Cakes and Cashews

The Christmas cactus is beginning to flower. A timely reminder to get on with things. So much to do at this time of year yet food still has to be prepared for everyday. Life goes on despite the season.

I bought some peaches last week. They said “ripen in the fruitbowl”. It would have to be a magic fruitbowl to ripen these peaches. Even after a few days they were very hard and very sour! I sliced them and simmered them in a saucepan until they were tender. About 20 minutes. Then added sugar. Result – absolutely delicious.

Of course you can buy tinned peaches but they taste completely different to these. It’s hard to believe that something so unpalatable can be transformed into something so tasty and pleasing. If you find you have bought some disappointing fruit then I recommend you try stewing them. Not just an improvement but an actual treat.

Thinking ahead again for Christmas I baked our favourite little sponge cakes to stash away in the freezer. One or two tested, of course! I find these easy to make and so handy to have in. Once thawed they can be iced in different ways – buttercream, icing on top with added decorations or lovely just with some good jam.

Very easy to make. Just put 4 large Eggs, 200g Caster Sugar, 200g Self-raising Flour, 2 heaped teaspoons of Baking Powder and 200g Sunflower Oil in a bowl and beat well. Put into bun tins. I use little paper cake cases to line the tins. Bake at 180C/160C fan oven for 16 – 18 minutes. They freeze perfectly and thaw quickly. If you fill with buttercream they can be frozen with the filling already in them. For glace icing, do this after thawing, when you’re ready to serve them. Un-iced they make good sponges for making trifle.

We’re not strictly vegetarian but we do try to eat less meat and enjoy alternative meals. I find cashew nuts a good standby for vegetarian dishes and I use them in various ways. I grind them and add them to a one-pan meal to make a creamy sauce or stir into pasta with garlic, salt and pepper and cream. I also use them for my festive flan which I make on Christmas Day as an alternative to meat. Might not sound exciting but trust me, it is absolutely delicious and satisfying. Full of Christmas flavours and enjoyed with roasties and cranberry sauce. I will post the recipe for this next time.

I found a recipe for savoury cashew cakes in a vegetarian cookbook. The recipe didn’t work! I just got into a very sticky mess! I liked the idea though so I came up with my own version which we enjoy now and then. Here’s my recipe.

Cashew Cakes. Makes 4
250ml Milk ( I use Oatly but dairy 
is fine)
1/4 cup Cornflour
crushed Garlic clove
1/2 cup Sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)
100g Breadcrumbs
50g ground Cashew Nuts
Salt and Pepper

Heat the milk with the crushed garlic.
Mix the cornflour with an extra drop
of milk until dissolved.
Stir cornflour into boiling milk,
stirring well as it thickens.
Remove from heat.
Add sweetcorn, nuts, breadcrumbs
and salt and pepper.
Allow to cool completely.
With your hand form four flat
cakes.
Heat oil to medium temperature
then fry cakes, turning half-way
through, until nicely browned.

If you prefer, a finely chopped
onion can be added to the hot mixture
instead of the garlic.

Good with a green veg like broccoli
and your favourite pickle.

With all the card-writing, baking, wrapping presents and so on I haven’t had time to paint. I’m really missing it. As soon as Christmas is over my paints will be out and the brushes will be stroking away. In the meantime, here is a cheerful little picture I did a while ago. It’s painted with gouache. Not seasonal but bright colours to lift our winter spirits.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Please feel free to comment. It’s a pleasure to receive some feedback. With you again in a few days.