The ultimate ginger nuts

I have finally found the ultimate recipe for crispy chewy ginger nuts from this lovely lady here. Many thanks to Samantha J(182) for this recipe because I cannot describe how long I've searched for a real ginger nut recipe.

I have adapted it slightly and I also cook them for around 6 minutes rather then 15.

These take about 10 minutes to put together and around 6 minutes to cook.

Ingredients
50g butter
75g golden syrup
2 tbsp caster sugar
1-2 tsp ginger (fresh or dry, both work)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g self raising flour
half tsp Bicarbonate of soda

Directions

Preheat your oven to 190C.

Soften your butter and mix it with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 75g of golden syrup. Add your cinnamon and ginger and mix well.

Weigh out your flour and add the bicarbonate of soda. Add this to your butter mix and combine well.

Butter a large flat tin and roll your dough into small little balls (they will expand like crazy). Push down slightly with your fingers.

Pop in the oven and allow to cook for about 6-7 minutes. They seem to expand and blow up but deflate as soon as taken from the oven, so as soon as you see them deflating in the oven and turning golden I've found this is the perfect time to pull them out.

Leave them to cool on the tin, and then remove onto a rack. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

Traditional tomato sauce

Is there anything better in this world then a real homemade tomato sauce? I doubt it.

It all started when I decided that I was no longer content with the sauces in the supermarket, or even a homemade quick tomato sauce. So off I went to my local farm shop (more about that later, oh how I adore real farm shops) and got myself some big, red beefsteak tomatoes.

You will need about 7-9 big ripe tomatoes, a rather large pan and a day to keep an eye on your sauce.

Pour a little olive oil in your pan and heat slightly.

Place your tomatoes in the pan, and put on a very low heat. Cover half way and now leave them for about an hour. When you return, start to very gently push your tomatoes down with a spoon and leave once more. They will still be quite stiff right now, so don't force them to disintegrate. You want them to turn into sauce in their own sweet time.

Keep checking your tomatoes about once every 45 minutes and again, make sure the heat is very low so they do not burn. Keep dunking them on the head slightly with the spoon so they start to cook inside. Now take them out one by one and place on a non-absorbent board (you don't want to lose any of the wonderful juice). Peel the skins off which should be slightly cracked by now. If not possible, place back in the pan and return after a while to try again. I usually burn my fingers slightly here but no pain, no gain!

Keep and eye on your sauce and keep slowly pushing the tomatoes down until they disintegrate by themselves. Once it resembles sauce, make sure to check every 30 minutes because it will be wanting to burn at a moments notice. Continue this for about 6 hours.

Now you don't have to do this, but I find a little sugar and some sea salt really bring out the flavour in the tomatoes. About a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt should do it. Throw in a little freshly ground pepper for good measure.

At around the 8 hour mark you should have a lush tomato sauce. To finish add some fresh chopped herbs (parsley, basil or oregano works remarkably well).

If you're a garlic fiend like me, slice a couple of cloves very finely. Grab a separate pan, pour a little olive oil in and heat to medium. Put your garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds or until the smell is intoxicating, but not burnt! Add this to your sauce and allow to cool fully before popping in the fridge or using.

Who else wants Key Lime pie?

I am a little obsessed with Key Lime pie lately and limes available have been big and sweet. Refreshing, zesty and cold, the sour twang of the lime balances beautifully with the sweetness of the condensed milk. Now layer that on a crunchy, buttery base and you have a dessert that is truly out of this world.

I have tried many versions of this and have finally found a perfect version in Jamie Oliver's quick recipe.

This takes no time at all to prepare, but takes at least 6 hours in the fridge to set. Don't be tempted to cut a little slice off, as hard as that is! This pie really deserves be cold and fully set.

This takes about 30 minutes to prepare, 6 hours to set in the fridge

Ingredients

For the crust

12 digestive biscuits

45g Caster sugar

140g butter

For the lime filling

4 egg yolks

1x 400ml can condensed milk

6-7 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

To serve

Fresh lime zest

For the crust

Preheat the oven to 170C and grab a small-medium sized tin. Butter your tin well and place to the side.

Crush up your biscuits in a processor or a mortar and pestle (they crush easily) and pour into a nice big bowl. Soften 140g of butter and mix it in with the digestives and 45g of caster sugar. Mix it all up well and pour it into a small-medium sized round tin, pushing the base up the sides a little.

Place in a nice hot oven for about 15 minutes, checking frequently to cook to perfection. Once browned, leave the base in its tin and place on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes or until cool.

The filling

Now you're ready to start the fun part! Crack and separate four eggs and place only the yolk in a nice big bowl. You won't need the white anymore for this recipe.

Whisk the egg yolks until nice and airy (about 4 minutes) and slowly start to pour in your condensed milk, bit by bit, whilst still whisking.

I got lucky with super sized limes from my local farm shop (and deliciously sweet) but you should need around 3-4 good sized limes for the 6-7tbsp of lime juice. Whisk the juice into the egg and milk mix and you should have a wonderfully light fragranced filling to pour straight into your base.

Once poured and levelled, take your pie and pop it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then cover and pop in the fridge for a few hours. Then proceed to wow everyone with this heavenly American pie!