St Martins Cafe // Leicester

When I go and stay with my sister at Uni our only plans are to find cafes and eat as much food as we can in  the 48 hours we have together. So far we have been very productive and ate a tray of Dad's Classic Flapjack between us, enough chocolate to make anyone ill and froyo to compensate for the binge the night before. Obviously that isn't everything but it is all I can confess to and still have dignity afterwards.

 

During the Saturday we enjoyed walks around Leicester city centre with my little companion Buddy the dog (he will appear often over the next few months!). Eve recommended a wonderful café called St. Martins and it filled my café needs for the rest of the day. The menu had lots of options for vegetarians, all of which homemade.

 

I ordered the cauliflower koftas with homemade hummus, a Mexican relish and rocket salad, trust me this dish did not disappoint. I was weary of the hummus but dipping the koftas in it was something else then you get the spicy tang of the relish accompanied by the fresh, peppery rocket made it melt in your mouth! This lunch was well needed after the long morning of shopping with the refreshing orange and passion fruit tea.

Overall I will be back at St. Martins café!

 

Seaside Sorbet

X

"Norwegian Gold"

After a short summer of cafe searching and food finding I have to admit that my favourite stops along the way is, sadly, not that local but in the very beautiful country of Norway. I stayed in a small cottage in the western fjords and found some very lovely people and places. One of these was  our sweet landlady who left us a Norwegian delicacy; "Norwegian golden" berry which is found in the mountains of Norway and I have to confess is a little strange but extremely tasty. When she left us 200g of odd tasting berries, I, being a baker, seized that moment and took the chance bake with the amazing backdrop of mountains and fjords. On one of our walks we found them ourselves and ate them fresh and they tasted even better!

The recipe I chose was very simple but when you are using a tea cup as a pastry cutter you have to live with what you get. I used an easy sweet pastry recipe and concocted a jam/syrup from the "Norwegian golden" berries, which in a way is only a fancy jam tart but made with a very unusual and rare fruit. For this recipe I had left over pastry so used jams and marmalade to reduce waste, which is always a bonus, and made more to eat! 

 

Ingredients~ 

Pastry

110g Plain Flour

55g Butter

40g Sugar

1 Small Egg

Filling

200g "Norwegian Gold" (or raspberries will work fine.)

200ml Water

Jams of your choice

Method~

1. Rub the butter into the flour until breadcrumbs.

2. Now stir in the sugar, it doesn't have to be perfect. 

3. Add the egg and stir in/ need well. 

4. Put the water and berries into a pan on a medium heat and leave to boil stirring occasionally.

5. Roll out the dough to 0.5mm thick and cut into circles large enough to place in the baking trays make sure you keep your eyes on the berries.

6. Once your mixture is done leave to cool for 5 minutes then spoon into the pastry and fill any remaining cases with jams of your choice. Place in the oven to cook for 8-15 minutes depending on your oven.

7. When they are done, leave to cool on the side as the jam will be piping hot and will scold, you so be patient. Trust me it's worth it!

8. Eat all of them in one go and enjoy!!!

I will never forget baking with such an amazing backdrop!

OliveeKid xx

New Name, New Perspective

After spending a while away from blogging, I have decided I want to spice things up a bit *crowd cheers*. Personally I have been finding recipe after recipe boring and lately going to various cafes and trying new things has been an unhealthy habit. This gave me the idea of café  reviews, posts on my adventures and opinions on food issues.

 

New blog vows:

 

Be active (as you may tell I haven't been the best of bloggers!) 

Take better photos and,

To be more interesting on my blog!

SeasideSorbet 🍧

Vegan Roasted Tomato and Basil Tart

Last weekend I had my first Sunday off from work in a long time so I seized the moment to bake as much as I possibly could in one afternoon! As it was a sunday and usually in our house we have a Sunday roast but this week I took charge and did something a little different in the form of a roasted tomato and basil tart. This meal did not take long at all and I highly recommend serving it with new potatoes, maple roasted vegetables and balsamic vinegar dressing salad.

 

 

Ingredients~

 

2-3 Vine tomatoes sliced

250g Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

3 Garlic cloves minced and put to one side

5-6 Tbsps Olive oil

2-3 Tbsps Tomato puree

A small basil plant

A plain dough recipe

 

Method~

 

1. Put the oven on to 160'C. Mix the minced garlic with the olive oil. Place the sliced tomatoes on a baking tray and using a cooking brush, brush the garlic oil over the tomatoes leaving a little in the bottom for later. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes (I say this so you can check it frequently, it may take longer so just take care.)

 

2. With your tart tin, or pie, grease it and line it with the dough. With tomato puree and the rest of the olive oil make a sauce and with the brush, brush it across the base and the sides as all the tomatoes may not get all the way up resulting in it being a little to plain and dry. 

 

3. Place the basil leaves over the base and then layer the tomatoes on  top and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Once done show this as a centre piece and enjoy the show! 

OliveeKid xx

 

Lemon Meringue Crown Cupcakes

For family members birthdays I always do the desserts and for this family members birthday I decided to do something I have never done before and that is marshmallow type of meringue in a crown pattern on top of a lemon cupcake. Heaven I know. As I was following this recipe I was quite confused on the second bake of the cupcake for their meringue but trust me they are like little bits of clouds!

 

 

 

Ingredients~

 

For the Cupcakes

 

150g Unsalted Butter

150g caster sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

2 medium Eggs

175g Plain flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

 

For the Crown

 

2 medium Egg whites

1 tsp Lemon juice

70g Icing sugar

150-200g Lemon curd (well enough to fill the middle of your crown)

 

 

Method~

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C fan and line a 12-hole muffin tin with liners.

 

2. In a bowl beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

 

3. Stir the eggs into the butter mixture, then mix in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda until well blended.

 

4. Spoon this mixture into the paper cases, then bake in the oven for 19-23 minutes or until golden brown.

 

5. Once the cupcakes are out of the oven increase the temperature to 200'C, and slice the tops of the cupcakes off so you have a flat surface to pipe on.

 

6. For the meringue crown whisk together the egg whites with the lemon juice until peaks start to form. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar until stiff and shiny.

 

7. Spoon the meringue topping into a piping bag, now pipe small rounds in a circle on top of the cupcake, pulling away the piping bag each time to create peaks.

 

8. Now bake the piped meringue tops in the oven for 3-6 minutes until it starts to brown. Once browned remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

 

9. Once the cupcake is cool spoon the lemon curd into the centre of the cupcakes to finish.

Now enjoy and eat 4, screw the diet!!

 

 

OliveeKid xx

 

Vegan Kiwi Bakewell Slice

When me and my dad go on days out it usually consists of seeking out weird and unusual ingredients and on this particular adventure we came across one of the best creations ever... KIWI JAM!!!

 

One of the best things about being a baker is that you can add anything to a recipe or change its flavours and it can turn into something completely different, and all you have done is change the jam flavour! This is what makes baking such a marvel to me is that the prospect of all these combinations excites me! In this classic twist the jam compliments the sponge perfectly and not to add it is 100% VEGAN!!
 

Millionaires Shortbread with a Gingerbread Base

When I was little I have fond memories of walking down the road with my mum to get a magazine and some millionaires shortbread for that evenings movie night, so when it came around for this weeks blog post I knew I had to do millionaires shortbread as well it is just so damn tasty!

 

For this classic recipe I wanted to spice it up and the ginger complements the sweet caramel then the chunky chocolate so well I have eaten nearly half the tin, but be warned as this is super sickly so when you slice it up slice this into small chunks.

 

Mini Egg Brownies!

I am a huge sucker for brownies, as you may already know, so when Mini Eggs came onto the shelves the first thing I had to do without a doubt was make Mini Egg brownies! On Fridays I take to school baked goods for all of my friends so when it came to today I dug out that bag of Mini Eggs I had stashed away in my school bag and decided to make these super chocolatey, slightly Easter related brownies and if I do say so myself I love them even better than normal brownies *gasps*. 
 

Lemon Drizzle Traybake

Lemon, as you may already know, is one of my favourite flavours when it comes to baking, so why not take advantage of this great flavour in a moist, crunchy and refreshing sponge in the form of a shareable traybake for everyone to adore.

Sultana and Apricot Scones

I have never really made scones before until last Sunday and I never knew how easy they were! For this recipe I have added sultanas and apricots to make them taste even better. I recommend to serve straight from the oven with a little butter! 

Gingerbread Traybake

Ginger and treacle are both rich flavours on their own but together they complement each other perfectly in this recipe, so perfectly it should be made at least once by everyone! 
 

 

Plum Clafoutis

When your Dad brings home an abundance of plums that are nearing their best before what do you do? You bake lots of plum related desserts until your family is plumed out, that's what you do. I was wanting a recipe that was using plums and found this one and it is delicious and so easy! This recipe has an egg custard texture with a sweet plum contrast plus when served warm with a serving of whipped cream makes it taste even better! For this recipe you will need a shallow oven proof dish.

It doesn't look too pleasant but it tastes delicious!

 

Easy Vegan Microwave Treacle Sponge

An easy vegan dessert that only takes 20 minutes? This is any vegans dream and it has finally come true! I found this recipe on the internet and decided to alter it to make it even tastier. The luxurious treacle and the soft sponge is anyone's dream from a microwave sponge!
 

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

After so many views on my orange and white chocolate cookies I decided to try white chocolate and cranberry and they were delicious, that delicious that everyone went back for seconds! Let me know your opinion on these smooth white chocolate cookies that have a fruity burst and chewy texture that the cranberries have on the cookie! 

 

Sorry about the bad quality as this was take just before they were snapped up to eat!

Blueberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Blueberry and white chocolate is a combination that is extremely under rated and it is one of the best! This cupcake recipe is so fun and is a recipe that makes you want to come back for more even though we know we shouldn't.

 

Dad's Classic Flapjack

This recipe is a family favourite and some of my fondest memories are sat around the bonfire tucking into a hearty slab of flapjack. This flapjack recipe may seem a little simple compared to many others but its the simplicity that makes it so special. The sticky treacle and syrup that melds the oats to each other then the sticky glacé cherries just make it so delicious plus its 100% VEGAN!
 

'They just smelt too good!'

Raw Brownies!

As a lover of all things brownie related and healthy I had to give the Deliciously Ella Raw Brownies a try. I had to adapt the recipe and it made it super tasty! One thing I would love to do when I am older is have a wholefoods diet but not be one that is really restricting and stops me from going out with friends for meals, so finding recipes that I can add into my daily life that are 100% good for you is always amazing. Plus it is one of those recipes you can slip into the kids lunch boxes that they will love all the same!

 

As this recipe is made with dates, pecans and cocoa powder (and a dash of honey!) it is so good for you and taste a lot like Nakd bars, if you know what they are then we can be friends. With a combination of these ingredients it makes them very chewy, with a slight crunch, then with the rich taste of the dates and chocolate just makes them even better!

 

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Who doesn't love chocolate chip brownies? No one! So why not take in a tin of these devilishly chocolately brownies to work or school and I guarantee you will become the most popular person in the office or class room. That's if your family don't eat them all first! 

 

Orange and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

White chocolate and orange sound great together and trust me they are. I made this combination after scrolling through many Pinterest posts and saw that there were a few cakes with similar combinations and I just thought that they would make a delicious biscuit. So that night I did a few hours of Googling and finally put together this recipe and proceeded to make them the following weekend, and well to show you how much the family loved them I only got to eat 3 of the 30 I made! The thing that makes me love them so much, and why my family does too, is because you get the sweet chocolate then the mild background taste of the citrusy sweet orange!
 

Ingredients
 

150g Salted butter, softened

80g Light brown muscovardo sugar

80g Granulated sugar

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2  tbsp Orange juice

2/3 tsp orange rind

225g Plain flour

½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp Salt

200g White chocolate chips or chunks

 

Method

 

1. Pre heat the oven to 170'C fan. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

 

2. Put the butter and sugars into a bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, orange juice and rind. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt over the mixture and mix in with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and stir well.

 

3. Using a teaspoon, place small mounds of the mixture well apart on the baking trays. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until light brown (they do spread so be careful) on the edges and still slightly soft in the centre.

 

4. Leave on the trays for a few minutes to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack. Then store in an air tight tin.

If you do try any of my recipes let me know or to get updates on latest posts and up coming news follow my instagram oliveekid.

 

 

OliveeKid xxx

 

 

Strawberry and Marzipan Cupcakes With a Strawberry Buttercream

The other day I caught the first glimpse of spring and sprung off to the nearest supermarket to buy strawberries and summer fruits, being typical Britain it was frosty the next morning, but it did benefit me as I made these delicious marzipan cupcakes that taste marvellous! The sweet strawberries taste so great with the pockets of marzipan intertwined plus the strawberry buttercream toping!

 

Vegan Banana and Raspberry Layered Traybake

So this week, as it is Valentines Day coming up, I have decided to do little treat ideas. I thought that what says I love you and care for you more than a batch of homemade baked goods? Nothing. So this recipe is a Vegan Banana and Raspberry Layered traybake. I wanted this recipe to be able to adapt to a dairy free diet as well, as finding dairy free Valentines day related goods in shops can become a hard task. This traybake is a light and sticky sponge with a banana base and fruity raspberry top and, like I did, iced with love in heart shaped patterns!

Biscotti

On a cold wintery January day all I want is a cup of tea and a biscuit in my hand and at this present moment in time I am loving the French biscuit Biscotti, which in old French means 'twice cooked'. This biscuit is one of my favourites as it is very hard and crunchy so can last longer and tastes amazing dipped in coffee or tea!
 

Lemon Swiss Roll

This swiss roll has to be the best I have ever tasted! It has such a light and fluffy sponge with a refreshing citrusy lemon and then the sweeter lemon curd in the roll, perfection! This recipe, I think, will become a classic in our house and I hope it will in yours!




I mistakenly cut all the way through so my roll wasn't to good... Whoops!

Chai Latte Cupcakes!

I am vegetarian and my Dad is vegan so finding desserts that we are both able to eat is quite tricky. So for my birthday my dad got me Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World this book is only little but contains so many lovely recipes that all sound delicious.

 

So on Sunday which for me consist of the afternoon baking vegan desserts I decided to make Chai Latte Cupcakes as in our house anything chai spice is welcome. In this weeks blog post I have decided that it is going to be these little cupcakes recipe as well... they deserved to be made and enjoyed by everyone as I love them so much!

New Year Resolutions

Every year I make hopeless attempts of setting New Years Resolutions and I am 99% certain that by February the 1st those resolutions are no where in sight. So this year I have decided to come from a different approach and make a list of things I want to achieve, then at the end of this year I'll sit down and review my list and see what I have really done and what I haven't.