Lavender honey rice pudding

As long as I can remember my family have been a clan who love their rice pudding, we didn't even need an excuse to make it there was always a big dish of the creamy stuff out on the table with the dark skin shielding it from busy fingers.

I myself much prefer making rice pudding in a pot than in the oven you get longer out of the dessert not that it will be allowed hang around long enough to check its freshness.

During the summer I ransacked my dads lavender garden + took bags of fresh lavender home to dry out for future recipes, there's something about lavender that puts a smile on my face my front door is surrounded by the purple stuff, nothing nicer when you walk out that door +  this is the first breath of fresh air you take in mmmmm.

So for this recipe you will need:

500ml of milk( whole or low fat your choice)

125g of short grain rice

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon of lavender honey

Toasted flaked almonds

Firstly pour your milk in a pot and bring to the boil. Add your rice + sugar in and reduce the heat + turn your timer on for 25 minutes. Don't go far from your hob as you will need to stir this oozy goodness every now + again.

Once you are coming up to the time have a wee taste + if the bite from the rice has gone take it off the heat. While the pudding is still hot drizzle in the fragrant honey + then stir, taste again + add more honey if the flavour is to subtle.

When serving I like to add an extra drizzle of the lavender honey + then sprinkle with the toasted flaked almonds, these give a fantastic texture to the creamy pudding. I just hope you can control yourself when it comes to sharing lol

Enjoy

Rebecca

A celebratory summer pie

This summer has been so unbelievable my garden has never looked so good Lottie-daisy has had some serious fun on Victoria plum( that's the ponys name don't ask) and we have hit the beach proper Irish style, flasks of tea ham sandwiches and ice creams on the way home.

But something that I have really loved this summer is going for long walks with the hubby and our wee ones along the country lanes around our house foraging for blackberries. It reminded me of when I was a young'un and my Nanos + Jackie(the grand parents) would come down from dublin and stay with us in the sticks for weeks on end. One of the things we used to do with Nanos was go for long walks, well they seemed long for our little legs...and on the long long walks apart from getting stung by nettles and having to spit on dock leaves to get rid of the sting was pick what felt like a million blackberries to make tarts for my dad and Jackie to devour.

So this summer has definitely added a bunch of happy memories to my little family's lives. And in celebration of this summer iv come up with this celebratory pie, for this recipe you will need:

THIS RECIPE MAKES 2 PIES!!!

Pie base:

175g plain flour

25g icing sugar

100g of cold butter

1 table spoon of cold water

1 egg yolk

Pie Filling:

6 sweet apples

200g Irish strawberries

200g of fresh Irish blackberries

1 cup of sugar

Vanilla batter:

3/4 cup of butter 

3/4 sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup of glenisk whole milk

1 1/2 cups of odlums flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Serve with glenisk creme fresh 

 Firstly begin to make the pastry crust. I like to combine it by hand but if you have a food processor be my guest.  In a bowl pop your flour, icing sugar and diced cold butter. next rub the contents through your fingers and thumbs basically until all the butter has reduced into teeny tiny pea like crumbs. Next I pour in the tablespoon of water and one egg yolk and combine . Once its come together plonk it out on your board and knead it briefly so as it rolls out perfectly but not to much that makes it tough as old boots!!!

Next roll it out nice and thin making sure its large enough to fit in your flan tin. A little trick I saw on the telly box one time was if you get a scrap of left over pasty roll it into a ball it works as the perfect tool to press your pastry into the sides of your crinkly tin.

Pop tinfoil over the pastry leaving the pastry uncut over the sides, then pour some baking beans over that. Pop in your pre heated oven at 190' for 10 minutes. After that trim edges and pop back in uncovered for a following 8-10 mins. Once thats done take out and let cool.

Next for the filling peel and slice the apples into even pieces, chop the strawberries in half but leave the blackberries as they are. Evenly pop them all round the pastry base then sprinkle over your sugar.

Now for the vanilla batter cream the sugar and butter together then add the eggs one by one and mix for for a few minutes. Next add the vanilla and butter milk before adding the flour and baking powder. 

Once your batter is made dollop the mixture speradically around the pie filling when baked this sponge mixture will have oozed in and around the apples and berries..

Pop the pie in the oven @ 180' for 35minutes. When baked the berries will be bubbling in delight the vanilla sponge will be golden in colour, oh and your kitchen will smell divine  that's a sure sign your pie has baked to perfection...

A generous dollop of avenmore whipped cream is a match made n heaven. This pie is amazing hot...

Enjoy

Rebecca xx