Scrumptious Smoked Mackerel Pâté Crostini

If you're hosting guests for a festive get together and are rushed off your feet wondering what on earth to serve, these babies took me about 10 minutes to assemble and are the tastiest canapé for rumbling tummies! 

Smoked mackerel pâté is one of my favourite toppings, be it for crackers, jacket spuds, sourdough toast - you name it, and my dad's simple recipe is just the scrummiest!

I'm sure he won't mind me sharing it, as then I might make it more myself and stop stealing his personal stash every time I go home and raid the fridge :)

*Dad's secret (not so secret anymore) ingredient - Tarragon! It makes this pâté mouth-wateringly delicious!*

I've been super spoilt recently with the tasty treats I've been sent to try - these Filipo Berrio crostini being one of them. I think I'm addicted to these, which is the only fault I can find with them to be honest!

I paired these particular canapés with the Rosemary & Sea Salt crostini, but I have to say, being a cheese fiend myself my favourite are the Formaggio flavour. Such a scrummy posh snack!

What you'll need//

250g (approx) smoked mackerel fillets

150g natural yogurt

2 tbsp mayonaise 

juice of half a lemon

black pepper

small sprinkle of cayenne pepper or paprika

small handful of fresh tarragon (chopped)

What to do//

De skin your mackerel fillets and shred your fillets in a large mixing bowl with a couple of forks. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and assemble on top of some crostini, et voilá! 

That's literally it. 

I snuck a bit of coriander in mine as well because I could literally eat that by the bucket load, but that's personal weirdness so I won't include that in the recipe. The tarragon is the ingredient that really packs the punch in this pâté.

Enjoy folks!

I'm having a festive girly night tomorrow evening and plan on devouring about 18 of these. See you on the other side! (Probably with a sore head).

Betty x

Ps, did you see my Maple Moose Butter Malt Loaf recipe? T'was yummmmmmm.

Moose Maple Butter Malt Loaf

Mmm

I don't even know where to start with this one to be honest.

I made the school boy error of having a mouthful of this sticky, mapley malt loaf before I started shooting which was such a bad call on my part.

Firstly because I then had sticky fingers which subsequently went all over my camera and secondly, because my tummy was then uncontrollably rumbling and my mouth watering the whole time I was taking pictures.

I don't think I've ever salivated over a photoshoot so much in my life.

'Photoshoot'...who do I think I am?!

Anyway, enough about my bodily functions.

MOOSE MAPLE BUTTER...where do I even begin. Quite possibly THE best product I've ever tasted in my 26 years of living. Maple syrup + butter + sea salt. It's honestly earth-movingly great.

And what makes this maple butter even more enjoyable is the lady & brains behind the product...the lovely Farrah, who even hand delivered this maple butter to my front door! Her passion for her product is contagious and I can see why! Such simple, natural ingredients but with the yummiest taste imaginable!

I decided I needed to do the maple butter justice, so baked a moist, sticky malt loaf to spread generous helpings of the butter onto.

I was making 'mmm' noises to myself and bopping along to 'I'm dreaming of a White Christmas' to my heart's content.

Y.U.M

What you'll need//

x2 tea bags

150ml hot water

120g malt extract (I used Meridian)

2tbsp black treacle

60g dark brown soft sugar

150g dried mixed fruit

150g dried chopped prunes

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

What to do//

Brew your tea bags in the hot water for 5 minutes. 

Remove tea bags (obvs) and combine the hot tea with your malt extract (leave a tablespoon-worth for glazing later), treacle, sugar, dried fruits and prunes. Stir and leave to soak for 15 mins. In this time, preheat your oven to 170 degrees C (fan) and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. 

Gradually sift your flour and baking powder into the tea mixture along with the salt and combine until all the flour is mixed in. 

Pour into your loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes.

Glaze your loaf with about a tablespoon-worth of malt extract (or honey/date syrup if that tickles your pickle) and leave to cool.

Some prefer toasted malt loaf with peanut butter and banana, I've found my new favourite way is to microwave mine for 15 seconds and add lashing of this glorious maple butter on top. OR, just hand me a tablespoon and forget the malt loaf...

Yes, I did just happen to have a Christmas moose (with wooly jumper) decoration lying around.

True story.

Farrah will be jealous.

Enjoy lovelies! And stay warm!

I'm currently sat with a lavender heat pack on my feet because my toes feel like they're actually going to fall off from frostbite.

Again with the bodily functions...

Byeeee

Betty x


Ps, come find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! I'll love you forever and a day.

ZERO BADDIES Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

You know a child's face when you put it in a ball pit?.....Well that's currently how I feel when you give me peanuts.

Unintentional Mini Baby Shower Doughnuts

'Unintentional' because I didn't actually bake these delicious goodies for a baby shower, but instead made them as mini edible prezzies for my bezzie who just got engaged!

I only clocked that they looked like baby shower treats (*mortified*) as I handed them over to her and her lovely husband-to-be.

My genius thinking behind them was - doughnuts - ring shaped - her engagement ring has a sapphire - the blue ones would symbolise her ring and the pink ones are obvs - because she's a girl....

No Betty.

Wellllll it's the thought that counts right....?

But I also do think these would look pretty snazzy scattered over a baby shower party table full of blue and pink goodies! :) So maybe that could be in store for her next.... :)

Makes // 24 mini doughnuts

Prep time // 5 minutes
Bake time // 15 minutes

What you'll need //

220g plain flour
170g caster sugar
2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp melted butter
170ml buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
x2 packets of Dr Oetker easy ice pink & blue
sprinkles of choice :)

x1 mini doughnut tin

What to do //

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (fan) and grease your mini doughnut tin (if you follow my Insta you'll remember I missed this crucial step!)

Mix all your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs together with the melted butter, milk & vanilla extract.

Combine your wet and dry mixtures but careful not to over mix!

Pipe your mixture into the mini doughnut tin filling each hole half full, (you'll have used about half the mixture).

Bake for 15 minutes, leave to cool before removing each doughnut. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Dunk each doughnut into your icing, smother with sprinkles and munch away to your hearts content!

Current state ----> cwtched under a blanket watching First Dates re-runs, gobbling far too many of these than is normal.

Life. is. DREAMY!

Have you ever made doughnuts? What's your favourite flavour?

Have a glorious week everyone!

Betty x


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Foodies Festival // Blackheath

The sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hip hooray!

Mini Egg Easter Brookies!

Holy mackerel.

Chocolate Orange & Blueberry Cake

I've finally perfected my cream cheese frosting recipe!! Joy of joys! I can hear the trumpets a sounding!

Malteser Fridge Cake #bakeamillion

First off, gigantic apologies for disappearing off the face of the planet these last few weeks, I've been boating around the globe again with Ida and have abandoned my kitchen and baking utensils! They were really starting to collect dust. But due to horrific jet lag I was up at 5.30 again and in need of something to do, so I brushed them off and made some delicious treats for Comic Relief!

WHITE CHOCOLATE & BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!

I've been SO excited to post about these as they were a raging success!