Wednesday 27 February 2013

How To Make The Perfect Egg & Cress Sandwich


I don’t know about you, but sometimes you can really just crave a simple finger sandwich!



If I am home alone, I won’t usually make myself lunch (naughty I know!) as it always seems like so much effort just for me, so if I get hungry for something easy, I do usually crave a good old Egg Mayonnaise & Cress Sandwich.



I’ve perfected this British favourite over the years, it’s a firm favourite with the mister and his egg mayonnaise making skills are *Almost* as great as my own – almost!

I’m often found having this as a Sunday night treat after a long pup walk, weirdly with a bag of Walker’s Cheese & Onion crisps alongside it, it’s not the same without these oddly and I’ve no idea where that tradition/ flavour combination came from - nowt as queer as folk eh?!



For an easy weekend treat, I want to share with you my favourite recipe for this British classic, the sandwich that may not have been one of Lord Sandwiches favourite fillings, but he helped to create it regardless, somewhere along the lines : )


The Egg Mayonnaise & Cress Sandwich

For me, the plain white square loaf is best... sorry to say it, some will shout at me for this, but the cheaper the better for this particular indulgence so as not to distract from the flavours of your filling.

But, if you want to rebel, go for brown, or even wholemeal if you prefer... you crazy cat!



For mayonnaise in this sandwich, I tend to prefer full fat, only because it’s a thicker consistency than low fat and holds its own within the sandwich. Low fat tends to not last as well or for long if making the filling up beforehand.



The key to a good cut of cute & addictive finger sandwiches is a good sharp knife, to ensure that no oozing or flattening occurs whilst slicing these beauties. The egg filling can get messy, so be prepared to do a bit of tidying up here and there if preparing for guests.



The other trick is to make these into open top sandwiches, using a scone or cookie cutter to cut shapes out of your bread, or use homemade bread rolls and cut them into halves, just topping them with your mixture, not sandwiching them. They feel and look very grown up at your tea party, so this can also be fun from a presentation perspective.




Here, I share my favourite combination for you to sit down and enjoy with a good strong cup of tea (or a bag of cheese & onion crisps if you are as classy as myself)



This recipe is based on just 1 person, however, if you want to make it for more people, just multiply it accordingly, you won’t want to be too sparing with this, it’s too good to not have a good fillings worth and if you have too much leftover, just enjoy the remainder the next day.


Miss Sue Flays Egg & Cress Finger Sandwich Recipe

2 Slices white bread

2 medium sized eggs

2 tbsp Mayonnaise (I use Hellmans)

1 tbsp salad cream dressing (I use Heinz)

1 good handful of Cress

Knob of slightly salted butter or margarine

Salt & Pepper to season

Put the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil, simmering for 10-12 minutes until hard boiled. 


Drain the eggs and leave under cool, running water until cold. Once cold, shell and rinse the eggs and mash roughly with a fork - You still want a bite, so not too hard on the mashing!


Stir in the mayonnaise followed by the Salad Cream and seasoning to taste. 


Snip in a handful of cress and mix well, you want a bite of cress with your egg mixture.


Butter your bread and then fill one slice with a nice thick layer of your mixture, going right up to the crusts, top with a second slice of bread and press down ever so slightly.  


Use a sharp knife to cut away the crusts and then cut into 3 rectangular finger sandwiches or 4 squares or triangles... get creative with your sandwich shapes, go wild.




This mixture can be made up a few hours before using, but try to put on the bread freshly and just before you need it, otherwise it can go soggy very quickly and nobody likes soggy bottoms, nobody!



And forget the garnishes & finishing touches for a pretty picture, Just get your bum on the sofa or at the kitchen table with a cuppa and enjoy some well deserved “Me Time”...

I just hope this inspires my fellow afternoon tea lovers : )

Perhaps you make your egg sandwich differently?

Do share with a comment below to inspire.


Miss Sue Flay




PS - Don't like Egg & Cress? Then why not check out my Perfect Cucumber 
Finger Sandwiches instead - Here

Tuesday 26 February 2013

The Perfect Cup Of Tea - With Alice Ryan



As you well know, I love to geek out about tea & cake and I get more and more intrigued how people prefer their tea with more and more great quality blends on the market. Especially when it comes to your very own tea ceremony, be it in their favorite Cath Kidston or Emma Bridgewater Mug or in their best antique china service, I’m just intrigued as to how people enjoy their own afternoon tea or tea break at work.


You may just go for a mug of PG Tips in a half sleepy daze first thing in the morning (or for an evening brew before bed, ahem!) or you might enjoy the finer things in life, including a good quality loose leaf tea.



I invited the lovely Alice Ryan, a friend of mine as well as the very talented Content Editor of Cambridgeshire Journal Magazine & feature writer for Cambridge Evening News to share her fave way to treat herself to some “Me Time” with her chosen blend here:


Here's how Alice takes her tea...
 
" I barely go an hour without a cuppa and am not in the least snobby 


about how I take my tea!



 I'll go for a bag in a polystyrene cup if that's all that's on offer.



But my FAVOURITE way to drink tea is this: 


 


Loose-leaf Rose Pouchong, brewed in a pot and warmed under a cosy, 


drunk from  a chintzy cup and saucer with a slice of lemon drizzle cake on 


the side.



Perfect for a civilised Sunday afternoon... "





Do you take heaps of sugar? 
A sploosh of milk? 
Lemon or Orange in your Earl Grey? 

Or perhaps you have an odd or unusual way of taking your tea (or coffee!),
 come on satisfy my nosey side... how do you take yours?...


Do share your favourite teas and/or ways to enjoy your cuppa in a  
comment below to satisfy my nosey side. 

Who knows? I may even try out your tea rituals myself, so do share your thoughts!



Miss Sue Flay

x

PS - Join Cambridgeshire Journal on Facebook for fantastic 
giveaways, articles and local information. 


PPS - Why not follow my blog on Bloglovin' 
 Simply subscribe here.  

Monday 25 February 2013

The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook - Pineapple Upside-Down Cake - Page 20


The new Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook is a must own book written by 
my lovely friend and creator of the CCC, Lynn Hill 
and what a book it is too!

It's a book literally all about cake
Not cupcakes. Not brownies. Not doughnuts. 
Not tarts. Not pies. 


Just the good old fashioned (and more modern variations!) of the trusty cake.

The book is a combination of Lynn's tried and tested cakey creations as well as filled with CCC members' cake recipes throughout, which is fantastic as it allows the (national & international!) members to share their experiences and their trials & tribulations too.
 

You may even see a cake you recognise on page 210... Ahem.... 
Tuck Shop cake anyone?
Hehe.
In fact, it's so weird to see my first recipe in print and have people tagging me in Facebook and Twitter posts with their variations of my recipe, but I love it!

So to my first ever cake baked from this gorgeous book (other then my own 
recipe of course ; ) from over 120 cake recipes in this stunning book, it's actually really hard to choose what to go for, but I finally settled on one that ticked all my cake craving boxes...
 

Lynn's Pineapple Upside Down Cake. And wow, what a cake!
Check out Page 20 for this beautifully nostalgic cake.

I've been craving a plainer cake, IE no buttercream for a change. I'd been teaching a student in his own home to make a honeycomb buttercream layer cake concoction during the afternoon and the smell from the oven was making me even more hungry for own sweet treat at home...so off I hopped back to my kitchen once the success of my lesson had satisfied the teacher in me and out came my cookbook.

I had everything I needed to make this one, with the added bonus of it being a type of cake I've never made before. I had great fun playing with this one, adding a few more glacé cherries than it said to, as these are a fave baking ingredient of mine ; ) 


It was delicious, best served warm from the oven, it's perfectly moist and the fresh vanilla pod is worth the small expense, it's such a fresh and simple cake, but the best I've tried in a long time. I served with a small dollop of cream, but this would be perfect with custard or ice cream too. The fussy mister was in cake heaven too. Hurrah. 
 

This is a cookbook that EVERY cake lover and maker should own for their bookshelves and the more cake batter that splashes it, the better - It means its loved...
So long as you can see it the next time you use it of course!

With more than 150 Clandestine Cake Clubs now running nationwide, with clubs opening even as far as Canada, the Cayman Islands, France, Italy & Spain, this is a free club, where members can bake a cake, bring it along and enjoy tucking into all the others at each meet we plan whilst geeking out over all things cake-based and nerdy - It's fantastic fun!


Why not check out the CCC website to find your local club and if you are based in Cambridge, do come to join us for our latest Cake Club meet, which is co-hosted by myself and the lovely Deepa of Lazy Giraffe Jewellery. 

Now. What cake to bake next?.... Have you started baking from this book? 
Do leave a comment below with your recommendations! 
 
Miss Sue Flay