Mid Winter

Both December and January have been reasonably mild for the time of year, but also rather damp, and gloomy. However, there have been some lovely sunny, blue sky days, which really do lift the spirits. During the whole of the winter so far, this corner of the world, has received just two early morning frosts - both of which completely disappeared before there was time for me to venture outside with the camera.
In the garden the snowdrops and hellebores are flowering, and happily the hours of daylight grow noticeably longer as each week passes.

In the fridge some Stilton blue cheese was still hanging around from Christmas along with a large handful of shelled walnuts. I then remembered that I had a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer so decided to make a tart. I covered the base of the pastry with some caramelised red onions which I made by gently cooking the finely chopped onions in a little olive oil, and then adding balsamic vinegar along with some sugar until it turned into a 'jam' like consistency. However, I wanted something else to add to the mix and couldn't think what else to use. Luckily inspiration came along in the form of Lorrie's blog where I saw that she had used grapes on top of her blue cheese and flat bread recipe, thank you Lorrie. 

I cooked the tart for 20mins in a fan oven at 180ᵒC - it smells delicious - can't wait to try it later.

Where Five Valleys Meet is Running Out of Steam!

This blogger has been making 'man size' mugs of tea, and has a weary right arm from cleaning the floors with the Dyson cleaner over the last few days. I'm a very reluctant participant of 21st century gadgets, but sometimes it is a case of needs must. There's a new shower in the main bathroom, and the kitchen has been revamped. I now have worktops using nanotechnology so no bacteria, bugs, or other nasties are welcome here. I need to get to grips with my 'all singing all dancing' brushed steel oven along with the other new gear - a very necessary learning curve as a house full of guests arrive within days.
My first foray into testing the cooker was to make a tart with figs from our garden using a recipe idea from Lorrie here. 

I half baked a sheet of puff pastry blind for 15 mins in preparation for the topping. Whilst baking I cooked some red onions in rapeseed oil until softened and add balsamic vinegar and sugar which I continued cooking until caramalised. I topped the partially cooked pastry with the onions, sliced the figs in half, crumbled on a mature Stilton blue cheese, scattered some fresh thyme and sage leaves and sprinkled over a little oil, then cooked for a further 20/25mins in a hot oven.

 Using a good strong blue cheese, such as Stilton, means that no other seasoning is necessary

Quick, easy, and very tasty - thank you Lorrie - the oven works a treat too!