Here are some of our family's favourite recipes.
At Thrale family gatherings you can be sure of one thing, David [5] is asked to make his popular trifle. I'd like to claim the credit for this great recipe, but I really learnt it from my parents - Ken and Shirley - who made it for their occasional dinner parties. The secret is that it contains no jelly. Makes about 10 portions.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Trifle sponges | Packet of 8 | Packet of 8 |
Blackcurrant jam | 200g | 10 oz |
Ripe bananas | 4 | 4 |
Sherry | 75cl | 3 fl oz |
Sliced almonds | 100 g | 4 ozs |
Custard powder | ||
Milk (for the custard) | 450 ml | 1 pint |
Fresh fruit | 450 g | 1 lb |
Double cream | 1 litre | 2 pints |
It takes at least 12 hours to prepare a trifle because the first stage must be left to set overnight, before the second stage can be started.
OK, let's do the cheating bit first! Split the (shop bought) trifles sponges into two. Spread the insides with a very generous helping of blackcurrant jam. Replace the tops to give a jam sandwich effect.
Arrange the jam sponges in the bottom of a large decorative glass bowl (don't spoil it by making in an ugly utility dish). Sprinkle the sponges with sherry.
Peel two bananas, cut in half and slice lengthwise. Arrange the sliced bananas on top of the trifle sponges. Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds and half the fresh fruit.
Make one-and-a-half pint of thick custard, pour onto the sponge and fruit whilst still hot. Leave to stand at room temperature for at two hours. Then place overnight in the 'fridge.
Sprinkle some sliced almonds (saving some for the topping) over the custard. Spread the rest of the fresh fruit over the custard, along with two more sliced bananas. I use different fruits according to the season and my mood. I think that that fruits need to be a little tart to balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. So I use berries, strawberries, blackcurrants, loganberries, raspberries, etc. The only tinned fruit I use, are mandarins. Out of season, berries can be bought frozen. Pick the most expensive packet you can find (the cheap ones are too mushy).
Pour the double cream into a food processor or mixer. Add three table spoons of sugar. Beat until stiff - don't over mix. Use a palette knife to spread the cream over the trifle. Apply evenly. Smooth the surface as best you can (I use a circular motion). Wipe away surplus from the edge of the dish. Decorate the to of the trifle. I mostly use any fruit leftover, arranging in alternate rings of sliced almonds. Sometime I use a little crumbed chocolate on the top as well.
My auntie Ida [8] used to make her renowned Cheesecake at family occasions. I am pleased to say that in her old age she gave me the secret recipe and even helped me over the phone when I wasn't quite sure how to follow the recipe. She has since passed away and is greatly missed. Here is the recipe in memory of her.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Plain flour | 200g | 8 oz |
Sugar | 75g | 3 oz |
Unsalted butter | 100g | 4 oz |
Egg | One | One |
Salt | Pinch | Pinch |
For the pastry base, mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and rub the butter in with your hands. Lightly beat the egg and then work-in very briefly until bound into a soft dough, adding a little flour if it is too sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave for half an hour. Line a greased 10½ inch (26-cm) spring-form pan or flan mold with the pastry by pressing it all over the bottom and a little up the sides with your hand (it is difficult to roll out). Bake it blind in a preheated 350° F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Let it cool before you cover it with the filling, or it will break up.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Curd cheese (or mascarpone) | 500g | 1 lb |
Sour cream or fromage frais | 150 ml | 6 oz |
Egg whites | Five | Five |
Caster or superfine sugar | 175 g | 4 oz |
Lemon zest & juice | Half a lemon | Half a lemon |
Vanilla extract | Few drops | Few drops |
For the filling, mix the curd cheese with the rest of the filling ingredients except the egg whites and beat until smooth. Beat the egg whites to stiff snowy peaks and fold into the cheese mixture. Pour into the pan or flan mold over the pastry shell. Bake in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 1½ hours. Let it cool slowly in the oven with the door open.
A variation on traditional English shepherds pie, with an exotic topping and more vegetable content than usual. We love it! Feeds 4 - 6 people.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Potato, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato | 1kg | 2 lb |
Garlic (optional) | 2 cloves | |
Pepper and seasoning salt | To taste | |
Margarine or butter | 100g | 4 oz |
Milk | 50cl | 2 fl oz |
Cheese | 50g | 2 oz |
Tomatoes | ||
Minced lamb | 700 g | 1½ lb |
Worcestershire or Soy sauce | 2 tablespoons | |
Mixed herbs / coriander / thyme / rosemary or mint | ||
Onions | 450g | 1 lb |
Mushrooms | 250g | ½ lb |
Large sweet peppers (capsicums) | 3 | 3 |
Peel the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Cut any seeds out. Wash them all. Boil potatoes in water for five minutes. After five minutes add squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Do not over cook. Coarsely chop onions, sweet peppers (capsicums), tomatoes and mushrooms. Lightly fry in olive oil. Wash the minced meat. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, herbs to taste. For lamb add mint. For beef add rosemary. Add Worcestershire or soy sauce. Mix well. Heat a large wok / Dutch pot. Do not add any oil - the fat in the mince will provide enough. Add the seasoned meat and cook on a medium heat until there are no red bits visible anywhere in the meat. Add the lightly fried vegetables. Mix well. Put the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes in a large dish. Add the butter or margarine and the milk. Mash and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the meat in a large oven proof dish. Layer the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes on top. Grate or slice the cheese and place on top, covering all the potatoes. Place a sliced tomato on top of the cheese. Place in the oven at 220° centigrade for 30 minutes. When cooked the pie will be bubbling. Optionally place under the grill for one or two minutes after cooking to give the cheese topping a nice crispy texture.
Make 8 to 10 servings with a very easy recipe.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Milk | 285 ml | 8 fl oz |
Plain flour | 100g | 4 oz |
Vegetable oil | ||
Eggs | Three | Three |
Salt | Pinch | Pinch |
Mix the batter ingredients together. Let rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 450°F or 230°C. Preheat a Yorkshire pudding tray or muffin tin with ½ inch (1 centimetre) of oil in each section. After the 10 minutes divide the batter into the tray. Cook for around 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and puffy, don't open the oven door before then or they won't rise.
Makes 4 pancakes.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Egg | 1 | 1 |
Plain flour | 100g | 4 oz |
Milk | 275ml | 11 fl oz |
Margarine | 25g | 1oz |
Vegetable oil | drizzle | drizzle |
Salt | pinch | pinch |
Whisk flour, egg, salt, butter and half of the milk until thick.
Gradually add more milk in the centre of the mixture and swirl around. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes until you have a consistency similar to single cream. Fry in pan (skillet) until golden brown and firm.
Serve with a sprinkling of sugar or jam (jelly). Eat hot.
A simple vanilla and chocolate marble sponge base with a soft sweet chocolate decoration. Easy to make and kids love it.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 225g | 8oz |
Caster sugar | 225g | 8oz |
Self-raising flour | 200g | 7 oz |
Eggs | 3 | 3 |
Cocoa | 3 heaped tablespoons | 3 heaped tablespoons |
Milk | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon |
Vanilla essence | 3 drops | 3 drops |
Greaseproof paper |
Line base and sides of the cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Place caster sugar and margarine into mixer. Mix until smooth and creamy. Sift the self-raising flour into separate bowl. Break an egg over the sugar and margarine mixture, add two tablespoons of sifted flour and beat in. Repeat until for all three eggs.
Add any remaining flour mixture and beat in. Add a little milk if the mixture is too stiff. Sift Cocoa powder into separate bowl. Spoon three-quarters of mixture into lined baking tray. In to the remaining (not in the cake tin) mixture mix in the three heaped tablespoons of Cocoa powder.
Spread chocolate mixture onto sponge mixture and mix in with skewer to give a marbled effect.
Place in middle of preheated oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) for about 40 minutes. Do not to open oven door until cake has fully risen - unless you want a sunken cake! Test with a warm skewer to see that the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave in the baking tray to cool then turn out.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 125 g | 5oz |
Icing sugar, sieved | 175g | 6oz |
Cocoa powder | 30ml | 1 tablespoon |
Hundreds & thousands or Smarties™ |
Have the chocolate cake ready. Make the icing by beating the butter with the sieved icing sugar. Dissolve the cocoa in a tablespoon of boiling water and mix until the mixture is stiff. Spread the bottom of the cake (so that the number is the right way around) with butter icing. Spread butter icing all over the sides and lift it on to a plate or cake board. Sprinkle the icing plentifully with 'Hundreds and Thousands' or Smarties.
An alternative chocolate decoration is to simply melt a 500 gram bar of milk chocolate in a Pyrex dish by placing it over a saucepan of very hot (not boiling) water. Break the chocolate into small pieces and stir with a wooden spoon until soft. Pour and spread the mixture over the cake and leave to set. If however, you want to decorate the icing do so before the chocolate sets hard.
This is a tried and tested recipe that is very easy to make, and kids love it!
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 225g | 8oz |
Caster sugar | 225g | 8oz |
Self raising flour | 200g | 7 oz |
Eggs | 3 | 3 |
Baking powder | 5ml | 1 teaspoon |
Cocoa | 3 heaped tablespoons | |
Milk | 1 tablespoon |
Cream the margarine and sugar together really well. Break an egg over the mixture, add a spoonful over flour and beat in. Repeat for the other two eggs. Sieve the remaining flour, baking powder and cocoa together and fold in. Add a little milk if the mixture is too dry. Turn into the prepared basin (I use a Pyrex™ basin that is 24cm or 10" at the widest point) and bake in a moderate oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) for about one hour. Test with a warm skewer to see that the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave in the basin to cool then turn out.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Butter | 100 | 4oz |
Icing sugar, sieved | 175g | 6oz |
Cocoa powder | 30ml | 1 tablespoon |
Large packets of chocolate buttons | 2 | 2 |
Smarties | 3 | 3 |
Double cream | 500ml | 1 pint |
Jam (Jelly) | 400ml | 14oz |
Have the chocolate cake ready. Make the icing by beating the butter with the sieved icing sugar. Dissolve the cocoa in a tablespoon of boiling water and mix until the mixture is stiff. Cut it in half (across). First spread jam (jelly to our American cousins) inside onto the inside of both halves and then double cream that has been whisked until stiff. Spread butter icing all over the cake and lift it on to a plate or cake board. Put a little extra icing at one end and form this into a point for the 'snout'. Place chocolate buttons into the butter icing at an angle, covering all the cake except the front quarter. Make the points go in the same direction as they represent 'spines'. Mark the 'face' with a fork and put the cherry on the end, with the Smarties in position for the 'eyes'. Thanks to the Thompson family of Cambridge Thompson family of Cambridge [22]. They are pictured here with their award winning cake made from our recipe which was raised £50 for charity. Many thanks to them for sending the picture of their beautiful cake.
I never used to like cranberry sauce - until one Christmas I saw a recipe on TV and thought it was easy enough to try for visiting relatives that liked this sort of thing. However, I tried a little bit with my turkey and loved this home-made version. So, if like me you have only tried the awful bottled stuff, and didn't like it, try this instead. Its great!
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Fresh cranberries | 350 grams | 12 ounces |
Caster sugar | 200 grams | 7 ounces |
Water | 100 millilitres | 4 fluid ounces |
Lemon juice | To taste | To taste |
Place all the ingredients in a pan and cook until the berries have burst, which should be after about 10 minutes.
The cranberries pectins, means that the sauce solidifies to a jam-like consistency after it cools. Once the majority of the berries have burst, take the pan off the heat, even though it still has a watery consistency.
Taste to test whether the sauce needs more sugar. If it is too sweet, add some lemon juice.
A simply and tasty vegetarian option from Michelle.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Okra | 225g | 8oz |
Tomatoes | 225g | 8oz |
Salt | A pinch | A pinch |
Pepper | A pinch | A pinch |
Garlic | 1 clove (optional) | 1 clove (optional) |
Tumeric | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon |
Olive oil |
Take 6 fresh Okra:
Briefly fry in hot olive oil, adding …
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