The is officially my shortest blog post ever. A recipe for royal icing, used for piping decorative effects onto cookies, cupcakes and cakes. This icing is great for piping delicate, fine lines and details and sets hard. A little goes a long way - you should be able to decorate at least a dozen cookies with this quantity if not two!
Royal Icing
One egg white
300g icing sugar
Lemon juice
In a bowl beat egg white and icing sugar together on a slow speed. You aren't aiming to create air bubbles in this icing, you simply want to gently combine. Keep beating for 5 minutes then add lemon juice a few drops at a time to create a suitable consistency - for piping thin lines (like on these Halloween cookies) you don't want it to be too runny but if you were 'flooding' cookies - which means to fill the area between lines you want the mix to be runnier so add a little more juice. Practice is the best way to get the consistency right. Keep unused royal icing in the fridge covered with cling-wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the icing to keep it from drying out.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Flavours Column: Spooky Gingerdead Men
In the spirit of Halloween I decided to get a little spooky recently and whip up some Gingerdead Men. Actually they are more of a Gingerdead Family, cat included. Which, given that just days after I made these cookies we lost a beloved cat member of the family, sits a little uncomfortably now. I wish it wasn't the case but alas, we can't turn back time. R.I.P. Milly-Moo. I hope your mischevious, stubborn, seriously cute and chunky cat spirit comes to visit us this Halloween. We'd offer you Whiska's Temptations as treats. And you would probably play a trick on us. Just like old times.
Avoid the tricks on All Hallow's Eve and offer costumed kids these creepy cookies instead. They are so much more impressive than store-bought candy!
Gingerdead Men
Published in the Bay of Plenty Times, Weds 23rd Oct 2013
Halloween is on the horizon so this week I’m sharing a fun recipe for ‘Gingerdead’ Men. I picked up the Gingerdead Man cookie cutter when I was overseas but you can find a great selection of Halloween themed cutters at most kitchen stores. Bats, cats, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, your Halloween cookie dreams are covered!
These cookies make perfect treats for the spooky little trick-or-treaters that come knocking on October 31st. I wish we embraced Halloween more in New Zealand. There’s no harm in acknowledging the ‘dark side’ a little and it encourages kids to use their imaginations. My nephew and niece in America have their costumes ready, as does my brother’s dog Tuesday who will be making her Halloween debut as Wonder Woman (or maybe Wonder Dog).
There are tonnes of ideas for Halloween treats online – Pinterest alone is enough to keep any creative Halloween crafter or baker happy. Be inspired, get spooky and have some fun.
Ingredients
125g butter
125g brown sugar
75g white sugar
½ cup golden syrup
425g flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
40ml milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
Melt butter, sugars and golden syrup in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and keep boiling for a few minutes, stirring as it bubbles away. Sift flour and spices together into a bowl. Pour the melted butter mix over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix milk and baking soda together and stir into the dough. The dough will be warm so rest it, covered with cling-wrap, for 10mins in the fridge. Heat the oven to 170°C. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut out shapes and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and decorate with royal icing.
Weekly Tip: Roll dough between two sheets of baking paper. This creates a non-stick surface making it both easier and less messy. After cutting your shapes peel away excess dough from around your cookies and bake on the paper as is.
Avoid the tricks on All Hallow's Eve and offer costumed kids these creepy cookies instead. They are so much more impressive than store-bought candy!
Gingerdead Men
Published in the Bay of Plenty Times, Weds 23rd Oct 2013
Halloween is on the horizon so this week I’m sharing a fun recipe for ‘Gingerdead’ Men. I picked up the Gingerdead Man cookie cutter when I was overseas but you can find a great selection of Halloween themed cutters at most kitchen stores. Bats, cats, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, your Halloween cookie dreams are covered!
These cookies make perfect treats for the spooky little trick-or-treaters that come knocking on October 31st. I wish we embraced Halloween more in New Zealand. There’s no harm in acknowledging the ‘dark side’ a little and it encourages kids to use their imaginations. My nephew and niece in America have their costumes ready, as does my brother’s dog Tuesday who will be making her Halloween debut as Wonder Woman (or maybe Wonder Dog).
There are tonnes of ideas for Halloween treats online – Pinterest alone is enough to keep any creative Halloween crafter or baker happy. Be inspired, get spooky and have some fun.
Ingredients
125g butter
125g brown sugar
75g white sugar
½ cup golden syrup
425g flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
40ml milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
Melt butter, sugars and golden syrup in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and keep boiling for a few minutes, stirring as it bubbles away. Sift flour and spices together into a bowl. Pour the melted butter mix over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix milk and baking soda together and stir into the dough. The dough will be warm so rest it, covered with cling-wrap, for 10mins in the fridge. Heat the oven to 170°C. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut out shapes and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and decorate with royal icing.
Weekly Tip: Roll dough between two sheets of baking paper. This creates a non-stick surface making it both easier and less messy. After cutting your shapes peel away excess dough from around your cookies and bake on the paper as is.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
It's time for Jam
 |
| Photo: Greta Kenyon Photography |
Rhubarb jam. It's also time to tell you about another Kinfolk event which I was very honoured to be co-hosting alongside On My Hand.
The theme for the event was 'Preserving the Season'. This was my first time as a host and for some reason I decided it would be a super great idea to teach everyone how to make jam. Given that I haven't made much jam in my life (because I thought it was hard - it's not; because I thought it was time-consuming - not so much; because I thought it was messy - it is) I don't really know why my mind was saying 'heck yeah, jam!' Especially when the venue for our workshop had no kitchen. No stove top. No sink. No plumbing (when you turned the bathroom tap on water came out of a hole in the kitchen wall. Just straight from a little hole onto the floor). But regardless of these details it was still a beautiful venue.
In a nutshell, I stood in front of 20 guests and showed them how to make jam. I also showed them how to melt holes into a trestle table using cast iron camp burners. Whoops. Someone asked 'why is my pot on a lean?'...turns out those burners aren't designed for making jam on plastic tables. I taught people more than just how to make jam that day.
Minor incidences aside, I hope everyone enjoyed the event - based on all the wonderful feedback I am pretty confident that they did. The location styling by Shaye from On My Hand was outstanding as usual, the food (also by Shaye - multi-talented lady that she is) was also beautiful and all our guests made for fantastic company! Thank you to Greta Kenyon for ensuring these fun moments are always captured in a positive light (all photos shown are Greta's) and to our sponsors: Hello Paper, Maisy & Grace, George and Mount Wholefoods. Now, let's make some jam.
 |
| Photo: Greta Kenyon Photography |
Rhubarb & Vanilla Jam
800g rhubarb stalks, cut into chunks
650g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
35g Jam Setting Mix (or pectin)
zest & juice of one orange
40ml water
juice of half a small lemon
Place all the ingredients, aside from the lemon juice, in a large saucepan
and stir to combine. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add
the lemon juice and increase the heat. Boil for 10 minutes, skimming off any of
the ‘scum’ that comes to the surface (this is nothing bad, it just doesn’t look
pretty in your finished jam).
To test if the jam is ready spoon a teaspoonful onto a small, cold
plate. If after a minute or two you can push the jam and it holds its shape it’s
ready, if not keep boiling and testing every few minutes.
When the jam is ready pour into hot sterilised jars and seal. To
sterilise jars and lids wash and place in the oven for 10mins at 100ºC. Store jam
in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Opened jam should be stored in the fridge.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Flavours Column: Homemade Crumpets
Who needs supermarket crumpets when you can make these?!
Okay, yes, sometimes having a packet of ready-made crumpets on hand does satisfy a quick breakfast/snack need, but there’s no reason why you can’t whip up a batch of your own and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
They are easy to make, don’t require special ingredients or take a lot of time unlike other breads. The only slightly unusual item you need to make these delicious breakfast treats is round metal rings to cook them in. These are easily found in kitchen shops sold as ‘egg rings’ or simply use round cookie cutters like I did. You might find you already have some rattling around in your kitchen drawer (also like I did).
This recipe makes at least twelve golden brown crumpets and they are just as delicious freshly toasted from the pan as they are hot from the toaster the next day. I ate them with homemade rhubarb jam. And then with honey. And then with marmite. And then with peanut butter. That is literally what I did. But not one after the other. I swear.
Okay, yes, sometimes having a packet of ready-made crumpets on hand does satisfy a quick breakfast/snack need, but there’s no reason why you can’t whip up a batch of your own and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
They are easy to make, don’t require special ingredients or take a lot of time unlike other breads. The only slightly unusual item you need to make these delicious breakfast treats is round metal rings to cook them in. These are easily found in kitchen shops sold as ‘egg rings’ or simply use round cookie cutters like I did. You might find you already have some rattling around in your kitchen drawer (also like I did).
This recipe makes at least twelve golden brown crumpets and they are just as delicious freshly toasted from the pan as they are hot from the toaster the next day. I ate them with homemade rhubarb jam. And then with honey. And then with marmite. And then with peanut butter. That is literally what I did. But not one after the other. I swear.
Homemade Crumpets
Published in the Bay of Plenty Times, Weds 16th Oct 2013
Adapted from Paul Hollywood's recipe found here.
200g
high-grade flour
150g plain
flour
2 x 8g
sachets of instant yeast
1 teaspoon
of honey
350ml warm
milk
½ teaspoon
baking soda
1 teaspoon
salt
175ml warm
water
Mix flours
and yeast together (the high grade flour helps give structure to the crumpets’
bubbles). Dissolve honey in the warm milk and beat into the flour with a wooden
spoon. Continue beating for a few minutes to create a thick, smooth batter.
Cover and rest for 30mins. Mix baking soda and salt into the warm water. Beat into
the batter until smooth and rest again for 30mins. Heat a frying pan over
medium heat and grease with butter or cooking spray. Grease the inside of the
metal rings. Sit the rings in the pan and drop a large spoonful of batter into
each. After a few minutes bubbles will appear on the surface, wait another
minute then gently flip the crumpets over and cook for another 3 minutes.
Crumpets are ready when both sides are golden and they feel springy when
pressed.
Weekly Tip: Keep homemade crumpets in the fridge or freezer and drop them into the toaster as needed.
Weekly Tip: Keep homemade crumpets in the fridge or freezer and drop them into the toaster as needed.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Red Velvet Mousse with Beetroot Powder!
Over the past few weeks I've been helping to develop recipes for a local company called Nutrafresh. This clever company creates all natural, sparkling fruit and vege powders that are great for use in baking and smoothies. As well as a host of other things I'm sure I'll discover over the next little while!
This recipe development gig came to me thanks to my sister who is designing their new packaging - thanks sis! The packaging looks fantastic and I'm really excited for it to come out.
It's been great fun playing around with these fun products. I created four recipes for their mango, banana and beetroot powders. The recipe that follows is one I absolutely love. It's both easy and delicious - I promise it will satisfy all your mousse cravings! It has a luxurious, rich chocolate flavour infused with brandy and a pretty red hue thanks to the addition of beetroot powder. Yes. Beetroot powder. With not a hint of beetroot flavour to be found (not that I would be opposed to this - but some people might). Beetroot is a friend of the baking world so don't be shy to experiment with it. It's often used in cakes to give colour, sweetness and moisture.
Almost everyone loves Red Velvet Cake and now we can recreate the same amazing taste and look in mousse form. Yum. As Red Velvet Cake is traditionally filled with cream cheese frosting you could make this even more authentically 'red velvet-esque' by spooning a small dollop of sweetened cream cheese on top (simply blend some cream cheese with icing sugar, a squeeze of lemon and a little cream). Or just sprinkle with white chocolate. Either way, it's good!
Red Velvet Mousse
Makes 4 individual portions - or 3 generous ones
80g dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 50%)
2 eggs, separated
20g butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon brandy*
1 teaspoon Heilala vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Nutrafresh™ Beetroot Powder
Melt the chocolate over a bain marie (or slowly in the microwave), let cool slightly then whisk in the egg yolks and butter. Beat the egg whites and sugar until glossy and stiff. Mix the brandy (*or other liqueur - you could try vodka, chambord or an orange or hazelnut liqueur), vanilla extract and Nutrafresh™ Beetroot Powder. Fold this into the egg whites along with the melted chocolate mix. Pour into serving glasses and chill for at least 2hrs.
Sprinkle with white chocolate shavings or dollop with sweetened cream cheese. Then sit back, dip your spoon in and savour the sweet, chocolatey red goodness that is this mousse.
This recipe development gig came to me thanks to my sister who is designing their new packaging - thanks sis! The packaging looks fantastic and I'm really excited for it to come out.
It's been great fun playing around with these fun products. I created four recipes for their mango, banana and beetroot powders. The recipe that follows is one I absolutely love. It's both easy and delicious - I promise it will satisfy all your mousse cravings! It has a luxurious, rich chocolate flavour infused with brandy and a pretty red hue thanks to the addition of beetroot powder. Yes. Beetroot powder. With not a hint of beetroot flavour to be found (not that I would be opposed to this - but some people might). Beetroot is a friend of the baking world so don't be shy to experiment with it. It's often used in cakes to give colour, sweetness and moisture.
Almost everyone loves Red Velvet Cake and now we can recreate the same amazing taste and look in mousse form. Yum. As Red Velvet Cake is traditionally filled with cream cheese frosting you could make this even more authentically 'red velvet-esque' by spooning a small dollop of sweetened cream cheese on top (simply blend some cream cheese with icing sugar, a squeeze of lemon and a little cream). Or just sprinkle with white chocolate. Either way, it's good!
Red Velvet Mousse
Makes 4 individual portions - or 3 generous ones
80g dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 50%)
2 eggs, separated
20g butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon brandy*
1 teaspoon Heilala vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Nutrafresh™ Beetroot Powder
Melt the chocolate over a bain marie (or slowly in the microwave), let cool slightly then whisk in the egg yolks and butter. Beat the egg whites and sugar until glossy and stiff. Mix the brandy (*or other liqueur - you could try vodka, chambord or an orange or hazelnut liqueur), vanilla extract and Nutrafresh™ Beetroot Powder. Fold this into the egg whites along with the melted chocolate mix. Pour into serving glasses and chill for at least 2hrs.
Sprinkle with white chocolate shavings or dollop with sweetened cream cheese. Then sit back, dip your spoon in and savour the sweet, chocolatey red goodness that is this mousse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)