By Alice | Published:
November 17, 2010
The idea to make them pumpkin shaped came from here. Ideally these would be pumpkin flavoured too but canned pumpkin is pretty rare here, it’s just back in stock at Ocado so next time I place an order I will get some. I did not feel up to that effort of pureeing a pumpkin myself just for pancakes :)
Simon suggested making Moomin shaped ones by pouring batter into my Moomin cutters (seen here and bought in this Moomin cafe in Japan) but the batter seemed to stuck to the cutters as I hadn’t greased them so I only made a few. Tasty though!
By Alice | Published:
November 5, 2010
This is golden syrup… :)
Some of you asked what golden syrup is. I’d forgotten that golden syrup is one of those things that isn’t readily available in the USA. Here it mainly comes in that pretty tin shown above. It is often alongside black treacle, the red tin above, which is very much like molasses. In looking into it now I see that golden syrup is a pale form of treacle, it is also much sweeter and not at all bitter. Some people might sometimes use it like maple syrup over pancakes but mainly it is used in baking and very useful for things like flapjacks. I keep and reuse the tins, mostly in the garden like here. It is a very common ingredient and widely available.
In some ways it’s nice to know that there are still things that are exculsive to certain parts of the world even if it can be frustrating. I was recently trying to track down persimmon (or sharon fruit as they are known here) to no avail.
By Alice | Published:
November 3, 2010
I was trying to think of an unusual way to photograph these biscuits I made and that’s what I came up with :D
Anyway photographic models aside I did not make them for me to eat but to send to my sister. Provided you like ginger these seem the ideal biscuit as they are really delicious, very quick to make, don’t require anything complicated, and will last for ages in a tin. The recipe I used was from Darina Allen’s Forgotten Skills of Cooking that I have mentioned before but looking online there seems to be a general consensus on how Ginger Nut Biscuits should be made:
350g plain flour
150g granulated sugar
3 tsp ground ginger (have less or more depending on how spicy you want them to be)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
225ml golden syrup
150g butter
Oven: 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit
Warm the golden syrup a little.
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, then add the syrup and mix well.
Roll the mixture into small balls (about 15g each) and arrange on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then lift onto a rack to cool.
I see also that Delia has a recipe for Chocolate Chip Ginger Nuts, I will have to try that the next time I’m posting biscuits somewhere.
By Alice | Published:
November 1, 2010
The last two I did are now gone so I fancied doing another one, this time I carved a fish into the pumpkin.
I got the idea to do a fish from this fan.
Here it is lit up.
The view from the window in the morning, the leaves are amazing at the moment.
Cats really know how to relax don’t they!
Some friends came around on Saturday which gives a good reason to bake. The Moomin cutters I got in Japan. The hippo I found at a charity sale, I think it might have once been part of a Zoo set.
The recipe I tried out was Nigel Slater’s Brown Sugar Spice Biscuits, the recipe is at the end of this article. I like my gingerbread a little more fiery so I would increase the amount of ginger next time and perhaps roll them thinner. The cardamom in his recipe is a nice touch though.
I like a weekend that has room for these sort of random things alongside all the bustle :)
By Alice | Published:
October 29, 2010
1. Increase fairy string light quota.
2. Mulled wine.
I got some new lights for inside the house. I don’t quite have as many as Nigella… yet. Mulled wine is also another perk of this season. It seems that Oxford is a very mulled wine sort of place, most pubs will do it from about now through to next year. There are hundreds of different mulled wine recipes, some involve things like Earl Grey tea and brandy. However if I make it at home I have a quick recipe of 2 parts red wine to 1 part fresh orange juice plus a couple of cloves, a dash of cinnamon, and a teaspoon or two of honey. Then heat very gently for a few minutes in a pan. For me the key is not over spicing it, cloves can be very powerful. There is also the non-alcoholic version of heating cloudy apple juice with the mulling spices which is very tasty. Roll on winter.
Also posted in Cooking, Yum |
