Oh my word, I hope everyone has had a great christmas!
My parents are amazing, this years family present:
I love my family, I really do.
Liebster Blog Award!
Thank you so much to Vered from http://eatnowtalklater.wordpress.com/ for nominating me for first place in her awards! She’s supported me right from day 1 when I started the blog and has some really unusual, inspiring recipes that are very tasty, have a look.
Here is a bit about the award:
The award is all about recognising your fellow bloggers for how awesome they are!
Here’s a little of the official information about the award:
“The Liebster Blog Award is given to up coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:
1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who awarded you.
3. Copy & paste the blog award on your blog
4. Reveal your 5 blog picks.
5. Let them know you choose them by leaving a comment on their blog.”
Really hard to choose, but here goes:
1. Wee Eats - http://wee-eats.com/ I just couldn’t not pick this blog, the recipes are just mouthwatering!
2. Edible Substance-http://ediblesubstance.wordpress.com/ Such an interesting food blog with delicious recipes too, love it!
3. Try it you might like it-http://tryityoumightlikeit.wordpress.com/ Great festive Christmas recipes here, and really yummy food.
4. Valuptuous Vittles-http://valuptuousvittles.wordpress.com/ Really interesting recipes
5.Musketnuss-http://musketnuss.wordpress.com/Great photography and lovely yummy recipes
Mince pies, with a twist…
Christmas is coming, so what better time to make mince pies? A little secret; I don’t actually like mince pies… I don’t know what it is, but I’m just not a fan of the taste. I love the look, and the smell when they are baking in to oven, and I usually love all things Christmas-y but the well loved mince pie just doesn’t do it for me. However, my parents do like them so I had a go, but also sneaked a cheeky nutella and peanut butter pie in for me.
For the Pate Sucrée (Sweet Pastry)
100g Soft Margarine
150g Plain Flour
1 egg yolk
2 tbs caster sugar
- Rub the margarine into the flour with fingertips. Whilst rubbing in, lift it so it becomes aerated. When it becomes like breadcrumbs, stop.
- Add the sugar and mix
- Add the egg yolk and stir with a knife, it looks like it won’t come together but it will!
- Make an almost kneading motion with your hand to bring the breadcrumbs together
- Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate
That’s the basic recipe; once done roll out, cut with cutters and place in a well oiled small pie tin. Fill with whatever filling takes your fancy, whether it be mince meat or Nutella! Put the lids over the filling, seal and coat with an egg wash.
Had a small disaster with a nutella pot whilst making these, dropped a half used large glass pot of nutella onto stone floor. Didn’t end well and more nutella is needed….
The Perfect Victoria Sponge
The Perfect Victoria Sponge
Believe it or not, this was actually the first Victoria Sponge I have ever made. I haven’t called it the ‘perfect’ sponge because I think mine is perfect, it’s good but I’m not that big headed, the recipe calls it this and I can see why! A Great British Bake Off recipe by Mary Berry; yum! I’ve done my very first step by step recipe (woo 
) so I hope you all like it, it’s a beautiful light sponge made by the creaming method.
You will need:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 free-range eggs
1/2 a teaspoon vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon milk
For the filling:
200ml fresh double cream (optional)
6 tablespoons jam (any flavour)
25g white chocolate or icing sugar to finish
1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Beat the softened butter with a spoon or electric whisk until smooth and creamy
2. Add the sugar in 3-4 separate additions and beat until light and fluffy
3. Crack the 4 eggs into a separate bowl, whisk up with the vanilla extract
4.Add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar and blend carefully, you don’t want to knock any air out
5.Sift the flour onto the mixture and then add the milk. Fold gently using a metal spoon
6.Scrap down the sides of the bowl with a spatula
7. Spoon the mixture evenly between the 2 greased tins and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. It is ready when the top is golden brown and springy to touch
8. Remove from the tins and leave to cool.
9. Spread one half with whipped cream and one with jam
10. Sandwich together and ice or sprinkle with icing sugar
Update on Young Chef competition
After winning my school heat, I am excited to say that I won the County Young Chef Competition and am now through to District level!
My meal: a Butternut and Chestnut risotto with a Chicken Roulade stuffed with cream cheese and a rocket salad with Parmesan crisps.
The dessert was a molten chocolate fondant with raspberry coulis
Nutella Cookies
I’ve lost the pictures! I took some photos of these delicious cookies but i’ve gone and misplaced them…. You’ll have to use your imagination.
These are seriously the best cookies ever. And when I say ever, I mean ever. The comments I got for these were ridiculous! We had builders in the house, and all 3 walked through and I offered them one of these…
1. These are the best cookies I have ever tasted
2. I hope these make you famous one day
3. Delicious, I can’t even…
I then took some to my youth group where 3 people asked for the recipes
1. These cookies are better than Millies Cookies
2. You are the best person on earth
In a nutshell, everyone loved these! I found out about them on http://teenagetaste.com/2011/09/18/chewy-nutella-chocolate-chip-cookies/comment-page-1/#comment-3127- fantastic blog and check it out!
The recipe is on http://www.food.com/recipe/thick-and-chewy-nutella-chocolate-chip-cookies-394309
Rotary club competition
This afternoon, after my maths GCSE (the main reason I haven’t been posting, revision!) I had the first heat of the young chef of the year competition in my school. And, I won! I will now officially represent my school in the regional heats! I made a roasted squash, chestnut and pancetta risotto with rocket salad and parmesan crisps followed by molten chocolate fondants with raspberry coulis. I’m so happy and proud of myself it’s mad…
Sorry!
Sorry about the slow updates, I’ve been really busy recently and just haven’t found time to upload pictures and recipes. However, I have made and photographed many lovely things that I will put up in the next few days.
•The Perfect Victoria Sponge
•Nutella Cookies
•Trout and Sweet Potato Fishcakes
•White Chocolate and Ginger Mousse
•Pumpkin and Bacon soup
•Butternut Squash, Pancetta and chestnut risotto
•Spiderweb chocolate cake
•Heart Oat Biscuits
•Apple and Caramel tart
•Cookies and Cream Brownies
And a few others I can’t remember right now… I had a busy half term!
Mocha Cheesecake
This is such an easy, delicious cheesecake. I made it at school in a catering lesson, excuse the bad presentation because it did travel a mile home before ending up on a plate!
You will need:
200g chocolate Bourbons
100g butter (melted)
275g mascapone cheese
175ml double cream
50g caster sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in a tablespoon boiling water
- Crush the biscuits in a polythene bag by bashing with a rolling pin. Alternatively, use a blender.
- Stir in the butter and then press the mixture into a flan dish or sponge tin.
- Whip the cream until thick. Beat the mascapone until soft. Stir the whipped cream into the cheese and gently stir. Fold in the espresso and sugar.
- Spread the mixture over the crumb base and then chill before serving.
Peanut butter and Nutella Macaroons
Peanut Butter and Nutella Macaroons
All day, I have just wanted to get home and make macaroons! Only to find we had no cream and I was feeling too lazy to go out to buy some! However, using a peanut butter and nutella filling works surprisingly well. These are really yummy macaroons, even if they do take a fair bit of time to make!
You will need
130g egg whites
230g icing sugar
130g almond powder or ground almonds
60g granulated sugar
cocoa powder, to dust
3 tbs peanut butter
3 tbs nutella
1 tbs cocoa powder
1. Prepare the egg whites. It is a very awkward amount, but I haven’t found a recipe that uses whole eggs so we’ll have to stick with 130g! This approximately 4 eggs.
2. Sieve the icing sugar and ground almonds into a bowl.
3. Put the eggs whites into a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until the eggs have the texture of shaving foam. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until it has a glossy texture.
4.Add the sifted powders into the meringue and fold in gently.
5. Pipe the mixture into small circles on several baking sheets. Try to get them more or less the same size. Lightly tap the tray on the counter to remove air bubbles and leave the trays for half an hour to form a skin. Preheat the oven to 130 degrees in a conventional oven.
6. Dust the tops with cocoa powder before cooking.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes and then leave to cool at room temperature.
8. For the filling, whisk the peanut butter, nutella and cocoa powder together and then pipe a dollop to sandwich 2 macaroons together.
9. Enjoy!
