Summer Treats...

 To celebrate the real start of Summer (and as I write this, the sun has just broken through the clouds at last!) I thought you might appreciate a new recipe. Sugar Moon has just taken a week off to rest and recuperate...you can read more about where we went here....and, as usual I came home itching to get into the kitchen straight away! Work doesn't begin properly until tomorrow, so these were made at home, and use the best of the current fruits - you can easily adapt this recipe to use whatever you like best. Raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries will all work well here - perhaps adjusting the sugar levels in the topping if the berries are very tart.

Apricot & Blueberry Bars

Base:

150g wholemeal spelt flour (you can use regular plain flour or even gluten-free if you prefer)
1 (preferably free-range) egg yolk
150g butter
100g ground almonds
20g whole hazelnuts (or whole almonds if you prefer them)
75g light soft brown sugar
pinch Maldon or other sea salt flakes (optional, but so good!)

Additional ingredients for topping:

50g wholemeal spelt flour (or other flour as above)
50g whole hazelnuts (or almonds as above)
1 tbsp light olive oil (or other vegetable oil if you don't like the taste!)
50g soft light brown sugar (optional, depending on tartness of your chosen fruit)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180c
Line a 23cm square foil tray (or equivalent tin) with baking parchment

For the base: pulse ground almonds and whole hazelnuts for a few moments in a food processor until whole nuts are in small pieces...

 Add the rest of the base ingredients to the processor...

( This is the spelt flour we usually use...I love its nutty flavour and great texture...but do feel free to substitute as it won't make much difference to the finished bars!)

 Pulse until the ingredients form clumps....then press around 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared baking tray (leaving the remaining mixture in the processor bowl)...

 ...bake the base for about 10 minutes, until it turns a light golden brown....

 ...this will help prevent a soggy bottom! Then cover the base with your chosen fruit. As a guide, I used 5 apricots (stoned and roughly pulled apart) and 150g fresh blueberries...

 Add remaining topping ingredients to the rest of the mixture left in the processor and pulse to combine. It won't clump together as much, but will start to stick together if squeezed between your fingers. Scatter over the fruit...

 ...you want it to just about cover, but I always like to see a little of the berries peeping through the crumb! That's just personal preference though. Flatten the top slightly with your palms to help it stick together a little. Then bake for around 30 minutes, turning the tray halfway through the baking time to ensure an even colour...

 Cool thoroughly (preferably overnight in the fridge) before lifting from the tin using the edges of the baking paper and slicing into bars. They will crumble a little at the top, but just scoop these up with your fingers and enjoy!

 Apricots are one of the only fruits that I think are better cooked than raw...I just adore them in season.

 These bars would actually be gorgeous eaten slightly warm as a dessert, with cream or ice cream, too! Feel free to experiment and enjoy them. I thought I'd finish with one of my absolute favourite Summer lunches - this is usually what I would eat during the week, on a baking break (probably listening to The Archers!)

A toasted slice of good sourdough (I love Richard Bertinet's loaves available from Waitrose, if I can't find any handmade) rubbed with a raw garlic clove and topped with fresh, ripe tomatoes...here I added fresh marjoram from the garden and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes. And always, lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heaven on a plate! Enjoy the summer and all it offers food-wise....it won't be here for long! Sugar Moon is now back in full production...so do visit our lovely website if you haven't already.

Happy June xx

Catching up with Apples, Plums...& Ernest!

 Such a busy few weeks, so apologies for the lack of posts...but it's lovely to have so much to do! October now, and Autumn is really here. This afternoon, I baked this Apple Cinnamon Shortcake. It's perfect for now. Warm from the oven...it looks deceptively plain....

 ...but when you cut into it, a cinnamon-y apple compote is revealed! Because it's fully enclosed by the shortcake, it doesn't ooze out...and the shortbread is light with a slight crunch on the top and sides.

 It's based on a recipe from one of my very favourite bakers, Dorie Greenspan , whose new book 'Baking Chez Moi' is out very soon and already on pre-order! Her huge and beautiful tome 'Baking, From my Home to Yours' is a constant source of inspiration and comfort...she thinks like me (and we have the same haircut, which is entirely coincidental but somewhat reinforces my secret belief that we are kindred spirits!)

 I used my all-time favourite apple, the Egremont Russet for the recipe...because it's so British and so in season right now! Make the compote by coring and thinly slicing around 3 medium apples...no need to peel (yay!) and simmering gently with a tbsp or two of water, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and a tbsp of brown sugar until they are a thick puree, although with a few lumps of apple still visible..not too smooth!

Set aside to cool a little. Then...get baking!

Cinnamon Apple Shortcake - with love to Dorie Greenspan !

200g/ 13 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g + 2tsp / 1 cup + 2 tsp light soft brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 extra egg yolk
100g/ 1/2 cup polenta/cornmeal
300g/ 2 cups plain/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180c/350f
Grease & line a 23cm/10" round loose-bottomed or spring form tin with baking parchment

In a stand mixer, using the beater attachment, cream the butter and larger amount of sugar until pale. Add the whole egg and yolk & beat well. Scrape down the bowl, then add in all the remaining dry ingredients (still reserving the 2 extra tsp sugar, though!) Mix until just combined. The dough will be very soft. Roughly divide into two halves and press the first half lightly into the base of the prepared tin - it's easiest with clean fingers. Try and get it as even as you can, and push the dough a little way up the sides of the tin too, if you can (this just helps to really enclose the apple filling.)
Now spread the compote over the base - I used the back of a spoon for this - trying to leave about 2cm/ 1/2" space all around the edge. On a lightly floured board, use your fingers again to start pushing the remaining dough into a rough circle. Try and get it so that it looks about right for the tin size (it will be easy to adjust later) and then carefully lift it and place over the layer of compote. Pat into shape, making sure that the apple is completely covered...you can even 'tuck it in' a little if you have room! Brush the top with a little water and scatter over the saved 2 tsp brown sugar. Bake for a total of around 40 minutes - I rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even browning. It will be golden brown and firm on top when cooked through. Cool slightly on a wire rack in the tin, before releasing the sides. Lovely cold, of course...but really delightful still slightly warm. Perhaps with a big spoonful of creme fraiche or clotted cream on the side?! Why not...

Another thing I am in love with is this handmade jug-bowl. It came from a wonderful website created by a fabulous woman...Silvana de Soissons. The Foodie Bugle Shop is full of beautiful, practical food-related gifts...it also has a brilliant vintage section, perfect for one-of-a-kind presents. Every parcel comes wrapped beautifully and tied with real, old-fashioned string...the way all good parcels should be but never are!

 This gorgeous thing was made by Paul Jessop of Barrington Pottery in Somerset.

 I just love looking at it and holding it...it's very heavy & tactile. But I know that it will get a lot of use (eventually) too!

September's Farmer's Market was warm and sunny....which was brilliant after the rain & chill of August! People flocked to the stalls and I wasn't the only one to sell out. My good friend Charlie, one half of The Grumpy Bakers sold 79 loaves by 1pm....a brilliant day! Among my bestsellers were these...

 ...Fresh Plum & Almond Tarts....

 ...delicious! We will have more of these for sale in October.

And finally....I made a vat of Salted Caramel Sauce at the beginning of the week. The Sugar Moon kitchen gets through a lot of this. Litres, in fact!

 It's the main ingredient in our famous Salted Caramel Brownie, of course, which is rapidly becoming the bestselling flavour on the website ...threatening to overtake Double Chocolate any day now! Among their many fans are these two...

Christine Kavanagh and Nigel Havers who are currently starring - with a fab ensemble cast including Sian Philips, Cherie Lunghi & Martin Jarvis - in The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde's legendary play. This new production cleverly incorporates an extra 'play within a play'...adding even more interest and much laughter! We enjoyed a great night's entertainment earlier this week, as the company are currently touring. And, I'm thrilled to say that the company greatly enjoyed their Sugar Moon Brownies too! This photo, tweeted from the dressing room, will keep me smiling for many days to come....Encore!

Have a wonderful weekend!

NB: After 'sleeping on' the recipe overnight, I woke up thinking that using ground hazelnuts would be even more delicious! I think they could successfully substitute the polenta/cornmeal and would add a new depth to the cake. So I will be trying that next time! I have just eaten a slice, the 'day after'...and if anything it's even nicer than yesterday! The compote would work with many fruits...raspberries, plums, blueberries, persimmons....pears would be good, too! Experiment and let me know if you do!

Torta de Almendras...& a different evening

This week has been a whirl...thanks so much to all who have read &/or commented on my last post...Sugar Moon has been and will always be a labour of love for me, and I am thrilled that it's been received so well. It was great to send out the first orders in our gorgeous new boxes and receive amazing feedback too! We now have a Facebook page where you can read all the latest news and see what others have to say...if you haven't already, do please visit and 'Like' us!!

Wednesday was particularly busy...baking all morning (5am start...although that's no hardship at this time of year and I'm a lark rather than an owl, luckily!) then I attended a charity lunch at a beautiful barn set in some of the most beautiful countryside that Bucks has to offer...it was a very hot, sunny day but while the others quaffed Pimms I stuck firmly to the Rhubarb & Elderflower cooler and the water...too much to do to drink alcohol midday, sadly! When I got back, I had to deliver 60 trays of brownies and other goodies to a customer before changing and catching a train to London, touting a bag full of warm cake!

I was heading to Islington, to the Cookbook Club run by food writer and tv presenter Thane Prince . It's held usually once a month (although there is a break in August) in a large room over a great pub, The Draper's Arms. There's a nominal £10 fee to cover refreshments and there's always a theme...the idea is to bring a book and a dish with a link to whatever that may be. This time it was Iberia. I didn't have much time and wanted to take something that could cool down on the way, safely, as well as being delicious of course! So I found a recipe for a lovely traditional Almond Cake - Torta de Almendras in Spanish.

It was so simple to make and keeps well...the leftovers were delicious over the next couple of days with a good cup of coffee!

Quite plain but very damp and moreish...
So here's the recipe!
Adapted from one by Jane Berenbau on this site ...I have tweaked it, as I never can resist doing so!

Torta de Almendras

Preheat oven to 170c
Grease and line a 23cm (9") loose-bottomed round cake tin with baking parchment

Ingredients
300g blanched almonds (or you can use ready ground if easier)
80g Maria/Rich Tea type plain biscuits - I used Morning Coffee biscuits
280g caster sugar
6 eggs
2 oranges
grated zest of 1 lemon
25g blanched flaked almonds

In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar until very thick and pale - about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grind the almonds with the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine meal.
Zest and juice the oranges. Alternately fold the almond/biscuit mixture and the orange juice & citrus zest into the eggs & sugar, using a large metal spoon. Pour into the prepared tin, scatter the flaked almonds gently over the top and bake for around 45 minutes. When baked, the top will be golden brown with a slight crust and a skewer inserted into the centre will be almost clean with just a few bits of mixture clinging to it.

Cool on a wire rack, in the tin (loosen the sides)

It keeps well, covered at room temperature, for at least 3 days.

The Cookbook Club was great fun...although there weren't many of us there this time, we so enjoyed each others company as well as the range of delicious food....and it was brilliant to have a couple of hours to relax, meet new friends and chat about our favourite subject - food! We were very lucky to have the expert in Catalan cooking, Rachel McCormack, to talk to us as well. If it sounds like fun to you, then please do join us!! It's open to all...men and women, knowledgeable or not...you just need an interest in eating really!

The next meeting is on September 10th at 7pm and the theme...to be confirmed..is Wild Food. My brain is buzzing with ideas already!

Hoping you've had a good week....

Until next time x

Beautiful bakewell & some things we've been eating...

So long since my last foodie post! I think that since I stopped supplying The Coffee Tree with daily treats, I seem to have been struggling to find a focus for this blog. But I think I've found the answer! It will now be subtitled: What we're eating now...and feature more of the food I cook everyday, as well as the baked treats I create for customers. I hope you approve!

First is one of the top favourites on my monthly Farmer's market stall...Bakewell Shortbread. Bakewell Tart (or pudding, depending on your origins) is a wonderful traditional dessert originating from Derbyshire. I've adapted it to make a slice that can be sold by the piece...it keeps beautifully and can be gluten-free as well, if required (I just substitute polenta/cornmeal or gluten-free flour for wheatflour in the shortbread and frangipane layers) First I make an all-butter shortbread base and bake for around 10 minutes until lightly coloured...then spread with plenty of jam. In this case it was raspberry - but any flavour will do....next is a frangipane layer, made from butter, sugar, ground almonds, eggs and a little self-raising flour together with some pure almond extract....

this is spread over the jam layer.....

and sprinkled with flaked almonds before returning to the oven for around 30 minutes until risen, set & golden brown...

it's important not to overbake, though....it needs to be lovely and squidgy! Serve warm (best, I think!) or cold with plenty of hot tea...

Delicious, absolutely. Recipe will be in my book...(aren't I a tease?!) It's coming, it's coming!

Yesterday was dark, blustery and rainy...I had a spare 20 minutes so I thought I'd make a quick batch of...

Double Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookies. My Dad is currently in hospital, so a little box of these will find their way to him this weekend! Nothing like some good home baked treats to lift the spirits, I always think...and tell someone how much you love them.

Talking of love....there are two new cook books that I absolutely adore! There has been much publicity about them already...but in my view it is all deserved! The first is the second volume of the adorable Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries...

Nigel isn't a chef...he's a self-confessed "home cook who writes about food"...and how beautifully he writes! His books are the kind that people who love food and eating take to bed with them! I rarely use recipes any more...but his, I do. I have cooked so many meals already from this gorgeous book but a stand-out was...

this broad bean, feta and spinach pie. The original recipe used filo pastry...always having to tweak something, I used puff! But it was absolutely gorgeous...incredibly comforting, with big and generous flavours. Just as good cold for breakfast the next morning (a habit of mine!) as was...

this fabulous Parsley & Barley Salad with marinated feta from my other new acquisition...

I am very lucky to count Yotam as a dear friend, so this book is doubly special to me...but it is a truly wonderful addition to anyone's cookery library, I promise! Sami is Palestinian & Yotam Jewish, but both grew up in Jerusalem and this book is a joyous celebration of the differences and (many) similarities that result from the diverse cultural mix of the city. It contains many beautiful stories and memories, in addition to the inspirational recipes. As well as the salad, I made...

Chicken with caramelized onion and cardamom rice...it looks fairly similar in this picture (I blame the herbs!!) but I'm assured that the flavours were quite different!

The beauty and sunshine in these two books is lending much inspiration to my cooking, now that the nights are drawing in and it's such a pleasure to be in the warmth and light of the kitchen again! Highly recommended.

Have a brilliant weekend xo

Puddings & other stories...

Busy is not the word at the Bakery right now...this is the first chance I've had to post in almost a week. I keep forgetting to take pictures! Every time I have left a delivery recently I've smacked my forehead as I remember that I forgot (!) to snap my creations! Anyway, here I am. It's mainly brownies, brownies, brownies right now. Charlie, my biggest customer, is well into his new season on the equestrian eventing circuit. Each weekend (and during the week too) he tows his wonderful trailer, complete with Italian coffee machine, all over the South West supplying tired and hungry competitors...and excited spectators...with coffee & cakes to sustain them! So I am kept busy at my kitchen unit, producing trays by the dozen ready for pick up. There's only so many pictures of brownies you can take!

Still, there are my other customers too of course. It's a big weekend for the catering industry here in the UK. Mother's Day is one of the most popular 'going out' days in the calendar, so the pubs and restaurants I supply are ordering extra.

Bread & Butter Pudding is a huge seller on the menu. A traditional British dessert that most people love (I say most because I can't stand it....!) I make these with brioche instead of regular white bread, for extra richness. And I flavour them with real orange zest, as well as plenty of raisins. The liquid is cream too...to make them luscious.

They are eaten hot with either custard or more cream. Yum!

The Coffee Tree, too, will be busy this weekend...

These 'Charlie Bars' are my own creation...crunchy, crumbly peanutty shortbread (there are some chopped Reeses Pieces in there too) with a middle of peanut butter & chocolate. Perfect with coffee.

It was Fresh Raspberries & Cream Muffins this morning....made with cream, studded with ruby raspberries and dusted with icing sugar...

and an Almond Tosca Cake too. Based on a Swedish recipe, it's very, very moist & almondy with a lemon glaze & toasted flaked almonds too. This is one that I would love! I may make it at the weekend too, as we have some dear friends from Italy visiting...and Roberto adores CAKE!!

Happy Thursday....can you believe that it's April tomorrow? Have a wonderful day xoxo

Cakes, Bakes & new Brownies for a friend...

A friend of mine has an exciting new venture on the near horizon...and I wanted to create a new brownie to wish him good luck and offer some sweet respite from the stress and confusion that always abound when a big creative project is coming together. These were what I came up with....TA DA! Toasted Pecan Salted Caramel Brownies....luckily, they're also quite beautifully photogenic...

they were packed absolutely full with chocolate chunks and pecans...but I think that too much is never enough, which is why I added the extra dimension of the salted caramel, one of my current favourite, favourite ingredients.
I wrapped them in black tissue, in a glossy black box tied with satin ribbon (my friend is very chic!) and they were well received and very much enjoyed...which was really the point! I'll squeeze the recipe into the book (120 and counting now...maybe 2 books is more sensible!) Very proud of them.

Back to the Coffee Tree...and I also made a new creation for them on Saturday. Based on a Dream Bar, but with added coconut, dried cranberries for some sourness...I can never leave things alone!

This is the tray before cutting...

and here's a slice in closeup. I wanted to have crispness mixed with chew, which I think was achieved. Very sweet, which made them perfect with a cup of strong coffee...anyway, they sold out so mission accomplished!

And this morning, I made Seville Orange & Almond Tarts...a sweet, shortcrust pastry tartlet with a layer of thick cute homemade marmalade (from a jar our friend Steve made last year...dark, bitter, perfect!) all topped with an almond frangipane to which I added some seville orange zest.

there's Steve's marmalade in the background too!

I made an extra one so I could show you inside...and as I'm a complete pushover for anything almond-y, I had to eat it later! Lovely, especially a little bit warm...

I've decided not to afflict a daily post on you...except sometimes...I read a very good article which said that one can blog too frequently & put people off! I'd hate to do that, so I thought I'd make it every couple of days instead...I wouldn't want you to get sick of me. But I'll still take the pictures daily so that I can post the deliveries then....

I'll leave you with a last picture of those brownies...I feel like a new mother!

Thanks so much for reading...have a great day xo

Friands for Friday...

As I write, it's not yet completely light (at 9.50am!) and the rain is tumbling from the dark and stormy skies...a great morning for grabbing an apron and embarking on some baking!

Today's delivery to The Coffee Tree was a box of Raspberry Almond Friands...

these little cakes are really popular in Australia (which is where I first found them!) and are on just about every cafe menu...but hardly anyone has heard of them here! The beauty of them is that they are as easy to make as a muffin,are easily adapted to a gluten-free version and, most importantly...they taste wonderful!
I brought a special (heavy!) friand pan back with me to make them authentic...

but you can make them just as easily in a regular muffin pan. If you do, then I'd line 12 of the holes instead of 9 as I did, as the pan that I have is very deep.

This recipe is from a fabulous book that Esther (my sister) gave me one year called '1000 Best Ever Recipes from Australian Women's Weekly' which is a great manual full of well-tested recipes that never fail! I adapted it from the recipe for Pear & Almond Friands, as obviously yesterday's cake was pear..

First, heat the oven to 200c. Line tin with paper liners (or grease incredibly well - but I'd really recommend those liners! I had to bring those back too...)

Raspberry Almond Friands (makes 9 deep cakes or approx 12 regular muffins)

6 free-range egg whites
185g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
120g (1 cup) ground almonds (almond meal)
240g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
110g (3/4 cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour) - you can use a gluten-free flour if you need to, like rice flour.
A large handful fresh or frozen raspberries (if you're using frozen,  no need to defrost first)
20g (1/4 cup) flaked almonds

Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy (you can do this with a fork or a balloon whisk. They don't need to be whisked like for a meringue...just well broken up and bubbly!) Add sugar, ground almonds, sifted flour, and butter, then raspberries and stir until combined. The mixture will be fairly wet... more like a batter

spoon into the prepared tin, filling each liner almost to the top (you may find it easier to pour the mixture into a jug and spoon it out of that) Put a few of the flaked almonds onto each.

Bake for about 20 minutes - again, I rotate the pan halfway through for even cooking. They should be well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Leave for a few minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack..

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar if you like (I wouldn't if these were for home, but it finishes them off nicely for the shop.)

They are, as always, best served warm...but they do keep fairly well until the next day too, in a sealed tin in a cool place. Don't keep them any longer though, because of the fresh fruit content...

So that was Friday - oh, except that I also made this luscious creature for them....

She's a Chocolate Praline Cake....dark, rich chocolate sponge layered with a hazelnut praline frosting...one of my very favourite flavour combinations. So this cake was made, finished, packed & delivered quickly...before I was tempted! I suppose I could always wander down to the shop when I have a minute and buy a slice to have for tea...or would that be taking things too far?!

Mmmmm! Have a wonderful Friday...thanks for all your comments which are so appreciated...I hope that you can join me tomorrow for Saturday's delivery - and my first Foodie Giveaway!
xx