I do get sent the nicest things. I am sure you get quite tired of reading about the latest things I have been sent to try sometimes, but I do try to make my posts more interesting by creating something tasty with whatever it is that I have been sent!
The East India Company recently sent me a couple of their products, a pot of Strawberry and Pepper Jam and a jar of Chocolate Island Cane Sugar. I had not heard of the East India Company before they contacted me but what I learned about them was very interesting indeed.
Granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, The East India Company was founded to explore the mysteries of the East. As The Company grew, it mapped trade routes through unchartered territory and changed social customs, tastes and ways of thought to influence the very fabric of our lives today.
The Company’s pioneering spirit and sense of adventure created British India, founded Hong Kong and Singapore and introduced tea to Britain and India. Their warehouses were places of wonder, stocking never before seen silks, chintzes, calicos, porcelain, coffees, chocolates and spices from around the world. They played a pivotal role in writing our history by planting the first teas in Darjeeling, causing the Boston Tea Party; holding Napoleon captive; and generating the fortune of Elihu Yale, founder of Yale University.
Strawberries and Black Pepper are a beautiful combination. I often sprinkle my berries with black pepper, and in fact shared a recipe for you a while back for Strawberry Shortcakes with Black Pepper and Elderflower Cream, which was fabulous. So I was really excited about trying this Strawberry and Pepper Jam. It was wonderful. We love jam in this house and there is just the right combination of sweet, with a nice burst of peppery. Ten out of ten! You can buy this jam on their page. At £6.95 it's a tad bit pricey, but that is often the case with speciality goods and this is definitely a speciality good.
I was also sent a jar of their Chocolate Island Cane Sugar. From their page:
A blend of organic hand-grown and harvested sugar combined with the irresistible flavor of cocoa. A dash of this artisan chocolate sugar will breathe devilish goodness into any recipe.
Presented in an attractive jar, with a cork lid and red seal on the top, it looked quite nice and there was a nice burst of chocolate scent when I opened the jar. It also tasted very chocolatey, and left a nice coating of cocoa on my fingers after I ran them through it. It, too, is a bit pricey, at £10, but once again, it is a speciality item. You would and should expect to pay more for something like this. This would make a fabulous gift for the chocolate lover in your life.
I was able to use some of each to create these delicious breakfast brioche rolls. Using tender and buttery French Milk Brioche Rolls that I usually have in the house and some eggs, and just a bit of each ingredients these rolls made a wonderfully different breakfast roll that was a treat and not so hard to make as you would think.
It's as simple as gently tearing a hold in the center of the rolls, dipping them into beaten egg and then rolling them in cinnamon sugar . . .
Spooning some jam down the center into the hole you have torn . . . sprinkling them with the chocolate sugar (or regular demerara sugar if that is all you have), placing them in a baking tin, dotting some butter around and then baking them for several minutes.
The end result being a moreishly butter bun, with a crunchy cinnamon sugar coating and a delicious jam filling. What's not to like about that I ask? Absolutely nothing I say ! These were simply quite quite fabulous.
*Strawberry Filled Brioche Rolls*Makes 6PrintableRecipe
Kind of like a jam bread and butter pudding, except it's enclosed . . . in buttery brioche rolls that are dipped in cinnamon sugar and baked with butter around them. Decadently delicious breakfast treat.
2 large free range eggs, beaten with a fork6 TBS granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling2 tsp ground cinnamon6 small French Milk Brioche Rolls12 tsp of strawberry preserves4 TBS of cold butter, cut into small cubes
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl, mixing thoroughly. Beat the eggs together in another shallow bowl. Take the brioche rolls and gently tear them apart in the center so that you have a hollow down the length of the roll, leaving them intact at either ends, without removing any bread. Just gently tear and press an opening into the centres. Dip the rolls into the beaten eggs, letting it soak in a bit to the interior, and then allowing any excess to drain off. Roll the tops of the rolls into the cinnamon sugar and then place into the prepared baking dish. Spoon 2 teaspoons of jam down the center of each. Sprinkle with the extra granulated sugar evenly over top. Drop the small cubes of butter around and between each roll and the sides of the pan.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the heated oven until the butter has melted and soaked into the rolls and the rolls are golden brown and lightly crisped and the jam is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before eating. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you are looking for something just a little bit unique and special for that foodie in your life, I would highly recommend the East India Company. You can order from a fairly extensive line of fine foods online, and they also have some retail stores that you can shop in the London area. (Mayfair, Blue Water and Covent Garden) You can also find their products in Selfridges, Harrods, The British Library, Mitsukoshi, and the National Maritime Museum. (Again all in the London area.)
Many thanks to the East India Company for sending these lovely items to me.
Note: Although I was sent these articles to try, all opinions are my own.
