Tag Archives: blueberries

Lime and coconut cake

Little Barn Café

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Stacey’s Farm, Thursley Road, Elstead, Godalming, Surrey GU8 6DGLBCafesign6x9

The upside: Creative cooking using some lovely local produce too!

The downside: The café is shut on Mondays and just from 10.00am-2.30pm on Sundays.

The flipside: One of the most delicious and unusual menus for a small café in the county!

If you want a gorgeous spin on home baking, feisty salads and something that your great aunt will recognize on the menu; this café is for you. Opening its doors in January 2015 this unassuming business already has a big fan base. Dedicated to fresh homemade food with an innovative twist creative chef/owner Sarah has a winning formula and a Time Out Award under her belt from a previous business she ran in London. Starting in Surrey with a pop up café which soon outgrew its temporary venue, they found a new home in Elstead. With her husband Mark they have transformed this barn into a thriving eaterie after giving the room some much needed TLC. With a growing family they entrust some of the cake creation to their fabulous baker Vicky and meals to chef Caroline who along with the waitresses complete the team. Shutting on Sunday and Monday means they get the family and business balance right too.

LBC - dining room

 

This small café has a brilliant menu and also boasts local suppliers for much of the menu! Eggs and dairy products come from Great Hookley Farm, produce from Teasels and meat from Prides farm shop all in and around Elstead. Emphasis here too is also on great baking, quiches, pies and cakes but also unusual salads and veg packed soups. Specials include Moroccan lamb tagine with roasted aubergine and minted yogurt (£8), tomato and basil soup with bread (£4) and grilled goats cheese on puy lentils with red onion and mint (£6.50). Their freshly baked quiches are supersized and served with salad too.

LBC savoury trio

 

On my last visit my daughter chose a cooked breakfast (which is served all day) I was a bit miffed as there were so many delicious options on the specials board to try. My daughter gave it full marks and was delighted with her choice a snip at £6.50. I chose from the specials menu and also enjoyed a board of vegetarian kofta’s, tomato salsa and hummus with salad leaves. A tasty combination which worked especially well with the creamy hummus and piquant salsa.

LBC CAKES TRIO

Cake is important here so we also shared two slices (£2.30 each) These were; “calling Ibiza” a coconut and lime combo which had a deliciously zingy lime curd filling and “Dear Prudence” a prune, chocolate and blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting, rich, fruity and moist. I keep looking at the picture I took of the other cakes and wondering what if? It will have to be for another visit! Having watched Sarah and her team posting their wonderful cakes on social media the display on offer did not disappoint. The cakes form a focal point in the café laid out on the sideboard and its makes such a refreshing change from typical offerings of brownies, carrot cake and chocolate fudge. For the more traditional eaters there are options for a cream tea (using locally produced preserves) and other less quirky menu items too.

One of my mantras has always been ‘strive to be different’ and the Little Barn Café has achieved just that. In a competitive market it’s a great attitude to have and one that sets this super café way up the list of my current recommendations.

01252 705023

www.thelittlebarncafe.co.uk

 

Blueberry and Cashew Bars

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avocado lime cheesecakeWhen the ‘Hemsley and Hemsley’ book was published we all fell in love with their avocado cheesecake and spiralised veg to replace noodles.  I bought their book based on the avocado and lime cheesecake recipe that appeared on their twitter feed one afternoon. Intensely green, it looked wonderful. My dinner guests agreed and I couldn’t help thinking about all the possible versions you could make using their recipe as a formula. Here is my first attempt, which although rather dark in colour owing to the use of dried blueberries, was astonishingly good. When I make this again I will experiment with fruit for a lighter hue.

Before you start you need a food processor to make this and an oblong loose-based tin measuring approximately 10 x 36cm (use a round one if necessary). You also need to soak the cashew nuts and blueberries overnight. This is a great dessert to make if you are entertaining vegetarian or vegan guests. Brilliant also when soft fruits are not in season.

For the baseblueberry cashew bars

125g nuts (not roasted), pecans and walnuts work well (or use a mixture)

45g desiccated coconut

85g raw cocoa nibs (optional)

185g dried fruit (I used a blend of cranberries, sultanas, cherries & goji berries)

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

 

The topping

225g raw cashew nuts

200g dried blueberries

125ml almond milk

1 tsp Manuka honey or Agave nectar to taste

4 tbsp melted coconut oil

Edible primrose petals or other flowers to garnish

The day before you want to make the bars put the cashew nuts and dried blueberries into a bowl and pour over the almond milk. Cover and leave overnight, mixing a couple of times.

First make the base. Place all the ingredients apart from the oil in the food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add the coconut oil then pulse and tip the mixture into the loose-based pan. Press down evenly with the back of a metal spoon until tightly packed and chill whilst you make the topping. Use the food processor again for the topping. Place all the ingredients into the bowl and blitz until the mixture is smooth. It may look like a lot and be quite gloopy but it will set. Pour the mixture onto the base and chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Cut into bars but not too thick this is quite rich!

bb cashew bar 9x6_edited-1

Variations

For the base: Use the recipe as a formula here. You need to keep the ratio of nuts to fruit with the coconut oil. Stick to the amounts by always using 125g nuts to 185g fruit.

For the topping: Keep the ingredients the same ratio but experiment with different fruit. Blend dried and fresh fruit but be careful not to make the mixture too sloppy. Cashews are the best nuts to use for this as they blend down to a creamy texture more easily than others.

 

 

 

Blueberry tart

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This is my version of a recipe given me to by my uncle’s American girlfriend who is a fabulous home cook. At first sight the recipe lacked appeal, but being packed with fruit and highly recommended, I gave it a whirl. It was light, bursting with flavour and really simple to prepare. A few tweaks makes it both vegan and gluten free too. I exchanged half the flour for almonds but feel free to swap it back if you want. The vinegar adds a welcome acidity and binds the crust.

Use a 22cm loose-base flan tin

Crust:blueberry-TART

100g butter (slightly softened)
100g ground almonds
100g plain flour
25g golden castor sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling:
500g blueberries
1 tablespoon plain flour
100g castor sugar
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Topping:
250g blueberries
Icing sugar to dust

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan / gas mark 6

Prepare the crust first. Place the flour, sugar and almonds in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter. Add the vinegar to form a dough. It might be a little crumbly but that’s fine. Press the dough into the base and around the sides of the flan tin. Whizz the filling ingredients together in a blender, pour over the crust and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. When you are ready to serve, top with the fresh blueberries and dust with sugar. I served this with a dollop of half-fat crème fraiche and a drizzle of honey.

Download a pdf of the recipe for  blueberry tart

Text and images Shirlee
Recipe and images Shirlee

Recipe review: Raspberries and blueberries

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Here are 2 summer recipes that M&S asked us to review.  Featuring fresh berries they are both quick and simple to assemble. The salad in particular is exceptionally good and a great way to use up the glut of fat berries in my fruit bed.

 Raspberry, melon and feta salad with mint and lime dressing

M_S raspeberry salad

 

This salad makes the perfect starter for a summer dinner or as a light lunch. Using ready prepared melon saves a huge amount of prep time and by using a mixed pack you get added variety and stunning colours. The beauty of this really lies in its simplicity and it looks beautiful too. A dressing of lime juice and honey coats the fruit and a large bunch of fresh mint adds a refreshing tang. Tossed together with some crumbled feta the saltiness of the cheese gives a savoury kick from a dish that could otherwise be a dessert. Last time I made this I added blueberries and a freshly picked sliced cucumber too which we all loved.

Verdict: A fanstastic summer salad which lends itself to adaptations – try different berries, herbs and cheese.

Download the original recipe for  Raspberry feta salad

 

Blueberry and lemon meringue semi-freddo 

M_S_blueberry

 

Apart from whipping the cream this is a super easy dessert to make – and as you freeze it its perfect to make ahead of time. It’s presented as a semi freddo style dessert which means taking it out of the freezer 30 minutes before eating. I would normally do this just after serving the main course unless you don’t mind a longer break between courses. Although we loved the flavour of this dessert and the half frozen texture of the blueberries it was very rich. I would make this again but probably use half fat creme fraiche mixed with some thick fat free Greek style yoghurt. You could also get away with using less lemon curd as you already have the sweetness of the meringue and doubling up the fruit would also work. Another plus here is format, the original recipe uses a loaf tin but I used a loose bottomed cake tin. You can also use individual dishes providing they are suitable for the freezer.

Verdict: Very rich and calorific but with a few sensible tweaks to the ingredients a great recipe to have in your repertoire.

Download the original recipe for blueberry and lemon meringue semi-freddo

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee

 

Blueberry and lime cheesecake

Blueberry and lime lower fat cheesecake

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This is a perfect make-ahead dessert for the holiday season. Using lower fat cream cheese makes it lighter without losing the wow factor of a freshly baked cheesecake.This freezes well and will keep for up to 4 days in a refrigerator after baking.

Serves 8-10

Blueberry and lime cheesecake

400g extra-light cream cheese

500g ricotta cheese

4 medium free-range eggs

250 – 300g vanilla sugar

Zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small limes

25g cornflour

200g fresh blueberries

For the base

60g ground almonds

100g plain flour

60g vanilla sugar

100g chopped butter at room temperature

Preheat oven to 150°C / 130°C fan / gas mark 3 .

Prepare the base first. Combine ground almonds, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a dough forms.

Grease a 20cm non-stick round spring-form tin. Press the mixture evenly into the base. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

To make the filling, place the cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, sugar and zest in the bowl of a food processor.

Combine the cornflour and lime juice until smooth and add to the cheese mixture. Process the mixture until smooth. Place half the mixture on the base. Evenly scatter half the blueberries over the mixture. Top with the remaining filling and finish with the remaining blueberries.

Gently shake the tin to pop any air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour and cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator.

Serve with fresh berries and a spoon of half-fat crème fraîche. Sprinkle over a little fresh lime zest.