binkyboots
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Posts posted by binkyboots
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I couldn't agree more, that site rocks!hmm.. the daddy sugar, will it melt into the cake, what I thought of doing was to take 500g of cube sugar and smash it up a bit with a rolling pin, that gives some larger lumps plus some pulverised sugar.
that's how I use it for a kind of sugary, butter bread, the large lumps melt during cooking into pockets of gungey syrup... is that what I'm aiming for with this cake or should I just use ordinary granulated?
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thank you for the suggestions, I think the breton cake takes it this time, it sounds marvelous!
however, I often have extra yolks, lol, I'll be trying the rest as they build up again
the freezing tip is excellent, I thought whites froze but yolks didnt so I'm very pleased indeed.
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In an effort not to waste them I have kept the egg yolks from a mega marshmallow/macaroon making session (I'm doing a bake stall tommorow)
but what to do with them? all that springs to mind is a fruit curd, but if there was something else I'd be up for trying it, fruit curd tends to get ignored in our fridge
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wow
ok, after ready, reading, reading some more and being totaly convinced that no matter what these things would not work for me, I gave in, had to try it.
clearly fate as I bought a cookbook in a charity shop today, with a marshmallow recipe...
I've made two batches so far, a peppermint one and a spiced version (cardamon, cinnamon, cloves)
my question is, how to add diffrent flavours?
the recipe is a whipped whites one
450g sugar boiled with 200ml water to hard ball stage
to that add 25g gelatin disolved in 100ml water + flavouring of choice
pour slowly into 2 egg whipped whites
whip until fluffy and increased in volume
flavouring of around 2tsp peppermint extract/1tsp spice mix worked fairly well, but how would I add puree to this recipe without messing up the amount of water overall?
I'm going to be trying more out tommorow, planning a saffron and honey version, I'm infusing saffron strands in the honey overnight (warmed the honey slightly) and will just add a few spoons when it's time to add the gelatin/flavouring.
I'm guessing also that instead of boiling the sugar in water I could use fruit juice or perhaps a mix of juice and water, but I'm not sure.
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and hey - at 50p a pop, you can stand a little experimenting.
absolutely! I feel a trip to the butcher coming on
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I fancy (and think I could get it past the pickiest of the crew) making my own pate, I'm just not sure where to start, I watched gary rhodes once, I must have been having a sick day, but his method involved poaching in milk then whizzing them up.. I feel I will need to research this a little more before leaping right in.
however, we are having liver tonight, the organic meat lady has lovely lambd liver at about 96p for enough for three with a bit for the dog (old dog is very bossy about liver, lol)
suspect they'd like the chicken livers done that way though, I think it sounds lovely...
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I forgot, duh, I made a cheesecake this weekend with cajeta!
uh, cream cheese, cajeta and a couple of bananas, folded into whipped double cream, chocolate biscuit base, more cajeta drizzled on top once it had set, then little chunks of fudge scattered over it.
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no cake, just spoon! though it might be nice drizzled over some banana loaf... or a spoon (spoon is the way to go.....
)nice blog!
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well.. after an extended break (been on holiday, then just lost the plot as far as keeping a diary went)
first up, yorkshires are yorkshire puddings, a flour, water and (depoending on who you ask) egg batter that is poured into a tray of preheated fat and cooked in the oven till crisp and golden.
mince and dumplings (or doughballs as our family called them) were a food we saw a lot of when I was growing up, my auntie was a big fan as she had a family of six, the doughballs helped stretch the meat that bit further.
we still love doughballs, I may have to make some soon.
the cheapest meal I've made recently was a lasanga, it was enormous and also really tasty, lasted three nights (served with salad or garlic bread)
lasagna
meat sauce
500g lean mince, your choice lamb is good or beef, beef is cheaper
two handfulls of mushrooms, ugly/cheap mushrooms are fine!
onion
four cloves of garlic
two tins chopped tomatoes
1 carton tomato passata
couple of tablespoons tomato puree
half a glass of milk
a little sugar
salt
pepper
italian seasoning or oregano
square of dark chocolate
chop the onion, garlic, italian seasoning and mushrooms in the food processor till fine but not mushy, if you want you can chop in a carrot or two as well.
brown the mince in a big pot or casserole, once the mince is brown throw in the chopped veg.
meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the milk and tomato puree, do not mistake this for strawberry milkshake
ok, pour in the milky puree once the veg is slightly softened and you smell garlic.
bubble for a minute then pour in the chopped tomatoes and passata, should you have lots of time pour in some water too....
leave to cook until fairly thick and very delicious, when it's nearly ready put in the square of chocolate, stir and remove from heat.
white sauce - seriously, the thing that makes cooking cheap easier is making your own white sauce, at the rediculous price of around £2 a small tub this is essential.
1 litre of milk
100g butter
90g plain flour (oo is nice, but not essential at all)
nutmeg, freshly grated is way better.
melt the butter
warm the milk in another pan
add the flour to the butter and stir till you get a nice smooth paste, cook for a couple of minutes, it should seeth and bubble.
start adding milk, I'll confess, I add it all at once and whisk like crazy to get rid of lumps... but if you want do it slowly.
stir, do not stop stirring, keep going till it thickens.
season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if you have it)
pasta
ok, I do not make fresh pasta, I buy it, it's an item I consider fairly cheap, one pack does two lasgnas and costs around £1.40
build the lasanga
in a big dish spoon a little bechamel in to cover the bottom
layer of pasta
layer of meat sauce
a little white sauce over that
more pasta
keep going like that till your dish is full, ending with a layer of pasta with white sauce on top.
if you have parmesan sprinkle some between the layers and on top.
bake for about 40 minutes or till golden brown in places.
also a potato and onion soup, seriously cheap but very comforting...
onions, three or four
potatoes, four or five
water
butter
slice the onions very thin, fry in butter till soft and golden
add the peeled, chunked potatoes
season with salt and pepper
cover with water and cook till tender
liquidise and serve with a little double cream swirled through it.
this week I plan on making a kind of chilli (but modified, picky eaters wont touch kidney beans
) with cornbread topping, loosely inspired by nigella's recipe in feast, only mine wont serve 18 
also more soup, I fancy something with a kind of korma flavour, coconut and spices, I have coconut milk so I'm halfway there, lol, any ideas along these lines are very welcome.
*edited to add*
very cheap sandwich filling, delicious on a pittat with salad
bean paste
two tins of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
125 ml olive oil
a tablespoon of lemon juice
salt
three cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
put the lot on the food processor, whizz till it's all combined into a smooth paste, scrape down the sides and whizz again.
put it in a box in the fridge, last at least three weeks and tastes better the longer it sits.
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dinner is cooking as we speak... I'm playing with the tagine Mike bought me!
put in (cold) two lamb shanks, some ras el hanout spice, tin of tomatoes, a little water, honey, salt and pepper, plus some chopped dried apricots and figs, it smells good, I'm hoping it will taste ok too, lol...
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couldn't have been some incarnation of Om Ali?
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staying with nigella for a moment, there is a very tasy honey semifreddo in one of her other books, foreversummer I think...
otherwise, a honey mouse? maybe in a chocolate shell....
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mmm... go easy on a icing newbie here (hey, bread needs no decoration, lol)
would it be possible to ice them then stick on silver leaf? that would give a shiny finish I think.
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weetabix, which doesnt seem to exist in America, possibly only the British could love it, it has the taste and consistency of soggy cardboard, but with a spoonful of sugar, maybe some warmed milk on it and it is the best comfort food ever.
Porridge is good too, with golden syrup please.
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wow, I've been trying to make chewy meringues for ages... the closest I've come is a marshmallowey texture, by adding some cornflour and vinegar to the mix just at the end of whipping.
it's good, but not exactly what I was aiming for, I like a dry exterior then a really chewy but not soft interior.
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Butter and plenty off it, rub all over and throw some salt and pepper on.
Sometimes simple is good.
Otherwise I like to mush up butter, garlic, lemon zest and grated ginger, maybe a little honey and use that.
*edit*
inspired by this thread I made the milk braised chicken (link back down the thread somewhere), wow, so tender and delicious, this is going to be a regular I think.
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there is a creme de peche which is pretty good, never tried it for buttercream, but it tastes very peachy in a drink!
I think I've seen a similar banana creme, but I dont love bananas so passed on that
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thanks guys, I had a suspicion it might be a syrup flavouring...
I will try and get hold of the princess flavouring though, that sounds pretty good and I wanted to order a couple of other bits from them. Being in the uk really is a pain sometimes, we dont seem to have an equivalent for king arthur's here
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wow, you're preparing for a frantic week, I'm very much looking forward to this blog!
Actually, you had me on board the minute you posted iced coffee
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One of the most succesful liqueurs I've made at home was a dried fig and vanilla brew...
Inspired on holiday in Salzburg, we were given a shot glass of figgy, syrupy vodka with a fresh fig in it, delicious!
I came home, bought some vodka and a couple of packets of dried figs, chopped the figs into a big glass jar, threw in a vanilla pod (whole) and 200g caster sugar, poured on the vodka and ignored it for, a year, a little more?
Bottled it finally, it's dark tawny in colour and smells like a figgy marzipan, tastes heavenly.
The figs made a gorgeous boozy jam to boot!
Right now I have a bottle of krupnik made last Christmas, iut's a honey, orange peel, clove and vanilla vodka based drink, really good slightly warmed.
Hiding out in a dark cool corner in our shed I have rhubarb scnapps ala nigella lawson and a spiced apple brandy, it just looks so gorgeous.
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and another question, since buying "the cake bible" I've been on the hunt for the fiori di sicilia essence she uses, any clues where I might be able to get this in the uk?
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I'm having greek yoghurt with a little maple sugar on top.... yum
edited for spelling
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mine is no beauty
I inherited my grannys big old cast aluminum pot, it's wonderful, heavy and almost non stick, I use it for everything, soup, mince, casseroles and making sweets, even sugar comes right off this thing.
it's a big old ugly pot, but I love it
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oh, that pistachio buttercream is divine, it's so melty and delicate
Dinner! 2005
in Cooking
Posted
roast chicken, roasted with some interesting herb and flower mix I bought at a farm shop.
with that, jersey royals (delicious!), brocoli and cauliflower
made a kind of creamy chicken gravy too.