Baking Made Easy

I Can't Believe You Made That Cake

I had pre-ordered this book, as you know me I have a bit of a liking for baking books! Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascal published by Harper Collins 2011. It accompanies a TV series shown first on BBC2 here, and she is worth watching. She is a former model and now runs Ella’s Bakery in London. Lorraine is very enthusiastic and conveys how to do things in an easy and laid back way.

She has her feet firmly planted in classic baking, but she is also creative and adds modern touches here and there. The recipes all have a little introduction to set the scene. The layout is white and clean, good photography too. There isn’t a picture to go with every single recipe. I must tell you that the recipes are not all sweet either, there are lots of sweet recipes, but there are also many savoury ones.

Chapters are: * Breads * Cakes* Savoury Baking* Desserts and Patisserie* Dinner Party* Sweet Treats* and *Basics. The recipes from the series are in the book, which is good, as last year I was annoyed when a tie in cookbook didn’t have the recipes I bought the book for (but that’s another story…).

It’s a good book, and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve made so far. Next on the to make list are Mini Tiramisu (cupcakes) and they look very good indeed I can tell you (!) and also her Big Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

A little taster of recipes are: Victoria Sandwich, Stout and Stilton Bread Rolls, Pear Tart Tatin, Pork Pies with Cider, Gluten Free Irish Cream Coffee Cake, Mojito Genoise, Sun Dried Tomato and Rosemary Palmiers, Banana Loaf with Rum and Pecans and the only non baked recipe White Chocolate and Amaretti Cheesecake.
Here are my first makes:

I Can’t Believe You Made That Chocolate Cake
I sourced the cigarillos online, and I have to tell you they are not for everyday, as they are pricey, I was £18 (including P&P) for the amount I needed for the cake. Lorraine says you could use Cadbury Flakes too which would be another option. Though, even if you didn’t bother with the chocolate curl collar, this cake would still be good and worth making with just the cake, icing and raspberries on top. A great little chocolate cake recipe, moist and delicious. Recipe here.

Pumpkin and Rosemary Muffins
I made these to go with soup, and I just put them in cupcake cases which they stuck too! This is not what was suggested, and is my own fault. Pretty muffins, and a sweet- savoury pull from the honey, pumpkin and rosemary. Recipe here.

Flapjacks
Hubby is the main flapjack muncher in our house and he liked them a lot, there is a little bit of ginger and lemon zest in them which adds a little depth of flavour without overtaking the actual flapjack. Recipe here.

Quick Chicken with Lemon Thyme and Butternut Squash
Quick, easy, and good. The gravy was really very delicious.

Macaroons
This is the only recipe for macaroons that I have made where you have not been instructed to blitz the sugar and ground almonds in a processor. I think the cooked shells looked a little rough because of this, but the flavour was good. I coloured mine dusky pink (and the colour came out ok!) and sandwiched them together with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Mmm. Recipe here.

Next Up: Cake Slice Bakers
Next Review: Baked New Frontiers in Baking

Hairy Bikers’ Best-Loved Recipes Mum’s Still Know Best

Grandma Sindy's Ginger Snacking Sponge
It was with much excitement that I took delivery of my pre-ordered new cookbook. The Hairy Bikers’ Best –Loved Recipes Mum’s Still Know best! by Si King and Dave Myers. I enjoyed the first series and cookbook a lot, and hoped this one would be one to love too.
This second book is done in much the same style and layout as the first. Mixture of recipes from Mums up and down the country, plus others from Si and Dave. Recipes from home and also further afield. Nice introductions to the recipes, to set the scene. Almost every recipe is illustrated with a picture too. There is a good mixture of stapes recipes, like spaghetti bolgonese, steamed sponge pudding, macaroni cheese mixed with others that are a little different.
I was hoping for more biscuit recipes, as my very favourite recipe from the first book was Mrs Miller’s Empire Biscuits. I was looking for another fabulous biscuit in this one, and my only criticism of this new book is that although there are numerous cakes, I would have liked to have seen more biscuits.
Chapters are:* Comforting Food * Al Fresco* Taste of Home* Lazy Weekends* High Tea* Distant Shores* Posh Nosh* and *Family Classics*.
This one is definitely worth a whirl if you liked the first book, but you wouldn’t need to have the first to enjoy this second one. Lots of recipes to feed the family, maybe get a few new recipes into your routine.
I’ve picked out a lot more savoury recipes in this book to make, but having said that I was true to form and tried a pudding first – Eve’s Pudding. Gorgeous it was too. I’m also looking forward to trying Mom’s Hockey Puck Meatloaf - I couldn’t help but laugh! and a divine looking Italian Pear and Chocolate cake. Everything I’ve made so far we have enjoyed – and I’d make again.

Eve’s Pudding and Custard
A very nice recipe for this classic. You don’t need to cook the apples first, just bake altogether, this has the bonus that the apples are soft, but chunky at the same time, and I liked that. In the intro to the recipe Si and Dave intimate that neither they nor the biblical Adam could fail to be tempted by this apple pudding. I would have to say my hubby, who it would be fair to say sees a fairly wide ranging array of puddings (being married to a cook like me) was very pleased with it – and seconds were required! If I wasn’t counting what I’m eating I’d have had seconds as well. Custard was good too, good taste and excellent texture, will add a little more sugar next time though.

The Jones Boys’ Favourite Chicken & Mushroom Crumble
This was something quite different for me, a savoury crumble. It has a tin of condensed mushroom soup in it. I’m ok with this as an ingredient in a recipe now and again , but if you are sniffy about it, maybe best avoid this one. Still, the soup is just one of the things in the sauce and the overall effect is a creamy mushroom chicken dish topped by a savoury crumble with cheese. A yummy comforting tummy filler.

Grandma Sindy’s Ginger Snacking Sponge
A very simple recipe this one, the batter is really runny, but the cake is really lovely. Nice rise, airy texture – but oh so sticky and gingery, yum! I remember when I was little my own Gramdma used to serve a ginger cake with a creamy filling. I’ve been looking for a recipe for a long time, but they have never been right. I’m going to bake this one in sandwich tins and see how it goes – I’ve got high hopes. This one is good the day it’s baked, better after a day or two. Low fat too if that’s of interest to you.

Tomato Soup
Another really easy recipe, particularly as I blended it with a stick blender. Not quite the famous tinned tomato soup taste, but it’s definitely going down that road. We loved it. I used fruit sugar, and thought this worked well.

Meatballs in Gravy
These were good - a blast from the past, but only better. The gravy is more appealing to adults than children due to the red wine, hubby and I loved them. I’ve made the recipe easier, by oven baking the meatballs. This works for me on three levels: (1)keeps the meatballs round, (2) really moist and (3) saves me pan frying them, a kitchen job that I do not like. Worth a go. Mash and a vegetable are the obvious choices for this dish. I went with new potatoes and veg, to keep the eating regime in check, as I can go a bit mad with good mash!

Meatballs in Gravy
My adaptation of Si and Dave’s recipe from The Hairy Bikers’ Best –Loved recipes Mum’s Still Know Best published 2011 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson. I use plain scone crumbs instead of breadcrumbs, as I’m intolerant to yeast – but do revert it back to breadcrumbs if that suits you better. I also used two tablespoons of Heinz tomato sauce instead of 1 tablespoon of tomato puree in the gravy.

Serves 4
Meatballs
250g lean steak mince
250g minced pork
1 small onion very finely chopped
a squeeze of garlic puree (or 1 garlic clove finely chopped)
25g scone crumbs (or breadcrumbs)
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
Heat the oven to 180. Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl, until really well blended. Then roll the mixture into about 20 similar sized balls. Place onto an oven proof tray or dish. Drizzle over the oil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked.

Gravy
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon plain flour
150ml red wine
300ml beef stock made with 1 beef stock cube
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (like Heinz)
Meanwhile, to make the gravy, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes to soften. Stir often. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring all the time. Slowly add the red wine, followed by the stock and tomato sauce, stirring all the time. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add the meatballs into the gravy and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes until all is piping hot – still stirring now and then. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if it needs it .

Next Up: Review and first makes from Lorraine Pascal’s Baking Made Easy

Coffee and Heath (Dime) Bar Cake - The Cake Slice Bakers February 2011

Yum!

I am very excited to have been able to join The Cake Slice Bakers group! Thank you for having me. It’s a fabulous idea, the group chooses a cookbook and bakes something from it every month for a year. Given my tendency to ‘cook’ books, it just sounds just perfect for me.

Ready to go.
The book that the group is baking from now until September this year, is Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. A book brimming with lovely American cakes.

Ready to bake in the oven.
The chosen cake this month comes from the Crumb Cakes chapter and is a Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Cake. Now, some US coffee cakes don’t have any coffee in them, but are meant to be served with a cup of coffee. This one actually does have a coffee sponge cake with a streusel topping on top. Grinding the coffee and Daim (Dime) Bars for chopping
I made a couple of substitutions, I can’t take shakey caffinated coffee at all, so de-cafe coffee granules, which I ground in a pestle and mortar to powder – instead of espresso powder, and also 5 Dime (Daim) bars for 4 American Heath bars. They will always be Dime bars to me! Lovely cake, very moist and the crunchy topping of toffee and chocolate was fabulous. A couple of days later the little bit that was left became even more moist and the topping less crunchy, but when leftover slices were heated up in the microwave brifely the topping became nice and gooey. My cake was eaten for a pudding and some eaters wanted cream with it and some didn’t. I preferred it without, to let every bit of the coffee-toffee-chocolate flavours come through.

The crispy bits fround the edge were so delicious.

Do check out the Cake Slice Bakers Blogroll for more gorgeous takes on this lovely cake. Can’t wait for next months one!

Care for a slice?
Next post: Book review and first cooks from The Hairy Bikers Mum’s Still Know Best.

Third Helpings of Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen

Red Velvet Cake

Next instalment of cooking from Kitchen Recipes form the Heart of the Home by Nigella Laswon. I’m still happily cooking from it, so do expect more in the future!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
I’ve made this one several times now, it a fast route to sweet and sour chicken, easily done on a busy weeknight. This is not least because the sauce is just stirred together in a jug before actually cooking it. It’s not the same as Ching-He Huang’s one that I make, but then it in turn isn’t as easy for a weeknight either – so they both have their place in my kitchen

Baked Seafood
I just did this with prawns, because that as what looked best on the day I made it, think I’ll add in some salmon next time too. It was good, the pan juices really made it.

Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake
Well I don’t suppose it’s much of a surprise that we loved this one given our liking for the pairing of chocolate and orange. It disappeared quickly – not even a slice left for next day.

Cheesy Chilli
Wouldn’t make this one again. It didn’t work for me on three levels, the chilli itself was not flavourful enough, the cheese was bland here, and it in turn made the whole chilli a bit water-y. Can’t love them all.

Bolognese Risotto
This one by contrast was absolutely superb. The mix bubbles ferociously when the meat sauce is added, and do watch it doesn’t spark you, as I got a little burn. Still, it is so worth making, I used beef stock and missed out the anchovies- and it was so just so good.

Risotto Cakes
I had a bit of leftovers so made the risotto cakes appended to the recipe, and although they weren’t as good as the initial risotto (but that would have very hard really), they were a nice supper to use up what was left.

Bacon and Egg Salad
I’ve been making this for ages, a go to lunch. Nigella’s method for boiling eggs works a treat, they are a good texture. I do my boiled eggs a la Nigella now.

Franks in Blanks
Don’t make these if you are on a diet – they are oddly compulsive. Nigella does warn us of this in her introduction, and it’s true. I’ve made (although assembled is more like it) these so many times both with full fat puff pastry and also the lower fat puff that has appeared in the shops recently. Both were good. We did try the mustard dipping sauce, but it blew my head off with its fiery intensity. On two or three occasions I did try watering the heat down a bit, but in our house Heinz tomato ketchup is the order of the day apparently!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheesecake
This is very very rich. Too rich for my tastes, and I’m not averse to butter and cream. It did have a lovely texture though. Hubby really disliked it, so won’t do this one again.

Korean Keema
Oh how I’m addicted to this. I’ve surprised myself, being a self confessed chilli wimp. If I haven’t made this for a couple of weeks I feel I must have it again. Pretty healthy too.

Chorizo and Chicken Bake
This one is very easy and full of flavour. A green vegetable and your are set for a feast.

Red Velvet Cake
I’ve posted about this recipe as cupcakes before, and this is it in cake form. I made for a Birthday cake, as was requested, and it’s just as good in cake form. You can really see the red this way. I decorated it with sprinkles and edible glitter, would be nice as a Christmas time party cake too. I thought it was beautiful!

Next Up: Cake Slice Bakers, very excited to be baking with this group!
Followed by my Next Review : The Hairy Bikers new one: Mum’s Still Know Best by Si King and Dave Myers. I've made a few recieps from this one already, and looking forward th sharing with you.

Macarons by Annie Rigg – Book Review

I seem to have a bit of a macaron obsession going on at the moment, this is my 9th macaron cookbook (!) and a lovely little one it is too. Macarons Chic & Delicious French Treats by Annie Rigg, published by Ryland, Peters and Small in January 2011 (64 pages).
Annie Rigg is a new author to me, and I found this one after being given her Gifts for Cooks in December. I’ve followed it up with her Holiday Cupcakes (fabulous ideas there, will come back to the one later in the year) and have also pre-ordered her ‘Fabulous Brownies’ book due out in April 2011.
This book is done as many macaron books are – with a basic recipe at the beginning that is used throughout the main flavour variation recipes. There is a step by step with this main recipe. It’s for macarons made by using an electric whisk and processor, but doesn’t need the sugar syrup that some other books recipes do. You’ll need a piping bag too.
Pages are very nicely done, and there are pictures of all the main macarons recipes. Annie gives some more ideas of mix and match combinations of shells and fillings from throughout the book which are not pictured. Measurements are metric and U.S. The only thing I think the author should have done that she hasn’t in this book is to say that when you are colouring the macaron mixture that you need to make it darker than you want it to be when baked.
Chapters are: The Basics * Fruit & Flowers * Coffee, Caramel & Chocolate * Nuts & Spice and all Things Nice.

The first one I’ve tried was her mint and dark chocolate macarons, which I changed by adding some peppermint extract to the filling as it wasn’t quite strong enough for us with just a mint infused syrup mixed with chocolate. It was a delicious macaron though, and something a little different to have after dinner either with or instead of chocolates. I didn’t colour the mix a strong enough green, so my macarons were a mild green colour, but I live and learn.
The author provides some gorgeous sounding recipes for example: Blueberry and Vanilla, Cappucino, Coconut and Mango or Violet creams.
Next up on my list are Chocolate and Passion Fruit macarons, Strawberries and Cream macarons and Blackberry and Apple ones which have two different coloured shells, violet and green with a crème patesserie and fruit filling.

A little note for regular readers. I’m still doing my multiple pictured usual format posts, but wanted to find a way to include lots of books that I like - and still be able to fit my clothes! So you’ll now also find review posts like this one, with just one or two pictures, as well as the norm.

Next up: Third helpings from Nigella Kitchen.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year

New Year dawns,
With its cold Winter light.

But that doesn’t matter,
The future can be bright.

Life is fleeting,
Grab onto it with both hands.

If that is too much,
Just do what you can.

I had intended to post this earlier, but at least it’s still January ! Hope you all have a Happy New Year.

New post next week about Annie Rigg’s Macarons.

Lotte’s Country Kitchen

Dodie's Chocolate Torte

Lotte’s Country Kitchen by Lotte Duncan. This is a new book which came out at the end of the Summer this year, and I’d been looking forward to it for ages. Some of the ladies and myself, from a food forum we all belong to, helped to test a few of the recipes for Lotte, and it was fun to do so.
Anyhow, I would have been looking forward to it even if I hadn’t helped, as I’ve looked before online for a number of years to try and find a book by Lotte. Anyone who used to watch Good Food show on the food channel as it was will remember Lotte, she always made dishes that I thought I’d like to give a try and seemed like a fun and vivacious girl into the bargain.
Lotte’s food is primarily from this country, and it’s refreshing I think to see someone pioneer British or English cooking. Not that she is the first to do so, by any means; but she is really good at making traditional dishes suitable for our tastes now, while giving more than a passing nod to what is good about our traditional food and cooking.
The book is presented divided into months, and is therefore pretty seasonal. There isn’t a lot of baking recipes, but the ones that there are look lovely. What there is though, are loads of main courses, lunches and glorious puddings to get your taste buds watering. Lotte has a fun writing style, and my family were in stitches when I read aloud the bit about her two cats! Anyhow it’s a great book, and one that I have a feeling will creep it’s way into my favourites with ease. I’m certain there will be a second helping post about this book in the future.

A lovely gift too for a food loving friend. Well, in my opinion anyhow, and you know me, I do love a good cookbook!!
Here are some of the dishes I’ve cooked so far. I’ve also made fish pie with the girls, lamb with plums and rosemary dumplings and smoked haddock & spring onion stuffed potatoes. Lovely and divine they all were too.

Cheeky Olives
These are tasty little savoury morsels, just the thing to nibble on.

Cheesy Biscuits
Seriously addictive! I like them best just cooled, fresh, out of the oven. I tried to make mine look like sand dollars, but sprinkling them would also be just the thing. I’m not sure what came over me…

Autumn Chicken Pie
You would not believe the difference the butternut squash made to this pie, yum!

Daisy’s Banana Bread
A classic banana bread.

Dodie's Chocolate Torte
Rich, but delicious, I needed to put my chocolate cream in the fridge before spreading it onto the bottom layer.

Annie's Rose Chicken
Creamy, subtle and good.

Chocolate Mess
What a cheat this one is, as Lotte freely admit, but honestly it didn’t taste like it! Mmmm.