Pistachio Petit Four Surprise Birthday Cake

Why not start my post with the pretty picture of the whole and beautiful cake? Because this is the best bit about making a cake. When its been hacked to pieces and everyone around you is munching it. Awesome. And it makes me happy looking at this picture. And right now, while injured and unable to run, with this annoying dull ache in my leg, I need pretty cake pictures to make me smile.



I was commissioned to make this birthday cake by my neighbour Kevin for a surprise birthday party for his wife Geri. This weekend was her 50th birthday, and after insisting that she did not want a 50th birthday party, he decided to throw her a 49.9th birthday party instead. And just to make sure that she could not object or get out of it at all, he made it a surprise party so she knew absolutely nothing about it. As Kevin is a frequent devourer of my cookies, cakes and other tempting treats, he knew I would be delighted to make the cake for the party, which I was, provided I could come along and see the surprise on Geri's face for myself. And just for good measure we brought along my mom and sister who were visiting for the weekend. It worked out nicely as it was my mom's birthday the very same day, so I took advantage of the fact that Kevin was barbecuing and putting on a good party and celebrated with her as well.

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Butternut Goats Cheese Salad and the Dawn of the Spring

There was something different in the woods last night. As I ran through them I could see that they were not the same as they have been. I have to confess that I am a little slow on the uptake and it took me a while to figure out what it was. It was the green. The woods are coming back to life after the grey and brown of winter. Spring is spreading its life-giving fingers through the trees and over the ground, colouring everything green. Last night's run really heralded in the start of the spring and the promise of summer to me. It was light and a bit of blue sky and real sunshine even made an appearance through the trees, a welcome sight after a day of monochrome greyness. The final stretch of that run route takes me through a farm, and I had to laugh out loud to myself as I picked my way through the muddy farmyard, under the watch of the sheep. They were just so funny, lying around on the ground just looking at me. I could not figure out if there expressions were the blank stare of a not too bright animal, or wary curiosity, or indignantion at my trespassing through their mud. Whatever it was I had to laugh.



So today's post is not about a lamb as you may think from my opening sheepy statement, but it is about a lovely Butternut and Goats Cheese Salad that I made last week while on my low-carb pre half marathon eating regime. It was a super tasty and a bit of a final hurrah to the winter squash. Although I do love my butternut so I am sure I'll still get hold of the odd one here and there in the summer. But its the principle of bye-bye winter, hello spring. When roasted butternut is sweet, yet savoury, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and with the paprika and cumin it gets a lovely crisp, spicy outside.


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Berry Breakfast Smoothie and Not a PB, but a PA

On Sunday I ran the Wilmslow Half Marathon. I had trained. I had worked for it. But still I was not as fast as I was in my last half marathon. That sucks. Not that I am usually fast at all, but I'm speaking relatively here. I honestly don't think that I'm naturally built for running, but its something that I normally enjoy doing, and it allows me to eat cake. So its win win. 

If you have ever run any kind of race before, whether it be a 5k, a Half Marathon or the insanity that is a full Marathon, you will know that racing = pain.  In my case, 2 hours of pain. Which is how long it took me to run the 13.1m/21km. While running along for 2 hours, one has a lot of time to think. And at times I thought about the sports jelly beans I was shoving into my mouth at mile intervals, and wondering if they were doing anything apart from making me gag as I tried to swallow them with dehydrated mouth/throat. I also thought about the 'carbo-loading' preparation that I had done the week before and whether it offered any benefit or not.

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Strawberry, Almond & White Chocolate Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

Before anyone gets confused or misled, this cake is more a bread than a cake, and there ain't no coffee in it.What's the deal with it being called 'Coffee Cake' then you ask? Apparently it is because this kind of bready cake is a good accompaniment to coffee, and they were originally paired by the Dutch, Germans and Scandanavians. You have your morning mug of steaming latte, or your afternoon cappuccino, and this cake will sit next to it like they were made for each other. Personally, I am more than happy to eat this cake with coffee, tea, milk, water, or just straight up. By itself. Its yummy.





This recipe is the March Daring Baker's Challenge. The March 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria's Collection and Jamie of Life's a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.


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Blueberry Brown Rice Pudding

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most pleasurable. Feeling the warmth of the sunshine on your face, sharing a hot, frothy latte with someone in the morning, finishing a run that you just put a bit more effort into than usual, making someone smile. They are not elaborate, complicated, challenging, things. They do not require much effort or hours of dedication. They are simple, but special. This is how I feel about rice pudding.


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Vodka Cream Pasta and Botched Biscotti

So the other night, after a hectic day, I wanted pasta. Pasta is the food I turn to when I want flavour, and comfort and ease. And I was in the mood for all three. But I wanted something a little different. Something with a twist. And thats when I remembered Vodka Cream Pasta that I had made once before. I found it on Smitten Kitchen and, like everything else on that gorgeous blog, it is sublime. And I have a big bottle of Smirnoff that is just the thing. Now I know some people may say that using fancy Smirnoff in cooking may be some kind of crime, but I think of it like wine. If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it.

I also had a need to bake something, and seeing that I've been browsing a lot of biscotti recipes lately, I thought that they would be just the thing. Not complicated and easy to fit in with the pasta I was making, in great girl-multi-tasking style. I did however make it a little harder for myself in that I wanted to make a new flavour. Gingerbread white chocolate biscotti. Now I managed to find a recipe for something like this but it had butter in it. And I firmly believe that real biscotti do not have butter in them. So I had to hybrid-ise my recipe. Take a non-butter recipe and gingerbread and white chocolate it up. Not hard, but while making pasta as well - maybe a little challenging.

The pasta went beautifully. As usual I made loads, but I am generally grateful for the leftovers on a home alone night when I don't cook. Like last night. A long, busy day. A tired, aching body. And no strength to even lift a spatula. Leftover vodka cream pasta = perfect solution. Pair it with a smooth glass of chilean cabernet and thats the start of a (well earned!) relaxing hour or two on the sofa. I could do with some leftover pasta tonight. Ran a half marathon route today and my feet are protesting loudly whenever I ask them to take me anywhere. Hence I am sat down writing this and wondering what I can have for dinner. There's still some fresh pesto in the fridge, hmmmmm.

Anyway, I digress. Sorry. Pasta turned out lovely. Its basically idiot proof. But the Biscotti experiment, not so much.  So the dough came together just fine. I balanced out what I put in with taking some out, so I thought that the chemistry of the whole baking process would still work, but something didn't. Work that is.

I think I am going to blame my oven. Not my lack of full attention. Yeah, that sounds good. Honestly, I do blame my oven. As I am sure I have said before, its a fan oven and has the tendency to be over-zealous. Sometimes I can correctly counter the blowing heat but I think this time I didn't work so well. The outer crust of the dough was very hard and crispy. Fine. But the inside was still raw and just didn't hold together when I started cutting the loaf into individual biscotti.

So the biscotti, although they tasted amazing, were far from pretty. They were crumbly. There was not even one perfect one for me to photograph. Not one. But, as my tastebuds are blind they did not mind :) I will be re-attempting those biscotti again. Some time when I can give them the attention that they deserve, and make sure that the firey oven beast is tamed. So watch this space for the recipe. It will come when  get it right.

 

Vodka Cream Pasta

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken stock

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Coarse salt and pepper

400g pasta, such as penne or tagliatelle

1/2 cup double cream

2 large handfuls fresh basil, shredded or torn

Heat a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes. Add vodka to the pan. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, dried basil and oregano, chilli flakes and nutmeg. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until saucy and thick in consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Orignal From: Vodka Cream Pasta and Botched Biscotti

Brown Butter Cinnamon Brown Sugar Monkey Bread

 

I was asked the other day what it is that like like about baking/cooking. Is it the eating? Is it the construction process? Is it the challenge? Is it the making something that people enjoy? When I think about it, I am sure that its a combination of all of the above, but mostly - I enjoy the construction. The mixing and whisking and folding and beating and kneading and (you get the picture right? I thought so. I'll stop going on and on now) and then seeing if it all turns out ok. Even if it doesn't I still enjoy it. Weird, right? I also hugely enjoy making people smile. I have been given this opportunity a few times recently and honestly, nothing beats it. It is wonderous what a little thought and a little sugar can do for someone who is having a bad day. Its like the saying (I don't know who originally said it) which goes something along the lines of  'a baker is a witch who conjures smiles'.

 

Why do I blog then? I was asking myself that same question this morning while reading an article in the latest Delicious Magazine about food bloggers. I don't write because I think people are reading, because I am really not convinced that anyone (besides my mum) reads what I write. I don't write because I have any aspirations to become famous or gain any type of notoriety. So why do I write? Because I enjoy riting, I always have. When I was a teenager I would start writing novels that never got beyone a dozen pages or so before I lost inspiration, but I just loved reading and wanted to write. And teh easiest thing to write about, is something that you love. I could never blog about cars or fashion, but cooking... I like to cook and I like to write about it. So I guess I do it for me. If there is anyone else out there reading this, I am doing it for you too. Thank you for reading. You're fabulous.  
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