A day's work...or two!

On Tuesday, I had my stall on the monthly Farmer's Market here in town...and for a change it was a wonderful day! We worked out that the last 6 have all been wet...which makes a huge difference both to trade and to a stallholder's morale!
I am incredibly busy at the moment all around...Charlie the Coffeeman's wonderful 'real' coffee trailer is now being seen at all the top horse eventing trials...Gatcombe last weekend, Somerley Park at the beginning of this week...and where Charlie & his coffee go, my brownies & other delights go along too! Trays & trays of them...

Although I make so many, I still enjoy the process...perhaps because I make them entirely by hand, so I feel very connected to them - does that make sense?
I make several different kinds...the ones above are my Walnut Fudge...

Double Chocolate - my bestseller. They should really be called Triple Chocolate, as they contain dark, milk & white...but they've been known as 'Double Chocs' for so long that I think it would confuse everyone!

Caramel Chocolate are fairly new...they have a rich caramel sauce swirled through them...

And for the Farmer's Market, I always have a 'Brownie of the Month' to tempt regular customers...

March's offering was...

Easter Egg! I know it's a little early (& the wrong month) but this was the nearest market to the holiday. There was a thick, shiny layer of chocolate ganache on top of these and they contained milk chocolate 'mini eggs' as well as the one on top!

I wanted to carry the Easter theme through the market offerings, so I tried a new recipe (to me) for Colomba Pasquale. For those not familiar with it, it's a rich,sweet & citrussy yeasted cake that's traditional in Italy...formed in the shape of a dove (la colomba!) Very like Panettone, but with no raisins/sultanas and with a crisp, almondy sugary crusted glaze. Delicious!

It took all day to make. Not because it's particularly difficult...but there are 3 stages to the dough...and lots of rising time needed (10 hours in total!) It was worth it though...

Lovely smooth buttery dough...

The finished article - it was baked in a traditional italian 'colomba' paper mould. I have to say that the 'dove' shape has become a little simplified through the ages...but that's the idea anyway!

The middle (I made several including one to test!) was soft, beautifully textured and studded with candied peel...

The outside was crusty & with a lovely crunch from the almonds & nibbed sugar...

The recipe is too long to reproduce...but if you are interested, I found it on the blog of the wonderful company that produces the paper moulds (and many other wonderful hard to find baking products) Bakery Bits

Also for the market, I baked some Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cakes (always a big seller)

and some trays of fresh Plum & Almond Shortbread

So, when I had set up and arranged the stall on Tuesday morning, it all looked beautiful I think...

I 'dressed up' the Colombas in cellophane & ribbons in case they were bought as a gift...

and the selling began. The day went very well...by 2 o'clock, the tables looked quite sad & almost bare...

Still brownies left...but I always make plenty and these platters had been replenished about 5 times!

Let's hope the great weather continues (but some night rain would be good...we are going into drought conditions, with a hosepipe ban coming into force on April 5th)

I wanted to show you  the little Mother's Day cake I made for my darling Mum too...it was a zingy lemon & lime with homemade lemon curd in the middle. Not a huge spectacular one, because we are a small family and no one likes rich, creamy cakes...

but it was perfect for Mum - and that's what counts after all!

I hope your week is busy and filled with sunshine too...now, I'd better get back to the kitchen!

xoxo

July? Already?!

It's been longer than I would have liked since my last post. This is such a busy time of year...Charlie's season is in full swing (he's the renowned Coffeeman, who takes my brownies & other things with him to all the major equestrian eventing competitions on his mobile coffee trailer...) and keeping him supplied is a full time job on it's own! Plus there have been many other unexpected occasions and requests. One of these was from a neighbour & friend...she celebrates her 80th birthday this year and her husband his 90th. They decided to have a big family party last weekend and she asked whether I would cook the food for the buffet...plus the cake, of course! I was happy to agree, although 40 people is quite a lot from my home kitchen. I worked through the night before to get everything ready...2 whole poached Scottish salmon with lemon/dill mayonnaise...a huge bowl of Coronation Chicken...2 big Salade Nicoise'...Greek Salad...new potatoes...crudite platters....plus desserts which you can (sort of) see on the table above! Joan was very certain that she wanted a chocolate fountain on the dessert table - I managed to borrow one from a friend - and I must say that it did make a lovely focal point...

I also wanted something interesting for the vegetarian guests that would be easy to eat, and would appeal to the carnivores too! My mum used to make pissaladiere from an Elizabeth David recipe and I found it again. It's really just a big, rectangular South-of-France version of pizza..and absolutely delicious. I made a rosemary garlic yeasted base and topped it with caramelised red onions, red & yellow sweet peppers, courgettes, lots of herb, capers and tiny black nicoise olives...

It also traditionally has anchovies arranged in a criss-cross pattern...but as this would stop it being vegetarian, and as so many people absolutely hate these strong & salty little fish (which I adore!) I placed a bowl of them on the table for guests to add if they wished (to the Salade Nicoise too...)

Paul helped me to deliver and arrange everything and we left them all to it....but I have heard that the party and food went beautifully and - most importantly - Joan & Bill were very happy with everything and enjoyed their joint birthday party so much...I was so pleased to be a part of it!
Of course, there has still been The Coffee Tree to supply...and I had the Farmer's Market last Tuesday too (you can maybe see why posting has been difficult!) Some recent deliveries:

Banana Pecan Bread...

Summer Lemon Cake - which I made up but is a lemon sponge, drizzled with sharp lemon syrup and glazed with home made lemon curd before I went a bit mad with the decoration and ....

added lemon buttercream and edible glitter too! It's my Hollywood side...!

Lastly, my absolute bar none favourite cake.....Salted Caramel Chocolate...

even the name sets my mouth watering!

I worked all day yesterday baking lots of trays of brownies for the week ahead...so today, a bit of a rest. But I am just about to bake a Rhubarb Crumble Cake for the Coffee Tree tomorrow, and a tray of caramel Popcorn Brownies for another neighbour who tried them at the Farmer's market last week and was impressed!

So I'm never far from the oven...

with love to you and wishing my American friends a wonderful July 4th celebration tomorrow (even though you're celebrating your independence from US!!) Happy day xoxo

A New Year

Welcome to 2011! It seems as though the Christmas holidays went on forever...and while I really enjoyed the break (despite the snow scuppering our festive trip to Martha's Vineyard & Boston....gggrrrr!) it's very good to get back to normal!

My New Year Resolution for this blog, is to (try) and post everything I bake for our local coffeeshop. I deliver to them 6 days a week, something different each day except Sunday - so it's quite interesting. They are a wonderful customer, not least because they give me no order! I have supplied them for so long (over 6 years) that I know them and their regular customers really well and know what they like. So I get to try out lots of new recipes on some willing but critical guinea pigs! This has been invaluable while writing my cookbook, because it means that I can test many different recipes and get honest feedback - as opposed to that from family & friends who are naturally biased. These are members of the paying public, and they make it very clear if they don't like something ,or if they feel it could be improved - or if they love it! Wonderful feedback.

I've just returned from today's delivery (the first time they've been open since 24th December as they close over the holiday) So, being served at The Coffee Tree today:

Lemon Drizzle Cake (excuse the Christmas cake board - it was left over! And it's not Twelfth Night just yet...)

Fresh Blueberry & Lime Muffins. I wanted something zesty today, to counteract all that heavy, marzipanny, dried fruity indulgence that most people will have indulged in over the holidays. These are beautiful muffins and always work perfectly...

Makes 9 large muffins

Preheat oven to 200c & line 9 holes of a deep muffin pan with paper liners

300g self raising flour
150g caster sugar + 2 tbsp
200ml whole milk (preferably organic - I use Rachel's (naturally....!)
100ml sunflower oil (or you could use melted butter)
2 medium free-range eggs
150g fresh blueberries
zest & juice of 1 lime

Sift flour and sugar into a roomy bowl...add blueberries (I reserve 9 for decoration) and lime zest and mix with a fork to combine. Measure milk & oil into a mixing jug, break in the eggs and mix vigorously with a fork until the eggs are well beaten into the liquids. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and use the fork to combine them roughly...do not overmix or the muffins will be tough. The mixture should be lumpy & a few pockets of flour are fine.Spoon into the prepared pan and top each with a reserved blueberry if you like (I just like the way they 'pop' and the purple juice runs down the sides...but that's just me!)
Bake for 20 minutes (I rotate the pan after 10 minutes for even baking) They will be risen and brown on top when ready. Leave for a few minutes before removing from the tin and placing on a wire cooling rack - I put a sheet of foil underneath to catch the syrup drips from the finishing touches! In a small cup, combine a tbsp caster sugar with the lime juice and microwave on 'full' for 30 secs to dissolve. Brush each hot muffin with the syrup, which will be quickly absorbed. Sprinkle each with a little of the remaining tbsp sugar and eat while still a little warm if possible. Delicious!

Enjoy - as I hope the coffee shop customers are. Have a great day xo