Monthly Archives: May 2014

Dessert

The ultimate creme brulee.

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Dare I say, I finally mastered it. Took lots of attempts, dozens of eggs, litres of cream and plenty of- however cholesterol is measured- but the ones I made today are perfect. I made 6, 4 for tomorrow( Ewa’s bringing her new chap over for dinner) and 2 for us for today, to make sure they’re ok to serve to people.

The recipe’s Michel Roux’s. For 6 of my small ramekins I used 5 egg yolks, creamed with 4 tbsps of sugar. 300 ml of double cream heated up with 90 ml of milk and generous tsp of vanilla paste.  The flavoured, hot cream gently poured into the eggs, the froth discarded, then into the bain marie for 35 minutes in 140 degrees. After 35 minutes I switched off the heat and left them inside the oven for another 10 minutes.  Finally, finally pleased with the texture. Yeah!! 🙂

The photo rather unconventional today, those are the 4 ones in the fridge awaiting Ewa and the chap tomorrow.

Oh, and a smile from Izzie, who is yet to discover lovely things like creme brulee.

x

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Baking

Cinnamon & strawberry cake.

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We visited Over Farm Market outside Gloucester yesterday, I was hoping for some lovely strawberries and asparagus, they had both. We had Eton mess last night, today I baked the cake and there’s still lots left, I need to use them in something good, not just strawberry/banana smoothies, lovely as they are.

The cake, recipe from GF, simple and very decent indeed( there’s a quarter of that cake left). 90 g each of ground almonds, self raising flour, sugar and soft butter, 2 eggs and a touch of cream all mixed together with an electric whisk that struggled, as the mixture was quite thick. The recipe asked for a tsp of cinnamon, I added 2, big cinnamon fan that I am. Half of that thick mixture went on the bottom of my small round baking tin, on it cleaned and sliced strawberries, around 250 g. The rest of the cake mix on top and into the oven for about 50 minutes, in  180 degrees. Finished off with icing sugar, served with cream. The remaining slice will be enjoyed after spaghetti bolognese this evening, but with vanilla ice cream. 🙂

 

Good Food

Kluski drozdzowe na parze.

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One of my favourite things to eat at Mum’s. She’s here this week, babysitting, so she made these on my request.

250 ml of warm milk mixed with 4 g of fresh yeast and 3 tbsps sugar, 35-40 g of plain flour, a pinch of salt, 50 g of butter.  Yeast, 1 tbps of sugar, 2 tbsp of flour and some milk make the base to look like double cream. Leave to prove.

Cream 2 egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Add to the proven dough, add the remaining milk, ad the flour, the salt, knead well in the glass bowl for about 15 minutes, if by hand. Add the melted, NOT HOT butter and continue kneading for another 5 minutes. Leave to prove again, for about 20-30 minutes.

Shape into small buns, steam for about 7 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries and lightly whipped cream.

Rich, filling, delicious comfort food.

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Dessert

Pear and white chocolate cheesecake.

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A spontaneous creation to finish off the cottage pie dinner. It took me quite a long time to make it, as little Miss Banks was in constant need of attention this afternoon.  Got there in the end.

Simple base, as usual, biscuits and butter, flash baked in the oven. Left to cool. One nice, soft, ripe pear was enough to flavour 4 small cheesecakes, not to overpower them. I cooked it quickly with a splash of water and a gelatine leaf, then blitzed half a container of Philadelphia cheese, some double cream, icing sugar, lemon juice and the pear together.  I should have used a bit more gelatine, maybe another half a leaf, they were not perfectly set.  For the top a strawberry dipped in white chocolate, the remains of which I poured on top of the desserts.  Very pleasant, not too heavy( small amount of cheese). Yum.

 

Baking

Strawberry and almond cheesecake sponge.

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Cover recipe from one of the GF mags.  I have my Mum over so needed something nice for the coffee in the garden. Really nice, a keeper.

For my small 6″ tin I used 100 g of Philadelphia cheese, quickly mixed with half an egg, some icing sugar and vanilla paste. For the cake mix 90 g of soft butter, 125 g self raising flour, 50 g of caster sugar, 2 eggs, 25 g of ground almonds, 2 tsp of fat yoghurt and some more vanilla paste( naturally, if that little jar stands there open it must be abused!). Half of the cake mixture gets on the bottom of the tin, some sliced strawberries  and half of the cheese, then the rest of the cake mixture, carefully, in order not to disturb the cheese, more strawberries, some flaked almonds on top and to the oven for roughly an hour in 180 degrees. Delicious served warm, as we had in the garden, with The Bundle of Love sleeping quietly in the basket. 🙂

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