Crispy Chicken, Onion rings and homemade Chips

This is a rather unhealthy meal, but being unhealthy in moderation is a nice treat now and then. Just going to try and be good the rest of the week.  

My Boyfriend decided that he needed to change the oil for the deep fat fryer so thought it would be an awesome opportunity to make deep fried chicken, and to go along side this homemade onion rings and chips. I found a recipe to follow in Gordon Ramsey's Ultimate Home Cooking recipe book for Buttermilk Chicken and Homemade Chips. 

I made the chicken in batches and I changed my cooking method for the second batch. For one, the deep fryers temperature was too high the first time and made the coating very dark and chicken only just cooked (I don't want to give anyone food poising). Therefore I put the chicken in the oven after the coating tuned a nice golden colour to cook the chicken thoroughly. The onion rings and chips worked well first time though. 

Recipes for Crispy Chicken, Onion Rings and Chips Below

Cherry Bread / Cake

Found this recipe on Pinterest which sent me to the recipe online:

http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/sweet-soft-cherry-bread-with-cherry-almond-glaze.html

I had a jar of morello cherries to use up as they started to ferment, and I do not like wasting things if I don't have too. It is a cake that has the outer texture of bread which is different but very nice. Cherry and Almond is a classic flavor combination that I love.


This recipe made 1 loaf and 6 cupcakes and used all my cherries up which was brilliant. Unfortunately my cherries were fermenting so they didn't hold their shape and there wasn't any cherry pieces throughout the loaf or cupcakes. As well as that they tasted a little alcoholic which I didn't mind but I wouldn't give any of this cake to children (I'm sure if you use non fermented cherries it would be better).

Recipe Below  

Fresh Apple and Blackberry Pie

I love this time of year as there is so much fresh (free) fruit out there. Down my road there is a bunch of blackberry bushes on public space which I have been picking from since I was little. Fresh free fruit is so much nicer than shop bought ones (which are usually £2 for 150g in tescos). The great thing about Norfolk is that there is a lot of country side road which are packed with blackberry bushes ripe with fruit in August. The photo shows just some from down my road.
 

                                            

As well as free fruit from around the neighbourhood my boyfriend has an allotment where he has some apple trees, I would highly recommend an allotment if you love fresh fruit and veg as it's just fantastic. Well I would say that as he does all the work growing the food, but then again he does enjoy my baking so works out well. So along side free blackberries I had free freshly picked apples. 

Caramel Shard Cookies

I have to say these were the first cookies that I have baked that turned out looking like shop bought ones!

Got this recipe from John Whaite bakes as wanted to bake cakes but ran out of eggs (I know what sort of person who loves food runs out of eggs...) so flicked through and came across these.

My boyfriend for my birthday bought me a cooking thermometer which I haven't had a chance to use yet made the idea of attempting caramel even more tempting. With 100g of caster sugar and 3tbsp of water I set to work, I say work I mean mixing sugar and water and then heating on a high temperature it till it turned a lovely amber colour (watch it when it becomes light Amber as can burn quickly) before pouring it onto a baking sheet. I'm not sure I did mine right as still had sugary lumps but I didn't burn it! This made a lovely thin caramel shard, and yes I did play with a little bit of caramel making it all stringy which was very fun. 

Once that had cooled, I broke it into small pieces and added to a cookie dough (I followed the one in the book, see below, but any cookie dough would work). Had to be very careful as felt like I was mixing glass into the dough as the broken caramel can be very sharp. 

                                           

       

Recipe below