The Barn and farm shop have been open for about a month now and quite a few of our visitors have asked how we make some of the products on sale. So rather than have to keep writing them down, here are a few of the recipes most frequently asked for.
The rhubarb cordial seems to have taken over from the elderflower as the most popular but that could be because elderflower cordials and drinks are easily available in shops and supermarkets so no longer out of the ordinary. I can say though, I have never seen a rhubarb cordial anywhere other than in our barn.
You will need:
3kg chopped rhubarb.
Sugar
Lemon juice
Place the rhubarb in a large pan, add 150ml of water. Gently and slowly cook the rhubarb over a low to medium heat until the “fruit” is a complete mush.
Start the cooking slowly to start drawing out the liquid from the “fruit” which will help to stew the “fruit” in its own juices.
Scald a large piece of fine muslin and place over a bowl big enough to hold the rhubarb, tip the rhubarb into the muslin. Gather the four corners of the muslin, tie with a piece of string and suspend the bag over the bowl to catch the juice. Leave to hang over night.
The following day, measure the bright pink juice, pour it into a pan and heat.
For every litre of juice, add 750g of sugar and 75ml of lemon juice.
Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring up to about 75°C.
Sterilise some recycled bottles with screw cap tops by washing thoroughly and heating in a low oven set at about 100°C.
Use a funnel or pouring jug to CAREFULLY fill the hot bottles with the hot cordial.
Put on the bottle tops and tip the bottles up side down for a minute or two, then stand up right to cool. The cordial should keep well, unless it is drunk of course.
Dilute about one part cordial to three or four parts water, still or sparkling.
Another regular question is what is in the salad dressing we serve and people are often surprised how simple the recipe is.
You will need:
500ml Virgin olive oil
250ml Balsamic vinegar
1 generous tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Freshly ground blackpepper
Now for the difficult part !!
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a hand whisk.
The dressing should thicken somewhat as the oil and vinegar emulsify together, if it doesn’t just add a little more mustard and whisk again. Add the pepper to taste.
Store in an air tight jar or bottle. Do not refrigerate or it will separate.
Butter supplies permitting, the Viennese whirl biscuits are very popular.
Beat 250g butter (NOT margarine) with 125g castor sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence (NOT flavouring), until light and fluffy. Stir in 250g plain flour and mix well.
Spoon the paste into a piping bag fitted with a large star tube and pipe whirls onto baking trays. Almost any shape will work, blobs, dollops, lumps etc. doesn’t have to be whirls but you should have about 30-36 in all.
Bake at 180°C until golden brown around the edges but slightly pale in the middle.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling wire and then an airtight tin or box when cold.
If you use unsalted butter, add a generous pinch of salt to the butter and sugar.
It is something of a running joke that when we are asked what the soup of the day is, we reply that it is green, as most of them are. Sometimes it is orange (pumpkin) or white (turnip) or yellow (something curried) but more often than not it is green.
Lovage, sorrel, green fennel (not bronze), celery leaf, nasturtium leaf and in the early spring, nettles.
You will need:
1 medium sized onion, peeled & chopped.
1 leek, cleaned & sliced.
1 clove of garlic, peeled & crushed.
50g butter.
250g potatoes, peeled & diced.
1 litre of water or stock.
250g green leaves of choice.
Bayleaf & thyme
2-3 tablespoons of cream.
Salt & pepper.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion, leek and garlic, then sweat with a lid on the pan until the vegetables are soft and have lost their raw smell.
Add the water or stock, herbs and potatoes, stir well and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked.
Add the leaves, stir well, return to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
Allow the soup to cool slightly then puree in a blender and pass through a medium sieve to remove the fibrous bits.
Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, add more water or stock to correct the consistency if necessary. Stir in the cream.
