Anyway at least they were quiet while I was cooking dinner and kept out of my hair, almost. I made us antipasto to start by just assembling some stuff.
Some nice olives, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, artichokes and cured meats. All very lovely with a big jug of pimms, Then onto the main, I'd decided it was far to hot for a big roast so I would bung a couple of nice free range Chocks (chickens) in the top oven of the aga, with a lemon stuffed up their bottoms and a nice bunch of thyme an addition of an olive oil rub, a little sea salt and Bobs your uncle, actually his my father and brother in law but no uncle as far as I know.
To go with this i'd peeled a 100 weight of potatoes chopped into small pieces and quartered them parboiled ready for roasting, made a big caesar salad and thought lovely, but no, just then one of the boys wander round for the 268th visit to the fridge since I got back from Sainsbury and demanded a roast, so now i'm measuring a cup of flour, plain, a cup of milk, whole, a cup of eggs beat it all up, whack a big baking tray in the oven with oil, olive, then i think veggies so i'm now chopping a red pepper a yellow one a couple of red onions and some garlic, rub with more olive oil and put in the oven (electric one @ 220) put the batter into baking tray, make a gravy, so now one table, 8 people and 2 dinners, seemed everyone had a bit of each except me, caesar salad and gravy is not my thing although Michelle seemed to enjoy !!!!!!
For dessert I made a choice but unfortunately my Mac won't let me open iphoto so we have only 1 to see.
Mini victoria sandwich.
I was up early so I made strawberry Jam, it's just so so easy all I do is de-stalk some strawberries chop in half put in a saucepan mash with a masher then add a little less weight in jam sugar, bring to boil, boil for 10 mins spoon frothy stuff from the top discard then pour into a bowl done.
Mini victoria sandwich are so simple in either a food processor, bowl and hand-whisk, or free standing mixer whisk together
150g S/R flour
150g stork,
150g caster sugar
a little vanilla extract
3 eggs + 1 yolk
Until a dropping consistency, pour into a lined baking tin, mine was a little roasting tin,
Cook @ 170 for about 20-25 mins,
Leave to cool, cut out little circles,
Brush with the jam,
Pipe in either fresh whipped cream or buttercream,
Sandwich 2 halves together and dust with icing sugar.
The next dessert I made was one i'd seen on a tv program where Nadia Sawalha had to cook a celebrity chef his favourite dinner of all time.
Anyway I couldn't remember exactly but it was this trifle thingy and this was my take.
I used the off cuts from the victoria sandwich sponge for the base.
Then some of the jam spooned over, then softly whipped cream, topped with raspberries and the tiniest of meringues, about as small as the tip of your little finger, to make baby meringues, just whisk 2 egg whites then slowly add a tsp lemon juice and 100g caster sugar, spoon into piping bag and pipe dots onto parchment bake at either 100 or like me in bottom oven of aga for 2 hours.
It's a really yummy dessert, I promise.
