Sunday 24 November 2013

Warming the cockles

Yesterday, with temperatures steadily dropping to below freezing, I thought it was time to start looking at some recipes to warm up the days and nights, the hands and the cockles.

My favourite drink and pud came straight to mind: Mulled Wine and Sticky Toffee PuddingBoth have their own winter-warmer qualities; warming spices in the wine, rib-sticking rich pud with dates and toffee sauce.

However, my mind kept wandering through recipes of old; Beef Stew with Dumplings, steaming-hot (Chunky Vegetable) Soup, piping-hot Pies, Hot Chocolate, Devil's Coffee (if you ask me really nicely, I might just share the recipe for this). But none of them really hit the spot. And my mind kept returning to the wine and pudding. This was going nowhere, fast. My mind does that sometimes, getting fixated on something that is absolutely no use to anyone.

It was getting ridiculous though; "What's for tea tonight?" "Sticky Toffee Pudding." "Really?" "That, or Mulled Wine." "Great. I opt for the wine." It just would not leave me alone. But I knew that I didn't fancy either of them. Those two didn't hit the spot either. We ended up having Spaghetti Carbonara. Not quite warming the cockles but it was very tasty. And yes, it is our go-to meal if we cannot decide on tea...
This morning, however, the thought of wine and pudding was still not leaving me alone and I decided to follow the train of thought my brain was taking. It turned out that in the back of my mind doors were being opened and shut and my brain was coming up with all sorts of recipes that were being dismissed instantaneously. Until it found one it liked. Am I the only one who's brain does that? Thinking of things on its own accord? Without even asking if this appropriate? But I (or my brain, rather) have come up with some brilliant recipes this way. And so, this morning I gave in and did as my brain asked me to do: I made Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding... Okay, that name needs some work but it does say exactly what it is. Sticky Pudding with Mulled Wine. And, it might not have the best of names, it was totally scrumptious. Laugh at me all you like, I will share this recipe with you in the hope that you will see past the name and try it.
Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding
Ingredients:
For the cake:
  • 100 gram light brown muscovado sugar
  • 175 gram self-raising flour
  • 125 millilitre cold Mulled Wine
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 50 gram unsalted butter (melted)
  • 200 gram dried cranberries
For the sauce:
  • 150 gram dark brown muscovado sugar
  • approx. 35 gram unsalted butter (in little blobs)
  • 500 millilitre Mulled Wine, brought to a simmer
Method:
For the Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding:
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
  2. Butter a 1½ litre capacity pudding dish
For the cake:
  1. Combine the light brown muscovado sugar with the flour in a large bowl
  2. Pour the wine into a measuring jug, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring - just with a wooden spoon - to combine
  3. Fold in the cranberries
  4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pudding dish
    • Don't worry if it doesn't look very full: it will do by the time it cooks
For the sauce:
  1. Sprinkle the dark muscovado sugar on top of the batter and dot with the butter
  2. Pour over the simmering wine (yes really!) and transfer to the oven
For the Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding:
  1. Set the timer for 45 minutes, though you might find the pudding needs 5 or 10 minutes more
    • The top of the pudding should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, dark muscovado sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce
Variations:

  • This will work equally well with mulled fruit juice, but you might want to use less sugar in that case
  • For extra crunch, try adding a handful of roughly chopped pecan nuts to the batter
  • For a pretty, pink-purplish sauce try using soft white sugar
    • Use the same soft white sugar in the pudding for a light-coloured pudding
  • You can make the pudding in advance and prepare an icing from icing sugar and a little mulled wine
    • Decorate the 'cake' as desired with the icing
Once you've stopped laughing,
Enjoy

Saturday 23 November 2013

Sometimes nothing else will do...

What is your favourite pie, tart or cake? Is it a traditional Victoria Sponge? Chocolate cake? Carrot cake? Do you prefer an Upside-Down cake? Or are you more a type for Cheesecake? Cupcakes? Angel (or Devil's) Food Cake? Brownies? What about an impressive Pavlova? Treacle Tart? A posh Tarte Tatin? Banoffee Pie? Fruit Crumble?

I like love all of the above but what about a perfectly ordinary Apple Pie? Crispy, sweet, pastry stuffed to bursting with fresh, tart, apples. Baked in the oven to golden perfection and served with either custard or ice cream. Nothing fancy, nothing posh, but sometimes nothing else will do.

Apple Pie is near enough ancient, dating back to the 1300s (in the UK) when the apples were mixed with saffron, figs, spices and pears. In The Netherlands the recipes started around the same time but have little changed since 1514. America and Canada had to wait for apple pie until the 1700s when planting of European apple varieties in the English colonies took place to become fruit-bearing apple trees, to be selected for their cooking qualities, as there were no native apples. Apple pie in The Netherlands was so important that in 1626, the Dutch Golden Age, it was captured in a painting...

The major difference between English and Dutch Apple Pie is the fact that the Dutch do not cook their apples prior to filling the pastry. This creates a firmer texture, a higher pie and (I think) a better apple flavour. (But the main benefit of not cooking the apples prior to filling the pie has got to be the amount of time saved, not to mention less pots and pans to clean...Another difference is the lid of the pie: the English usually cover the pie with a full pastry lid where the Dutch prefer to create a pastry lattice so that some of the filling is on show.
Growing up, we had a massive garden with a couple of apple and pear trees. My mum had one rule when it came to those trees: we didn't pick the fruit until after her birthday mid-September. Our haul of apples each year was usually significant and my mum would use them for apple sauce or compote and, of course, apple pie. Fancy as Apple Charlotte or Tarte Tatin, or simply as a traditional apple pie with loads of cinnamon and sultanas. The most requested pie for any of our birthdays? Apple pie, regardless whether the birthday was in April, June, September, November or December... Fashionable or not, I will gladly make, bake, slice and eat Apple Pie... Sue me... Or ask me real sweetly and I will bake one for you...
(Dutch) Apple Pie
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
  • 2 eggs
  • 500 gram self-rising flour
  • 300 gram cubed ice cold butter
  • 175 gram brown sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • zest of ½ lemon
For the filling:
  • 300 gram sultanas
  • 2 tablespoons brandy (or cognac or rum)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 kilogram tart apples
  • 75 gram brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons 'speculaas kruiden'
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour
Method:
For the Pastry:
  1. Whisk the eggs loose
  2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl
  3. Add the cold butter and work this into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
  4. Add most of the egg (keep about a tablespoon of the egg behind to brush the pie with later), the brown sugar, salt and lemon zest
  5. Knead the dough until the dough comes together into a ball and set aside for 20 minutes
  6. Grease a large springform cake pan (24 cm x 6.5 cm/10" x 2 1/2")
  7. Cover the bottom and sides of the dish with 3/4 of the dough
For the filling:

  1. In a small bowl, steep the sultanas in the brandy for at least an hour
  2. Peel and core the apples and cut them into bite-sized pieces
    • Mix the apples with the lemon juice to prevent them from 'browning' to quickly
  3. Mix the sultanas, brown sugar, cinnamon and spices in with the apples
  4. Sprinkle the corn flour over and mix well

To make the pie:
  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C
  2. Add the apple mixture to the pie dish and firmly press down
  3. Use the rest of the dough to make the lattice topping
    • Arrange some strips one way and some strips the other way, press to fix it to the sides and fold the dough back in towards the pie. It should not be hanging over the pie dish, otherwise it will stick
  4. Brush the pastry with the egg wash
  5. Place the pie in the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour
  6. Allow the pie to cool in the springform and then carefully turn out
Tips and Tricks:
  • I don't bother to roll the dough out and cut it as it is pretty sticky and causes a mess. I simply wet my hands and shape it by hand, pressing the dough into the pie dish in a uniform thickness. As for the lattice-work, I shape them by hand into longish sausage shapes, which I press flat onto the pie. The pie will rise and hide a multitude of sins
Variations:
  • If you don't have 'speculaas kruiden', you could use mixed spice or pumpkin pie spices instead, or you can simply stick to the original recipe and use 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon. I do love the depth of flavour that the speculaas kruiden seem to add. You can also make your own speculaas kruiden
  • In stead of using corn flour in the apple filling, try using 1 tablespoon custard powder
    • Both corn flour and custard powder will take some of the liquid of the apples and prevent 'soggy bottom' syndrome in your pie
  • Try replacing half of the apples for pears
    • Leave out he sugar as the pears will act as a natural sweetener
  • Another way of preventing 'soggy bottom' syndrome is to add some ground almonds or almond paste
    • Once you have placed your dough in the pie dish, add a thin layer of the almond paste or ground almonds, add the apples and finish as above
  • For an alcohol-free version, try soaking the sultanas in some tea or apple juice
As we say back home
Eet smakelijk
Or, in English
Enjoy

Sunday 17 November 2013

Coffin or Star?

You must be thinking I have gone off my rocker but this title, "Coffin or Star?", is not as daft as it may sound. In days gone by, the crust of a pie (yes, we're taking pie again) was called the coffin. We have moved on since then and just call it the pie crust but I can see where they were coming from. Especially when you know that in those days most pies were not round but oblong, regardless of the filling. The question itself, coffin or star, relates to how you fancy your mince pies; do you prefer a full 'coffin', or are you more of the 'star' variety?

My preference depends on how sweet the filling is, how much alcohol it contains and how good the crust is. If the filling is not too sweet, and contains a decent amount of alcohol, then I prefer a 'coffin' as the pastry will dampen the harshest alcohol flavours and add sweetness to the filling. If the filling is too sweet and there is not a lot (or no) alcohol, then I prefer a 'star' (or any other shape the baker has come up with).
Aesthetically, however, I prefer the 'star'; I like the contrast between the dark filling and the golden pastry, so I will usually make plenty of full 'coffins' and a few 'stars' to put on top of the pile.
In 2008 I had my first British Christmas. Can you imagine my face the first time I had a mince pie? Someone, I think it was my now sister-in-law, asked me if I wanted cream or custard with my mince pie. As I only knew mince of the meat variety, this question puzzled me. Why on earth would anyone want to have custard with a gorgeous beef pie? The look on my face must have been worth a million quid, and before long everyone was laughing at my mistake. It was quickly explained that Mince Meat is a sweet filling of dried fruit with spices. I opted for the brandy cream...

Mince pies used to contain meat and was a mix of (usually) mutton, suet, dried fruit and spices that had been brought over by the European crusaders returning from the Middle-East. The original recipes used to contain thirteen ingredients representing Jesus Christ and his twelve Apostles. The meat component has since been dropped from the recipe, although this was still used in the 1900s, but suet is still required.

With Christmas fast approaching (just 37 more days), I suddenly realised this morning that I had not made my 'Mince Meat' yet. There is still time but I need to get a move on... 
Mince Meat
(to be used in Mince Pies)
Ingredients:
  • 500 gram Bramley apples
  • 500 gram mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, dates, figs)
  • 225 gram chopped, mixed peel
  • 500 gram suet of choice
  • 500 gram demerara sugar
  • 2 lemons, grated zest and juice
  • 60 gram chopped, mixed nuts
  • 1 tablespoon mixed, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)
  • 4 tablespoons whiskey, rum or brandy (optional)
Thirteen ingredients (excluding the optional alcohol and including the suet)!

Method:

  1. Peel and chop the apples into pieces the size of the sultanas
  2. Mix the apples with the lemon juice and rind
  3. Chop the dates and figs into pieces the size of the sultanas and add to the apple mix
  4. Add the rest of the dried fruit, mixed peel, nuts, spices, suet and sugar
  5. Stir in the alcohol (optional) and leave to stand, overnight, at room temperature, covered with a cloth
  6. Pre-heat the oven to the lowest setting
  7. Stir the mixture and transfer to an oven proof dish
  8. Put the dish in the oven and heat slowly for one hour
  9. Pack into clean, dry jars, cover with wax disks and cling film or cloth
  10. Store in a cool, dark place until needed
    • The longer it can stand the better the flavours will be developed
The recipe should yield approximately six 500 gram jars.


I wish you an early Merry Christmas

Enjoy

Saturday 16 November 2013

The way to someone's heart

My mother used to tell me that the way to a man's heart was via his stomach. Over the years, I have found that she was right in this. She just forgot to mention that the same was true the other way around: the way to a woman's heart is via her stomach. The only problem is that you first need to find out what he/she likes and dislikes. It might also be helpful to find out if there are things that they are allergic to. And then, if you do wind up cooking for them it is important to make sure that what you present him/her with is safe to eat...

Quite some years ago there was this man I really fancied. He wasn't the most gorgeous bloke you could ever come across but he had a twinkle in his brown eyes, was prone to laughing, was tall and had hands the size of coal shovels. We played for the same rugby club and had been chatting for quite some time when I learned that he was single (call me old-fashioned but I do not chase men that are in a relationship). So, on Saturday (after his match), I decided to take the bull by the horns; I invited him over for a meal with the excuse that I had made a chicken pie that was much too big for one. Especially as I had also made a massive apple pie (I was trying to work through a glut of apples at the time, that's my story and I will stick to it) (and a dash to the shop after the match made sure that I indeed had a glut of apples). He took me up on it and later that day he showed up, with flowers. Not sure what to make of that, I blushed when he passed them to me in the hallway. I am a hopeless romantic but never know what to do when a man gives me flowers or something of the sorts. I showed him to my front room and offered him a beer. The smell of the chicken pie was wafting from the kitchen and I told him I would be right back. I dished up the chicken pie, shoved the apple pie in the oven and took the plates to the front room. Two bites into the chicken pie, I realised that the chicken was underdone... Not just a bit pink, I wouldn't have been surprised if the beast had jumped of off my plate, clucking and well. Just thinking back to it, I can still feel myself go red as I tried to take the plate away from him. He, however, was determined not to say anything and pretend all was well. To cut a far too long story short; we moved on to the apple pie (which was fully cooked and delicious, even if I say so myself), had a nice chat and two hours later I let him out the door.
It wasn't until the following day that I found out he had been horribly sick. Partly because of the chicken but mainly because he was allergic to almonds. I had used almonds in the pastry and in the filling of the apple pie... I never did make my way into his heart, although we did become good friends. He just never ate at my place again...

In my defence, I was only 18 at the time and rather surprised that he had shown up. Oh, and it was the first time ever that I had cooked for someone I really fancied... All I could think about were those massive hands and his strong legs...
But I learned from my mistakes and have since not tried to poison anyone again. It was the day that I learned to enquire first into any allergies and likes/dislikes and to make sure that meat is fully cooked before serving... It must have worked because I married a lovely fellow who won my heart via my stomach. He didn't even have to cook, he just told me what he would cook for me if he ever got to meet me. Mind, I am easy to cater for; there are not a lot of things that I don't like and I am not allergic to anything... I won his heart by making a Risotto using plain rice, a can of chicken soup and frozen peas (I don't like peas but used them because I knew he loved peas). Doesn't sound great but it tasted wonderful and it was all we had in the cupboards at the time.

But, if you ever find yourself in the place where you want to find your way to a strapping lad's heart, here is my (now safe) recipe for
Chicken and Sweetcorn Pie
Ingredients:
For the filling:
  • 1 chicken breast per person (you could also use 1½ chicken thigh)
  • ½ tin of sweetcorn per person
  • 50 gram bacon lardons per person
  • 25 gram butter
  • 35 gram flour
  • milk
  • salt, pepper and nutmeg
  • (a little butter, lard or oil for frying, if needed)
For the pastry:
  • 300 gram plain flour
  • 175 gram cold salted butter (cut into cubes)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
Method:
For the pastry:
  1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter
  2. Quickly rub the butter into the flour
  3. Whisk the egg yolk loose with the water
  4. Stir in enough of the water and the egg yolk to form a soft dough; if the dough is too dry add a little water at a time until it comes together into a ball
    • Do not knead the dough too much or the crust will be tough but this is a rather forgiving dough so don't worry too much
  5. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge until needed
For the filling:
  1. In a dry frying pan, fry the bacon until crispy
  2. Use a spoon to take the bacon out of the pan and set aside but leave the bacon fat in the pan
  3. In the same pan now quickly brown the chicken on all sides, add a little butter, lard or oil if there is too little fat in the pan
  4. Once browned, turn the heat down to low and cook for a further ten minutes with a lid on the pan
  5. Take the chicken out of the pan and cut it into bite size pieces
    • The chicken is not fully cooked at this stage but will cook through in the oven. This way the chicken will stay moist after it comes out of the oven
  6. Put the butter in a sauce pan and let it melt, making sure that it doesn't brown
  7. Add the flour and whisk until well combined and the flour starts to smell of biscuits
  8. Whilst whisking, add milk until you have a thick sauce
  9. Add the cheese to the sauce and let it melt
  10. Stir in the bacon, chicken and sweetcorn
  11. Season the filling to taste with salt, (freshly cracked) black pepper and nutmeg
For the pie:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
  2. Butter a pie tin
  3. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out on flour dusted work surface
  4. Place the rolled out pastry into the tin and cut off the overhanging pastry, bring the leftover pastry together and roll out to form the lid
  5. Pour the filling on top of the pastry and cover with the lid
  6. Crimp the pastry together, brush with a little egg wash and cut a steam hole in the top
  7. Place the pie in the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes
Variations:
  • If you don't like the flavour of nutmeg, leave out the nutmeg and
    • fry some fresh sage leaves in the bacon fat
    • take the sage out of the pan and set aside
    • follow from step 3
  • If you find the taste of nutmeg or sage too strong, use some fresh tarragon
    • make the filling as above but when seasoning the sauce add some finely chopped tarragon with the salt and pepper
  • Pie crust: in this recipe I have used just plain short-crust pastry but you could use (rough) puff pastry or suet crust
    • If you choose to use (rough) puff pastry or a suet crust put the filling directly into the pie tin and roll the pastry out to form a lid (don't forget to crimp...)
    • In stead of using butter in your pastry, you could use lard or margarine
I wish you all the best for your endeavours, and a safe journey into your chosen one's heart. If he/she has a gluten intolerance, this recipe works well with gluten-free flour. If he/she is looking after the waist line: find yourself someone else. Set on winning the heart of the dieter, even though my recommendation is to let them go? Try the following for a healthy option:
  • Fry the chicken in some rapeseed or olive oil
    • you can also boil the chicken in some unsalted water (for an even healthier option)
  • Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside
  • In a sauce pan, warm up 1 tablespoon of oil (of your choice) and add the flour
  • Whisk as if your life depends on it
  • Make chicken stock from a cube and add this to the pan, whisking like mad to prevent lumps, until you have a thick sauce
  • Stir the chicken, sweetcorn and any other veg they like into the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg (or sage or tarragon)
  • Make a pastry with the lightest margarine you can find
  • Assemble the pie and bake as above
This does taste very good but I stand by what I said; don't bother and find yourself someone who knows there is more to life than a slim waist. Oh well, can't say I didn't try...

It might all not sound like the most romantic meal but set the table with your best linen, and your finest plates and glasses. Bring the whole pie to the table and let nature take its course. The first time you cook for someone, the last thing you want to worry about is whether it is romantic enough or not.
So, stop fretting and
Enjoy

Friday 15 November 2013

The best way to start

One of the the things I love so much about cooking is recipes. They are as diverse as the people they come from, laden with history, culture and religion. But, unlike people, recipes don't judge... I have never heard a recipe say: 'Are you sure you should be eating this?' or 'Stop trying to change me!' or, worse still, 'Didn't you want to fit in that cute, red little bikini this summer?' Trust me, I will never, ever, fit in anything cute, red and little. Especially when the three are combined into one (or this case, two).

Recipes can be sophisticated or crude, pompous or modest, simple or difficult, comforting or upsetting (I still don't care how much alcohol you pour over liver), festive or plain. There is a recipe for every occasion: birthday and wedding cakes (no explanation needed, I hope), triple-chocolate cookies (for when that special someone has done a boo-boo), lobster thermidore (for when you desperately need/want to impress someone but don't want to be slaving over a hot stove for hours), hot cross buns (for Easter). You can, most likely, come up with ten more that are traditionally served up in your family at certain occasions. And then with ten more for when you are sad, happy, in love, out of love, wanting to impress, wanting to comfort and so on.

A cabbie was stopped by a young man in Manhattan who asked, 'How do I get to Carnegie Hall?' 'Practice,' replied the cabbie. It's old but not just true for people who want to get to Carnegie Hall (as a musician). If you want a recipe to work, to be a success, practice is needed. That, and people who love you even if your first attempt is less than desirable. But, before you throw out your first attempt, have a taste (unless it is burnt beyond recognition or meat is uncooked) to try to come up with why something has (possibly) not worked. It wouldn't be the first time someone has thought 'This was a mistake' and yet the end result (although not intended in this way) turned out to be brilliant.

The best thing about cooking (and baking, for that matter), however, is not the recipes or the end result but the fact that anyone can do it. Not everyone can be a rocket scientist or a model or a biologist but everyone can be a cook or a baker. You don't have to have any domestic prowess (I can vouch for that) to present your guests with some home-made delights. But (there always is a but) when you want to start mountain climbing you don't start with the Himalayas or even the Matterhorn, you start with something easier. The same goes for cooking and baking; If you are new to this, start with something easy rather than going straight for the 'Momofuku Ramen' or 
'Consommé de Boeuf à la Royale'.

As Christmas is on its way (just 39 days to go), I thought I'd share an easy recipe for Christmas Biscuits; a recipe I came across as I was reading one of my favourite books, 'Winter's Children' by Leah Fleming. In the variations below the recipe, I have added some festive changes so that the biscuits can be used as edible Christmas tree decorations.

Nora's Christmas Biscuits
Ingredients:
  • 85 gram icing sugar
  • 85 gram custard powder
  • 227 gram butter or margarine
  • 227 gram plain flour
Method:
  1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until it is all combined into a creamy mass (feel free to use your own power or the power of an electric whisk)
  2. Shape the mix into small balls (about the size of a walnut)
  3. Freeze the balls until chilled
  4. Grease a baking tray and pre-heat the oven to 190°C
  5. Place the chilled balls onto the baking tray (about 2 cm apart as they will go flatter and spread a little)
  6. Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven and bake the biscuits for 5 minutes
  7. Once baked, leave the biscuits to cool on a wire rack
  8. (Optional) once cooled decorate the biscuits with (coloured) icing and silver balls
That is all there is to it but you can make these biscuits as festive as you like.

(Coloured) Icing is not difficult to make:
Take icing sugar and mix in some lemon juice or water until you have a thickish paste. Add a couple of drops of food colouring and mix. This paste can then be spread onto the biscuits with a knife. If you want to try your hand a piping, make the paste slightly thinner with some added water or lemon juice and place in small (paper) piping bag (see here on how to make one yourself). For the finest piping work, make sure to only have a little hole in your piping bag or the smallest possible piping cone.

Variations:
  • Variation 1'Shaped Biscuits' (rather than round)
    • Follow step 1
      1. cover the bowl and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge
      2. sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll the pastry out
      3. cut out biscuits with your favourite cutter
      4. (optional) with the tip of a knife, make a little whole in the biscuit shape (for string) (this might need to be done again when the biscuits come out the oven and the are still piping hot)
      5. Follow from step 3
      6. (optional) decorate as desired with (coloured) icing and silver balls
  • Variation 2: 'Stained Glass Biscuits'
    • Follow step 1
      1. cover the bowl and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge
      2. sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll the pastry out
      3. cut out biscuits with your favourite cutter
      4. (optional) with the tip of a knife, make a little whole in the biscuit shape (for string) (this might need to be done again when the biscuits come out the oven and the are still piping hot)
      5. crush 100 gram of your favourite hard boiled sweet in the food processor (if you do not have a food processor: place a tea towel on a sturdy work surface and cover it with a piece of baking/grease proof paper, put the sweets on the paper and place an extra piece of paper on top, get a heavy pan or rolling pin and bash the sweets until the are fine)
        • I prefer to use 'single colour' sweets (green, yellow, red) and crush them separately to get a clear stained glass
        • You can use any flavour you like but I prefer to use fruit flavoured as they don't 'clash' with the flavour of the biscuits
      1. cut out a little shape in the centre of the biscuits
      2. follow steps 3, 4 and 5
      3. fill the holes in the biscuits with some of the crushed sweets
      4. follow from step 6
  • Variation 3: 'Spiced Christmas Biscuits'
    • Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the ingredients and follow as in the original recipe (or the variations above)
  • Variation 4: a 'Biscuit Christmas Tree'
    • Using double the ingredients, make the biscuits as in Variation 1 but cut the biscuits into 5-pointed stars, each one ½ centimetre smaller than the previous one
      • gather up the leftover pastry, knead quickly together, roll out and keep cutting biscuits until all the pastry is used
    • Bake and leave to cool
    • Make a green coloured icing and spread this onto the biscuits, place a silver ball (baking isle at the major supermarkets) on each point f the stars, and leave the icing to dry
    • Starting with the largest star, place the stars onto a serving platter
      • place the first star with one point directly to you
      • the second star with two points down
      • the third with one point directly to you
      • the fourth with two points down
      • and so on, see image below

I hope you will enjoy these biscuits, both making and eating, as much as I do. Let me know how you got on and don't forget: It's okay if they don't form perfectly the first time round, they won't tell you off for not being perfectly round or not quite a star-shape.

I wish you an early Merry Christmas and happy eating.
Enjoy

Sunday 10 November 2013

Oh, the age-old question

We tend to do the shopping at the weekend (big mistake, because it is always packed in the shops so arguments are guaranteed) for the week ahead. We always use a list of things we need; the staples that need re-stocking, the list of meals that we intend to make and the occasional treat.

A typical Saturday/Sunday: finally both dressed and ready to go, not quite, bathroom visit first, a good ten minutes later finally out the door. A twenty-minute hike later and we have arrived at the first shop, all sweaty, warm and tired. Into the shop, people standing in the middle of the isle for no obvious reason (they are having a leisurely chat, next to each other so the shop floor becomes an obstacle course), and the first argument will take place within 5 minutes. Most likely because I have already had enough of old biddies shuffling from item to item, mothers with an entire football team worth of 3 and 4-year olds that are screaming at the top of their lungs and a shop that has been laid out by a sadistic shopper-hater (only they could have come up with an isle that is split into two at the end by a massive pillar which has an offer basket next to it!!!). Finally, thirty minutes and two arguments later, the shopping has been paid for, put into bags and hanging from my arms and we are on our way to the next shop. And we do it all again... He has phoned for a taxi and I am checking the shopping list against the tickets to make sure we've got everything; they entire ordeal has cost us somewhere between £40 to £50 but we are home safe (my arms will get back to their normal length at some point, I think...) and the fridge and cupboards are filled up.

That first day everything is still going according to plan; the list of meals is still appealing and we have decided what we are going to have for tea that day: we only think of the meals we will have during the week, not the days that we will have those meals on. Day two is normally not a problem either; the hard-fought-for reduced items need to go first as they were reduced because the sell-by/use-by date has come up. Day three is were the problems start; 'What are we having for tea tonight?' 'I don't know, there must be something we can make, we have a list of meals on the table.' 'True, but I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer. How about pizza?' 'Can't, I should've started the dough this morning in that case. Why didn't you say you fancied pizza?' 'Because I didn't fancy it, I just thought it would be a simple meal for tonight.' In the end we usually wind up with something like Spaghetti Carbonara, a tin of soup with bread or Stamppot.

This weekend was different: he did the shopping on Friday, whilst I was at work. It was the best treat I have had in a long time, AND he got everything we needed. But, for some reason, this morning the question was asked again: 'What's for tea tonight?' I honestly had not a clue, the cupboards are full, so are the fridge and freezer, but there was nothing I really fancied. And the list of meals was not helping either, there just wasn't anything on there that I liked today. My solution was to make myself a sandwich and cup of tea; I would think about the issue later. I filled up the kettle and turned it on, grabbed a couple of slices of bread and opened the cupboard. The first thing I saw was peanut butter and soy sauce. Not a brilliant combination for a buttie but perfect for Chicken Satay with peanut sauce... Tea's sorted, but what am I going to have for dinner???

Satay is an ancient dish and the national dish of Indonesia but no one knows where it actually originated. Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its South-East Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence. Or so Jennifer Brennan states in Kitchen Daily: Satay (1988)

There are many varieties, each region (and even town) in Indonesia has their own specialities. And then there are, of course, the many places outside of Indonesia where people have adapted recipes for hundreds of years: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Thailand, as well as Suriname and the Netherlands, to name but a few.

This is my own version:
Aromatic Chicken Satay
with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
Satay
  • 1 chicken breast per person 
Marinade
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a knife
  • 1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed (only need the bottom 5 centimetres)
  • 3 candlenuts/kemiri (or macadamia nuts) (see image below)
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Peanut Sauce
  • 1 jar of peanut butter
  • water or (coconut) milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • mild curry powder
  • fresh ginger (grated)
  • fresh garlic, grated or pressed
  • sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek (optional, but recommended)
  • chilli flakes
  • soy sauce
  • oil, vegetable is fine but you could use peanut oil or sesame oil
  • ground cumin
  • ground coriander
  • sugar
  • salt
  • roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional) 
Method:
Marinade
  1. In a dry frying pan, quickly fry the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds until aromatic
  2. Grind the spices to a fine powder and set aside
  3. Put the onion and garlic in a food processor and give it a quick blitz
  4. Chop the lemon grass and nuts roughly and add them to the processor, together with the ground spices and turmeric
  5. Grind all to a paste
Satay
  1. Cut each chicken breast in bite-size pieces
  2. Place the chicken in the Marinade and leave (covered and in the fridge) to marinade for at least 1 hour but, preferably, as long as possible
  3. Soak some wooden/bamboo skewers in water
  4. When you are ready to start cooking:
    1. Wipe off any excess Marinade from the chicken
    2. Place 4 pieces of chicken onto each skewer
    3. Heat a griddle pan (or the barbecue) and cook the Satay until the chicken is piping hot and cooked through
      • Turn the chicken only once char-marks have appeared
  5. Serve the Satay with the Peanut Sauce and (white, brown or wild) rice
Peanut Sauce
This is slightly trickier, not because it is difficult to make but because this is purely to taste. Sometimes I want it spicier than other times, sometimes I use coconut milk so I don't need (as much) sugar, sometimes I don't have a full jar of peanut butter or a smaller (or larger) size jar than at other times. And then there is, of course, still the matter of your own taste. This is the reason why I have not given any measurements in the ingredients list. In principle everything is to taste, availability and preference, however, peanut butter and (mild) curry powder are essential. The taste should be slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly spicy.
  1. Bring some water or milk to the boil
    • if you are using coconut milk, boil some water but leave the coconut milk at room temperature
  2. In a cold, dry saucepan pour about ½ tablespoon of oil and add the spices:
    • (mild) curry powder, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chilli flakes, ground cumin and ground coriander (all to taste and preference)
  3. Put the pan on the heat and slowly fry the spices until fragrant
  4. Add the sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek and a dash of soy sauce
  5. Spoon the peanut butter out of the jar into the saucepan
  6. Add a little boiling liquid to the jar, put the lid back on, cover with a (tea) towel and shake well. Pour this into the pan
    • Be careful as the hot liquid will loosen the lid slightly and the liquid could come out
  7. Stir the contents of the saucepan together until it forms a smooth paste
  8. Add enough boiling liquid or the coconut milk to create a sauce with a consistency you like
  9. Taste the sauce to see if it needs any salt or sugar or more chilli
  10. Once the desired taste is achieved, take the pan off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and crushed peanuts (if using)
Variations:
  • I don't always fancy having to griddle (or barbecue) the chicken, in that case I just pan-fry the marinated chicken pieces and cover them with the peanut sauce
  • The Dutch love deep-fat-fried food and this is perfect for 'Kroketten':
    1. make a really thick peanut sauce:
      • put 25 gram butter in a pan and let it melt
      • add 25 gram flour and whisk this for about 5 minutes
      • add peanut sauce, stir well and leave to thicken
      • take the pan off the heat and leave to cool completely
    2. once cold, add in finely chopped or shredded cooked chicken and form into finger-long sausage shapes
    3. roll through seasoned flour, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs and repeat
    4. fry in hot oil for about 4 minutes
  • Chicken Satay is a perfect filling for steamed buns 'Bakpao'
    1. Cook the chicken in your preferred way and finely dice or shred the meat
    2. Mix in with peanut sauce once completely cool
    3. Make the steamed bun dough (makes 20 buns or, in my case, about 10):
      • 600 gram flour (plain (all-purpose) or bread flour)
      • 400 millilitre warm water
      • 1 tablespoon sugar
      • 1 tablespoon yeast
      • 1 tablespoon baking powder
      • 50 millilitre oil
      1. put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre
      2. add the yeast and sugar to the well and pour in a little of the water
      3. stir this together with a little flour from the sides
      4. leave this to stand for a couple of minutes until the yeast starts to foam to create a 'starter dough'
      5. mix the rest of the flower and the baking powder into the 'starter dough', adding a little water at a time until all the water is incorporated or you have a smooth and elastic dough
      6. knead the dough quickly through
      7. cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size
      8. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 20 equal pieces
      9. roll the pieces out slightly and put about 1½ tablespoon of filling in the centre and fold to close, repeat until all the dough has been filled
      10. gently roll the dough into a ball shape and leave, covered with a damp tea towel, to rise for 10-15 minutes
      11. bring a pan of water to the boil and put a steamer basket on top
      12. place the buns in cupcake papers, seam-side down, and fill the steamer with the buns
      13. steam for about 20-25 minutes
As they say in Indonesia
Selamat makan

or, in English

Enjoy

It just won't be complete without it


Those of you who know me, know that I love bread. Fresh white, still warm from the oven, with loads of real butter; crusty brown with cheese; stale, so that I can use it for bread-and-butter pudding; white or brown, toasted, with marmalade; eggs and soldiers. There is something comforting, homely and wholesome about bread. More so than anything else, in my (not so) humble opinion.

Breakfast, and dinner, just wouldn't be complete without it.

Throughout Europe, you can find festive loafs for all kinds of occasions. Pretzels (Germany) were traditionally eaten at New Year; the dough would contain lemon peel, cut into three even pieces and braided and then shaped into a pretzel shape and baked (no salt on top). Braid (Switzerland), traditionally eaten at breakfast on festive days; cut into two even pieces for a 4-part braid. Easter Bread (Finland), as the name suggests, eaten at Easter; the dough is made with condensed milk and contains dried fruit, citrus peel,
cardamom and almonds and is baked in an enamelled pan. Vasilopita (Greece), traditionally eaten on the first day of the year to celebrate St Basilius; a golden or silver coin is baked inside the dough (whoever finds it will have a year of good fortune). All Souls 'Braid' (Bavarian), eaten on All Hallow's Eve; the dough is cut into thirty-six pieces and shaped into a complex braid before being baked.


This is just a very, very, very small selection and if I were to look at the various 'plain' breads I could fill three posts with just the variations of breads within Germany, where every region has its own breads.

In Germany and the 'low countries' it is traditional to eat Stollen at Christmas and Easter. The bread is chock-full of dried fruits, candied peel, almond paste and wears a pretty coat of icing sugar and slightly browned almond slivers. (As breads go, you could go worse.)

The tradition of eating Stollen at Christmas dates back to the 1400s; it was created for the first time in 1427 at the Saxon Royal Court in Dresden and was made with flour, yeast, oil and water, the result was a 'bread' that was very hard and rather tasteless. In those days the Advent season was one of fasting and bakers were not allowed to use butter. That changed in 1490,
when Pope Innocent VIII allowed the Prince Elector Ernst, his family and household to use butter. If other people wanted to use butter, they could do so but had to pay an annual fee (this fee was used to build the Freiberg Minster. When Saxony became Protestant the ban on butter was lifted. Over the years the hard, tasteless 'bread' evolved into a lighter, sweeter cake with richer ingredients such as almond paste and dried fruits. But the traditional Stollen that is still baked in Dresden is not as light, airy and sweet as copies that are now made the world over.

It is best to bake the bread a couple of days in advance as the flavours will mature a bit and the bread will get slightly denser. Good (finger thick) slices, served with real butter and a slice of good cheese (optional). Grilling or toasting the bread works a treat as the sugar in the almond paste will start to caramelise.

And so, as promised in my blog on 27 October: Tradition, here is the recipe for this tasty bread.
Christmas Stollen

Ingredients:

  • 4 teaspoons dried yeast (20 gram) (you can use fresh yeast, you will need about 50 gram)
  • 350 millilitre warm milk (45ºC)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 150 gram icing sugar
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 150 gram unsalted butter, softened
  • 700 gram bread flour
  • 150 gram sultanas
  • 150 gram glacé cherries (quartered)
  • 150 gram raisins
  • 200 gram mixed candied citrus peel, chopped small
  • 400 gram almond paste
Decoration
  • icing sugar to dust
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, mixed in with the icing sugar (optional)
  • toasted almond slivers for garnish (optional)
Method:
  1. Add the yeast to the warm milk and leave until it becomes 'creamy', about 10 minutes (if you are using fresh yeast, crumble the yeast into the milk and leave until dissolved)
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the dried fruit, candied peel (recipe here) and glacé cherries
  3. In a large bowl, mix the yeast mixture with the eggs, icing sugar, salt, butter and three quarters of the flour and mix thoroughly
  4. In small quantities, start adding the rest of the flour and knead this into the dough
  5. As soon as the dough comes together into a ball and is releasing from the sides of the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly flour work surface and knead in the mixed dried fruits
    • Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes
  6. Oil a large bowl, put the dough in the bowl and turn it around a couple of times to cover it in the oil, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to prove, in a warm and draft-free space, until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour
    • Grease a baking sheet, ready for when the bread is shaped
  7. Take the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly work surface and beat it back, form the dough into a big square
  8. Form the almond paste (recipe here) into a roll and put this in the middle of the dough (see right)
  9. Fold one half of the dough over the almond paste and press the seam down (traditional, see below for photo)
  10. Place the loaf onto the baking sheet, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes
  11. Preheat the oven to 180ºC
  12. Put the baking sheet (with the loaf) into the oven and bake for 10 minutes
  13. Lower the temperature to 150ºC and bake for a further 30-40 minutes until the bread is a lovely dark golden colour
  14. As soon as the bread is out of the oven, brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle the toasted almond slivers over the (now) sticky bread
  15. Leave the bread to cool on a rack
  16. Sift the icing sugar (mix in the cinnamon, if using) over the cooled down bread
Variations:

  • You can change the taste of the bread by adjusting the quantities of dried fruit, candied peel and glacé cherries to your own taste
  • For a fruity burst, replace the raisins with 150 gram dried cranberries
  • You can add dried apple and/or pear, replacing the glacé cherries
  • For a slightly more 'adult' version, try soaking the dried fruit in either rum or brandy
    • Leave the fruit to soak as long as possible, preferably over night, but for a minimum of 1 hour
    • drain any leftover liquid off the fruit and add it to the milk in step 3
    • If you don't want to use alcohol for soaking the fruit, try using tea but do not use the leftover liquid in the dough
  • You can add 2 teaspoons of your favourite 'Christmas' spice(mix), such as cinnamon, to the flour
    • Mix even quantities of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg and about half the used quantity of ground cloves and add two teaspoons of this mix to the flour (I usually make a larger quantity and use this to bake spiced Christmas cookies and spiced Christmas Wreaths)
    • If you want to use star anise, add two stars to a pan with 350 millilitre cold milk and slowly bring to a simmer, leave to cool to 45ºC. Remove the stars before you add the yeast (step 1)
  • You could use the Stollen as a centre piece on the table:
    • Once you have reached step 9, place the 'loaf' inside a greased 'turban' mold and follow the rest of the steps
      • After the bread has cooled down and has been dusted with the icing sugar, place on a large serving platter and place a candle in the centre of the bread
As they say in Germany:
Gutten Appetit

or, in English

Enjoy