Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Espelette pepper (we don’t have this, so used sweet smoked paprika instead – you could use cayenne pepper)

2 medium aubergines (eggplants)

A handful of chopped parsley to garnish (we used chives instead)

For the couscous

160g/1 cup of couscous

Zest of 1 lemon

A pinch of salt

180ml/ 3/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the yoghurt sauce

6 tbsp plain natural yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

A pinch of salt (we left this out and it was still yummy!)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Pound the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar until it forms a smooth paste. Blend in the oil, tomato paste and Espelette pepper (or alternative).

3. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 2cm-thick slices. Cut out the spongy core and then place the batons on the tray. Brush with the spicy marinade and then place in the middle of the oven to cook for 30 minutes (or until tender).

4. When you have just over 5 minutes to go, boil the kettle for the couscous. Place the couscous in a large bowl with the lemon zest and salt, and then pour over the boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

5. Make the yoghurt sauce by mixing the yoghurt with the lemon juice and salt. Drizzle the oil over the couscous and fluff it up with a fork.

6. Serve the aubergine chips on a bed of couscous, drizzle over some yoghurt sauce and sprinkle with some chopped parsley or chives. Enjoy!

The post Spicy aubergine chips with couscous appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This recipe originally comes from Delicious Magazine.

Ingredients

225g peeled and deseeded pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed
4 tbsp full cream milk
1 large egg
175g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g caster sugar
11/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
50g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp poppy seeds
Grated zest of 1 small lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with baking paper or greaseproof paper, then grease well once more.

2. Cook the pumpkin in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Drain well and leave until the steam dies down and the pumpkin has cooled, then blend to a smooth purée in a food processor. By making sure the pumpkin has cooled you should avoid a dense cake. Scoop it into a mixing bowl and mix in 3 tablespoons milk and the egg.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, mixed spice, nutmeg and seasoning into the cleaned bowl of the food processor. Add the butter and process until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs.

4. Add to the purée and stir until just mixed, adding the remaining milk if the mixture seems dry. Stir in the poppy seeds and grated lemon zest. Spoon the mix into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes until well risen and golden.

5. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Remove the paper and serve cut into slices.

Enjoy!

The post Pumpkin lemon and poppy seed loaf appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Lemon posset is one of those things that I’ve seen on loads of cookery shows, but have never got around to making – until now! It’s surprisingly easy to make and tastes delicious, so if you’re looking for something to make for friends I’d highly recommend it. The amounts here serve 2 people, but you could easily double up the quantities. Serve in some small glasses or ramekins (my UK followers might recognise these ones if you’ve ever eaten a Gu dessert – we’ve recycled the ramekins they came in!).

This recipe comes from the May 2014 edition of BBC Good Food Magazine, and has been adapted from Tom Kerridge’s ‘Proper Pub Food‘.

Ingredients

225ml double cream
65g caster sugar
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus zest to decorate
Shortbread or biscotti to serve (optional)

Method

1. Mix the cream and sugar together in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer and stir for 1-2 minutes until the bubbles are quite large. Add the lemon juice and whisk thoroughly.

3. Pass the mix through a fine sieve into a bowl and leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Skim off any air bubbles, then pour into serving glasses or ramekins.

4. Leave to cool completely and then place the possets in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. When set, serve with shortbread or biscotti. Enjoy!

The post Lemon posset appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

For the past week or so it has been hot and sunny here, which doesn’t normally happen in Newcastle, so it’s best to make the most of it! So I decided to make some of this lovely lemon sorbet from a bargain cook book that I found in a charity shop – Good Housekeeping’s Healthy Family Recipes. You can make it in an ice cream maker but we don’t have one, but it still tasted amazing. It’s a real palette cleanser – super zingy and great in this hot weather!

Ingredients

3 juicy lemons
125g/4oz golden caster sugar
1 large egg white

Method

1. Finely pare the lemon zest and the squeeze the juice into a separate bowl. Put the zest into a pan with the sugar and 350ml (12 fl/oz) water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, and then increase the heat and boil for 10 minutes. Leave the sugar syrup to cool (this took about 30 minutes).

2. Add the lemon juice to the cool syrup and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg white until just frothy, and then whisk into the lemon mixture.

4. Either use an ice cream maker or pour into a shallow freeze-proof container, and freeze until almost frozen. Mash with a fork and freeze completely.

5. Remove the sorbet to the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The post Lemon Sorbet appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Mary Berry’s Lemon Victoria Sandwich recipe was specially commissioned by the GDST for the 140th anniversary of the Girls’ Day School Trust and appeared in issue 12/13 of Verve Magazine (also available online here). Mary Berry is a GDST alumna, and all girls were given a postcard with the recipe to celebrate the Bake Off event (the final of which was just by one of the hosts of The Great British Bake Off, Mel Giedroyc – another GDST alumna!). I used to teach music at Central Newcastle High School which makes me an ‘Old Girl’, and as I love baking I just had to try out this recipe. If you make your own lemon curd, it will taste even better! I also added buttercream, which is not in the original recipe.

Ingredients

225g butter, softened

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

225g self-raising flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the filling

About 4 tbsp lemon curd

250g icing sugar, sifted (plus extra for dusting)

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml semi skimmed milk

Finely grated zest of half a lemon

Method

1. Lightly grease two 20cm loose bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with a circle of non-stick baking parchment. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160F/Gas 4.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Beat the eggs and add the grated lemon zest and mix well. Pour the mix in a little at a time and mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and combine together. (Mary’s original recipe suggests using an electric whisk – put all ingredients into a bowl and beat for a couple of minutes).

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and level with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until well-risen and golden.

4. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for a few moments then run a blunt knife around the edge of the tins to free the sides of the cakes. Turn the cakes out, peel off the paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

5. As the cakes cool, make the buttercream by creaming together the butter and icing sugar. Add the milk and lemon zest and beat until smooth.

6. Choose the cake with the best top, then put the other cake top downwards on to a serving plate. Spread with the lemon curd and then the buttercream. Put the other cake on top and dust with icing sugar. Put the kettle on, cut a big slice and enjoy! If you’re not a fan of lemon, you could always try out my Classic Victoria Sponge. Either of these cakes are best enjoyed with a cuppa!

Post updated 19th June 2016.

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