Just a Quick Survey

I have created a short survey that I would be really grateful if you could fill out... it's about the layout and content of the blog, and your comments will help me a lot when improving the blog in the future! Thank you :)

You can find the survey HERE.

White Fish and Potato Bake

Welcome back to the Cooking Club! Today I'll be trying out a different style of post, with a lot more photos but less of a solid recipe to follow. For tonight's meal, I decided to make baked white fish, topped with thinly sliced potatoes and melted cheese. It tastes amazing, and it's healthy too! I made this just to serve 1, but you could increase the ingredients depending on how many you're cooking for.

Thinly sliced potatoes with melted cheese and herbs... and there's fish under there somewhere too

What I used:

• 3 baby potatoes (unpeeled)
• 2 medium-sized fish fillets (frozen)
• Salt and mixed herbs to taste (you could use pepper instead of herbs)
• A little grated cheese (the amount you use just comes down to personal preference)

What I did:

First of all, I prepared everything I needed. I preheated the oven to 200 degrees, grated the cheese and put it back in the fridge until I needed it. 

I then sliced my potatoes with a sharp knife to make sure they were cut nice and thin (see the picture to the left). I left the skins on the potatoes, because once cooked, they go all crispy around the edge. (Plus, they contain a lot of nutrients, like iron and potassium, that you wouldn't get if you peeled them!)

Next, I drizzled about a tablespoon of oil into a glass roasting dish. I then placed my two frozen fish fillets into the dish. I decided not to cook them first because they might have gone a bit mushy after the full cooking time. Also, I didn't defrost them first. I left them frozen, so the excess water meant that they remained more moist after being cooked, instead of drying out. The fish fillets looked quite big when they were still frozen, but they did shrink quite a bit whilst being cooked, which made them a perfect size. 

I then spread the potato pieces all over the surface of the fish fillets, making sure every space was filled. I had more potatoes left over after covering the fish, so I slotted them into gaps and let them slip down the sides so that the fish was covered. 

After the potatoes were evenly spread, I sprinkled them with salt and herbs, and a little bit of the cheese. I then covered the dish loosely with tin foil.

When everything was how I wanted it, I put the dish in the oven for 20 minutes to bake.





After 20 minutes, I took the dish out of the oven to check it. To check if the fish was cooking, I stuck a fork into the top of it between the potatoes. By this time, it should feel soft, but still not quite cooked. I sprinkled on the rest of the cheese, covered it back up with the foil and put it in the oven for another 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes was up, took the foil off the dish and put it back in the oven for a few extra minutes - 10 minutes max - for the cheese and potatoes to crisp up. Then it was ready to serve!!

The finished dish:

I used a large slotted spoon to transfer the fish and potato bake to my plate. I completed the dish by serving it (to myself!) with sweetcorn, which went really well with the fish, and added a little bit of sweetness. 

Overall, this turned out really well! I based this recipe on a YouTube video I saw when I was trying to get some cooking inspiration. The video was for an Italian dish using a similar base, but added ingredients like onions, tomatoes and rocket leaves. If you'd like a dish like this but with more vegetables, then you could go and watch that video for more inspiration!

Thank you for reading this post and visiting my blog. I hope I can come back with more inspiration for you very soon!

Cathy Cassidy: Dreamcatcher Blog-zine

One of my favourite authors Cathy Cassidy shared my scone recipe on her blog-zine, Dreamcatcher! It's a pleasure to be featured on the blog and I'm really grateful. Thank you Cathy!

See Cathy's post here!

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles are heaven for the ultimate chocoholic. They are so easy to make (and even easier to eat them all). They can be covered and flovoured with a lot of different things, which makes them perfect for little birthday, Christmas or Easter presents! This recipe will make approx 30 truffles.

Finished truffles, covered with cocoa powder and presented in tiny cake cases!

You will need:

• 300g / 10½oz chocolate, roughly chopped
• 30g/1oz unsalted butter
• 250ml double cream
• pinch of salt
• Cocoa powder, icing sugar, chopped nuts, coconut, etc. to cover the truffles
• Optional: flavourings such as mint, orange or lemon. This can be done using zest of the fruit, or bottles of food flavourings. 

Method:

1. Bring a little water to a simmer in a saucepan. Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set it over the simmering water. (Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the top of the water). Stir the mixture until it is melted and looks glossy.
2. Heat the cream in a separate saucepan until it is almost boiling. Don't let it reach boiling point so it bubbles, but just under boiling point.
3. Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate and mix together until smooth and combined well. Stir in a pinch of salt.
4. Line a roasting tin with greaseproof paper and pour in the chocolate mixture. Set aside for a while to cool, then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
5. Once the mixture has cooled and set, prepare the different ingredients to cover the truffles, such as the icing sugar and nuts. 
6. Roll out the chilled chocolate mixture into small balls using your hands. Roll the ball in your chosen ingredient until the truffle is completely coated. (This is the messy bit!)
7. Place the finished truffles onto a tray or plate and chill until ready to serve.

Finished truffles, not yet coated with cocoa powder

This recipe is very easy, and the majority of the preparation is leaving the truffles to cool and set. But they're worth the wait! I covered mine with cocoa powder, and didn't flavour them with anything. However, you could try coming up with your own combinations... mint and nut? Orange and cocoa powder? Lemon and icing sugar? You decide! They're so versatile, so you could a little selection box as a special gift for someone! 

Have fun experimenting, and if you do give them a go, I would love to see photos!

Update!

Hello!! This is my first post that isn't food related, but it's just a quick update. 

I've changed the name of my blog to Emily's Cooking Club instead of Cake Club. I've made a lot of food in uni that I'd like to share as well as cakes, so I thought I'd make this more of a general food blog. I've got quite a few recipes lined up to share, like chocolate truffles and cottage pie... so keep a look out for those!

I'd be really grateful if you read a post on my blog to give it a quick share on Google+ if you have it (you can do that by clicking the Share button at the top of the blog), or sharing the link on Twitter, Facebook etc. by clicking on the little buttons below. Thank you!

Fabulous Flapjacks

I fancied making flapjacks for a while, but never realised how easy the recipe was! With just a few ingredients and a bit of patience, these flapjacks are simple but amazing. I made plain golden syrup flapjacks, but they are very versatile with plenty of different variations. 

My flapjacks, cut and cooled. Very popular with my flatmates.

You will need:

• 250g porridge oats
• 125g butter
• 125g sugar (recipes suggest brown sugar, but I used normal white sugar)
• 2-3 tbsp golden syrup (depending on how dry or moist you want them)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Grease a baking tin with butter.
2. Place the golden syrup and butter into a saucepan on medium heat and leave until the butter has melted. Stir well to mix the melted butter and syrup.
3. Add the sugar to the mixture and heat gently until it has dissolved. Stir the mixture again.
4. Add in the porridge oats and stir it all together until the oats are covered with the syrup mixture. The oats should stick together and become harder to stir. 
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula. Make sure the surface is nice and flat. 
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. The flapjack will be slightly soft when you remove it from the oven, and harden when cooled. 
7. Place the tin on a cooling rack and cut the flapjack into squares, rectangles... whatever shape takes your fancy! Leave in the tin to cool and turn out onto the cooling rack. Store the flapjacks in an airtight container such as a plastic food box.

Try adding mixed fruit to your flapjacks!
Photo credit: lickyouownbowl

These flapjacks worked out really well and were popular with my flatmates... as I didn't have a box available, I stored them overnight on a plate wrapped with cling film and they were still good. Next time I make these, I will probably add more golden syrup as I would have liked them to be a bit more gooey. I might also try adding mixed fruit or chocolate. Overall though, these were easy and fun to make, and don't take long at all.

As I said above, flapjacks are very versatile. You could try adding mixed fruit, chocolate chips, drizzles of chocolate on the surface, nuts, spices such as ginger, caramel... the list goes on! BBC Good Food has a long list of variations for you to try out.

Easy Shortbread

With only three essential ingredients, this is another very easy recipe to make. Perfect for handmade gifts or just for snacking, they look good, smell great and taste even better! This recipe will make about 20-24 shortbread.

Looks, smells and tastes amazing.

You will need:

125g/4oz butter

55g/2oz caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

180g/6oz plain flour

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Lightly grease a baking tray.
2. Beat the butter and the sugar together until smooth.
3. Stir in the flour to get a smooth paste. Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm/½in thick.
4. Cut into rounds or fingers (I made fingers) and place onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with caster sugar and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Original recipe from BBC Good Food

I loved making this recipe so much that I made it twice in the space of about three days. As you can see on the photos, I cut my fingers slightly too wide and they spread in the oven. They were more like squares than fingers, but it didn't change them at all... still amazing! I noticed that they browned very quickly, so be careful to check them often when they are baking. 

As an alternative, you could try making these with chocolate chips or chunks. I used some spare chocolate, cut it into rough chunks, and pressed that into the mix. Also, you could try decorating the top of the shortbread with icing, chocolate drizzles, or anything that takes your fancy! A quick recipe with only three ingredients... what's not to love?

Simple Scones

These scones look, smell and taste amazing, yet they are extremely easy to make. This recipe makes plain scones, however you could try adding cheese or fruit to make variations. 

These were my scones just out of the oven

You will need:

225g/8oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

55g/2oz butter

25g/1oz caster sugar (I used granulated sugar but it works the same)

150ml/5fl oz milk

1 egg, beaten, to glaze (alternatively use milk - I did!)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Mix together flour and salt. Rub in the butter (cover butter with flour and rub between your fingers until you make a breadcrumb-like texture)
3. Stir in the sugar and add the milk to make a soft dough.
4. Turn onto a floured work surface and lightly knead. Pat or roll out the dough to about 2cm thick.
5. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to cut out the scones. Knead leftover mixture together, pat out and press shapes again until all the mixture has been used up. (I had a little left at the end so I made it into a tiny tester scone... a good way to use leftover dough!)
6. Brush each scone with beaten egg or milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until risen golden brown.
7. Take out to cool and serve with butter and jam, or maybe clotted cream.

Perfect with butter and jam!

The preparation took me about 20 minutes (but that's because I forgot to wash some of the things I needed and kept forgetting to get the right things from the fridge), but it should take about 10 minutes when you are fully prepared! So altogether, the recipe takes about 30 minutes at the most to prepare and bake. 

It's fast, it's cheap and it's very easy to make. I would definitely recommend this recipe for anyone to have a go at, as I can't even think of anything I would change next time.

If you decide to make them, I hope you have fun!