I did it!!!

 

 

Challenge complete!  Exactly 2 years to the day that I made my first 'Bake' recipe, I completed the last (always did like taking things to the wire, me!)

 

Here's how my final week panned out...

 

Tuesday - Party doughnuts

 

 

These were good fun, and surprisingly easy to make.  They're made from a bread dough, so you need to leave time for rising and proving.  However, they can be prepared in advance, ready to be cooked when you need them.  To form the doughnuts, the dough is cut into rounds.  You then make a hole with your finger, and spin them round to enlarge it.  Evan loved helping with this part!  Of course they're best fresh from the pan but, if you have any left over, microwaving for 10-20 seconds will revive them.  (This tip is credited to Nigel, who likes to buy bags of doughnuts from the bargain shelf!)

 

Wednesday - Baked peaches

 

 

 

An unusual desert - peaches topped with crushed amaretti biscuits; brown sugar; almonds and egg yolk.  I had to get over my weird peach skin phobia to make these.  I know it's strange, but I've always hated the feeling it- it goes right through me.  But needs must.  I reduced the quantities and made a desert for one, as Nigel was at work.  Quite good!  This recipe was left until now, as I'd found it surprisingly difficult to find amaretti biscuits.  I finally found them in a large supermarket which I don't usually frequent, and which shall remain nameless!

 

Friday - Pink meringues/ Coconut macaroon tart

 

Thank goodness, with all this baking to do, we had a ladies night at church, which called for plenty of tea and cake.  These recipes seemed suitably girly.   I'd meant to make the pink meringues for Megan's dedication, and also her 1st birthday - but never got round to either.  So they were left until now.  I initially tried to pipe the meringues, but got in a real mess.  The mixture kept escaping out of the top of the bag, and all over my hands.  'Forget this', I thought.  I found it easier to blob the meringue onto the tray, and swirl it around with the spoon.  I preferred the shape this gave me anyway.  The meringues are swirled with a little red food colouring, and sandwiched with raspberry cream, so they look really feminine.  Rachel also provides a 'boy variation', made with blue food colouring and blueberry cream.

 

 

I'm afraid I didn't get a photo of the coconut macaroon tart, as it was made in a hurry and transported off to church.  It was very much enjoyed by all the ladies though, and I've had some requests for the recipe.  I made the version with added raspberry jam, as I like the sweetness which accompanies the slightly bitter coconut.

 

Saturday - A busy baking day!

 

Date, orange & cardamom tart

 

 

An unusual, exotic tasting tart.  You need to leave some time, as the filling ingredients are mixed and left to stand for 8-24 hours; also the dates are soaked separately in orange juice for 8-24 hours.  It does mean that most of the hard work can be done in advance, so good for a dinner party.

 

Raspberry crème catalana

 

 

OK, so this was a deviation from Rachel's recipe. They were meant to be made with rhubarb, and I'd hoped to get some of the early, 'forced' variety.  I couldn't.  Hence, making them with raspberries at the last minute.  They tasted nice, although went inexplicably runny when I flamed them.  One to try again - in rhubarb season!

 

Baked clams

 

 

 

Definitely felt adventurous cooking these!  I'm always a bit nervous about cooking seafood, in case I don't do it properly and poison someone.  We're still alive!  The clams are cooked with shallots; parsley; wine and cream, and topped with breadcrumbs and cheese - then grilled until the topping is crunchy.  Wondering if this is a red herring in the book, as it isn't actually baked?!  I enjoyed cooking these, love watching the way they suddenly pop open in the pan.  We both felt however, that the clams were overpowered by the cheese.  I'll definitely make them again, but just with the white wine/cream sauce.

 

 

Sunday - Croque en bouche

 

 

I'd saved this until the very last, as it seemed the most challenging, showstopping dish.  It didn't disappoint.  I loved making it, and was really pleased with the result.  It brings together many skills, including making choux pastry; piping; making crème patissiere and caramel, so really felt like a culmination of the challenge.  It seemed a little self-indulgent, making such a special dish just for Sunday teatime.  But as I was celebrating an achievement, that was fine by me!

 

 

So here I am, 2 years down the line.   27 kg of flour, 19kg of sugar, just under 14kg of butter, and 286 eggs!  There have been some great highs (I particularly loved the almond praline cake, and lemon and passion fruit tart) and a few lows (the garlic cottage pie and the risotto that everyone refused to eat!) Have I enjoyed the challenge?  Definitely!  I've tried out recipes that I'd never have attempted otherwise, and found them all achievable.  I've loved opportunities to share my bakes with people, and see the pleasure that it gives them.  Another great bonus is that the kids have seen me baking (constantly, over the last few weeks!) and have been keen to join in.  Even Megan now likes to help with rolling pastry and cracking eggs.  Here's my first baking session with them both, just last week.  I hope their interest continues to grow (despite the mess!)

 

 

 

Am I glad it's over?  Yes!  There are so many more recipes I want to try.  I still have a pristeen copy of Rachel's 'All Things Sweet', which I bought over a year ago, but haven't yet had a chance to look at.  Speaking of which, here are the remains of 'Bake'...

 

 

 







Oops!  It's been stuck back together several times, but in the end I just gave up.  I'm planning to archive this old copy, and treat myself to a new one.

Of course, the highlight of my challenge has been meeting Rachel herself, and talking to her about the whole project. http://heidisbakingfrenzy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/carrot-cake-and-one-fantastic-day_8.html  She was just as I expected, very down to earth and easy to chat to.  Rachel, if you should ever read this, thank you for 2 years of yumminess.  I hope I've done your recipes justice!

 

Some more thank you's, while we're on the subject... to my little family for road testing all the recipes, and for your honest feedback.  To all my friends for sharing the bakes, and saving me from becoming the size of a house!  I'm particularly grateful to my church, Central Baptist, as church functions have provided many a baking opportunity.  Also to my 'virtual friends' on Facebook, for first encouraging this idea and then following the blog.  Finally, thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings... and making it all worthwhile.

 

Going to take a short break from blogging, but it's not goodbye!  I have another project in my mind, which I'm quite excited about.  The only clue is that it doesn't involve just one cookbook.  Watch this space! xx

Some Christmassy baking

OK, not all Christmassy recipes, but ones that I've baked over the last month.

1. Baked potato galette

 

Now, this was an interesting one. The instructions are to cut the potatoes into matchsticks, press them into a hot pan and fry until golden underneath.  You then bake in the oven until cooked through.  Somehow, I had it in my head that this would become a sort of potato cake.  It didn't... as you can see it looks like chips.  Nigel read the recipe and said that was pretty blooming obvious!  Megan was very happy, "ooh, chippies, chippies!" 

 

 It's supposed to be served with smoked salmon and crème fraiche, but we had it as an accompaniment to roast chicken.

 

2. Creamy vanilla rice pudding

 

 

 

I love a good homemade rice pudding, and this was so easy I wondered why I hadn't tried before! You simply place rice and sugar in a pie dish, then boil milk and cream with vanilla extract, pour it over and bake.  It tastes so much richer and creamier than what you'd get in a tin, I loved it.  Here my husband and I differ, as I love the skin and he doesn't.  As I cooked this in a shallow dish, it had quite a good skin (I didn't do this on purpose, honestly Nigel!)

 

3. Baked cheese fondue in a squash

 

 

A great winter warmer which we all enjoyed, yes, even Evan fuss-monkey!  Rachel recommends a round squash which I couldn't find - I used 2 butternut squash instead.  You cut off the lid, then hollow out the flesh and discard the seeds.  Place into the squash, some grated Gruyere or Gouda cheese, and then a mixture of cream; garlic; nutmeg and seasoning.  The squash is then baked for about 50 minutes.  I served it with baked potatoes and some crusty bread.  Very simple and delicious!

 

 

4. Beef and stout pie

 

This is made with a hot water crust pastry, unlike any pastry I'd tried before but very easy! You simply mix butter and water in a saucepan and allow to boil.  Then mix flour; salt and egg in a large bowl.  Pour in the hot liquid and stir together, that's your pastry made!  You then need to leave it to cool, and firm it up in the fridge, and it's ready to use.  Nothing to it, really.  Rachel adds anchovies in to the pie, but I left them out for a more classic taste. 

 

 

5. Sourdough

 

 

 

 

 

As Rachel says, this is a simplified sourdough recipe.  A classic sourdough has no yeast, but she adds a little to make it easier.  You create your sourdough starter with 1 sachet of yeast, 500mls of water and 300g plain flour.  Then cover with cling film and leave for 3-4 days (more time creates a stronger flavour).  I loved making this, you can literally see the starter bubbling away and working its magic!  When you're ready to bake, you mix the starter with strong white flour and salt.  This created a really sticky dough, which I wasn't convinced would do anything.  However, it did work and produced 2 very tasty loaves. 

 

6. Christmas pudding

 

And on to a proper Christmassy recipe!  I have to admit to feeling a little daunted at the idea of making my own Christmas pud, but it was surprisingly straightforward.  I loved it - and I think our guests did too!  I've recently found that some of the supermarket puddings leave an unpleasant, 'lardy' coating on my mouth.  This didn't at all, it was quite light and Rachel adds dried cranberries for an extra fruity tang.  I'll certainly be making my own puddings from now on.  Might try and make them a bit earlier though, instead of steaming at 10pm on Christmas Eve!

 

7. Walnut cake & American frosting

 

 

 

 

Made this on Boxing Day, for my Dad's 70th birthday.  Apologies for the quality of the photos - I'd lost the camera in the Christmas chaos, and had to use my phone.  The cake was delicious and very moist.  Failed at making American frosting again, at the third attempt.  If you've never tried it, it involves making a sugar syrup.  Despite using a sugar thermometer, my sugar always overcooks and crystallises.  It tastes OK, just a bit grainy, and not smooth as it's supposed to be.  Definitely one to spend time practising when this challenge is over!

 

8. Chocolate eclairs

 

 

Made these for a little family get-together, between Christmas and New Year.  My first attempt at choux pastry, which actually wasn't complicated at all.  I did get in a pickle with the piping bag, as the stitching split while I was piping the pastry.  Quick trip out to get a new one, then I had to try and scrape the mixture out of the split bag.  Got there in the end, and as you can see, they didn't look too bad.  Evan came to help me ice them, and as usual, got in on the act of licking the spoon!  The  eclairs went down really well with our guests, especially Nigel's niece, who hid in the dining room with the plate! A compliment indeed.

  

 

9. Gingerbread house and people

 

 

 

 

Having meant to do this all over Christmas, Evan and I finally managed it on January 2nd.  We tried to make it last year, but it all fell apart.  I got so frustrated, I gave up and we just ate the gingerbread.  I've now realised that it takes quite a bit of patience.  You need to stick each section and hold it together for a while, allowing it to bond before adding the next section.  I was amazed, and very happy, to see it standing up!  Evan really went to town on the decoration, as you can see.  We found a Minnie Mouse biscuit cutter, therefore it became Minnie and Mickey's house!  He decorated it with many chocolate buttons and little chocolate bars, banana sweets for 'bunting', and finished with a fish pond made out of icing.  Loved spending the time doing this with my boy, and I'm glad we waited until the busy-ness of Christmas was out of the way!

 

10. Pork, chorizo and spinach pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A weird one this.  The pie is really tasty - it's made with a hot water crust pastry, and filled with minced pork; wilted spinach; chopped chorizo; nutmeg; garlic (plenty of it, of course!); sage and eggs.  I just wasn't sure what would go with it.  I served it with jacket potatoes, as that's what Evan fancied that evening - but it didn't seem quite right.  Maybe I could try it with new potatoes in the spring/summer. 

 

11. Paper thin crispbread

 

 

I have to admit, I'd ignored this recipe for a while as it didn't seem the most exciting!  I'm glad the challenge made me try though.  They're simple to make, and good to have as part of my repertoire.  It takes a bit of time rolling out the dough, as it has to be, well, paper thin.  Apart from that, there's really nothing to it.  I mixed crushed fennel; coriander and black pepper seeds into my crispbreads.  Before baking, I sprinkled them with some Cornish sea salt -  I love the little flavour bursts that this gives.  I enjoyed my crispbreads with leftover Christmas Stilton, and chutney.  I might try making them in strips instead of rectangles, to serve with dips for a party.

 

 

12. St Stephen's Day Muffins

 

These are a great 'using up' recipe - basic muffin mix, mixed with lumps of leftover Christmas pudding.  OK, so there's never any Christmas pudding left in our house.  Nigel will see to that!  To be honest, I bought a reduced pudding from Co-op's bargain shelf, simply to make this recipe.  Which sort of defeats the object, but the muffins were great, so that's OK.  Rachel's recipe calls for 2 tbsp of sherry, brandy or whisky.  Instead of this, I replaced the butter with brandy butter.  It gave a subtle kick.  Next time, I might be brave and do brandy butter and the extra booze!

 

13. Sweet potato and pecan bread

 

This is a really easy, loaf shaped cake - similar in many ways to carrot cake.  You grate up some sweet potato and mix with eggs; oil; sugar; chopped nuts (I used a mixture of pecans and walnuts); flour; salt, and spices.  Pour into a loaf tin and bake, it's that simple!  It's a very moist cake - I thought it was undercooked when I first cut it, but then I realised it's meant to be that way.  I took the cake to church to share on Sunday, and it was hoovered up very quickly.  I received many compliments, and a few recipe requests too.  Definitely one to make again!  Oh, and as it was eaten so quickly, so time for photos.  Sorry!

 

14. Croissants

 

 

 

I'd saved these until nearly the end of my challenge, thinking they'd be quite complicated.  They weren't, although they do take some time due to all the steps involved.  You begin by making a bread dough, but instead of leaving it to rise, it's chilled for 2 hours.  The dough is then rolled out, and folded around a slab of butter - similar to making puff pastry.  After some folding and chilling, it's finally rolled out thinly and cut into triangles.  The shaping of the croissants is fairly easy - you roll up from the triangle base, voila, your croissant shape!  I enjoyed one for lunch with ham and cheese, very happy with my efforts!

 

 

15.  Waffles

 

 

 

I'd been waiting to try these out ever since our trip to Brugge, last September. Very happy memories of eating fresh waffles in the main square, relaxing in the Autumn sunshine.  The question was, how to make them?  I didn't want to splash out for an electric waffle maker, yet another kitchen gadget to sit in the cupboard.  Having researched it, I found that you can get long handled waffle irons - designed for outdoor cooking but also useable on a hob.  I decided to treat myself with my Christmas money - see above!  This particular one is by Gardeco, and was £17.99 on Amazon.  It's easy to use. and cooks the waffles in about 5 minutes.  You just have to remember to turn the plates halfway, so the waffles are evenly cooked.  We enjoyed our waffles Belgian style of course, with whipped cream and cherries.  Evan picked chocolate spread and cream and as you can see, was proud of his creation!

 

 

Megan went along with the Belgian theme too!  These were great fun, and I'm determined to use my waffle irons and not stick them in the back of a cupboard.  Looking forward to using them on the barbecue this summer.

 

So here I am, nearly at the end of my challenge!  I made my first recipe on 17th January 2014, so aim to finish by 17th January 2016 - this Sunday.  Eek!  8 recipes to go, the end is tantalisingly in sight.  It's going to be a busy week! 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Still here, still baking!

I always seem to start like this but many, many apologies again for being away so long.  There's been a lot going on over the last few months, and although I've kept up with the baking, I just haven't had time to sit down and blog.

 

On 11th September, we lost our precious Granny, 10 days after she suffered a stroke at home.  We all miss her, while of course being glad that she isn't suffering any more.  She'd managed to live on her own until the end, at nearly 95 years of age, and until recently liked to bake something whenever I visited.  She passed on some great family recipes to me, which I'll post one day if I can dig them out!  I love this picture of her looking so proud, with newborn Megan.

By strange coincidence, 11th September was my other Granny's 100th birthday.  She also lives on her own, and is just amazing for her age (I think I've got good genes!)  We had a family party for her the following day - she really seemed to enjoy herself and loved catching up with family and friends. Here she is with children and grandchildren, and a special letter from one grand old lady to another!

 

 

In yet another coincidence, Granny's funeral was held on our 10th wedding anniversary.  We didn't have much time to think about it that day, but the following week we sneaked off to Brugge for 4 days, our first holiday without the munchkins!  It was a lovely break, much of which seemed to centre around food!  We had a wonderful first night meal of pig cheek with beer and cherry sauce, followed by a traditional 'Brugge swan' desert.  Then there was a tour of a chocolate factory, and lovely fresh waffles, straight from the griddle.  Yum!  Plenty of inspiration for when I finish this little project!

Right, so here goes.  This is what I've managed to bake over the last few months (with pictures where I could find them!)

1.  Lime yoghurt cake

 

A really zesty, moist cake containing honey; natural yoghurt and lime juice.  It's drizzled with a syrup made of water; caster sugar; more lime juice and rosewater.  Definitely worth trying as an alternative to classic sponge cake!  Struggled to find the rosewater, but then my friend in the local health food shop ordered it specially for me.

2. Rich hazelnut brownies

 

What can I say - chocolate brownies.  Always a hit!  I find it best to always slightly undercook them, so they're soft in the middle.  Otherwise, they loose their squidginess and just become like sponge cake.

3. Baked Alaska

 

 

 

OK, so as you can see this was a bit of a disaster.  I'm not sure quite what went wrong, but I thought my meringue was stiff enough - then it all melted when I spread it on the ice cream.  I shoved it in the freezer quickly, and it set in the position you can see.  Still, it tasted good!  Evan re-named it 'ice-cream cake'... Nigel re-named it 'ice-cream splat!'  I actually sent these pictures in to 'Great British Bake Off, Extra Slice' as I thought it looked so bad, and might make their disastrous bakes slot.  Unfortunately I was too late for the last episode.  Might submit it next year... watch this space!  Oh, I found it much easier to use a blowtorch to brown the meringue, rather than place it in the oven, as Rachel suggests.  I think that might have finished it off!

4. Mocha pecan meringue ice-cream sandwiches

Evan was oh-so excited about having ice cream sandwiches in the freezer, but sadly he didn't like the result.  They're made with meringue, mixed with coffee granules, ground pecans and chocolate. You heap little mounds onto a baking tray, and bake - then sandwich with ice cream when ready to eat.  I think the coffee and nut taste disagreed with Evan's palette!  I enjoyed them though, and enjoyed having them in the freezer as a treat to pull out.

5. Viennese biscuits

These were hilarious - why I didn't get a picture I don't know.  I piped them onto the baking tray with the wrong size nozzle.  They looked very skinny, but "oh well" I thought, "they might spread".  They didn't!  They were more like French fries!  Still tasted nice, and very moreish.  I'll try again, and maybe read the instructions properly!

6. Eccles cakes

 

I've loved Eccles cakes for a long time, and these were much easier to make than I thought.  I used ready made mincemeat (one of Rachel's filling variations), so I literally just rolled out discs of puff pastry, popped a teaspoon of filling in and gathered up the pastry edges.  They're smaller than the Eccles cake you get in the shops, but taste just the same.

7. Finnish cake with caramelised ginger

An unusual sponge cake, made with crystallised ginger and soured cream.  Seems so long since I made it, and can't remember much it about it.  Just that it turned out well!

8. Lemon and passion fruit tart

 

Loved this, definitely one of my favourite bakes so far.  I love lemon tart anyway, and the passion fruit adds an extra tropical sweetness.  Best served chilled, with some cream for extra decadence!

9. Baked butternut squash risotto

Decided to make this for tea one night, when it was just me and the munchkins.  Well, it was a change from what we normally have and a bit of a gamble... not a good one.  They both turned their noses up, even Megan who isn't normally fussy.  Luckily it's an easy recipe, so I didn't feel I'd wasted too much effort!  (And I enjoyed it).

10. 30 day muffins

 

This is such an amazing recipe - if you haven't tried it you should!  As the name suggests, the basic mix lasts in the fridge for a whole month.  When you fancy a batch of fresh muffins, you just add in whichever flavourings you want, and bake. Voila, domestic goddess!

11. White-frosted coconut celebration cake

Another great alternative to the classic sponge cake for a party or special occasion.  It has coconut in the sponge, then a coconut butter filling and is finally finished with an American frosting, and sprinkled with yet more coconut.  Yes, you have to be a coconut lover!  My husband is definitely not, but this went to church for our minister's leaving celebration, so was appreciated by many of the folk there.  I cannot master American frosting, it never seems to be firm enough and sort of melts down the cake.  It still tastes nice, just doesn't look pretty.  Definitely one to practice when this challenge is over.

12. Roasted mushroom and goats' cheese tartlet

 

Made this for Megan's 2nd birthday tea.  It's a very simple recipe, especially when made with ready made puff pastry. You just roll out your pastry, and top with roasted mushrooms; wilted spinach; and goats' cheese, then bake.  It's finished with olives and herbs, and served with Rachel's oh-so-simple sweet onion jam.  A great entertaining dish, although I think next time I'd make double - it came out quite small.

 

13. Baked figs

Hmmm... not so successful.  Perhaps these just weren't great figs, but they were pretty tasteless.  The idea is that you split the figs, pack tightly into ramekins, drizzle with honey and bake.  Sounded nice, but the figs didn't really take on the sweetness.  It's not often that one of Rachel's recipes lets me down, maybe I'll have to try again one day.

14. Festive jam cookie sandwiches

 

I didn't make these for Christmas, but just for fun, over the autumn.  They're made with a simple biscuit dough - you cut it all into shapes, and then taking half the shapes, cut 'windows' to fill with jam.  Rachel suggested round or flower shaped cutters.  As you can see, I went for hearts and stars.  The hearts worked well, the stars not so much.  I didn't have a small enough inner cutter, and the tops were a bit thin and misshapen.  Still, they baked well and tasted nice. 

15. Oatcakes

 

Another one made in honour of Megan's second birthday.  While I was pregnant with her,  I used to carry around packets of Nairn's Scottish oatcakes.  Great for an instant energy boost!  My Scottish friend Lena says that's what made Megan a 9lb 4oz whopper!  These were easy to make and pretty authentic.  As you can see, little Meggie-Moo hasn't forgotten from the womb and still enjoys them!

16. Vanillekipferl

These are really light little German biscuits, whose name literally means 'vanilla mountain tops' - due to the fact that they are tossed in icing sugar, looking a bit like snowy mountain peaks.  Very light and moreish, yum!

17. Cornish saffron bread

Didn't think this would work at all, as the dough didn't rise very well.  Still, saffron being so expensive, I was reluctant to throw the mixture away.  I'm glad I persevered, as it turned out OK.  It's a fruity loaf, with a nice sunny yellow colour from the saffron.


18 & 19. Empanadillas/ Anchovy, goats' cheese & chorizo squares

 

I finally got over my dread of making puff pastry, yay!  After hearing Jamie Oliver say "if you've got time to make puff pastry, you've got too much time on your hands", and reading that Mary Berry buys ready made... well I thought it must be really complicated.  It isn't, it just takes a bit of time.  And a lot of that isn't hands on time, it's just waiting in between rolling and folding.  Rachel's recipe makes a bit batch, so I made these 2 recipes and also have plenty in the freezer.

20. Walnut and honey tart

Another favourite bake, and one that I'll definitely do again.  It's so easy - having baked the pastry blind, you simply melt butter in a saucepan, add in honey; sugar and cream, boil and finally add in some chopped walnuts  Pour into your case and bake.  Easy as erm, pie!  It's very rich and satisfying - Nigel and I enjoyed it warm with some vanilla ice cream.

21. Beef pasties with mint, ginger and peas

A variation on the classic pasty, which may have Cornish traditionalists shaking in their shoes!  But we enjoyed them.  Rachel describes them as having 'elements of Mexican empanadas, Indian samosas and classic Cornish pasties all rolled into one'.  I'd probably spice them up a bit more (and that comes from me, who doesn't really like hot food!)... the spice was very subtle.

22. Baklava

Had a go at the treat which I enjoy in our local Turkish restaurant, 'The Mangal' in Syston.  It's really easy, just takes a little time layering filo pastry, brushing with butter and layering nuts.  If you haven't worked with filo pastry before, it's quite weird.  I thought I was pulling layers of paper off at first, until I realised it was all pastry.  Luckily, homemade filo is not a recipe in 'Bake'... so I got away with that one!

23. Kugelhopf

 

A lovely juicy, Christmassy tasting sponge cake which we all enjoyed.  It's made with a bread dough, so you need to leave some time for rising and proving - apart from that it's quite uncomplicated.  My KitchenAid with the dough hook made it easy-peasy!  Didn't have the classic Kugelhopf tin, so I just used a round sandwich tin.  But I think I might treat myself, as I'm keen to make this again.

 

I'll sign off here, as although I've got another 8 recipes to update you with, I've probably gone on for long enough! Back with an update very soon!