The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 62,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 3…
Month: December 2012
Ciabatta (take 2)
…well, it’s really take 3, as I had a crack at this 12 months ago as well as the ‘no knead’ version a month ago. Not surprisingly, all 3 recipes are variations on a theme. This one is based on Peter Reinhart’s Pain a l’Ancienne Rustic, and was my first test from his book, Artisan’s…
Bread Making Books – Comparing Picasso vs Constable?
In the run up to Christmas I decided that I would ask Santa for another bread making book. I was enjoying my recent experiences so much that I wanted to explore different techniques and follow new ‘master bakers’. I’d really enjoyed working through Paul Hollywood‘s ‘How to Bake’ (and would strongly recommend this book to…
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Chorizo
Fed up with those sprouts already? Want something a little different? This has a wonderful sweet, spicy fullness which works so well with the brussels Sprouts. Even the kids liked them! Sprout and bacon always work well as a combination, but Chorizo adds a little something extra… Ingredients 750g Brussels Sprouts 250g Chestnuts, roasted, peeled…
Christmas Leftovers – Baked in a bun…
So, you’re left with heaps of turkey & mash and stuffing and sprouts. Why not use it to stuff a chelsea bun dough for an alternative Boxing day ‘leftover sandwich’? You can use anything you’ve got to fill the enriched dough, and it works just as well with savoury fillings as sweet. If your leftovers…
Turkey Gravy
So you’re roasting your turkey to perfection, but what about that gravy? Well, if you’ve followed the recipe, there’s really nothing to it. If you follow my turkey roasting recipe, and buy the best quality free range bird, there will probably be no need even to season the gravy- this will be the best you’ve…
Poinsettia
A wonderful festive fizz with sharp citrussy fruit, best served with a dry sparkling wine (or Champagne, if you’re really trying to impress…) Ingredients 500ml Cranberry Juice 125ml Cointreau 1 bottle dry champagne style sparkling wine, well chilled Fresh raspberries to decorate Method Mix the cointreau and cranberry juice in a jug and keep in…
Raspberry Truffle
Make the most of that freshly brewed Chocolate Vodka and serve up a Raspberry Truffle – this really emphasises the heady aromas of true dark chocolate. Using a sweeter wine takes the bitter edge off. Ingredients 30ml Chocolate Vodka per glass 1 bottle Cava, or sweeter style sparkling wine, well chilled Method Pour the chocolate…
How to Roast a Turkey
Keep it simple for the best roast turkey. A little basting, preferably overnight, then a hot roast in the oven. Nothing flash – let the best quality free range meat speak for itself. Try and get something from a local farm shop – it’s well worth it! I like this hot roast – it takes…
Duchess Surprise!
I love my mashed potatoes, but sometimes your celebratory meal just needs a little more pizzaz! A twist on that ’70s favourite, Duchess Potatoes. This time, in 2 tone and 2 parts – Butternut, sage and chilli matched with Beetroot mash. How festive is that! Guidance – there should be about 2 parts potato for…
Parmesan Grissini
These ‘cheese and onion’ breadsticks are terrific for a party. Unlike the Olive & Tomato breadsticks, these are baked for longer at a cooler temperature to get them really crisp Makes 40-50 Ingredients 250g Strong White Flour 250g Spelt Flour 10g Fast Action Yeast 6g Salt 1 tbsp Sugar 100g Softened Butter 150ml Full Fat…
Christmas Fruit Gelato
Based on a really simple Nigella recipe, this is a minimal effort ice cream with a festive twist! Serves 6 Ingredients 300ml Double Cream 150ml Full Fat Milk 1 tbsp Candied Peel, finely chopped 1 tbsp Dried Sour Cherries, finely chopped 1 tbsp Dried Cranberries, finely chopped 2 tbsp Rum 60g good Dark Chocolate, very…
Chocolate Vodka
A wonderful chocolate liqueur which you can make yourself in just a few days! Perfect for a romantic cocktail or a festive celebration. Try it in a Raspberry Truffle! Cocoa Nibs are the crushed, shelled cocoa beans used in the making of chocolate. They are becoming easier to get hold of – I got my…
Christmas Menu 2012
I seem even less prepared for Christmas this year than ever! Knowing we had 9 hungry people again from Christmas dinner, both meat-eaters and vegetarians, I’d given the menu no thought at all, with the exception of deciding that we’d follow last year’s terrific turkey with another locally sourced free range one from our local…
Last Minute Christmas Cake (Wholemeal Fruitcake)
Forgotten something? Christmas presents – tick. Turkey – tick. Made the last post with the Christmas cards – tick. Made the Christmas Cake in September to mature for 3 months? Oh ##@&%$$£$%!!!! Worry not. We’ve been making this version for years for all sorts of occasions (it was the basis of our wedding cake), it’s…
Christmas Sourdough Stollen
A traditional German enriched bread for generations, but made from sourdough? Why not! Stollen‘s been around for hundreds of years, long before the advent f commercial baking yeast, so I’m just taking this back to it’s roots. Needless to say, taking the sourdough route takes longer, so if you could always resort to commercial yeast…
Soft Wholemeal Sourdough Rolls
So, learning from my previous sourdough recipes, I want to try something a little different – bread rolls I can use everyday for my lunch time sandwiches. Ironically, despite all of the baking I’ve been doing recently, I still tend to resort to nice granary supermarket rolls, as I can be assured that they’ll be…
Olive & Sundried Tomato Breadsticks
This recipe makes a wet, sticky dough (80% hydration), but don’t be tempted to add more flour. The great fruity tomato and olive flavours make these great as appetisers, accompaniments for soups and pasta dishes or just by themselves, with a glass of wine. Perfect for christmas entertainment! Makes about 12 Ingredients 100g Sundried Tomatoes,…
Sourdough Ciabatta or Pane Pugliese?
Picking up from the great success of last week’s Ciabatta (you really must give it a try – it’s excellent!), it’s time to diversify. First of all, let’s adapt the recipe to work with sourdough starter instead of a preferment… Of course, this is a good alternative if you’ve forgotten to make your poolish in…
Centurion Sourdough Rolls
This beer-based bread uses one of my favourite beers from my local brewery. You could replace this with any good quality real ale, but you’d probably need to come up with a new name. Centurion’s Ghost is a rich porter from York Brewery. Very malty – perfect drinking for a cold winter’s evening, or a…
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