Made specifically on Florek’s request.  I went with Mary Berry’s recipe, poshed it up by using 66% Valrhona chocolate and Bonne Maman apricot conserve and ended up with extremely good and luxurious chocolate treat.

140 g of Valrhona melted and cooled slightly, while 140 g of soft butter got creamed up in the kitchen aid with 115 g of caster sugar. Chocolate in, 5 egg yolks one by one, a touch of vanilla extract. 85 g of ground almonds, 55 g of plain flour. 5 egg whites whipped stiff and slowly added to the rest. Baked for about 40 minutes in 180 degrees. The house smelled like chocolate heaven.

Once baked and cooled, I sliced it in half and generously spread the jam, then brushed it on top and the sides of the cake as well. And finally a fab, silky ganache made of 140 g of Valrhona and 200 ml of double cream.  Better the next day, we both agreed. 🙂

One of those frustrating bakes, where I like what I take out of the oven, but I can’t compare it to the original thing, as I’ve never been to Portugal to date.  But when I go, I will try them and I’ll know what they’re to be like.

This recipe is from mojewypieki, nice and simple due to its use of the ready made puff all butter pastry.  I’ve made half a portion, 12 little tarts and I do like them a lot. Dorota’s custard did look more yellow, like a custard, mine is darker- I was heavy handed with cinnamon. 🙂

So, first, 1,5 tbsps of plain flour, some vanilla essence and generous splash of milk, all well combined.  In a small pan about 1/4 glass of water, half a glass of sugar ( I added some vanilla sugar too) and some ground cinnamon left to boil.  Dorota says a cinnamon stick is to be used, I had none.  3 egg yolks lightly beaten.  About half a glass of milk with a splash of double cream brought to simmer in another pan. That cream I only added because one of the comments said the original Portuguese tarts must have cream in them. Then I combined the hot milk with the flour mix and returned it to the pan and onto the stove, egg yolks in, all stirred gently till lightly thickened.

My muffin tray was ready waiting lined with 12 cases of all butter pastry, quite thin. I filled them all in with the custard 3/4 up the way and baked in the oven as hot as it could get. 290 degrees was recommended for 8-9 minutes, mine managed about 265, so I gave it 10 minutes.

I do like them, so does Florek. The pastry is flaky and crispy, the filling sweet and set perfectly. Well done me. 🙂

Exactly as in the previous post, but no gooseberries and instead a combo of rhubarb from the garden and strawberries from Sainsbury’s. A winner.  One of the nicest and easiest cakes. Ewa will love it tomorrow. 🙂

I saw the recipe while browsing mojewypieki.com at my Mum’s kitchen table a few weeks ago and only just made it yesterday, having found gooseberries in Budgens.  Funny thing, gooseberries, while growing up in Poland I was never a fan, they could be found in gardens of grandmas and aunties, but they were never special in any way. Here I have to pay nearly £2 for 200 g.

The cake is worth it, I just had 2 slices and I love it, I was a touch too stingy with sugar though.

Simple and quick sponge out of 2 eggs, whites whipped with 4 tbsps of sugar, yolks added, 35 ml of sunflower oil slowly poured in. 75 g of plain flour, 0,5 tsp of baking powder. Baked for about 20 minutes in 190 degrees.

About 250 g of gooseberries cooked with some sugar- here’s room for improvement. I left some of the fruit whole, hoping to improve the texture, didn’t want it too mushy. Mistake. The whole gooseberries didn’t get any of that sugar, they’re sharp when bitten through and they cut in the cake leaving mess. I’d say at least half a glass of sugar next time and cook them till they all fall apart. A vanilla budyn added, mixed with less than half a glass of water. It thickened the mixture immediately and it was ready to be whacked onto the sponge, hot and all.  Flattened and cooled in the fridge.

Onto that stiff whipped cream, spiked with vanilla and sweetened with icing sugar.  Butter biscuits on top and then lemon icing- just icing sugar rubbed with lemon juice. Lovely the next day, when the biscuits have softened. Very good indeed.

My favourite nuts, by far. Shame they’re so expensive, but every now and then I order a packet of salted ones for munching  in the evening and non salted, for baking.  I’ve done half a portion today, in order not to go overboard, like with the Valrhona brownies- Florek took half of that load to work yesterday and was rather popular. 🙂

For 6 small cupcakes I used 90 g of soft, slightly salted butter( I can taste it and I love that saltiness). 40 g of plain flour, 70 g of pistachios, ground, but not too finely. Finely enough to be able to have that crunch when eating. 0,5 tsp of baking powder. 60 g of caster sugar, 1 large egg, a splash of vanilla extract and a splash of milk. Into the kitchen aid, into the muffin cases, into the oven for 20 minutes in 160 degrees.

When cooled, I covered them in icing made with 100 g of Philly, 20 g of soft butter and 30 g of icing sugar. Very nice indeed. 🙂

Apparently it is World Chocolate Day today, I didn’t know that when I baked this beauty in the morning.  The recipe comes from “Tea with Bea” book and is one of my most expensive bakes so far. 1 kg pack of Valrhona chocolate got delivered yesterday, ours for only £35, but it seems that at 66% of cocoa it’s perfect for me, not too sweet and not too bitter.  In fact, it might be the best brownie I’ve ever eaten. 🙂

Recipe and method not too complicated. 250 g of this posh chocolate got covered by 250 g of hot, melted butter and got stirred into velvet by Izzie.

In the bowl of kitchen aid I had 250 g of caster and brown sugars,  4 eggs and a pinch of salt, all briefly mixed. Melted chocolate and butter in, plus 250 g of plain flour. All that went into a prepared lined baking tray and then 30 g each of pecan and hazelnuts on top, gently pressed in. Peanut butter, crunchy, here and there as well as salted caramel spread- Bea’s recipe called for dulce de leche, but Florek couldn’t find it in Sainsbury’s. Also, some posh form coconut was to be added, expensive on Amazon and not a favourite anyway, so skipped. 🙂

The brownie baked in 180 degrees for the first 10 minutes and then another 15 in 160 degrees. Once out of the oven for 10 minutes, it then went into a freezer for an hour. And then I could taste it and liked it so much, that I called Florek to tell him about it.  He was home 3 hours later to share the enthusiasm.

Thumbs up!

I’ve been  looking at Bea Vo’s posts on FB,  mostly at her cupcakes and getting irritated- ok, she is a pro, but how on earth does one make a butter cream THAT smooth and beautiful looking?  I remember Bea very fondly, she used to be a pastry chef in Ubon at the time I worked there. Now she owns 2 restaurants and has quite a name in the industry. I asked her yesterday how to make such awesome butter cream, she replied the recipe is in the book. “Tea with Bea” has been ordered and will come next week, I’ve done some research in the meantime and learnt one thing morning- that super soft butter does wonders to the texture.  I made a few cupcakes as Lisa and Andreia were to come in the afternoon.

The cupcakes themselves were not the most amazing ones I’ve ever made, so no recipe here, but the coffee butter cream I’ve made to top them with is the beginning of new, exciting skill I’ll learn in cake baking. Looking forward to the book and more cake decorating. 🙂

Focaccia had to be made and it will be made again, as it’s not very complicated, but it will not be served as a starter before pasta dish, it will be served as a main course, with maybe some parma ham on the side and some wine, unless there are friends over. Neither Florek nor I could keep our hands off it, which resulted in lack of enthusiasm for pesto.

Paul Hollywood’s recipe, with a touch of Jamie Oliver- 250 g of strong bread flour, 50 g of which was a fine semolina, that was the Jamie bit. 14 g of fresh yeast, Hollywood likes dry stuff, I don’t. 1 tbsp of olive oil, a good pinch of salt. 200 ml of cold water. All this worked in kitchen aid, left to prove till doubled in size. Knocked down, flattened out in the tin generously greased with olive oil. Proved again for about 40 minutes.  Then olive oil on, a nice drizzle, sea salt, fresh rosemary, kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes. Tiny bit of grated parmesan. 220 degrees, 20 minutes.

I love the crust, I love the saltiness of it. It will be done again, maybe with some friends, as perfect for sharing.

The idea from mojewypieki.com. Lots of work, but ended up with macarons that looked better than they tasted. I didn’t fill them in with nutella, as the recipe suggested, as they’d be far too sweet, mascarpone and lemon curd filling instead was used. First ever go at the royal icing, I only needed it for the eyes, made far too much, but now I know how to make it.  For the tongues- halved chocolate eggs.

Happy 3rd birthday Kiddo. 🙂