Bruschetta

Why do I always wait to eat Bruschetta in a restaurant?  It is such a deliciously light meal to have on a summer's day, sitting in the garden.

During  the heat we've had in the last few days, I've eaten plenty of salads.  Throughout the summer I I try to eat plenty of  fresh tomatoes and often make this family favourite, bruschetta.

Tomato Bruschetta

4 slices of a good artisanal white loaf
1 clove garlic
olive oil
3 or 4 good sized tomatoes
1 shallot
Fresh Coriander or Basil

Lightly toast the slices of bread.

Whilst still warm rub with the peeled clove of garlic and drizzle with olive oil.

Meanwhile cut the tomatoes into 16ths (horizontal and vertical- so you have wedge shaped pieces)

Finely slice the shallot, add to the tomatoes with some roughly chopped coriander .

Place the tomato mixture on the prepared toast and enjoy.

We often have a little tomato mixture left over and it makes a perfect salad with pitta bread, houmous and olives.  The perfect garden picnic.

Do you have a favourite tomato meal?  Here in Richmond this is a firm favourite.  I am looking forward to a summer of heritage tomatoes, as well as tomato and fennel salads in Brittany.

elderflower harvest

By this time last year, I had made bottles and bottles of cordial, but the reluctance of the sun to shine, means that the elderflower harvest is running slightly late this year.

Elderflowers and Lemons

As a result of the weather, there is  at least a month of elderflowers left on the trees, and time to  plan some recipes which I can use them for.  Last year I made Elderflower Gin and Elderflower Vinegar!

My favourite elderflower treat is a truly scrumptious Lemon and Elderflower Marmalade, using a delicious recipe from Urvashi at The Botanical Kitchen. (My husband has specially requested it again this year, and I am planning a batch  as soon as we have a day or two of sunshine.)

There is such a plethora of Elderflowers in Richmond, sometimes I  pick too many,   I retain the extra flowers to decorate a simple dish.

If you have some Elderflower Cordial then I cannot recommend this simple dish too highly, it's tasty and (I'm sure) very healthy.  It takes moments to make and provides a scrumptious breakfast or an ideal pudding, in other words it is a truly versatile dish.

Elderflower Fruit Salad with Goat Yoghurt

Make a simple fresh fruit salad with a variety of summery berries such as:

Raspberries
Blueberries
Strawberries
or pre-prepared Tropical Fruits

You will also need:
Elderflower Cordial
Elderflowers (foraged)
Mint leaves
Goat Yogurt

When you have made the fruit salad, drizzle with a teaspoonful of Elderflower Cordial
Scatter the Mint leaves and the Elderflower Petals over the fruit salad
Serve the fruit salad with a delicious helping of Goat Yoghurt

Sometimes I sneak some onto my breakfast muesli too!

There  are many other  delicious Elderflower posts to be found on the web, I particularly recommend  a tasty selection of elderflower recipes from  Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and some scrumptious elderflower madeleines from Laura at How to Cook Good Food.

Elderflower Cordial

One of life's simple joys is to walk with purpose.  Everyday, twice a day, I walk the dog, we tread the same paths throughout the seasons, and have time to observe and enjoy autumnal leaves, wintery landscapes, and now the trees ablaze with blossom.

I simply adore the sensations of a spring walk, the glorious colours, the effervescent bird song, the smell of damson blossom, followed by apple, followed by my favourite; elderflower.

As the earlier blossoms fade, the elderflower begins to dominate, calling out to be gathered and used.  

Every May I end up with a little cottage industry in my kitchen,  making small, delicious quantities of Elderflower Cordial.

Some of the cordial will be kept for refreshing summer drinks.  Other's will be gifted to friends, this year I have promised 10 small bottles for the Church stall at Ham Fair.  I also have to freeze some of my cordial,  so I will be able to send it, during the winter, to my son who will be deployed abroad. 

I've been making cordial for years, and have gradually adapted various recipes to have one that I really love.

20 Umbrells of Elderflower

2 Lemons
.75L Water

900g Sugar

33g Citric Acid

Gently shake the elderflowers over a sink, but don't wash them

Remove the flowers from the stalks

Wash, peel and juice the lemons

Place the elderflowers, lemon peel and juice in a large bowl

Meanwhile, in a pan, bring the water to the boil, turn off the heat

Add the sugar to the water and allow to dissolve (about 10 minutes)

Pour the syrup (sugar water) over the flowers and lemons

Add the citric acid and stir it in

Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 24-48 hours

Strain through a sieve (lined with butter muslin) into sterilised bottles

You can make the cordial more citrusy, by switching an orange into the mixture.  The cordial will keep in a cool place for three to four months.  Once opened refrigerate. 

I freeze cordial in small water bottles, which means it can be used throughout the year.

The cordial is delicious with sparkling water, or add a dash to a Gin and Tonic for a simple, summery cocktail.  I also use it in a simple glace icing, to give a glorious, seasonal flavour to birthday cakes.

Happy foraging!  Don't forget to leave some of the flowers on the trees, so that bees and butterflies can gather pollen and to ensure a harvest of autumnal elderberries!

Do you make homemade cordials or perhaps use elderflowers in other drinks or foods?  Do let me know.

Jude xx

Scrumptious Kitchens - A New Blog

It is very exciting to start blogging again, after a gap of several years.

My friends from Instagram will know that for the last 18 months I have been involved in a monthly hashtag prompt list called Scrumptious Kitchen.  It has been great fun,  I worked with several super food bloggers, who all contributed superb prompt lists.

Following a mention by  Me and Orla,  in one of her monthly list of favourite hashtags last year, Scrumptious Kitchen  really took off, with over 30,000 individual photographs.  As a result the prompt list no longer seemed relevant,  as the tag was flying.  We decided to discontinue the list, though I still love and use the hashtag daily.

The name was too good to lose, and rather than return to A Trifle Rushed, which I believe has passed it's sell-by-date, I have decided to take the name Scrumptious Kitchen, adding an 's', to make a plural, and post new stories from my two kitchens, in Richmond and Brittany.

I have also been writing a recipe book.  Having struggled to find a publisher,  I have decided to self  publish.

The book features seaside recipes from my kitchen in Brittany,  I hope it will become a valuable resource for people holidaying both in Brittany and  other coastal regions in France, Britain and beyond.

Self publishing is expensive, and the book is proving expensive too, if I put all the recipes and notes I wished into it, it would be prohibitive!  Therefore I hope this blog will supplement the book.

I am investigating the possibility of  publishing the book as an e-book, as well as a 'real' book.  I'm sure that having the book on a phone or iPad, would  be an aid to holiday makers, as well as being a far cheaper option!

Please follow my new blog, especially if you are interested in simple seaside, holiday recipes.  You can sign up for email's of new posts in the side bar.  Or perhaps you're keen on foraging (one of my favourite pastimes here in Richmond) I am so excited as the Elderflower session is nearly upon us.

I'll be sharing my Elderflower Cordial Recipe later this week, watch out for it.

In the meantime please follow my Instagram account @jude_magee , I post daily seasonal photographs there.

Look out for more information on my book, on the e-book and some gorgeous recipes.

I will be working on this blog over the next few weeks, and very much hope I can improve it's appearance! (fingers crossed!)

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think.

Jude xx