Shakira Jelly (Rosehips Don't Lie)

Shakira Jelly

It's nearing the end of my foraging season, but I happened upon some of my favourite rosehips whilst out walking at the weekend so I felt it would be rude not to pick some.

Rosehips come in various shapes and sizes, but my favourites are the hips from the Scotch Burnet Rose. These hips look black and are spherical, unlike the torpedo-shaped hips of the Dog/Wild Rose. Scotch Burnets make a beautiful deep-purple jelly, so that's what I used them for today.

Scotch Burnet Rosehips

I picked 4 apples from a local, wild tree, so I'm not sure what type they are - maybe an apple expert will happen upon this blog and inform me.

Unidentified Foraged Apples

Shakira Jelly

Ingredients:

• 250g rosehips (one small sandwich bag full)
• 4 small apples (crab apples work well, too)
• Jam sugar
• Water

Method:

• Wash apples and rosehips separately

• Put rosehips in a pan and cover with water.

• Bring to the boil and simmer for 40mins, topping up with water if necessary.

• Chop apples and add to rosehips.

• Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15mins.

• Strain overnight in a jelly bag/muslin/a clean dish towel.

• Measure strained liquid and add 1g jam sugar for every 1ml of liquid (I used 350g sugar to 425ml juice, as I like my jelly quite tart)

• Bring to a rolling boil and check for a set using the wrinkle test (put a plate in the fridge and put a spoonful of jelly on the cold plate - after a minute, push the jelly with a finger. If it wrinkles, it's set. If it doesn't, keep boiling until it does).

• Pour into sterilised jars.

• Enjoy, once it cools. 

This may be my last post of the season, but that won't stop me looking. Until we meet again, Good Foraging xx

The world has gone nuts (Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate cookies)

Hazelnuts - foraged in Methil, Fife

 This weekend has been another tragic time for humanity. Innocent people gunned down by people fuelled with hate and misguided justice. The world has truly gone nuts.

Today, I've been making cookies - as per a request on facebook. The recipe was posted on Nigella's community forum, by SeaSkyCakeKids, and I've only made some minor changes.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

• 200g hazelnuts
• 150g salted butter
• 75g caster sugar
• 75g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method:

• Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan on a medium heat. Let them cool.
• Blitz half of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor (I used a coffee grinder).
• Remove the skins from the remaining hazelnuts by rubbing a handful at a time between your hands or a dry towel.
• Roughly chop the skinned hazelnuts.
• Cream the butter and sugars together until soft and coffee-coloured.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla essence.
• Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ground hazelnuts and combine to form a soft dough.
• Mix in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chunks.
• Tip the dough onto a wide, long sheet of clingfilm and form it into a log shape, wrapping as you go. Once the log is completely wrapped, pop it in the freezer for 2 hours+.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Take the log out of the freezer and set it on a chopping board for 5 minutes – just enough time to make it possible for a knife to be pushed through it but not so long that the whole log defrosts unless you are making the full batch at once.
• Carefully, because the dough will be very stiff, and with a thick, sharp knife, cut 1cm slices from the log and lay them on a non-stick or lined baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between the cookies as they will spread in the oven.
  

Cookies ready to be baked

• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are just – and no more – starting to darken and the centre still looks soft. Leave the cookies on the hot tray for another 5 minutes and then slide a palette knife under them and move them onto a cooling rack.
  
  

  

  Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I hope they taste as good as they look/smell.

Next time, I'll be making a chestnut-based recipe. Until then, good foraging!