Skip to main content

Another Baking Bonanza

My current project is to work my way through recipes from Norfolk’s Own Cookbook: Everything Stops for Tea, which was a present from J'Zo and G-Cro. J'Zo is delighted that I'm using the book and is even more delighted to be mentioned in my blog. She told me not to write that in my blog. Too late.
Last Thursday (18th February) I made three things from Everything Stops for Tea: blondies, apple crumble cake and vintage Cheddar and walnut scones. The spouse, younger offspring and I were heading west to stay with family for a couple of days. I was pleased to have a good reason to progress my project. Everything was well received.
Blondies
Blondies: Rapture!

Blondies are the heart of class! One way or another, you’ll want more of these. You’ll be in raptures after one. I’m dreaming of when I’ll next make them.
Ingredients:
200g unsalted butter
450g light muscavado sugar
2 medium eggs and 1 medium egg yolk
3 teasp vanilla extract
280g plain flour
pinch of salt
170g toasted pecan nuts, coarsely chopped

Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 180’C/fan 160’C/gas 4. Butter an 18x32cm tin, then line with baking parchment.
Method:
1. Place butter in a saucepan over a low heat and melt. Add sugar, blend until dissolved. Keep stirring; don’t let the mixture boil. (Should take about a minute.)  Leave to cool for 10 minutes.  2. Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together. Add the vanilla extract and pour into the cooled sugar and butter mix. 3. Fold in the flour, salt and pecan nuts. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spoon into the prepared tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown.
Cheese and walnut scones
These cheese and walnut scones were particularly delicious when still warm from the oven. 











Apple crumble cake filled with marscapone and honey and topped with brittle shards
The apple crumble cake contains dessert apples, sultanas. When completely cool, I split it horizontally and spread the lower half with a filling made of marscapone, vanilla extract and honey. I made brittle for the top as instructed: sugar and water heated together until a golden syrup forms, then left to cool and harden before chopping.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup This recipe calls for canned beans (borlotti, flageolet or cannellini) and as I have been tidying and cleaning out our cupboards I've used cannellini beans. I have to mention that the younger offspring has done an impressive job on the cupboards. That's enough about him. Back to me and my soup! Other ingredients include onion, carrots, leek, garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree (I substituted sun-dried tomato paste as there was an open jar of it in the fridge), chicken stock (I had to use a cube as my home-made reserves have been used up) and spinach.When ready it's served with ciabatta bread, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. So it's quite a rich soup. We've just had the Tuscan bean soup for lunch. All enjoyed it. The adult males were particularly forthcoming in their praise. The spouse liked the "tomato-ey sharpness" and mused that ham stock should be considered as an alternative to chicken stock. Bees' Cheese and other recipes H
Post a Comment
Read more

Lovage Soup

Lovage Soup   Today I made lovage soup, the second recipe by Sophie Grigson in The Soup Book that I have used in the last four days. She introduces the recipe with these remarks: "If you don't grow this old-fashioned herb yourself, ask around among your gardening friends or head down to the nearest garden centre to see if they sell it. " As I mentioned in my last blog entry (18th May), lovage now features among the herbs in my front garden. As the spouse left the camera at home, I took some photographs. Parsley, sorrel and lovage in Minnie's garden. Rosemary, parsley and lovage in Minnie's garden.  I had hoped to add chervil to my collection of herbs - there's a recipe for vegetable and chervil soup in The Soup Book - but "Young Stephen" wasn't able to source any for me. At least he tried. Just while I'm mentioning Stephen, I have to reveal that the spouse and the older offspring claim that he has been mention
1 comment
Read more

Mulligatawny Manoeuvres

Mulligatawny I see it's only been six months since I last made mulligatawny. The first time was back in May 2011 when I followed Roopa Gulati's recipe in The Soup Book ; last September I used The Essential Asian Cookbook . Today I used Rick Stein's India , a Christmas present from the spouse. It's one of those luxurious recipe books with thick paper and beautiful, vibrantly colourful photos. We had all been impressed by Roopa's recipe, less so by the second book, so how would we fare today? Well, those two recipes both involved apple. Rick's did not, so I felt that this must be a more authentic recipe. If Anglo-Indian cooking has any authenticity these days. Still, Rick states that his recipe is on the menu at the Madras Club in Chennai. It involves making a spice paste first and then the soup. Ingredients: The paste called for coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and fresh coriander, curry and mint leave
Post a Comment
Read more