Taste Le Tour - Review

This is a lovely little cookbook. Taste Le Tour Regional French Cuisine by Gabriel Gate published by Hardie Grant in 2011. It’s pretty – look at the cover, it looks like a pretty box

from an exquisite French patisserie shop. The cover is a little puffy too and this emphasises the luxury effect. It’s called Taste le Tour, as it is a book that travels through the different regions in France that the actual Tour de France bicycle race travels to. The difference being that you don’t need to be able to tackle the big race itself, you get to travel via your own cooker!

I think it’s a charming book, not only because I like pink things (!), but also because of its layout and charming illustrations by Francophile artist Antonia Pesanti. There are no photographs of the finished dishes, but there are some drawings of sweet dishes at the back. Antonia’s drawings give a delightful backdrop to the book.

Gabriel Gate is a Frenchman who trained as a chef in France before moving to Australia. He is now a cooking teacher, author and TV presenter. The food is presented in a classic format with chapters being: *Soups, Entrees and Vegetables* Fish and Seafood* Poultry and Rabbit* Beef, Lamb and Pork* and *Cakes and Desserts.

Now is the perfect time to cook from this book as July is the month of the Tour de France race. Though it would be a shame only to use it for one month of the year! The food is classically French and Gabriel’s recipes are easy to follow, I made three dishes (see below) and we liked them all. He tells you on each recipe which area it comes from. Some of the other dishes I have marked to try are: Silverbeet Gratin, Provencal Vegetable Bake, Chicken Casserole cooked in Reisling, Lamb Casserole with Green Olives, Summer Fruit Mousse and Raspberry Tartlettes. Here are the three I tried:

Raspberry Trifles

I made this as one big trifle. It comprises a cooked custard (crème patisserie), trifle sponges, raspberries and a little orange and Cointreau. The custard and cream are folded together for an easy trifle topping - and a delicious one too.

Prawns the Parisian Way

This should have been scallops the Parisian way, but when I went shopping there were no scallops… so prawns it was. A veloute sauce enriched with cream, egg yolk and cheese. It did indeed taste very chic and Parisiene. It was fast too. I’m going to make it again soon.

Apricot Compote

I love apricots, but they taste a whole lot better if they have been cooked. The sweet poaching liquid was flavoured with lemon, orange and vanilla. I took out some for little one, and then more or less followed the recipe by adding in a little Amaretto (instead of Armagnac). They were really delicious with or without the alcohol.

Next Review up: Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

Zebra Cake - Cake Slice Bakers July 2011

This months cake is still from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman published by The Taunton Press 2009. It’s something I’ve been meaning to try for ages, so was pleased to give it a whirl.

Short and sweet from me this month! It’s vanilla cake and chocolate cake mixtures dropped into the pan in spoonfulls, to give a bulls eye effect, which looks stripey when the cake is cut into. Mine wasn’t perfect by any means, but there was a definite stripe in it, wavy like a zebra’s coat. It was fun to give it a whirl, and now that I’ve at long last tried the technique, I must get round to giving a stripey cheesecake recipe I have been meaning to try a go too.

Do have a look at the Cake Slice Bakers blogroll, some of the zebra cakes are really awesome!

Next review up: Taste le Tour

Custard Cream Button Biscuits

Custard Cream Buttons

I’ve been following Ed’s blog for a while now. He won the British Bake Off competition on TV in 2010. He also has a cookbook due out later this year. A few weeks ago he posted about custard creams that he had made, and they looked fabulous. Now, I have made custard creams before but they included cheap white fat, and I really didn’t like the mouth feel that this gave at the end of the biscuit. Ed used all butter in his, and I thought why not? – I’ve been meaning to play around with the white fat issue for ages now, because I do like a custard cream. In fact just typing this I fancy making them again – right this minute!

In Ed’s pictures the biscuits look like little button discs, one of the commenters on his post said so, and I thought so too. So I took this one small step further and marked them to look like actual buttons with a round cutter and a cocktail stick (pick) for the ‘holes’. The following recipe is the one Ed has on his blog, with the exception of some milk that I added to the filling. To see Ed’s neater piped filling, and quite honestly better pictures than mine do have a look at his post here. We really enjoyed these.

Custard Creams

225g plain flour

50g custard powder

30g icing sugar

175g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Filling

50g unsalted butter, room temperature

200g icing sugar

2 tablespoons custard powder

25ml milk

(1) To make the biscuits place the flour, custard powder, icing sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the butter and vanilla bean paste and pulse until the mixture begins to come together. Tip the mixture out onto the work surface and bring together into a uniform mass with your hands. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

(2) Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll to a thickness of 3-4mm. Cut out small rounds about 3cm in diameter, place on a Place on a baking parchment lined baking tray. Next mark half of them with the tines of a fork two or three times, not going all the way through. Now, to make the ‘buttons’ take a smaller circular cutter and press into the unmarked rounds, again not going all the way through. Finally take a cocktail stick and make 4 button holes in the center of the ‘buttons’. Refrigerate the trays for 15 minutes or until firm. Whilst chilling preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes or until just starting to colour around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

(3) For the filling place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy about 5 minutes then slowly incorporate the icing sugar and custard powder and beat in high until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the 25ml of milk, if you think it needs it. To make it smooth and spreadable

(4) Spread the butter cream with a knife onto half of the biscuits, the plain half! Sandwiching them together with the top ‘button’ biscuits. Or Place the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a small plain and pipe the filling instead.

Next Review up: Taste Le Tour

The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days - Review

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

After the success of their first cookbook, last year, here is the second offering on the cookbook front from the famous bakery. The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days by Tarek Malouf and the Hummingbird Bakers published by Collins in 2011.

A very nice book it is bigger than the first one. Plenty of pictures of the finished baked goods too. It has a good layout, with different colours used in pretty ways. Cupcakes, cakes, loaf cakes, savoury muffins and more. This book takes you through a year at the bakery, and this is clearly reflected in the flavours of the baked goods in the various chapters. The chapters are: Valentine’s Day* Spring Weekend Bakes* Mother’s and Father’s Day* Easter* Summer afternoon Tea* Birthdays and Celebrations* Rainy Day Treats* Halloween and Bonfire Night* and Christmas.

I couldn’t wait to get baking from this one! They say the cupcake is waning in its popularity; well not in my heart, head and kitchen it’s not!! Sticky Toffee Cupcakes were my first bake, and they were closely followed by the next two here that I’ve tried. My friend Kate made and gives the thumbs up to the apple and walnut cupcakes too.

Some of the other recipes I have marked to try are: Apple Blosson Cupcakes, Caramel Cupcakes, Rose Cupcakes, Lemonade Cupcakes, Pea, Ham and Feta Cheese Muffins, Gingerbread Cupcakes and Apple Crumble Cupcakes – to name but a few..

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

Goodness these are so good they are dangerous! Hubby has declared this as his favourite cupcake ever, ever, EVER! Mind you it’s with good reason, moist sponge with the gorgeous mejool dates I used providing contrast and a dulce de leche buttercream frosting. I topped them with a few more chopped mejools. There was a lot of icing left over, and I’d halve it next time. There will be a next time, I think these might become hubs ‘birthday cake’ this year. I didn’t work out how many calories these have, and I definitely don’t want to know, it would spoil the joy! What I will say though is that I would have bought the book for this recipe alone.

Malteser Cupcakes

As if to contrast the success of the first one, this one didn’t do it at all for us, the cake was neither chocolate-y or malt-y enough and the frosting was just not sweet enough. Can’t win them all.

Banoffee Whoopies

This one however was another hit. I’ve been working myself up to making whoopie pies for some time now, and they are fabulous. They are really filling so small to medium in size would be better than large – well that’s what I think anyhow. Cakey, creamy, moist – delicious!

Next Up: Custard Creams

Next Review: Taste Le Tour

Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips - CSB June 2011

It’s the twentieth of the month – Cake Slice Baker time!

This cake, again, comes from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman published by The Taunton Press 2009. For the first time when the Cake Slice members voted on which cake for us all to bake there was a draw. Two choices to bake: Lime Chiffon Cake or Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips.

I chose to make the latter and it’s a very seasonal one for this time of year, when our strawberries are at their brightly coloured, juicy, delicious best. I bought four lots of strawberries before I managed to make the cake, we just couldn’t help ourselves eating the rest just as they were =)

Anyhow, the strawberry cake comes from the snacking cake chapter. It has some sour cream in the cake batter to give a little tang and it made for a moist fruity cake that felt quite decadent by the addition of the white chocolate chips. I use chopped up white chocolate, because that is my preference here.

We liked this cake, it’s not a wow-after-dinner-cake, but it is a very nice cake to have with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon. The author tosses the sliced berries in some flour to stop them dying the whole cake pink, and this worked well. Do visit the Cake Slice Bakers blogroll, and see how everyone else has done their cakes, and maybe the lime one too.

Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips

From Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman 2009. I’ve re-done it slightly to make it easier for UK bakers. I’ve put the US measurements in italics where I’ve changed them.

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

150ml pot sour cream ½ cup

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cups plain flour – divided 1 ¼ cups and ¼ cup

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda baking soda

Good pinch salt

3 oz unsalted butter, softened 6 tablespoons / ¾ of a stick

1 cup sugar

8 oz strawberries, weighed after hulling and slicing

150g white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate) 1 cup

(1) Preheat the oven to 180 ^oC. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with baking parchment paper.

(2) Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla in bowl and mix together.

(3) Mix together the dry ingredients, the 1 ¼ cups flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

(4) Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Add in the sour cream mixture, slowly. Add the flour mixture in three lots, with the mixer on low speed. Mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

(5) Combine the sliced strawberries with the ¼ flour you have left and toss lightly to coat. By hand with a spatula gently fold in the berries in flour plus the white chocolate chips. Mix well, but lightly. Scrape into the prepared tin. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

(6) Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, peel off the paper and let cool completely on a baking rack. Cut into 9 or 12 squares.

Next Up: Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

Olives Et Al, Product Review and Quick Halloumi Recipe

I was recently sent some samples from Olives Et Al (thank you), a British company who are purveyors of fabulous olives and much, much more, do have a look at their website here. They also have a big selection on the Amazon UK website I liked everything I tried here, and would certainly buy from them in the future.

The Sunshine Olives were perfect before a Mediterranean dinner. I had plans for the leftovers, but alas there were none! Another pair of pre-dinner nibbles were Wasabi Flaming Rice and Cajun Spiced Nuts. The wasabi crackers were little bombs of fire - the hot wasabi packing a real punch. The Cajun nuts were also spicy, but in a more rounded way – a lovely mix of almonds, cashews and peanuts.

Finally was the Beetroot and Thyme dressing / marinade. I had this for lunch one day, but it could equally be an easy first course for dinner. The sweetness of the beetroot in the dressing played really well with the halloumi cheese that I served it with. If you’d like to make it here is the recipe, although method is probably more accurate, as there isn’t much to it!

Fried Halloumi Cheese with Beetroot and Thyme Dressing

1 packet Halloumi cheese

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bag Rocket leaves

Cherry tomatoes, about 8 per person

Olives Et Al Beetroot and Thyme Dressing / Marinade

(1) Slice some halloumi (I get 8 to 10 slices per pack of halloumi) put about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan and heat, when hot fry the halloumi slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy on the outside.

(2) Meantime place some rocket leaves on plates and halve the cherry tomatoes.

(3) When the cheese is ready place 2 to 3 slices on top of the waiting rocket leaves and scatter over the cherry tomatoes, finally drizzle everything with the dressing.

Serves 2-3 as a light lunch or 4 as a first course.

Next Up: Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

Rose Petal Jam, Review and Interview

I had this book on my wishlist, even before I was asked if I would like to review it, so I was very pleased to do so! I know very little about Polish food, or Poland itself for that matter; and the time has come to redress this.

Rose Petal Jam Recipes and Stories from a Summer In Poland by Beata Zatorska and Simon Target published by Tabula Books 2011. With thanks you to the publishers for my review copy.

It was with facination that I read Beata's writing about her home-land. Poland is and intersting, cutlural, musical, beautiful land. The book is a memoir with recipes, really well done and is fully illustrated throughout. Beata is a lady from Poland who by twists of fate is now a Doctor in Australia. Simon, her husband took the many pictures of Poland for the book. Between them both - Beata's words and Simon's picutres it is east to see and 'be there'. Well as much as is possible through a book!

Cool and perfect for Summer, cucumber salad

The pictures are wonderful, beautifully composed but in a way that you actually see what is there. This book would sit happily on a coffee table to be picked up and read at will, but it is also a cookbook - and you know me - I love a spot of cookery travel to serve at my own table at home. Beata's writing is so evocative I can imagine clearly being her as a child in her beloved Grandmother Jozefa's kitchen.

Poland has had much sorrow, but much to celebrate too. Here in the UK we know that Spring is here and Summer is on the way when our beautiful swallows return, in Poland they eagerly await the return of their storks. I found that really facinating, just a subtle little difference between countires. A beautiful book all round.

Chapters and Rose Petal Jam, Return of the Stork and Summer in Poland. I have tried a couple of recipes and liked them both, and I'm looking forward to trying (amongst lots of others) Beef Goulash and the Kissel that Beata mentions in the interview below. I have the potato flour needed - just waiting for some gorgeous Summer berries to be ripe now.

Potato pancakes with sour cream (and smoked salmon), a gluten free delicious morsel.

Here is my interview with beata Zatorska.

KJ: I’ve really had my eyes opened to Poland as a beautiful country, when you are in Australia and think of Poland what do you remember first.

Beata: I remember the sound of the wind in the linden tree outside my grandmother's house. Sometimes the tall gum trees outside our house in Sydney make a similar noise, and suddenly I am back in Poland. I also remember fireflies lighting up the garden on a warm June night. (In Oz the evening begins with the tropical roaring of cicadas - but no fireflies.

KJ: Which dish do you cook that takes you back in time?

Beata: Pierogi ruskie (Russian pierogi - a giant ravioli like pasta filled with cheese and potato) is something our kids love and that takes me back to my childhood as soon as I start rolling out the pastry (as I did for my grandmother when I was only 5). In our family today in Australia there is often a competition to see who can eat most. The record stands somewhere around 40 (they are teenage boys after all). I am not sure why these are called 'Russian' but they are known as such at every cafe and restaurant in Poland. You can also make pierogi filled with meat, cabbage even fresh seasonal berries.

KJ: What would you like to tell readers about Polish food?

Beata: The food I describe in this book is traditional Polish food, sometimes for special occasions, but often for ordinary meals during the week. It is simple and delicious and hopefully won't be re-invented as 'modern Polish' (just one pierogi on a bed of pesto etc) too soon!

KJ: Do you have a favourite savoury and sweet recipe from the book?

Beata: I love the herring in sour cream recipe on fresh rye bread with or without cold vodka (preferably with). My favourite sweet recipe is kisiel - a sort of jelly made with fresh fruit - its fruity fragrance and deliciously gooey consistency reminds me of long summer days in my grandmother's house.

Thank you very much Beata.

Next Review Up: Olives Et Al.