A Quick & Easy Summer Scallop Salad

This summery Thai style salad is so easy to make and tastes full of fresh flavours.  

To Serve Four:

Ingredients:

Scallops - I usually allow four per person
Half a cucumber
Half a red onion
2 Oranges
1 Lime
Fish sauce
1 chilli
A hand full of mint leaves

Method:

1.  Simply sear up enough scallops for 4 people until you get a nice crust on the outside of them without overcooking the inside.

2.  Set the scallops aside while cutting up half an English cucumber into matchsticks, slicing up thinly 1/2 a medium red onion (or 2 medium shallots), and sectioning 2 oranges.

3.  Toss everything together in a bowl. Add some lime juice and fish sauce to taste. Throw in some chopped up chilies and cilantro or mint leaves.  Done!

Let me know how you get on.

Recipe: Pastry Love Hearts

I've just stumbled across this simple but cute recipe and I thought I'd share it with you.  They are great little family treats, or would make a gorgeous hostess gift wrapped in a tissue lined box.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry (slightly thawed)
300ml double cream
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tbsp of icing sugar
100g dark chocolate, melted
Heart cookie cutter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Line a sheet baking tray with baking paper

2. Take one sheet of pastry, leaving the other in the fridge, and cut out hearts using the cookie cutter. Place the heart shapes onto a tray lined with baking paper. It’s important to make sure the pastry is cold, if it gets warm place it back into the fridge to chill it

3. Cook the hearts for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.   Remove from oven and place them on wire racks to cool

4. In a medium-sized bowl, add the cream, vanilla extract and icing sugar.  Beat altogether with an electric mixer until soft peaks form

5. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl.  Sit the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally

6. Use a knife to split the now cooled hearts in two, so you have a top and a bottom.  Spoon some cream onto the bottom half, replace the top and drizzle with the melted chocolate.

A Quick Glance at My Week

My weeks are beginning to fly by in a blur of painting, decorating, preparing for the arrival of our of little girl and dare I even say it...organising the Christmas collections at Butterfly Lane.

This week at Beech House we have had all the sash windows painted, a job that I have dreaded for months so we decided to hire a lovely man called Ned to finish them for us.  It really has given our house a lovely facelift and I am as pleased as punch.

These light and airy rooms are inspiring me at the moment...as are the beautiful hydrangeas in the picture below!  

 

I cannot stop eating strawberries at the moment (maybe my little bun in the oven is clued up that Wimbledon has started!).  I am literally going through a punnet a day, so this salad is so summery and fresh.   

Strawberries, Mango, Red Onion and Rocket

We are just finishing our Christmas Lookbook here at Butterfly Lane HQ and here is a very quick peek in to our new 'candlelight' collection...

 

I'm eying up these gorgeous patent Valentino Rockstuds as a my next indulgence.  The perfect addition to a pair of boyfriend jeans.

Valentino Rockstuds

Work on the nursery continues and I can't stand the cuteness of this bag full of bunnies for one of the windowsills, I can't wait to see them all flopperly lined up.  Yes, you guessed it, the theme seems to be bunnies!

To top off my week, I've just had a message to let me know that my lovely friend has had a lovely little boy, congratulations! 

Hope you've all had a fabulous week.

Recipe: Scones For Wimbledon

It's that time of year again, get the Pimms chilled and the strawberries picked (or bought in my case!), Wimbledon starts on Monday!

Last year the fabulous folks at Wimbledon served up 150,000 bath buns, scones, pasties and doughnuts, 7,000 litres of dairy cream and 28,000 kg (112,000 punnets) of English strawberries!  Phew, I'm exhausted just at the thought. 

So, I'm going to make my own scones this weekend ready to devour whilst watching Andy Murray defend his title.  

Don't forget to get the strawberries prepared and the clotted cream ready for the perfect topping.  Here is my favourite and fail safe scone recipe.  Happy baking everyone!

 
The secret of good scones is not to handle them too much before baking, and to make the mixture on the wet, sticky side. Either eat scones on the day of making or freeze once they have completely cooled.  If time allows, thaw them at room temperature for a couple of hours and then refresh in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes. If you like large scones, this amount of mixture will make 8-10  9cm (3 ½ inch) scones.

INGREGIENTS

450g (1 lb) self-raising flour
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
75g (3 oz) butter, at room temperature
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
About 225 ml (8 fl oz) milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation time: about 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Makes about 20 scones

1).  Lightly grease two baking trays. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.

2).  Measure the flour and baking powder into a processor. Add the butter and process until a crumble, then add the sugar. Or make by hand by rubbing  the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

3).  Beat the eggs together until blended and make up to a generous 300ml (1/2 pint) with the milk, then put about 2 tablespoons of the egg/milk aside in a cup for glazing the scones later. Gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients until you have a soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.

4).  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch). Use a 5 cm (2 inch) fluted cutter to stamp out the dough by pushing the cutter straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting the cutter) then lift it straight out. This ensures that the scones will rise evenly and keep their shape. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead very lightly then re-roll and cut more scones out as before. 

5).  Arrange the scones on the prepared baking trays and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg/milk mixture to glaze. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the scones are well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist. Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with strawberry jam and top with a good spoonful of thick cream...and a fresh strawberry! 

Best Brunch Recipes: Part 1

There is nothing more indulgent on a Sunday than having a long lazy brunch.  Whether it's at your home entertaining weekend guests or just for yourself, add a sprinkling of decadence to your Sunday with our favourite easy brunch recipes.  Get the mimosa's at the ready!

It wouldn't be brunch without eggs on the menu...

Eggs Benedict.

You will need:

Toasted muffin

Poached egg

Hollandaise Sauce 

Parma Ham 

Asparagus   

A classic dippy egg with thyme...

Cupcake Frittata:

1.  Whisk 8 eggs in a mixing bowl with plenty of salt and pepper

2.  Add whatever filler you would like, we love chorizo and spinach

3.  Poor the mixture in to cupcake or muffin tins and top with a grazing of parmesan

4.  Put in to the oven for 20 minutes until firm at 160 degrees

5.  Transfer on to a cooling rack.    

Breakfast Torte:  

Ingredients:  

• 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 7 Eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced hard salami
• 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese
• 2 jars (12 ounces each) roasted sweet red peppers, drained, sliced and patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 180°. Place a greased 9 inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll one tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake 10-15 minutes or until set.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk six eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper.
3. Layer crust with half of the ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture.
4. On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough.
5. Bake, uncovered for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes. 
6. Enjoy!

A sweet dessert:

Greek yogurt
Fresh strawberries
Granola sprinkled on the top!

There are too many yummy brunch recipes to list today, but I will continue to update our recipe section with fun, easy and tasty ideas.  But for now enjoy these classics!   

Recipe: Pear Bread

We stumbled across this recipe on Simmer and Boil and we couldn't wait to recreate it!  It's a beautiful idea and a real show stopper.  The Pear Bread combines sweet fruit and tender quick bread together in one pan, then slice to reveal the lovely pear inside, how lovely.  The bread is remarkably easy to make too, promise!

This bread is ideal to bring to the table for an afternoon tea and brace yourself for the oohs and ahhs.

Tip:  After poaching the pears, don’t throw away the poaching liquid.  It’s infused with a lovely pear essence and would be great in cocktails, drizzled on cakes, or stirred into Greek yogurt.  For more flavour in the pears, you can add cinnamon sticks or star anise to the poaching liquid.

Prep Time: 25 min. Total: 1 hr. 45 min.

Ingredients

4          cups water

2          cups granulated sugar

3          small whole pears

1 1/2   teaspoons all-purpose flour

7.88     ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)

1          teaspoon baking soda

1/2       teaspoon baking powder

1/2       teaspoon salt

6          tablespoons butter, softened

3/4       cup packed dark brown sugar

2          large eggs

1/2       teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2       cup stout beer (such as Guinness)

1/2       cup fat-free sour cream

1/4       cup maple syrup

Baking spray with flour (such as Baker’s Joy)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 170, gas mark 4.

2. Bring 4 cups water and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add pears; reduce heat to medium, and cook at a medium-low boil for 5 minutes or just until pears start to soften. Remove pears from pan; cool slightly. Trim bottom off each pear so that it is about the height of a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan. Lightly brush 1 1/2 teaspoons flour over bottom 2/3 of each pear.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon 7.88 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.  Place butter and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine beer, sour cream, and syrup, stirring well with a whisk. Beating at low speed, add flour mixture and beer mixture alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.

4. Scrape batter into a 9 x 5-inch metal loaf pan coated with baking spray. Arrange pears in pan, pressing into batter. Bake at 170° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Recipe: Beef Shepherd's Pie with Champ

My blog has been neglected so far this year, something I hate doing but I have a rather lovely excuse, as I have been on the other side of the world in Thailand soaking up a bit of winter sunshine, therefore not spending much time on my trusty MacBook.   It's been a complete shock to my system returning from 37 degree temperatures in Thailand to -3 degrees in England,  what on earth do you wear for travelling with such dramatic climate changes either side of the journey?  I opted for layers, layers and more layers,  however a huge mistake was only having a pair of French Sole ballet pumps in my procession (unprepared I know!), which led to a very chilly and slippery journey back from Heathrow!  

It is slightly shameful to say that I love the cold weather, I love nothing more than log fire burning, dog on lap, PJ wearing kinda slumber.  Yes it's inconvenient, yes it's cold but no one can say everywhere isn't looking pretty gorgeous at the moment.  Just look (picture to the left) of this amazing icicle in my parents garden this week, it literally followed the drainpipe from the roof top to the ground, gorgeous!   

Whenever the weather turns to the chilly side, I turn to my fail safe winter warmer recipe which I promise will warm even the coldest of winter nights.  I've been using this recipe for years and it has been slightly adapted winter after winter, I just love it, even if I do say so myself.  It promises three things, carbs, a kick of flavour and easiness to prepare, why not give it a whirl?  It might look like a look of ingredients but I'm sure many things will already be in your kitchen stores.

Ingredients: 

For the champ topping:

3 floury potatoes, such as King Edward

Small handful of frozen peas

Knob of butter

2 spring onions

25ml milk

Smoked Paprika

For the beef mixture:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed

2 carrots, chopped, peeled, chopped into small pieces

1 celery stalk, trimmed, chopped in to small pieces

400g canned plum tomatoes

1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco

Pinch smoked paprika

1 fresh bay leaf (dry is fine)

90ml red wine

100ml vegetable stock

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Splash balsamic vinegar

Small handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

250g lean beef mince

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 200C.  For the champ topping heat a pan of salted water, add the potatoes and bring gently to boil, simmer until they are nearly cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.  

2.  Meanwhile, for the beef mixture, heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and gently fry the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery for 5-10 minutes or until softened. 

3.  Add the remaining beef mixture ingredients expect for the mince and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bring to boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Keep warm. 

4.  Heat the remaining olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat, add the mince, fry until golden brown.  Stir the mince in to the tomato sauce. 

5.  When the potatoes for the champ topping are almost done, add the frozen peas.  

6.  Gently fry the spring onion on a low heat, with the milk. 

7.  Drain the potatoes and peas, mash roughly.  Add the warm milk mixture.   Mash until combined but still chunky. 

8.  Spoon the beef mixture into a medium pie mix and top with champ.  Scatter over the smoked paprika.  

9.  Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes until the potato is golden brown. 

Let us know how you got on!  Enjoy... 

Baking Delight - Cupcakes

Yesterday saw the end of National Cupcake Week so I have rummaged around for some of the best looking cupcakes designs around, and I have been completely spoilt for choice.

There are so many to choose from, simple and sweet, extravagant to elegant and some really great creations for kids.     However, before I get to the fun design part, we all know that the most important factor of a cupcake is the taste.  I have tried numerous recipes, from the cupcake powerhouses of The Hummingbird Bakery and The Primrose Bakery, to recipes given to me by family and friends.  However, I must admit the easiest and quite frankly the tastiest sponge recipe I have found is from Rachel Allen.  It is one of those delightful recipes that means you can, pretty much, throw all the ingredients in to one bowl.  

Here is her chocolate cupcake recipe that I have used time and time again.  

To make 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

150g Plain Flour

25g Cocoa Powder (I usually use Green & Black's drinking chocolate)

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

125g Caster Sugar

100ml Milk

75g Butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 c (350 f).  Gas mark 4.  Or if you use an Aga like me, pop in the hottest oven.  Line the muffin tin with paper cases.  

2.  Sift the flour, coca powder, baking powder and salt in to a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Beat together the milk, eggs and butter and add to the dry ingredients, pouring in a little at a time and stirring to give a smooth batter.  

3.  Divide the mixture between the paper cases, filling them quite full.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until just firm to touch.  

4.  Remove from the tin and leave to cool before adding the topping. 

For the Frosting

Now the buttercream frosting is a delicate mix which I have tried to perfect (well to my tasting) for a while.  I must admit that the process has been a lot of trail and error, however, my fail safe recipe is by the masters of cupcakes, The Hummingbird Bakery.  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

250g icing sugar
80g unsalted butter
25ml whole milk
A couple of drop of extract*

1.  Beat the icing sugar and butter together until smooth.  

2.  Add milk and extract (*vanilla is always great) in to a separate bowl and add a teaspoon at a time to the butter mixture.

3.  Once all the milk mixture has been added continue beating the mixture for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  The longer the frosting is beaten the lighter and fluffier it becomes. 

Hope you find this recipe as easy as I do, and you'll be able to whip up a batch of cupcakes in no time.  Happy baking!  

Now, for the design.  Below are some of my most favourite cupcake designs.  I hope they inspire you too.  

I just love the meringue topped cupcake in the cupcake mood board, this is definitely something I will be trying in the coming weeks, especially with a lemon curd filling.  Yum.  Oh and the children's designs are adorable.  Which one is your favourite?

If you are a messy baker like me, unfortunately my cook books are covered in batter mixture and sticky figure prints!  You'll just love this new recipe book stand by Butterfly Lane.  Practical and will look lovely in your kitchen...bonus!  

£24.95 from Butterfly Lane

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Gelsomina's Cucina: Gorgeous Elderflower - Champagne, Cordial and Panna Cotta

We would like to thank the lovely Diana for this Butterfly Lane guest blog.  If you love the sound of elderflower champagne, cordial and panna cotta as much as we do, I suggest you read on...


Hi, My name is Diana and I write a blog called 'Gelsomina's Cucina',  and I have been very kindly asked to write a guest post for Butterfly Lane. My greatest love in life is to bake and to feed my gorgeous family, eating together is a massive part of our daily life and is something we feel passionately about.

With the recent warm weather, my thoughts as always when the sun shine's, is to spend as much time outside as possible and this includes eating! There is nothing better than balmy hot summer's evening sat outside until late in the evening sharing good food and great company.

I spend a lot of time preparing the food we eat and I like to give just as much thought to where we are going to eat it, we always lay the table and in the Summer I love nothing more than coming up with beautiful table settings. I love to use flowers from our garden or even better, wild flowers in rustic jugs, set with pretty table linen, dainty glasses and delicate pastel china, you just can't help but want to while away the evening at the table.

We also love to entertain, creating a beautiful setting outside for our guests as well as the perfect Summer menu is a must.

I like to make everything from scratch, this includes everything from the bread, to the dessert, to the drinks we have and this time of the year provides me with one of my favourites ingredients, it's free, all over our lovely countryside and all you have to do is go on a little forage for it, which is all part of the fun.

I am of course talking about Elderflower's! I make my own cordial, champagne and even panna cotta with this beautifully scented flower, elderflower for me sum's up the taste of summer.

So here are my three favourite recipes:-

Elderflower Cordial

20 heads of elderflower

1.8 kg granulated sugar, or caster sugar

1.2 litres water

2 unwaxed lemons

75g citric acid

Shake the Elderflowers to expel any lingering insects, and then place in a large bowl.

Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

While the sugar syrup is heating, pare the zest of the lemons off in wide strips and toss into the bowl with the Elderflowers. Slice the lemons, discard the ends, and add the slices to the bowl. Pour over the boiling syrup, and then stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin (or a new j-cloth rinsed out in boiling water), and pour into thoroughly cleaned glass or plastic bottles. Screw on the lids and pop into the cupboard ready to use.

To serve Elderflower Cordial: Dilute the elderflower cordial to taste with fizzy water, and serve over ice with a slice or two of lemon, or a sprig of mint floating on top.

For something a touch more sprightly, add a shot of gin or vodka and a lemon slice, or add it to white wine and sparkling water to make an elderflower spritzer.

Elderflower cordial is also brilliant in recipes such as gooseberry fool, and in vinaigrette - mix with wine vinegar, a touch of mustard, salt, pepper and a light olive oil (surprisingly good with a courgette, lettuce and broad bean salad). You might even try adding it to a marinade for chicken breasts. Try it in sorbets, or ice-creams, or just spooned over scoops of vanilla ice-cream, or use it to sweeten and flavour the fruit for a crumble.

Elderflower Panna Cotta

Serves 6

3 sheets of gelatine

2oz caster sugar

100ml elderflower cordial

300ml double cream

300ml milk

Heat the milk and cream through gently but don't let boil.

Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Soak the gelatine in warm water for a few minutes.

Take the cream mixture off the heat and stir in the gelatine until it has completely melted. Add the elderflower cordial, stir and pour into six ramekins or moulds. Place in the fridge to set for a 3-4hrs it can easily be over night if you want to get ahead.

To release from the moulds dip them into warm water for a few seconds or run a pallet knife around the edge. Serve with soft fruit. Gooseberries are a great with elderflower.

Elderflower Champagne

4 litres hot water

700g sugar

Juice and zest of four lemons

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

About 15 elderflower heads, in full bloom

A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.

Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.

Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it's not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast. (I checked mine as the recipe suggests & no bubbles, I added the yeast and within a couple of days there were bubbles, loads of them)

Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilized screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential). I saved Sparkling Water bottles as I knew they could withstand the pressure and I am so pleased that I did, the Champagne is so bubbly that you have to be very carefully opening it, letting out a little pressure at a time, or else you will have Champagne everywhere!

Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for at least a week before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Tip: I am going to keep mine stored in the garage in the plastic bottles and decant into prettier bottles to serve or to give as gifts as required.

So here's to a long hot summer, lots of Al Fresco dinning and many happy memories.