Chocolate Teapot

We Should Cocoa ~ My 'Go To' Muffins

2012-01-22T19:26:00.000Z

Have no fear, there will be plenty more post Christmas food posts on their way shortly! In the meantime I thought I had better share my bake for this month's We Should Cocoa ... which was set by me, to be health conscious ... think I am going to start picking easier challenges! I struggled with this one. To be fair there are already a couple of 'healthy' recipes on this blog using chocolate ... this White Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse or maybe even this Chocolate Biscuit Slice ... so long as 'healthy' means you are sticking to your WW points!!

This month I thought I should maybe broaden my horizon's a little, but alas, inspiration did not strike in any form. So yesterday morning I decided to tweak my 'Go To Muffin' recipe, which I originally got from the Australian Sanitarium website at least 8 years ago. I was surprised to find the recipe still hanging around in cyberspace so if you would like to see the original recipe, its for Apple Muesli Muffins, they are delish! So I figure if the recipe is from Sanitarium and it has oats in it and dried fruit then its bound to be healthy ... right? Here is what I came up with (as the recipe is Australian so it is in cup measurements, sorry!)

'Healthy' Oaty and Fruity Chocolate Muffins
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 peeled and finely chopped apples, whatever you have in the fruit bowl is fine
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup milk chocolate drops
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
1 cup skimmed milk

Preheat the oven to 190C and line a muffin tray with paper baking cases.

Place oats,flour, baking powder, caster sugar, chopped apples, sultanas and chocolate in a large bowl and ensure the flour coats the fruit and chocolate, this helps prevent everything sinking to the bottom while baking. In a large jug mix the egg, oil and milk.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix gently until everything is only just mixed. (It will look a bit like a dogs dinner but perseverance is key)! Spoon into the paper baking cases. Bake for 30 mins or until the muffins are golden and springy to the touch.

Makes 12
Adapted from Sanitarium

The plan was these would be our 'lunch time treat' for the week. The reality is there are only enough left to see us through to Wednesday now. When I moved into my first flat (and my second flat!!) in Edinburgh all those years ago I used to make the Apple Muesli variety every Sunday. I would freeze them in bags of two and take them to work throughout the week for my breakfast. That was until my flatmates cottoned on to how yummy they were too, and then I would have to make 2 batches every Sunday! Seems the chocolate version is just as addictive ;0)

With A Little Help From My Friend's

2012-01-16T20:50:00.000Z

WARNING: This is a Christmas recipe. Yep ... here we are, on the sixteenth day of January, and I thought I had better make a start on sharing some of the millions (is that an exaggeration?) of Christmas goodies that managed to make their way out of the Chocolate Teapot kitchen this year ... I mean last year ... you know what I mean!

This first recipe is a blog steal from Green Gourmet Giraffe. Thanks Johanna, this one is being added to our 'Holiday Handbook' and will be made for many Christmases to come. This year (did it again!) last year, these little beauties made it into the Girl's Christmas Hampers, along with some hand painted wine glasses ... I hasten to add that the hand painting was not done by myself! I can honestly say that if it hadn't been for the girl's then the Christmas tree wouldn't have had an outing, nor would there have been a Gingerbread House for 2011 (it is still standing by the way). We had arranged some time ago to have a 'present swap' at my place. I'm sure you can imagine how an afternoon tea with cocktails ended up, especially when the balloon modelling crackers made an appearance!

They didn't seriously think I wasn't going to post the photo's ... did they?

White Chocolate Caramel Fudge
125g unsalted butter
280g brown sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
395g can condensed milk
180g white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Line a small baking tin (28 x 18 x 3cm) with baking paper.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the brown sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk. Bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 10 mins, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until smooth. When you add the chocolate the fudge will set quickly. Pour into the prepared tin immediately and spread it as evenly as you can with the back of a spoon.

Cool to room temp for at least 30 mins. Once set, cut into small pieces with a clean hot knife and keep in the fridge,

Makes 60 small pieces
Stolen from Green Gourmet Giraffe with much gratitude!

"Anything Goes" Rocky Road Brownies

2012-01-08T16:26:00.000Z

I made these brownies for a New Year family gathering we had last night. Unfortunately we were a couple of members down when Hubby's nephew, who plays semi professional rugby, had his jaw broken in two places after a particularly bad tackle during a match yesterday afternoon. Ouch! I've promised to purée a few of these brownies for him so he doesn't miss out!

"Anything Goes" Rocky Road Brownies
melted butter, to grease (I used fry lite spray)
300g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used a mixture of dark and milk chocolate)
160g butter, chopped
155g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly whisked
190g plain flour
60g pink and white marshmallows, cut in half (I used mini multi coloured ones)
80g whole, unsalted peanuts (I used unsalted mixed nuts left over from Christmas)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush a 16 x 26cm (base measurement) non stick slice pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and 2 opposite sides with non stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir with a metal spoon for 5 mins or until the chocolate melts. Add the sugar and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from the hear and set aside for 5 mins to cool. Stir in the egg and flour until combined. Stir in the marshmallows and peanuts until combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out slightly sticky. Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 3 hours to cool and set. Cut into squares.

Makes 18 Squares
Taste.com Website

* This brownie can be made up to 1 week ahead. Store them in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

As you can see, I've made a couple of alterations to the original recipe so I thought it would also be appropriate to change the name of them to "Anything Goes"! Baking these for the recommended 20 mins produced very fudgy brownies ... some may call them 'raw' (heathens!) so bake them a little longer if you like your brownies a bit more cake like. They set up nicely when placed in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.

We Should Cocoa ... Running a little behind ... Festive Apple Pies ~ Chocolate Teapot Style

2012-01-03T17:45:00.000Z

For obvious reason's I never quite got around to posting my recipe for November's We Should Cocoa challenge, which was to use apples along with chocolate. I knew at the time of setting this challenge that it isn't a pairing not to everyone's taste, if it helps anyone at all then rest assured that I struggled with this one too! Right before my mother in law was taken into hospital though I had a light bulb moment, which involved incorporating a recipe from the Hairy Bikers book I had just won, thanks to Kate from the wonderful blog What Kate Baked and a reworking of my Buttery Apple and Hazelnut Mincemeat from last year (or 2 years ago as it is now!!)

And this is what I ended up with ...

OK for a first attempt, although I had planned on fine tuning them a wee bit to perfect the recipe before Christmas landed on us all. Guess what? Perfection will need to wait till this Christmas ;0)

Buttery Apple and Pecan Mincemeat
100ml frangelico
1 large bramley apple (about 300g), grated (although next time I think I'll use a fine dice instead)
100g butter
200g raisins
150g sultanas
150g currants
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (maybe only 1/4 tsp next time?)
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
175g caster sugar
80 - 100g toasted pecans

Put the frangelico into a medium pan. Add the apple, butter, dried fruits, cinnamon and the seeds from the vanilla pod, along with the pod itself, and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 30 - 45 mins or until the apple has broken down, the dried fruits have plumped up and all the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool, then mix in the sugar and toasted pecans.

Spoon into cool, sterilised jars, press a waxed disc firmly onto the surface of the mixture and seal. Refrigerate and use within 1 month.

Makes enough for 24 - 36 ~~mince~~ festive pies (depending on generosity of filling!)

To make these into festive pie's I used the chocolate pastry recipe from the Hairy Bikers 'Perfect Pies' book;

Chocolate Shortcrust
250g plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
175g cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp sifted icing sugar
2 tbsp sifted cocoa powder
1 large beaten egg

Measure out your ingredients and put in a bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces or cubes and add them to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Now add the egg, break it into a small bowl first if you want to. Add the liquid with one hand while stirring with a round bladed knife until the dough comes together and the sides of the bowl are clean.

Form the dough into a flattened ball and chill.

Makes enough dough for at least 24 festive pies.
Hairy Bikers - Perfect Pies

From memory I cheated with the dough and made it in the food processor. Rubbing butter into flour has never been my strong suit!

Once the dough had spent some time in the fridge (30 mins or so) I then rolled it out between 2 sheets of clingfilm, the Bikers advise to blind bake this dough but I figure I never blind bake pastry for mince pies so I wouldn't need to for these either so I didn't bother. I then used a cutter slightly larger than the cups in my mince pie tin ... you guys know how to do this, let's not suck eggs! Then a generous tsp of the mincemeat was added, along with a crumble topping (see below) before baking in a preheat 190C/fan 170C oven for approx 25 mins (check them after 15 though!)

Crumble Topping
50g plain flour
30g butter, at room temp
25g demerara sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
25g lightly toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the cinnamon and work it a little more between your fingers until the mixture forms little nuggets. Stir in the hazelnuts.

Spoon 1 heaped tsp of crumble mix over each pie, then bake. Carefully remove to a rack. Leave for 3-4 mins, dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cold.

Makes enough crumble for 24 festive pies
Delicious, Dec 10

So there we have it, my entry for the November challenge. Better late then never!! And they tasted OK, Hubby thinks I overcooked them slightly, Sis In Law thinks they are perfect and I think they weren't too bad for a first go. They all disappeared anyway ;0)

A Hogmanay Feast ... and some Panda's too!

2012-01-01T19:40:00.001Z

So how did you spend your New Year's eve? I'll give you a hint how I spent mine;

Yang Guang

Oh yeah!! Falling head over heels for the newest additions to the Edinburgh Zoo.

Tian Tian (Sweetie)

The best bit though was when Yang Guang decided to blonk himself down in his paddling pool and have a wee bath. You have to watch the video below and see him kicking his little paws in the water. Oh my goodness he is soooo cute!!

For some reason the zoo wouldn't let him come home with me though ... something about being ear marked to help save the species from extinction ... or something like that ;0)

You may be wondering what on earth the Panda's have to do with today's Hogmanay meal. Well ... truth is, I was so preoccupied with them that I never managed to make it to the shops in time to get some odds and ends to make the wonderful meal I had planned. Oopsie.

Maggi Shake In The Bag to the rescue, along with some leftover duck fat from Christmas for the roasties, a packet of dried wild mushrooms soaked in water then cooked off with a diced shallot, some chicken stock and Madeira wine (is that how its spelt??) with tomato paste and the yummiest meal ~~of the year~~ was somehow produced. Phew!

Dessert, although planned for, is something that can also be made from surplus supplies at this time of year. Yum ... although I did have to go for a run this afternoon to try and burn some of the calories off! If I was a panda I wouldn't have to worry about my calorie intake!

Lemon Creams with Raspberries
400ml milk
Zest of 2 lemons
3 free range egg yolks
1 free range egg
150g caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
150g fresh raspberries
Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 170C/fan 150C. Warm the milk and lemon zest together in a small saucepan until nearly boiling, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks, egg, sugar, cornflour and vanilla essence in a large bowl and gradually whisk in the hot milk. Divide the mixture between 4-6 individual ramekins, arrange the raspberries on top and place the ramekins in a roasting tin.

Pour boiling water into the tin so it comes about half way up the ramekins then carefully transfer the tin to the oven. Bake for 35-40 mins or until the filling is set.

When cool, chill the lemon creams in the fridge for at least two hours then dust the surface with icing sugar just before serving.

Serves 4-6
Cook Veg Mag - Jan 12

Can I sneak in just a couple more Panda piccies?

Sweetie

Yang Guang

We Should Cocoa ~ The January 2012 Challenge

2012-01-01T08:20:00.001Z

Morning! How are we all feeling? A tad rough perhaps, or maybe a little melancholy? How did you celebrate seeing the new year in? For Hubby and I, we slept through it, neither of us are the hugest fans of Hogmanay, the upside to this is we feel bright and fresh as a daisy for every January 1st! Whatever you did, where ever you were and how ever you celebrated, I hope you had fun and plenty of good food ;0)

No doubt some of you will have made some kind of resolution when the bell's rang out. Maybe to be more organised or to see family and friend's more often? Get fit perhaps? Loose weight even? Well, if the last one is on your radar at all you may just love this month's We Should Cocoa Challenge, no key ingredient (apart from chocolate of course!) or baking method, just a very broad and general theme. To take part all you need to do is submit a recipe that is health conscious - whatever that may mean to you! It is possible to use chocolate in a health concious way, I promise. Just post it on your blog by the 25th of Jan, link it back to We Should Cocoa, and send an email to weshouldcocoa@yahoo.co.uk including your name, your blog name, a link to your post and a photo we can include in the round up.

And now all that is left is to wish you all a very Happy New Year, may it bring you all the hopes and dreams you hold dear.

Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Eggnog

2011-12-30T09:28:00.000Z

I don't know about anybody else but I've been a bit Christmas food-ed out this week. It was our turn to have Christmas at home this year but somehow that ended up meaning it was Christmas at my Sis In Laws with me still cooking the meal. I preped and part cooked everything at home (it took 2 full days in advance!!!) and then finished everything off in Bathgate. After all of that it has been all I can do to look at leftovers let alone bake anything else to add to the pile or blog about it. I was worried I had started to loose my kitchen mojo but thankfully a quick flick through the latest bon appetit last night has rekindled my kitchen love affair and I can even start to watch cooking shows now ... so long as there is no mention of turkey or Brussels Sprouts!!! Hopefully in the weeks that follow I can bring myself to share the recipes with you, the meal was yummy just far more labour intensive than anticipated!

And so to Martha's eggnog. This was to be our tipple of choice on Christmas Eve but neither Hubby or I could muster much enthusiasm for it so I made it on Tuesday night instead. My first experience of eggnog was as an exchange student, at a Christmas party in a posh American house right after the hero of the local high school ice hockey team had taught me to ice skate on the frozen pond out the back ... OK, so it wasn't me! I got rather swept away in one of those teen romance novels where an Australian exchange student fell head over heels for the ice hockey guy who just happened to live next door. At Christmas his parents threw a big party and served eggnog. Swoon, flutter, be still my beating heart! Ever since I've always wanted to sample eggnog - I am sure most 'normal' teenage girls would have wanted to learn to ice skate on the arm of the fit ice hockey player, but not me, it was the eggnog that had me hook, line and sinker!!

Fast forward a few ~~hundred~~ years and I discovered a copy of Martha Stewart's Holiday Handbook while out present shopping and decided to treat myself to a copy. As soon as I saw the recipe I knew I was going to give it a go and I am so pleased I did, it lives up to every teenage expectation I ever had of it! Its very rich and decadent but silky smooth and sweet with it. O. M. G!!!

Old Fashioned Eggnog
5 large egg yolks
150g caster sugar
470ml + 385ml milk
230ml double cream
1 cup dark rum (I used frangelico, feel free to use whatever tipple you like though, Grand Marnier would work well)
Whole nutmeg, for grating (I used grated chocolate)

Prepare an ice water bath. Whisk egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer on med-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3-5 mins. Meanwhile, heat 470ml milk in a medium saucepan until beginning to steam.

Add half the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until blended. Stir into the remaining hot milk in the saucepan and cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the cream. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and set in the ice bath until chilled, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 385ml milk and the rum. Transfer the eggnog to a large punch bowl or individual glasses.

Serves 8-10
Martha's Holiday Handbook, 2011

Martha then goes on to whip some more cream to soft peak stage and she then serves the eggnog with dollops of whipped cream topped with a grating of nutmeg. Trust me, the eggnog is plenty rich enough without another serving of cream artistically swirled on the top, but if the idea grabs you then go for it. Also, I didn't add the booze to the mixture as described above, as Hubby originally wanted rum and I wanted frangelico, so I added a half shot of our chosen booze to the serving glass and then just mixed it in well. Happy sipping ;0)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T10:59:00.000Z

Wishing you a Christmas full of;

Hugs

My gorgeous little niece - aged 3 & 3/4

Surprises

He's been!!!

Treats

Harvey Nic's 2011 Xmas Bear

Little perks

Santa and Rudolph's haul

and Love

In memory

Christmas Tree Meringues

2011-12-22T16:28:00.000Z

I have to confess that this genius idea was not my own. I stole this from Penguin Says Feed Me, as soon as I saw them I knew they would make the perfect Christmas Trees to plant in the grounds of my Nutcrackers Gingerbread House. I can also confess that any leftover trees are gorgeous when devoured with clotted cream and Passionfruit Curd - don't worry about adding up the calories on that combo, it's Christmas after all, that and the fact that its the sight of my hips are the only calculator required!!!

Christmas Tree Meringues
2 egg whites
125g caster sugar
The smallest drop of green food gel (I used Christmas Tree Green of course!)
White chocolate stars

Preheat the oven to 120C. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sugar and beat until the mixture is glossy and forms firm peaks. Once the sugar has been incorporated add the green food gel and mix until you get the colour you want (note that the colour will soften a little bit once cooked).

Spoon the mixture into a piping bag that is fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe the meringue onto lined baking sheets in a spiral motion to create a tree shape. I actually used the smallest scone cutter (roughly speaking about 2cm) I have and used it to trace circles on the under side of my baking paper to use as a guide. Make sure to leave some room in between in case the grow a wee bit in the oven! If you have a sugar based star decoration you can add them to the top of the tree now. Leave more melt prone decorations for once the trees are baked.

Bake in the oven for about 30-45 mins, depending on the size of the trees. When baked, turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly ajar and allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven. Once the trees are completely cool I used a small amount of royal icing (from the gingerbread house construction) to glue the white chocolate stars to the tops of the trees.

Makes approx 12 meringues
Penguin Says Feed Me

We Should Cocoa ~ Pierre Herme's Chocolate Dipped Candied Oranges

2011-12-19T18:54:00.001Z

Last year for Christmas I attempted my Mum's recipe for Chocolate Orange Sticks. They turned out OK, although not quite the masterpieces that my Mum manages to create each year, so heaven only knows why I thought it would be a good idea to try an even more complicated version of the recipe this year! I stumbled across this recipe when I made the Simple Chocolate Mousse and promptly bookmarked it for Christmas. Then fate collided with my plans and Choclette picked oranges for this month's We Should Cocoa challenge.

So they don't look like the picture in the book! The taste testers have been more than pleased with the contrast of the sweet juicy flesh and the crisp crunch of tempered chocolate before hitting the tang of the candied peel. And they make a great addition to home made Christmas hampers too ;0)

Pierre Herme's Chocolate Dipped Candied Oranges
For the Candied Peel
4 pink grapefruit, preferably Ruby Red, 5 oranges or 6 lemons
1000g water (4 cups)
470g caster sugar (2 1/3 cups)
60g (1/4 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 black peppercorns, bruised
1 piece star anise
Pulp from 1 moist, plump vanilla bean

Put a large pot of water on to boil and have a colander ready. Working with a sharp knife, cut off a thin slice from the top and bottom of each fruit, then, cutting from top to bottom, cut off wide bands of peel about 2.5cm across, making certain that as you cut, you include a sliver of fruit as well. Toss the slices of peel into the boiling water and allow them to boil for 2 mins. Remove the peel from the water with a slotted spoon (don't pour out the water - you'll need it in a minute) and put it in the colander. Rinse the peel under cold running water for 2 mins, then repeat the boiling and cooling process twice. Set the peel aside for the moment.

Place all the remaining ingredients in a large casserole and bring them to the boil. Add the peel, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so that the syrup simmers gently. Allow the peel to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours (took closer to 2 hours for me), after which time the peel should be soft and completely candied. Remove the casserole from the heat and, with the cover still in place, allow the peel to macerate overnight.

The next day, pour the peel and it's syrup into a kilner jar and store it in the fridge, where it can be kept for 3 weeks. Or lay the peel out on a rack to dry. Once the peel is dry, you can toss it in sugar to coat, this will keep in an airtight tin for 4 days.

Makes 12 servings
Taken from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

For Chocolate Dipped Candied Oranges
1 batch candied peel
450g chocolate, tempered

Drain the peel and pat each piece dry between paper towels. Lay the peel out on cooling racks in a single layer and allow the peel to dry overnight at room temp.

Line a baking tray with parchment and set it close to the tempered chocolate. One by one, dip the peels into the chocolate, allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the chocolate pot, and place on the parchment lined tray. Chill the peel in the fridge for 15 mins to set and dry the chocolate.

* Chocolate coated peel is best eaten the day it is made.

Taken from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

A Gingerbread House Fit For A Nutcracker

2011-12-17T10:06:00.000Z

Hi! It's been a while, I know. I won't lie, time in the kitchen has been at a bare minimum this festive season but I have managed to make a gingerbread house to share with you all. I used the gingerbread recipe in Rachel Allen's 'Bake' book and while it tastes lovely its a proper cow to build a house with. Note to self; next year use the recipe from Gingerbread Architect!

This year's house has been made for my poor German Nutcracker, who unfortunately has lost his 'dangler' (I'm not so sure there is a worse indignity for a nutcracker to suffer than to loose his dangler!) which means he can no longer hang on the Christmas Tree with his brothers. So I made him a house!

He has been very busy collecting firewood by cutting down some of the many Christmas trees that adorn his property.

And he has a lovely little holly wreath on his front door ... which does seem to be missing a door handle - oopsie!

I'm not sure what kind of houses other nutcrackers live in but my nutcracker has a Victorian inspired cottage. One side is in need of some repair, lest he will receive a dereliction notice from the council, but for the most part it is well kept with original features, including this lovely feature window.

It has actually been some nice therapy time putting together this years house, and for the most part I am pleased with how it has turned out ... next year though I hope to have a far more professional finish. For this year though, I am happy in the thought that it is the imperfections that make it beautiful, for they certainly make it individual!

Betty

2011-11-19T14:49:00.000Z

Betty Young
09/02/37 - 19/11/11

Sitting patient in the shadow

Till the blessed light shall come,

A serene and saintly presence

Sanctifies our troubled home.

Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows

Break like ripples on the strand

Of the deep and solemn river

Where her willing feet now stand.

O my sister, passing from me,

Out of human care and strife,

Leave me, as a gift, those virtues

Which have beautified your life.

Dear, bequeath me that great patience

Which has power to sustain

A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit

In its prison-house of pain.

Give me, for I need it sorely,

Of that courage, wise and sweet,

Which has made the path of duty

Green beneath your willing feet.

Give me that unselfish nature,

That with charity devine

Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake--

Meek heart, forgive me mine!

Thus our parting daily loseth

Something of its bitter pain,

And while learning this hard lesson,

My great loss becomes my gain.

For the touch of grief will render

My wild nature more serene,

Give to life new aspirations,

A new trust in the unseen.

Henceforth, safe across the river,

I shall see forever more

A beloved, household spirit

Waiting for me on the shore.

Hope and faith, born of my sorrow,

Guardian angels shall become,

And the sister gone before me

By their hands shall lead me home.

Louisa May Allcot - Little Women

A Wholemeal Loaf

2011-11-07T19:35:00.000Z

This weekend was a little crazy in our neck of the woods. Mother in Law in hospital. My Mum visiting optomotrists because she managed to get a twig stuck in her eye ball for a week (don't even go there, my stomach turns just at that thought of it). Sis in Law and Mack staying for the weekend. All of this on top of Hubby being told by the doctor that his health ain't what it ought to be and needs to take measures to reduce his cholesterol ... not to mention on going tests. And just in case you've missed it, Christmas is on the way too. Will somebody please stop the world, I want to get off!!!

About the only thing I did manage to bake this weekend was my first ever wholemeal loaf, in an effort to start Hubby off on the right track with his new eating plan (it is fair to say he isn't a happy camper). I got the recipe from the bread making day I attended with Jac from Tinned Tomatoes at Ochill Villa, the time line for the proving etc worked in well between showers and dog walks / feeds!

Wholemeal Loaf
375g lukewarm water
4g dried yeast or 8g fresh
30g soft brown sugar
100g strong white flour
500g wholemeal flour
6-8g salt
40g olive oil

Measure the lukewarm water into a baking bowl. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add the strong white, wholemeal flour and salt, working the mixture by hand or with a spatula until all the flour is incorporated. Pour on the olive oil and fold / knead into the dough.

Knead the dough for 10 mins. Remember that a wet dough is messier but it will rise better so think twice about adding extra flour.

Place the dough in the oiled bread bowl smooth side down, and then turn it over so the creases are on the bottom. The oiled surface now on top will prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Place the bowl in a warm place covered with a tea towel for 50 mins to let the dough rise roughly doubling in size. After 50 mins of rising punch the dough down by pushing your fist or fingers into the dough steadily and firmly to force out the gas. Cover the dough again and leave in a warm place for 40 mins.

Turn the oven to 160C. Turn the dough onto the board and roll it into a log shape. Pinch the seams together all the way along. Place the loaf in a lightly oiled tin with the seam down. The dough should fill the tin two thirds full. Cover and leave in a warm place to prove for 15 mins.

Dust with flour (white, semolina or coarse oatmeal) then cut diagonal slits to allow the dough to continue to expand in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Pour half a mug of boiling water quickly into a baking tin in the bottom of the oven immediately after you pop the loaf in, and again after 5 mins to keep the top soft so that the loaves can continue to rise. The bread is done when the top is brown, the sides and bottom are brown and the shoulders of the loaf are firm. The target colour depends on the proportions of white to wholemeal flour in the loaf.

Remove the loaf from the tin immediately and cool on a wire tray.

Makes 1 large loaf
Bread In Fife

I was really pleased with the results. A slightly chewy crust but not so tough it snaps your teeth off. It has a lovely flavour too which I think comes from the oak smoked bread flour. The crumb was dense and moist but I was slightly disappointed by how little it rose while baking. I wonder if this is because I opened the oven door to add more water as directed? Next time I'll try adding the mugful of water at the start and leave it at that ... unless anyone else has some handy tips? Or is it just the nature of wholemeal bread not to rise as much given how dense the dough is in comparison to a white bread dough?

We Should Cocoa ~ The November Challenge

2011-11-01T17:41:00.000Z

Thanks to Choclette's fantastic round up of last month's Chocolate and Chilli challenge. If you haven't had a chance to see all the hot and spicy entries for October's We Should Cocoa, please head over to the Chocolate Log Blog and check all those bad boys out. And no sooner than last month's round up is complete than it is time to set the challenge for We Should Cocoa November. I hope its not a foreboding sign that setting the challenge has been an extreme challenge in itself!

I've consulted my trusty list of foods in season this month and I'm struck by just how many of them can be slightly tricky to get your hands on in an ordinary day. It would seem that being 'in season' doesn't necessarily make it easy to find! And with Christmas just around the corner I am very aware of how much there is to do and how little time there is to do it. Soooooooooooooo, this months 'special' ingredient is one that is very easy to find, they are in prolific supply for most of the year and if the fresh variety fails to appeal then feel free to fulfil the brief by using it in another form ... maybe juice ... or dried ... or sauce?

Have you guessed what it is yet?

Yep - you got it! APPLES. I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on for this one, can't wait to see what you come up with. Just remember once you've blogged about it, link it back to this post and then send an email to weshouldcocoa@yahoo.co.uk including your name, your blog name, a link to your post and a photo to be included in the round up. Do all of this no later than the 25th of November and you'll be immortalised forever in the We Should Cocoa November 2011 Round Up which I will post here before the 1st December. Happy baking ;0)

Cookie Carnival - Fudgy Mummies

2011-10-31T17:39:00.000Z

I've been a very bad Cookie Carnival baker! I have quite a stack of cookie recipes piling up to bake from this event but I couldn't resist this month's challenge which was actually for Fudgy Cats ... owing to not having the correct sized cookie cutter I decided to improvise and then the creative juices started to flow and I ended up with Fudgy Mummies, just right for handing out to any guisers who may call.

Fudgy Mummies
175g plain flour
75g unsweetened cocoa powder (I used some of the red cocoa powder again)
1/4 tsp salt
430g caster sugar
227g butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 a batch of vanilla buttercream
Small chocolate drops for eyes

Line a 38 x 25 x 2.5cm baking pan with foil. Grease the foil; set the pan aside.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the caster sugar and melted butter. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined.

Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in a 175C oven for 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 3 to 24 hours.

Uncover the brownie layer and lift it from the pan using the foil. Cut into mummy shapes using a gingerbread cutter.

Using a plain nozzle fitted to a piping bag, pipe zig zags over the mummies to make 'bandages'. Place on two chocolate drops for eyes and voilà you have fudgy mummies!

Makes 9 medium sized mummies
Adapted from the Cookie Carnival recipe of the month via Midwest Living

I changed the recipe slightly to make it my own, replacing the cinnamon with extra vanilla and omitting the cocoa / icing sugar coating for the buttercream. Hubby found the brownie mixture too dark for his tastes, until he tried an actual mummy complete with bandages, the sweetness of the buttercream helps to balance out the darkness of the cocoa powder. Hopefully we get some guisers tonight to pass them out to ... we didn't get any last night but as we were locking up for bed I discovered that the buzzer had been set to silent! Oopsie!

Baby Monster's Eye Balls

2011-10-30T16:06:00.000Z

This is a great way to use up all those monster eye balls you've got stashed away in your cupboards or under your bed!

Baby Monster's Eye Balls
425g smooth peanut butter
115g unsalted butter, at room temp
425g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g milk chocolate
M&M's

Combine the peanut butter, butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until al of the ingredients come together as a smooth dough. This doesn't take long (maybe 2 mins or so), just make sire that the mixture is well combined and there are no dry bits left in the bottom of the bowl.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Use a teaspoon to roll the peanut butter mixture into eye balls (I used the ice cream scoop that I set aside for truffle making) and place on the prepared tray. To make sure there is no life left in those little suckers skewer them with a toothpick in the the top (in reality this just makes it easier to dip them in the chocolate later). The original recipe says to freeze them for 45 mins but there's not a snowflakes chance in hell of fitting baking trays in my teeny tiny freezer so I left them in the fridge overnight.

Melt two thirds of the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. When melted remove it from the heat and add the remaining chocolate (this is a cheat's way of tempering chocolate) and stir until melted and smooth.

Remove the baking tray from the fridge. Holding each eye ball by the toothpick, dip it in the chocolate, leaving a round or oval opening on the top to make it look like en eye. I found it was best to use a rolling kind of action to roll the eye ball backwards and forwards in the chocolate in order to get the right shape. Lift the eye ball out of the chocolate and gently shake to remove the excess chocolate and then set on the parchment paper. Be careful in this step otherwise the eye ball falls off the skewer and you end up with a black eye instead of an eye ball!

Remove the toothpick from each eye ball and press an M&M over the top of the hole left behind by the toothpick. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. store the eye balls in the fridge or freezer and serve chilled.

Makes about 50 baby sized eye balls but feel free to use a bigger ice cream scoop if you want to make Mummy and Daddy sized eye balls, be warned though that the eye balls are very sweet and we have discovered that less is more!

Stolen from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Now we just need to wait for all the little Guisers to turn up ;0)

Hotel Chocolat ~ A Christmas Stocking Review

2011-10-29T15:03:00.000+01:00

I don't normally do reviews on this blog but when I was recently approached and asked if I would review one of Hotel Chocolat's Christmas range I jumped at the chance. Hotel Chocolat doesn't have a store in Edinburgh so when Hubby and I enjoyed an extra long weekend in York a couple of years ago I have to admit to calling in to the store there everyday for the free samples alone! The Classic Champagne Truffle was to die for. I wish I could say the same of the product I choose to road test, the Christmas Stocking.

The taste test was conducted with Hubby, Sis In Law and Mr JS as well as myself. We're all very different in our likes and dislikes for chocolate so I figured that the group would pretty much cover all the bases. Surprisingly our decision was unanimous.

In the Christmas Stocking you get;

A milk chocolate Reindeer Lick

A box of 8 Tiddly Santa's

100g Cool Penguin Slab

80g milk chocolate drops

As well as the stocking itself

Lets start with the Reindeer Lick. He was cute, clearly aimed at the child within. The chocolate smelt rather like a dark chocolate which was off putting for Hubby who doesn't like dark chocolate at all. The taste was definitely milk chocolate ... think of advent calendar chocolate and your pretty close to identifying the flavour. A bit of a disappointment, we were all expecting a much more luxurious and rich flavour from the brand. It was less sweet than a normal milk chocolate which myself, Sis In Law and Mr JS were all in favour of, Hubby likes his chocolate sweeter though. I particularly liked that the chocolate was smooth in its finish and didn't coat your mouth with an oily film. The lollipop itself was a decent size for a portion but it lacked a good snap when bitten into and had a slightly dull finish, which may indicate that the chocolate hasn't been tempered?

Next we tried the Tiddly Santa's. I actually thought that 'tiddly' referred to drunken as opposed to diminutive in size. This isn't a criticism per se, it just lead to some confusion until I read the description on the box which touted them as being appropriate for a child to eat! Again the Santa's seem to be aimed at children, or the young at heart, with a very cute little mould used to create them. The white chocolate was smooth and creamy without being overly sweet and cloying at the palate. They were shinier than the Reindeer Lick but were soft to bite into, which again leads me to think the chocolate hasn't been tempered. Being a white chocolate enthusiast I actually really enjoyed these little guys, the rest of the taste testers weren't as keen although at the end of the tasting session all agreed the Santa's were the favourites in taste. I also really liked that the Santa's came snugly sat in little trays rather than just 8 little Santa shapes jostling about in a plastic bag.

The Penguin Slab, or the Cool Penguin as he is packaged, was pretty much were my world started to crumble. I could have tolerated the Milk Chocolate Reindeer Lick and happily eaten the Tiddly Santa's but the Penguin fell far short of the mark. Its a shame really because he was rather sweet to look at. The package for him describes him as 'Smooth 40% milk chocolate with cookie pieces and a laid back caramel penguin'. When I read caramel penguin I thought caramel filled penguin. What I got instead was a 'caramel' flavoured chocolate which was truly disgusting. Grainy, gritty, soft, synthetic tasting caramel and it left a horrible oily coating in my mouth. No thank you Hotel Chocolat, none of us went back for a second taste! One taste tester said it tasted more like cooking chocolate than a high end brand.

The slab was a good size, thick enough to feel like you were being spoilt, the same kind of chocolate as the Reindeer Lick and looked very pretty with white chocolate and an unidentified pinky / red drizzle too. Mr JS wasn't a fan of the pinky / red drizzle though, and as a long time veggie who has only recently started to branch out to the world of meat eating he wasn't quite sure what it represented, we all saw where he was going with it but choose not to think about it! The advertised cookie pieces were a bit of a let down too, they were more like rice bubbles and were far too sparse given the thickness of the chocolate. They lacked the crunch we all expected from a biscuit as well. As they added nothing to either the flavour or the texture we struggled to identify why they had been included at all. To sum it up, the penguin got four thumbs down.

We decided to pass on taste testing the milk chocolate drops after that. We figured that they would be the same as the milk chocolate used in the Reindeer Lick and the Penguin Slab. They will be used in some biscuits further down the line. Sis In Law and Mr JS both felt that it was a random item to include in the stocking given that all the other products seem to be aimed fair and square at children. It seemed more of a product used to pad out the stocking rather than something you would normally look for to be included in a stocking ... if you get what I mean.

But wait there is more moaning still to come! The stocking ... what do you think of it? The packaging describes it as 'beautifully decorated ... bound to [be] filled with lots of Christmas goodies for years to come!' Hmmmmm, I'm not so sure about that. I think it looks like something aimed at Grannies, the decoration is far to tizzy for my tastes, which begs the question of who this product is aimed at? The contents is clearly aimed at children, at the very least it is child friendly, but the stocking seems far too adult to appeal to a child on Christmas morning. Mr JS thinks it looks cheap and he didn't like the canvas material used, he felt the decoration printed on the material was an attempt to make the stocking appear more opulent than it really is. Sis In Law felt that the black and gold printing on the white canvas was bland and unappealing, she would have rathered gold printing on a black fabric. Hubby felt that the overall look lacks the exclusive touch you want when you buy a Hotel Chocolat product. None of us liked the big star smack bang in the middle of the stocking either. It may have been a printing issue but it was garish where as when its printed on the chocolate packaging it is far more subtle and Christmassy. My huge gripe about the stocking was the mount of padding used in the packaging of it, a huge pad of gold tissue in the toe and again at the top. When I first received the stocking I thought the top pad of tissue was actually one of the boxes of chocolates wrapped up just like a gift, so I was really disappointed when I discovered that it was just padding. Once all the padding was removed there was really only enough product to half fill the stocking.

Our verdict? We wouldn't buy this product. In fact, we would think twice before buying any Hotel Chocolat product again, and I'm not so sure I'll ever say yes to a review again, its horrible having to slate a well known brand in public like this! Overall we felt that the product had mixed messages, who is it aimed at? Weighing in at 300g and costing £23 I wouldn't buy this for a child, the stocking decoration doesn't scream child but then the contents doesn't exactly call to me as a sophisticated adult present either. And we were left wondering if Hotel Chocolat have used a cheaper chocolate than they would normally use for the Christmas lines in order to keep the cost down and still get a decent return for their money? I guess its hard times for companies too but for £23 I'd want a nicer tasting chocolate. Why didn't I just ask for truffles??!!

Maybe you would like to make your own mind up though? If so check out the Christmas Range on the Hotel Chocolat website and I wish you better reviews than our quartet managed to muster.

We Should Cocoa ~ Trick Or Treat Cupcakes

2011-10-22T12:45:00.000+01:00

My oven is back ;0) I set straight to work last night when I got home, after all I did have a lot of time to think about this month's We Should Cocoa challenge. Choclette choose chillies, a classic flavour combo first used by those ingenious Mayan's ... or was it the Aztec's? In any case, the flavour pairing goes way back! As popular as chilli and chocolate is I have to admit to it not being my most favourite way to enjoy chocolate, my Sis In Law on the other hand loves it. So, with October also being the month for Halloween, I decided to combine the event into this month's challenge too and I present to you Trick or Treat Cupcakes.

The idea behind the Trick or Treat Cupcake is simple, with most of the cupcakes being 'normal' chocolate cupcakes. But beware ... some of them are not as they appear, they have finely minced chillies added to the mix for an added kick. In my batch of 18 cupcakes there are 6 tricksey ones to look out for, of course you won't know you have one of the tricky ones until you bite into it. Not all tricks are nasty ones though and so the chillies that I've added have been candied first, they still have all the heat of the chilli but they have a bit of a sweeter side to them too. I was hoping to be able to use my own home grown chillies but they are still ripening up on the plants so I had to resort to store bought chillies, to candy them check out my Chilli Lovers Hamper post (which also has a recipe for Lemongrass and Chilli White Chocolate Truffles!)

To keep the Halloween theme going a little bit further I decided to use some red cocoa powder in the cupcakes. I bought this packet from The Highland Chocolatier. I was hoping for more of a red velvet cupcake effect but even with the use of the buttermilk in the recipe the red colour has totally been lost. Oh well!

Trick Or Treat Cupcakes
200g good quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids (I used a mixture of milk and dark)
200g butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
85g SR flour
85g plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g light muscovado sugar
200g golden caster sugar
25g red cocoa powder
3 medium eggs
75ml buttermilk
3 candied chillies, chopped

Line a cupcake pan with cases. Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don;t overheat. Or melt in the microwave on medium for about 5 mins, stirring half way through.

While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in another bowl with the buttermilk.

Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases using an ice cream scoop (2 scoops should 3/4 fill the cases). When there is only enough mixture left for the last few cupcakes stir in the chopped candied chillies and then continue to fill the rest of the cupcake cases.

Bake for 35-45 mins, r until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes feel firm (don't worry if they crack a bit). Leave to cool in the tin and this time don't worry if they dip slightly! Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cold they are ready to be iced.

Makes 18 "devishly" good cupcakes!
Adapted from a recipe on the BBC Good Food Website

For the icing I used my basic buttercream recipe. For the chocolate icing, I doubled the batch and removed two tbsp of the icing sugar and replaced it with 2 tbsp of the red cocoa powder. This was then piped on to the cupcakes with a large rose nozzle. This was then sprinkled with some red glitter sprinkles.

To make the red icing I made a batch of the buttercream recipe and added some poppy food colouring powder to it and a touch of rose gel paste. Not quite the blood red colour I was after but the effect is still the same. This was then piped on top of the chocolate buttercream using a large star shaped nozzle. And for an added treat, I sprinkled some chocolate coated popping candy over the top of that.

So far I've tried two cupcakes, one of my own and a bite out of one of Hubby's selections. And guess what ... they've both been trick ones!! We've got Sis In Law and my Father In Law around for afternoon tea shortly so I can't wait to see their faces ... although I reckon mine looked a wee bit like the one below when I discovered the trick ...

Roasted Strawberry Scones ~ The Experiment Continues

2011-10-16T17:54:00.000+01:00

Right then! It's official. I am going stark raving potty without my oven. Today, for example, I've had a craving to bake some scones, the urge became so strong I was almost tempted to try making them on the barbie! But seeing as scones and I have a somewhat tumultuous relationship even at the best of times, I thought that was maybe a step too far. Instead I have been surfing the net searching for scone making advice and tips on how to improve (and maybe one day perfect!) my scone making skills.

All of this has reminded me of scones I made way back in August for Scone Week, as inaugurated by the lovely Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial fame. I was a bit too shy to publish my post at the time, as my chosen scones were not especially 'pretty' [read:successful] although they did taste mighty fine one Friday morning when smeared with clotted cream for morning break at work. But then I decided that I've never kept my disasters a secret before now so why should these be any exception?

It was a promising start!

Its not the first time I have tried to make this particular flavour, though the first attempt resulted in Strawberry Roasted Scones that were more like pancakes. I have had far more success with making Lorraine Pascale's Mascarpone and Brown Sugar Scones, it's now my go to scone recipe as it works every time. I decided therfore, to use a slightly 'tweaked' version (the only real change was using golden caster sugar in place of the brown sugar) of Lorraine's scones with the roasted strawberries from my previous attempt and combine them into a flavoured scone I'd be proud of. Well ... that was the plan anyway!

My ugly ducklings

I think maybe the moisture from the roasted strawberries made the dough wetter than it should have been? And maybe I didn't place the scones as close together as they probably should have been? The result was scones that grew sideways inside of upwards, still perfectly scoffable though ;0)

Pierre Herme's Simple Chocolate Mousse for Chocolate Week

2011-10-14T20:08:00.000+01:00

I'm not letting the lack of oven prevent me from making a chocolate dish for this year's Chocolate Week celebrations! Although the doctor made a house call to the patient this morning the prognosis isn't good and it will be another week before normal service is resumed ... grumble, grrrrrr and moan! Wonder if I can make a cake on the barbie? Think I may have found this weekend's baking challenge!

Back to Chocolate Week though, I had planned on making a wonderful creation from Dorrie Greenspan's wonderful book 'Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme', namely the Plaisir Sucre. Unfortunately it requires an oven ... and probably one or two other patisserie skills I am yet to master ... so I decided to find another recipe I could make oven free. Chocolate Mousse has long been one of my all time favourite desserts, even as a child when we were lucky enough to eat out at a restaurant I would always order Chocolate Mousse for dessert (am I giving my age away there?) I remember quite vividly the evening my family were at a restaurant in Hobart and my Mum ordered the Chocolate Mousse for me, only to discover that the last one had just been served. Oh the devastation! Knowing me I probably screamed the place down as a result [blush].

So with the picture on the front cover of the book being none other than a wonderfully light and airy but totally decadent spoonful of Chocolate Mousse being scooped from a serving bowl I knew what it had to be ... and here it is, rather fittingly served in some cut crystal glasses from my Grandparents collection that my Granny sent to me a couple of years ago.

Pierre Herme's Simple Chocolate Mousse
170g dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used a mixture of milk and dark)
80g whole milk
1 large egg yolk
4 large egg whites
2 tbsp caster sugar

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave. Keep the chocolate on the counter until needed. The chocolate should still feel warm to the touch when you're ready to use it.

Bring the milk to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Using a small whisk, gently blend the milk into the chocolate. Add the egg yolk and whisk it into the chocolate, again working gently; stop when the yolk is incorporated.

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed just until they hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar. Continue to beat the whites until they are firm but still glossy. Scoop one third of the whites out of the bowl onto the chocolate mixture. Working with a whisk, beat the whites into the chocolate to lighten the mixture. Now, with either the whisk or a large flexible rubber spatula, delicately but thoroughly fold the rest of the beaten whites into the chocolate.

Turn the mousse into a large serving bowl - glass is very nice for this dessert - or into individual coupes or cups, and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.

Serves 6
Taken from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

Oh! My! Goodness! This mousse was pretty wonderful. Possibly not as perfect as the man himself would make but we enjoyed it. I served it with a dollop of extra thick double cream but to be honest I think I'd prefer it without, the mousse didn't need it at all. There are another two servings portioned into glass jars and the rest is in a bowl in the fridge ... guess what we'll be having for dessert all weekend. Its a tough job but somebody's gotta do it ;0)

Pulled BBQ Chicken 'Sandwich'

2011-10-10T17:31:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed a decided lack of posting going on around here in the last week. The cause? My oven is goosed (goosed being the technical term of course!) and cakes and bakes just aren't the same in an oven with no heat! But the good news is the electrician is booked in for Friday morning, the bad news is Friday morning is so far away! This does provide the perfect opportunity to clear some of my post from the 'draft' file though ;0)

After eating lunch in one of Hubby's most favoured 'resturants' a little while ago, I decided that I could make a home made version of my lunch choice (a pulled chicken 'sandwich' ... if it comes in a bun I consider it a burger, but maybe that's just me!) and it would probably taste far better than the dish that was presented to me at the restaurant. Turns out it was still a pretty tricky meal to try and perfect at home, although it was significantly better tasting and a fraction of the cost. There is some further experimentation required to perfect the recipe though this is my starting point.

First I marinated a chicken portion in some home made hot chilli sauce. I cut some slits in the flesh as well to ensure that the firey kick worked its way through the meat.

After it was left to marinate for a good few hours, it spent some time on the BBQ, cooking through nicely.

Once cooked the meat was removed from the bones using forks. This was then added to a saucepan with some home made bourbon basting sauce to heat through and 'flavour up' ...

... before piling into a home made burger bun and devouring.

Staffordshire Oatcakes

2011-10-02T14:05:00.000+01:00

This recipe comes from the bread making course I attended with Jac from Tinned Tomatoes way back in July. All of us were quite taken with the Staffordshire Oatcakes that we ate for lunch in the garden, so when Hubby and I were on holiday recently I decided to whip a batch up for us to enjoy. I served mine as we had tried them at Ochil Villa, with fresh juicy tomatoes (heirloom ones to boot!) and parmesan cheese. Jac has also had a go at making these at home and her post on them can be found here. (Please excuse my photo's, it was a particularly gloomy day!)

Staffordhsire Oatcakes
430g lukewarm milk
430g lukewarm water
20g fresh yeast or 10g dried yeast
10g brown sugar
225g fine oatmeal
225g strong wholewheat flour or splet flour
8g sea salt

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm liquid. Allow the mixture to become frothy. Add the salt to the flour and oatmeal.

Whisk the yeast liquid into the flour mixture to make a batter. Cover the batter with a clean cloth and leave it in a warm place for an hour.

Make sure that the griddle or pan has heated thoroughly before you begin cooking, then bake the oatcake on a well greased griddle, or large frying pan. The first pancake is always rubbish!

Add enough batter to produce an oatcake about 8-9 inches across. It will gradually become covered in holes as it cooks and the surface will change from wet and shiny to dull when it is ready to turn, after about 3 mins, turn the oatcake and cook for another 2-3 mins then serve or allow to cool on a wire rack before freezing.

* These freeze well. Defrost them enough to unfold them then pop them under the grill. Roll them up with cheese and spring onions, or honey, or whatever takes your fancy.

Easily makes 10 oatcakes
Bread In Fife

I found the same fine oatmeal that we had used in the class at my local Baxter's Shop.

And I used a stoneground bread flour that I discovered at Waitrose. Hubby isn't the biggest fan of 'wholemeal' but even he will eat this ... when he can't tell its been used lol. We devoured our oatcakes while they were still warm and I was pleased to find that they were every bit as good as the ones we had made in class, they make a great weekend brunch / lunch!

Friesian Cowkies

2011-10-01T15:10:00.000+01:00

C'mon now, you knew I was going to have to make these after my first post ;0)

This batch is also fated to Mr JS, we are going around for his infamous Maggie Beer's (we love Maggie!) Roast Chook for dinner tonight and I though these would make a nice thank you gift. I'm soooooooooo looking forward to it! While Mr JS was in Australia he got to help out at a luncheon hosted by Maggie, not only did he get to meet her, he also got to eat lunch with her ... I'm not jealous ... much!

So, to make the Friesian version of Cowkies all I did was omit the cocoa powder and replace the amount with more plain flour. I also opted to use caster sugar instead of the brown sugar but next time I think I'll try light brown sugar and hope it doesn't effect the colour too much. The 'plain' batch of dough was much drier than the chocolate one and I am wondering if this is because the caster sugar isn't as 'fudgy' as the brown sugar. I also swapped the choc chips around, white choc chips in the chocolate mix, and milk chocolate choc chips in the plain mix. Passed experience has also taught me that the amount of choc chips in the original recipe made them hard to roll so this time there is just 100g in each dough.

I love the way the two doughs have blended together, making each Friesian Cowkie individual and unique.

And each bite is still positively chock full of chocolatey goodness! See that oozy chocolate in the top left hand corner of the cowkie? Oh yeah ... that's chocolatey goodness in action! At this rate Mr JS will be lucky if any of them make it to his place. Must. Show. Restraint.

Jamie Oliver's Chocolate and Banana Loaf ~ The King's Loaf?

2011-09-30T18:10:00.000+01:00

This is a post from the vaults! I made this loaf a good while ago now, and I assume it was due to browning banana's! I do recall swapping some of the chocolate chips for Reese's Piece's, so maybe this warrants a new name in honour of Elvis's favourite food combo. Any suggestions? Below is the recipe as it appeared in the magazine.

Jamie Oliver's Chocolate and Banana Loaf
100g butter, plus extra for greasing
200g sugar
2 eggs, beaten
75ml milk
300g SR flour, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 ripe banana's (about 480g with skin), peeled and mashed
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces

preheat oven to 180C. Grease 1 large or 2 small loaf tins and line them with greaseproof paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then gradually add the beaten eggs and milk.

Gently fold in flour, bicarb, 1 tsp of salt and spices. Without over mixing, fold in the mashed banana and broken chocolate.

Divide between the tins and bake on the middle shelf for about 35-40 mins for small loaves or 45-50 mins for a large one. Enjoy a slice with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves - 14 to 16 slices
Jamie Mag (not sure which one though!)

As we know, banana is my most preferred fruit so this loaf was all for Hubby. He seemed to really like the flavour combo ... that Elvis knew a thing or two it seems!

We Should Cocoa's Virtual 1st Birthday Party

2011-09-27T19:26:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to us!!! We're one year old now, its official ;0)
Before we tuck into all the wonderful food on our party table, Choclette and I want to pay a very special thank you to all of you, for all your wonderful entries to the We Should Cocoa over the passed year. We couldn't have done it without you and we are chuffed to bits with the success you have made this wee blog challenge. THANK YOU!

And while we're thanking people, Susan from the lovely blog A Little Bit Of Heaven On A Plate, has made us a birthday card. I was so chuffed with it I wanted to share it with you all too. Thanks Susan!

We have 27 stunning chocolate masterpieces adorning the party table for our first birthday. I (almost) don't know where to begin! Not surprisingly cakes form the biggest section of our party treats so lets make a start there ...

Our first cake on the table is also a first timer to We Should Cocoa. Claire from Purely Food has treated us to this party themed White Chocolate Cake. Loving the sprinkles, I am such a sucker for pretty colours ... not to mention White Chocolate.

As already mentioned, Susan from A Little Bit Of Heaven On A Plate has made this Chocolate Guinness Cake as well as our very special birthday card. Aren't we spoilt!

Another new blogger with another fabulous cake, Carina from Cooking with Carina made this stunning looking chocolate cake to share with us and her friend Mel who was also celebrating a birthday this month.

Shaheen from Allotment To Kitchen has decided to treat us all to this aptly named Chocolate Crown Pear Cake. Crowns are just perfect for turning one ;0)

The wonderful Kate from What Kate Baked has baked us this magnificent Double Chocolate Star Celebration Cake! Heavenly!!!

We're not done with the cakes just yet. Spontaneous Euphoria has made this very decadent looking Triple Chocolate Party Cake. Does the phrase 'Kid in a candy store' mean anything?

But wait, there's more! Choclette from the Chocolate Log Blog has made us our very own adults only Chocolate Chilli Cake. Mmmmmmm

I am totally in love with The More Than Occasional Baker's Giant Chocolate Cupcake. I'm putting an order in for my next birthday!

Miss Cake Baker has certainly lived up to her name with this one. Head over to What I Baked This Weekend for more details on this Chocolate Malteser Cake.

Hannah, from Corner Cottage Bakery is celebrating her birthday right along side We Should Cocoa. Her choice of a joint birthday cake is called Jackie Oh! Birthday Cake and is certainly a cake worthy of two celebrations. Happy Birthday Hannah.

Dom from the brand spanking new Belleau Kitchen has pulled out all the stops with this magnificent Triple Layer Triple Chocolate Cake. Phew, it surely is a beauty!

Our final addition to the cake category comes from Michelle at Food, Football and a Baby with a positively healthy sounding Chocolate Courgette Cake ... Shhhhhhh, don't tell the kids there are veggies in it!

Falling into the category of 'mini cakes' ... which of course just means we get to eat more of them (!!) are these tasty little morsals;

My entry is reminiscent of a cake I longed for as a child ... I'm working my way up to the big cake version! Cream Filled Chocolate Lamington's are a popular birthday treat from my homeland.

Not wishing to offend anyone with the cake v's biscuit debate, I've decided to add Suelle's majestic Jaffa Cakes in the mini cake section. I'm very impressed with these little guys, they look wonderful!

Is a birthday complete without cupcakes? I think not! Thankfully neither did Kath from The Ordinary Cook and she has made these Honeycomb Chocolate Cupcakes for us all to share.

More cupcakes you say? Sharky Oven Gloves brings you Rose Martini ones. Mmmmmm, one for the adults me thinks ;0)
Glad you are feeling better now Mel.

And for pure chocolate goodness in the perfect party food form are these little treats too;

Being an Aussie I just loved Johanna's entry for Cherry Ripe Cake Pop's from Green Gourmet Giraffe. I'm sure there aren't that many birthday parties from down under that are considered complete without one of our nation's favourite chocolate bars being present! Although I will admit to being slightly confused (again!) ... should these little guys have been included in the cake section or the sweet treat section?!!?

Another one to throw me for a six, category wise at least, is this entry from Foodiva's Kitchen, Marie Chocolate Fudge Cake with Purple Sweet Potato and Nutella Onde Onde. A fantastic combination of two recipes for this entry.

I was so pleased to find truffles (of the Belgium Chocolate and Fresh Cream variety!) on our birthday spread too! Many thanks to Karen from Lavender and Lovage for ensuring one of my personal favourites were represented. Yum-O!

Another truffle offering, this time from The KitchenMaid. You guys know me so well! These Boozy Chocolate Truffles are strictly for the grown ups. Coloured sprinkles and birthday's go hand in hand!

Toblerone Profiteroles won't last long with me around I'm afraid. Helen from Fuss Free Flavours may have to bake a double batch for birthday number two ;0)

No celebration is complete with a Chocolate Cherry Trifle. Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen seems to think that this masterpiece is a cheat's version, I beg to differ!

It seems we can always count on Phil from As Strong As Soup to provide something out of the ordinary and totally scrummy for the WSC challenges and this month is no different. How decadent does this Torta di Zucca e Mele look??

C from Cake, Crumbs and Cooking whipped up a batch of these Chocolate Peanut Butter Mega Flapjacks. If you didn't have me at 'chocolate' C, you certainly got me at 'mega'!

Chocolate Pear Tart has arrived on our party table with thanks to Hannah from Home Baked. Seasonal and scrummy!

I can't recall a childhood birthday in my family that was complete without Chocolate Rice Crispie Cakes. many thanks to the lovely Aveen from Baking Obsessively for ensure they were included at our virtual party.

Wondering what BrownievilleGirl is bringing to the party? Well Brownies of course! And don't they look like the most fudgy and yummy brownies ever!

Snowy from Cookbooks Galore rushed back from France to make her bake for this month's party. Snowy asked to be removed from the round up though when she realised she forgot the chocolate element of the challenge, but I think we can err on the side of jet lag this time and still provide a worthy mention.

I don't know about you guys but I'm heading to a dark room to sleep off my sugar induced coma! Once again, a huge and heart felt thank you to you all for making our first year so much fun. We're very much looking forward to year two with you all.

Raspberry and Apple Crumble Squares

2011-09-24T11:43:00.000+01:00

Out of all the apple related baking I have done recently, this one is my all time favourite! I'm a sucker for a crumble ... and a cake ... and the idea of apples and raspberries together makes me positively weak at the knees, so when this recipe appeared in last month's Good Food mag from one of the readers I dutifully saved it electronically and waited for the right moment to present itself so it could be baked. Let this post show forever more the one small problem that exists with my filing system ... in order to follow the recipe exactly, one has to copy the recipe exactly!!! And as this is a reader recipe it doesn't appear on the magazines web site, so I kinda had to guess what to do with the apple once I had stewed it! Oopsie! I opted to dot the apple around the raspberries, and it worked pretty well, resulting in little pockets of flavour bursts with every bite.

Raspberry and Apple Crumble Squares

1 bramley apple, peeled and diced

100g butter, softened

175g golden caster sugar

1 egg

280g SR flour

125ml milk

200g raspberries

For the Crumble Topping

50g butter, diced

85g SR flour

100g golden caster sugar

Zest 1 lemon

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and line a 20 x 30cm cake tin with baking parchment. Put the apple in a small pan with 2 tbsp water. Cook for a few mins or until the apple starts to soften.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and lemon zest until it resembles big breadcrumbs, then set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, then gradually add the egg. Tip the flour and milk and continue to beat until everything is combined. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the surface, then dot with the raspberries. Sprinkle over the crumble topping and bake for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, and the topping is golden.

Cuts into 16 squares

Good Food, Sept 11

Blackberry and Apple Bakewell Pudding

2011-09-21T18:19:00.000+01:00

It seems that with the change of the season's my fruit allegiance has also shifted. Prepare for an onslaught of apple and blackberry recipes!! This is one I made a few weekends ago now, we had it for dessert one weekend when Sis In Law was staying over. I always think a request for seconds is the seal of approval for any recipe so the fact that all three of us happily dug into a second helping says it all really.

Blackberry and Apple Bakewell Pudding
6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
2 tbsp demerara sugar
400g blackberries
150g butter, softened
150g golden caster sugar
3 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
150g ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (although the original recipe says to use almond extract)
100g SR flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
A handful flaked almonds
Icing sugar, for decoration

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Put the apples and demerara sugar in a pan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the apples have softened. Stir in the blackberries. Tip into an oven proof dish, approx 20cm x 30cm and cool.

Beat the butter and sugar together then gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in the ground almonds and vanilla extract. Sift the SR flour and baking powder and fold in.

Spoon the almond mix over the cooked fruit then level out. Sprinkle over the almonds. Bake for 40-45 mins until risen, golden and cooked through. Dust with icing sugar to finish.

Serves 6
Olive, Oct 11

We managed to get more than 6 servings out of this, surprisingly! Try serving this with clotted cream ... but Strawberry and Clotted Cream Ice Cream is also very good ;0)

This one is headed over to What Kate Baked for her Autumnal Baking Challenge. To take part, just head over to Kate's fab blog and check out the rules.

Random Recipes ~ Nigel’s Blackberry and Apple Betty

2011-09-19T19:50:00.000+01:00

Here is where my inner geek is revealed to the world, oh the shame! Dom decided for this month's Random Recipe challenge that we needed to pick a random recipe from our collection of magazine recipes. So far not so bad, until I reveal that I store all my magazine recipes electronically. Again, not too embarrassing, until I further explain that they are cross referenced. Sad huh? So assume we have a cake recipe that uses chocolate and raspberries, in this case the recipe would be filed under 'Baking' and 'Chocolate' and 'Raspberries' and depending on how special the cake is, possibly even in 'Sweets'.

With this month's challenge I could have cheated and just gone straight to my chocolate file, but then where is the adventure in that? So I opened up my 'In Season' file (I honestly am dying from humiliation here!) to find out what fruits are in season this month and gave hubby the choice out of two, being blueberries or blackberries. He picked blackberries, so (you can see where this is headed I am sure!) I went to my 'Blackberry' file and did a quick page count and then asked Hubby to pick a random number between 1 and 46 (for that is how many pages there are in the blackberry file) and that was the recipe I made.

Nigel’s Blackberry and Apple Betty

1kg bramley apples, peeled and cored

30g butter

200g blackberries

For the Crumb Layer

125g soft white breadcrumbs

75g light brown soft sugar

100g butter

4 generous tbsp golden syrup

A 1.5 litre baking dish

Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C.

Cut the apples into large chunks, put them into a saucepan with the butter and a couple of tbsp of water and toss them over a moderate heat. When the apples start to soften but are still keeping their shape, tip in the blackberries and then spoon into the baking dish.

Mix the crumbs and sugar together and cover the apples and blackberries loosely with the mixture. Melt the butter with the syrup in a small saucepan, then pour the mixture over the crumbs, making certain to soak them all.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins, till the apple is soft and the crumbs are golden and crisp.

Serves 4-6

Sainsbury’s Mag, Oct 09

I am assuming that Nigel refers to 'Sir' Nigel Slater. We had this pud for dessert tonight, a real treat seeing as we normally don't allow ourselves dessert through the week, although the photo doesn't do it any justice at all. I didn't stick entirely to the recipe either, I used 5 bramley's which was slightly more than 1kg and I used 1 punnet of blackberries and 1 punnet of raspberries because they needed using up, and the punnet of blackberries didn't quite weigh up to enough. I love how the colour of the raspberries turns the apples all pink and girly too! This was delish, Sir Nig has done it again! And I hope you can forgive my recipe geek side ;0(

Mint Pesto

2011-09-18T15:12:00.000+01:00

A bit of a departure from the norm with this post, no baking, no chocolate and most importantly ... no caterpillars! This was the dish I had been intending to make for dinner the day I discovered the moochers in my pot of mint. A tough fight followed but in the end its humans one; caterpillar's nil!

Mint Pesto
Whizz 80g mint leaves, 250g ricotta and 25g grated parmesan in a food processor until you have a smooth green pesto. Season well.
Serves 4
Good Food, Aug 11

For last night's dinner we stirred half the pesto through some tagliatelle. There were some frozen peas thrown into the pot while the pasta cooked too. Once the peas and pasta were drained, reserving a little of the cooking liquid, stir through the pesto, pile onto plates and grate a generous helping of parmesan over the top. Yum! I only added 40g mint to the recipe too, its surprising how many mint leaves goes into 40g, and it was plenty minty enough for us, the whole 80g might have been a bit overpowering.

The other half of the pesto has been spooned into an ice cube tray and double wrapped in clingfilm and is now sitting quite happily in the freezer awaiting next time.

My Desert Island Cocktail ~ Tombu SeSe

2011-09-17T16:22:00.000+01:00

I woke up this morning to discover a certain chill in the air, the kind of chill that comes with ... autumn! Sigh. I'm still waiting on summer arriving. In an effort to cheer myself up I have resorted to my desert island drink, the Tombu SeSe [Tom-Boo See-See]. One taste of this cocktail and it transports me back to that white sand beach with coconut tree's and waves gently lapping the shore, the place where I first tasted this drink, Mauritius. One taste is pretty much all it takes to make you literally weak at the knees, its kind of strong!

Tombu SeSe
40ml vodka
10ml archer's peach schnapps
60ml orange juice
60ml pineapple juice
1 dash grenadine

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all the ingredients and shale to combine. Pour over a tumbler filled with ice and fill that desert island sway!

Serves 1

Or add the grenadine at the end for a
sophisticated layered finish

We Should Cocoa ~ Cream Filled Chocolate Lamingtons

2011-09-14T21:06:00.000+01:00

Growing up as a child of the 80's in suburban Australia meant birthday's were pretty much synonymous with 'The Holy Grail of Birthday's' ... The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book.

It's sadly out of print now, but my Mum sent me her copy in my Christmas parcel last year and flicking back through its pages bought back many fond memories for me. Every child in my street and my school would consult this book in the ~~weeks~~ months leading up to their birthday to pick the cake. And as my birthday is in mid February, nicely timed for the start of the new school year in Tasmania, it meant that I often got to spend my birthday on the first day of school of the year. Pretty sucky ... until you work out that means you get two birthday cakes! One for school and the other for the birthday party. I figure this goes some way to making up for the fact that my Brother was born on ANZAC Day and gets a public holiday for his birthday every year, you can imagine this was quite a sore point for me throughout the years!

My first day at Kindy was my 5th birthday.
The Ladybird Cake was shared with my new classmates.

The first day of Grade Six was my 11th birthday and the
Paint Palette Cake was gobbled up by my class.

This was my brother's birthday cake of choice.
You can imagine how it looked once those
cars had done a few laps!

Oh how I admired Amanda Newton's choice
for her cake when we were in Grade 5!

And in Grade 8 this is the cake I made for
my Home Ec assessment.

So you may be wondering how all of this leads to Chocolate Lamingtons, my choice of chocolatey goodness to add to the virtual party table for this month's We Should Cocoa challenge. Well, most years, my birthday cake was a cake in the shape of my age ... often the icing and decoration from another age were interchanged ... but as a general rule when I was 7 I knew my cake would be a 7. Entirely my choice, of course! I applied rules to these things you see and the creme de la creme of birthday cakes in my opinion was the number 10. I'll give you some time to feast your eyes and drink in my juvenile awe ...

So special it had a double page spread!

You would expect, therefore, that this would have been my birthday cake when I reached double figures. Alas it was not to be, for when I finally reached that long awaited milestone I felt that a chocolate lamington cake was somehow a bit too sophisticated for me. I can't tell you what cake I ended up having, clearly my memory centres around my remorse at not allowing myself my grown up cake!

It seemed only logical after setting this month's challenge that I consult the holy grail. That double page spread still holds all the magic and lure it did when I was a child so I knew lamington's would have to be made. Maybe when We Should Cocoa makes it to 10 I'll actually make the cake! For now though I am more than happy to celebrate with these little cream filled darlings!

Cream Filled Chocolate Lamingtons
8 eggs
250g caster sugar
250g plain flour
30g unsalted butter, melted
400g shredded coconut
Small tub double cream, whipped with some icing sugar and vanilla bean paste
Chocolate Ganache Coating
350g milk chocolate
250g dark chocolate
300ml single cream

Preheat oven to 190C. Whisk eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water for 5-10 minutes or until warm (about 40C), pale and frothy. Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes or until mixture has tripled in volume. Sift over plain flour in batches and, using a metal spoon, fold gently to combine between additions. Just before adding the last of the flour, fold through melted butter. Divide batter between 2 lightly greased and base-lined 20cm square cake pans. Bake in centre of oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer withdraws clean. Stand in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely.

For chocolate ganache coating, combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. When chocolate begins to melt, stir gently until combined and smooth and set aside in a
warm place.

Scatter shredded coconut over a tray. Cut each sponge into sixteen 5cm squares. Using 2 forks, dip each square into the chocolate and shake to remove excess. (If chocolate starts to thicken, place bowl over gently simmering water to thin.) Roll each square in coconut, shake off excess and place on a wire rack (sitting over a tray). Stand for at least 1 hour or until chocolate sets. Once ready to eat, split in half and fill with the whipped double cream. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 3 days.

Makes 32
Adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

These are without a doubt the best lamington's I have tasted in a good long while ... of course, living in the UK for the last decade has seriously impeded my lamington feeding frenzies ... but even then they were still very tasty. The cake is light and fluffy and the chocolate ganache is a very poshed up coating to the usual cocoa powder icing on the store bought ones. They take a bit of time to make, and a fair bit of patience too, but they are so worth it!

If you would like to take part in the virtual 1st birthday party for We Should Cocoa then there is still plenty of time. Just make something chocoaltey that you would like to see on the party spread, blog it by the 25th of September, linking back to We Should Cocoa and then send us an email to weshouldcocoa@yahoo.co.uk including your name, a link to your post and a photo we can use in the round up. See you back here after the 25th for the round up of all the party treats.

National Cupcake Week 2011 ~ Percy or Pumbaa?

2011-09-12T15:38:00.000+01:00

September 12th - 18th is National Cupcake Week, rather timely as Hubby and I are also off work for the week. With thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Katia curtailing our outdoor plans for today, I headed to the kitchen.

Now these little guys were supposed to be in the vein of Percy Pig, those infamous little sweets from Marks and Sparks that I am totally addicted (M&S should seriously be paying me commission lately!) when I discovered that Percy now comes in bits!! As horrified as I was at first, the thought of Percy being dismembered in an evil conveyor belt fashion flashed before my eyes, I grabbed a bag each of the Fizzy Tails and the Marshmallow Noses and set them in the baking cupboard awaiting a rainy day. Once again I thank you Hurrican Katia, you're arrival couldn't be better timed ... not only do you give me the opportunity to bake cupcakes, you also provide me with a comedy act as I watch the workmen across the road trying to construct a monstrosity of a building in 80 mph winds! Silly men should just cut their losses and go home!

Anyhoo, now my little babies are made I am wondering if they are slightly more Pumbaa than Percy? I'm ok with it either way, Timon and Pumbaa stole my heart years before I'd ever sunk my teeth into a Percy! To make Percy / Pumbaa Cupcakes I made a batch a plain cupcakes. Then I added a drop or two of rose gel paste to a batch of buttercream, just until it was a lightly tinted shade of pink and piped this onto the cupcakes with a large plain nozzle. A Fizzy Tail went in one end (I've discovered its slightly easier to hold them in place if you pull the cupcake liner away from the cake a wee bit), a Marshmallow Nose on the other and two chocolate chips for eyes completed him.

I'm feeling like a proud Mum now, so is it bad that I know they taste good too?

Strawberry and Clotted Cream Ice Cream

2011-09-11T13:39:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I was stood in the queue at my local Marks and Sparks, buying some simple essentials after a visit to the gym. A book, sitting on the shelf of the checkout isle, did its darnedest to try and catch my attention. I averted my gaze. The queue moved forwards, the book was closer to me now and it started calling my name. I protested quietly to myself and reminded myself not to make eye contact. The person in front of me had nearly finished their transaction, the book was pleading with me and before I knew it that book had made its way from the shelf onto the checkout, without even the merest of page flicks! I quickly paid for my red pesto and peppers ... and that brazen little book ... and went home.

The book is 'Sundaes and Splits' and quite frankly should be put on a wanted poster!

Strawberry and Clotted Cream Ice Cream
160g caster sugar
2 eggs
225g clotted cream
250ml double cream
250ml whole milk
400g fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

Put the caster sugar, eggs, clotted cream, milk and strawberries in a blender and blitz for a few mins until you have a smooth mixture. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions, or pour into a freezer proof box with a lid and pop the container in the freezer. Remove it from the freezer every hour or so, transfer to a large bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk to incorporate air and break up any large ice crystals. This will help give a light and creamy texture. Repeat this every hour until the ice cream is frozen.

Makes 1 litre of ice cream
Sundaes and Splits

This makes a lot of ice cream, next time I'll be tempted to only make half a batch. I like that this ice cream doesn't have to have a custard base but still delivers a lovely and creamy result and that its a simple blend and freeze ice cream that tastes fantastic.

PS - This ice cream goes very well with Peach and Raspberry Slice too ;0)

Bill Granger's Peach and Raspberry Slice

2011-09-09T18:00:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to make this recipe for quite some ~~years~~ time now. I first saw Bill make it on one of his TV shows and went out to buy the book, especially for the recipe. The book then ended up on the book shelf, occasionally removed from its perch so I can leaf through the pages. I've even made one or two of the recipes, but I never quite got around to making the Peach and Raspberry Slice. That was until last weekend ;0)

Bill Granger's Peach and Raspberry Slice
185g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder, plus 1/2 tsp extra
125g butter, chilled and diced
115g soft brown sugar
115g caster sugar
3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced into wedges
90g raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
185ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm x 30cm baking tray. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir in both the sugars. Press half the mixture over the base of the tin. Lay the peaches over the top and sprinkle with raspberries.

Add the vanilla extract, extra baking powder, egg and milk to the rest of the base mixture and stir well - don't worry too much about lumps. Pour evenly over the top of the peaches and raspberries and bake for 1 hour. Cool in the tray, then cut into squares to serve.

Makes 20 pieces
Bill Granger - Everyday

* To peel the peaches, score a cross in the skin with a sharp knife, then blanch the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, refresh in cold water and peel the skin away from the cross.

I was expecting this slice to be worth the wait, and in hindsight there were maybe one or two things I could have done differently to enhance the final product. I could have made the slice when peaches were in season and slightly riper than the rock like beasts I ended up using. I believe using the right sized tin may have also helped the cause a little! This is not to say that the slice was a complete disaster, its still pretty yummy and goes down very well with some ice cream, it just didn't quite live up to my expectations. Guess I'll just need to wait till 'next summer' (!!!!) when the peaches are at their peak!

Cowkies ~ A Random Bake Of Kindness

2011-09-08T21:47:00.002+01:00

Me - "I have a surprise for you!"

Mr JS - "Ooooooooooooooh. Exciting! Can I eat it?"

Me - thinks to self 'He knows me so well!'

"Maybe!" is my reply

I hand over the bag of cookies - "Think of them more as cookies than brownies ... or more brownie than cookie" is my only instruction.

Mr JS - "Oh ... So Cowkies then!"

Thus Cowkies [cow-keys] were born! You may prefer to call them Chocolate Brownie Bites but to me there is no better name than Cowkies!

I have seen a lot of posts recently for Random Bakes Of Kindness. A pretty genius idea formed over at Prepped. Ever since Mr JS has returned to us from his short stint in Australia he has been a bit glum. Not too hard to understand given the circumstances (which I won't go into) and that his beloved is still back in Oz. I had been wanting to bake him something special to help cheer him up, even just a little, but I was struggling to come up with just the right bake for him. Then Martha emailed me the recipe for Cowkies ... OK, she calls them Double Chocolate Brownie Bites ... and I knew just what to bake!

Can you believe this is the only
photo of Mr JS I have!!
He kindly stepped into the breach at our
wedding and partnered my Sis In Law
for the first dace.

Cowkies
275g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
113g unsalted butter, softened
55g dark brown sugar
60g honey (I used half honey, half golden syrup)
200g chocolate drops (I used a mixture of milk and dark)
55g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 165C. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a mixer on medium speed till pale and fluffy. Add honey and beat until fluffy. Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Mix in the chocolate drops. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 mins.

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough into the caster sugar. Roll to coat, shaping into balls. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheets, spacing about 1" apart. Bake until the tops are cracking and cookies are just set, about 9 mins. Transfer the sheets to wire racks and let them cool.

Makes 6 Dozen
Cookie Of The Day

Mine didn't turn out quite the same as Martha's but I'm OK with that. After all hers are Double Chocolate Brownie Bites and mine are Cowkies, the name has stuck! Next time I'll use less chocolate drops, it was very difficult to try and roll the dough into balls with all those chocolate chips getting in the way ... this, by the way, is something I never thought I would say!

Mr JS - "Thank you for my Cowkies"

Me - "You're very welcome"

After a slight pause ...

Mr JS - "Just think, If you'd used white chocolate drops they would have been Friesian Cowkies!"

Cherry Tomato, Parmesan and Basil Flat Bread

2011-09-05T20:20:00.000+01:00

I've had the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook in my collection ever since it was first published. Not only is the bakery from my homeland, the recipes speak my language. Breads and pastries and cakes ... oh how I wish I lived a life within the Bourke Street Bakery!

This is the first recipe I've tried from the book, I made the ferment on Friday night after work and then whipped the breads up on Saturday afternoon. They were ready for dinner and I have to admit they are probably some of the nicest loaves of bread I've ever eaten let alone made. That said, I did make a small, teensy weensy itsy bitsy mistake. I didn't read the recipe properly and so when I left the dough to bulk prove I didn't knock it back every 30 mins. Oops! The result wasn't terrible ... just some very fat looking flat breads, which is actually perfectly fine in my world. They fit in perfectly lol. The recipe makes enough for two loaves, which is more than enough for three hungry adults for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the weekend (not to forget tonight's dinner too!) and plenty to spare to spread with butter and run along to the hospital for my mother in law. Job done ;0)

First or Initial Ferment
100g strong flour
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp milk
70ml water
1g dried / instant yeast (or 2g fresh)

To mix the ferment by hand put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together to combine, about 5 mins. If you are using an electric mixer, put all of the ingredients in the bowl of the mixer on low speed for 2 mins. Increase the speed to high and continue mixing for 5 mins, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a container that has been sprayed with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and rest overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Makes 180g

Olive Oil Dough
600g strong flour
7g dried / instant yeast - I actually just used what was leftover in the sachet from the ferment (or 13g fresh yeast)
400ml water
20ml extra virgin olive oil
20ml milk
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
180g ferment (optional)

To mix the olive oil dough by hand, put the flour and yeast in a large bowl and pour in the water. Use a spoon to mix together until well combined, then set aside for 10 mins. Add the oil, milk and salt, mixing well. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and start kneading. Knead for 10 mins, then allow the dough to rest for 10 mins. Add the ferment (if using) and knead for a further 10 mins.

If you are using an electric mixer (this was my preferred method!), put all of the ingredients, except the ferment, into the bowl of the mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix in low speed for 2 mins, then increase the speed to high and continue mixing for 5 mins. If using the ferment break it up with your hands and scatter into the bowl. Continue mixing on low speed for 1 min, then increase the speed to high and mix for 5 mins, or until well combined - this may take an extra couple of mins - the dough should come away from the edges of the bowl and have a silky complexion when done.

Place the dough in a container that has been sprayed with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to bulk prove for 1 1/2 hours. Knock back the dough every 30 mins during the bulk prove - this means you will need to knock back the dough twice in total.

To knock back the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and press out into a rectangle, about 2.5cm thick. Use your hands to fold one third back onto itself, then repeat with the remaining third. Turn the dough ninety degrees and fold it over again into thirds. Place the dough back into the oiled container, cover with plastic wrap, and continue to bulk prove for a further 1 hour. Once the dough has finished to bulk prove it is ready to be divided and shaped.

Makes 1kg of dough or 2 loaves

Cherry Tomato, Parmesan and Basil Flat Bread
1kg olive oil dough
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
50g parmesan cheese, roughly chopped or grated
1 large handful basil leaves, torn
55ml extra virgin olive oil

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press down evenly with your hands, until it is a rectangle about 25 x 10cm and 2cm high. Divide the dough into two even sized portions, about 500g each, trimming each flatbread to create a 25 x 5cm rectangular shape (I didn't worry about this, opting instead for a more 'rustic' fat flatbread!) 180g of the offcuts can be kept in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and used as the ferment for the next loaf if you like.

Place each flatbread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and use your fingers to press down into the dough and create shallow indents over the surface (my first clue should have been when the indents sprung back up!) Set aside in a warm place to prove for 15 mins.

Next, add the topping. Press the tomato halves and parmesan into each flatbread until half submerged. The tomatoes look best when facing cut side up/ You can either press the basil leaves into the flatbread at this point and brush the extra virgin olive oil on top or you can put the basil in a food processor or blender with the extra virgin olive oil, and blend until just spreadable but not runny. If using the basil oil, brush it over the flatbreads when they come out of the oven.

Set aside to prove for a further 15-20 mins. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place in the oven and spray the oven with water. Bake for 25-30 mins, turning the flatbread around after 15 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until you can safely eat it,

Makes 2 loaves
Bourke Street Bakery (genius people that they are!)

Chocolate Brownie Cake

2011-09-04T14:14:00.000+01:00

Seems I've been cooking up a storm in the kitchen recently. And it's none of that fancy, test my skills to the limit stuff that I promised myself I was going to start investing some time in. Oh no ... looks like my dreams of becoming a world renowned Michelin star pastry chef will need to wait a wee while longer! Instead I've been baking 'homey' stuff. The kind of food you feed to family and friends, that not only tastes great and fills your belly put also puts a smile on your face. That said, I can think of no better place to begin updating my recent kitchen exploits than with this cake.

Chocolate Brownie Cake

175g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

225g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

200g caster sugar

3 eggs, separated

75g plain flour

50g chopped pecan nuts

Icing sugar, to serve

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Butter a 20-25cm cake tin and line with greasproof paper. Place 175g of the chocolate, plus the butter and sugar in a heavy based pan and heat gently until melted, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.

Whisk yolks into the chocolate mix, then add flour, nuts and rest of chocolate. Whisk egg whites to form soft peaks, then gently, but thoroughly, fold into the mix.

Pour into tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 mins until crusty on top. Leave to cool, then run a knife around the sides; remove. Dust with icing sugar, serve warm with custard or cold with cream.

Serves 10

Good Food, April 11

If I had to criticise, and its picking at straws to do so, it's that this cake doesn't keep that well. In fairness, it would have been a better idea to bake this cake when there were more than 3 people at the dinner table, but when the notion takes you to bake a Chocolate Brownie Cake ... well, you've just gotta go with it! This also meant that when the recipe called for pecans and I didn't have any, that I had to sub with the only thing I did have, which was slivered almonds. This lent a very grown up and, dare I say, sophisticated feel to an otherwise homespun kind of a cake. We discovered it is best served with strawberries (for a balanced diet) and clotted cream ;0)

Summer Fruit Drizzle Cake

2011-09-01T19:21:00.000+01:00

Shhhhhhhhh! I'm supposed to be at the gym right now but instead I've bunked off to share this recipe with you!

Summer Fruit Drizzle Cake
175g very soft butter, plus extra for greasing
175g golden caster sugar
250g SR flour
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
175g fruit, stoned and diced weight (I used a mixture of raspberries and blackberries so let them whole)
140g granulated sugar
1-2 tbsp citrus juice - lemon, lime or orange

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line the base and ends with a long strip of baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer for 5 mins until pale and creamy - the mixture will be very thick.

Spread one third of the cake mix into the tin, then scatter over 50g of the fruit. Carefully dot and spread another third of the cake mix on top, and scatter with another 50g fruit. Finally dot the rest of the cake mix over and gently spread with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hour, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Poke the cake all over with a skewer. Put remaining 75g fruit into a bowl with the granulated sugar. Stir in 1 tbsp of the citrus juice first with a fork, mashing a little of the fruit as you go. If it's a bit dry, add a splash more juice and spoon over the cake. leave in the tin until the cake is cool and the topping is set and crisp.

Cuts into 8 slices
Good Food Mag, Aug 11

I have to admit to making this cake some time ago now ... like when the magazine first came out in July! Its a little gem of a bake that was moist and flavourful. It kept really well too, in an airtight tin, and served well as a treat in Hubby's lunch box for the week ... and Uncle Frank had his share too!

We Should Cocoa ~ The September Challenge

2011-09-01T07:38:00.000+01:00

Well here we are in September, a whole year down the track from our oh so humble beginnings with the raspberry challenge and what a fantastic year it has been! We Should Cocoa has grown in leaps and bounds over the last 12 months, the success of the monthly challenge has been solely dependent upon all the creative genius and interpretive minds of all the fantastic individuals who take part every month. To all of you thank you ... and keep it coming!

With this in mind there is really only one challenge I could set this month that seemed appropriate now we are one. Let's have a virtual birthday party! To celebrate/participate all you have to do is create a chocolate masterpiece fit to serve at a 1st birthday party (remember that adults attend these shindigs too!) and post your entry on your blog by the 25th of September, linking it back to We Should Cocoa. Once you've done that send us an email (weshouldcocoa@yahoo.co.uk) with your name, a link to your post and a photo so we can include you in our round up. Here comes the grown up bit, Choclette and I cannot guarantee that your post will be included in the round up if we don't receive an email by the 25th ... sorry!

Can't wait to see you in the round up, what will you be bringing to the party?

Nigella's Hokey Pokey

2011-08-29T18:43:00.000+01:00

Hmmmmmmmmm ... how to describe how this irresistible little treat ended up being made? If I were to cut straight to the chase I would explain that I made it to go alongside a recipe that I tried to convert from an American magazine. The recipe, for pie, failed ... I think maybe I didn't convert one or two of the weights quite right [hanging my head in shame] and so we ended up eating the pie ~~with a straw~~ purely as a 'tester' ... I have pledged to adapt the recipe until it can be eaten with a spoon! Anyhoo, the pie was to have Honeycomb / Hokey Pokey / Cinder Toffee (call it what you will) generously layered on the top and the chief taste testers (namely Hubby and Mr JS) saw no point in wasting this treat. They claimed a piece just happened to fall into their mouths every time they passed the tin!

Nigella's Hokey Pokey
100g caster sugar
60ml golden syrup
1 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda

Put the sugar and syrup into a saucepan and stir together to mix. You mustn't stir once the pan's on the heat, though.

Place the pan on the heat and let the mixture first melt, then turn to goo and then to a bubbling mass the colour of maple syrup - this will take 3 mins or so.

Off the heat, whisk in the bocarbonate of soda and watch the syrup turn into a whooshing cloud of aerated pale gold. Turn this immediately onto a piece of reusable baking parchment or greased foil.

Leave until set and then bash at it, so that it splinters into many glinting pieces.

Makes 125g
Nigella Express

Random Recipes ~ Grand Marnier Chocolate Colettes

2011-08-26T18:59:00.000+01:00

Dom decided this month was back to basics for the Random Recipe blog event, so I sent Hubby into the 'library' to randomly select the book for this month. I'm not so sure his selection was all that random!

I tried to stick to the rules, honest I did, but my first random page was Striped Cylinder Cookies which looked vile! No point in making something we wouldn't eat ourselves ... or be seen dead offering to friends! So I decided to randomly select another page. Hello Jewelled Elephants! Things weren't looking good but my Granny always told me "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again", so on Granny's orders I got Cointreau Chocolate Colettes. Thanks Granny ;0)

This was still not something I would eat but they did make a lovely little hostess gift for last Saturday's party, eat your heart out Nigella! I had to make a couple of changes to suit the booze cupboard and so mine are Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau but I guess any kind of liqueur could really be used. I'm thinking of making Frangelico ones at Christmas.

Grand Marnier Chocolate Colettes
50g dark chocolate
65g milk chocolate
Icing sugar, for dusting
For the Filling
25g dark chocolate
40g milk chocolate
25g unsalted butter
30ml Grand Marnier
60ml double cream, whipped

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stand the bowl over a pan of hot water and heat gently until the chocolate has melted.

The first (of many) layers are applied

Using a small, clean paintbrush, brush the insides of 14 petit four cases with a thin coating of melted chocolate and leave to set completely. Repeat three or four times (I applied easily double this number of coats!). When finally set, carefully peel off the paper cases.

Make the filling. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.

Remove from the heat. When cool (but still liquid), stir in the Grand Marnier and fold in the whipped cream.

Chill this mixture until firm, then pipe into the chocolate cases. Dust with icing sugar.

Makes 14
The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

I'm not going to lie, these are a bit of a faff to make and require some series dedication to the cause. Given how labour intensive they are I am sure you can imagine how horrified I was to overhear one guest at the party telling others not to eat them because they were 'revolting'! Did I say horrified? I meant mortified!!! I sheepishly headed over to the table with the aim of removing them only to be told by the host that it was actually a devious ploy by the guest to stop others from eating them so as she could have them all for herself. Immediately relived as I was, it did take a little while for the red flush to leave my face!!!

We Should Cocoa ~ Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake

2011-08-21T20:30:00.000+01:00

When Choclette announced that this month's We Should Cocoa Challenge was to use rose alongside chocolate, I will admit to being slightly perplexed. Rose isn't an ingredient I am use to baking with and after ~~quite a bit~~ some consultation with my ever expanding stash of recipes nothing really came up trumps for me and inspiration was sparse to say the least! I was an unhappy little teapot ;0(

Then Mr JS rode in to my rescue ... without even knowing it! He has returned from Australia for a short stay and comes to at dinner with Hubby and I once a week. It was during this weeks meal that he asked me if I could make a chocolate birthday cake for another one of our friend's (the birthday bash being last night ... slightly worse for wear today!)

It was a eureka moment for me. I knew the exact cake to bake, and with a small amount of tweaking I could get it to fit in with this month's theme, resulting in a happy little teapot once more ;0)

Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake
175g SR flour, sifted
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
1 tsp rose water
175g butter, completely softened, plus extra for lining the tin
175g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
100g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
Icing
500ml double cream
500g milk chocolate, chopped
Rose Scented Mascarpone Filling
500g mascarpone
2 tsp icing sugar
1-2 tsp rose water, depending on taste

Make the icing first (it takes a while to cool and thicken). Put the chocolate into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan and heat until simmering. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Cool, then chill until really thick but spreadable.

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Butter and base line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Take 3 tbsp flour from the full flour amount and put them back in the flour bag - the cocoa powder will make up the difference.

Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl. Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whizz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.

Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 mins or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 mins, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling make the filling. Mix together the mascarpone, icing sugar and rose water in a bowl until well combined and smooth. When the cakes are cool sandwich the layers together with the rose scented mascarpone and then with some of the chocolate icing. Use the rest of the chocolate icing to spread over the rest of the cake in a nice thick layer.

Serves 10
Adapted from a recipe in Olive Magazine, April 11

I should have decorated the cake some crystallised rose petals of course, but I didn't have any so white chocolate stars it had to be! Its a very much a home-made looking cake but it didn't detract from the taste one little bit. Purely indulgent with every mouthful! If I had one criticism, its that the rose maybe wasn't as strong as I thought it would have been. I did err on the side of caution with the amounts of rose water added because I didn't want the cake to end up tasting like a bar of soap! I would add more next time, both to the cake and the mascarpone. On the up side, after the small mishap of the chocolate icing not really firming up last time, I gave the mixture a good whip before letting it set in the fridge overnight which seems to be the trick, it was lovely and thick and smooth and everyone seemed to enjoy their slice!

Not So Virtuous Cranberry Granola

2011-08-18T19:49:00.000+01:00

Today marks the end of my first week back at the gym! Three (in my opinion) fairly vicious spin classes later and I'm cream crackered! If only tomorrow wasn't weigh in day and I could actually have a cream cracker ... resting on a plate right beside the most gigantic hot chocolate you have ever seen ... the currently on vogue kind made with ganache and not powder ... with a mountain of whipped cream on top ... and some marshmallows, just for good measure ... maybe one of those chocolate spoons too ... and while we're at it, some chocolate sprinkles on the top! [Sigh]

Instead (with my oh so virtuous halo positively choking me!) I have this offering from my backlog vault!

Cranberry Granola
150g rolled oats
2 tsp light oil, such as rapeseed
2 tbsp maple syrup
25g pumpkin seeds
100g dried cranberries
50g ready to eat dried apricots, chopped

Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C. In a large bowl, combine the oats, il, maple syrup and seeds (it's easiest if you use your hands).

Place in a roasting tin and bake for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally until just golden. Stir in the cranberries and apricots and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Serves 8
WW magazine

I have no doubt that did actually start out relatively healthy, it's a weight watchers recipe after all. I maybe added one or two of my own touches along the way though ... like a variety of dried fruit ... slightly more maple syrup as required ... cacao nibs ... you get the gist ;0)
(If you don't tell those weight watchers people then I won't either!)

Passionfruit Gems

2011-08-14T11:00:00.000+01:00

How do you spend your Sunday night's? Personally, I like to try and escape the enveloping darkness of doom (i.e. returning to work!) by picking a book from the shelf and loosing myself in its pages for a few hours. Not a 'novel' kind of a book either, not a page turner of a book with characters and storyline's, no siree, its always a recipe book! Yes I am one of those people who has a pile of cookbooks beside my bed and I feel no shame in admitting that ;0)

So this recipe comes from one of my Sunday night musings, a book my Mum sent me for Christmas last year called quite simply 'Cookies'. Its an Australian Women's Weekly publication and is stuffed full of amazing looking cookies. It comes as no surprise that the ones to catch my eye use Passionfruit which has got to be one of my all time favourite flavours ever.

Passionfruit Gems
150g plain flour
75g SR flour
2 tbsp custard powder
110g icing sugar
90g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
60ml passionfruit pulp (about 1 1/2 passionfruits)
Butter Icing
125g unsalted butter, softened
240g icing sugar
2 tbsp milk

Process the dry ingredients and butter together until crumbly; add egg yolk and passionfruit pulp, pulse until ingredients come together.

Loving that colour!

Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Roll between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick; refrigerate for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Grease oven trays; line with baking paper (I hate greasing oven trays and as I had run out of baking paper I floured the tray's instead).

Using a 4cm round flower shaped cutter, cut rounds from dough. Place about 3cm apart on oven trays.

Bake for about 10 mins. Cool on wire racks.

Make the butter icing; beat the butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until it is as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar, milk, then the remaining icing sugar. (I still had half a passionfruit left over so I added this to the icing and reduced the amount of milk accordingly).

Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small fluted tube. Pipe stars onto cookies.

Makes 70
'Cookies' Australian Women's Weekly

These are yummy! However, I have a few points to highlight. I got far less than 70 cookies from the dough, which I am prepared to admit is probably down to me [ahem] firstly I need to readdress my idea of what 5mm looks like, secondly the smallest cutter I have is 48mm so my cookies were not only thicker but bigger too - I don't mind this though. And then I discovered that along with running out of baking paper I also had an empty packet of piping bags sat in my draw, very helpful! So I had to spoon the icing onto the cookies, they don;t look as pretty as they should but thankfully that doesn't affect the flavour at all ;0)

No barbie is complete without ...

2011-08-13T15:33:00.000+01:00

... 3 of my no-fail-prepare-ahead-BBQ-must-haves!

Being an Aussie I guess there is a certain affinity between myself and my beloved barbie. When I visited the Webber stand at the Taste of Edinburgh early last month, they laughed when they found out I use my Webber even when there is snow on the ground! Can't understand why, food cooked on the barbie tastes great no matter what the weather does ... and I guess living in the UK for the last 9 years has changed my perception of 'the perfect weather for a barbecue' too!

With 'summer' drawing to a close there is no better time to share some of our favourite BBQ 'condiments'.

BBQ Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
85g/3 oz brown sugar
3 tbsp malt vingar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree

Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat 4-5 mins, until softened. Add remaining ingredients, season and mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 mins until thickened. For a smooth sauce simply whiz the mixture in a food processor or with a hand blender for a few seconds.

Makes 450ml

Once you've got the basic sauce it can be used to spice up anything from ribs to burgers and beans;
Spicy Spare Ribs
Put 12 pork spare ribs in a large plastic bag and tip in one quarter of the BBQ sauce. Seal the bag and shake to coat the ribs in the sauce. Leave in the fridge overnight, then allow to come to room temp before BBQ’ing the next day.
Tangy Turkey Burgers
Add a chopped onion and a few tbsp of BBQ sauce to 450g turkey mince and shape into 4 large or 8 small burgers. Cook on the BBQ or under the grill, then serve in buns with sliced tomatoes and salad leaves.
Spiced up Beans
Stir a few tbsp of the BBQ sauce into your baked beans and serve with sausages and a fluffy jacket potato.

* Sauce keeps in fridge for 2 weeks

If you only make one of these recipes please let it be this one. Even non Jack drinkers fall in love with it!

Bourbon-Basting Sauce
1 small onion, chopped
Oil for frying
200ml bourbon whiskey (Jack Daniel’s or Wild Turkey)
100g dark soft brown sugar
100ml tomato ketchup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
16 pork spare ribs, about 2kg (although we use this sauce on everything but ribs! Try chicken or even large field mushrooms, but our preferred way is on sausages)

Cook the onion in 2 tbsp oil in a large pan until very soft, about 10 mins. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pork) and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins, until the alcohol has evaporated. Put in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Set aside half the sauce.

Bourbon Basted Bangers

Season the ribs. BBQ over medium-hot coals for 10 mins each side. If the ribs have a reasonable amount of fat, push the coals to the side of the BBQ as the dripping fat will cause flaming. The ribs may take longer to cook if you do this as the heat is indirect. Brush the ribs with some of the sauce then turn and BBQ for 5 mins, repeat about 3-4 times until the ribs are tender and cooked through, with a sticky coating. Serve with the reserved sauce.

Serves 4
Olive, June 07

BBQ’d Corn with Coriander and Chilli Butter
120g unsalted butter, softened

2 small red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped coriander

4 corn cobs

Olive oil, to brush

Mix together the butter, chilli, garlic and coriander. Cook corn in boiling salted water, until just tender. Cool slightly, then cut cobs into pieces. Brush with oil and BBQ until lightly charred. Heat butter mixture in a pan on the side of the BBQ until melted. Place corn on a platter, pour over butter and serve.

Serves 4

Delicious, Oct 11

My last piece of advice, what ever you do, don't forget the Hot Chilli Sauce and plenty of ice cold drinks.

Baked Jam Doughnuts

2011-08-12T17:47:00.000+01:00

In all probability ... there is every chance ... that I may have over egged ... just ever so slightly ... the wonderful use I bought my Strawberry and Pimm's Jam to. Let's face it, a booze laden jam, no matter how subtle, is not the condiment for your morning toast ... is it?

This is one of the ways I decided to use said item;

Imagine you can see the centre of jam!

Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

255ml reduced-fat milk

50g unsalted butter, melted

490g plain flour

1 sachet instant dried yeast (7g)

55g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place milk in a heatproof, microwave-safe jug. Microwave on medium-high (75%) for 30 to 40 seconds or until heated through (do not allow to boil). Stir in 15g of the butter. (I don't have a microwave so I simply added the milk and butter to a saucepan and heated over a low heat until the butter started to melt, then I turned the heat off and let the residual heat melt the rest of the butter, you don;t want the milk too hot or it will kill the yeast).

Sift flour into a bowl. Stir in yeast, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Make a well in the centre. Add milk mixture. Mix to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Using your fist, punch dough down (I prefer to use my fingertips to gently press into the dough to release the gas rather than 'punching' the dough back, its a living being after all!) Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Press dough out until 2.5cm thick. Using a 6.5cm cutter, cut 12 rounds from dough. Using a 2.5cm cutter, cut circles from the centre of each round. Place doughnuts, 5cm apart, on prepared tray. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan-forced. Cook doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Brush doughnuts with remaining butter. Dip in sugar mixture, shaking off excess. Place on plates. Serve.

Makes 12
From the Taste Website

· Omit caster sugar and cinnamon. Sift 2/3 cup icing sugar into a bowl. Add 3 to 4 teaspoons lemon juice. Stir to combine. Dip half the doughnut in sugar mixture, then in 100s and 1000s.

So this recipe describes how to make 'proper' doughnut shaped doughnuts but I wanted jam filled doughnuts! In order to do this I just didn't do the part of the step with the 2.5cm cutter and baked them as directed. Once they were baked I filled them with the jam which I had put in a squeezy bottle, that is the beauty of a soft set jam, it can be squeezed no problem at all ;0)

For a first attempt they turned out really well, Hubby loved them! Next time I'll be sure to fill them with a lot more jam, I was a bit tentative in hindsight.

This recipe is going over to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for her Bookmarked Recipes event, which is based on the event first started by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. I hate to think how long I have had this recipe saved for!!

Soft Set Strawberry and Pimms Jam

2011-08-11T19:32:00.000+01:00

I made this jam at the beginning of 'summer' ... or maybe it was just a brief sunny period one June day! Summer has hardly been a spectacular success weather wise but with this jam you'd hardly notice the rain pounding against the window.

Soft Set Strawberry and Pimm's Jam
1.5kg strawberries, hulled and halved if large
1kg bag jam sugar (it has added pectin)
Juice 2 lemons
Juice 1 orange
3 tbsp Pimm's No 1

Put a few saucers into the freezer for later. Put the strawberries into a preserving pan (or your very largest saucepan), then mash roughly with a potato masher, or crush slightly between your fingers and thumbs to make them a little juicy. Stir in the sugar, then put the pan over a very low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are surrounded with red syrup. Don't let it boil. Once the sugar crystals have gone, stir in the lemon and orange juice.

Turn up the heat. Once the jam reaches a foaming fast boil (this will read 105C on a preserving thermometer), set a timer for 10 mins. After 10 mins, put 1 tsp of jam onto one of the frozen saucers, put into the fridge for 1 mins, then push your finger through the jam. If the jam wrinkles, it is ready. If not, boil for another 2 mins and test again. As soon as the jam is ready, remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 30 mins, skim away any scum, then stir in the Pimm's. Ladle into steralised jars. Will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Makes 5 x 450g jars
Good Food Mag, June 11

Stay tuned to discover the 'bestest' way ever to enjoy this jam ...

An Evening At Harvey Nichols Edinburgh 2011

2011-08-09T19:24:00.000+01:00

Last night Harvey Nichols hosted its second ever Foodie Evening at the Fourth Floor Bar and Restaurant (details of the first one can be found here). This year's event has a tropical theme and they did not fail to deliver, complete with a Jamaican Steel Band which really helped to set the scene ... as did the frozen tropical juice and fruit icy poles [lollies or popsicles depending on where you are from!] and the 'Totem' punch made from Pink Grapefruit vodka, pineapple juice and ginger ale ... yum!

There were a number of master classes on offer, the sushi class with Yo! Sushi lead to me trying my first ever sushi ... well ... I've had sushi before, but not sushi with raw salmon ... but I manned up and discovered that there is no way to eat sushi in two small bites!

I've been wanting to try Bubble Tea for the longest time and last night I finally got my opportunity. Bubbleology describe this latest phenomenon as "a wide variety of refreshing flavoured fruit teas and milk teas served ice cold or piping hot with chewy natural tapioca balls that you suck up through a big fat straw! A far cry from a cup, saucer and an elevated little finger!" I tried the strawberry fruit tea ... imagine my disappointment as I discovered that I don't like tapioca balls ;0(

While I was watching one of the Fourth Floor Chef's making garlic aoili, rocket pesto and roasted red pepper dip in the kitchens, some of my companions manged to get a personalised lesson in how to make a milk foam love heart on top of hot chocolate ...

Have you seen this lady at
your local WW meeting lately?

The finished hot chocs ... I may have
had a quick slurp or 6 of the one on the right!

Next up was the Caorunn Gin stall, complete with personalised cocktails.

Or maybe this one should be
directed to the nearest AA meeting!

By now it is habit for me to pay a visit to the Teddy Bear cakes whenever I'm in the area and here is a selection og the gang from last night.

Aren't they the cutest!! Word to the wise though, these bears are definatley made for eating. I bought one at Chrostmas and left him int he fridge in the hopes of preserving him but it didn't work!

At the end of the night was the goodie bag, complete with cupcake, whiskey, coffee, magazines and our very own Harvey Nics Edinburgh apron's which we get to wear throughout the evening. This last picture is one for the Aussies, althought the price tag is enough to remind you of which hemisphere (and shop!) you are in ;0)

Bread In Fife

2011-08-07T16:47:00.000+01:00

The whole gang - Colin, Hilary, Jac and Louise

A couple of weekends ago I spent a fantastic day out with Jac from Tinned Tomatoes and her friend's Hilary and Louise. We spent the day making bread under the tutelage of Colin Lindsay in his B&B which can be found in the very cute little Scottish Village of Freuchie, in Fife and just a quick 30 minute (ish) train ride from Edinburgh. Jac, being the super organised yummy mummy that she is, has already posted her round up for the day complete with some wonderful photo's so please head over to her blog where Jac has paid the day far more justice than I can!

Shaping Oatcakes ... not too sure he'll
thank me for publishing this one!

Preparing the Rye Bread for baking

We started the day by sampling some of Colin's home made Oatcakes, which we later got the chance to make as a group. I think these are going to be in the Christmas Hamper for the girl's this year, no more store bought oatcakes for them! They seriously bought any oatcake you have ever tasted before to shame. As a group we also made a Rye Loaf, the method for making this being a bit different to a 'regular' bread dough as it is far too gloopy to knead by hand.

Wholemeal dough proving in the banneton

The finished articles ...

And the tin baked version.

Then we got to work on some wholemeal loaves, one made in a tin and the other in banneton, which is a wicker proving basket. My dough was made following the 'master recipe' while Hilary and Jac added 'Old Dough' or 'Mother Dough' to theirs and Colin and Louise added sourdough to theirs, to help vary the flavour and texture of each of the breads.

Griddling the Staffordshire Oatcakes

Heaven in prep mode! Yum!

While the dough for the wholemeal loaves was proving, Colin made some Staffordshire Oatcakes, which I have to admit somewhat stole the show for me. A-Mazing!!! We tried them firstly with some honey drizzled over but the piece de resistance had to be eating them warm for lunch in the garden with ripe juicy tomatoes and parmesan cheese sprinkled over. They were so good I've managed to track down a local supply of the Oatmeal Colin used so I can make them myself.

Top tip: Press your thumb into the top of the shaped
rolls before baking to ensure an even rise while baking.

My finished babies!

After lunch we baked the wholemeal loaves and made bread rolls. This was the one of the highlights of the day for me, previously my attempts at making bread rolls have been comical to say the least! Colin taught us how to shape them into the perfect little rolls, all smooth and regular shaped with no unsightly seams to ruin their shape or rise. Woo hoo!

We each used different flours in our rolls and then got to sample one of each at the end, my favourite bread rolls were made by Jac using Shipton Mills Three Malts and Sunflower Brown Flour, a rich earthy flavour with loads of texture from the three malts speckled through.

We came home with bags stuffed to the gunnel's with completed bread ... not to mention belly's stuffed full too! I highly recommend this course to anybody in the area who maybe searching for some friendly tuition on the subject of bread making. And if your not from the area then why not come for the weekend and stay at the B&B too!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

2011-08-07T09:18:00.001+01:00

I've always wanted to try a Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. I remember watching a black and white movie one rainy Sunday afternoon when I was maybe 9, don't ask me the name of the movie or for the general plot or end result because I can't remember! What I can remember is that the heroine of the piece had been hotly pursued by the hero (who was very handsome and had me swooning from the start!) and about half way through finally consented to a date. She had strawberry shortcake for dessert which I thought was ever so elegant and grown up and I vowed to myself that when I was old enough to go out on a date I too would have strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Of course that never happened, I think my first date was probably to McDonalds! So when I saw this recipe recently on Martha Stewart's Cookie Of The Day site I knew I had to try them.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
275g strawberries, hulled and cut into 1cm dice (chopped weight)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
115g caster sugar
355g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
85g cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
165ml double cream
sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 190C. Combine strawberries, lemon juice and 30g of the caster sugar. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining caster sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers (I actually did this in the food processor), until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cream until a dough starts to form, then stir in the strawberry mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop (Martha says to use a 1 1/2 inch scoop, I used a regular ice cream scoop which was a lot bigger) or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with baking parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if using, and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 mins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cookies are best served immediately but can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 day.

Makes about 3 dozen (I got 18 cookies, using a much larger scoop)
Martha Stewart's Cookie Of The Day

These were delish, although I think calling them a cookie is maybe a stretch too far. They are more scone like than cookie. Martha says these are best eaten immediately, but I think they are equally as nice the next day. These will definitely be made again.

Peanut Butter Brownies

2011-08-05T22:20:00.000+01:00

The boys in my team at work have been having a bit of a rough week it, tight deadlines and high pressure riding on their young shoulders. After a stint of having to stay back till half one in the morning I took pity on them and decided to bake them some brownies. Chocolate combined with Peanut Butter (and a fair amount of sugar!) certainly put the smiles back on their faces ... not to mention the cheek back in their banter!

Peanut Butter Brownies
225g crunchy peanut butter (I used smooth because that's what I had in the cupboard!)
200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
280g soft light brown sugar
3 medium eggs
100g SR flour

Sr aside 50g each of the peanut butter and chocolate. Heat the oven to 180C / fan 160C and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking parchment. Gently melt remaining peanut butter, chocolate and all the sugar in a pn, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has just about melted. Turn off heat and use a wooden spoon to beat in the eggs one by one. Stir in the flour and scrape into the tin.

Melt reserved peanut butter in the microwave on high for 45 secs, or in a pan, until runny, then drizzle over the brownie. Bake for 30-35 mins until it has a crust, but the middle still seems slightly uncooked.

Melt the reserved chocolate, drizzle over the brownie, then cool in the tin before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 squares
Good Food Mag, May 11

Home-Made 99's with Clotted Cream Ice Cream

2011-08-04T18:33:00.000+01:00

I can't believe my little blog turn's 2 today!!! The birthday nearly passed me by, but reading C's post over at Cake, Crumbs and Cooking the other day jogged my memory ... thanks C! So with no special post planned I think now is the time to share with you one of the most delicious ice cream's I've ever come across ... well ... all ice cream is delicious, but this one has clotted cream in it and it reminds me of the Devonshire Ice Cream we used to get at my Granny's house when I was little!

Clotted Cream Ice Cream
250ml whole milk
3 large free range eggs
150g caster sugar
227g tub clotted cream
250ml double cream
Ice cream cones and flakes, to finish

Gently heat the milk in a saucepan, bringing it almost to the boil, then remove from the heat. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together, then slowly pour over the hot milk, stirring continuously. Pour the mixture back into the cleaned pan and cook slowly over a gentle heat, stirring continuously, until it forms a custard thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. pour through a sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Put the clotted cream in a bowl and beat to loosen. Put the double cream in another bowl and whip until it starts to form soft peaks. Fold both into the cooled custard, then spoon into an ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, spoon the mixture into a 2 litre container and freeze for 3 hours, then whisk with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Freeze for another 3 hours. Repeat this process 2-3 times, then freeze for 2 hours until semi solid.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave to soften for a few mins. Scoop into cones and finish each with a half stick of flake.

Makes 1 litre of ice cream, enough for 10 cones
Delicious, Aug 11

White Chocolate and Strawberry Centre Muffins

2011-08-02T17:44:00.000+01:00

The danger of working across the road from a supermarket is that every time I pop in for a pint of milk after work I always end up buying other bits and pieces too. My current obsession seems to strawberries, which is kind of stupid seeing as I have 8 strawberry plants on the balcony. This means there will be a few post coming up featuring said berry!

White Chocolate Strawberry Centre Muffins

375g SR flour

1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g golden caster sugar

250g white chocolate, roughly chopped

3 large eggs, beaten

150g butter, melted

200g natural yoghurt

2 tbsp milk

12 strawberries, hulled

1 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar and chocolate in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Beat together the eggs, melted butter, yogurt and milk, then stir briskly into the dry ingredients. Don’t worry if it’s a bit lumpy. Its important not to overmix, otherwise the muffins will lose their lightness.

Divide the mixture among the cases, then push a strawberry into each muffin, making sure its completely enclosed by the batter. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, then bake for 20-25 mins until golden. Cool in the tin for 5 mins before lifting on to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 12

Delicious, June 11

These are pretty delicious muffins, but then anything with white chocolate and strawberries will always score pretty highly on my list ;0)

I followed the recipe to the letter and used the mixture to make 12 muffins, as you can see these made for some pretty big muffins, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but next time I'd maybe stretch the mixture further and make one or two more.

A Letter To Caterpillar's

2011-07-31T10:49:00.000+01:00

Dear Caterpillar's

I write to advise you that your squatters rights to my pot of mint have now been revoked and eviction proceedings have begun. I was disheartened to find that our agreement for cohabitation no longer meets your requirements and that you felt the need to move friend's and family in without my knowledge or consent. As you have now eaten me out of house and home (namely tonight's dinner of Pea Tagliatelle with Mint Pesto ... not to mention Hubby's Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream!) you and your kin have outstayed their welcome. I attach pictures for your reference of the damage that has been caused.

In an attempt to keep the eviction proceedings amicable, each odius villain has been presented with a free flying lesson ... from the ledge of my third floor balcony ... I trust this remuneration is an acceptable way for you to all find new abodes. If our paths should ever cross again then I feel it is only fair to provide you with advance warning that court proceedings will be instigated ... at
dawn ... when there are hungry birds aplenty!

The Terracotta Pot after removing the ravaged leaves!

You, of course, have the right of response which will be accepted in writing within 14 days from the date at the top of this letter and should be addressed to;
Terracotta Mint Pot
3rd Floor Balcony
Chocolate Teapot Kitchen Garden
TT01 FN01

An older sibling perhaps?

Kind Regards
Chele and Hubby

PS - This morning's attempt to migrate to the Strawberry Pot are futile and shall be meet with resistance ... don't make me break out the chemicals!

Vive le Cheese and Wine Tasting Night

2011-07-30T08:15:00.000+01:00

Back at the beginning of June I was invited along to a French Cheese and Wine Tasting night held at Peckhams in Glasgow. The evening was hosted by Phoebe Weller (Roving Fromagière and general cheese whiz) and was designed to take us on a taste Tour de France, sampling 10 cheeses which Phoebe expertly match with French grape varietal wines, like chardonnay and merlot.

Phoebe Weller

Now I have to admit that this kind of event isn't normally my cup of tea. Cheese is great and all but at the end of the meal there is never a dilemma for me to pick between dessert or the cheese platter, dessert wins hands down every time. And as for wine ... well I am one of those people who can't drink the stuff, I get the hang over while half way through the first class ... make mine a cocktail please! So you may be wondering why on earth I attended such an event, well my Sis In Law loves cheese and wine, and as a general rule, she is one of those people who will pick the cheese platter over a dessert, and as I could take a friend along with me I knew she would enjoy the evening. The other plus was that Jac from Tinned Tomatoes was also going to be there!

The Whole Gang

Sis in Law and I arrived ~~stylishly~~ late, thanks to the increasingly unreliable train service (at least it was just a signal fault at Waverley Station and not the latest debacle of a derailed train!) so we missed the first two cheeses, for a full list please head over to Jac's post for all the details. What I can tell you though is that the two blue cheeses we tasted right at the end of the evening were my all time favourites, Bleu de Causses and Bleu d'Auvergne. Although I was surprised by how salty they both were, the first was great on Oat Cakes (kindly provided in my goody bag from the evening!) and the second was lovely in Four Cheese Gnocchi.

Blue Cheese!

The evening was also a great opportunity to meet other food bloggers and I was delighted to be able to meet the faces behind The Glasgow Food Blog, Briony and her brand spanking new Husband!! (We all know how much I love a good wedding story!)

Jac and I (don't be fooled by that glass of wine in my hand, its a prop! Lol)

Light Brioche Burger Buns

2011-07-28T17:57:00.000+01:00

This is a post I have been meaning to share for ages! There is actually quite a queue of waiting posts forming ;0(

Anyhoo, moving swiftly on, this is a recipe I found over on Foodqawker and had to try it straight away. So far it is the best home made burger bun recipe I've come across, although my roll shaping technique will hopefully improve following on from the Bread Making course I attended last weekend with Jac from Tinned Tomatoes (yes ... that is another post I am still to write up! Sigh). I found the dough quite wet and difficult to shape into rolls as directed in the recipe so resorted to just 'dolloping' the mixture onto the baking sheets. Shaped to perfection or not, the result is lovely light and tasty bread rolls, the perfect size to house a burger or snag straight from the barbie. Wish I had a photo of them in all their glory stuffed to the gunnel's with all our barbie fare but I am afraid we all devoured them before I even stopped to think about the camera!

Light Brioche Burger Buns

50ml warm milk (40-45C)

250ml warm water (40-45C)

1 sachet (7g) active dry yeast

40g caster sugar

1 large egg

445g strong bread flour

70g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

40g unsalted butter, at room temp

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp water

1 tsp sesame seeds

Combine milk, water, yeast and sugar and stir well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until the top is foamy. In a small bowl, lightly beat the large egg.

In the large work bowl of a mixer, stir together both flours and salt. Cut in butter until crumbs form. Add the egg and yeast mixture to the flour. Mix together with the dough hook attachment on low. Once combined, increase the speed to medium until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (or you can knead by hand, in which case it will take you 8-10 mins). The finished dough will be slightly sticky (do not add additional flour).

Transfer the dough to a clean work area and form into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, seam side down, turn once to coat the dough in the oil entirely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in size, between 1-2 hours.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a clean work area. Punch the dough down, then let rest for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough equally into 10 sections and shape each into a ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough balls to the baking sheet, spacing them about 5cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray. Let rise for an additional 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 200C. Bake rolls for 7 mins.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush the egg wash on top of each bun. Sprinkle the buns with sesame seeds. Bake (remember to turn the baking sheets when returning the roll's to the oven to ensure even baking), until tops are golden brown, about 8-10 mins more. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 10 Burger Buns

Stolen from Pass The Sushi