I started this post ages ago, it was originally written to go with the Easter lunch that I cooked for family and friends but I completely forgot to take any photos, so it’s been sitting on my dashboard since. We’ve just had a lovely weekend with friends, as part of which I cooked roast chicken, again (with all the trimmings), I also repeated some of my regular canapes, and this time, remembered to reach for the camera, so I thought I’d update and publish the post.
Oh, and I’ve been cutting lots of Narcissi ‘Geranium’, which I grow in the cutting patch, it’s my absolute favourite, with it’s beautiful multi-headed stems and the smell that fills the room from one small bunch is amazing.
(I am love with this kitsch dog, that came from Mum’s, my other half HATES it, oh and the colourful things around it are my youngest’s many painted clay artworks from school….I have no idea what any of them are meant to be!)
Below is the post from Easter lunch:
I like to make or prepare as much of a big roast lunch in advance, so I can enjoy the day itself, and that includes the canapes. On the Saturday, I made Delia’s ‘Tiny Cheese, Onion and Olive Scones’ (recipe here on her site), only minus the olives as I couldn’t remember if both boys eat them. I’ve made these before but with a larger cutter then suggested, this time, I used a small shot glass to get the 3cm length scones and they were much better, more delicate to eat. On the Sunday, I warmed them through for a few minutes then served them split with cream cheese mixed with fresh-cut chives.
I also made ‘Smoked Salmon Frittatas’, the recipe for which is adapted from a small booklet I once got with a magazine. We have this thing (my Sister and I) that we always have salmon blinis as a canape, at pretty much every opportunity, but my husband is on a no grain diet so I needed another option and made frittatas instead. I used this fab mini tart pan that I bought ages ago, it’s very heavy duty and super non-stick. I love it. I have, though, in the past made larger versions in regular tart pans (it makes 12 normal sized ones, or 24 minis).
Smoked Salmon Frittatas
100g Smoked Salmon, chopped
2tbls chopped dill or chives
freshly ground pepper
100ml double cream
2 eggs (medium)
For the garnish, some creme fraiche , lemon and a few snips of herbs
Also, you’ll need a mini tart tin, or a regular 12 hole muffin/tart tin
Method
Set the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F, Gas 4)
Mix the chopped salmon and herbs together.
Grease your tart tin (I use olive oil and rub a little into each, using my finger) then share the salmon/herb mix into the bottom of the tart tray.
Lightly beat the cream, eggs and pepper together, then pour evenly into the tray (I use a jug).
Bake for about 10-15 mins for the small frittatas, or 20-25mins for larger ones, in the centre of the oven until set. They go lovely and puffy and slightly golden on top.
Remove and cool in the tin for 5mins. They will sink a bit, but they’ll still be pretty.
Remove from the tin and cool on a rack.
At this point, once cooled, you can store them on a plate, covered in cling film, in the fridge overnight. The next day, make sure they have returned to room temperature before garnishing and serving. To serve, each mini frittata is topped with a blog of creme fraiche, a very thin, small slice of lemon (or not in the photo below!) and a snippet of herb.
For lunch itself on both Easter and this last weekend, I went for chicken. I’ve posted my favourite bits of cooking a roast bird before, for me it’s all about the trimmings, there are certain things that my family ALWAYS have when cooking a bird, one is Gran’s stuffing balls recipe, found in this post and another is bread sauce. My boys wont eat bread sauce…..I’m thinking of disowning them 😉
I don’t normally make Yorkshire Pudding with chicken, but the boys are huge fans so I thought I’d hunt for the ‘best ever’ recipe, just to see if it was better then normal (my Yorkshires are a bit hit or miss, I’m embarrassed to admit). I opted for this version, it was a bit heavy in the centre, due to the oven temperature being too low, but the taste was lovely so I’ve written it out into my recipe book for future use.
I do love a full roast and I’ve really enjoyed bringing out all my ‘proper’ dinner things recently, my Royal Doulton ‘Coppice’ crockery has been used a lot, along with all the farmhouse style silver and bone handle knives that I own, as well as the vintage table linen and napkins. We don’t use them every weekend (they have to be hand washed to keep them in good condition) but it’s important to me that they do get used and don’t just sit in a cupboard.
I’ve been planting lots of seeds, more next time 🙂