Hello March!
I hope you are all very well and had a lovely February? I hope you enjoyed last month’s recipes too and had fun making them. Weren’t the macarons divine? They just melted in the mouth. As this month is Mother’s Day month, my recipes are 3 of my mum’s favourite recipes to celebrate Mother’s Day. My mum has hand picked these herself and says to say to you that she hopes you all enjoy them as much as she does and have fun making them. The first of my recipes are Crepes Suzette with a maple and orange butterscotch sauce and Madagascan vanilla ice cream. My mum absolutely loves this recipe and we often have it as a midweek pudding. My second recipe is milk chocolate, vanilla and white chocolate chip muffins with a maple frosting. My mum absolutely loves these. My third recipe this month is one of my mum’s favourite midweek dinners. Portobello mushroom, shallot and parmesan risotto. Quoting my mum, ‘Mmmm, this is so delicious and creamy.’ I really hope you enjoy making these recipes and I hope you all have such a wonderful Mother’s Day and a lovely March. I can’t wait to spoil my amazing mum. See you all in April when I will be sharing my favourite Easter recipes.
Portobello Mushroom, Shallot and Parmesan Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g arborio rice
5 large portobello mushrooms
200g shallots
100g parmesan + garnish-I used ‘Waitrose Parmigiano Reggiano Strength 6’
2 chicken stock cubes
150ml white wine-I used ‘La Monetta Gavi Piedmont Italy’
Black pepper
Olive oil
Fresh parsley
Method
First boil a kettle to make the stock, then make up 1 pint of stock with both cubes.
Slice the mushrooms and shallots and fry off for 2-3 minutes with a little olive oil.
Mix in the white wine and add the rice. Pour in the stock and simmer until all the liquid has gone then add more boiling water and cook until the rice is cooked.
Season well with black pepper and then stir in the parmesan. Mix in a handful of chopped parsley and divide into 4 bowls.
Garnish with a little more parmesan and parsley and then serve for a yummy weekday dinner.
Crepes Suzette with a Maple and Orange Butterscotch Sauce and Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream
Serves 4
Ingredients
Crepes
125g plain flour
2 medium free range eggs
275ml-300ml semi skimmed milk
1 tsp caster sugar
1 orange-zested
Butter-for frying
Butterscotch Sauce
60g butter
120ml double cream
95g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 orange-sliced
Method
In a saucepan combine the butter, cream and sugar over a medium heat. Gently swirl until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the orange slices and allow to infuse for 4-5 minutes only stirring every couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and take out the orange slices, then stir in the vanilla and maple syrup. Keep warm and then ladle in a jug when needed.
Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the egg, then slowly whisk in enough milk to make a smooth batter with the consistency of single cream. Whisk in the zested orange.
Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, melt a little butter to cover the frying pan. Add a small ladleful of batter, then tilt the pan to swirl the batter evenly over the base.
Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pancake is set, golden underneath and coming away from the pan at the edges. Loosen the pancake with a palette knife, then flip and cook for a further 30-60 seconds until golden on both sides. Slide the pancake onto a plate, then repeat until all the batter has been used up. Serve the crepes hot with ice cream and the warmed butterscotch sauce for a delicious dessert.
Mother’s Day Milk Chocolate, Vanilla and White Chocolate Chip Muffins with Maple Frosting
Makes 12
Ingredients
170g butter
170g light brown sugar
170g self raising flour
3 medium eggs
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
100g white chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
120g butter
500g golden icing sugar
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
Spring themed sprinkles
Method
To make these amazing muffins, preheat your oven to gas make 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with 12 muffin cases. Using an electric whisk, whisk together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, then sift into the egg mixture and beat well to combine. Add the chocolate chips. Add a little milk to thin if needed and stir well. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases and bake for 18-19 minutes until they spring back when touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and then add the maple syrup, adding more icing sugar or maple syrup if needed. Place the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a swirl nozzle. Pipe a swirl of icing on each muffin, then sprinkle over some spring themed sprinkles. Serve with a lovely cup of tea or a glass of bubbles for a truly lovely Mother’s Day afternoon treat.
Shopping list for all 3 recipes
Check your cupboards first as you may have a lot of these already
125g plain flour/170g self raising flour
x5 eggs
350g butter
350ml milk
265g brown sugar/1 tsp caster sugar
x2 oranges
125ml double cream
Vanilla extract
Maple syrup
Cocoa powder
Baking powder
100g white chocolate chips
500g golden icing sugar
Spring themed sprinkles
300g arborio rice
x5 large portobello mushrooms
200g shallots
White wine
Parmesan – Parmigiano Reggiano Strength 6
Fresh parsley
Chicken stock cubes
March 2024 Recipes Recipes by Lucie Wilson download the printer friendly pdf recipes here
Meet Lucie
Hi, I’m Lucie and it’s very lovely to meet you. I’m your food and cookery baker, maker and writer and I love creating new and exciting recipes for you all.
I am 22 years old, a WI Supporter and I live in Hampshire with my mum and our beautiful cats. During my childhood I was brought up around food as my mum was a cookery teacher for schools and as soon as I was able, I had a wooden spoon in my hands. My dad was a very good cook too, but he sadly passed away from dementia when I was 8 years old. I have 3 sisters, but they weren’t too interested in cooking, so me and mum would spent hours in the kitchen baking and creating together. Still to this day me and mum spent a good few hours every week shopping for ingredients and then cooking delicious things together. I think time spent cooking as a family is really important, whether it’s like me and my mum or a father and son, brother and sister, parents and children, it is wonderful to simply spend time with the ones you love and for an opportunity to develop new skills.
Food is a massive part of my family; I am part Italian, so we take food very seriously and that means no pineapple on pizza and no mushrooms in a Bolognese! I simply love food and I do truly believe that cooking or baking can really help your mindfulness and invoke a calmness that can help relax you and focus the mind. Baking is also really good fun and I have so many amazing memories spent in the kitchen cooking and creating and the occasional icing sugar snowstorm game.
I am also a massive animal lover. We have 3 beautiful cats, and they are so joyful and so full of beans. I am also a huge formula one fan. I just adore Lewis Hamilton and never miss race. So much so that my keys have got 4 mini formula one tyres on them as well as cats and cupcakes keyrings.
I really do love creating and baking for you all and I hope you enjoy my recipes and have as much fun making them as I do.
To read more of Lucie’s fabulous blogs, visit www.theWI.org.uk/MyWI
