www.robert-pace.com

Me and put together a rather nice little dinner for ourselves.

made simply one of the best soups ever…. Potato & Leek, it was oh so creamy and rich in flavour.

I meanwhile made the customary Hot Cross Bun which took a good 3 hrs with all the resting periods for leavening and kneading.

We finished off the day with really nice deviled eggs.

Tomorrow we will have a barbecue with fish satay and hot dogs.

Deviled Eggs
12 Medium Eggs Hard Boiled
¼C Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
1Tbs Ground Cumin
1Tbs Capers (rinsed and mashed)
½Tbs Coleman Mustard (or any Hot English Mustard)
½Tbs Prepared American Mustard
½Tsp Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Cayenne to taste

Slice each egg in half longitudinally and remove the yolks. Mix all the egg yolks with the Mayo, Cumin, Capers, Mustards, Chipotle Peppers, and Cayenne into a paste.

Fill either via piping or spooning each egg white, sprinkle with a bit more cayenne if you like heat.

Hot Cross Buns
450g A.P. Flour
50g Caster Sugar
1 Packet Yeast
150ml Warm Milk
4Tbs Warm Water
1tsp Salt
1tsp Cake Spice
½tsp Ground Cinnamon
100g Currants (or Raisins)
50g Mixed Peel (freshly grated orange and lemon zest if you wish)
50g Melted Butter (cooled)

Sift 100g of the flour with the sugar into a bowl. Mix the yeast with the milk and water and stir into 100g of flour. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Sift the remaining flour with the salt, spice, and cinnamon. Stir in the currants (or raisins) and mixed peel. Beat the butter into the yeast mixture, then mix with the fruit mixture to make a dough. Knead for 5 minutes, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 – 1½ hrs.

Knead again for 5 minutes, divide into 12 pieces and shape each into a ball. Place well apart on greased baking trays, cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Slash with a knife to form a cross in the top of each bun.

To finish the buns with paste crosses before baking, gradually stir 2Tbs milk and 1tsp oil into 3Tbs plain flour. Spoon into a small piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain nozzle and pipe crosses, then bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes.

Hot cross buns look especially good if given a shiny glaze after baking. Place 50g granulated sugar and 3Tbs milk in a pan and bring slowly to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes then brush over the warm hot cross buns.

Potato & Leek Soup
1 Large Leek
3lb Potatos (peeled and diced)
2 Clove Garlic
2Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1Tbs Butter
1/3C White Wine
1Tbs Thyme
2Tbs Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
2C Milk

Steam the potatos til fork tender.

Slice and Clean the Leek, and sautée in a pan with the Olive Oil, Butter, and Garlic.

Add Leeks and Potatoes to a stock pot, add the water you used for steaming the potatoes, along with White Wine, Thyme, Parsley. Cook the mixture for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Blend a portion of the soup mixture and add to the remainder.

Add 3Tbs butter, and add enough milk to the soup to provide creaminess.