leaf (optional)

100g (3½ oz) butter

30g (1oz) plain flour

1.5kg (3lb3oz) potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tbsp single milk or cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

225g (8oz) cooked peeled prawns

1 tbsp capers in brine, drained, rinsed, and chopped (optional)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

15g (½oz) Parmesan, grated (optional)

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F, gas 5)Put the fish in a large saucepan, add the milk and poach the fish gently for 5 minutes, it should be slightly undercooked at this stage.Transfer the fish to a plate with a draining spoon.  When cool, remove the skin, cut the fish into large chunks and place in a 1.5 litre (2¾ pint) ovenproof dish.

Add the chopped onion and bay leaf (if using) to the fish milk.  Bring to the boil.   Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes.  Strain.

Make a white sauce by melting 45g (1½ oz) of the butter in a saucepan and stirring in the flour.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Whisk in the infused milk a little at a time, ensuring there are no lumps.  When all the milk is incorporated, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, whisking all the time.   Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Mash with the remaining butter and the cream or milk and season with salt and pepper.

Add the prawns, capers, and the parsley to the fish, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the white sauce.   Top with the mashed potatoes and use a fork to rough up the surface to make it crispy when cooked.   Dust with Parmesan cheese, if liked.

Bake for 45 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.

Dairy free – also egg and nut free
Follow the recipe above – but use dairy-free spread instead of butter; soya, rice or oat milk instead of cow’s milk; and soya cream alternative for single cream.  Use dairy-free Parmesan.

Watch out for fish and crustaceans.   If allergic to crustaceans, but not white fish, omit the prawns and increase the fish to a total of 1.25kg (2¾lb)

If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure you buy capers in brine rather than malt vinegar.       

Chicken Drumsticks
 Serves 4
 A really useful recipe, popular with all ages, these chicken drumsticks can feed a crowd and you’ll have none of the “Big Four” allergens to worry about.  They are great for lunch or dinner and ideal for barbecues, especially if serving with grilled corn.  Add a baked potato for a filling and nutritious meal.  The easy-to-make barbecue sauce scores over shop-bought versions as it contains neither wheat nor dairy.Dairy, egg, gluten and nut free
 3 tbsp. corn or other flavourless nut-free oil2 tbsp molasses4 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp mustard powder

2 tbsp wine vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp smoked paprika (pimentón)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 chicken drumsticks

Mix all the ingredients, apart from the drumsticks, in a shallow sealable container, seasoning well with salt and pepper.Make several slashes in the flesh on each chicken leg before adding them to the marinade – this lets the flavour in and also helps them to cook more evenly.  Turn the chicken drumsticks to coat them thoroughly.

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off the excess.

Cook under a preheated grill or on the barbecue for 7-8 minutes on each side or until richly browned and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat.

Watch out for mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika – check that they are gluten free, if need be.

Serving suggestion – These are delicious served with grilled corn on the cob.  Roll the cobs in a mixture of salt, pepper, and chillies, with lime squeezed over, and cook under a grill or barbecue.  Note that some people are sensitive to chillies, so omit if in any doubt.

Foolproof food
Smoothies

Each smoothie serves 1-2
One of the most popular new breakfast foods, a good smoothie needs a balance of fruit, creaminess and sweetness.  As more people are enjoying dairy-free milks for taste and health reasons, even if they can eat dairy, this recipe uses soya and oat milks as well as cow’s milk and yogurt.   You can create other combinations with whatever ingredients you have to hand.

Egg free Banana oatie


1 large banana, chopped

240ml (8fl oz) oat milk

240ml (8fl oz) orange juice

55g (2oz) ground almonds

1 tbsp clear honey

Ground cinnamon to dust

Apricot and mango
170g (6oz) canned apricot halves, chopped

4 tbsp syrup from canned apricots

½ mango, chopped

240ml (8 fl.oz) orange juice

240ml (8 fl.oz) soya yogurt

½ tsp vanilla extract

Squeeze of lime juice

Handful of ice cubes

Melon, grape and pear
170g (6oz) Galia melon (or other melon), chopped

2 pears, peeled and chopped

240ml (8fl.oz) grape juice

2 ice cubes

Mint sprig to garnish

Mixed berry
170g (6oz) mixed red soft fruit

240ml (8fl.oz) Greek yogurt

120ml (4fl.oz) milk

2 ice cubes

3 tbsp clear honey

Raspberry coulis (optional)
55g (2oz) raspberries

2 tbsp icing sugar

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  For a thick shake, add ice cubes before blending.Pour into glasses and garnish.  Serve as soon as possible.

For the raspberry coulis, mix the raspberries with the icing sugar, and press through a sieve.  Swirl the coulis on top of each glass just before serving.

Dairy free – also egg free
The smoothies are dairy free except for the mixed berry.  Prepare as for the recipe above, but replace the yogurt and milk with soya or other dairy-free alternatives.Gluten free – also egg free
The smoothies are gluten free except for the banana oatie.   Prepare as for the recipe on the left, but replace the oat milk with any gluten-free milk.

Nut free – also egg free
The smoothies are also nut free except for the banana oatie.  Prepare as above but replace the almonds with 60ml (2fl.oz) of coconut milk and reduce the oat milk to 120ml (4fl.oz)

Vanilla Fairy Cakes
 Makes 12

Vanilla fairy cakes are a childhood staple and a centrepiece at children’s parties.  They also figure in many children’s first experiences of cooking at home or at school, which makes it a shame for those who can’t join in because of food hypersensitivities.  Here are versions – made easy for little hands – that make it possible for everyone to take part.

Dairy, egg and nut free
 170g (6oz) plain flour 1 tbsp baking powderPinch of salt

140g (5oz) soft light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp corn or other flavourless nut-free vegetable oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

240ml (8fl.oz) water

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/gas4).  Line 12 sections of a tartlet tin or small muffin pan with paper fairy cake cases.  Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  Stir in the sugar.Add the remaining ingredients and beat until you have a smooth, liquid batter.

Pour or ladle the batter into the cake cases, filling to just below the top of the case.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until risen and firm to touch.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Tip
If you are making these with children, place the batter in a jug or easier pouring into the paper cases.

Gluten free – also nut free
3 eggs140g (5oz) soft, light brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

85g (3oz) butter or margarine, melted

85g (3oz) potato flour

85g (3oz) soya flour

2½ tsp gluten-free baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C (350f/gas4)    Line 12 sections of a tartlet tin or small muffin pan with fairy cake cases.Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar.   Whisk with an electric or balloon whisk until thick and pale and the mixture leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted out of the batter.

Whisking all the time, add the melted butter or margarine in a thin trickle.

Sift the flours and baking powder over the surface.  Fold in with a metal spoon, using a figure of eight motion.

Spoon into the cake cases.   Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until risen and the centres spring back when lightly pressed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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