Scones

The other day I felt the need for scones, partly because of a lack of bread in the house. 

In a bowl I mixed the fat into the flour, using a  with my new pastryblender. Souring the milk with some lemon, and mixing it through quickly, into a ball, andthen whacking the soft dough onto the marble for a spot of light rolling, and cutting out with new colourful cutters.

Result

Carrot cake with citrus fudge icing

I made this cake from the Australian Women's Weekly collection, and got rave reviews. It was being eaten so fast that Steve nearly missed out, being away until four days after baking. He ate the last slice with gusto, and made the comment, with a slightly surprised tone that did not go down well with the cook, that it looked really professional.

This cake was easy to make and behaved beautifully in the oven, despite my managing to misread the recipe and add the sugar with the flour. I like a forgiving recipe, one that can take a bit of stupidity in the cooking and still turn out well. My review of the recipe other than this is that it needed more spice. I know my mixed spice is quite fresh, so I will bake it again to see if adding more makes it perfect. The other thing that might improve it, but is likely to be harder to manage is that it may well be better if it sits for at least a day. That kind of thing requires hiding places for cakes, and even those who can't  find their proverbial with both hands seem to have an innate skill at hunting down cake.

I used the fudge icing recipe I always use, substituting juice for milk. The trick is to stir the zest into the icing sugar, then add the hot melted butter, beating all the time, then add the hot juice in a slow stream, beating like mad, to make sure the juice is mixed in thoroughly with the butter sugar mixture. If you do get lumps use a hand blender to get rid of them. The alternative is too boring.  A wooden spoon in a two litre jug is my preferred approach. The icing may become liquid. Sit it in cold water then refrigerate, beating it again before spreading it over the cake.

So give this a go, because it is a lovely cake.


Citrus fudge icing


This is enough for the top or the middle of a 9" cake


250g icing sugar
75g unsalted butter
3 tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange

1. finely grate the zest
2. sift icing sugar into bowl with the zest
3. cut the butter into thin slices and heat slowly, until completely melted - do not boil
4. pour hot melted butter into the sifted icing sugar, beating as you pour, until it is all taken up by the sugar
5. heat the juice in the pan (I use the same pan... without washing)
6. pour the hot juice into the sugar/butter mixture, beating as you pour, until it is one silky mixture
7. let the icing cool until it stiffens, beating it again before using it

• to apply the icing to the cake have a tall mug full of freshly boiled water, use a palette knife or a large knife
• spread the icing quickly, spreading it with the hot knife - as soon as the icing starts to drag on the knife, clean off the remaining icing and dip it into the hot water again
• continue until the icing is applied

Pancake day!

We have already started the day with pancakes. Very nice. Supper will be more of the same. I am going to make a mixture with spinach, onion and chicken, roll the mixture up in pancakes, snuggle them all up together in an oven dish, pour over some white sauce, and then heat the lot up in a medium oven. I may sneak in some mushrooms.

My  pancake mixture works well, if I say so myself, give it a go. It makes about 12 pancakes, depending on the size of your pan.

Cooking pancakes can be a bit anti social, and hot. I like to make a pile and then reheat them.

Recipe

ingredients (alternative measurements at bottom of the recipe - cups, oz and mugs)

·         125g flour

2 eggs

125ml milk

125ml water

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp sugar

pinch salt

oil for pan

   Method

• sift flour into large bowl (I use a plastic jug and stir it with a whisk)
• add sugar and salt
• make a well in the middle, crack the eggs into it and add the oil
• stir it all together vigorously
• add liquid bit by bit, beating all the time until smooth (if it isn't smooth, resort to the hand blender)

I use a heavy based frying pan, which is not non-stick. I have a heatproof pastry brush and a little pot of oil, and I brush the pan between each pancake. I use a small ladle, which measures about 1/4 cup. I don't like non-stick, and I think the pancakes taste different if you pour the batter into a thin layer of hot oil.

It might seem obvious how to cook pancakes, and if you've got it down pat, ignore this. If you're like me, and sometimes end up with a thick layer of batter sticking to the pan then read on.

Heat the pan for a couple of minutes before starting the pancake cooking, and get the pan good and hot, then  brush with oil quickly and pour in the batter - just enough to coat the base of the pan. You'll know the pan is hot enough, because the batter starts to cook straight away, roll it around the pan to cover the whole base. Once the pancake starts to bubble a bit and the edges curl, it's ready to turn. Watch the pancake bubble a little bit, then remove it from the pan. And so on.

I turn the gas down a bit once the pan is hot, otherwise it gets too hot, and the pancakes stick.

Other stuff

if you don't have scales, or can't be bothered, about one mugful of flour and half/half mugful of milk/water is the right amount, adding a tiny bit more liquid. Providing it's an average mug, and I'm not debating what's average. The mixture should be like thin cream, coating the back of a spoon.

Since we have chickens, and I like things eggy, I sometimes go mad and add another egg.

Valentine's menu - tart

Valentine's Day is a lot of pressure, if you let it be. If you are alone you can feel like a failure, if you are with a partner the range of anxiety you can feel is vast. Food is a good sidestep. As my expanded waistline can tell you. I like straightforward food, and I shall be making a heart-shaped version of my apple tart.

You don't have to use apples, tinned apricots are also terrific. Or plums - see other pic.

It is a labour of love, and that is why it is good for Valentine's Day. Serve hot or cold, and enjoy yourself.

PS
there's no need to roll this pastry - you can just press it into the tin, and use whatever alcohol you like, or none!

Citrus fudge icing

Icing is lovely when judiciously used, and can make a cake, both in terms of looks and flavour. If there is too much icing a cake can become sickly - although there is, of course, no obligation to eat it. Making a 'fudge' icing means you get a crunchy outside and soft inside, and using lemon juice gives a wonderfully sharp tang to go with the sweetness, which is especially good with a cake like carrot cake. This is a good alternative to a cream cheese frosting. It keeps better too, although that isn't an issue with carrot cake as a rule, since it seldom lingers.


Citrus fudge icing


This is enough for the top or the middle of a 9" cake


250g icing sugar
75g unsalted butter
3 tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange

1. finely grate the zest
2. sift icing sugar into bowl with the zest
3. cut the butter into thin slices and heat slowly, until completely melted - do not boil
4. pour hot melted butter into the sifted icing sugar, beating as you pour, until it is all taken up by the sugar
5. heat the juice in the pan (I use the same pan... without washing)
6. pour the hot juice into the sugar/butter mixture, beating as you pour, until it is one silky mixture
7. let the icing cool until it stiffens, beating it again before using it

• to apply the icing to the cake have a tall mug full of freshly boiled water, use a palette knife or a large knife
• spread the icing quickly, spreading it with the hot knife - as soon as the icing starts to drag on the knife, clean off the remaining icing and dip it into the hot water again
• continue until the icing is applied

Frozen veg...

It's bitingly cold out, and yesterday a serious wind chill gave a real disincentive to going out. Fortunately on a previous shopping expedition I had picked up a bag of frozen spinach to replenish my stock (spinach and peas in the freezer at all times), and I was tempted into buying some diced veg 'for stewing', which included large pieces of winter stalwarts: turnip, swede, celery, carrot, and onion. Unlike most of my friends, I do like peeling and chopping, I find it therapeutic. At the end of a busy day it is best to leave me to it, I am told I have a slightly threatening air when I'm grumpy and holding a knife. Still, even enthusiasts of the menial culinary task of veg prep can imagine there is a short cut, and on that basis I gazed on the diced winter veg with pleasure, dreaming of quick veg stew, veg curry, veg soup, and popped it into my basket.

So, yesterday I decided on soup. Lots of garlic - fresh - olive oil on a low temperature, and the kitchen filled with a heady aroma, joined by some mixed herbs (dried) and I felt optimistic. In went the veg, along with some stock and the lot boiled merrily away for 12 minutes. Tasting the soup, all was good once a little salt was added. Then I tried a carrot, followed by a bit of swede and a bit of turnip. The feeling in my mouth was nothing but fibre, more suitable for rope or possibly paper making than eating. Flavour: nil. I was gutted. Everything was cooked through, the liquid was great, and I wanted some soup, so I threw in a tin of tomatoes, let the lot bubble away again for five minutes and then blended the lot. And ate it with a good piece of toast.

Verdict: fresh winter root veg is the only way to go.