When I picked up my granddaughter on Friday my two daughters were sitting outside in the garden wearing summer vests and enjoying the rays. Yesterday I was sat snuggled up next to the fire watching a blizzard outside.
This was the view from my front window, and it just continued to snow...
...and snow
...and snow.
(Scroll down to see how much!)
The menu plan had been to use up some fish from the freezer and make home made fish cakes served with salad.
Hmmm seeing the snow this didn't feel like a good option at all, so plan B.
Pop down to our local Co-op (only about 20 yards from my door, or I wouldn't have ventured out) and purchase a bottle of real ale.
No!! getting drunk wasn't the plan. Beer batter was.
The new menu:
Beer battered fish with home made real chips (not oven baked - comfort food was called for after all!) and mushy peas. Followed after a break to let everything settle, so to speak, with home made apple crumble and "real" custard.
Now the reason I put "real" in them there quotation marks is that it is my version of real custard - it does contain egg, but does away with the long slow constant stirring and risk of curdling. The reason I do my custard this way is all to do with my dislike of additives, colourings and such - I refuse to contemplate those packets of lurid instant stuff.
My recipe for "real" custard
Serves 2
1 egg yolk
1 level tbsp sugar
1 level tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pint milk
Put the first 4 ingredients into a bowl and mix to a smooth paste with a little of the cold milk. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil then pour onto the paste, stirring well. Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and place back on the heat - stir vigorously until the mixture come up to the boil and thickens - Voila custard!
I'll leave you with a picture of the snow this morning as it was on the road coming out of the village of Stanley Crook, on my way home from visiting one of my daughters.
Wow, you do have a lot of snow. I see you have tulips out and yet it snows. This winter has been long where I live too. I hope your Spring arrives in full soon.
ReplyDeletelots of lovely snow.
ReplyDeleteI have never made my own custard. I do like the lurid yellow stuff as that was the custard of my childhood. I also like ambrosia custard. I have been known to buy expensive fresh made custard with eggs. The reason I have not made my own as it just seems like a lot of faff.
oh I have made custard that goes in bread and butter pudding.
I cannot believe the difference in the weather between last week and this! Beer battered fish followed by custard sounds a perfect winter warmer.
ReplyDeleteGood lord - you've had masses of snow! It's just wet, windy and cold in Worcestershire. Jx
ReplyDeleteI know! It's mad! Best of all *jokes* I've missed both weather extremes, being laid low with a bug. Has given me plenty of time for thought though. Hmmm, is that a good thing....?
ReplyDeletelovely stone cottages, frosty;p
pamela xxx
Hope you're feeling better Pamela. I too sometimes wonder about the "thinking" thing! It's especially not good when it wakes you at stupid o'clock and stubbornly refuses to go away so you have to get up despite having no work to go to. Ooops - sorry that sounded like a bit of a rant! Take care - Linda xxx
Deletethanks for the custard recipe - my MIL always used to make the real thing for trifle but every time I tried it turned into scrambled egg!! - hope you get some supply next term to eke out the finances
ReplyDelete