GillthePainter

how to make coconut milk: Laylita's bacalao encocado

2012-01-16T08:58:00.000Z

It's not often that I discover something new and different, that I shall incorporate into my cooking today onwards.
From Laylita's pescado encocado, I decided on the spot that I'd have to try the dish from Central America, just reading it.
Some posts sing out to be cooked.

I also knew that I wouldn't buy tinned coconut for it, and would attempt to make fresh coconut milk.
Now the coconuts I've seen in Morrisons are obviously not the Spice Island quality I've tried in the past. But they'd have to do.

As with most things on the internet, there is a lot of guidance out there on how to do it.   All very simple too.

I blended the coconut pieces with a little liquid (milk, water, cream), I used milk here. Squeezed hard through a muslin to extract the cream, and .... well, there is no "and". That's all there is to it.

bacalao encocado: ingredients

fresh, firm fish fillet cut into chunks - cod, halibut, sea bass etc
the juice of 2 oranges, and 2 lemons
4 garlic cloves
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 red peppers, chopped finely
4 tomatoes, chopped finely
coconut milk, freshly extracted or tinned
freshly chopped coriander herb
salt

Soak the fish in lemon & orange juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt for 1 - 2 hours in the fridge
Sauté the onion, garlic tomatoes and peppers (sofrito) for 5mins
Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for 10mins. (at this stage you can thicken the sauce with cornflour if you like - I prefer thin sauces and gravies)
Add the cod pieces, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 - 20 mins, dependent upon your fish.

extract your fresh coconut pieces

purée the pulp with milk, cream or water

wring out the juice through a muslin

fine coconut & coconut milk

A delicious fish dish, with a pleasurable, balanced, gently spiced coconut sauce.

bacalao encocado http://laylita.com/recetas/2012/01/08/pescado-encocado-receta/

2 paintings published on the BBC

2012-01-14T07:28:00.000Z

I have 3 paintings hanging in the exhibition space and art school in town, Centre Arts Cheltenham.

& Zaphira had told me that the BBC West and Midlands film crew were interviewing her during the week, and that the news feature would be aired on Friday. Her business is featured for its setting up in a recession, and for making art accessible to all ages.

My 2 oil paintings are Autumn Walk, and Faded Flowers, seen at the beginning of the article.

Click on the images to view the video:

Short and Sweet: leaven, extra-thin, rye crispbreads

2012-01-04T08:42:00.001Z

I've always loved crispbreads.
When walking down any shop biscuit aisle, it's the cracker section that reels me in.
Assorted packets of savoury wafers that go with anything, seemingly.

Unless you buy the heavily herbed ones.

Joanna at Zeb Bakes has just made Dan Lepard's crispbreads from his new book.
So I flick through to page 262, and put on my apron. I know it's going to get floury in the kitchen.

mix dry ingredients with fresh rye leaven

bring together with the liquid - I used soya milk

rest for 1hr30 then fashion into 25g balls

roll out as thin as you can

bake at 200deg for 7mins

as they cool they crisp up

serve with Heinz-esque tomato soup

José Pizarro: apple pie

2011-12-26T10:36:00.000Z

I received his wonderful cookbook last year for Christmas.
And, as can happen, haven't indulged in its pages for some time.

But I found myself drawn to his, or rather, his friend Rafael's recipe, in need of something to follow our suckling pork & patatas bravas festive dinner.

My kitchen still smells of Spanish custard this morning.

It's an absolutely delightful pudding. And lovely to make too.

the recipe

my tweaks

the sugar content. I used a third the sugar at each mention, and also included 1-2 tablespoons honey
the vanilla. I used a slug of my home made vanilla extract (thank you Celia and Joanna)

patatas bravas and Gordon Rambo's pork recipe

2011-09-23T09:24:00.000+01:00

Despite my living in Málaga in my twenties, I tried patatas bravas for the first time this August, whilst holidaying in Catalunya.

I've never really noticed the dish before on menus or on diners' plates at restaurants, but they are simply divine.
Well I've returned home, wanting to be able to recreate them.

I've also returned home, wanting to create delicious pork recipes.
And Gordon Ramsay's pressed pork belly method comes highly recommended by my dear friends Lucinda and Elisa.

I've started a thread on the BBC foodmessageboard, and received a few version to try, one even comes from Venezuela.
Since the video jug offering for patatas bravas had the appearance of my dish in Spain, I've made this recipe first of all.

Debate as to whether to include mayonnaise or not.
Mayonnaise with the patatas brava sauce is delicious, so I would mix some in, or serve it on the side, as we did last night.

ingredients for the sauce

maris piper potatoes, blanched and fried or baked
2 small shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 - 2 red chillies
large glass white wine
sugar to taste
1/2 teasp cumin powder
1 heaped teasp Spanish smoked paprika
3 large beef tomatoes, roasted
2 tablsp home-made mayonnaise
salt and pepper

gently fry the onion, garlic and chillies
add the spices and sauté for a minute or two
add the white wine, then the roasted tomatoes and simmer gently till reduced by half
cool
blitz in a food processor
& sieve for a smooth sauce

add a little mayonnaise if you wish. I added 2 teaspoons.

fry or roast your potatoes

and finish preparing your pork dish according to the recipe

serve with the pork, and runner beans.

soya sourdough naan breads (4) & an Indian style meal

2011-09-18T10:55:00.002+01:00

We've not had an Indian meal for ages. Hard to come by in Spain, but easy to do at home.

So yesterday, I pottered effortlessly in the kitchen making:

a spicy chicken and tomato based curry
a yellow moong dal
onion relish &
a mustard seed & cavolo nero vegetable side dish

Plus soya naans.

I've always got soyas in.
Cream, milks, which I sub regularly for dairy products in cooking, and haven't had a mishap yet.

soya naan ingredients (4)

400g strong white flour
120g fresh leaven

(250g) 125g water + 125g soya milk +

Provomel plain soya yoghurt
salt
a little oil
melted ghee for the baking

mix the leaven with the water compound and rest for 5 mins
add the remaining ingredients and bring together to a dough
Rest for 15mins
Knead briefly, and rest your dough for 6 - 8 hours till well risen

Shape into 4 equal sized rounds, and press & roll out to your naan shape

Fire up a cast iron pan, plus lid
brush your naan shapes with the ghee, and fry for 2 or 3 mins either side, lid on, until they are puffed up to twice the size, and slightly charred in parts

Serve with your Indian meal,
and freeze any remaining naans for another day.

Make your own pottery salad bowl

2011-08-01T09:42:00.002+01:00

Since getting my bargain wooden salad bowl from TKMaxx, my husband has hated every salad in it.

So rather than buy a new one, I thought I'd make my own.

I booked into my first ever pottery lesson with local ceramicist & potter Viv Ayres, with my salad bowl design in mind, and set about crafting one.
Her pottery studio was built at the end of her garden at home.

And as her garden is filled with apple trees, I also came home with a sack of cooking apples from the day.

I wanted a 1950's kitchen feel to my salad bowl, and thought mustard yellow, lime green and orange-red would work.
With hand painted wobbly lines.

The other ladies at the studio suggested using masking tape to get my lines perfect. But I wanted it to look more rustic and home fashioned.

roll out your clay and smooth into bowl mould

create the footing & attach to base

paint your design

give it one firing

coat in the glaze & fire a second time

a dishwasher proof hand made salad bowl

And my first 2 pots, on the wheel. The centrifugal force is a powerful thing to master, but I made it.

my first pot

my 2nd pot

I can recommend local pottery lessons to anyone.
And if you are in Cheltenham, these classes can be found at:

Viv Ayres
Mayfield
49 Haywards Road
Cheltenham GL52 6RQ

http://cheltenhamopenstudios.org.uk/artists/vivien-ayres

tel: 01242 570846

How to ... give up coffee

2011-07-28T08:59:00.001+01:00

If, like me, you know you drink too much coffee, why not give it a rest for a while and see how it floats.

I drink 4 - 5 mugs in the morning. And feel the need to check how my blood pressure will react should I cut it out.

If you think nothing of warming up a nice bottle of sake in the morning, or lighting up a succession of cigarettes the moment daylight pricks your eyes, then the first method is called:

1. the Dr Stop!
That's it then. No more coffee. Ever.

2. the Half 'n half
Mix half your usual blend of coffee, with decaf for a while, to ease yourself gently into it.

3. the Switch to decaf

4. the Half arsed - I can't be arsed, approach
Resign yourself to giving up tomorrow/ next Monday/ some other time.

Me? I'm going for the Dr Stop! today.

Say hello wave goodbye, to my last cup of coffee (black, no sugar).

richard bertinet prawn on sourdough

2011-07-17T12:04:00.002+01:00

I haven't got his book, nor have I been to his cookery school, and have only seen Richard Bertinet on the BBC.
However, I would like to perfect (his) Richard Bertinet's dough mixing technique.

I've tried it a couple of times, half heartedly, and have succeeded in working the dough clumsily well.
If you are having trouble keeping your dough firm and shapely, this way of bringing the bread ingredients together will solve that for you.

So yesterday, I worked the sourdough in the RB fashion once again. Not for too long, I slapped and pulled for about 2 minutes, while he recommends about 10mins, until the dough tightened up just enough for me.

Left to rise for 2 hours, I shaped the dough form into 2 tin loaves.

Rested for a further 2hrs 30. Then baked at 220 for 40 minutes.

One thing that I do like is, the easily identifiable traces of your work in the crumb.
You can clearly see the bakers' turn I've used.

The "Zeb Bakes" slice, a photograph for display purposes only

And garnished with prawns, lemon, mayonnaise and dill.

ingredients

150g rye flour & 450g white strong flour
350g water
sea salt
evoo

Further information on Richard Bertinet can be found at his website: http://www.thebertinetkitchen.com/

crusty sunshine sourdough cobs

2011-05-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

Sliced hot from the oven, deliciously light tangy bread rolls for outdoor eating

They have a super springy soft crumb,
with a cracking crust

print the recipe here

overnight ferment ingredients

120g sourdough starter
100g wholemeal strong flour
100g water

mix and rest, covered, in the fridge overnight

the following morning, to your ferment

add

crusty sunshine sourdough cob ingredients
320g water + 1 tblsp evoo
550g strong white flour
7g fine salt

mix together and rest the wet dough for 15mins
mix again, and rest for 15mins
mix one more time and rest for 2hrs30

shape into 10 equal balls, place on baking parchment onto a baking sheet

and bake at 200 deg for 30mins, turn the oven down to 180 for a further 15mins

and cool

Bye bye Stella Cox & Pam Cox

2011-04-11T15:44:00.001+01:00

This month, two lovely ladies have passed away within days of each other, my mother-in-law, Stella, and my sister-in-law, Pam
both after particularly difficult illnesses.

I'm sorry for not posting blog entries recently.

But will be up and running at speed again in a week or so.

(comments are closed for this post)

Take one sunny day, invite a friend and make dosa

2011-03-09T08:20:00.000Z

Joanna at Zeb Bakes & I have been meaning to get together in Cheltenham for a time.
And now we have a food challenge too, that doesn't involve sourdough.

Someone on the BBC messageboards had talked about dosa, so

"that'll do", I thought.

No hard recipe,
just Manjula's technique on video for us to watch at table, before we share my kitchen ....

the batter
1 handful rice, cooked for 5 mins
2 handfuls moong dal

cover with water and leave to ferment for 24hrs
blend for several minutes to a smooth paste

add 1/4 teasp dry fried, blended fenugreek seeds

the stuffing
cooked maris piper potatoes
peas, a little turmeric, pinch of cumin, black mustard seeds, & fresh coriander

making the dosa

warm your flat pan to medium hot
rub with a little oil & scoop a half cup of thick dosa batter into the centre
circle the mix outwards with the back of a spoon

wait until the sides brown and the pancake breaks small bubbles
wipe the surface lightly with oil, and flip the pancake carefully
(Joanna was particularly good at this part)

rotate the dosa in quarter turns in the pan using the back of a spatula

line the centre with your potato filling

fold to a cigar shape, seam side down, and crisp

serve with your chosen side dishes

A recipe to suit most people, inclusive of eating preferences, & intolerances.

Not too late for the World Marmalade Festival 2011 - nr Penrith

2011-01-28T07:58:00.005Z

Seville orange time means marmalades at the beautiful home and gardens at Dalemain for the World Marmalade Festival on Sat 12th & Sun 13th Feb

You have until 6th Feb to participate & get your golden jars into the post.

If you need a recipe, Dan Lepard has posted an excellent one on the Beeb:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/medium-cut_seville_70291

Mine's made at last, 2 types this year, going into the Merry section 8, and the Inventive section 11.

I had trouble with the Italiano Galliano, when added to the hot marmalade it was like Ricard, it lost it's translucency.
So I made my own.
Marmalade water infused with liquorice root and star anise.
plus home-made vanilla extract added after the setting point is reached.

& I had more trouble with the duck à l'orange.
The roasted duck stock was murky.
I tried the consommé tip to clarify it using an egg white, but it was Heston who came to the rescue, by freezing the stock and defrosting it untouched through a muslin.

Jars painted & labels made with my Pogo portable printer

& I made a painting yesterday afternoon of the Seville orange.

See you at Dalemain on Sunday if you are going.

Good luck.

vegan filo purses, but so much more

2011-01-25T09:09:00.001Z

White bean-filled filo purse over soft garlic polenta
with porcini-Zinfandel sauce, broccoli rabe and grilled pear

I still feel this is the best meal I've cooked,

a vegan dish which comes from Eric Tucker's "The Artful Vegan" with his permission.

It beats any roast dinner, but be warned, it takes a morning or afternoon to prepare,
but isn't difficult

you can buy the seitan sausages, and use powdered bouillon if you wish

Print out 5 stages (makes 6-8)

method

1. prep - print out 5 pages, & make

vegan stock, seitan sausages & the cashew sauce

2. the sauce
sauté the shallots and garlic in evoo, and add the mushrooms & salt and cook till browned
add in the herbs and wine
then the stock, tamari & balsamic and cook gently till reduced by half
make a roux with the flour and vegetable oil, cooked out for 10-15mins and add half to your reduced stock
simmer gently for 5mins, and add more roux if you need to thicken the sauce consistency
add salt and pepper and strain

3. the purse filling and the purses
sauté the onion garlic carrot and fennel
add thyme sage and mushrooms & cook for 2 mins, before adding the marsala
pour in the stock & the chopped seitan
simmer for 10 mins to remove all liquid
cool and add nutmeg, (optional add truffle oil)

brush & stack 6 sheets filo with vegetable oil
cut into quarters
repeat for 8 squares
fill the squares with the white bean & seitan ingredients mix, and close your parcels tightly into purses
bake for 25 mins on parchment

4. the polenta

bring your stock to the boil, and the polenta and turn the heat down.
cook whilst stirring for 20mins
rest, & add the garlic, nutritional yeast & cashew cream, herb salt and pepper

5. the greens

sauté your choice of greens with all the ingredients till soft

6. the pears

mix ingredients in a bowl & sauté or grill your pear slices for 2mins either side

serving

first the polenta & sauce

January food

2011-01-21T08:48:00.004Z

I don't seem to be pushing myself at the moment, so I thought I'd get the pasta machine out.

I asked Tony what he wanted, pappadelle? tagliatelle? angel hair? spag......
Tagliatelle it is! all ammatriciana

I've been watching Zen set in Rome, so I thought I'd dim the lights a little

ingredients onion, guanciale or lardon cubes, balsamic, passata and pecorino cheese
& cook the pasta for 3mins10secs

New breadmaking?

I converted Dan Lepard's recipe for chickpea bread to a sourdough

How old is that chickpea flour, Gill!

and made a tortilla sandwich

Lamb?

Put in lamb leg, potatoes, rosemary, garlic, water & wine @130 for 4hrs, untouched

and also got to chat for a few hours with my bread friend Joanna at Zeb Bakes, at a new African themed place called Cafe el Bahdja in Gloucester

Harmony!

over mint tea, lentils and an omelette broth

we end with Zen again.

Cafe El Bahdja is at

59-61 Westgate Street

Gloucester

GL1 2NW

http://www.elbahdja.co.uk/

Why I'm called Grilly

2011-01-14T17:02:00.001Z

Forget the diets and detox ingredients that jab at our conscience during January.

Dribble your food with evoo, & salt and pepper, and flash or bake it under the burners of your grill.

I do so enjoy grilled food ..........

Butchers pork chop, grilled potato cake and a sage sauce

laquered ham (la cuisine de Monica)

2010-12-30T10:42:00.002Z

My dear friend and foodie Elisa emailed me the video to French grandmother Monica's recipe for Jambonneau Laqué in November.
And I knew I had to try it for our informal dinner of sliced meat and pickles betwixt Christmas and New Year.

Elisa's posted her version of the dish on the Wildfood forum too.

It's gently citrussy, light, & importantly not at all sweet, and is a refreshing change to the clove studded or mustard version.

and as Monica says in her video transmission, keep that broth/ bouillon, surprisingly it's not salty

ingredients

1.5 kilo boned gammon here (or ham hock)

for the bouillon: turnip, carrot, leek, onion, parsley, celery, pepper (no need for salt)

for the lacquer: the juice of grapefruit, 2 lemon, 2 orange, lime, & honey

method

soak your ham in water for 24hrs, changing periodically
then poach your ham in the oven, in water flavoured with those bouillon ingredients, for 2hrs30 at 150
& leave it to cool in the stock

heat a squeeze of honey and add half the grapefruit juice, the lemon, orange and lime
place the ham into the pot, and baste on the hob for 10 mins

add the remaining grapefruit juice & lid on, put the ham pot into the oven for 30 mins, basting two or three times

if your syrup isn't reduced, put your pot on the hob again and baste until the juices are completely reduced and have glazed the joint - this should take 4 or 5 minutes only

cool, and serve with boiled potatoes and red cabbage

... that blogger picture

2010-12-27T10:45:00.002Z

Warm clothes and boots on and up the Leckhampton Road looking back at Cheltenham

further up towards Cricklade

that's the Malverns at the cloud line in the background,

from the high point of the Cotswolds

passing the ~~tasty~~ hairy Belted Galloway cows

and back home for a slice of

Sunflower's excellent lemon and blackcurrant cheesecake waterfall

and to try out my instant pocket photo printer

2. How to make a painting frame

2010-12-20T10:29:00.002Z

It's wonderful to have made your oil painting.
But framing your piece of art costs a lot of money.

So why not make you own frames!
You need 2 pieces of specialist kit, that I couldn't find a work-around for

- the mitre cutter

- the v-shaped staple tool

but when you make two or three large frames, you've recouped your money.

~ ~ ~

First, buy your moulding woods, they come in 3 metre lengths.
The cheapest is £2 - 3 per metre, but it goes into £15 - £20 metres the more fashioned the frame wood

I prefer to buy the cheapest I can get, and sand, polish and paint it myself afterwards

always measure in millimetres
measure the sides of your canvas to the exact millimetre
measure the depth of your moulding (not inclusive of the routed recess) and double it
add 2 millimetres for a comfortable fit

Once your 4 sides are cut with accuracy, you need to glue them and staple them:

not too much wood glue

match up the inside angles - and not the outside corners!

wipe any excess

and leave for 24 hours

gently insert v-shaped staples

paint it

I use two coats of Farrow and Ball eggshell paints, 1 part water : 1 part paint

beeswax your frame

buff to a silky finish

secure your picture to frame

One last tip before we see some frames.
People pay a lot of money for oil paintings, so don't forget the back. I buy upholsterers' Hessian for a finish to the reverse of my pieces of work

staple and stretch the Hessian

to keep your painting reverse protected

a selection of small frames

1. How to make a canvas for an oil painting

2010-11-24T09:08:00.003Z

and save money. With smaller canvases, it's not so evident. But large shop-bought ones can cost £70 for a 6 footer let's say - if you're lucky.

You can make one for £10 - £20, depending on your chosen materials.

So, firstly.

Let me introduce you to my new friend, my mitre rotary saw, reduced from £150 to £85. It's got a laser light for visible line cutting, but I've discovered you have to cut aside the guide light

I bought him to make frames, in a drive to save money. It's all very well painting your pictures, but pro-framing costs eat into your empty pockets.

So I thought I'd jolly well make my own, with a little outlay and practice, & I've cracked the process.

3 frames later, and the saw has paid for itself, so long as I don't miscalculate my measurements and make too many bad cuts!

So. More about how to make a painting frame later.

Now to making canvases today .....

If you have a mitre saw, always wear your goggles, the wood flies off worryingly at the end of the saw motion, and needless to say, keep your fingers clear of the power cutting zone.

That part doesn't bear thinking about, does it.

Otherwise, without the mitre equipment, cut your wood lengths, I use pine, at a straight, block-edged 90-deg angle, with a saw, compensating 2 sides, as necessary, with shorter cuts.

1. Keep your wood balanced and straight when working, I use my painting easel which I can manipulate up and down for the work

2. Measure your length of wood accurately, always using millimetres, and cut 4 canvas edges to their correct size

3. Using wood glue, in the first instance, (soft) fix your canvas square, or stretchers - & rest for one hour or overnight ideally.
It's not hardy enough like this yet, one gentle tap and the stretchers will fall apart.

So handle your frame carefully.

4. For that firm fix, secure the 4 corners with a countersunk (slender) screw

5. Then tack an edged beading, matching your frame size, to your square

The beading is essential to prevent your painting pressing against the wood, getting ugly unwanted markings on your art.

As you can see inside here, your canvas will be raised proud away from the wooden stretchers, for you to work the paints comfortably onto your canvas material alone

6. Applying the canvas. Mine's unprimed. (Some artists wet and stretch the canvas beforehand, but I don't find it necessary).

Start at the centre of a stretcher edge, and staple gun the canvas midpoint on the reverse.

Work at the opposite side and pull the canvas tight with gentle artist pliers (I use yellow wallpaper pliers), moving round the canvas, working at opposites to get that important tight stretch.

You will see I've left the corners till last

7. For that final clean, tight pull, create your "nurses corners" as best you can.

Bear in mind, too clumsy and fat, and you'll have difficulty framing your painting neatly at the end.

8. How to make rabbit skin glue here.

Gently warm your rabbit skin glue block to a painting liquid state

Try not to pass out, it's a rather grim natural material to work with

9. and double prime your stretched canvas, leaving it to set overnight

Your hard work has been rewarded, and your canvas is now ready to be painted.

I've been published on the BBC Messageboard

2010-11-22T17:50:00.000Z

I was reading Dan's excellent blog post regarding Christmas baking last night, and my eyes drifted over to the right hand side of the page,

where I spotted my blog name in lights, along with Azelia and Kavey

It doesn't take much to stir my positivity in general, but I felt distinctly perky to see this.

Thank you, the BBC food messageboard.

Dan Lepard's crisp cracker treats

2010-11-21T18:39:00.001Z

My they're good!

Served with Wensleydale & my apple, blackcurrant and balsamic savoury jam

We're always buying crackers in our house. Either ryvitas, or those Italian Doriano packets.
So when I saw Dan's Guardian recipe for the salted oat crackers, it jumped out at me as something to make immediately.

To be honest, I wasn't true to his method here, as I rolled out the cracker pastry to 2mm thick - where they ought be potato crisp thin, and fragile.
Not that I'm worried, my results were fabulous.

I used half and half milk & water for the liquid.

the raw pastry, rolled & cut

ready for the oven

cooled on a rack - the sun came out in my kitchen

we've booked the premier inn - docklands

2010-10-29T12:38:00.001+01:00

unseen online a month ago, at the bargain price of £50 a night in December

so we took a stroll around Docklands and Canary Wharf yesterday whilst we had time to kill,

Can't wait me!

chana dal

2010-10-26T10:59:00.001+01:00

Doesn't this chana dhal over at Celia's blog look amazing: figjamandlimecordial

So when Tony and I had a deep, long discussion about eating fewer meat based meals, I thought of chana dal immediately

I'd saved a conversation some time ago by Raja about a Bengali version of the dish, and based on that, this is the warming, pleasant version from the Painter house, non-authentic I'm sure

Print Recipe

ingredients

chana dal, I used yellow split peas

water to soak

tomatoes, half a tin

toasted, ground cumin coriander and black mustard seeds

fresh chilli

fresh coriander

1 teasp thick curry paste, vindaloo

turmeric

garlic

coconut milk

soak the chana dal in water for 2hrs30 at least

blitz the above ingredients to a paste and gently fry for a couple of minutes

add tomatoes, the dal and the water

simmer gently, covered for 1hr30, or until it is cooked

to finish, add a little fragrant coconut milk and fresh coriander leaves

serve with freshly made naan bread

Pakoda Indian Snack

2010-10-25T08:47:00.001+01:00

test for pdf printing template

google document recipe

scribd recipe

serve with minted mayonnaise
mint sauce
mayonnaise
spicy mango chutney, combined

serve with minted yoghurt
mint sauce
thick yoghurt
spicy mango chutney, combined

through the square window ........

2010-10-24T10:35:00.005+01:00

As a display from the street, Lella and I usually leave paintings perched in our window, whether they are finished or not
Mainly it helps us see the balance of our work from a distance from over the road.

But we also get comments from local people and sometimes friendly souls come in for a chat with us too

So last night's view for you through the square window, is a painting from my "ordinary objects" series. Quirky pictures, with little or no narrative to speak of.

And this one is "Edible Nasturtiums", a gift from my painting partner Lella from her allotment

I'll have it finished today and framed

and now it is finished!

World Bread Day 2010 : Sour Soya Milk White Sourdough

2010-10-17T08:39:00.002+01:00

The 5th world bread day has arrived and gone, don't forget to blog your bread today and submit it : http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/announcing-5th-world-bread-day-2010

Here's that link icon again

Asda's quite a distance away for us. We only went there to give the car a run after the battery went flat on us.

So opening a carton of their soya milk that's gone thick for no apparent reason, means I can't take it back.

I tell my husband I'll use it in my next sourdough, meaning this bread recipe cannot be replicated, unless you use soya yoghurt I imagine

ingredients
150g white fobbing leaven
320g thick soya milk : sub soya yoghurt
530g white bread flour
7g salt

my method in pictures:

whisk fresh white leaven and thick soya milk (yoghurt)

add flour and salt and knead lightly

rest for 1 hour & shape onto baking paper

rest for 3 - 4 hours

into a stock pot, slash and bake

soured soya milk sourdough

the crumb shot

sour soya milk sourdough - lightly toasted with egg

It's world bread day on Saturday

2010-10-13T08:08:00.000+01:00

I saw this event on Madrid tiene miga last month, an excellent site for breadly people to visit

and with 3 days to go, have fed my leaven this morning, getting it going nicely, in order to design a bread for the day.
I've decided to make a "seasonal" bread.

No idea what, but I'll think about that tomorrow and the next day

I really should give my white starter a better stir than that

Hellmann's Mayonnaise Painting

2010-10-07T17:50:00.001+01:00

I've bought some to create a painting in my "ordinary objects" series.

So let me introduce you firstly to my egg pan, only to be used for anything eggy, such as tortillas
and used here, for that cheesy omelette I really fancied for breakfast this morning

served with the Hellmann's I bought to paint

And so to the painting.
I have to draft out the shape of the bottle by eye, not too central within the canvas - for interest

Then to add the creamy mayo, with an idea of the lights and darks, and the reflections in the label and glass

And today, I've added some of the darker labelling and wording, with the background colour I want

Stand back from your computer!

When this is dry, I'll add 2 sets of wording, but my hand writing was getting a bit wobbly today - (which doesn't actually matter, it's a representation of the object)

the Hellmann's and the Mayonnaise ..............

- it's still a bit too salty though, I prefer home made.

Nils' Ye Olde Bread Blogge & my sticky jam pot

2010-09-19T07:58:00.002+01:00

Wow! I've been published in Germany.

Nils is a terrific bread maker, who invents and works that sourdough process, for the benefit of people like me, who get to try his recipes.

He's brought out an e-book of his bread recipes. Aren't we the lucky ones, just one click, and all his hard work is downloaded onto our computers.

Well I woke up this morning, with blurred vision and coffee deprivation, to find my pot of damson jam featuring on Nils excellent bread blog ye olde bread blogge

(photograph by Nils Schöner)

The inverse cook http://theinversecook.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/a-parcel-from-england/

Thank goodness it survived the dreaded snatch and grab, dropsy antics of the Royal Mail. I was a little worried at it's chances.

Is it my imagination, or is our post getting quicker. This package took 5 or 6 days.
And my last to the States took just 4 days.
In my time in Spain, the post used to take weeks, or a couple of months even.

wholemeal and ale soda bread

2010-09-07T13:44:00.001+01:00

recipe by Dan Lepard

these are tangy, light and crumbly whilst holding their shape

aromatic, oaty to taste and easy to make

Dan's ingredients list

wholemeal flour, rye flour, oatmeal, dark sugar, baking soda (should be bicarb), butter, (Hogs Back Brewery T.E.A.) ale, yoghurt

rub in the dry ingredients with the butter

whisk the ale and yoghurt together
add to the other ingredients, and turn together with a palette knife
fashion into a cake shape on baking parchment

flour the top generously
and indent into 4 wedges

bake at 200 for 35mins and cool on a wire rack

serve with butter and damson plum jam

grilly grow bag groceries - orchard pickle, chutney & jam

2010-09-07T10:22:00.001+01:00

aren't my labels wobbly.

Cheap printer you see

pseudo hoisin/ damson plum, fragrant oriental sauce

1 kilo whole damson, washed
100g rice wine vinegar
200g cider vinegar
200mil water

220mil dark soy sauce
150g muscovado sugar
100mil sherry/ mirin or Chinese Shaosing wine

1 large orange, quartered, skin on
3 - 5 plump garlic cloves (I used 5)
1 thick teasp tamarind paste
2 star anise
fresh ginger root, sliced but not peeled
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick, snapped

method

mix the damson with the vinegars and water, and simmer for 20 mins
add the remaining ingredients one at a time
bubble down gently, stirring regularly, for about one hour till you have a thick dark sauce and the damson are dissolved completely

when you are happy with your soy to sugar balance, strain through a metal sieve and bottle.

damson jam

3 kilo damson fruit
2.4 kilo jam sugar
1 orange
1 apple
800mil water

jam method

pour above ingredients into your jam or steel pan
gently simmer, whilst stirring, for 45mins - 1 hour till reduced by a third to a thickened, clear and shiny texture
strain through a steel sieve, and return your fruit mix to the heat, boiling rapidly
watch for it producing glass-blower bubbles on the surface, and measure the temperature to 103deg - 104

maintain the temp for 5 mins

check your set on a cold saucer (this is the plum jam)

and bottle

pure plum jam

1 kilo whole plums
890g jam sugar ( no special maths, I'd opened the bag already)
300mil water

No attempt at pectin generating, as I didn't want the apple hint (or lemon if I'd used citrus).

simmered all ingredients gently for 30mins
sieve and extracted the pulp
put back in the clean pan and boil for 5 mins at 103deg - 104 using a thermometer
test the set on a cold saucer
and bottle

pseudo "Branston" damson & apple-chunk chutney, smooth

2.5 kilo damson, whole
sliced fresh ginger, skin on
1 kilo muscovado sugar
300mil cider vinegar
2 teasp thick tamarind paste dissolved in 150mil water
1/2 teasp cayenne powder
1 teasp salt
1/4 teasp allspice powder
1 snapped cinnamon stick

1 apple sliced into small, slender pieces

method

place all the ingredients, save your apple, in your stainless steel pot
simmer for 1hr - 1hr30, till reduced and dark
strain in a steel sieve
add your apple and heat through for 5 mins, keeping the slivers whole
& bottle

Cotswold spiced pickled, sweet & sour syrup, plums

1 kilo whole plums
300mil or so of cider vinegar
sugar to balance (I put approx 250g)
ginger root
sliced rind 1 lemon
a snapped cinnamon
2 cloves
1/2 star anise

Add a little more sugar if you prefer it less tart.

simmer the ingredients for 20 - 30 mins till the plums are tender.
lift out the plums and put into warm clean jars
boil your sauce for 5 mins
strain through a steel sieve
and pour the juice over your plums
seal your jars tightly

damson gin

ingredients

1 kilo damson, cleaned pricked
2 x 75cl bottle gin
300g sugar

Mix and bottle.
As with sloe gin, gently tip the bottle each day for a week
then once a month
store in a dark place for 3 - 6 months

orchard scrumping in a Cotswold village near Tewkesbury

2010-09-05T12:24:00.000+01:00

How often is it that you are told your friend has an orchard, laden with fruit?
Not often in my case.

Sarah, an artist friend with her own studio in that orchard of hers, offered me a "pick your own" time whilst she was away for a week.

So Tony and I cycle out there first. It was a sunny day, and we fancied the exercise, stopping half way at the Shell garage for a refreshing cider lolly.
& we return the next day with firm boxes to protect the bounty we are about to pick,
armed with a small, 2 step foot ladder to reach the lower branches.

I had to stop Tony on the damson tree, it was looking greedily decimated.

we've got apples

plums

pears

and 7 kilos of damson

so I've been making, pickled plums, plum jam, apple pies, damson jam, damson gin, damson pickle & damson gin
coupled with oriental style hoisin/plum sauce using damson today.

Once I've finished, I'll post the processes I've used for you.

porridge oats

2010-08-04T10:49:00.001+01:00

Elisa in Brussels has just emailed me to find out how to make porridge.
Well,
if you want it creamy and light, 1 part oats to 2.5 parts liquid (either water, or a combination of milk and water) ...............
if you want it not to taste bland, porridge needs salt

ingredients

200 mil porridge rolled oats

300 mil soya milk

200 mil water

tiny pinch of salt

combine the above ingredients and soak for a minute or 2

bring gently to a boil stirring with a wooden spoon


simmer on low for 5 mins, till thickened and plump

serve with fresh (grape)fruit juice, fruits & yoghurt if you wish

wasabi pea sourdough - and a day with my friend Joanna

2010-07-29T11:41:00.003+01:00

on Dan Lepard's forum, there's always a Bake-Off challenge to catch the breadmakers' interest

& the latest challenge is to produce a recipe to reduce cholesterol.

So, with that brief in mind, I'm drifted back into my 20's.
When I worked for Chase Manhattan Bank with a Spanish chap called Jaime.
Jaime's family genetics was riddled with dangerously high cholesterol, some members had passed away for it.

So whenever Jaime's own readings reached 13, he used to eat a diet of peas, nothing more, until his levels reduced to an acceptable high of 10, or there abouts.

So, with the idea of peas rolling around in my mind like a topple frozen bag of green bullets, yesterday I compose the ingredients for a sourdough wasabi pea bread

It's the morning when I'm visiting fellow blogger, Joanna at Zeb Bakes, who also participates on Dan's site.
So I fold, and mash the beginnings of the loaf, until the resting time begins at 09:15, the exact moment when I'm heading off to the M5,
so the dough will have it's first rest for 1hr 30 in the boot of my car, Silly.

wasabi pea sourdough

over night ferment of 50g leaven, 70g water, 35g/35g of white/rye flour both
340g water with infused 5g powdered wasabi
200g blitzed warm peas
250g white strong flour
100g soya flour
100g chickpea flour (or peasemeal if you can get it)
7g salt

with the overnight ferment in your bowl, add the purée of peas & stir

add the remaining ingredients in their order & stir together to produce a wet sloppy mass

turn your mass 3 times every 10mins, and rest (in the boot of your car) for 1hr 45

fold/ turn, and rest for a further 1hr 30

shape and rest for 45mins

bake @ 220 for 30 - 40 mins

& cool in someone else's garden, preferably with poodles

thank you for a wonderful day, Joanna

& thank you for your beautifully turned out tangy sourdough loaf too. It's splendid!

Dan Lepard's Handmade Loaf - white leaven @ pg 28

2010-07-22T09:15:00.008+01:00

Unlike the simple title & brief ingredients, for me this is not as easy a loaf as it may seem, requiring good shaping, and that long proving time needs a bit of judgment

A few people on the Beeb food messageboard have tried this recipe but seemingly are struggling with the wetness of the process, & are not wholly sold by the results which can be achieved.

So let's see if we can convince them on wetter mixes, the power of shaping, and the need to get air into the dough

You've got the book! You don't need the recipe from me.

I've got my 200g leaven fed at 80%, which is fine for ciabatta styles I believe.
Well I think it's 80

100g leaven, 200g water, 250g white flour, @ 1: 2: 2.5


leaven at 80%, 325g water to 500g flour

a wetter mix

bring together briefly

brief kneads according to the recipe & rest

I shortened the proves, for the warm temps

first prove rest

bubbles and aeration on the surface, good sign

shape into 2 loaves, firm and bubbly


one into a tin

one free form

risen after 3 hours

ready for the oven and puffing up already

2 delicious loaves from one recipe

with a crunchy form to the crust

sour taste coming through nicely, due to the longer proves

light & airy from that wet dough and those shapings

wensleydale & garden chive muffins

2010-07-19T14:03:00.001+01:00

I googled for quite a few savoury muffin ideas, after seeing my friends bake them at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial & Zeb Bakes

but thought I'd pass on the tinned tuna muffins I saw along the way, however

It looks as though you can make them any which way and still get a light, fluffy savoury bun for your limited efforts.

Future amemdments to these ( first time for me) afternoon tea treats - I need to cut down on that fat content, I think they only need 30 - 40g butter.

Ingredients

150g wensleydale cheese
30 - 40g softened butter - here I used 75g
2 beaten eggs

200mil milk - buttermilk ideally
snipped chives

100g plain flour
150g SR flour
1.5 teasp baking powder
(I didn't have any here but) a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
half teasp mustard powder
a little salt

Mix for moments but still leave it messy

spoon roughly into muffin cases,

and bake at 200 for 20 minutes

painting poppy fields at Seven Springs on the road to Cirencester

2010-07-16T10:56:00.000+01:00

last week, the day before an exhibition, my husband swings by my studio at 2pm as arranged to collect me in our little blue car, Silly.

Now Silly is highly impractical for carrying paintings, especially when wet, she's small, but she does the job.

He's promised me a picnic out at Seven Springs whilst I paint the dying poppies in a field he's cycled past, tumbling down the embankment of a roundabout on the road to Cirencester.

So, on a bright hot summer afternoon, we park on a lay-by, carry a 24inch x 24inch canvas, easel, paints and one chair for Tony, over the waterlogged stile & make camp in the field. The rapeseed is watery green coloured as far as I can see to the skyline.

& those poppies bob at the near horizon like proud buttons.
I've bought a tube of "poppy red" paint recently, so it will be interesting to see if the colour lives up to its name.
I'll mix up a colour match if not.

So I set my stand, as Tony shakes out his Scottish Heritage folding travel chair to begin to read his latest hardback purchase, 3 for 2 at Waterstones according to the label.

I've just mixed my yellow sky colour when I hear the rustling of a paper bag.
& Tony produces our picnic - bright yellow-green sweet grapes, seedless, still dripping from the wash they've had an hour earlier.
coupled with cooled bottles of vimto and diet coke.

So I work fast over the canvas, pill popping delicious grapes as I paint.
& in 3/4 hour, the oil painting is finished - Tony hasn't managed his first chapter as I fold down my travel easel, and wonder what's been at my feet.

I look down to see I've been standing in nettles, well trampled by now.

Back over the stile, wobbling somewhat with wet paint to think about, and tie the canvas to the back of the little blue car, homewards.
I hope there's not a sudden gust of wind.

An idyllic moment of painting, and I'm rather loath to put this one in the cafe Moka for sale ............ but I have.

100g sourdough becomes 70g fluffy dinner rolls

2010-06-30T10:04:00.004+01:00

With Dan Lepard's quick knead method, you can indeed create soft fluffy sourdough, with a crisp, flaky crust

ingredients

120g white leaven @ 100%
350g water
500g strong white flour
7g fine sea salt
20g ev olive oil

in the above order, add the ingredients to a bowl
bring together lightly with your hands
then knead for 10 seconds only, three times over 30 minutes

each time your dough gets firmer and more velvety

rest for one hour

until you have proof of aeration, so that it has risen by less than double, about 80%

weigh your risen dough, mine was 996g, and divide into 100g pieces
shape your 100g pieces into a boule, & place on a floured baking tray
cover, and rest for 25 mins

heat your oven to max with a tray in the base, turn down to 220

add cold water to your tray to create steam, & bake your rolls for 30 mins
turn the temperature to 190 and bake your rolls for an additional 10 mins

cool on a rack

your 100g dough balls now weigh a light 70g

Although this is a simple enough sourdough recipe, I've submitted it to Wild Yeast, as I feel confident of the light results and method.

It's my first submission!

For more Yeast Spotting submissions, click this link

cool on a bike rack - pumpkin seed sourdough

2010-06-23T17:58:00.001+01:00

bread making and cycling, that's what I was doing this morning before it got too hot.

The loaf this morning is for David the framer, to thank him for his allotment salad crop the other day.

A simple overnighter, last night I briefly kneaded (for about 20 seconds):

ingredients

40g white leaven at 70% hydration
350g strong white flour
120g rye flour
60g plain flour
150g pumpkin seeds
345g chiilled water
8g salt

then at 06:00 today, 8 hours later, I shaped the stiff dough to a baton, rested it seam-side up in basket
went for a bike ride
and an hour later, placed the mass onto a floured tray and baked at 220 for 30 mins, with a steam tray underneath
and 20 mins at 180

& cooled on a rack

salads and rocket flowers

2010-06-19T08:28:00.002+01:00

I've let my rocket go to seed
and my coriander, they might self seed for another time on me, with a bit of luck.

And rocket flowers are a delightfully intense little rocket hit in a salad. They're fragile, pretty and edible

I don't know about coriander flowers though.

We had this delicious salad

with white fish on the griddle plate on the bbq, with potato and chive mayonnaise

& the salad leaves were brought to you by David, the framer round the corner from my studio.

He's an enthusiastic allotment keeper, who tends his crops morning noon and night, and on his days off.

And he gives out terrific advice to my painting partner Lella who's lovingly started out on vegetable growing.
I find his knowledge fascinating, and I don't have a veg patch.

be kind to your wheelie bin day

2010-06-17T12:25:00.000+01:00

My husband has just been to put the bin out this morning, and come back in with watery eyes and a weak stomach.

Ooooo, I think that's a sign that Gill needs to clean the wheelie bin again.

As we don't have a tap in the garden, water chores like giving the plants a drink, & cleaning said wheelie bin have to be done with heavy buckets.
Tony has a fragile back, so those donkey works remain my tasks.

I'm not sure when the wheelie became radio-active, it was OK last week I think, and the bin men haven't left me any hate mail.

So I've filled it with a 1:5 ratio of 1 squeezy of beach to 5 buckets of hot water.

Next chore, good drying day so I'll hang out the white washing ............. it's all go

rich dark gingernuts

2010-06-14T08:18:00.001+01:00

by Celia at fig jam & lime cordial

Tweaked a little to suit my husband's savoury tooth, mixed in a food processor, and I baked these at 150 deg, but I see Celia's recipe is actually 150 on fan setting

These biscuits are easy, light, bitter with the molasses and truly delicious

ingredients

375g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 inches grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
a little black pepper
20g dark brown sugar
175g salted butter, softened
1 egg
30g molasses

one at a time, put all of the ingredients together in a food processor with a plastic blade
bring together into a ball and chill in the fridge for 30 mins to 1 hour
roll into small balls
place evenly on baking parchment on a baking tray
flatten the tops noticeably

and bake at 150 deg for 30 mins, moving your biscuits around periodically for even colouring

Cool on a rack

family climb up Snowdon for my brother Fraser's 50th

2010-06-09T10:51:00.001+01:00

when I heard my brother Fraser was musing about climbing Snowdon, Wales to celebrate his big five-O, we jumped at the chance to join him.

And so did the remainder of our close family when they realised it was a flyer, save my twin Jackie, who's just started a new job unfortunately.

Tony and I have had several discussions about completing this walk but they've come to nothing.

So, our base is to be the delightful village of Betwy-y-Coed, Tony and I are in the local pub with accommodation in room 9a with a four poster bed, we push the boat out a little, called the Ty Gwyn, and everyone else is at the far side of town in a smashing self catering house together.

So, we're up at 5am on Saturday, the day of the walk, and we drive to Wales to begin.

Our timing is perfect, dropping our bags off, and heading out at 10am to meet up with the family party, who are raring to go at the foot of the mountain.

Mixed ability of walkers, 3 children & 8 adults has our choosing one of the popular ways up, the Miners track, once used by the copper miners of the area.

Ambling at first, so our party keeps together well, and we're walking and talking, resting to pick up the slower ones.

Then the track eases upwards, and the gentle incline means we progress at different levels. No worries, our mobiles keep us in contact.

My brother Fraser seated in red & white and Julie his wife, with Tony

And by no design, Tony and I lead the kiddies up, as we are at the front of the pack. Turns out it's better that way, as there are no ifs or buts or negotiations.

This is where we explain to my nieces Lauren (10) Abby (12) & my nephew Jack (13 in 2 weeks) there is only one way, and that's up!

our destination in the distance, it's not as far as it may look

An hour later, we have made the zig-zag intimidating ascent, and are upon the last leg of the walk up

Tony in blue and Lauren drinking water

Abby and Lauren, don't they look pleased with themselves

We see my BIL Chris on the track and he catches us up, in blue with Tony

and this is the ridge up to the summit, I've taken a panorama of the view we have, it's beautifully clear

And we make it to the top for a small selection of sandwiches and water as we wait for others

I can't believe it, there's a cafe and facilities at the top, I've never had that before.

My brother Fraser and the SIL Julie are next.

And that's it, we text, and are meeting the others on the way back down the slopes.

That's a blow, they've got the snap.

Not long before we are all reunited

and we all work our way back down at our own paces. Tony stays with the children way ahead, and I stay with the last of us, up the rear

My sister Karon in blue, and my niece Samantha in red

My niece Samantha, me with my sister Karon taking holiday photos

My sister Jane, chatting

and after 7-ish, we are in the Swallow for one birthday drink to celebrate

Tony and Jane - cheers Jane!

Our walking party complete, don't we look pleased with ourselves, far left to right

Tony, Jane, Fraser, Abby, Jack, Julie, Samantha, Karon, Chris, me & Lauren

market trader for the day

2010-06-02T09:54:00.002+01:00

I paid a fortune for those teeth (I'm bottom left, in front of Lella's pictures)

On Bank Holiday Monday, the Suffolks in Montpellier is closed to traffic for their annual street fair, and peppered with bunting and trade stands from the local businesses, antique shops, our Fine Art School, food stalls, the local kitchen shop .............

& Lella and I have a market stall on the corner to expose our art work to the locals.
We've been painting little gems for some time in preparation, specifically trying to capture what this audience of street wanderers would want ................. and I can reveal, it's Marmite cards.

They sold like mad on the day, there was something about them that had so many stopping and musing about their love or their hate of the product. Or how much their father, daughter or friends loved it or hated it.

I'm pleased I worked so hard now on my cards, as it brought more attention than the paintings I had produced

Here are some of the sketches and paintings we have on show, I'm to the right, Lella is to the left.

The portrait that you see here down in the bottom left is of Conrad, the son of the shop owner of Capability Brown, a garden design business in the Suffolks.
I take the painting down to his strawberry and cream stand a little later as I'd given it to him, and I have a few visitors coming back my way to find Gill Cox, the lady who'd painted it.
It really does look like him mind.

Here, have a book mark

Lella's bought a lovely new top from Jigsaw, and we muse together on the day that I should have bought the same blouse too, pretty isn't it

And I stand next to Tristram Stuart, author of Waste.
He explains his approach to food to me, about waste and conservation of energy in the cooking of food.
& his fruit sorbet product sells extremely well. The cone vessel that the natural, bright ice cream is served in is made from dehydrated fruit pulp and very tasty it is too. Far better than the usual cone you get.

I reckon I could recreate that at home with a bit of thought. I'd have to make them in the dying warmth of my oven or bbq, in concert with Tristram's waste brief.

And then my baking friend Joanna at Zeb Bakes arrives.
We chat together with her charming husband Brian on her way up the fair, and we chat together again on her way back down the fair, just as my husband Tony arrives on the scene.

Lucky to get this shot without our lips blurring.

& how kind, Joanna buys me a present to bake my sourdough loaves in.

I do so appreciate it when a sticky label lifts off in a oner.

And after a busy, sunny day at the Suffolks fair, it's time to go home.
Lella's sold 5 paintings, I've sold 2, so this lifestyle will never make me rich, but I wouldn't mind living the dream after all.

We pack away our works and by 6:30 I'm sitting in the local pub with a cold foaming pint of lager talking over the moments with Tony.
I've got a Zizzi voucher in my handbag too, which runs out on this very day, so we put the planned steak sandwich on hold, and pop out for a bogof pizza rustica.

A fine end to the day.

Sulfolk Parade Street Fair - Bank Hol Monday 31st

2010-05-17T07:46:00.004+01:00

The Suffolk Parade will be closed to traffic and the local traders, antique & curiosity shops, cafes & restaurants, wine bar, will have stands and stalls in the street

Lella Dey and I will have our own stand of Affordable Art, so why not come along to Cheltenham on Bank Holiday Monday 31st May ..

leaven baguettes

2010-05-10T14:59:00.004+01:00

Don't let anyone tell you that making French baguettes at home is impossible.
& don't let anyone tell you that it cannot be done with leaven alone.

I've been thinking about this bread long and hard for quite some time, and thanks to:
this recipe and terrific folding instructions at: french baguettes
Ajonjoli's excellent post at: Madrid Tiene Miga
& La Cocina de Babette with a video by Paul Merry on forming your baguettes

and my lovely friend Joanna at Mostly Bread, with her enthusiastic ideas

I've been able to produce some delicious French baguette sticks

I managed to get some T65 flour from Maurice Chaplais, an artisan baker half way down my road
& since I don't have a dough hook, I tried to recreate the bakers' machine using my food processor & plastic blade

ingredients
refreshed white 100% leaven @ 30g/ 60g water/ 60g T65 flour
500g T65 flour
350g cold water
1 teasp salt

process your leaven, water and salt for a couple of seconds, then add your flour

process as low as you go, for 5 minutes

using bread paddles lift and stretch your slack dough, and fold over the mass. turn your bowl and continue to lift and stretch the entire dough.
perform this 3 times at 20 minute intervals - as per French baguette link

then perform the bakers' turn, folding your dough 3 times at 20 minute intervals - as per French baguette link

I refridgerated my dough overnight

shape your dough into 4 balls

rest them for 20 mins, then shape into your baguette shape in accordance with Babette's video

cover and rest for 30 mins

then slash and bake, I used 2 oven trays from cold dusted with a little flour, and a tray of water in the bottom of the oven
at 240 deg for 25 minutes

The crumb inside is light, tangy,
and the crust is crisp and cracking.

Delicious!

yesterday was a lovely day - have a biscotti

2010-05-08T09:48:00.004+01:00

I know we are upside down at the moment and our world is unpredictable, but things just came together for me yesterday so I thought I'd share.

In the morning, I made biscotti for the first time, which worked out perfectly.
Not a milestone event, but cooking for Tony who doesn't like it sweet can be tricky, so I reduced that distinctive sugar by 1/6th, juggled with the additions and hit it first time.
Flavoured with a hint of lemon zest & ginger with some complementary vanilla.

Afterwards, I wander chirp-ily over to the studio where we have a Korean painter who is sitting for us for 2 hours.
& that simply works too.
Indeed I make 2 rapid oil paintings of her, the first one I prefer, but the second has her likeness.
I just need to plump her right upper lip which will correct that perceived imbalance of her face - I was blind to it whilst I worked but could see it afterwards.

There we go, upper lip fixed

And as these come in threesomes, I went to a house party last night, our first party of any sorts for about 10 years.
Claire and Simon were recently married in New York - congratulations to you both.
And imagine my surprise as I walk through their entrance landing to work my way out into their garden party, when I am met with 3 of my oil paintings on their wall, which they've just acquired.

Some painters don't like to release their works, it's a wrench for them, but I'm not one of those types. Selling and hanging my pictures is completion to me, if I'm lucky enough for it to happen that is.

So, back to those tasty biscuits .............................

Biscotti

ingredients
500g plain flour
100g muscovado sugar - or 500g if you like them sweet
2 tablesp honey
400g roughly chopped almonds - I've used hazelnuts here - & 100g ground almonds
4 eggs
vanilla - I've made vanilla extract after Celia's recipe, but you could use vanilla sugar
grated ginger and lemon zest
pinch salt and a pinch of baking powder

pulse the ingredients together using a soft dough blade or bring the ingredients together in a bowl
form into a dough and divide & shape into 2 sticks

bake at 190 for fifteen minutes
then slice into angled biscotti shapes

& bake for a further 10 minutes one side, then 10 minutes the other

leave to cool and harden on a rack

chilli sauce on a Sunday

2010-04-26T11:07:00.001+01:00

by Choclette

I saw this recipe over at Celia's excellent Fig Jam & Lime Cordial blog http://figjamandlimecordial.com/

it's delicous

great a-top a beefburger

Since I haven't changed the recipe, although I didn't actually need the arrowroot as I reduced it quite a lot, you can find out just how to make it at the delicious chocolate log blog here

Pevre

2010-04-23T11:46:00.001+01:00

A very pleasant South American salsa sauce by Eva, in Chile

we had it with griddled fish a la plancha (but not on the bbq quite yet)

ingredients
spring onions
fresh tomatoes
fresh coriander - I added chopped chives too
2 or 3 deseeded fresno peppers
ev olive oil
salt and pepper

Don't be shy with that oil.
& the fresno peppers are great in raw sauces for that manageable pepper heat.

welcome to an open exhibition at Montpellier Gardens

2010-04-13T08:25:00.003+01:00

the exhibit is now open, and I've walked around the Gallery for you to see the contributors to the open drawings from life invite, nice and big!
it's surprising how many different responses to the brief there are ........

all images and videos are subject to copyright & are included here with the permission of the event organisers
at Cheltenham Fine Art

Dan's linseed cheddar scones

2010-04-10T10:13:00.004+01:00

click here for Dan's recipe

They're light, savoury and fragrant

just what I want in a dinky scone

very cheesy biscuits all the way from North Carolina, via France

2010-04-08T10:55:00.011+01:00

The internet never ceases to amaze me for the ease of access it gives to great food

and this terrifically cheesy recipe is posted here with the kind permission of a chap in the States called NCPaul, on behalf of his wife who created them

So over on the wildfood forum, up pops IaninFrance, a b&b owner in France, with a cheesy cracker recipe to capture my attention, he has sourced it from the sausagemaking.org forum
Funny
I thought they only talked about meat curing over there ...

ingredients
220g medium cheddar
30g butter
1 egg white
60g oat flour - blitz porridge oats to make this flour
40g self raising flour
some chilli powder - I used several grindings of Zulu chilli powder
black pepper

mix the flours in a food processor
add the butter and pulse
then the grated cheese and egg white and pulse
bring together into a rolling pin shape, wrap in cling film and chill for 15mins

slice as thinly as you wish, here they are approx 4/5 mm deep, if you want a crisp cracker style result, roll out your biscuits to a thinner, flatter shape

bake at 200 for 5 mins till bubbling, turn you tray round, then bake for 8 - 10mins at 190, reduce these times for thinner crackers

cool on a rack

glass painting sketch

2010-04-05T16:10:00.003+01:00

Thought I'd have a dabble with some of the glass paints I have in the studio.
A flower picture to brighten up the holiday.

I outlined it first of all on paper

then again on a glass pane using gold glass lining paint

then filled a little with coloured Vitrea. It should be set tomorrow with any luck so I can stand the glass up without it dribbling

and I'll take the paper off and frame it.

apple tart "maman blanc" by Raymond Blanc

2010-04-04T08:10:00.006+01:00

I had high hopes for Raymond Blanc's apple tart "Maman Blanc" after praise for it on the Beeb Messageboards.
I probably would never have got round to making this one, if a baker called Sue L hadn't brought it to my attention again.

So I gave it a whirl yesterday, following the recipe exactly, no tweaks

Looks good doesn't it

I got along famously with the method, the rolling out of the pastry worked a dream.
His use of one teaspoon of water in the mix keeps the casing crisp, firm and buttery for the final dish.
And the bottom is dry and cooked well, with a pleasing caramel layer between the base and the custard

But I have one problem with this tart. It's too butter rich for me, I just didn't enjoy that taste in the pastry, and if anything it was unbalanced in there.

And my husband asked if Raymond really serves it in his restaurant, I don't know if he does or doesn't.

A nice enough tart, faultless methodology, but it doesn't deliver as much as I had expected.

Dan Lepard at mumsnet and his easy hot cross buns

2010-03-30T07:47:00.006+01:00

Lovely!

Everyone had an invite to join Dan & David over at mumsnet for a live webchat and a joint cookery experience yesterday morning.
If you've never participated before, what can I say - you should!

When Dan got the proceedings under-way by starting his journey to the mumsnet kitchen at 07:30, a few of us realised we'd better get our skates on, and started to prep.
For the next couple of hours, we measured, mixed, shaped, decorated, took photos & baked together - all at differing phases in the hot cross bun process.

We became quite a community in our HXB world.

So next time you see a Dan Lepard bake-along, get yourselves in and have a blast.

His recipe for easy hot cross buns is here

melted butter in hot milk, yeast in camomile tea fresh ginger & egg in milk mix, mix with flour

speedy knead and fold, divided into 12, and shaped

paste mix for the X inc butter, into a piping bag, and straight across the buns for the oven

my tweeks

- replaced the water with camomile tea infused overnight
- sultanas & fresh ginger for the fruit - never liked mixed peel
- 30g muscovado sugar used

how to make Dan Lepard's tiger bread

2010-03-28T08:10:00.006+01:00

this is a yeast bread bake, with a little sourdough added on my part.
And once again, Dan Lepard has shown us how to do it on his forum

they're making it on Madrid Tiene Miga too.

so I followed the recipe in his Exceptional Breads book, and have produced a light, interesting loaf that is quite different to anything I've produced before.

My husband prefers the weight and texture result given by the sourdoughs so it won't become a regular, but it's certainly one to impress your friends

And for Dan's tiger topping, I experimented with 2 flours, but the semolina flour crust was the only one that reacted to the yeast

ingredients

150ml water 100g semolina flour 1 tsp yeast 1 tbsp oil

mix ingredients and leave for 2 hours, you'll have a fermenting paste, which you spread on your risen loaf 30mins before baking

world marmalade festival 2010 at Dalemain

2010-02-20T08:01:00.000Z

Painting the festival at Dalemain Mansions

I've never been a great jam or chutney maker, once making pickled chow-chow about a decade ago with an inordinate amount of ingredients to the recipe, so much so that it took over my kitchen shelves for too long,
and once making Seville orange marmalade back in 2003.

Oh, I've made mint jelly too for a lamb roast.

Dan Lepard and David Whitehouse are amongst the supporters of the World Marmalade Festival and brought it to my attention on the BBC messageboards, and I'm so pleased they did.
From my making Dan's fabulous Seville preserve, to spending the weekend up at the festival and to finding a strong painting brief, I've had a blast.

I've even sold one jar of marmalade for the rather pricey sum of £6 which has gone towards Hospice at Home, the charity that the event supports.

Firstly, the festival being held at someone's private house and home, I had to get permission to set up my easel to start a painting at the Dalemain Mansion and Gardens. And was rather blown away by the support Jane Hasell-MCosh, and Dan & David have given me.

So, up to the Lake District we go, staying at Greystoke in a charming village pub the Boot and Shoe Inn, where they serve the locals nosy and friendly, and the chips home-made and fat.
Nice weekend destino that Greystoke.
But watch out for those locals who try to sell you their car now! The pub rooms do need work though, although the foods pubby and good.

The next day we walk up and round the eastern border of Lake Ullswater
and only just make the 2:45 steamboat back to Pooley Bridge. Perfectly peaceful looking out through the window from the boat isn't it

And Sunday is Valentines Day, and the day of the World Marmalade Festival at Dalemain Mansion & Gardens.
The car park is getting pretty full at 10:00am, and here in the courtyard the event is filling up already.

That's Tony putting up my stretcher good and square, and I begin to paint the people as they drift about and taste, in a leisurely way.

There's plenty of foodie things going on to keep everyone occupied, and I treat myself to some Belgian chocolates, all for me. And when the award ceremony is over, and the crowds have subsided, Tony and I wander to see the results of the competition.
My Seville orange & liquorice root marmalade is on the last table at the back.

& this is the day sketch, too raw to work well with, so I've decided to keep it as a rough record, rather than the actual painting I wish to sell.
and above is how I shall continue now this weekend, which I made a start on yesterday using this sketch as a guide.
I'll have it painted by the end of today probably (Saturday) now I've decided how to approach things.

& on to the walls at Moka Cafe, to see if we can add a little more than the £6 so far for that great cause.

I'll pop the finished picture up here when it's done.

current painting projects ongoing

2010-02-06T18:01:00.000Z

in progress for the month of February 2010

portraiture: Nicola (day one sitting)

painting: tiptree marmalade jar

after one hour:

commission: marmite jar

marmalade jar designs: Seville orange stick man

clay modelling

2010-02-02T07:24:00.004Z

I made my first attempt at a clay modelling sculpture yesterday. Although I've never done this before, I confess to my being at an advantage, as I have painted Tim before.

If anyone is stumped for a birthday gift for a friend, or family member, or you just want to say thank you to someone, try booking a clay modelling day for them. It's tremendous fun!
Not expensive, and I chose to attend only the afternoon part of the session from 1pm - 4pm, which was £15 on the day at the Cheltenham Art School.

You are given a plastic bucket filled deep with cool, malleable clay, and a wire frame upon which to work. Fill the frame first with finger torn clay pieces, and gradually work outwards looking at the model as you build. Move around your 3D clay form to press out glaring imbalances until you are comfortable with the size and shape you have achieved.

& now you can dig both your thumbs hard in at the eye sockets, blob a prosthetic nose in place, gouge into the lip area, build up the cheek bones and create you replica head just as you see fit.

You're provided plastic spoons, sticks and implements to fashion your work. I used a plastic chopstick to prod at the eye form and it seemed to do the job well.

& there you have it, the clay model head is completed & I can't wait to have another day of the same.

vegan tamale with black bean chili, tofu-cilantro sauce & red chilli sauce

2010-01-27T08:14:00.010Z

recipe supplied with Eric Tucker's kind permission
from his excellent Millennium book

& I thought this dish was a delicious winner.
It's more home food cooking than some of his creations - which makes it pretty easy to make, by comparison to some of his other dishes..
My husband however was a little twitchy I should confess here, and only chose to eat the black bean chili no carne, so it looks like it's not a keeper!

but he did declare it a dish with highlights - he really enjoyed the bean chili

The black bean renders your chili no carne smoky, the tofu sauce is cooling, and the red chili sauce makes the polenta meets gnocchi corn torte complete - rather like it does as the final topping to a taco.

Comprising 4 stages: black bean chili, red chili sauce, tamale masa batter & the tofu-cilantro sauce as follows:

1. black bean chili
2 red onions, diced
4 chopped garlic cloves
150ml veg stock
1 tablesp ground cumin
1 tablesp paprika (mild chili powder)
1 teasp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 kilo cooked black beans (or 2 tins)
250g puréed tinned tomatoes or passata
1 tablesp molasses
250ml veg stock
1 tsp sea salt

sauté the onions and the garlic in the stock until the liquid evaporates
add cumin, mild chili powder, oregano & bay, stirring well and toast for a moment
add the beans, tomato, more stock and simmer for 15 to 20 mins to reach chili consistency
add your salt

2. red chili sauce
two ancho chilies & 2 guajillo chillies - I used 5 medium chilies
8 cloves whole garlic
2 tins tomato - puréed
500ml water
1 tablesp ground cumin
2 teasp coriander powder
2 teasp dried oregano
1 teasp sea salt

dry fry your chilies to blacken and soften first for 3 mins, and add your garlic keeping the skin on, for about 5 mins

when cool enough to handle, remove the chili seeds and chop, & remove the garlic from it's paper layer and chop
combine these chilies, garlic, tomatoes, water, herbs and salt, and simmer for 30mins until reduced and sauce-like
blend when cool and strain through a sieve for a smooth chili sauce

3. the masa tamale batter
500g masa harina (from Sainsbury)
1 teasp baking powder
1/2 teasp sea salt
1ltr half rice milk half soya milk (or just soya)
sweetcorn from 2 kernels - I sautéed two chopped courgettes here but would prefer sweetcorn

put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, and beat in the milk gradually
fold in the sweetcorn (or courgettes)

3. tofu-cilantro cream
large bunch coriander leaves - not stalk
250g silken tofu
juice 2 limes
1 teasp muscovado sugar
100mil water

liquidize to a smooth sauce

Preheat the oven to 170
press one layer of the masa batter into a lasagne tray (11 X 9 inches) to 1cm thick
spread one thick layer of the black bean chili
and a final layer of the masa batter on top
cover with foil and bake for 40-50mins, remove foil and bake for an additional 10mins

slice into 8 portions, and serve with the chili sauce and a blob of the cooling tofu-cilantro green cream

beef rillettes/ potted beef

2010-01-11T11:22:00.007Z

aka "no need for teef beef" - cheers Lush!

My friend Lucinda gave me this idea as a way to use up some dried cured Irish beef I've made

It's incredibly tasty

ingredients
30 day cured Irish beef brisket
garlic
shallot
beef stock
a little wine
fresh bay

no salt or pepper

gently fry the shallot and garlic in beef fat or goose fat.
add your stock, wine, and the shreds of cured beef (or left over beef)
poach for 5 mins to reduce the liquid, it should keep the beef moist, but not swim in it
cool, cover with cling film, and weight it down to compress the beef nicely

serve on toast - yes! I did add butter to my toast

street art and my feet art

2010-01-05T15:30:00.006Z

It's like this mini crop circle in the snow, man.

'twas a little chilly in the studio today, but beautiful nevertheless.
The picture on the left is Lella's abstract "fishes", and mine is imagined people going to the local theatre here at the Everyman - the second "coat".

It will probably take another 2 or 3 layers or maybe more to get it as I want.
I'm feeling it to be top heavy and out of balance though?

What luck I took my hat this morning!

bike cave £35

2009-12-31T15:34:00.004Z

seems like the answer to all our problems doesn't it
we want new bikes, as hiking isn't ideal this time of year
- but we have nowhere to store them safely.

So for £35 at Amazon you can buy the Bike Cave, delivery next day. Then, all you have to buy is:

paint on waterproofing from Millets as it's porous, and drips in damp conditions.
tarpaulin covers from a hardware store, as it leaks in the rain.
concrete slabs from B&Q, as it will blow away in spite of its pins, it's so lightweight.
decking board underneath and top to prevent the soft material damaging and tearing.
wall anchor to lock your bikes onto

for an additional £75

Our bikes are hybrid Trek with winter tyres on them at the moment, light enough to carry over to Europe on the train, and practical enough to cycle round town

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 2 beef dinner

2009-12-29T08:09:00.006Z

My eyes were like saucers watching the TV show where Hugh cooked his brisket and sirloin roasts for his staff Christmas dinner at the River Cottage Canteen

No more indecisive discussions needed about the best goose we've had, but turkey's so good for leftovers, but something completely different for our Christmas meal this year perhaps
& we don't eat so much beef or roasts, so Hugh's 2 beefs it was to be.

Easy cooking too, no prep - but it takes a little planning

And it was wonderful.
Chefs are right about the brisket being first choice, but the sirloin served along side complements the both.
Keep it simple, don't load the plate, and you have a Christmas recipe to cook year after year to compete with the best

Thanks Hugh!

seared on high for 30mins

turned down, a little stock to the pan to pick up juices, & add the shallots

cook for 5 hours, and rest

keep those juices for the richest thin sauce

cook your sirloin

green veg on, horseradish yorkshires in

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's canteen 2 roast beef dinner