The weekend...and a Saturday Giveaway!

Welcome to Saturday! I'm a little late posting today, as Paul & I have just come back from a fantastic lunch...of which more tomorrow. As the only day I don't deliver is Sunday, I've designated that to be my review day - or sometimes a rest one!

But this morning, which was dull and grey...although it cleared and now is beautiful with the tiniest of silver 'fingernail' moons just showing...I baked for The Coffee Tree as usual. Saturdays are a little different in that usually they are my only order of the day....so I drop the goodies off, grab a coffee, and head home - all done by 9am, and the weekend is mine!

First I made a tray of Pistachio Sour Cherry Bars.The middle of toasted pistachios,dried sour cherries & milk chocolate chips with caramel sauce is sandwiched between two crunchy oaty & quite plain layers....

I think you can just see the contrast in colour and texture in these pictures...it's quite hard to capture! I made them last night as they need a few hours to settle and set properly.
Then came a batch of Double Cheese & Fresh Chive Scones...

I made these as late as possible so that they were still warm when I delivered...the smell when the lid came off the box was amazing! I must confess that with the little bit of mixture that was left, I made a few miniatures to have at home....I don't have a really sweet tooth any more, but cheese is a different matter...!

especially with the slight onion flavour imparted by the snipped chives...mmm.

So that's a week of deliveries! And now to my first foodie giveaway...
It was quite hard to choose something that would appeal to those who maybe don't cook so much, but still enjoy reading about it. In the end I came up with the following - I hope I got it right!

This lovely memoir with recipes tells of Colette Rossant's life as a Frenchwoman in 1955, newly married to an American and just arrived in Manhattan to start their life together. Bemused by US customs, language and food...it's a sweet, funny and interesting book. I especially loved her discovery of the authentic ethnic delis and foodmarkets that were still so independent and individual then...it's fascinating. So there's that...
and also:

these two dear little blue & white 'yin & yang' dishes....with fish decorations. I've long used them on the dinner table when we're entertaining as they're great for putting seasalt flakes in one half & cracked pepper in the other....but maybe oil & balsamic vinegar? Or salted pistachios & peanuts? Anyway, the choice will lie with the winner!

This little bundle will wing it's way to someone who leaves me a comment after this post between now & next Friday,14th. I'll draw the winning name when I return from my Coffee Tree delivery on Friday morning and announce the winner in that day's post!

Good luck , thanks so much for reading - and I hope you have a wonderful weekend xx

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

A cup of coffee & a slice of cake...

This morning is damp & cold...but the birds are singing and my unit kitchen is full of the fragrance of the Walnut Fudge Brownies that I'm baking at the moment (at least I'm told it is...one of the sad effects of baking so many trays of brownies, day in day out ,is that the smell is so familiar to my nose that I no longer detect it!) I can see the wild rabbits which graze on the rich, grassy farmland just beyond the kitchen window. This little industrial estate is on the site of a huge former WW2 airfield - which means that the wild bits are largely left alone, so there's plenty of beautiful animals and birds to look at in my spare moments! But today I'm using those spare moments to savour a cup of my favourite Ethiopian Washed Yirgacheffe black coffee and tell you about this morning's Coffee Tree delivery.

Another Blue Angel Bakery creation...Fresh Pear, Cranberry & Walnut Cake.

This cake I could smell...and it was really heavenly! The top was crusted with sparkling demerara sugar and there were both fresh and dried cranberries inside for the different textures and tastes they add. The pear was a large, sweet organic one from Kent (I know it was sweet, because I ate the unwanted last quarter for my breakfast!)

I would actually love a slice to go with this coffee....but it's gone, and hopefully being enjoyed by others having a mid-morning break.

I won't post the recipe because it's an original that (if all goes to plan) will be in my book. But I promise that I'll give you a good one tomorrow....I've already decided what it will be, and I'm looking forward to making it later. In the meantime, I believe these brownies are almost ready...and then it's on to making trays of Bakewell Pudding.

Have a wonderful Thursday, and I hope that you taste something delicious at some point today. I'd love to know what it is, if you'd like to tell me in your comment....thanks for reading! xo

Welcome to Wednesday!

Today is clear, cold and sunny I'm happy to say! I'm busy all day with baking and, later, writing up some new recipes...which is something that I love to do. One of them will be today's treat. I thought of it last night (which is when a lot of inspiration hits...I'm cooking supper, food is on my mind I suppose) and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. The only problem is what to call it. I write out a new label for every delivery so that the ingredients are listed for everyone to see, and there has to be a name at the top!

What food is called is surprisingly important - menu descriptions make a real difference. It's psychological which makes it even more fascinating, and I'm sure I'll be returning to the topic. For instance:

this is today's delivery. It comprises a bottom layer of buttery chocolate shortbread, spread with plenty of black cherry jam and topped with a chocolate almond sponge, whole cherries, flaked almonds & milk chocolate chips. I really wanted to call them Black Forest Bars - because they have many of the elements of the traditional Black Forest Gateau & I knew that most people would know what to expect, flavourwise.

However, this also creates some problems. It only contains some of the elements...there's no kirsch and no cream. I didn't want to be misleading. The most important problem for me, though, was that Black Forest Gateau - sadly - has many negative connotations attached to it. It became so ubiquitous a couple of decades ago, that it started to be mass manufactured - often cheaply & badly. What was once a beautiful, traditional cake became a bit of a national joke. The name was synonymous with dry, oversweet sponge, fake cream, sugary chocolate vermicelli sprinkles, old fashioned restaurant 'sweet' trolleys...none of it good. And it still hasn't really recovered. I just know that, however different my version is, if I'd called it by my original name it wouldn't have sold well.
I decided to call it what it is. So, this Wednesday, I give you my new creation.....

Chocolate Almond Cherry Bars. Would you buy one??

Have a great day! x

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

Desert Island Ingredients...

Following on from my last post about some of my favourite cookbooks....and I realised that I left out one that I use just about every day:

this is an absolute bible for bakers who need lots of frequent inspiration...I can't recommend it highly enough really!

Anyway, now that I've rectified that omission, I thought I'd start a new debate: what are the ingredients you'd take of you were stranded on a desert island? Of course, we'd have to assume that there were decent cooking facilities there and that the island was well-stocked with meat, fruit, vegetables & fish...! I really mean those 'storecupboard' items that tend to be used most often in your kitchen!

I'll start:

Lemons - totally indispensable as far as I'm concerned! I use them such a lot...sweet, savoury, to season & sharpen up dishes galore.

Chilis - I'm fairly addicted to their heat & add them to lots of dishes that don't list them as an ingredient...like tomatoes on toast, sauteed broccolli, minestrone soup. I don't think I could live without them.

Similarly, black peppercorns - Paul & I are renowned for reaching for the pepper grinder immediately. I just love it's flavour & gentle heat.

Coffee. Just one cup. Black. Every morning. But it has to be real...

Rice - every type, every colour. I could eat it at every meal - if I wasn't eating....

Pasta! Spaghetti, preferably. i don't know why but I'm not really a 'shapes' person. Bizarre!

Tomatoes - so versatile, so delicious. I could sun dry them, eat them raw...

And I'd have to have a pulse of some kind.But I really can't choose between chickpeas and black-eyed beans. So I'd have both!

Of course, normally I'd be adding Maldon salt to my list. But I'm assuming that I'd be able to make my own by using the seawater that laps the shores of my incredible restaurant-kitchen-type island!

So let me know your thoughts...I know that I'll think of a few more necessities as soon as I publish this post, but I think I've included the ones that are most important to me!

It's so cold here right now, although we seem to have been bypassed by all but a smattering of snow so far. I'm eating far too much. Every cup of warming tea has to be accompanied by a slice of madeira cake, every glass of wine by a handful of smoked almonds. But I'm telling myself that I need the extra calories to keep warm!

If it's cold where you are, wrap up well and eat plenty! xo

From my kitchen bookshelf....

My good friend Rami recently posted on his great blog Hummus Boy about his recent clear out of little used or outdated cookbooks. This set me thinking about my own collection....and I warned him that I would shamelessly steal his great idea for my own blog, so here I am! I recommend reading his post first, though, if you haven't already...

I've been collecting cookbooks for years and years. And unlike Rami, I am incapable of thinning out the vast numbers, however sorely it needs doing. I keep them all. From the 1980's decadence (and, lets be honest, ridiculousness) of Antony Worrall-Thompson's Menage a Trois cookbook (yes, it's a signed copy....yes, I ate there...yes, I left hungry, although not poor as my first boss was paying!) to the 1970's splendour of Graham Kerr's Galloping Gourmet...I've never cooked a thing from it, & keep it purely for sentimental reasons as this wonderfully entertaining man was one of my first crushes (blush)....

I have great classics: Robert Carrier, Elizabeth David, Patience Gray, Florence White, Marguerite Costa, Delia (of course).

I have ancient books handed down from my great-great grandfather,Robert, my great-grandfather, Walter & my dear grandad, Keith - all of whom were bakers. These include 'All about Gateaux', German patisserie manuals like 'Praktische Konditorei-Kunst' (Practical Cake & Confectionery Art) printed in 1913 (still useful today for decorating inspiration!) and my treasured copy of 'The Complete Confectioner or The Whole Art of Confectionary, Made Easy with Receipts for liqueures (sic) home-made wines &c' printed in London in 1808.

These jewels sit alongside frankly ridiculous volumes such as Food & Friends by the late, great actress Beryl Reid (?) & the 'No Cook Cook Book' complete with fab 1960's line drawings of useless women opening tins (badly!)

So, you see - my tastes are wide-ranging, eclectic & perhaps not discerning enough in some cases. But keep them I must.

What books do I actually use? Well, setting aside those I've mentioned in this blog already, and obvious ones like early Nigella, Ursula Ferrigno, Susan Branch, Peter Gordon, Madhur Jaffrey, Claudia Roden (well, they're obvious to ME anyway!!) I've picked some other favourites in use a lot of the time:

spending a lot of time in Australia has led me to discover much more about the fabulous Maggie Beer & her sometime collaborator but equally amazing Stephanie Alexander. All of Stephanie's books are great - I particularly like those in diary form for their candid look at the reality behind running a food business. I've picked this one of Maggie's because of it's beauty and the way it's divided into seasons(although, of course, being Australian Summer & Winter are the wrong way around for us in the Northern Hemisphere!) Sumptuous writing and wonderfully Aussie. She & Stephanie are national treasures!

This & 'Real Fast Food' are my favourite of Nigel's books. He has a very strong 'voice' when writing, which is amazingly sensuous & evocative in it's description of food and the experience of eating. Great stuff.

Deborah Madison. An absolute pioneer in the field of interesting, non 'hemp & hessian' vegetarian cooking. The Greens Cookbook & Vegetarian Cooking for All are seminal tomes and I love them both. But The Savoury Way is my favourite!

The Silver Palate books - Julee Rosso & the late, but great, Sheila Lukins brough the USA to my kitchen in the mid 1980's when it was still a mysterious, far away place. Slightly dated but I find it invaluable for basic American recipes, entertaing tips and sheer readability.

Possibly out of print, this one, but still available second hand. Sarah Leah Chase ran a catering business and shop on Nantucket Island in the 80's and this book from 1990 is a seasonal wonder, I find. Packed with unusual and inspiring recipes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the cold weather each side of the year, I'm looking at it constantly right now. Makes me feel hungry!

I'll finish for now with a recent acquisition. I'm always picking up strange flours when I see them - things like kamut, buckwheat and I use a lot of spelt too. It's hard to know whether it's ok to just substitute them for regular wheatflour and still get good results. This book explains them all - how to keep them and how to use them, with a section specific to each flour. It produces interesting and delicious cake, breads and pastries...wholefood without being too worthy! A good addition to my huge and ever expanding culinary library.

I'd love to know your particular favourite (s) too....such an interesting subject, I think!

have a great weekend xo