tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47403855874171068062024-03-14T07:41:38.819+01:00A Tea Party in HollandA Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-18779836108913441482011-06-12T21:12:00.001+02:002011-06-12T21:15:02.217+02:00Pea and Mint Burgers<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V5D9lewye4/TfUDHNVlBiI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/rk4AhV468eI/s1600/DSCF3947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V5D9lewye4/TfUDHNVlBiI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/rk4AhV468eI/s400/DSCF3947.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Mr Pea. You impress me. You look all small and humble but you're so versatile. You're so green. You're good for me. I can eat you au naturale. I can mix you with my mash or get all fancy and whizz you into a puree. I could even eat you frozen straight out of the freezer. OK, maybe that's just me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Or, I could mix you with mint and other bits and bobs and make you into a pea-licious burger. OK OK, ignoring my bad word play, these were really yummy wee things, perfect for the summer. My carnivorous boyfriend even said that if he were a vegetarian, he'd be happy to eat these for a main course instead of the usual tart or risotto that vegetarians quite often get lumbered with. Was I shocked? Yes, I was.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was actually searching for a recipe for a cauliflower cheese burger. I used to have them as a child, fresh from the frozen food section of the local supermarket. I used to really like them but I'd feel like I'd committed a sin if I was to be quite so kitchen lazy nowadays. I didn't find a recipe for the cauliflower burgers but I did stumble across these courtesy of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/28/pea-mint-croquettes-pasta-recipes">Yotam Ottolenghi</a>. It's made me want to buy his book but I'm not sure I'd be allowed to add another to my ever expanding collection. Sad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-3axQNDJ_0/TfUC-IFIpnI/AAAAAAAAAUM/RRbMVlD7Uzs/s1600/DSCF3928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-3axQNDJ_0/TfUC-IFIpnI/AAAAAAAAAUM/RRbMVlD7Uzs/s400/DSCF3928.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like getting messy in the kitchen, these are for you. If not, maybe you should walk away now. They're really quite wet and very messy when you're trying to form them into patties, which is why you have to freeze them before coating in breadcrumbs. If you skip the freezer step, you'd end up with a pea and mint salsa. Tasty I'm sure but not what I was after. I had to add some breadcrumbs to the mix which helped but, as long as you use a gentle touch, they'll turn out swell. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Peas, mint, shallots, garlic, an egg and a whole lot of seasoning. That's pretty much it. They're really handy for a weekday meal too, because you can just leave them in the freezer, take them out when needed, coat them in breadcrumbs and bung them straight in the oven from frozen. Convenient, no? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't thank me. Thank the pea.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tt1sbDvz4i0/TfTF-Fwad_I/AAAAAAAAAUE/t2VrRdpy6jE/s1600/DSCF3939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tt1sbDvz4i0/TfTF-Fwad_I/AAAAAAAAAUE/t2VrRdpy6jE/s400/DSCF3939.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Makes 12</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/28/pea-mint-croquettes-pasta-recipes">Yotam Ottolenghi</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The recipe call for the burgers to be shallow fried in about 2.5cm of oil. I however, was trying to be all miss goody two shoes, so I sealed them for a few minutes in a frying pan and then finished them off in the oven. If you're naughty, then take a look at the original recipe.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The recipe says to serve it with a sour cream and mint sauce but I ran out of mint so it wasn't to be for me. It would go really well though I think, so I'll jot down the directions below.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">4 tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">6 large shallots, finely chopped (300g net weight)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">1 tbsp white-wine vinegar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">700g fresh peas (or frozen, defrosted)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">20g mint leaves, finely shredded</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">4 free-range eggs, beaten (one egg in a separate bowl, for the pea mixture)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Salt and black pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">40g breadcrumbs, for the pea mix (or as many as means that you can form the patties)</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">150g breadcrumbs, for coating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Sunflower oil, for frying</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><b>For the sauce</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">1 tsp dried mint</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">120g soured cream</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">1tbsp olive oil</span><br />
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</span></div></div><div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Method</b></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Gently heat the oil in a large pan and saute the shallots on a medium heat until soft and translucent. (About 15-20 minutes). Add the vinegar, cook for a further 2 minutes and take off the heat.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Whilst the shallots are cooking, briefly blitz the peas in a food processor. They need to break down but you don't want them to be mushy peas.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Transfer to ta large bowl and mix in the shallots, egg, mint, garlic and the breadcrumbs, if you need them. Add half a teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper and make sure everything is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">thoroughly combined.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qy2Um-xFooI/TfULvuay0yI/AAAAAAAAAUc/E9mMA3GH6pY/s1600/P1000811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qy2Um-xFooI/TfULvuay0yI/AAAAAAAAAUc/E9mMA3GH6pY/s400/P1000811.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Take a tray that will fit in the freezer and line it with baking paper. Shape into 12 patties, approximately 7cm in diameter and 2cm thick, and pop them in the freezer for at least an hour. (Or until you need them as I did).</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">When you're ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 200C and put the egg into one bowl and the breadcrumbs into another. One at a time, dip each burger into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs, making sure they're properly coated.</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jz9IbzVuT4A/TfULdyOSE3I/AAAAAAAAAUU/DCAW1jfawFI/s1600/Directions_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jz9IbzVuT4A/TfULdyOSE3I/AAAAAAAAAUU/DCAW1jfawFI/s400/Directions_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers for about 3 minutes each side until golden and 'sealed'. Transfer them to a roasting tray and bake in the preheated oven, flipping once, for about 30 minutes until hot all the way through and a lovely golden brown all over. Or you could just put the whole frying pan in the oven if you've got one with a heat proof handle. (I also tried to bake these from scratch in the oven. They also turned out well but were just a bit more fragile when flipping them). </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
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<b>For the sauce</b><br />
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While the burgers are cooking, make the sauce. All you've got to do is mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.<br />
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Bingo. Done.<br />
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I served them with lovely new potatoes and a salad. </div></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-20796191732741446142011-06-05T18:36:00.000+02:002011-06-05T18:36:32.796+02:00Spinach and Cheese Bake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFjjJ5i6fNc/TeuEdygxQ2I/AAAAAAAAATw/y1IYx17Y_bk/s1600/P1000801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFjjJ5i6fNc/TeuEdygxQ2I/AAAAAAAAATw/y1IYx17Y_bk/s400/P1000801.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The food gods haven't been kind to me recently. I must've done something really terrible in a former life. I was beginning to lose the love. It was a scary time.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There was a Moroccan pastilla that was just, well...meh. Strawberry jam that could easily have passed for a power ball. And worst of all, some walnut and honey soda bread that, no matter how long I baked it for, just wasn't ready. It's doubly disappointing when you didn't buy anything else in case of disaster and the shops don't open till four. A lunch of cheese minus soda bread wasn't quite as much fun.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So, owing to the Moroccan pie, I had a big wodge of filo pastry to use up. I wanted to make a 'spanakopita', a greek spinach and feta pie but, after looking at various recipes, I found that the quantities just didn't match with what I could buy from the shops here. So, I decided to make an Emma style Greek pie and just use whatever I could get hold of. It's certainly not a authentic spanakopita which uses leeks and certainly no ricotta. Let's just say I took inspiration from the Greeks shall we. (Before I upset too many people). This here is more of a spinach, feta and ricotta bake with a filo blanket.<br />
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</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">With my recent kitchen mishaps still fresh in my memory, it was all a bit tense when it came to the big 'wait'. I watched this like a hawk through the oven door, my subconscious obviously believing that this would help. I was beginning to think I should have kept my ideas securely stored in my brain but woah! STOP PRESS! It only went and worked! I know that it's not going to win any beauty contests any time soon but phew, this tastes gooooood! Cue the celebratory dance.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm back in the food groove. Thank you spinach and cheese. You saved me.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cuts into 8 portions</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Adapted from all over cyberspace</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>I'd say it would be fairly forgiving so if your spinach comes in a bag of 400g and not 450g, don't sweat. If your ricotta tub is 300g instead of 250g, just relax. It would take a lot for this not to turn out yummy.</i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>A little tip for homemade breadcrumbs...dry out your bread in a very low oven until very crisp. It will make super fine, fabulous breadcrumbs.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">200g feta Cheese</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">250g tub of ricotta Cheese</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">50g freshly grated parmesan</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3 large spring onions</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">100g breadcrumbs</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A good grating of nutmeg</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Seasoning, to taste</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 egg</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">450g baby leaf spinach, washed if necessary and chopped</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">About 10 sheets of shop bought filo pastry</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Olive oil, for brushing</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Preheat the oven to 180C.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Firstly, put the feta cheese into a large bowl and mash it with a fork until broken down. Add the ricotta and stir into the feta. Taste...just because it's tastes good.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Next tip in the parmasan, spring onion, half of the breadcrumbs, nutmeg and egg and season to taste. Season before you add the egg so you can adjust. Give everything a right good mix.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Now it's time for the spinach. Grab a handful at a time and mix it into the cheese mixture. I recommend getting your hands stuck in. (THE most fun way to cook). When the spinach and cheese mixture is fully combined put it to one side.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edyo_9uP1V4/TeutGU28QaI/AAAAAAAAAT4/WQxhCoF0xYs/s1600/P1000667_fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edyo_9uP1V4/TeutGU28QaI/AAAAAAAAAT4/WQxhCoF0xYs/s400/P1000667_fun.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Take your tray and give it a little coating of oil. Take your filo pastry from the fridge and carefully unfold. It's super delicate so be really careful when unwrapping it as it will tear if you so much as breath too hard. Cover it with a clean damp towel so it doesn't dry out whilst you're constructing your bake.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hw7rkmRSnUs/TeuuAlDlFDI/AAAAAAAAAT8/F3H5tGlOce0/s1600/SFRB_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hw7rkmRSnUs/TeuuAlDlFDI/AAAAAAAAAT8/F3H5tGlOce0/s400/SFRB_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I don't know what size your filo will be but you'll need about three layers for the base. (If they're too big and you don't want to trim them, you could let them hang over the side of the tray and fold it back over the bake when the filling has been added). Carefully lay one leaf in your tray and brush with olive oil. Repeat for the other two layers. Now it's time to add that delicious filling. Scatter the remaining breadcrumbs over the base and then carefully spoon over the spinach mix, leveling it out when you're done.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For the top, lay another leaf of filo on top of the mix and brush with oil. Repeat for the remaining 5 sheets. If there's any pastry that needs trimming, you can either trim it or gently tuck it in down the sides like a little blanket.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Now all you've got to do is wait for 40 minutes until it's all golden and crispy. You can eat it still warm from the oven if you like but it also tastes yummy cold. Perfect for a picnic or a lunchbox. It also reheats well in the oven. I popped it in a 150C oven for 10 minutes and it was still good.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Serve with a crisp salad.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-hofl5SWz8/TeuuwxN6Z7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/JNFJ82XixR8/s1600/P1000683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-hofl5SWz8/TeuuwxN6Z7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/JNFJ82XixR8/s400/P1000683.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-61261383561921824542011-05-26T15:30:00.000+02:002011-05-26T15:30:47.264+02:00Blueberry & Lime Drizzle Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObLBc__YSf0/TdFvzG5b0wI/AAAAAAAAASg/_PAoL-BcBjM/s1600/DSC_2876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObLBc__YSf0/TdFvzG5b0wI/AAAAAAAAASg/_PAoL-BcBjM/s400/DSC_2876.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiWKLnnG6tA/TdFxAOoQx6I/AAAAAAAAASo/sJAFJXyd8qY/s1600/DSC_2879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiWKLnnG6tA/TdFxAOoQx6I/AAAAAAAAASo/sJAFJXyd8qY/s400/DSC_2879.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So yes, my parents came to visit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">They brought me a little red friend. I took me about a month to decide which cake was to have the honour of christening such a thing of beauty. It had to be something to remember. It had to be something that would need maximum kitchenaid usage. It had to be something that didn't disappoint. So when my Mam mentioned this cake that a friend brought into work and was proclaimed by her colleagues to be 'the best cake they'd ever eaten', I decided I'd found 'the one'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'm not sure how I managed to just sit there and drink so much tea with my very own kitchenaid staring at me looking all offended because I hadn't used it yet. I tried to be polite as my parents had just arrived after an overnight ferry trip and all but I could barely sit still. My leg was twitching with excitement and my nails were all but gone. The only two words going through my mind were cake, baking, cake baking, baking, and cake. So after a couple of hours enough was enough. I left my Dad with John and my Mam and I got the baking underway.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I think I had a little too much fun but the cake certainly didn't disappoint. It's so deliciously moist and tasted super duper. Cooking the blueberries brought out their flavour and the lime syrup glaze added a really lovely zing. Definitely a winner. It lasted for days without drying out so this was dessert for every night they were here and we weren't complaining. I sent my Mam off with the two leftover squares which she said she was going to have with ice cream. A very fine choice I would say. And while you're at it, why don't you try it with cream. Or custard. Or creme fraiche. Or simply enjoy with a a good book and the best cup of yorkshire tea that you've ever had. (Because my wonderful parents brought us a box full of British goodies to keep us content for the next few months).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I think all the things that I make in the near future will be chosen for how much they need the kitchenaid. If they only require the use of a spoon and an arm then I'm sorry, you're off the list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Cuts into about 16 squares</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>I have absolutely no idea who should be given credit for this recipe. My Mam got it from her friend who doesn't know where she got it from either. So thanks to whoever this belongs to!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>One word of advice though. I stored the cake in a tin container but I noticed when I came to wash it that the acid in the cake had started to erode the surface slightly. So I reckon you'd be better off with a plastic storage box.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the cake</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">225g unsalted butter, softened</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">225g golden caster sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">4 eggs, beaten</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">225g self raising flour, sifted with a pinch of salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200g blueberries</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">finely grated zest of 2 limes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">30g ground almonds</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1-2 tsp of freshly squeezed lime juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the lime syrup</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">finely grated zest of 1 lime</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">freshly squeezed juice of 4 limes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">125g golden caster sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>You will need</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">a 20-23cm square cake tin, butter and lined</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. (Or use the beater attachment on your kitchenaid!). Gradually beat in the egg, adding a little of the flour at the end to avoid curdling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvb33bQaz80/Td5UpXeh58I/AAAAAAAAATE/j4JsV8BRQ7A/s1600/P1000437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvb33bQaz80/Td5UpXeh58I/AAAAAAAAATE/j4JsV8BRQ7A/s200/P1000437.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hcv0crzZLbo/Td5UsXFOBWI/AAAAAAAAATQ/qRmyjx8_AlU/s1600/P1000438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hcv0crzZLbo/Td5UsXFOBWI/AAAAAAAAATQ/qRmyjx8_AlU/s200/P1000438.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Toss the blueberries in 1 tbsp of the flour and set aside. Beat the lime zest into the cake mixture, then fold in the remaining flour and ground almonds. Fold in 1-2 tsp of lime juice to give you a good dropping consistency - the mixture should drop easily from the spoon when tapped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Fold in most of the blueberries (about 150g) and spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Level the surface, then sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top. (They will sink as the cake rises). Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until firm when gently touched in the centre.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DqH0t8M2QG4/Td5Us-mLocI/AAAAAAAAATU/mLCG_ETK-xQ/s1600/P1000439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DqH0t8M2QG4/Td5Us-mLocI/AAAAAAAAATU/mLCG_ETK-xQ/s200/P1000439.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhqPUwwI3WY/Td5UrOk-SaI/AAAAAAAAATI/CCJ2f_OopGI/s1600/P1000440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhqPUwwI3WY/Td5UrOk-SaI/AAAAAAAAATI/CCJ2f_OopGI/s200/P1000440.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">While the cake is cooling, make the lime syrup. Put the lime zest and juice in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan with the sugar and heat gently, stirring continuously. Do not let it bubble - just heat slightly, leaving a slight graininess. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynCGG5MyVI0/Td5UrlCVgzI/AAAAAAAAATM/AS3vB2gU66I/s1600/P1000441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynCGG5MyVI0/Td5UrlCVgzI/AAAAAAAAATM/AS3vB2gU66I/s320/P1000441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick all over with a skewer, then spoon over the syrup. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Cut into squares and serve.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-44093766641577093252011-05-22T16:01:00.000+02:002011-05-22T16:01:57.777+02:00A Dutch Tradition...the Uitsmijter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMC1Ka39qu4/TdkAA2LOLXI/AAAAAAAAAS8/i0AymfWx2dc/s1600/Uitsmijter_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMC1Ka39qu4/TdkAA2LOLXI/AAAAAAAAAS8/i0AymfWx2dc/s640/Uitsmijter_3.jpg" width="483" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's nothing better than your parents coming to visit you when you haven't seen them since Christmas and spending a week eating, drinking good wine, good beer and just chilling out. We spent the week in the province of Friesland which is in the North of the Netherlands. If you ever get a chance to visit, you definitely should. It's one of the most peaceful places I've ever been to and was the most beautiful area that we've been to in the Netherlands so far. Think windmills, boats (or rather yachts), tiny houses, bikes and fresh seafood by the sea. Bliss.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lW4YO21cqSY/TdkKhZnCoqI/AAAAAAAAATA/ODjRj7QpQO4/s1600/P1000566.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br />
<img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lW4YO21cqSY/TdkKhZnCoqI/AAAAAAAAATA/ODjRj7QpQO4/s400/P1000566.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, it's back to normality now but I think I'll be spending a lot of time wishing that this was the view I have out of my living room window all the time. I wonder if the landlord would let me swap my teeny apartment for it? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the meals that at least one of us would eat for lunch every day was the 'uitsmijter'. 'Uitsmijter' literally means 'to throw out' or 'bouncer'. Apparently it's what would be served up at the end of the night when the party was coming to an end. I've seen it on every menu in every cafe that I've eaten in over here and is a popular dish for breakfast or lunch. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bread, cheese, ham and fried eggs are all piled high and the result is this Dutch open sandwich. And let me tell you, this meal is no food for people who enjoy the odd carrot stick for lunch. This is not food for when you're feeling a bit peckish. No, no, no. This is not about being dainty or pretty. This is man food. This will keep you marching for hours. It'll even keep you going when you have to walk for 40 minutes through a farmer's field because some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to put the train station two miles out of town in the middle of nowhere. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've just finished feasting on one of these babies but I'm already feeling an Emma styleee uitsmijter coming on. Mozzarella, parma ham and a poached egg on ciabatta? Err, yes please. Goats' cheese, bacon and a poached egg on a freshly baked muffin? That'll do too. I think I know what I'm having for lunch every day this week then...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Serves one very hungry person</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i>From what I can tell, an uitsmijter is usually made with bread. Call me a rebel but I never like to let an opportunity to eat toast pass me by. Plus, I think that a bit of crunchy toast adds a nice bit of texture against the soft ham, cheese and eggs.</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br />
</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i>It's usually made with 'oude kaas' (an aged Gouda cheese) but I'm sure that it would also taste just as lovely with a good bit of cheddar.</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What you'll need</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 slices of the bread of your choice. I used brown, linseed bread. Yummy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">A couple of slices of good thick ham</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Enough cheese to cover both slices of bread, sliced</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">3 eggs</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Salt and pepper to season</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Chives to serve</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b>What to do</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b></b>There's really not a lot to do. I'm sure you could do it without me even telling you. It literally takes as much time as it takes to fry the eggs to your liking.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry your eggs. I like mine with a crispy bottom but with a really runny yolk. I'll allow you to cook your eggs how you like though. Season your eggs with a bit of salt and pepper whilst they're cooking.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Whilst your eggs are making themselves delicious, pop your bread into the toaster and then give it a nice coating of butter. Lay your lovely thick ham on the bread, followed by the cheese and top it all off with your perfectly cooked fried eggs. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">I sprinkled a few chives over mine just because I think chives rock. And also because I grew them myself and I'm loving being able to pop out to the balcony and snip off fresh herbs to my hearts content. Also, how pretty are chive flowers?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">And bam. We're done. Now eat up and go for a walk.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-44355030595260116812011-05-20T17:39:00.000+02:002011-05-20T17:39:45.095+02:00A New Arrival...this should mix things up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFqGHj85ByY/TdaJuq4wZdI/AAAAAAAAASs/GMPT9x9MfU0/s1600/Kitchenaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFqGHj85ByY/TdaJuq4wZdI/AAAAAAAAASs/GMPT9x9MfU0/s640/Kitchenaid.jpg" width="495" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I don't lust after shoes. I don't lust after bags. I don't lust after coats.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So this little purchase isn't naughty at all...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Welcome to the family my new red friend. I expect we'll be seeing a lot of each other...</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-68561367546928864162011-05-04T21:01:00.000+02:002011-05-04T21:01:40.700+02:00Rhubarb Custard Pie with a Crumble Topping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZIh-T8pwBo/Tb6tT-M8itI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ADLx0CJZowM/s1600/P1000398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZIh-T8pwBo/Tb6tT-M8itI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ADLx0CJZowM/s400/P1000398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Rhubarb, how I love thee.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'm very happy right now. Nothing says comfort to me more than rhubarb crumble and custard. However, when it's not below 10 degrees outside, even a die hard fan like me doesn't really crave a steaming hot pudding. So please welcome my all time favourite dessert reincarnated in tart form. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Rhubarb? Crumble? Custard? Inside a sweet, buttery pastry case you say? Yes please! I'm in! This has got to be one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Now I can indulge my cravings 12 months of the year. The crumble topping reminds me of a flapjack but is very tasty. Needless to say I'm a fan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, my photography brain wasn't really firing on all cylinders today but don't let my shoddy pictures put you off. It tastes so much better than I've made it look. So if you, like me, spend most of the summer willing the cold weather to return just so you can eat rhubarb crumble, then make this!</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmraJUzjjJc/Tb7JXmhHd8I/AAAAAAAAASE/fpUGvZhmHdI/s1600/RhubarbPie_1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmraJUzjjJc/Tb7JXmhHd8I/AAAAAAAAASE/fpUGvZhmHdI/s400/RhubarbPie_1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Serves 8-10</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3292/rhubarb-and-custard-pie-with-butter-crumble">here</a>.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>As I'm a bit of a crumble topping freak, I upped the amount from the original recipe. I thought it was great but it would've been just as good with the original quantities I think. If you want to tone down the crumble a bit then use 50g of the topping ingredients instead of 75g as I've written here. It's all about personal tastes.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Sweet pastry case, enough to line a 23cm tart tin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">350g rhubarb, cut into bite size pieces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g golden caster sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 egg plus 1 egg yolk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1tsp vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1tbsp plain flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250ml single cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the topping</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">75g butter, melted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">75g demerara sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">75g rolled oats</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp ground ginger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For the sweet pastry case, follow <a href="http://ateapartyinholland.blogspot.com/2011/02/clotted-creamoh-and-pear-almond-tart.html">this recipe</a>. The recipe is for a 25cm case but just use the same quantities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Whilst the case is blind baking, wash the rhubarb and cut into bite sized chunks. Put it in a frying pan with half the golden caster sugar and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the rhubarb is warmed through. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Turn the oven up to 200C/gas mark 6/fan 180C.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In a bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla essence, flour and remaining caster sugar. Now gradually add the cream and whisk until combined. You can also add the juices from the rhubarb - you should have about 2tbsp. (I had about 3tbsp and put it all in).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Arrange the rhubarb in the pastry case, place the tin on a baking sheet and put it on the oven shelf. Just before you push the shelf in, pour the custard mixture into the tart case. Doing it this way saves you spilling half of the custard all over your kitchen floor when transporting it from worktop to oven.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Bake for about 20 minutes or until it's just starting to set and there's a fine skin forming over the top. Mix together the crumble ingredients and scatter them over the top of the tart with a spoon. Bake for a further 15 minutes until golden and the custard has set with just a little wobble.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Allow to cool slightly so it's easier to cut but it's best served warm. I sent some into work with John but we still had loads left over so I rewarmed some of it in the oven for about 5 minutes and it was still good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ecLicgzwlXw/Tb7KnDCH14I/AAAAAAAAASI/wNZSypkV1NU/s1600/RhubarbPie_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ecLicgzwlXw/Tb7KnDCH14I/AAAAAAAAASI/wNZSypkV1NU/s400/RhubarbPie_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-9281030637481074822011-05-01T15:49:00.001+02:002011-05-01T18:09:51.963+02:00Grow Your Own Radishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wDH1cRrxEx0/Tb02npIOUzI/AAAAAAAAARg/L8gnXFNsgmQ/s1600/DSCF3897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wDH1cRrxEx0/Tb02npIOUzI/AAAAAAAAARg/L8gnXFNsgmQ/s640/DSCF3897.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Four weeks ago I planted some seeds. Today, I ate radishes. My very own radishes grown by me on my teeny little balcony.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We've been wanting to start growing some veg but having never grown anything bar a few herbs and only having a fairly uninspiring balcony at our disposal, we've been keeping our green fingers pretty clean. So after James Martin mentioned on Saturday Kitchen how easy radishes are to grow, I decided it was time to get my fingers dirty. And yes, the man was right, these were so easy, almost as easy as cress. Within a couple of days of sowing the seeds, little green shoots were showing their heads and there was no stopping them. They're ready to eat when they start to show themselves just above the surface of the soil. And there's really nothing better than eating something that you've watched grow from a seed. So much more satisfying than buying them from a shop. And way cheaper too! I really can't stop raving about them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">If you're wanting to have a go at growing some fruit and veg but don't really know where to start, I can definitely recommend radishes as a great starting point. It'll make you feel like you're the best gardener in the world even if all you've got is a little grey window box and a pair of novice hands to work with.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I think one of the best ways to eat radishes is with a thick slice of homemade bread, lashings of butter and a touch of salt and pepper. A bit of sunshine and a cheeky glass of white wouldn't go a miss either.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">I'm already thinking about what I can do next. Any suggestions for what other veg can be grown in a window box?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0qpZRDCdb8/Tb1gpaD01eI/AAAAAAAAARw/VJYX6NSCV2I/s1600/DSCF3909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0qpZRDCdb8/Tb1gpaD01eI/AAAAAAAAARw/VJYX6NSCV2I/s400/DSCF3909.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The balcony. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmS8mAPptx0/Tb1YiUhEm3I/AAAAAAAAARo/3YVoI7MtwOY/s1600/DSCF3899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmS8mAPptx0/Tb1YiUhEm3I/AAAAAAAAARo/3YVoI7MtwOY/s400/DSCF3899.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the result...my very own radishes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59C_cX8aRLI/Tb02pDQH6CI/AAAAAAAAARk/2sukRnRpudU/s1600/DSCF3894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59C_cX8aRLI/Tb02pDQH6CI/AAAAAAAAARk/2sukRnRpudU/s400/DSCF3894.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-21661007867867503612011-04-26T18:31:00.001+02:002011-04-26T18:31:59.691+02:00Street Party Custard Creams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHzUsolpBrc/TbbBNW2eDSI/AAAAAAAAARQ/nV5m18LpAOE/s1600/DSCF3887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHzUsolpBrc/TbbBNW2eDSI/AAAAAAAAARQ/nV5m18LpAOE/s400/DSCF3887.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So is everyone in the UK enjoying the insane amount of bank holidays that you've got? Unfortunately, over here in tulip land we only get Easter Monday off. No Good Friday. No May Day. And of course they'll be no Royal Wedding bank holiday for us either. Being an expat Brit, I feel I'm losing out so I guess I'll just have to host my own little street party and fly the British flag all by myself. Hopefully some other people will join in and I won't be sat by myself on my street with my tea, cakes and bunting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Custard Creams have got to be the best biscuit ever conceived haven't they? And yup, unfortunately along with many other things that I love to eat, you can't buy them here. But wait, the story doesn't end there! I found a custard cream recipe which sent me into some kind of delirium. I ran to the kitchen, broke a tea cup whilst scrambling to get my pinny over my head and proceeded to have some baking fun so I could get one of these babies into my mouth as soon as humanly possible.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It's been far too long since I've eaten one and I was impressed at how custard cream-ish they were. What's the key ingredient you ask? Custard powder. Yup. Custard powder mixed with butter and icing sugar for the filling makes your eyes roll back with joy...especially when you haven't eaten your favourite confection since Christmas. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3S3XMZuv3Q/TbbBT3gP7YI/AAAAAAAAARY/gm6sc74LmEs/s1600/P1000393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3S3XMZuv3Q/TbbBT3gP7YI/AAAAAAAAARY/gm6sc74LmEs/s400/P1000393.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/694636/custard-kisses">BBC Good Food</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Makes 15-25 biscuits, depending on whether you make double or triple deckers</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>I added a little more custard powder in the filling mix which made it extra custardy. I added a third extra but I'd be careful of adding too much more than that or you'll end up with your custard filling having the texture of uncooked cornflour. Just adjust to your own taste.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>I only made a half batch which was enough for the two of us to be greedy with...for now anyway.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the biscuits</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">175g softened butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">50g golden caster sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">50g icing sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 egg yolks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 tsp vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/vanilla/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(71, 68, 62); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #47443e; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"></a>300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the Filling</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g butter, softened</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">140g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2tbsp custard powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OL9OGROOGSI/TbbxfpTrMAI/AAAAAAAAARc/lHCM_JY8vvg/s1600/CC_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OL9OGROOGSI/TbbxfpTrMAI/AAAAAAAAARc/lHCM_JY8vvg/s400/CC_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon until creamy. Mix in the flour in two batches.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bring the dough together and on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out thinly. I have a square biscuit cutter which made things easier but if you don't have one, use a ruler as a template to cut the dough into small, even squares. Do this by starting with the ruler flush with one side and cutting along the length of it. Repeat across the entire width of the dough and do the same from the top down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. I found that my biscuits needed about 11 minutes but that was probably just my oven. I'd recommend keeping a very close eye on them as there seems to be a fine line between golden and burnt. Cool on a wire rack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the biscuits are cooling, make the filling. Mix together the butter, icing sugar and custard powder until well combined. Pipe or spoon a little icing onto a biscuit and sandwich with another one or two biscuits. Dust with a little extra icing sugar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally, whilst you're enjoying your fun time, devouring your cakes and enjoying a glass of rose, think of me working. Or rather, pretending to work but actually day dreaming about custard filled delights.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-23136078863163886212011-04-17T18:35:00.004+02:002011-04-26T18:40:17.739+02:00Happy Easter & Hot Cross Buns<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oT_IKeitFXc/TasAlhATPfI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/6ehsGClREtE/s1600/HCB_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oT_IKeitFXc/TasAlhATPfI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/6ehsGClREtE/s400/HCB_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I like baking. I like weekends. I like baking at weekends. This weekend I baked.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I like bank holidays. I like that Good Friday is less than a week away. I don't like that in the Netherlands you don't get Good Friday as a bank holiday. You only get Easter Monday. This makes me want to move.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So instead of making my hot cross buns on Good Friday like you're meant to, I'm making them a few days early. This also means that I can make <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/04/hot-cross-biscuits/#more-5004">these </a>over Easter weekend too. Every cloud and all that I suppose.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've never actually made hot cross buns before. In fact, as a child I didn't really like them but now that my taste buds have grown up a bit I love em. A sweet, spiced, yeast leavened bun filled with dried fruit. What's not to like? They have a cross piped onto them prior to baking and are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to symbolise the crucifixion. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apparently there are many superstitions surrounding the humble hot cross bun too. Did you know that a hot cross bun made on Good Friday will not spoil or go mouldy over the coming year. Guess I'll not be able to test that one out though will I? If there are any sailors out there, take one on your next voyage to protect against a shipwreck. And if you're a bread baker, then hang one in your kitchen and it will protect against fires and ensure that your bread turns out perfectly every time.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">By the way, this is just a bit if friendly advise. I do not take any legal responsibility if your bread gets burnt or your boat sinks. Maybe you should just eat them all instead. That sounds like a much tastier and less silly plan to me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So onto the recipe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9rrSj_6gTmw/Tar_8pAgPxI/AAAAAAAAAQs/rFuJYE77aVE/s1600/HCB_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9rrSj_6gTmw/Tar_8pAgPxI/AAAAAAAAAQs/rFuJYE77aVE/s400/HCB_2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Makes 12 buns</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i>I was quite nervous about getting the spicing right but thought I'd go with a recipe from 'The Great British Book of Baking'. I've made A LOT of things from this book and everything has turned out great including the teacakes which are fairly similar so I figured these would hit the spot too. If you love baking and haven't got the book, I'd say go and buy it this weekend.</i></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Adapted slightly from the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Book-Baking-best-loved/dp/0718157117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302877056&sr=1-1">'The Great British Book of Baking'</a></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the buns</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">450g strong white bread flour (The recipe called for 350g of white and 100g of strong wholemeal bread flour but it worked out great with just white).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">50g caster sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">1 tsp sea salt</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">2 tsp ground mixed spice</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">1/2 tsp nutmeg</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">1 x sachet 7g instant yeast</div><div style="text-align: justify;">50g unsalted butter</div><div style="text-align: justify;">150g mixed fruit and peel (I only used mixed fruit as I can't find mixed peel here).</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">2 eggs</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">200ml warm milk</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the cross</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tbsp plain flour</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp water</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the glaze</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp caster sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tbsp milk</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Put the flour, sugar, salt, spices and yeast into a large bowl and mix well. Add the diced butter and using your fingertips rub it in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the dried fruit. Make a well in the centre, pour in the lukewarm milk and the beaten eggs and gradually draw the flour into the liquid to make a very soft dough. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes by hand or 4 minutes with a mixer on the lowest possible speed until silky smooth and very elastic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I found that my dough was very sticky at the beginning and almost unworkable so I added a bit more flour. It didn't need much though and definitely be careful not to alter the ratio of ingredients too much. The dough shouldn't be sticking to your fingers, but you don't want a tough, dry hard dough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Return the dough to the cleaned bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or put in a plastic bag and leave until doubled in size - about 1 hour. If my apartment is really cold I put the bowl in front of a preheated oven to give it a helping hand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Punch down the risen dough to deflate and turn out onto your work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape them into neat balls. Set them well apart on a greased baking tray and slip it into a large plastic bag, slightly inflated so the buns don't come into contact with the plastic. Leave to rise until doubled in size again - about 45 minutes to an hour. Towards the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the cross</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mix the flour with enough cold water to make a smooth thick paste that can be piped. I found that I needed a bit more water than the recipe states to get something loose enough to pipe. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with the smallest nozzle or use a plastic bag and snip off the corner. Uncover the buns and pipe a cross on to each one. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the sticky glaze</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Towards the end of the baking time, heat the milk with the sugar until dissolved. Boil for 1 minute, then brush over the buns as soon as they emerge from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally, enjoy with a cup of tea and lashings of butter.</div></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-64210693250177900782011-04-08T16:19:00.004+02:002011-04-19T21:02:07.037+02:00Pea, Mint & Goats' Cheese Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpdNlV7izNU/TZw474dFL_I/AAAAAAAAAQI/c3n1LG-_89M/s400/DSCF3835.JPG" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It seems I have a thing for baking tarts. You'd think I didn't eat anything else. Out of 14 posts, four of them are tarts but hey, they taste good and I wanted to makes something springlike that I could take along to a picnic at the weekend. I love, love, love the minty pea layer and what could be better than topping it off with goats' cheese? My slicing and photography skills don't show it off to it's best but I was totally taken in by how pretty it looks when you cut into it. A lovely bright green stripe topped off with the goats' cheese loveliness. It went down swell and was perfect spring picnic fare. And if you need another reason to give it a go then think of how much your wallet will love you. Frozen peas are as purse friendly as it gets and when your tart needs to be half filled with them then you're onto a money saving winner. Just don't tell your friends how little you spent on them or how easy it was to make. Just revel in the compliments.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Make it.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oI-lQOX_Ib0/TZw5c8pWvGI/AAAAAAAAAQM/nKunYyyfsnY/s1600/DSCF3837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oI-lQOX_Ib0/TZw5c8pWvGI/AAAAAAAAAQM/nKunYyyfsnY/s400/DSCF3837.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vxo1dSVo3i4/TZw56BjdnMI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Du1MLe340Sg/s1600/DSCF3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vxo1dSVo3i4/TZw56BjdnMI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Du1MLe340Sg/s400/DSCF3841.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Cuts into 8 wedges</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6294/pea-mint-and-goats-cheese-quiche">here </a>on BBC Good Food</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>I added a few more peas than the original recipe and a little less goats' cheese as it was all I had. It still tasted great though. I also added a little less cream into the egg mixture as my tart tin is slightly smaller than what the recipe called for.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 quantity of shortcrust pastry, enough to line a 23cm tart tin. See <a href="http://ateapartyinholland.blogspot.com/2011/02/goats-cheese-and-roast-tomato-tart.html">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">350g frozen peas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">3 tbsp olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g soft goats' cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 eggs, beaten</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200ml double cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">4 spring onions, finely sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">salt & pepper, to taste</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">If you don't know how to make shortcrust pastry then follow the directions in the link above. Whilst the pastry is chilling, cook the peas in boiling water for three minutes, drain and refresh under cold water. Transfer them back into the empty pan and, using a hand blender, puree the peas and then stir in the chopped mint and season. Keep tasting and add more or less depending on how minty you want it. I ended up adding more than I thought I would need.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Frlt3DGrPYE/Ta3b-K73dUI/AAAAAAAAARM/zSbwLawcwrw/s1600/PMGC_Tart_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Frlt3DGrPYE/Ta3b-K73dUI/AAAAAAAAARM/zSbwLawcwrw/s400/PMGC_Tart_2.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Whilst the tart case is blind baking, beat the eggs and gradually add the cream and spring onions. When the case is ready, spoon the pea mixture onto the base and pour over the egg and cream mixture. Finally scatter the goats' over the top. The tart will end up being rather full so I find it's easier to put the tart on a baking tray and onto the oven shelf before you add the egg mix. That way you don't end up with half of your creation all over the kitchen floor when you try and transfer it from worktop to oven. You have to come up with all sorts of tricks to get you through life when you're clumsy like moi.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-49909206073534562832011-04-01T18:48:00.000+02:002011-04-01T18:48:32.552+02:00Leek & Potato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rkBwuKjbco/TZYBrBDYeLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/jD_5X4hhX3A/s1600/LP_Soup_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rkBwuKjbco/TZYBrBDYeLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/jD_5X4hhX3A/s400/LP_Soup_1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is a great soup. This is an even better soup for when you think that spring has arrived, leave the house in your finest spring wear only to be attacked by the rain gods on the way home. In such a situation, something hot, comforting and insanely delicious is needed to get you out of that bad mood you're in and to get some warm blood pumping through your veins once again. This, for me was perfect and I can most definitely recommend this bowl of goodness with a steaming hot cup of tea. With milk. Because I'm English. Oh, and why not throw a blanket in the mix too with season three of Dexter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although I've eaten it a lot, I've never actually made leek and potato soup before but I'll definitely be doing this one again. In fact I'm hoping for a few more rainy days as an excuse. Who knew that these two ingredients could be so tasty. The recipe only uses milk and stock but I had a bit of cream to use up so threw that in too. Definitely not a bad thing. If you've never had this before, or have never tried your hand at making it yourself, then all I can say is do it. It'll make you very happy. And warm.</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Ever so slightly adapted from 'Great British Food'</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Serves 4</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">500g leeks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">4tsp olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">50g butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 medium onion, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">500g potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">600ml stock, I just used a chicken stock cube as it was all I had</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 bay leaves</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">400ml milk, I used 75ml of cream and 375ml milk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">salt and black pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Chived to serve</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Firstly, cut the leeks into 4 length ways, then cut them into squares and wash thoroughly.Heat up the oil and butter in a large pan and sweat half of the leeks with the onion for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Add the potatoes and season with salt. Be careful with how much slat you add at this stage though as your stock may already be quite salty. If you're not sure, wait to season until after you've added the stock. Cook, uncovered, for 5 more minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Add the stock and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes start to fall apart. Add the remaining leeks together with the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the leeks are cooked through. Sprinkle with chived to serve.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>Note: If you want a smooth soup, remove the bay leaves before blending. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-23339724697322426772011-03-26T14:28:00.002+01:002011-03-26T14:59:01.455+01:00A Carrot Cake Bake Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w7BuTDzpHWA/TYeko1vYmnI/AAAAAAAAAPc/45h9UzxuaqA/s1600/CC_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w7BuTDzpHWA/TYeko1vYmnI/AAAAAAAAAPc/45h9UzxuaqA/s400/CC_2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I get a little bit over excited sometimes and want to make everything in sight. This happened to me this week when I wanted to make a carrot cake. My head was in tatters. There were so many options and not enough people to feed excess cakes supplies to. I haven't got a 'go to' carrot cake recipe and after looking through my books I came across far too many to choose from. I mean really, how am I supposed to know which one is best if I don't make them all? What if there's a better one out there that I don't know about? Well, in my (slightly crazy) mind there was only one thing for it...yup I made them all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'm not crazy enough to make them all full sized so I narrowed it down to three recipes and made a three layer cake with each layer being a different carrot cake recipe. All of them used three eggs so I could just use one egg for each recipe and divide everything else accordingly. Super simple. This is definitely the way to go if you want to try out lots of recipe to find the best one.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So which recipes made it into the carrot cake bake off I hear you ask. Here goes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CM1fdGDq3ao/TY28OEumYAI/AAAAAAAAAP0/XZvNqsc_AM4/s1600/CC_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CM1fdGDq3ao/TY28OEumYAI/AAAAAAAAAP0/XZvNqsc_AM4/s400/CC_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Layer <b>one </b>on top is a Nigel Slater.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Layer <b>two </b>in the middle is a recipe from 'The Great British book of Baking'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Layer <b>three </b>on the bottom is from 'The Hummingbird Bakery Book'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So let the challenge commence! Here's my opinion on each one...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>First up it's Nigel.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This was definitely the driest of the three but was still a strong contender. It wasn't quite as spiced as the other two with the only spice being cinnamon but it still had a lot of flavour with a lovely lemony undertone. It had a good amount of walnuts and carrots giving it a great texture and folding in the egg whites at the end made for a slightly airier result than the other two.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Next up it's layer two from 'The Great British book of Baking'.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This one was super yummy. I was a little worried when I was putting the mixture into the cake tin as it was really thick and heavy. It didn't rise much but it was lovely and moist and had a great texture with a good ratio of carrots and walnuts . Out of the three, I'd say that this one had the best flavour, presumably because of the variety of spices in it. (cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and ginger)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I used the frosting from this recipe to frost the whole cake. The addition of orange zest and juice was a great touch and helped to cut through the sweetness making the overall balance of the cake just right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>And finally, it's the turn of the bottom layer from 'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook'.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I have no idea what happened with this one but this one didn't turn out well for me. I don't know if it was my oven or if the timings were wrong but it wasn't cooked all the way through in the middle. (You can see in the picture it's oozing at the centre). Even the bits at the edge that were cooked weren't right. The only word I can use to describe it is mushy which is something I don't tend to look for in a cake! There was no texture to it and the flavour didn't really stand out against the others. I've still put the recipe for it below so if you want to give it a go then you can. I haven't really sold it though have I?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And the winner is...'The Great British Book of Baking'.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>It was close between this one and the Nigel Slater recipe but I preferred the deeper, slightly spicier flavour and the moister texture swung it for me. So for now this is my favourite carrot cake recipe. Until I find another one I want to try to see if it's better that is! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><i>I've included all the recipes here in their original quantities. As mentioned above, I used the frosting from 'The Great British Book of Baking'. (The original recipe only makes enough to fill and cover (top only, not sides) a two layer cake. The recipe below shows how much I increased the frosting layer by to fill and completely cover the three layer cake).</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">One...</span>'The Nigel Slater' One</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Serves 8-10</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">3 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250g self raising flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">a pinch of salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200ml sunflower oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250g light muscovado sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g carrots</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">juice of half a lemon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g walnuts, roughly chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the Frosting</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250g mascarpone cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200g cream cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g icing sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">grated zest of a medium orange</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">walnuts, to decorate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly butter two 22cm cake tins and line with baking parchment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Separate the eggs and then sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Beat the oil and sugar until well creamed, then introduce the the egg yolks one by one. Grate the carrots into the mixture, followed by the lemon juice and chopped walnuts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Fold the flour into the mixture. Whisk the egg whites till light and stiff, then gently fold into the mixture using a large metal spoon. (a wooden one will knock the air out).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Divide the mixture between the two cake tins, smooth the top gently and bake for 40-45 minutes. The cakes should be moist but not sticky. Remove from the oven and leave to settle for a good 10 minutes before turning them onto a wire cooling rack.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>Note: For my one egg version I found that the cake was done after 30 minutes. It could even have done with a little less time in the oven as it was a little dry. Maybe it was just my oven but if you're making the full version I'd definitely check it after 30 minutes.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For the frosting, put the mascarpone, cream cheese and icing sugar into a electric mixer and beat till smooth and creamy. It should have no lumps. Mix in the orange zest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When the cake is cool, sandwich the halves together with about a third of the frosting. Use the rest to cover the top and sides of the cake. Cover with the walnuts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Two...</span>'The Great British Book of Baking' One</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Makes 1 large cake</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">225g self raising flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/4 tsp grated nutmeg</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp ground mixed spice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp ground ginger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">225g soft light brown muscovado sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">grated zest of 1/2 an unwaxed orange</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g walnut pieces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">3 medium free range eggs, beaten</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150ml sunflower oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250g grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the Filling</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200g full fat cream cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">50g unsalted butter, softened</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g icing sugar, sifted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">grated zest of 1/2 an unwaxed orange</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 tsp orange juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease two 20.5cm round cake tins with butter and line the bases with greaseproof paper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Sift the flour, baking powder and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the sugar, orange zest and nuts followed by the beaten eggs, sunflower oil and grated carrots. When thoroughly combined, divide the mixture between the tins and spread it our evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Turn them out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For the filling and topping, beat together the ingredients until very smooth and creamy. In warm weather you may need to chill the icing until firm enough to spread. Spread almost half of the mixture onto one of the cakes. Top with the second cake and spread the remaining mixture over the top. The cake can be decorated with walnut pieces or left plain . Store in an airtight container in a cool spot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>Note: This is enough frosting to fill and cover only the TOP of the cake and not the sides. To fill and cover my three layer cake (top and sides), I used 300g of cream cheese and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Three...</span>'The Hummingbird Bakery' One</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Makes 10-12 slices</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">300g soft light brown sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">3 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">300ml sunflower oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">300g plain flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp bicarbonate of soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp ground ginger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1/4 tsp vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">300g carrots, grated</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g walnuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the Frosting</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">400g icing sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g unsalted, at room temperature</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">250g cream cheese, cold</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Base line three 20cm cake tins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (I used a handheld electric whisk) and beat until everything is well mixed. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Stir in the carrots and walnuts by hand until evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For the frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk on medium slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is fully incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium high speed and continue to beat until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat as it can quickly become runny.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Put one cake on a cake stand and spread about one quarter of the mixture over it with a palette knife. Place the second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it. Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3P5MRuhrIOM/TYes5knMPKI/AAAAAAAAAPs/x-4tAoglgMQ/s1600/CC_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3P5MRuhrIOM/TYes5knMPKI/AAAAAAAAAPs/x-4tAoglgMQ/s400/CC_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-88038814542226974882011-03-19T15:55:00.000+01:002011-03-19T15:55:49.363+01:00Chorizo, Chickpea & Bean Stew<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UctekEvGlw4/TYEf20-iOEI/AAAAAAAAAPI/I_w1rbkaV8U/s1600/CCBS_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UctekEvGlw4/TYEf20-iOEI/AAAAAAAAAPI/I_w1rbkaV8U/s400/CCBS_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We've been stuck in a food rut. And yes, whilst eating meat, potato and veg in it's various guises is always good, enough was enough. We weren't quite ready to dust off the salad servers but with a whole two days of almost springlike weather our senses were awakened and we were craving new flavours. Goodness was needed and lots of it, something less heavy and definitely no stodge! A kind of transitional meal to awaken us from the depths of winter and get us ready for spring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And oh by jove, this soupy stew ticked all the right boxes. Delicious Spanish chorizo mixed with vegetables and beans with a bit of a kick. How could you not feel good after that? It's still warming and comforting so I wouldn't exactly call it light but it sure hit the spot. It's a great value little dish but if I can say one thing it would be to buy the best quality chorizo that you can afford. It really will make the dish.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what have we got?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">lots of good stuff...check</div><div style="text-align: justify;">lots of healthiness...check</div><div style="text-align: justify;">lots of deliciousness...check</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is so simple to make and will make you feel all warm and healthy inside. Yes, I think we're onto a winner...enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Based on <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/330608/chorizo-lentil-and-chickpea-soup">this </a>recipe from BBC Good Food</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Serves 8</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>You want to keep the chorizo and vegetables quite chunky so they don't break down during cooking. This is one of those meals that tastes better the next day so if you're clever you'll make up a huge batch and have it the next night too.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1tbsp olive oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">250g chorizo, sliced</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 large onions, chopped</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 sticks of celery, chopped into 1cm pieces</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 carrots, chopped into 1cm pieces</div><div style="text-align: justify;">200g mushrooms, quartered</div><div style="text-align: justify;">large pinch of chilli flakes</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2tsp smoked paprika</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a 400g tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed</div><div style="text-align: justify;">12 tbsp red lentils</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 litre chicken stock</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Firstly, in a large heavy bottomed pan, fry the chorizo in the oil for a minute or so. Add the onions and continue to cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften. The oils form the chorizo will coat the onions and you'll have to be careful how much you 'taste' along the way. You know, just to make sure it tastes good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pop the mushrooms in the pan and let them cook down for a few minutes before adding the carrots and celery. Give everything a good stir and allow to cook a little bit more for about 5 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now all you've got to do is stir in the chilli powder and smoked paprika, add the chickpeas, beans, lentils and stock and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. I didn't add any salt or pepper as there was already enough salt from the stock and enough other flavours going to omit pepper. But if you think yours needs extra seasoning then go for it. Knock yourself out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Serve with crusty bread and lashings of butter.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-77487564020971511312011-03-12T12:18:00.000+01:002011-03-12T12:18:33.822+01:00Cheese & Pickle Burgers<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AU_YeR-Aspk/TXtPbHKBjMI/AAAAAAAAAOw/GCPOj2a67OU/s1600/CP_burger_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AU_YeR-Aspk/TXtPbHKBjMI/AAAAAAAAAOw/GCPOj2a67OU/s400/CP_burger_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sqDywVARLs4/TXff1vfLQYI/AAAAAAAAAOc/_qr_J8gkrFg/s1600/DSCF3718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sqDywVARLs4/TXff1vfLQYI/AAAAAAAAAOc/_qr_J8gkrFg/s400/DSCF3718.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>Cheese & Pickle makes for a pretty formidable partnership. Fact. </b><br />
<b>The two just kinda go hand in hand don't they?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes, living in a foreign country, you get a bit homesick and you just want to eat food that reminds you of home. Nothing fancy, just something takes you back for a moment and for me that something is cheese and pickle. What could be more British and comforting than that? And not fancy schmancy pickle. Oh no, I'm talking about the good old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branston_(food)">Branston </a>variety. And imagine how excited I was when I found some in one of the supermarkets here! OK, so it was a 10 mile round trip on my bike to get my hands on it but I'd say that it was a small price to pay to have the pickle in my life once again. And after all that exercise I definitely had to do something awesome with it.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, our options...you could...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>one...</b>put it between two slices of bread</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>two...</b>pile it high on your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploughman's_lunch">Ploughman's Lunch</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>or three...</b>you could take my advice and try my new spin on the humble beef burger. Cheese & Pickle Burgers! I love making my burgers from scratch and experimenting with what I put in them. And I can honestly say that these are the best ones I've ever made. The cheese keeps them really juicy and the pickle adds an oh so welcome tang. Yes, the cheese and pickle burger is definitely a welcome addition to my life.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Loosely based on Sarah Raven Food for Friends and Family</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Makes about 15 burgers</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">If you can't get your hands on Branston pickle or don't like it (weirdo) then you could of course use any pickle you wanted. You could even use an onion marmalade or something similar. The recipe is pretty flexible so just experiment...go wild! </div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Serve with some oven baked wedges and a lovely crisp salad. Yes, that'll do for me.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">1kg beef mince</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">1 large onion, finely diced</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tbsp Branston Pickle</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp wholegrain mustard</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">100g cheddar cheese, grated</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">3 garlic cloves, very finely sliced</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">1 egg</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. (Obviously you can't check your seasoning before you cook your burgers but you'll probably need more than you think. I usually end up under seasoning. Don't worry though, if you're scared of adding too much salt, you could of course season the burgers as they are cooking.).</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It couldn't be simpler really. Firstly, put all of the ingredients in a large bowl.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>TIP: </b>please be smarter than me and <b>do </b>use a large bowl. Don't do as I did and use a bowl that is already full before you even start to mix the ingredients. I soon discovered that a small bowl results in burger mix escaping over the sides. And you don't want to be wasting this deliciousness.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L76XFga50sM/TXfgpQns5QI/AAAAAAAAAOg/Sef7cFbNCw8/s1600/DSCF3714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L76XFga50sM/TXfgpQns5QI/AAAAAAAAAOg/Sef7cFbNCw8/s320/DSCF3714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Then all you've got to do is get your hands stuck in, mix all the ingredients together and make sure everything is thoroughly combined. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lgn-GrePgBo/TXfgxMyrtLI/AAAAAAAAAOk/cbiCfDtsW74/s1600/DSCF3716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lgn-GrePgBo/TXfgxMyrtLI/AAAAAAAAAOk/cbiCfDtsW74/s320/DSCF3716.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It's not looking the prettiest right now but once these little morsels are shaped and cooked you'll be wanting more. Shape the mix into about 15 burgers and pop them in the fridge for an hour or so. This helps the burgers firm up before cooking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">These would be awesome cooked on the barbecue but I wasn't really feeling the whole outside cooking thing in the wind and rain. Fortunately they taste just as good fried in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. This left them still slightly pink in the middle but if you want them well done just leave them for another minute or so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The only thing that would make this dish better would be some homemade tomato sauce. Darn it, I wish I'd had more time. But hey, there's always next time...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2et1rqYL6tY/TXtVXXjt5iI/AAAAAAAAAO4/wD76GzJQ_OA/s1600/CP_burger_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2et1rqYL6tY/TXtVXXjt5iI/AAAAAAAAAO4/wD76GzJQ_OA/s400/CP_burger_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-89889361070728114072011-03-04T17:08:00.001+01:002011-03-04T17:09:44.592+01:00No-Bake Chocolate Tart and a Rescue Mission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o-_42e9AY7g/TWpThY2FX0I/AAAAAAAAANQ/MJgvyKuPbi0/s1600/ChocTart_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sY8WiTLVkec/TWpV2sJQnPI/AAAAAAAAANU/VDoA6SUEoUM/s1600/ChocTart_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sY8WiTLVkec/TWpV2sJQnPI/AAAAAAAAANU/VDoA6SUEoUM/s400/ChocTart_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-He9DMTI5rk8/TWpkZ6XTfBI/AAAAAAAAANg/WBAwoBLykEM/s1600/ChocTart_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-He9DMTI5rk8/TWpkZ6XTfBI/AAAAAAAAANg/WBAwoBLykEM/s400/ChocTart_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I learned some lessons this week...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>lesson one...</b>don't use your beautiful homemade butter biscuits as the biscuit base for your chocolate tart. Why? Well this is what happens...it's not looking good is it? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z2Z3WxXk1rY/TWp0JKDInjI/AAAAAAAAANw/6PS9qujWUMY/s1600/ChocTart_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z2Z3WxXk1rY/TWp0JKDInjI/AAAAAAAAANw/6PS9qujWUMY/s400/ChocTart_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I guess all the butter in the biscuits combined with the butter I used to bind the crumbs was a bit too much. As you can see, what I ended up with was a sorry mess of crumbs swimming in a sea of butter. And so rescue mission number one began and back to the shops it was for some old faithful digestives and another block of butter.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>lesson two...</b>taste your chocolate tart mix before adding more sugar. Why is it that following a recipe makes you doubt your own judgement? Don't add extra sugar if you don't need it. Taste, taste and taste again! I let it set anyway but being the perfectionist that I am, I didn't want to serve something to my friends that might have sent them into a sugar induced coma. My problem was my inferior chocolate which turned out to be a measly 54% cocoa solids instead of 70%. So check your chocolate too and be warned that even if it says it's dark chocolate it may not be dark enough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And so rescue mission number two commenced. Armed with a teaspoon I set about scraping out the sickly sweet filling to make way for attempt deux. I can tell you though that it tastes mighty fine if you stick it in the freezer and eat it out the tub with a spoon. Well, it would be a crime against chocolate to let it go to waste wouldn't it?</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KWQ30gtNxV0/TWp4n2UVReI/AAAAAAAAAN0/t9QdT5-PkFo/s1600/ChocTart_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KWQ30gtNxV0/TWp4n2UVReI/AAAAAAAAAN0/t9QdT5-PkFo/s400/ChocTart_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I learned my lesson and tasted ALOT when making the second batch. In the end, even after using the good dark chocolate, I didn't end up adding any extra sugar. So just remember, even if you're following a recipe, taste everything and if you think it needs less of this or a little more of that then follow your own judgement!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As long as you don't end up making it twice this is actually a super quick and super tasty dessert. It only uses 5 ingredients (minus decoration), requires no baking and just needs to be set in the fridge. It really couldn't be simpler and the result definitely outweighs the effort you put into making it...just do it right first time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And the verdict on the second attempt...pretty darn good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xmtFviTYL90/TWpqm1zP1YI/AAAAAAAAANo/EQ7aYl3PBC0/s1600/ChocTart_5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xmtFviTYL90/TWpqm1zP1YI/AAAAAAAAANo/EQ7aYl3PBC0/s400/ChocTart_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Loosely based on <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4629/nocook-chocolate-tart-">this recipe</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Serves 8-10</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OfSJQWQWGUo/TWppL8d7KYI/AAAAAAAAANk/Ztue6xPiAhI/s1600/NoBakeChocTart_Assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OfSJQWQWGUo/TWppL8d7KYI/AAAAAAAAANk/Ztue6xPiAhI/s400/NoBakeChocTart_Assembly.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the biscuit base</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200g digestives</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Crush the biscuits either in a food processor or pop them in a bag and bash with a rolling pin if you don't have one. Melt the butter over a low heat and when it's melted, stir in the crumbs and mix thoroughly making sure that all the crumbs are evenly coated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Line a 23cm loose bottomed tart tin with baking parchment and pour in the crumbs. I can't remember where I read this, but if you're putting a biscuit base up the side of a dish then the best way of doing it is to take a glass and use it to push the crumbs up and around the edge. This way you get a lovely neat, square edge. Press down fairly firmly so it sets properly and doesn't crumble when you cut into it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>For the Filling</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g milk chocolate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">200ml double or whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks with 1tsp of vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">a punnet of raspberries to decorate, or any fruit you like</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water to melt. When melted take it off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Gently fold in the whipped cream until completely combined and then pour the filling into the tart case. Told you it was simple!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Leave to set for at least 2 hours or it can be made up to 2 days in advance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">To decorate, take your chosen fruit and arrange in a ring around the edge and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with creme fraiche or extra whipped cream if you're feeling naughty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Bring to room temperature before serving. This will make it much easier to remove from the mould.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-5035601384499136722011-02-25T21:16:00.003+01:002011-03-10T12:16:37.752+01:00Goats Cheese and Roast Tomato Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FHeqpIcm2PU/TWQYaTgIOVI/AAAAAAAAAM0/475lovuCdmI/s1600/DSCF3606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FHeqpIcm2PU/TWQYaTgIOVI/AAAAAAAAAM0/475lovuCdmI/s400/DSCF3606.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZ8GGP15S30/TWQY-0MiOSI/AAAAAAAAAM4/iAnEgRyBYRw/s1600/DSCF3593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZ8GGP15S30/TWQY-0MiOSI/AAAAAAAAAM4/iAnEgRyBYRw/s400/DSCF3593.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't you hate it when you get a bill from the tax man demanding money? Well, that's what happened to me this week. Not my favourite way to start a week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, to try and make my bank balance feel a little better about itself I've been tight with everything else. The only problem is that my default place to go when I'm feeling stressed or down is kitchen which usually involves spending money. And so the challenge began...to make a meal from what we had lying about in the fridge. Easier said than done when your fridge looks like it's just been raided by the food police.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had butter, eggs, tomatoes and goat's cheese. Mmm, what to do? My little brain was beginning to steam when...brainwave! In times like these, make a tart! Tarts or quiches are a great way of using up all those odd bits in the fridge that are just asking to be eaten but you don't know what to do with. (OK, I admit that I had to go and pick up some cream, but at 57 cents, I could just raid the copper jar). All I do is rustle up a bit of short crust pastry, pop whatever I have lying around in the case, top it up with a mix of eggs and cream, bung it in the oven and bob's your uncle, 30 minutes later you've got a tasty dinner out of what you'd otherwise written off.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I slow roasted the tomatoes in the oven for a couple of hours before assembling the tart. This really brings out the sweetness and are also great in salads or on toast. It's so versatile - you could use any cheese you have lying around, or a different vegetable too. Broccoli and Stilton makes for an amazing tart. I'll have to get that one on here at some point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Makes a 23cm tart</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Loosely based on a recipe from 'Great British Food'</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the Slow Roasted Tomatoes</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 plum tomatoes</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 clove of garlic</div><div style="text-align: justify;">a few sprigs of thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Salt and pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;">About 35ml olive oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dNcMOjrmZug/TWQbqrPfZnI/AAAAAAAAANI/NCfmXU34NtU/s1600/GoatsCheeseTart_Tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dNcMOjrmZug/TWQbqrPfZnI/AAAAAAAAANI/NCfmXU34NtU/s400/GoatsCheeseTart_Tomatoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to fan 150C.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cut the plum tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Chop the garlic and add it to the bowl with the tomatoes along with the olive oil and thyme. Season with pepper and toss together until the tomatoes are well coated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Roast in the oven for about 2 hours until they are partly dried out and then season to taste with the salt. Set aside. Increase the temperature to 175C and put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For the Tart</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">12 roasted tomato halves</div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g goats cheese</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 eggs</div><div style="text-align: justify;">300ml cream</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Salt and pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x1ArR6qYrKw/TWQcV_HgVrI/AAAAAAAAANM/bhkEvWBVWCc/s1600/GoatsCheeseTart_Tart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x1ArR6qYrKw/TWQcV_HgVrI/AAAAAAAAANM/bhkEvWBVWCc/s400/GoatsCheeseTart_Tart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the prepared pastry case (recipe follows), crumble the goat's cheese over the base. Arrange the tomato halves in two circles, one large one around the outside and one smaller one in the middle. Whisk together the eggs and cream and season to taste.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pull the oven rack with the baking sheet on it out and place the tart tin on it before you add the egg and cream mix. Pour the egg mix into the case and gently push it back in the oven. It's easier to do it this way as the egg mix can go everywhere if you try and carry it from worktop to oven already filled.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leave for 30-35 minutes until just set and slightly golden on top. It's best to leave it to cool before slicing as it will firm up. It will get very messy if you don't! Best served warm or at room temperature so it's a great make ahead too!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Basic Short Crust Pastry</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">200g plain flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g butter, diced</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/2tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cold water<br />
1 egg yolk</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to 150C and butter and lightly flour a 23cm, loose bottomed tart tin.<br />
<br />
Put the flour, salt and butter into a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add a little water at a time and start to mix together with a knife. When it starts to clump together, start to bring it together with your hands adding enough water so that the bowl is left clean.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If the mix seems a little dry, add a drop more water. Only a tiny bit at a time though! Sometimes all it takes is wetting your fingertips. You probably won't need as much liquid as you think. Turn out, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When ready, on a cold, lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a round slightly larger than the tart tin. Gently press the pastry into the tin, making sure it gets right into the corners. Cut off the excess pastry leaving a slight overhang of about 5mm as it will shrink slightly when baked. Prick the bottom of the case all over with a fork. (This lets air escape from underneath the pastry and so stops it rising too much). Chill for a further 30 minutes. This relaxes the pastry to minimise shrinkage.<br />
<br />
To bake blind, line the case with greaseproof paper and pour in baking beans or dried beans/pulses. (I just use split peas). Bake for about 15 minutes, remove the the baking beans and greaseproof and bake for a further 10-15 minutes uncovered until it starts to look a light golden colour. Beat an egg yolk and brush it over the base and bake for a further 2 minutes. This give the pastry a 'waterproof' layer so none of the filling escapes and you keep that lovely crisp bottom that you've worked so hard for.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-71260804089304254992011-02-20T15:13:00.001+01:002011-02-20T15:15:52.287+01:00Clotted Cream...oh and Pear & Almond Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rUtQdUnIlB4/TVl4elHpfDI/AAAAAAAAAKM/TWH-b4gheSA/s1600/PearAlmondTart_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rUtQdUnIlB4/TVl4elHpfDI/AAAAAAAAAKM/TWH-b4gheSA/s400/PearAlmondTart_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Good news: We found clotted cream in our supermarket here in the Netherlands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bad news: It cost €3.87.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good news: At that price it's a good way to keep the waistline in check.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When life gives you clotted cream, the rule is you've gotta eat it. Our hands had reached for the little pot of goodness like they were someone else's and we had paid and were out the door before we knew what had happened.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And when you've got a whole lotta cream waiting to be devoured, then the rule is that you've got to make a delicious little something to put it on. This is where this little gem of a tart comes in. I thought that it was going to be the bridesmaid with the cream taking centre stage as the bride but I shouldn't have judged you so soon...sorry. Please forgive me.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like almonds then you'll luuurve this. A poached pear is surrounded by a sea of frangipane and topped with flaked almonds. I'm going to make a large version for when some friends come over next week and serve it warm with a cheeky bit of ice cream which, I think would be even better than the clotted stuff. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yikes. I'd best get the running shoes on. I'm just looking at it and I've put on a pound. Does the pear cancel it out though?<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s8-CfeUiGH4/TV0bR2xGdnI/AAAAAAAAAMY/rwQiBpeRI3M/s1600/DSCF3507_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s8-CfeUiGH4/TV0bR2xGdnI/AAAAAAAAAMY/rwQiBpeRI3M/s400/DSCF3507_edited.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2FFTeDS6DdA/TVwPKifmReI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/rd5CAxIAwIg/s1600/ClottedCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2FFTeDS6DdA/TVwPKifmReI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/rd5CAxIAwIg/s320/ClottedCream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Recipe</b></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Adapted from 'Great British Food</b>' <b>(The people behind the 'Canteen' chain of restaurants)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Makes enough for a 25cm tart or 12 small tarts. (Mine were made in 10cm mini tarts tins).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The original recipe calls for amaretto liqueur. However, being the clumsy fool that I am, I managed to shatter my all time favourite liqueur into a million pieces all over the kitchen floor. And the kitchen cupboards. And the walls. And John's swanky speakers. I haven't told him yet...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I used almond extract instead so you don't have to go out and buy a bottle of amaretto just for a tart.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>For the Almond Paste</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">25cm Sweet pastry case, baked blind (recipe follows)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g soft butter</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">2 eggs</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">4 tsp a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">lmond extract</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">40g plain white flour</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g ground almonds</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">½ tsp salt </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Flaked Almonds, to scatter</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>For the Poached Pears</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">3 firm pears</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Juice of ½ lemon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">50g caster sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">First, to make the almond paste, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs with the amaretto and beat this into the butter and sugar mix. Fold in the flour, ground almonds and salt. Set aside and poach the pears.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Peel, quarter and core the pears. Place in a pan with the lemon juice, sugar and enough water to cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Preheat the oven to fan 160°C. Spoon the almond paste into the tart case, spreading it evenly. Arrange the quartered pears on top of the paste, pushing them in slightly. Scatter over the flaked almonds.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and slightly puffed up. Serve warm...with clotted cream or ice cream. Both are great!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JY-fit79ZFw/TVwPZJ8LFYI/AAAAAAAAAMU/KEfGoqsD-d4/s1600/DSCF3487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JY-fit79ZFw/TVwPZJ8LFYI/AAAAAAAAAMU/KEfGoqsD-d4/s320/DSCF3487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Sweet Pastry Case</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>From 'Great British Food'</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Makes enough for a 25cm tart case.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Recipe</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g butter, diced, plus extra for greasing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">150g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Pinch of salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">45g caster sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2 egg yolks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Method</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Rub the butter into the flour, salt and sugar, rubbing gently with the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Whisk one of the egg yolks with a tablespoon of cold water and slowly add this to the butter and flour, mixing with your fingertips until it forms a dough. Add a little more water if needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Shape into a ball and chill for at least an hour. This makes it easier to roll out. Grease your tart tin, sprinkle in a little flour to coat all over and tip out the excess. Roll out the dough on a well floured, cool surface to a round that is slightly larger than the tin. Gently roll the pastry around the rolling pin and lay it over the tin. Ease into the bottom and the sides. Trim off the excess, leaving a slight overhang as the pastry will shrink a little bit when baked. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. Pricking the case helps to stop it rising too much when baking it blind. Chilling helps to relax the pastry, minimising any shrinkage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Preheat the oven to fan 175°C. Line the case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Bake for 14 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment. Lower the heat to 135°C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes until the pastry has dried out and is a light golden brown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush all over the pastry. Place back in the oven to bake for a final 2 minutes - this is to seal the base to prevent any leaks of filling.</div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-41079566864849807022011-02-15T20:49:00.002+01:002011-03-10T12:18:59.465+01:00'Grown up' Mac and Cheese<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2uSvHbCQcU/TV0jkct8I-I/AAAAAAAAAMc/q3XJ6szZ8pg/s1600/P1000324_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2uSvHbCQcU/TV0jkct8I-I/AAAAAAAAAMc/q3XJ6szZ8pg/s400/P1000324_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I have a bit of a problem when it comes to watching foody TV shows. As in I watch them all...even if they're bad. Sometimes though, one comes along that you don't have particularly high expectations of and it rocks! It's just a shame that it finished this week...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">This recipe comes courtesy of the Lorraine Pascale's 'Baking Made Easy'. Pretty much everything this girl whips up makes me want to get the scales out, put the pinny on get cracking. She makes everything look so effortless and she convinces you think that, yes, I can make that three tier look like it's just walked out of a fancy, schmancy cake shop. Lorraine used to be a top model, working with the likes of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in the nineties. But, after deciding that she wanted to do something more worthwhile, she found cooking. She now has her own bakery in Covent Garden, London selling celebration cakes. I'm not jealous at all...not in the slightest. Yes, I'm lying.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">So now for the star of the show...trust me, this is good.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">After years of categorically stating that I hated blue cheese, I recently discovered that I do in fact love it. See, I do admit when I'm wrong. So at the minute I'm loving anything that has the words <i>blue </i>and <i>cheese </i>in the title. I wasn't even going to write about this but I think that it needs to be shared. I rarely make anything twice except for the staples. You know the ones, spaghetti bolognaise, shepherd's pie, pasta, pasta, pasta. But this my friends is going on the staples list. So it should feel very proud of it's self. Not just any old rubbish makes it onto this special list of mine. </span></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4740385587417106806&postID=4107956686484980702" name="more"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">It's basically a rich, 'grown up' mac and cheese. The sauce is made from blue cheese and parmesan which is so good. The original recipe, which you can find <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/glam_mac_and_cheese_92848">here</a>, only uses pancetta for the meat but I think my protein loving boyfriend would have had something to say about that so I bulked it up with some chicken. In fact, I think this recipe could be really easily played around with with fantabulous results. Maybe spinach mixed through, or broccoli, or leeks or...my word the possibilities are endless. Go for it, use your imagination.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Also, the original recipe calls for dolcelatte or gorgonzola cheese but I couldn't find dolcelatte and as I'm loving Stilton right now, I went with that and it turned out mighty fine. This was so nice nice that I made it 3 times in a week and as the recipe uses a mix of cream and milk for the cheese sauce it was getting a bit rich so I tried it with just milk which worked too. I've adapted the recipe to use only milk but if you're not going to eat it three nights in a row and want to go full fat, then take a look at the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/glam_mac_and_cheese_92848">original recipe.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Recipe</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Adapted from Lorraine Pascale 'Baking Made Easy'</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Serves 4</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">A little tip...I'd never made a white sauce from a rue before, (criminal I know) so due to my ignorance, I cooked it for too long and it ended up waaaaay too thick. So, unlike me, don't be a rebel and do as the method says. I just loosened it with a bit more milk so don't panic if the same happens to you. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">340g macaroni</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">3 chicken fillets, cut into chunks</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">80g pancetta, diced</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">small handful of fresh thyme leaves</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">3 spring onions</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">100g fresh breadcrumbs</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>For the cheese sauce</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">40g butter</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">40g plain flour</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">a pinch of ground nutmeg</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tsp English mustard powder</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">485ml milk</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">200g Blue Stilton</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">115g parmasan, freshly grated</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">salt and freshly ground black pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Preheat the oven to 200C</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Cook the macaroni in a large pan of salted water for about 10 minutes. The pasta should be just under as it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and return to the pan and set aside. I normally add a little flavourless oil to the pasta of it's going to be sitting around otherwise it will end up as one large giant pasta ball...not what you're after.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iKcSu1dhNM/TVl5qrsI1XI/AAAAAAAAAKU/lj2OPiS-1jE/s1600/MacCheese_CheeseSauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iKcSu1dhNM/TVl5qrsI1XI/AAAAAAAAAKU/lj2OPiS-1jE/s400/MacCheese_CheeseSauce.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and fry the chicken until starting to brown but not quite cooked as it will also continue to cook in the oven. Remove and add to the pasta pan. In the same pan fry the pancetta until it just starts to brown and crisp up, then add the thyme leaves and spring onions and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove and add to the pan with the pasta and chicken.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">For the sauce, put the butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard powder in a pan over a medium heat until the butter has melted. A little at a time, add the milk to the pan stirring all the time. Keep</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> adding the milk bit by bit until it is all incorporated. Don't be tempted to add the milk all in one go as you'll end up with a lumpy sauce. If this does happen, take the sauce off the heat and whisk like crazy which should </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">sort it out.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Once all the milk has been added, turn the heat up and boil for a minute or two. (This is where I went wrong first time when I ended up cooking it for about five minutes so be warned!) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Remove the pan from the heat, add the two thirds of the blue cheese and parmasan and stir until fully combined. It might be a bit lumpy but heck, it's cheese so that's not a bad thing! Season to taste and be careful not to eat too much straight from the pan.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn7MKtNkFUo/TVl7JD6SVLI/AAAAAAAAAKY/UFN45C8t11c/s1600/MacCheese_Assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn7MKtNkFUo/TVl7JD6SVLI/AAAAAAAAAKY/UFN45C8t11c/s400/MacCheese_Assembly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Add the sauce to the pasta and meat and give it a good mix. Spoon the mixture into a shallow casserole dish or four large individual ramekins.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Sprinkle the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the top is golden brown.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Yum, yum.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2uSvHbCQcU/TV0jkct8I-I/AAAAAAAAAMc/q3XJ6szZ8pg/s1600/P1000324_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2uSvHbCQcU/TV0jkct8I-I/AAAAAAAAAMc/q3XJ6szZ8pg/s320/P1000324_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-877074931149158192011-02-11T21:14:00.002+01:002011-02-17T17:21:33.046+01:00Better Late than Never Chocolate Cheesecake Bars<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ac1XePOmsyM/TV1LADv4MRI/AAAAAAAAAMs/s-1Ezkbkm7M/s1600/P1000295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ac1XePOmsyM/TV1LADv4MRI/AAAAAAAAAMs/s-1Ezkbkm7M/s400/P1000295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NHNcOitcyFw/TVWOqJ8S6sI/AAAAAAAAAGA/sPlLHGzady0/s1600/P1000280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NHNcOitcyFw/TVWOqJ8S6sI/AAAAAAAAAGA/sPlLHGzady0/s400/P1000280.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Does making a hybrid cheesecake using traditional Dutch biscuits for the base mean that I'm turning Dutch? Nope. But these tasty treats do taste mighty fine so I'm willing to go with it just this once.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">These are a week late but finally I got to make these chocolate cheesecake bars. What could make for a better combination than biscuits, cheesecake and chocolate. Well I know that I'm struggling to think of anything. The recipe I used comes from <a href="http://www.bakerella.com/">Bakerella</a> who uses 'Europe's favourite cookie' for the base. This 'European' cookie is the spiced speculaas biscuit and is one of the reasons why I wanted to make these bars so much. Oh and the cheesecake. Oh and the chocolate. Yeah ok, all of it. These biscuits are everywhere here in the Netherlands so I didn't have any problems finding them in the supermarket. If you're in the UK then look out for 'Lotus Original Caramalised Biscuits'.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The chocolate ganache is amaaazing. I actually want to make a cake right now just so I can use it as the filling. I've never made a ganache with butter and icing sugar before and it's definitely my new favourite. Heck, I might just make some and smother it on some buttered toast. Yep, that's supper sorted.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4740385587417106806&postID=87707493114915819" name="more"></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I really don't think that I have to sell these. I think the ingredients and the pictures speak for themselves. Just go and make them...now. Go!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">You can find the original recipe <a href="http://www.bakerella.com/cheesecake-bars/">here</a>, but I made a third less to fit my tray. Actually that's a little lie...in my opinion the biscuit base is the best thing about a cheesecake so I made the original quantity of the base and only reduced the chessecake and ganache layers. She also added sugar to the base which, being English and not American, I find a bit weird so I skipped that too.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Recipe</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Adapted from Bakerella</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Makes about 12 small squares</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Biscuit Base</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">190g crushed speculaas biscuits</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">85g melted butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIsi4aRmk2I/TVWJ_7fWEqI/AAAAAAAAAFo/J9VRd8BENzw/s1600/CCB_Stage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIsi4aRmk2I/TVWJ_7fWEqI/AAAAAAAAAFo/J9VRd8BENzw/s400/CCB_Stage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Line a 28cm x 17cm pan with baking parchment. I really don't think I would've got it out in one piece otherwise.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Add the biscuit crumbs to the melted butter and stir until combined. Press the mixture into the pan and press down firmly but not too firmly. You still want to be able to get your fork through it!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Cheesecake</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g Cream Cheese, softened</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">15g plain flour</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">2 eggs</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150ml sour cream</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">2 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TVLp96rlPuI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/qFn3eK8uBWc/s1600/CCB_Stage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TVLp96rlPuI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/qFn3eK8uBWc/s400/CCB_Stage2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Preheat oven to 160C (conventional), 140C (fan oven), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">325F.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Cream the sugar, cream cheese and flour with and electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy. On a medium low speed add the eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined. Pour onto the biscuit base and bake for about 45 minutes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Remove and allow to cool. Aaaaaand...now it's time to prepare the ganache. Aka, it's now time to eat ganache out of the bowl with a spoon...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Chocolate Ganache</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150ml double cream</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">37g butter (A bit of a random weight I know. I've converted the recipe from American imperial so this was originally 6 tbsp)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g dark or milk chocolate or whatever tickles your fancy, chopped</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">25g icing sugar</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D3aAMYYO9i0/TVWLdzcivcI/AAAAAAAAAFs/zZ5GwGso9YQ/s1600/CCB_Ganache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D3aAMYYO9i0/TVWLdzcivcI/AAAAAAAAAFs/zZ5GwGso9YQ/s400/CCB_Ganache.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">A little note: Maybe I shouldn't be admitting to this being a big food lover but I'm not a massive fan of dark chocolate. Is that really wrong? The original recipe calls for dark chocolate but I used a mixture of dark and milk just to tone it down a bit. Feel free to go all dark if you have a more grown up chocolate food palate than I have!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Heat the cream and butter over a low heat until just before boiling. Remove from the heat, pour over the chocolate and stir until well combined. Add the icing sugar and beat with a wire whisk until combined and smooth.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JmYreofnNng/TVWMRQfSzEI/AAAAAAAAAFw/K6F9NU2PEvM/s1600/CCB_FinalStage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JmYreofnNng/TVWMRQfSzEI/AAAAAAAAAFw/K6F9NU2PEvM/s400/CCB_FinalStage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Pour over the cheesecake and pop it in the fridge overnight to set.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And voila! All there is to do now is cut it into bars and serve. A little tip...to get a clean cut, I like to heat the knife slightly over the hob before cutting. It works a treat. And don't forget to give the knife a wipe between each cut. Yes, that's right, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Enjoy. Or, keeping with the kinda continental theme, eet smakelijk as the Dutch would say.</span></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-37101468832026481772011-02-06T16:57:00.002+01:002011-02-17T17:25:10.899+01:00Plan P 'Peanut Butter Cookies'<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b453N5ptUTw/TV1L36HNzqI/AAAAAAAAAMw/BMA6xMy3wZ0/s1600/P1000221_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b453N5ptUTw/TV1L36HNzqI/AAAAAAAAAMw/BMA6xMy3wZ0/s400/P1000221_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQJcx3R0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/V5x5kzUPn1Q/s1600/P1000220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQJcx3R0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/V5x5kzUPn1Q/s400/P1000220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">OK, a wee word of advice...if you're putting off making something because your other half doesn't like the sound of something, don't listen to them! Do it!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The plan to satisfy my baking addiction this week was going to be <a href="http://www.bakerella.com/cheesecake-bars/">these </a>cheesecake bars. However, when John told me he was going to some silly conference that day, my plans were somewhat scuppered. (He's so inconsiderate). There was no way that I was going to give up that easily though so I had to think up a plan b pretty quickly. As I was now only baking for 2, I thought that a whole tray of cheesecake might be a little bit too much to get through. (I can't believe I just wrote that). After rifling through numerous cookbooks, I came across peanut butter cookies and thought yeah, they've gotta be made. Screw you John. And can I just say that this is a guy that eats peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon. So wouldn't peanut butter cookies be the ideal choice? I can't believe that I've waited this long to make these. Not that I'm bitter or anything...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4740385587417106806&postID=3710146883202648177" name="more"></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And the result? I have a convert! They weren't too peanutty and the chocolate just made them all the better. In fact personally, I would probably add a little more next time. And not being the biggest fan of dark chocolate, it would more than likely be milk, but that's just me. White would also be worth a try. They were soft and chewy, just a as cookie should be and I had to exert some serious will power not to eat them all before I could take a photo. A good sign I think.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The original recipe makes 24 cookies but I decided to divide it by two. I still managed to get 24 decent sized cookies out of this though so I guess the proper sized ones are humongous! But hey, if you like your cookies the size of a plate them just double this recipe or you could use my halved version and just make 6. Either way, they're very moreish!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">p.s I have no idea how but we had a forgotten cookie in the biscuit tin a few days after I made them...and whilst it wasn't perfectly fresh, it was still pretty darn good . So they last well too. Grand!</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Recipe</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Makes 24 cookies</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">112.5g unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">100g caster sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">100g light brown sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 egg</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/4 tsp vanilla extract</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">120g crunchy peanut butter</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">170g plain flour</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/4 tsp salt</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">40g dark chocolate (or your chocolate of choice), chopped</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Preheat the oven to 170C (325F) Gas mark 3. According to my oven thermometer, my oven runs hot so I set my temperature to 150C. So be careful not to overcook them, you want them to be chewy!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add half the egg at a time, mixing well and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed and beat in the vanilla and peanut butter.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix well until a smooth dough is formed. Stir in the chocolate until evenly dispersed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQSe-38sI/AAAAAAAAAFE/q0RYlq-hUpU/s1600/P1000190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQSe-38sI/AAAAAAAAAFE/q0RYlq-hUpU/s320/P1000190.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmm, cookie dough</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Arrange 6 equal amounts of cookie dough on each prepared baking tray. (I had to bake mine in batches as I only have one tray but this didn't seem to effect the outcome). Make sure they're spaced apart to allow for spreading. They do spread out and flatten a fair bit.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQTygv8pI/AAAAAAAAAFI/zpq1UwRDzrI/s1600/P1000198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQTygv8pI/AAAAAAAAAFI/zpq1UwRDzrI/s320/P1000198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and quite flat. I overdid my first batch so be careful. They puffed up a lot and so I thought I would have to wait until they had gone completely flat before taking them out but they flattened properly once they had been taken out of the oven. So beware!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Leave them to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Don't be tempted to turn them out straight away. They are still very, very, very soft when you first take them out of the oven.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And finally, enjoy with an ice cold glass of milk. Oh my days, now there's a tasty little afternoon snack.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQU2IxpwI/AAAAAAAAAFM/v-iMd84Yu4k/s1600/P1000207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUrQU2IxpwI/AAAAAAAAAFM/v-iMd84Yu4k/s320/P1000207.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-8387564458424961802011-01-29T16:17:00.001+01:002011-02-12T23:04:54.558+01:00Date, Apricot and Orange Chutney<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUQpxSn8kCI/AAAAAAAAAEw/ngpYNBgmR0Y/s1600/P1000154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUQpxSn8kCI/AAAAAAAAAEw/ngpYNBgmR0Y/s400/P1000154.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUQpzNbfJrI/AAAAAAAAAE0/33PXLWnvIso/s1600/P1000152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TUQpzNbfJrI/AAAAAAAAAE0/33PXLWnvIso/s400/P1000152.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Whilst visiting family over Christmas, there was of course a ridiculous amount of food to make sure we left their shores a few pounds heavier. We definitely made the most of it and did a very good job of over indulging on all the things we can't get over here. (mmm, cadbury's chocolate, wensleydale and what would Christmas be without a mince pie - or 10?) I tell a lie. Some things they do import but unfortunately there's always a hefty price tag around it's neck. I actually saw a small jar of chutney in a department store for 8.95 euros!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">So when I was rifling through my Mam's food stash and came across some homemade chutney I decided to build my lunch around it. The orange provided a great balance to the sweet apricots and dates and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> oh my it was good. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">We tried to control ourselves but, a little naughtily, we managed to finish it off in a couple of sittings. It was the perfect accompaniment to a nice bit of blue cheese and some melba toast. Mmm. Well she <i>did </i>say that it was there to be eaten so I did what I was told. Maybe she would've liked some too though? Oops.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">So the cogs started turning and I thought yes, why don't you make your own. And hey, if it's good then I could make a small fortune selling it. So, after finding out that it was my Aunty who had made it for a Christmas gift I swiftly got hold of the recipe and this weekend I gave it a go. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">It was so simple. The only thing that took any of my time was de-pitting the dates and chopping the onions. The recipe actually calls for soft dates and I was told by my Aunt that she used Medjool dates but for love nor money I couldn't find them anywhere in the land of the windmills. I ended up substituting these for dried dates and just chopped them really small to help them along a bit as I wasn't sure how well they'd break down. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">It</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">still seemed to work well but of course the day after I'd made the chutney I walked into the supermarket and there were the fresh dates right in front of my face. Typical! They must've moved them, it can't have been me looking in the wrong place. Definitely not. So I think I'll give it another go with the fresh ones but if you can't find them either I'd say you could still get away with the dried ones.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TT7qQUqFd7I/AAAAAAAAAEs/FtVP5gDoEx0/s1600/P1000138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TT7qQUqFd7I/AAAAAAAAAEs/FtVP5gDoEx0/s400/P1000138.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> </span><br />
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<div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Recipe</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Courtesy of my Aunt Theresa.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Makes enough to fill approximately two 500ml jars.</span></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">As I was told, this chutney is super easy to make. After a bit of chopping all you have to do is bung it in a pan and stir occasionally until, well until it looks like chutney really. Enjoy!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">500g soft dates (medjool)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">400g soft ready to eat dried apricots</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">2 large finely chopped onions</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">25g fresh ginger, finely grated</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 large onion</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">500ml cider vinegar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/2 tsp cayenne pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tsp ground coriander</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">400g soft brown sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tbsp sea salt</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Method</span></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Chop the dates and the apricots into small pieces and put them into a large pan with the finely chopped onions, the fresh root ginger, the grated zest and juice of the orange and the cider vinegar. Also add the cayenne pepper, ground coriander, soft brown sugar and the salt. Bring everything slowly to the boil then simmer uncovered stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.When the chutney is ready, you should be able to make a slight hollow in the top of the mixture and it will not fill up with excess liquid. Pile the chutney into warm sterilized jars and store in a cool place before eating.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">TIP</span></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>If you've got a dishwasher then just put your jars through a hot wash and that will be sufficient to sterilize them. If like me you have a dishwasher but because your kitchen is so small you have to use it as storage or don't have a dishwasher at all then just do what I did. Wash the jars in hot soapy water and rinse well. Just before you want to fill the jars, pop them in a preheated oven at about 150 degrees for about 10 minutes.</b></span></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-68079954244423946612011-01-21T17:33:00.002+01:002011-02-17T16:16:54.595+01:00Red Velvet Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TTgYmaNVDkI/AAAAAAAAAEo/hc7fZjlXzRg/s1600/redvelvetcupcakes_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TTgYmaNVDkI/AAAAAAAAAEo/hc7fZjlXzRg/s400/redvelvetcupcakes_2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I'm always looking for an excuse to bake and so when my boyfriend suggested that I could make something for him to take in for his French class I jumped at the chance. Being slightly obsessed with red I decided on these beauties which have been on my to do list for months. I realise that some people are getting a little bored of the whole cupcake thing but living in the Netherlands where cupcakes aren't available at every corner I still get excited about them. And they seemed to go down well with everyone so it was win, win for everyone involved. I got to bake and they got to eat! Now all I need is a red Kitchenaid to go with the cakes. Hint, hint.</span></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4740385587417106806&postID=6807995424442394661" name="more"></a><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The cupcake itself isn't too sweet and is rather plain actually as it only uses 10g of cocoa powder for 12 cupcakes. The cake is really just a platform for the deliciousness that is the cream cheese frosting which I most definitely did not eat with a spoon from the bowl. I was worried about putting too much on and them being too sweet and sickly but I honestly don't think that you can put too much on. Pile it high! This frosting would be a great base for additions too. Maybe a little lemon zest for lemon cupcakes or even a little finely chopped stem ginger if you're making ginger ones.</span></div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nXqUhI5J7zc/TV07yykNhTI/AAAAAAAAAMg/SqZTxtnPuoU/s1600/P1000123_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nXqUhI5J7zc/TV07yykNhTI/AAAAAAAAAMg/SqZTxtnPuoU/s400/P1000123_edited.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Recipe</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Ever so slightly adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Makes 12 cupcakes</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">60g unsalted butter at room temperature</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g caster sugar</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 egg</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">10g cocoa powder</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">20ml red food colouring (I used Dr. Oetker)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">120ml buttermilk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">150g plain flour</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar as this is what I had and it was fine)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Method</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Preheat the oven to 170C (fan oven) or gas mark 3. Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Turn the whisk up a little and slowly add the egg until it is well incorporated.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">In a separate bowl mix together the cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick paste. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until everything is combined and evenly coloured. Turn the mixer down to slow and slowly pour in half the buttermilk and beat until mixed. Add half the flour and again beat until evenly mixed. (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Scrape down the sides of the bowl to catch any stray bits). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Repeat with the remaining buttermilk and flour. With the mixer still on a slow speed add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and beat until everything is well mixed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Spoon the mixture equally between 12 paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before allowing to cool on a cooling rack to cool completely.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">When the cupcakes are completely cooled spoon the cream cheese frosting on top.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Cream Cheese Frosting</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">300g icing sugar, sifted</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">50g unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">125g cream cheese, cold</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Method</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until well incorporated. (Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure). Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. (About 5 minutes). </span></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-7871063864595046452011-01-20T17:23:00.001+01:002011-02-12T23:05:49.045+01:00Proving it Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TTNaEECp6UI/AAAAAAAAAEg/97irIlbO7SM/s1600/P1000113.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_me6F1Wmfz1Y/TTNaEECp6UI/AAAAAAAAAEg/97irIlbO7SM/s400/P1000113.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">It's taken me a while to get round to making a stab at my first official post. What with work and travelling back to the UK for Christmas things have been somewhat manic. So I thought I'd start with something that I try to make every weekend if I can. Homemade Bread! It's amazing and surprisingly easy once you get the hang of the kneading thing. In fact it's a great thing to do if you want to vent a bit of anger! I've tried quite a few recipes and methods and this weekend I thought I'd try a method that I've read about but have never been organised enough on a night to start. So, this weekend I tried the overnight proving method. The process basically involves leaving the dough to prove for the first time overnight in the fridge. This slows down the fermentation process and, so I'd read, makes for a more flavoursome loaf.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">So, on Saturday night I got out the scales and gave it a go. I mixed, kneaded and covered the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and a little sceptically placed it in the fridge until the morning. I had a sneaky peak just before I went to bed and it had already started to grow which was exciting. I did have visions of opening the fridge the next morning to see that the dough hadn't stopped growing and that it had filled every available crevice. But no! It had nicely doubled in size and was still within the confines of it's bowl. So far, so good. From that point the process was the same as if you'd left the bread to prove at room temperature. I knocked it back, let it prove for a second time and then baked it.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And the verdict. Well, it was pretty damn good and I have to say that I really do think that it was tastier than normal. I'll definitely be doing it again. It's also a great time saver as I could have a nice little lie in on Sunday morning and still have a nice fresh loaf ready for lunch. Bonus!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I kept this loaf simple without fancy additions. I didn't fancy having it fail on me having spent a small fortune on nuts and seeds. But next time I think it may be worth it. For this recipe I just used whatever flour I had left in my cupboard but it worked well this time. As a side, I served this bread with home made smoked mackerel pate which was rather yummy. Unfortunately, in my boyfriend's haste to eat lunch I didn't manage to get a photo of it was courtesy of Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Hopefully next time I'll be slightly more organised and get photos of everything! But hey, I'm learning. Enjoy!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Basic Bread Recipe</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">500g strong bread flour (I used a 100g of wholemeal and 400g of white for this loaf)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">7g sachet fast action yeast</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">2tsp salt</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">300ml lukewarm water (you may need slightly more or slightly less)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Method</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Firstly measure your flour and mix it with the yeast and salt. Pour in the water and bring the ingredients together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. You may need to add a little extra water to the mix if it seems slightly dry. Don't worry if you think it's too sticky. One you start to knead it, it will come good!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Turn out onto a work surface and start to knead. If the dough is sticking, lightly coat the work surface with a little flavourless oil and continue. It's best not to use flour as this will imbalance the flour to water ratio which we don't want! I find that even if it sticks a little, as I start to knead it quickly loses the stickiness.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Knead by holding one end of the dough with your fingertips and with your other hand stretch the dough away from you. Then roll the stretched dough away from you, turn 90 degrees and repeat until the dough becomes smoother. As times goes on the dough will become tighter as the gluten gets to work and your kneading style will change to shorter strokes. I usually knead for about 15 minutes and stop when the dough is silky smooth.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a plastic bag or clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight. I left mine for around 11 hours and it was just fine. The next morning, remove the dough and turn it out onto a work surface. Knock it back, form in into a round and place onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Leave to come back to room temperature and double in size. This should take around an hour but I left this one for an hour and a half and it was fine. It all depends on the temperature of the room as to how long it takes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan oven) and when the dough is ready, dust with flour and rub in very gently. Slash a cross atop the top with a bread knife and immediately put it in the oven. Bake for around 30 minutes. If the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom then it's ready. If not, or are in doubt, then leave it a little longer. I find its quite forgiving. Leave to cool on a wire rack and enjoy! Nothing beats freshly baked bread smothered in real butter. But it won't last long so get in there before your boyfriend finishes it for you!</span></div>A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740385587417106806.post-35257962613868354862010-12-01T14:18:00.000+01:002011-02-12T23:00:50.780+01:00A Newbie on the food blogging scene!So, after becoming slightly obsessed with food I've decided that a good outlet would be to start a blog about my food endeavours. I am a Brit living abroad in the Netherlands and my aim is to show everyone over here how good British food is. (It's generally thought very badly of). Slowly but surely I'm getting there. I often send my baking into work with my boyfriend and there's always good feedback. (Hopefully they're not just being polite!) I won't just be posting about British food though, there's so much other stuff out there that needs to be tasted too. I'm still learning but maybe you can learn along with me.<br /><br />My mam hates cooking so I didn't grow up hanging from her apron strings by the stove. I only became really into it when I moved here with my boyfriend and finally had my very own kitchen. I'm so glad I found food and can't wait to learn and eat more, more, more!A Tea Party in Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17150838521731263920noreply@blogger.com0