Wednesday 29 December 2021

MY TOP TEN RECIPES OF 2021

Congrats to us all are due, we’ve just about made it through 2021 in one piece! 

And OH BOY, it was once again not the easiest of years due to the big C taking centre stage and ruining everyone’s plans in ever new and annoying guises (we really could have done without Omicron TBH).

My coping mechanism was spending plenty of time in the kitchen, cooking, sipping wine and trialling new recipes and quite honestly this, alongside my gym classes, was really what kept me semi sane so it feels only right to share my ten favourite recipes of the year with you!

Let’s hope there will be plenty of more cooking in 2022, perhaps without the Covid angst this time!


SONS + DAUGHTERS ICONIC EGG SALAD & TRUFFLE CRISPS SANDWICH 


WHITE ASPARAGUS RISOTTO WITH STRAWBERRIES 

Wednesday 22 December 2021

SAFFRON, MARZIPAN & RUM BUNS


These festive, Swedish inspired buns are all kinds of amazing, their dough scented with saffron and filled with a moist and fragrant mix of marzipan, rum, more saffron and butter.

Baking these beauties also happens to be the perfect way to spend a festive day now that we are all back to avoiding the outside world (I KNOW, SIGH) but trust me with these buns, they will even get the biggest 2201 gringe in a Christmassy mood and that is even before trying them because BOY are they good!!

Get baking, stay positive and stay healthy this Christmas! I will be cooking and baking all the way to get a little light relief from the outside world in the most tasty of ways.

MAKES LOADS!


INGREDIENTS

Yeast dough:
  • 500 ml lukewarm milk (2 cups)
  • a generous pinch of saffron threads*
  • 50 g fresh yeast (or use 2 sachets of instant yeast)
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 150 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 200 g cream cheese, softened
  • 1 kg of all-purpose flour

Filling:
  • 100 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 200 g marzipan, grated
  • 3 Tbsp dark rum
  • a generous pinch of saffron threads

To finish:
  • Egg-wash made with 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water
  • Sugar pearls

METHOD
  • Heat the milk, pour into a large mixing bowl. 
  • Add the saffron and let it infuse and cool for a while. 
  • The milk should be 37 C at the end.
  • Crumble the yeast into the milk. 
  • Add salt, sugar and most of the flour. 
  • Then knead in the soft butter and cream cheese and the rest of the flour. 
  • Knead until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl any longer. 
  • Cover and let rise until doubled in size - you need to do that in a warm and draught-free place.
  • (Meanwhile, cover the baking tray with a parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 220 C).
  • Prepare the filling. 
  • Grate the marzipan coarsely. 
  • Mix saffron strands with the rum and let infuse for 5-10 minutes. 
  • Melt butter in a small saucepan, add the marzipan and then the saffron-infused rum.
  • Heat gently, stirring, until combined.Remove from the heat.
  • Gently knead the yeast dough and divide into two. 
  • Roll both on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 5 mm (1/4''). 
  • Spread half of the marzipan mixture onto the dough and roll tightly, starting from the longer edge.
  • Repeat with the other dough.
  • Cut into 3-4 cm rolls (about 1,5 inches) and place onto a baking tray. (If you wish, you can let them rise again for 20-30 minutes). 
  • Brush with the egg-wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lovely golden brown. 
  • Let cool under a clean kitchen towel - this helps them stay soft.

Tuesday 7 December 2021

APPLE & CINNAMON BUNS WITH BROWNED BUTTER MAPLE ICING


I will never love baking as much as I love cooking but I have become somewhat more confident in my baking abilities this year (better to practise letting dough rise correctly than COVID doom scrolling) which meant I finally took on the task of making my own cinnamon buns from scratch! 

And not just any old, boring cinnamon buns. OH NO! These are next level cinnamons buns, filled with apple chunks and topped with the most amazing browned butter and maple syrup icing. 

MY GOD that doesn't only sound amazing but the end result tasted totally out of this world and I actually found them pretty easy to make! 

Yes, you will have to invest a bit of time (I spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon hiding from the cold in the kitchen rustling these up) as the dough will need rise and rest twice but the process is fun, not too tricky and so rewarding considering the wow factor buns you will end up with! 

Best enjoyed warm but equally good cold and just so damn delicious!

One of the best things I have made this year and this is saying a lot considering how much I have baked, cooked, chopped and pickled in 2021!

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 1/2 -4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

APPLE FILLING
  • 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 red apples, chopped

BROWNED BUTTER MAPLE ICING
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2-3 cups icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanila extract

METHOD
  • Combine the milk, yeast, and brown sugar in a bowl. 
  • Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. 
  • Add the butter, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. 
  • Using your hands, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. 
  • If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  • 3Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. 
  • Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  • Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle.
  • Spread the butter evenly over the dough. 
  • Sprinkle on the apples and cinnamon sugar. 
  • Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. 
  • When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. 
  • Using a sharp knife, cut into 12-15 rolls. 
  • Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish. 
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20-30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180° C. 
  • Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Meanwhile, make the icing. 
  • Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat.
  • Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. 
  • Remove from the heat. 
  • To a bowl with the cream cheese in it, whisk in the maple syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. 
  • Spread the icing over the warm rolls. 
  • Serve and enjoy!


Thursday 2 December 2021

GERMAN STYLE LEBKUCHEN (GINGERBREAD) WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GLACE


I am desperately trying to keep the pre-Christmas excitement and spirit alive, despite a little voice in the back of my head constantly telling me that it could be another Christmas ruined by Covid, and one way to do so is of course some good old festive baking to banish the negativity away and fill ones house with the most wonderful smell! 

Making these little lebkuchen (a sort of German spiced gingerbread cakes), coated in white chocolate, proved an excellent evening activity, super easy and quick to make, and the end result tasted not only like a little bit of my German childhood but quite literally like Christmas in a pleasing little cake! Perfect to as gift but also perfect to consume in big quantities yourself because hey we've all earned early Christmas treats this year!

INGREDIENTS

For the Lebkuchen

  • 200g runny honey
  • 85g butter
  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g round almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground allspice 
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ unwaxed orange, finely grated zest and juiced
  • pinch salt
For the chocolate glaze

200g white chocolate, roughly chopped

METHOD
  • Preheat the oven to 200C.
  • Line two baking trays with baking paper.
  • Heat the honey and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat until melted. 
  • Tip into a large mixing bowl and put in the fridge for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the honey-butter mixture from the fridge and sieve in the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. (The mixture will be sticky.) 
  • Return to the fridge for about 1 hour, or until completely cold. 
  • With damp hands, break off pieces of the dough and roll into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. Transfer to the baking trays and flatten down slightly, leaving enough space between each lebkuchen to spread during cooking. 
  • Bake for 15 minutes, or until the lebkuchen has risen and are firm to the touch. 
  • Set aside to cool slightly on the baking trays, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To make the chocolate glaze, melt half the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a simmering saucepan of water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. 
  • When the chocolate has almost melted, take the pan off the heat and add the remaining chocolate. 
  • Stir until all the chocolate has melted. 
  • Dip one side of the lebkuchen into the chocolate and return to the wire rack, chocolate side up, to set.
  • Leave to set to completely and enjoy!