A Very Good Friday

I can't remember the last time I bothered to make hot cross buns but I was inspired by Paul Hollywood (again... I know!) this morning

 

 

I did get into a bit of a sticky mess with the dough which was quite wet, but persevered

 

And I'm rather glad I did. The chopped apple is an unusal addition but he was right... it made them very moist and tasty... I've just had one warm and buttered with a cuppa!

 

I only made a couple of changes - the chopped peel (which I detest... funny as I love marmalade) was replaced with chopped dried apricots and in the absence of any apricot jam in the house I used a jar of homemade gooseberry jam that was lurking in the fridge to glaze them. Seemed to work.

 

Last year on Good Friday I was in New Zealand with my Mum and Joe. We didn't realise all the supermarkets shut in NZ on Good Friday, plus you cannot buy alcohol anywhere... not even in restaurants. We hadn't stocked up on provisions so we ate an evening meal of crisps, apples and some chocolate which was all we managed to buy. All washed down with tea while we played cards! Yet we had one of the best evenings of the holiday and laughed til we cried. I think the food might be better this year... and there is wine chilling in the fridge!

 

 

Mum, helpless with laughter on Good Friday last year... not sure why she was wearing Joe's sunglasses indoors!

A Healthy Lunch

Another recipe ticked off from my baking challenge... this time it was Pitta Bread.

Very easy and satisfying to make... although I probably did get a tad overexciting when they puffed up like little soft pillows in the oven.



And they made a very healthy lunch stuffed with home made hummus, falafel and salad... although I probably didn't need to eat two of them.

And if you fancy making my very quick and easy hummus you just need to whizz up a tin of drained chickpeas with 1 crushed garlic clove, juice of half a lemon and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper in the food processor until it's the consistency you want. (I like mine quite chunky). Then drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil down the funnel of the processor while the motor is running until everything is mixed. Taste... and add more lemon and seasoning if required. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of tahini or peanut butter if I have it but I didn't yesterday and it tasted just fine.

That's five recipes done now... only another hundred or so more to go (113 actually!)

Tessellating Rolls

 I'm back with my baking challenge...

 This time page 62 and the "Ale Bread Rolls"

Which I declare a success (although I wouldn't leave them in the oven quite so long next time)

It could just be the mathematician in me, but I rather like the idea of tessellating rolls!

And they did go very well with the celeriac and mustard soup.

Okay... that is three posts in a row about food. I promise I will not show any more food until I've done some stitching to share... or maybe some knitting?

Pies and Panic

 You might recall that some weeks ago I had a rather silly notion of setting myself the challenge of baking all the recipes from this book... well it never got beyond the silly notion stage really. But flicking through the other day I thought I'd like to try making pork pies. Why? Don't even go there... I haven't a clue... I don't even eat them... but I knew wanted to make them.

Ingredients were all bought this week and I kept thinking about it, but was put off by the idea that hot water crust pastry might be tricky and the need to work quickly before it cools down and becomes brittle and crumbly. But finally last night at about 6 pm I took the plunge and decided I would get these pork pies made and in the oven before embarking on the evening meal. The filling was prepared, flours weighed, water boiled... and then the phone went. It was Anna... was I going to reading group?... Ah!... Yes... but I had totally forgotten. But no worries... I still had and hour and half to finish the pies and make a toad in the hole...

And I did manage both... but only just. Dinner was dished up for my men (I had a couple of Ryvita!), just as the pies came out of the oven and Anna turned up at the door!

So given that I was running around like a headless chicken, muttering rude words and leaving chaos in my wake, it was probably not the best conditions for my first ever attempt at hot water crust pastry but it wasn't quite as tricky as I imagined. It felt rather like the home made play dough I used to make when the boys were little... we all loved to handle that while it was still silky soft and warm!

However, there was no way of getting the stock flavoured gelatine down that little hole. I did try and it went everywhere... so in the end I didn't bother. And as Joe said jelly is his least favourite bit in a pork pie, I decided it would be fine without. They certainly look and smell like pork pies... But I'm still waiting for the verdict!*

I'm still waiting for the latest weather update too*. It was -7.5 deg C here this morning with a forecast of more snow coming up from the west tomorrow. I'm meant to be driving West to Cornwall with my Mum in the morning so I'm rather hoping that the forecast is wrong.

This cold spell might look very pretty but it's mighty inconvenient!

 

 

* Verdict... pies apparently "awesome" and weather "appalling" so we're not risking a drive to the West Country. Another weekend by the fire knitting I think!

Not Quite Rock and Roll

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I made rough puff pastry. I'd always considered it a step too far... all that turning, rolling and resting sounded far too complicated when supermarkets sell the stuff. But if I'm going to stick to my challenge and try everything in this book, then it had to be tackled. And to my surprise it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. In fact after the initial mixing and rolling, I found that the frequent resting periods where all you have to do is leave the pastry in the fridge were perfect for getting back in the studio and stitching. And just as I got bored with 20 minutes continuous machine stitching it was time to get back in the kitchen and do another turn and roll. A perfect combination.... Turn, Roll & Stitch!

 

 

 I do think that the cooking times in the book are a little suspect  (either that or my oven is not the correct temperature) as they were definitely not cooked after half hour. So I cranked up the heat a little and left them for another five minutes... still not cooked. Decided they needed yet another five minutes, took my cup of tea and went to sit in the comfort of the sofa and picked up a magazine. Fifteen minutes later, I jumped to my feet, shouting obsenities... "I've forgotten the *beep* sausage rolls... Oh *beep* *BEEP*!!!... they're ruined!" But it was decided by the rest of the family who had come running to the kitchen to see what all the noise was about that although they were a little more golden than I may have liked they were not ruined. And they've gone off in the lunch boxes this morning so I'll know the verdict later. I have to admit that they smelled pretty good... almost enough to make me eat meat again.

 

Who knows... I might even be back with some stitching later.

A Personal Bake Off Challenge

I'm reading this book at the moment. I'm only half way through but I'm loving it. There is something in Julie Powell's obsessive personality that I recognise in my own... plus that need for a challenge...

 

 

and I got to thinking it would be fun to work my way through all the recipes in one of my own cookbooks (but without the time limit!) So given my slight obsession with all things "Bake Off" I decided to try  and cook everything in this book .Although there are some things I just don't like the sound of so may well miss them out which does kind of defeat the purpose of cooking every recipe (if there is indeed a purpose).

 

One recipe that did catch my eye was this Pecan Loaf... so pretty.

 

I perservered with a very sticky dough, kneading it by hand as I don't own a  fancy machine with a dough hook. I confess that it had less than the 2 tablespoons of black treacle required in the recipe... because I had almost run out... nor did it have pecans as I didn't have any in the cupboard, so walnuts were substituted.

 

And the end result looked pretty much like it should.

 

Sliced whilst still warm...

 

And eaten for lunch with our Sunday soup (Pumpkin with melting cheese, since you ask)

 

But despite appearances, I wasn't very happy with my bread. I don't think it was cooked properly (a slightly soggy middle) and there were far too many walnuts giving it an oily, slightly bitter flavour. And although no one else complained and there is not much left, already I want to try it again with the proper ingedients. I think pecans would work much better in the quantities in the recipe so I guess Paul Hollywood does actually know what he is talking about. Making all the recipes from this book and getting them perfect could be a very long process!

 

 

Of course there was cake too, a fruity Harvo loaf... but baked in eight little loaf shaped cases instead of the usual loaf tin. This is another one of those family recipes passed down from my Mum that also uses black treacle... but as I'd used the last scrapings from the tin in my bread I substited golden syrup.

 

And this time the substitution worked... delicious sliced in half and buttered!

 

Harvo Loaf

Stir together in a large bowl... 2 cups self raising flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup sultanas (or raisins), a scant cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons black treacle (or golden syrup if you've run out of treacle). Mix until combined, pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 180 deg C for about 1 hour. Cool in the tin and eat sliced and buttered with afternoon tea!

 

I think it is quite likely that I've given this recipe on my blog before but I make no apology as it is quite the easiest and one of the tastiest cakes ever!