Welsh Recipes Page

NOS GALAN GAEAF RECIPE Treacle toffee is called 'losin du' in South Wales and is often traditionally made at Halloween... Ingredients: 225g black treacle 225g demerara sugar 1 tbsp butter After melting the butter in the bottom of a saucepan add the treacle and the sugar. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat and continue boiling on a low flame for about ten minutes. Test the mixture by pouring a few drops into a cup of cold water. If the mixture sets instantly - it's ready! Pour the toffee into a greased rectangular tin. When almost cold, cut the toffee into squares. When completely cold tip out of the tin and break into squares (carefully!)

BANNOCK BREAD In the British Isles and Ireland, until the Norman French conquest led to enclosures & the smashing of an independent peasantry, great festivities attended the cutting of the last harvest sheaf. St. Michael's Day on September 29th shared many features throughout the Celtic world, including the making of Struan Micheil (Michael's Bannock). The Struan Micheil was a special cake, like a heavy bread, and was made from the different types of grain harvested during that time of year from all around the surrounding area. Large round loaves were marked with deep crosses & cooked in wood ovens fired by "special" woods:- oak or rowan, with blackberry bramble kindling. In Ireland, the bannock is typically made from a wheat flour, but barley was used more in Wales. Bannock loaves provided a main staple food and were eaten at feasts as well as all daily meals and were the prime form of breads and cakes. At harvest the women baked and stored as many loaves or cakes as they had flour to cook. All September, they cooked enough bannock loaves to supply them throughout the harvest season, the coming Winter. and during most of the Spring. Just like in the retained traditions of the East, the baker would imbue each cake with a blessing during every stage of making the bannock: mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, leaving it to proof, baking the cake, and a final special blessing if it was to be given as a gift. The day would be filled with the sights and sounds of processions, songs to St Michael, and games in the afternoon that the entire village attended. Early in the evening, all would then return to their family homes to enjoy dancing to music, and the exchange of gifts. Bannock Recipe 1 Cup Barley flour 1 Cup Wheat flour 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 1 Cup White Sugar 1/2 to 1 Cup Sultanas or White Raisins 1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk 2 tbsp. Baking Powder 2 tbsp. Baking Soda 1 tbsp. Coarse Ground Salt 1 tbsp. Allspice 1 tbsp. Cinnamon 1 tbsp. Cloves 1 tbsp. Nutmeg Instructions Gas Mark 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius for 20-25 minutes. Electric Oven 375 Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius for 40-45 minutes. In a large bowl, sift both flours fine. Add salt, baking powder and soda to sifter. Re-sift mixture of flours, salt & baking soda; then add the spices and sift. Remove sifter and add next set of ingredients by tossing in the rolled oats, sugar & sultanas. Slowly add the buttermilk and mix by hand until the mixture forms a ball. Next, turn the dough out onto a floured board. Knead, turn 50-60 times, re-flouring as needed. You can make a large loaf with the mix, or split it into two medium cakes. Separate the dough into small rounded balls and then flatten it into a small round flat cake 3/4 inch thick. For medium or large sized loaves, score the top of each cake with a cross. Bake as above.

CUSTARD TART RECIPE from prize-winning Mrs Valerie Wood-Gaiger MBE Ingredients butter, for greasing 3 free-range egg yolks 125g/4½ oz caster sugar 30g/1oz cornflour 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out 175ml/6fl oz full-fat milk 225ml/8fl oz double cream 300g/10½ oz ready-rolled puff pastry plain flour, for dusting icing sugar, for dusting Preparation method 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease the wells of a 12-hole muffin tray with butter. 2. In a pan, heat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour over a low to medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened and well combined. 3. Add the vanilla seeds, then add the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick, smooth and well combined. 4. Continue to stir the custard mixture until it comes to the boil, then remove from the heat and cover the surface with cling film. (This prevents a skin from forming on the custard.) 5. Roll out the puff pastry onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour and icing sugar. Cut the pastry in half and place one sheet on top of the other. Roll the pastry sheets up like a Swiss roll and cut the roll into twelve slices. 6. Lay each of the rolled pastry slices flat onto the work surface and roll out into 10cm/4in discs using a rolling pin. 7. Press a pastry disc into each of the wells of the prepared muffin tray. Divide the cooled custard equally among the pastry cases. 8. Transfer the muffin tray to the oven and bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes, or until the custard has set and is pale golden-brown and the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the tin.
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