Saturday 30 March 2013

Raspberry Pavlova

This pavlova is so easy to make, and makes the most spectacular dessert.  You can use any fruit you wish,
and you will be limited only by your own imagination with the decorative part.  The important rule to remember is once you have decorated it, it really needs to be eaten within an hour or else it will dissolve before your very eyes!!

You will need:


  • 4 eggs whites (medium)
  • 250 g golden caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:

1.  Whisk the egg whites until stiff and stand in peaks (once it has reached this stage cease whisking and move on to step 2)
2.  Add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, making sure that each addition of sugar is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next
3.  When the mixture has all the sugar added, and is thick and glossy, add the white wine vinegar, cornflour, and vanilla extract
4.  Preheat oven to 150 C Fan
5.  Line a baking sheet with baking parchment (or greaseproof paper)
6.  Spoon the meringue mixture onto the baking parchment into a free form circle, approximately 7-8 inches diameter
7.  Using a palette knife swirl the mixture and pile the sides of the circle higher than the middle, so that the fruit will not fall out when you are ready to decorate it
8.  Using a cocktail stick, you can twirl it through the outer edge of the pavlova to make small spikes which will crisp up in the oven
pavlova before baking
9.  Bake on the top shelf for 1 hour, turn down the temperature after 5 minutes to 140 C Fan
10.  After 1 hour, turn off the oven, open the oven door slightly, and leave pavlova in the oven to cool down with the oven cooling.  Leaving this overnight in the cooling oven will give better results
pavlova after baking and during its' cooling down time
11.  Decorate your pavlova as you wish, I have used raspberries and fresh cream on mine!  All berries, kiwi fruit, or passion fruit would be excellent toppers for your pavlova (photo of finished pavlova to follow)
The assembled pavlova (lined with whipped fresh cream, and topped with raspberries*)
* the raspberries in the above photo were bought frozen, and have defrosted quite mushy; with the benefit of hindsight, I would have used fresh raspberries for this, with a small amount pureed as a sauce!  Nevertheless it still got the thumbs up from everyone present for Easter Sunday lunch :)  Lurking in the background is a huge bowl of Sherry Trifle!

Some meringue tips to help you achieve the best results:
  • When separating the eggs, make sure no yolk escapes into the white.  If it does discard that particular egg from your meringue mixture as it will not foam up in stiff peaks
  • Make sure the bowl you use to whisk the meringue is spotlessly clean and free from any fat.  You can rub a slice of lemon around the bowl to ensure all fat residue has been eradicated
  • If you have left over egg whites from other recipes such as custard, brulee, or fondants, freeze the egg whites in containers (1 to each container so that you know how many egg whites you have).  Frozen then defrosted (at room temperature) egg whites bulk up better for meringues
  • When separating your egg whites use a small bowl to break the egg into, rather than break(and separate) into the main bowl; this way if you do get any yolk into the mixture, you do not have to discard all the egg whites
  • The addition of cornflour and white wine vinegar should give you a soft mallowy middle to the meringue (if you do not want a mallowy middle, then just eliminate them from the recipe)
  • A lower heat bake (say around 80-90 C Fan) will give you a whiter meringue
  • Using golden caster sugar will give your meringue a slightly caramel flavour and more golden colour
  • Make sure you do not add the sugar too quickly (a spoonful at a time) or it will 'bleed' after cooking.  Also make sure it has been well mixed in after each addition, by rubbing a small amount between thumb and finger, if it is grainy, it has not been whisked sufficiently between each addition.  Just extend the whisking time after each addition of sugar
  • Before adding the sugar, make sure you do not over whisk the egg whites, just until the mixture is stiff and stands in peaks is sufficient (you can test if it whisked sufficiently by tipping the bowl upside down over your head - this is the classic test...if it stays in the bowl, it is perfect!)
  • Don't decorate your pavlova until you are ready to eat it, or it will go soft and begin to dissolve!


Wednesday 27 March 2013

Spectacular Suze Cupcakes...

I might have mentioned about my wonderful friend Suze...she is the most excellent baker, and very unassuming about her obvious baking abilities.  Well. today Suze came to visit me, and brought with her 2 boxes of her amazing cupcakes from her latest recipe book.  The cakes are divine, topped with praline, and the most velvety smooth chocolate texture cake.  Anyway, sorry that you can;t taste them, but here is photo of them to tease and tempt you :)


If anyone is interested in recreating these beauties, the recipe is in the latest Hummingbird book!

a close up of the gorgeous crunchy hazelnut praline topping!

Saturday 23 March 2013

My Baking Frenzy!



Top left is the Sticky Gingerbread, it taste divine, the texture is perfect!
Top right is the Triple Chococlate Traybake, very moreish...two pieces eaten already!
Front centre is the Walnut Malt Loaf, yet to be eaten, but will report back for sure :)

Walnut Malt Loaf

This was a bit of an experiment, I once tasted malt loaf with walnuts in, on a trip to L.A a few years ago, and it was out of this world!  Served with slivers of smoked salmon and big slices of huge Californian tomatoes, it was a delicious breakfast!  Here's hoping I've managed to recreate the recipe :)  If not, I feel an email to the hotel coming on LOL !







The recipe is exactly the same as the one for Malt Loaf, but I added about 6 walnut halves, chopped fairly finely but not totally obliterated.

Classic Sticky Gingerbread

This is a Mary Berry recipe, completely 100% unadulterated, unmodified,  followed the recipe and ingredients to the letter!  The smell around the house is divine, warm, and quite spicy/gingery! Perfect for this freezing mid March day!  According to Mary, this cake will keep for a long while in an airtight container, or even you can even freeze it.  The other good thing is it gets better with age!

You will need:


  • 225 g butter  (or Utterly Butterly)
  • 225 g light brown sugar
  • 225 g golden treacle
  • 225 g black treacle
  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • 225 g wholemeal self-raising flour
  • 4 level teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 eggs (medium)
  • 300 ml milk
Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 160 C Fan.  Grease and line a traybake tin 12 in X 9 in
2.  Measure butter, sugar, golden syrup and black treacle into a medium pan and heat gently until the mixture has melted, stirring occasionally.  Allow to cool slightly.
3.  Put the flours and ground ginger into a large mixing bowl and stir together lightly.  Beat eggs into the milk. Pour the cooled butter and syrup mixture into the flour along with the egg and milk mixture and beat with a 
wooden spoon until smooth.  Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and tilt gently to level the surface
4.  Bake for about 50 mins until well risen, golden and springy to the touch.  Allow the gingerbread to cool a little in the tin.

Triple Chocolate Traybake Cake

I was in need of a chocolate fix, what more can I say!!

You will need:


  • 25 g cocoa powder (good quality such as Green & Blacks)
  • 6 tablespoons boiling water (from kettle)
  • 225 g softened butter (unsalted) or Utterly Butterly
  • 225 g caster sugar (golden may be better than white)
  • 300 g self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (level)
  • 4 eggs beaten (I used medium)
  • 2 tablespoons milk (I used semi-skimmed)
  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom essence (optional)
  • 100 g milk chocolate (good quality such as Menier Patisserie or Green & Blacks)
  • 3 tablespoons double cream
  • Some good quality crumbled or grated chocolate  
Method:

1.  Heat oven to 180 C Fan, and grease and line with greasproof paper, a traybake tin 12 in X 9 in
2.  Put cocoa powder into a cup and stir in the boiling water until a smooth paste (it should not be too thick as it will be difficult to combine into mixture)
3.  Put butter and sugar into mixing bowl, and beat together with wooden spoon until combined together
4.  Add cocoa paste then add flour and baking powder, and combine well to mixture
5.  Add beaten eggs and milk, and essence if using, and beat the mixture until everything is well combined and smooth
6.  Pour into prepared traybake tin
7.  Bake for approx 30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean
8.  Leave to cool in tin (I tend to keep mine in the foil tin and cut into suares as required)
9.  Break the milk chocolate into small pieces and put into a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, add cream, and stir infrequently to combine, until melted
10.  Using a palette knife spread the melted chocolate over the top of the cooled traybake, then sprinkle over the crunbled chocolate
11.  Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days

Sunday 17 March 2013

Delectable Chocolate Fondants

These deliciously, decadent desserts look as though they should come with a health warning, yet the ingredients are not too unhealthy...well ok, if you discount the chocolate, and substitute the butter for Utterly Butterly (which I have done with the batch I am currently making, and have yet to taste, but will report back my findings!).  However, apart from that I think these gorgeous desserts served with a side dish of fresh fruit such as raspberries or strawberries (or both to go really healthy!) will certainly make your dinner party dessert very special indeed.  I'm making them to eat after our Ritzy Chicken (not quite the grand supper which would normally befit such decadence) because I wanted to try them without butter, and replace it with Utterly Butterly.  If the Cook's Perk of licking the spoon is reliable, then I think they will taste delicious!

The recipe below will give you a sufficient quantity for 2 fondants.  If you want 4 then simply double up on the ingredients (I actually have enough left for a further 2, so by doubling up I will have enough to make 6 fondants!).

You will need:


  • 60 g unsalted butter (cut into small cubes) (or replace butter with Utterly Butterly)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 60 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk (you can freeze the spare egg white until next time you make meringue)
  • 60 g caster sugar (golden is best)
  • 1 tablespoon of plain flour
Method:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 200 C (fan).  Put in a baking sheet on middle shelf.
2.  Butter the insides of 2 small ramekins or pudding moulds, and then put cocoa in one and turn it to coat inside, holding it over the second mould to catch any that escapes
3.  Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (take care not to let water touch the bottom of the bowl) stir occasionally until melted.  Allow to cool slightly
4.  Vigourously whisk egg, yolk, and sugar (add a pinch of salt) until pale and fluffy.
5.  Gently fold in melted chocolate/butter, and then sieve in the flour over the top of the mixture.  Ensure well combined, but ease it in gently
6.  Spoon into prepared moulds, about 3 quarters full as they will overflow if filled too much
7.  Put the filled moulds onto the hot baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes
8. Remove from oven, and leave to stand for about 30 seconds before removing from moulds.

p.s. the Utterly Butterly substitution for the butter is equally delicious and is not noticeable by its' absence!


Buttermilk Devon Scones


But first a bit about buttermilk...


Despite its name and thick consistency, buttermilk is not loaded with butter (or fat). The name merely reflects its butter-making beginnings—it was the milky liquid left over after butter was churned.


Buttermilk brings a pleasant tang to cakes, breads, biscuits and other family favorites while adding very little fat. Because this rich-tasting milk is an acidic ingredient, like yogurt and sour cream, it also helps tenderize the gluten in batter, giving baked goods a softer texture and more body. Plus, it helps quick breads rise.


Most buttermilk you find at the supermarket is low-fat and sometimes nonfat. The milk tends to get thicker with time, so remember to shake the carton before using.

You will need:

  • 450 g self-raising flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 100 g cold butter (diced)
  • 45 g golden caster sugar
  • 284 ml buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • splash of milk
Method:


1.  Heat oven to 200 C Fan, and lightly flour a baking sheet

2.  Put flour, salt and butter into a food processor and pulse until feel (or see) any lumps of butter.  Add sugar
3.  Gently warm the buttermilk (keep the pot) and and add vanilla to pan
4.  Use a large bowl and quickly tip in some of the  flour mix, followed by buttermilk mix, repeat until everything is in the bowl.  Use a knife to quickly mix together to form a dough (try not to handle the dough too much as it makes for a tougher scone)
5.  Tip onto a floured surface, lightly bring together with your hands a couple of times
6.  Press (don't use a rolling pin) out gently to about 4 cm thick and stamp rounds with a 6 cm cutter. Reshape the trimmings until all the dough is used
7.  Spread out on a lightly floured sheet.  Add a splash of milk into the milk into the buttermilk pot, use as a glaze for tops of each scone
8.  Bake for 10-12 mins until golden and well risen

Serve with strawberry jam and clotted cream! 

Monday 11 March 2013

Bara Brith (Tea Loaf or Malt Loaf by any other name!)

In the continuing pursuit of satiating my husband's desire for 'Soreen', and baking an equally low fat, tasty alternative to the shop bought loaf, I came across this recipe in a book  gifted to me by my friend Jane.  :)

It is a Mary Berry *recipe for Bara Brith (the Welsh version of Tea Loaf) and the non-yeast version which means it keeps much better, for much longer, and actually improves in texture and flavour as it matures.  Having said that, I don't think it would keep well beyond a week or so, although they never seem to hang around that long, so can't really comment on its longevity beyond a few days!

You do need to start this the night before in order for the fruit to plump up with the tea, and after that it is plain sailing! Easy peasy!
*slightly adapted to include black treacle!


You will need:


  • 175 g currants
  • 175 g raisins (or sultanas)
  • 225 g light or dark Muscovado sugar
  • 300 ml self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon black treacle
  • 1 medium egg (beaten)
Method:

1.  Measure fruit and sugar into a bowl, pour in the hot tea, and cover, leave overnight
2.  Preheat oven to 130 C Fan and grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin
3.  Stir in flour and egg into fruit mix and mix thoroughly
4.  Pour mixture into prepared tin
5.  Bake 1 1/2 hours, allow to cool before removing from tin
6.  Serve sliced with butter
7.  Store in an airtight container, wrap loaf in double cling film to ensure it keeps moist

Enjoy!

Parmesan, Walnut, and Basil Shortbread Nibbles

 These are extremely tasty little morsels to serve as an aperitif, to have with cheese, or to simply snack on as the fancy takes you!   The recipe makes approx 30  rounds, depending on how liberal you are with the slicing!  However, you can freeze the unbaked rounds if you feel there are too many to bake and eat at one time.  The keeping quality of these will be like other shortbread biscuits , in that the closer they are to the day they were baked, the better they will taste.  Alternatively, the unsliced and unbaked dough  will keep in the fridge (wrapped in cling film) for up to 3 days.

You will need:


  • 150 g of plain flour
  • 75 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 100 g of unsalted butter (softened)
  • I egg yolk
  • a couple of grinds of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 4-5 walnut halves, finely (but not too finely) chopped
Method:

1.  Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl, and stir with a wooden spoon until a clump of dough starts to form
2.  Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a couple of minutes (not too much, less is more!)
3.  Using a knife, cut the dough into two halves, and work with one half at a time, roll with your hands into a cylindrical shape (approx 6 inches in length, and approx 2 inches diameter. Wrap the cylinder in cling film, twisting the ends nearest to the cylinder, to resemble a Christmas cracker, then put in fridge for approx 45 mins
4.  Repeat step 3 with remaining half of dough
5.  When the dough is ready to be baked, remove from fridge, heat oven to 180 C (Fan).
6.  Remove cling film from cylinder, if the ends are a bit rough, slice them off with a sharp knife, then slice the cylinder into roughly 1 cm rounds (I baked the end slices as I didn;t want to waste them)
7.  Place the sliced rounds onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment
8.  Put into oven for 15-20 mins, and remove (they should be no more than a pale gold colour at the edges) 

These have just emerged from the oven, and they smell divine, and taste wonderful (slightly warm)!

As you can see from the photo, a couple of biscuits have a crack running through them, they are holding together though after baking, but to avoid this in future, I would try not to fold the dough after turning out of bowl for the kneading process.  The dough clearly doesn't meld together too well and would rather stay in the position it is in when in the bowl.  But they're still delicious and perhaps look a little on the home-baked, rustic side which adds to their appeal in my humble opinion!!

p.s. they are extremely moreish!




Friday 8 March 2013

50 tips for baking...


Recipe Ingredients:         
1. Ingredients for cakes should be room temperature (can take out of refrigerator approximately 60-90 minutes before needed).
2. To check freshness of eggs, put in a bowl of water–if they sink, they’re fresh. If they float and stand on one end, they’re not.
3. ”Eggs” typically means Grade A, large eggs.
4. “Milk” typically means homogenized.
5. You can substitute milk with yogurt or sour cream, to experiment with different textures.
6. To create a replacement for buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon vinegar for every cup of homogenized milk and stir.
7. Weighing ingredients with a digital kitchen scale is the most accurate method of baking.
8. 1 large egg white = 37 grams, 1 large egg yolk = 20 grams. Eggs separate best when cold, but whites whip best when room temperature or warm.
9. Egg whites in carton freeze well–just pull out of freezer night before you need them.
10. For best results, use pure vanilla extract (not from grocery stores)–what a difference! Heck, don’t even be afraid to double the vanilla quantity.
11. To bring cold eggs to room temperature quickly, you can put the whole eggs into a bowl of lukewarm water (not hot) for 30 minutes.
12. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, you can cut into small cubes on a plate for about 15 minutes.
13. Semisweet Chocolate = Dark Chocolate.  Bittersweet Chocolate = Extra Dark Chocolate.
14. Semisweet & Bittersweet Chocolate are interchangeable.
15. Unless otherwise listed, use unsalted butter for cake recipes.
Mixing:
16. Incorporate dry ingredients together with whisk before adding to wet ingredients.
17. When creaming butter and sugar, get the mixture very pale yellow and fluffy–will take several minutes (around 5).
18.  Always start and end with dry ingredients when alternating with wet ingredients (3 dry additions, 2 wet).
19. Don’t overmix once dry ingredients are added. Just mix on low speed until incorporated.
20. Kitchen stand-mixers don’t need to run at full-speed. A small mixer should run no more than speed #4, for most things. A large mixer no more than speed #6. You will add years to your mixer’s life!
21. Be careful with your sugar–too much can cause a dark crust (one of several possible causes), too little can cause too light a crust or tough texture.
22. Watch your flour–too much can cause a cracked top (one of several possible causes).
23. Beat egg yolks with fork before adding to batter.
24. To retrieve stray eggshells in mixture, use the emptied half-shell–eggshell sticks to eggshell. If you don’t get them all, they will sink during baking, so you can turn baked cake over when cool and retrieve them.
25. A pinch of salt brings out the flavours in sweet baked goods.
26. When folding, you should always add the lighter of the two mixtures on top, using a gentle folding motion, to avoid deflating batter.
27. When mixing egg whites for meringue, wipe all untensils and bowl with vinegar or lemon juice on a paper towel before they come in contact with the egg whites (including the mixer whisk attachment). Any trace of grease, will likely jeopordize your meringue.
28. Keep an extra set of rubber spatulas that you use strictly for meringue.
29. Use the electric mixer’s splashguard for liquidy batters–that’s what it’s for!
30. If incorporating more than one flavour into a batter or icing, always start with the vanilla; vanilla enhances most flavours.
Baking Cakes:
31. For evenly-baked cakes, no domed tops, and no-fuss assembly, bake “layer-by-layer.”  This means if you’re baking a 3-layer cake, use 3 of the same size/shape pan, and bake 3 shorter layers at same time.
32. Use a small offset palette knife to spread batter evenly in pans. Don’t fill more than 1/2 full–2/3 at the most.
33. Get a separate oven thermometer for an accurate temperature reading–most ovens are either “hot” or “cold.”
34. Always wait for oven to reach necessary temperature before putting cakes in oven.
35. Keep cakes away from sides of oven, and if possible a few inches from each other (when more than 1 baking at once).
36. Rotate cakes after 20  minutes in oven (don’t disturb before 20 minutes).
37. Use middle rack, unless otherwise stated in recipe.
38. Typically, when in oven, cakes are nearing done when you can smell cake in the kitchen. Sounds weird, but you’ll see!
39.  Leave cakes in oven when testing for “doneness.” When a skewer comes clean from center of cake, it’s done.
40. Don’t overbake! This is one sure way to end up with a dry cake.
Cooling & Frosting:
41. Let full cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes before removing from pans.
42. Remove cupcakes from pan immediately, placing individual cupcakes on wire rack to cool.
43. Once completely cooled, wrap cake layers in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30 minutes before cutting and/or icing.
44. Always place cake on a thin foil-covered cake board the same size/shape as the cake for ease of icing/serving, etc.
45. Brush away any stray cake crumbs with silicone pastry brush before icing.
46. Apply even layers of filling using an 18″ pastry bag and large round tip.
47. Apply thin layer of icing to seal in crumbs, then place in refrigerator for 30 minutes before second layer of icing.
48. Use an offset palette knife/icing spatula for frosting top of cake, and straight palette knife/icing spatula for sides of cake. Use a bench scraper for super-smooth edges.
49. If you don’t have time for frosting your cake, a good sprinkling of powdered sugar does wonders! Tastes and looks great on most cakes.
50. To give your frosted cake a glossy finish, you can use a hair-dryer on medium heat over the outside of the cake (right before serving).

'Borrowed from http://sweetapolita.com/2010/11/50-tips-for-baking-better-cakes/

Thursday 7 March 2013

A special Easter cake

I found this cake and DIY tutorial on the internet, I hope you like it!  I think it is the perfect Easter cake...


The technique for this cake can be found at:  http://thecakeblog.com/2013/02/speckled-egg-cake.html

Monday 4 March 2013

A great tip for cake decorating...

I have just seen this on the internet, and it's such a good tip to share with avid cake decorators!  The simplest ideas are often the best :)  A rose stencil made from the end of a bunch of celery!  Who'd have thought it!!

A shameless plug for my husband's work!

Check out his latest work...www.flickr.com/photos/phphotofineart/

Sunday 3 March 2013

The most loveliest comment to share with you...

" Well hello Mrs Hunter....what can i say...you have one very happy friend here!!! Just finished eating casserole and baked mash....sublime!!!! Don't think i've ever eaten so much before... i have made many a casserole in my time (as i said last night, my kind of food) but this was a bit special...i love ginger but never used it with beef before, perfect. I love the warm kick it gives. The baked mash, not done this before, and would agree it is definitely tastier than boiled potatoes. I served it with cabbage just because i love it but again i agree, any greens would be good. To summarise, a very hearty, warming, comforting and moreish dish.... thank you for sharing. Can't wait to have the rest for mid-week meals xxxxxxxxxxxxx "

Thank you Debby for such a glowing recommendation for my beef casserole :) xx