Easter Baking

I took a half day last Friday, I had one hanging around so I thought, why not? And there was all the Easter baking I had planned so it was perfect. As you will remember I wanted to make a Simnel cake, the traditional Easter cake. Although apparently it started out life as a Mothering Sunday cake but has been adopted by Easter. I had a look on t'internet for recipes but plumped for Nigella's in Feast (you can always trust Nigella, if I have said this before I'm sorry but it bears a repeat). Now it turns out that there are many schools of thought on the marzipan balls that sit atop the Simnel Cake. They represent the Apostles, 12 in total. But because Judas betrayed Jesus and went on to kill himself he is left out of the cake-topping joy. Or so I thought. There are some that still put 12 balls on there and some that put the extra one on to represent Jesus, it caused a right to-do when I brought the cake into work (sorry skipping ahead here, haven't even made it yet). So I went with the 11 marzipan balls, never liked that Judas! The cake itself is a light fruit cake with cinnamon and ginger and a disc of marzipan is baked in the centre. Once the cake has cooled another disc of marzipan is perched on it and then the above mentioned 11 marzipan balls. Then the really cool bit, you brush it with whisked egg white and put it under the grill until it goes golden brown (or if you have a blow torch, this works better) and you get the lovely object you see above. I brought it in to work this week and shared the joy, really tasty it was too. I also made some salted caramels on Friday which were a bit softer than usual but nonetheless very tasty and wrapped them in some silver foil for adding to Easter gifts. Saturday was the day to make Easter eggs. As you will remember I am going to make Easter eggs with my nieces and nephews this weekend and I wanted to have a trial run to make sure it was doable. I can tell you it is, very doable. They turned out brill, all I did really was change the state of the chocolate, i.e. melt it and re-mould it as an egg. But, I have to say they look impressive and will form Easter gifts for friends I am seeing this week. I also make some mini eggs to go inside the the caramels made up the rest. All in all it was a very successful baking weekend and lots of fun, it's great having projects.
I'm off to Milan this weekend (to visit family) so will have some news from there next week. I will also be breaking my Lenten fast and boy am I looking forward to that first glass of wine and piece of chocolate, mmmmmm. Happy Easter.

New Design

As you may have noticed I have had a little re-design of the blog. Not that there was anything wrong with the previous design but Blogger sent me some updated templates and more advanced layouts so I thought I would give it a go. I like it, hope you do too.
I have lots to tell you about my baking weekend, so I will work on that and hopefully post before leaving for Milan (sweetie) on Thursday.

Peanut Butter Cookies

As you know, an invite to a friends house for lunch is always an excuse to do some baking and Saturday was no exception. We were invited to Norbiton for lunch and rugby watching (six nations fans will understand) so my challenge was to make something that didn't have chocolate in it and was quick and easy to do on Saturday morning. I chose Peanut Butter Cookies from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, assembled my ingredients and set to work. I used my new Breville stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar, but I'm not sure how good it is. It doesn't seem to mix very well, certainly not until it's "light and fluffy". I'm not sure what I need to do, maybe I just need to leave it for longer, be more patient. But I didn't and carried on adding in the eggs, peanut butter, flour, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla essence. Measuring the amount per cookie and the space between them has never been my strong point, I always think that they are too small and add more. That's what I did on Saturday and, of course, they all melded into one another and looked a bit like a jigsaw puzzle! Not great for gifts. Luckily I had some more cookie dough left and managed to make a decent batch which then made it to my friends. The picture shows mine next to what they should look like, I don't know how they get that cracked surface and I didn't really like the taste, they tasted a bit like bicarbonate of soda and very little like peanut butter. Was that the fault of the recipe, me (I put everything in as I was instructed) or was it something to do with the mixing, the Breville? I need to persevere with it, I can't just dismiss it after a few goes. I guess it's like anything I have to get the measure of it. So Friday will be my next usage and we shall see how we go.

Erratum

Some friends have pointed out that one of the details in my last post was inaccurate. I mentioned that I was "single and childless" and although I remain childless I am, in fact, not single. Well, in the technical sense of not being married I was correct. However, my boyfriend may beg to differ (if he's reading this, sorry!). So I am putting the record straight, I am in fact, with someone, coupled-up, courting or whatever term we are using these days. More later on peanut butter cookies and the not so great Breville stand mixer.

Technology and Crafts

As you may have realised from previous posts I am not exactly up on all the modern technology. Don't get me wrong, I can find my way around the interwebulator (my pet name for it) and I get that it is an amazing thing, what did we do before it arrived? But there is so much that I don't know and last night I learnt a little bit more with Twitter and Facebook feeds set up. It got me to thinking about how this technology makes crafty things so much easier. Just a simple search and you can find Knitting Standards, buy wool, find recipes for anything you desire and get the wherewithal to make Easter Eggs. And that is what I am going to do, make Easter Eggs. I am off to Milan for Easter to visit my brother and family. My other brother and his family are coming too so there will be four nieces and nephews (two of each) to fill full of Easter chocolate. I was going to make the eggs and bring them over but then at a friends suggestion I decided to bring everything with me and we can make the eggs together. Am I mad, foolhardy or just a single childless woman who doesn't see the pitfalls of mixing children with melted chocolate? Maybe, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I will practice before I go, just to make sure I know what I'm doing and the upside is that my friends will benefit (yes that's you reading this) and I get to lick the bowl. No I can't, it will still be Lent, ok so I will have to wait for bowl licking until Milan. I have now purchased everything I need (from the Internet, some great sites out there, cakes, cookies and craft shop and Lakeland being the ones I used on this occasion) and will spend the weekend before Easter having lots of messy fun, I'm really looking forward to it and I will make sure I post photos to show you how I do.
P.S. the picture at the top is of some yummy scones I made on Saturday, so quick and easy and great for afternoon tea. Nigella's recipe in How to Be a Domestic Goddess is the one I use and they work out everytime.

Technology!

I have just set up Twitter and Facebook feeds! Only because my friend (who knows about these things, cos I don't) has talked me through it. I am being dragged, kicking and whimpering, into the 21st century! So now you lovely people on the Twitter and the Facebook will get a little message saying I have updated the blog and you can happily click through and read (or ignore!). I will have a more meaty post later in the week so watch this space (and other spaces in the interwebulator).

Food Porn

As most of you will know we are now in Lent and have been for 17 days (and nights), not that I'm counting or anything. Well I am really as I have used the Lenten period as a way of cutting out two "food" groups. One (alcohol) because I find it good to give up for a period once or twice a year and the second (chocolate) because if I was allowed I would eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. So the second one is a real sacrifice and Lent, after all, is about giving up something that you really enjoy. It's a Catholic thing, and me being the good Irish Catholic that I am......! Being Irish (and Catholic) there are various rules or get out clauses that mean you can indulge in your forbidden food on certain days during Lent. Sundays and St Patrick's Day are the main ones although when I was growing up we didn't do the Sunday rule. We (my brothers and I) always gave up sweets for Lent. This didn't meant that we didn't get any sweets, we still got sweets but we each had a Tupperware container (that we kept in the sitting room, each with our own hiding place to stop a greedy sibling from stealing our stash) that we put them in and collected them until Easter Sunday when we could then gorge ourselves on them. Not really the spirit of the thing but we always had great fun. I remember breaking the Lenten fast many times by sneaking into the sitting room and helping myself to some of my stash (always my stash, I was a very honest child), it was risky and exciting, or as risky and exciting as it gets being a six year old.
So in my state of abstinence I find myself watching food programmes and reading books about food! Hence the food porn title. Raymond Blanc is the main culprit with a whole episode on chocolate, chocolate mousse, chocolate torte and a cup and saucer made out of chocolate with more chocolate on the side. Enough, spare a thought got the Lenten fast BBC! The upshot is that I now need to make a chocolate fondant, it seems to be the holy grail of the pudding world and I think I'm ready, well after Easter.
As for the reading, I loved the film Julie and Julia, I think that might be an understatement but lets go with it for now. I loved it so much I bought My Life in France, Julie and Julia and Mastering the Art of French Cookery the day after seeing it. I picked up the Julia Child one a few weeks ago and loved it, especially the living in Paris in the 40s and 50s and eating great French food. And I am now half way through Julie and Julia which is very funny, especially the Lobster chapter where Julie becomes a murderer! If I can't eat chocolate I can certainly get my kicks in other ways, role on Easter Sunday (I hope Milan is ready for my post Lenten chocolate needs!).

The K Factor

Have you seen the K Factor? On Harry Hill's TV Burp? Genius. I would have loved to have been in the room when that idea came up the first time! It really makes knitting the new rock 'n roll. This week Knitted Simon Cowell had his head chopped off by a disgruntled reject. Imagine if that happened on the real X Factor (I'm sure many people have wanted to do it) but the great thing about knitted characters is that they can be knitted better! And the winner this week was Harry Hill Meercat, I say again, GENIUS. I will have to think of something to knit for it.
Quick update on the wavy sweater, back and one sleeve are finished and the second sleeve almost there. I will be taking a break from it as I need to do a couple of projects for presents (can't say here what they are as they are for people who may well be reading this. I know, ever the optimist) so I will have news about these once they have been gifted.
Oh, just wanted to tell you about a great shop in Peckham. I was walking from Brockley to Camberwell on Friday and I took the opportunity to drop in to Persepolis a fantastic Persian deli. I have gone past this on the bus for years but this is the first time I have ventured in and am I glad I did. What a treasure trove of spices, cakes and all this Middle Eastern. I bought a couple of spices for a friend (Sumak and Juniper Berries) and some Rose Petals for myself (I'm thinking Turkish Delight?). If you get a chance then give it a try.