Off the Eaten Track

The Experimental Brownie!

Lea Harris — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:14 +0000

It never lasts long!

THE EXPERIMENTAL BROWNIE!

It’s a rather cool Saturday with spit spots of rain and it shouldn’t be this cold. It’s the middle of May for god’s sake! I should be in short sleeves, basking in the sun, not shivering and thinking that maybe I shouldn’t have turned off the heating.
I’m bloody cold and that makes me grumpy so what better way to a) keep warm and b) cheer myself up than by baking. Then into the kitchen to experiment with my basic brownie recipe by adding peanut butter and bananas.
I used a peanut butter that didn’t have anything but the nuts in; hindsight tells me that was a mistake. The resulting brownie has subtle hints of peanut but the salt and sugar in something like Sun-Pat would have lifted and heightened the flavour. Also, the nut pieces are bigger than the wholefood one. And make sure the bananas are really, really ripe; you know the sort – the ones that are festering in the fruit bowl with a halo of fruit flies. The pungency of overripe bananas add a more intense flavour.
For a gluten and dairy free version, I used Flora Cuisine and GF flour.
Therefore, without further ado, here is my adapted brownie recipe for The Experimental Brownie!

Peanut Butter and Banana Brownie
Ingredients
9oz dark chocolate (I use 64% cocoa)
5oz unsalted butter (or dairy free alternative like Flora Cuisine )
4oz crunchy peanut butter
2 very ripe bananas
4 large eggs
4oz caster sugar
2 ½ oz plain flour

Method
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line a 9-inch square tin with baking parchment and put to one side.
Break chocolate into smallish pieces (while it’s still in the wrapper, I wallop it on the work surface to smash it up). Cut butter into small cubes and put into a bowl along with the chocolate. Dollop in the peanut butter. Pop over a pan of simmering water, but don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir occasionally until it has melted into a glossy mess. Leave to cool slightly.

Use extremley ripe bananas for a stronger flavour.

Mush up the bananas then add to the chocolate, peanut butter and butter mulch.

Adding banana to the chocolate/peanut butter gloop

In a separate bowl beat the eggs and sugar until it is a thick creamy mass and when the beaters are lifted, there is a ribbon trail. Normally I’d just poor the molten gloop into the bowl and whip at hyper-speed, but as it has peanut butter in this time, I folded it in using a large spoon.

Don’t lick the spoon just yet!

Sift the flour over the mix and gently fold in, making sure that there is no flour left at the bottom of the bowl.

Folding in the chocolate/banana/peanut butter gloop.

Plop the whole lot into the tin and throw in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for about 20 minutes; it should wobble slightly in the middle.

Almost time for bowl licking!

When cooked, leave to cool in the tin. Don’t worry if it’s a bit gooey it’ll taste fab anyway. The longer you leave it the firmer it will be. The crust may sink and fracture, that’s fine.

And cool.

If you’re serving it warm have it with a crackingly good vanilla ice cream or clotted cream. Come to think of it, even if it isn’t warm be a glutten and have it with cream or ice cream.
Makes 9 very large squares for greedy-guts or cut into 12 for a more dignified portion.
© Lea Harris, Off the Eaten Track, 2013.

Who Said Baking was a Relaxing Pastime?

Lea Harris — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:58:19 +0000

Lou made this fabulous cake as a raffle prize.

It seems like ages since I last baked, so it was great fun to get back to the pans by making a cake for EdinburghBakers charity cake scoffing at Café Musa for It’s Good to Give, ‘It’s Good 2 Eat Cake’ evening. There were over twenty cakes of every shape, size, colour and flavour and the event made £755 for Lynne McNicoll’s charity.
Here are some of the cakes that were wolfed down last Tuesday.

It’s good 2 eat cake

For more pictures of all the bakes, pop over to the Edinburgh Bakers blog.

I decided to revisit a cake that I made on the Great British Bake Off for It’s Good 2 Eat Cake. It looks simple and pretty, but don’t be fooled, the method for this bake is complex and I had several issues with it.

All I can say is I’m glad these problems didn’t happen on the show. Who said baking was a relaxing pastime?

I used fifteen eggs making this damn cake. First disaster, overcooking the egg yolks. Second and third calamity – egg whites not billowing into big fluffy clouds. The whites just wouldn’t whisk. A quick call to Ross Baxter of The Bakery Dunbar, sorted me out. If it’s a humid day, add a pinch of cream of tartar.

Let the mayhem begin!

From this …

A few ingredients for the pain in the arse cake!

… to this

Should be renamed as the Trial and Tribulation Cake!

PISTACHIO AND CRANBERRY CAKE WITH ORANGE FLOWER WATER ICING

For the cake
8oz/225g unsalted butter, softened
8oz/225g caster sugar
5 medium free-range/organic eggs, at room temperature
6oz/185g plain flour, sifted
4oz/115g unsalted pistachios, finely ground
4oz/115g dried cranberries
1tbsp orange flower water
Grated orange zest
Butter for greasing tin

For the icing
4oz/115g white icing sugar, sifted
Flat tspn butter
2 tbsp orange flower water
A few drops of orange oil

To decorate
1tbsp whole pistachios
1 tbsp dried cranberries

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas4.
Grease a deep 8inch round cake tin with butter and line with greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl cream the butter (it must be very soft) and sugar until fluffy and pale; use whichever method you are comfortable with – wooden spoon, electric hand whisk or mixer of your choice.
Separate eggs and put the whites in a spotlessly, grease-free bowl (I wipe beaters and bowl with lemon juice and dry with kitchen roll) and put the yolks into a heatproof bowl.
Place the bowl with the yolks over a pan of hot water; whisk with an electric hand whisk until they pale, thick, foamy and the mix falls back into the bowl leaving a ribbon-like trail. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water otherwise you’ll end up with cooked egg.
Remove bowl from the pan and whisk for a few minutes more until cold, otherwise if it is too hot it will melt the creamed butter.
Combine the thickened eggs into the creamed butter and then gently fold in the flour, ground pistachios, cranberries, grated orange zest and orange flower water.
Whisk the egg whites until firm but not stiff. Add a large dollop of whites into the cake mix and stir to slacken. With a large metal spoon, gently fold in the rest of the whites in three batches. When thoroughly combined, spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, level mix making a small dip in the centre so it rises evenly. I sometimes don’t because I like a cracked domed top. Bake for about 1 to 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean (check after an hour). If the cake looks as if it’s browning too quickly, cover with either a piece of foil or some greaseproof paper.
Remove the cake from the oven, put the tin on a wire cooling rack and leave for 5 minutes before unmolding the cake. Leave it to cool completely before icing.

Icing:
Put all icing ingredients into a small pan (with the orange oil add it drop by drop and taste as you go to make sure it doesn’t overpower the icing). Heat gently and stir until smooth and the butter has melted. If icing stiff add a little water. Pour the warm icing over the cake.
Crush pistachios, sprinkle over cake and dot with cranberries.
Put your feet up and enjoy a slice with a well-earned cuppa.

Scones Ecosse!

Lea Harris — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:42:47 +0000

I can’t tell you anything about it, but watch Mark on 2013′s Great British Menu!

Yesterday afternoon was a gluttonous affair. I sampled Mark Greenaway’s dessert that he will be making for next year’s Great British Menu. This was followed with a date with a cake; a glorious slice of fig and almond from Love Crumbs’ cake cupboard and a cuppa with Sharon from Bite Magazine.

From Love Crumbs’ cake cupboard

So by the time I got home, supper wasn’t even on my mind, but it certainly was on BOGG’s; he was more than a little peckish. So with leftover spuds in the fridge and a mini haggis, he settled down with a bowl of hash. Quick, easy and ready within five minutes.
Today, looking in the fridge and with us heading to London for the week, the unused haggis sat forlornly in a bowl. A meagre lunch for one perhaps? On the other hand, could it be stretched to feed BOGG, the Boy and me? Indeed, it could. Leftover soup served up with haggis scones! Has it been done before, I kenneth not. So, for your delectation is my rendition of …

Scones Ecosse!

Amazing what you can do with leftover haggis!

Tip 8oz of self raising flour into a bowl and rub in 1oz butter. Crumble in about 3oz of haggis until it’s has broken up into meaty grains. Either use 5fl oz of buttermilk or sour the same amount of milk with a little lemon juice. Pour over the dry mix and, using a flat bladed knife, stir until you have a soft dough. Gather into a ball and plop onto a lightly dusted work surface. Knead gently and pat out to about an inch thick. Using a 2” cutter stamp out circles and place on a flour-dusted baking sheet. Chuck into a hot oven (220oC/Fan 200oC/Gas8) for about 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool briefly on a wire rack, split and spread thickly with butter.

Doin’ the Rum Baba

Lea Harris — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:34:13 +0000

Doin’ the Rum Baba

The original Bake Off Gang

I just cannot believe it’s two years since I was fortunate to be on the first series of the Great British Bake Off and talking to Louise, Ruth and Edd, neither can they. I’ve watched series two with interest and now the latest; I’m just blown away with just how good some of the contestants are. If I applied now, there’s no damn way I’d have a chance of getting through the preliminaries let alone get on the show. I guess Love Productions, like us ‘originals’, were finding their feet and now the competition has hotted up (in more ways than one). I’m glad I got through, even if it was only for one episode, and yes dear reader, I’d do it all again in the waft of a sieve.
I’m no longer the only person to bake for Scotland, young James is making a name for himself and I hope he goes through to the final. I have my favourites like everybody else – my hope and heart goes to Cathryn; a nervous kitten that I’m sure will grow in confidence and like James, will make it through to the end.
This post isn’t all about the Bake Off, it’s about pushing myself once again. The technical challenges from series one were simple compared to this year’s first episode where we saw the return of that retro pud, the rum baba.
I’ve never made these but if I see them, it’ll end up in front of me, wolfed down in a blink of an eye. I always thought they were complicated beasts and watching last week’s show, was intrigued by them but almost put off by the Silver Fox’s version; I thought his method was more complex than it should be.

My baking bible endorsed by the man himself, the gorgeous Dan Lepard!

Reaching for my trusty baking bible by the adorable Dan Lepard, I was delighted to find he has a recipe for the baba in Short and Sweet.

Dan’s baba recipe and dainty results!

So here is my rendition of the rum baba. I’m not giving you the recipe as it’s straight from Dan’s book and I’d be in breach of his copyright, something that is a big issue at the moment with not only recipes but also pictures.

My Take on Dan Lepard’s Rum Baba.

Who forgot to remove the price tag before taking a photo?

Dan’s recipe says it will make five or six babas, but in reality, I think it could be more like eight if you used a muffin tin.
Unlike Paul Hollywood’s method, I used a mixer. It not only saved time but also my temper.
Putting some of the flour, warm milk and yeast into a warmed bowl, giving it a quick stir, I left the gloop until it went fuzzily frothy. Adding the rest of the flour, eggs, sugar, salt, I gave it a good beating for two minutes. Now this is where I bogged up (misread the instructions), I left it for 45 minutes to prove. What I should have done was add the butter and whisked for another two minutes, then let it rise. I didn’t and had no idea how the wee blighters would turn out.
As soon as the batter doubled in size (again), I dolloped spoonfuls into well-greased pudding tins.

Proving before being thrown into the oven in the hopes they look like those on the right.

While they strutted their funky stuff, I made the syrup. It may seem like a huge amount of liquid, but let me tell you theses babas are thirsty little buggers when it comes to a good soaking.
Once risen, my babies were shoved into a hot oven for about 25 minutes. They looked and smelled like brioche when I took them out, but they are delicate souls and need to be coaxed gently from their little metal jackets. Once plopped into a deep dish, covered with the hot syrup, I left them for a wee while before gingerly turning them over to drown in the sticky sweetness.
To serve, Dan’s recommendations are to split them, give them a good dousing of rum and a large spoonful of whipped cream; I used brandy to complement the donut peach compote I’d made for the occassion. It was either that or throw them out as they were a on the soft side of bin fodder.
What I’d do next time is add the spirit to the syrup; it can be any booze that has a high alcoholic kick and not much sugar. I was tempted by using a mandarin vodka. No matter how you serve them, these addictive little vixens will certainly feature on the supper and, in my case, breakfast table on a regular basis.

One of my babas would happily feed two people.

Few ingredients, an easier method, lots of time and a bit of a bog up later, the first baba appeared. Not a thing of beauty, but by the gods did they taste fabbytits!
Nowt to be scared of, now I had a go.

Heavenly Food Angels – Mark Greenaway and Paul Whitecross

Lea Harris — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:59:52 +0000

Thank you

What did a couple of Edinburgh chefs do when Taste of Edinburgh was cancelled due to the duck pond that had formed in the Meadows? Mark Greenaway and Angels with Bagpipes’ Paul Whitecross weren’t just going to throw away the food they’d prepped for the weekend, these thrifty lads opened a pop-up restaurant.
Hours after given the news that the food festival wasn’t going to take place, this inspirational duo had secured a venue, the Summerhall in the old Dick Veterinary School; tweeted the invite and organised staff to man the event. Food was free on first come, first served basis. Wendy (@InsideOutChef) and I were first there. The Summerhall is a fantastic building and an amazing event venue (it will be open during the Festival). With a few words, this is what we ate, the building we ate in, the chefs that cooked what we ate and some of the other angels involved in making it happen. Food was distributed to the folk that had to be evacuated from their homes in the Stockbridge Colonies by STV.
All I can say is, well done to everyone who supported this unique evening. But the real heroes are Mark and Paul – you rock!

Some of the Food Angels

Paul WhiteCross, a waiting angel and Mark Greenaway

Paul sorting out his soft fruits!

Mark and Marc Gundy from KingFilmUK

There must have been at least a dozen people in the kitchen, which wasn’t that big!

Bit of a blur as the kitchen heats up!

I have no idea who this lovely lady is, but even under pressure she was always smiling.

The Food

Scallops and various texture of peas

At the back: Slow braised lamb shoulder
At the front: Slow cooked belly of pork

Eton mess in the making

Some of the Punters

Eager punters waiting for the Angels’ Food

InsideOutChef and KingFilmUK

Inside Summerhall – Weird Stuff on the Walls

Old veterinary school sign

Is it legal?

D’em bones!

Pekingese skull

A Week of Contrasts … in More Ways Than One! Part II

Lea Harris — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:53:50 +0000

A Week of Contrasts … in More Ways Than One! Part II

Meet one of the locals – New Forest pony

Tuesday afternoon, after a rather sparse lunch of scone with jam and cream down at Bosham, I collected BOGG from his temporary place of employment of just two days on the outskirts of Portsmouth.
After a cataclysmically wet weekend and him working with summer outside his window, the drive to the New Forest filled our hearts with joy. The sun shone down on us through the open sunroof as we pondered what our evening repast would have in store for us; we were expecting great wines too.
For once, BOGG didn’t have to scowl at me because of my map reading inabilities (always a bone of contention on any journey I navigate) and within twenty minutes, we found ourselves turning and driving into a rather modest looking country house, well more like a Manse. We had arrived at TerraVina, a name, that to me, conjures up a Napoleonic battle that would see dashing Richard Sharpe saving the honour of some beautiful woman (I have a vivid imagination).

Crossing the portal we were greeted with an explosion of colour; the walls were a delicious burnt orange with framed reviews of the hotel and its owners, Gerard and Nina Basset. Some would say ostentatious, but it really didn’t look out of place, on the contrary, it looked right.
The hotel boasts eleven individually styled rooms, all named after wines. I was delighted to find that our room was Vin Santo; a dessert wine that I adore with cantuccini to dip into a glass of the golden sweetness.

Vin Santo our bedroom

Carrying on my visions of Richard Sharpe, there was a freestanding roll top bath in the room as well as an en-suite; pass the smelling salts as I swoon. We also had our own private terrace, a perfect place to listen to the birds twittering in the trees while sipping coffee in the early morning light.

For lazy days or muddy walks in the New Forest

Attention to detail is paramount. There were wellies of all colours and sizes for muddy explorations in the New Forrest, just the other side of the trees at the bottom of the garden. Reading glasses for those that have either forgotten them or are too lazy to wander back up to their room. Lots of gorgeous books, games and glossy magazines to while away a few hours either on the veranda or in the comfy lounge.

Slips down like a silk stocking!

We explored and finally settled on the colonial style veranda overlooking the garden with our pre-dinner drinks. A pint of local brew for BOGG with me supping a refreshing, oh-too-easy-to-guzzle Tequila Sunrise. It didn’t last long, slipping down like a silk stocking, swiftly followed by a white peach Bellini – classic and refined.

We received our menus with a stifled squeal from me; I could’ve eaten everything from it, so it took a while to decide.
With dishes chosen, we left the wines to Gerard; after all, he is the World’s Best Sommelier! Now you might just think with that sort of accolade the wine list would be out of most people’s pockets, but let me tell you eight of the house wines were under £25 a bottle, were unusual, were delicious and were all by the glass too. The wine list of 24 pages was comprehensive and made a good read (from £16.75 for house wine to £485 for a 1998 Dom Perignon, Brut Rosé).
Now for the food. From the menu that featured croquette of pig’s head, lamb breast with black pudding, and Brixham scallop ceviche; I went for asparagus with crispy poached duck egg (actually a main).

I never turn down asparagus, it’s been a very short season this year

The asparagus season this year has been so short, I didn’t want to miss one of my favourite vegetable. He went for the squab pigeon, along with the above, that was also on my shortlist.
As I tentitively plunged my knife into the egg, it flowed like sunshine over the emerald spears – oh joy, oh bliss! Perfect ‘gus, perfect egg, perfect wine – Côtes de Gascogne, Gros Manseng D. des Cassagnoles, from the south west of France. Gerard knew my dislike of Sauvignon Blanc and the white he’d picked had the right balance of grassy notes and acidity to do justice to my starter.

Complexity on a plate; BOGG’s pigeon with lentils

BOGG on the other hand, for his pigeon with earthy lentils, salty pancetta, chilli and apricot needed something that would cope with the all those flavours, a fragrant red Sancerre worked well with the complex dish.

Crab and smoked mackerel tian – amazing with the PX white wine

We were given an extra course, the crab and smoked mackerel tian. The wine presented with the dish, I was convinced was a Riesling. Oh boy, was I wrong! Despite the petroly nose and the flinty dryness, Gerard smiled knowingly and told us that it was a Pedro Ximenez, Elki, Elqui Valley from Chile. It just blew us away.

Golden orbs filled with rabbit, mustard and cider

Onto the mains. Who can resist a pie? Not me! And that’s exactly what I had – rabbit pie. It arrived a golden-crusted orb, abundantly filled with succulent flesh, a hint of mustard and cider scent escaped as I cut into the buttery pastry.

King of fish – perfectly cooked halibut

Halibut was his choice. Another intense plate of gorgeous looking food. Salisfy puree, Roscoff onion fragrant and sweet, alongside a pannéed oyster (breadcrumbed then pan-fried in layman’s terms).

I fell in love with this glass.

Our wine arrived in the most exquisite glasses – it was shaped like a globe artichoke; I fell in love with it. A deep-coloured Rosé de Syrah was the grape of preference for my rabbit and the fish was chaperoned by Mas de Daumas Gassac, subtle in its minerality.

I can never say no to cake, even better with peaches and a rich burnt cream

Gerard took his leave from us before our dessert, but we were more than happy to be left in the capable hands of his assistant sommelier, Tanguy. With the man going for chocolate rather than yours truly, I fancied the financier with peach carpaccio, burnt cream and coconut sorbet. Tanguy’s choice for me was a Spanish sticky, Ariyanas Dolce; its honeyed sweetness beautiful with the warm almondy cake and wafer-thin frozen peach, rich cream and smooth ice. The brownie was complemented by a glass of rich and warming Madeira. The only tiny, wee glitch with his pud was the Earl Grey cream – it was too strong and marred an otherwise sublime creation.

Could taste the local beer in my Welsh rarebit – Thursday’s breakfast.

Breakfast the following day was equally good with local bacon, eggs and sausages. BOGG had the full English while I immersed myself in smoked salmon and poached eggs.
Replete from breaking our fast, we waddled through the restaurant and as we drew closer to the kitchen’s open pass, I recognised a familiar voice and profile. I whispered to BOGG, “I know him, that’s Alan Murchison!”
I introduced myself as BakersBunny and the cogs whirred as Alan dug into the depths of his memory; looking earnestly at me, he beamed, “You’re responsible for Team Greenaway!” (a reference to Edinburgh Twitterati supporting our local boy, Mark Greenaway on the Great British Menu). We spent the next ten minutes chatting to him. I didn’t have a camera so no photograph. I hadn’t realised that TerraVina had just recently merged with 10in8, The Fine Dining Group, (comprising of restaurants: L’Ortolan, La Bécasse, Paris House and The Angel) founded by famous Michelin star chef and he was here for a board meeting, at which point we said goodbye.

The best place for a pre-dinner drink or post breakfast coffee!

After a couple of hours on the veranda reading, we headed out to explore the New Forest countryside and coast. Another glorious day of sunshine, although the coast was a bit breezy. We shared a plate of chips at Milford on Sea with its fantastic view of the Needles and the Isle of White, or as a friend calls it, Isle de Blanc!

I only got to dip a toe or two in the pool, more’s the pity!

We were hoping for a dip in the pool, but we didn’t leave any time for a splash as our second dinner beckoned.

Gavin at the open pass

I’d requested a table looking towards the pass and with a full house, I was impressed at the speed with which the kitchen was able to despatch the food. I had chosen the most popular starter that evening, pickled summer veggies, with chickpea mousse and herby cream cheese croquettes.

Gorgeous colours and textures that tasted sublime, the most popular starter of the night!

It was visually stunning. Vibrant colours, fresh, clean taste and textures. The pig’s head wasn’t going to be overlooked that night and we tried exceedingly hard not to wolfishly devour the food in front of us.
As we waited for our main, we were told that there would be a slight delay. How long is a delay? In British rail terms it could be ages, but a delay at TerraVina is no more than five minutes tops!

Sometimes it’s just the simple things that give me great pleasure!

One of our benchmarks is to see how a kitchen handles steak, so I jumped in before BOGG and ordered the rib eye. I’m always a bit nervous about this cut as it can be a bit sinuous and, dare I say it, tough. Not here at TerraVina; bloody, juicy, tender as a lover’s kiss. Fat chips and a side of asparagus and I was away with the angels in meaty heaven.

Culinary artistry

BOGG’s plate of guinea fowl was a picture of culinary artistry. We watched as other tables received their dinner and every plate was consistently perfect.

T: Pineapple, cherry cake with tarragon ice cream
B: Apple and blackberry

Dessert for me was apple and blackberry, a dish that reminded me of Mark Greenaway’s puddings. A deep purple blackberry cannelloni, apple sorbet and compote, crumble crumbs. All the elements of an apple and blackberry crumble, but without the custard. I loved it.
A reluctant BOGG, under provocation from me, ended up with pineapple, cherry cake and compote with an unusual tarragon ice cream. I needed no encouragement to finish mine and surprisingly neither did he. Both our plates were scrapped clean! His ice cream was the highlight of the desserts.
Without any note taking, I can’t remember the wines we had, but I do know that I did have a glass of the white PX with my starter.
Staying at TerraVina is a joy. Professional in every aspect without being claustrophobic. The food was almost faultless under the watchful and talented eye of chef number two, Gavin. Head chef Neil should be proud of his brigade, as the execution in the kitchen was slick, calm and entertaining in his absence. I would expect nothing else from Gerard and Nina; after all, they were co-founders of Hotel du Vin!
We took up one of TerraVina’s special breaks and our first night was just under £200 for dinner, bed and breakfast for the two of us. In her email, Nina offered us ‘a complimentary night for the second evening providing we were blogged about (hopefully positively).’
Even if we had paid for all of our stay, my words would be exactly the same. You only have to read the many articles written about TerraVina to realise that it is somewhere special. In addition, we hope to stay again soon; our only regret was that we didn’t get to meet Nina.

HOTEL TERRAVINA
174 WOODLANDS ROAD
WOODLANDS
NETLEY MARSH
NEW FOREST
SOUTHAMPTON
SO40 7GL
TEL: +44 (0)23 8029 3784
EMAIL:INFO@HOTELTERRAVINA.CO.UK

A Week of Contrasts … in More Ways Than One! Part I

Lea Harris — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:06:20 +0000

A Week of Contrasts … in More Ways Than One! Part I

My Boy waiting for his torch to be lit

We were s’posed to have headed south on the Thursday for BOGG to do two days work just outside Portsmouth on the following Monday, but the Boy was doing his Olympic Torch Relay and was disappointed that we weren’t doing anything afterwards to celebrate. Feeling guilty, I organised an impromptu barbie with his friends and some of our closest neighbours. He was lucky with the weather; it was a gorgeous evening. We had just about enough food, but not nearly enough bread and more than enough booze! Oh and we hadn’t even packed for our week away!

Friday morning saw us up before sparrows’ fart, packing furiously and throwing everything in the back of the Lump. We set off in the pouring rain heading to our oldest friends, The Aitkens, for a couple of nights.

Making good time down the A68 and not setting off any of the money generating cameras, we stopped for breakfast at the rather fine looking George Hotel in Piercebridge on the banks of the River Tees. Shouldn’t have bothered –fur coat nae drawers!

If I’d seen an Ark drifting down the road, it wouldn’t have surprised me; incessant rain is not my idea of summer!

I could have spent a fortune here

Stopping off in Bakewell for a pudding and a lardy cake, we dodged puddles and raindrops. I found these vintage goodies down a wee alley but didn’t buy anything; shame really cos there were some very pretty bits and bobs.

An hour later we clambered back into the car, with our damp clothes drying under the turbo-boosted heater; we smelled like a pair of damp dogs!

Ben made this a day after Midsummer Day

The rest of the journey was uneventful and a pleasant evening was spent with the Aitkens, some beer, some wine and a carry out curry followed by Ben’s fabbytits Swedish Summer cake.

Have to admire the British tenacity!

Saturday had us spending a seriously wet day at the Three Counties Show in Great Malvern.

Kune Kune piggies – Māori for fat and round or maybe just tasty!

The highlights were the chickens, miniature Kune Kune pigs and the wonderfully eccentric Sophie Grigson who is as mad as a box of frogs and we loved her. With some of the audience eating various pasties, she wanted to know what was in them and at one point I thought she was going to nip down from the stage and accost the bloke in the first row. Go girl!

We loved her madcap and eccentric style!

The low point, apart from the weather – really bad vino at one of those wine-tasting tents. I wanted to tell the rep his products were utterly dreadful; the price for a case came in at a whopping £325! We felt justified telling him we prefered our wine from Naked or the local offie at a more reasonable price. He didn’t look impressed and we left wishing we hadn’t bothered.

We departed Chez Aitken on Sunday afternoon with a mix of more rain with the threat of sunshine and pootled down to the Premier Inn, Binnacle Way, Portsmouth. I won’t waste my time or yours, dear reader, with tales of our catastrophe of a dinner. If you’re interested, have a look at BOOG’S TripAdvisor review (SimonH).

L – Pan fried mackerel salad
R – Hot chocolate mousse

Dinner on Monday night was far more enjoyable, cheaper and excellent value. Where did we eat? Brasserie Blanc at Gunwharf Quay. Never had a bad meal from this restaurant chain and I wish we had one in the Burgh!

Bray’s Cottage pork pie made a fab lunch

The two days spent in Portsmouth were gorgeously hot and sunny. Lunching on Bray’s Cottage pork pie at Caracoli in Arlesford, followed by, cake of course!

Decisions, decisions! I scoffed the passionfruit after the pork pie

I also visited Fishbourne Roman Palace with its amazing mosaics that I realised I’d seen over four decades ago on a school trip to Swanage.

Beautifully preserved mosaics – hard to believe they are almost 2000 years old

Lunch was a scone-with-a-view down at Chichester’s old harbour at Bosham.

Scone-with-a-view

It had to be a light lunch because, for the next two days, we were staying at the TerraVina Hotel in the New Forest and I was expecting great things. To say I wasn’t disappointed would be one helluva understatement!
To be continued …

All But Muffins (all but the kitchen sink!)

Lea Harris — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:11:28 +0000

All But the Kitchen Sink muffin ingredients

I was asked by fellow POATer, Jackie Kaines Lang, if I’d like to be on her radio show. Immediate reaction was oh yes! So yesterday afternoon I was talking to her on Radio Generate, a local radio station down in the Borders, and what was the subject? Cakes to eat after exercise! Those of you who know me will realise I’m built for comfort not for speed, but I do have a reasonably healthy recipe for muffins.
The All But muffins are drop-dead simplicity itself. I sometimes make them for my boy, Toby, after his training sessions at Edinburgh Athletics Club. He hurdles for Scotland at senior level. If you do exercise, have one or two of these muffins with chocolate milk; that’s what The Boy does after his after training. It has been proven that milk actually helps the muscles recover more quickly. The carbohydrate and protein ratio in milk complements each other; the carbs replace energy and the protein rebuilds muscle! Lecture over; let’s get on with baking.

The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever you have kicking about. See that forlorn, blackened banana in the fruit bowl? Bung it in along with that rather bendy carrot and the not-so-firm apple.You don’t even have to stick with milk; you can use yoghurt (flavoured or not) or buttermilk. Don’t fancy fruit or honey, replace with sugar and chocolate drops
They really are mix and match; put in your favourite things. Don’t expect them to be big and fluffy, they will be fairly dense because of the amount of fruit.

The All But Muffin ~ all but the kitchen sink!

Ingredients:
10oz plain white or wholemeal flour (or ½ and ½)
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp each nutmeg, mace and allspice (or whatever you fancy)
½ tsp salt
3 large bananas or 2 if using an apple or carrot
A good dollop of clear runny honey
Dried fruit of any description (see method)
1 egg
3 – 4oz soured milk (milk with a splash of lemon)
3oz sunflower oil or melted butter (I sometimes use rapeseed oil)
Sunflower and pumpkin seeds or walnuts, optional

Method:
1. Line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
2. Put the first four dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.

The wet and the dry will equal a sticky mess

3. Mash the banana with egg, honey, milk and oil or butter in another bowl. Then add your choice of other bits. I throw in all sorts of stuff: dried cranberries, blueberries, sultana, raisins, apricots, grated carrot, grated apple, dried pineapple, glace or dried sour cherries, prunes, soft dried figs and anything else at hand into the wet mix. It really is a case of mix and match of whatever you like. I don’t weigh I just grab ‘n’ chuck.

The sticky mess

4. Add wet ingredients to dry, stir lightly and quickly to a soft batter but don’t over mix. When added and mixed with the dry ingredients, the batter should firm but still plop gently from a spoon with a little encouragement. If the mix seems too stiff add a little more milk

Sticky mess will equal good for you muffins

5. Spoon into muffin tin.
6. Sprinkle with sunflower and pumpkin seeds or walnuts for extra crunch.
7. Bake in a medium oven 190C/Fan170C/Gas 5/375F for about 10 – 12 minutes.
8. Leave in tin to cool slightly, then finish cooling of wire racks.
Makes 18.

The All But muffins won’t win any beauty competitions but are full of goodness!

Kitchen Cafe Baking

Lea Harris — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:13:02 +0000

I’ll make this short and sweet! Hmmm … isn’t that the title of Dan Lepard’s latest cookbook?
Yesterday, the day after my birthday, I once again found myself up at ridiculous o’clock. This time it was deliberate; I needed to give my kitchen a quick blitz and tidy before BBC Radio Scotland’s Kitchen Café presenter and producer, Gillian Russell came to record me baking for their show.
I was making my take on carrot cake. Gillian was on a short turnaround so in true Blue Peter style, I baked a ‘here’s one I made earlier’ cake as it needed to be cold for frosting.
Also turning up for this wee cake fest was Susan – @2Edinburgh, Alison – @EdinburghCake and Wendy – @InsideOutChef who had been on last week’s show talking about puddings.
We were recording for next week’s show (23rd May), which will be all about baking. Now where was I? Oh yes, getting the kitchen tidy and cake baking. Once the cake was cooling, I started to panic! I had nothing to give the ladies with a cuppa! With a fridge almost as barren as the Sahara, I fretted. I ranted and swore. But wait … what was that lurking behind the various jars of stuff? A lump of Parmesan. Immediate thought – scones, pure and simple.
Throwing ingredients into the mixer, flour flying round like asbestos dust, biting my lip I needed something else; something to jazz the scones up, but what?
*PING* fennel pollen from Global Harvest would be perfect with the Italian cheese.

Hot from the oven

No sooner had I taken the scones from the oven, there was a knock at the door; then another and another. The Edinburgh Cake Ladies had arrived.

Susan’s sticky buns!

Teas and coffees made and poured, Susan opened a tin to reveal a tasty treat of sticky buns she’d made the day before. As we waited for Gillian, we tucked in.
She arrived spot on 11.45 and without hesitation, we made her sit down and handed round our offerings.

Gillian and me having a laugh in my kitchen

Then into the kitchen to bake. Sound checks done and after a couple of false starts, from me banging and clanging around the kitchen, we were off.
Gillian was easy to chat to. She asked good questions and I ummed and erred my replies as I beat, grated and rasped the ingredients for the carrot cake.
Alison took loads of photos and we had a real giggle.

Wendy, Susan and Gillian

While the cake was baking, Gillian talked to the girls about Edinburgh Cake Ladies; how it came about, who comes, what happens and the future of baking.
And finally, in true Cake Ladies style we ate cake!

The finished carrot cake and Fabbytits mug

To find out about my cake and what the Cake Ladies had to say, tune in to BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe next week and hear more about 2012, The Year of the Cake!

It’s all about – CAKE!

2012 – Year of the Cake!

Lea Harris — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:47:23 +0000

The Ladies and the Cakes at Earthy Foods (photo from The Herald)

It’s a funny old world. And I’m a funny old bird! Since the Great British Bake Off, I’ve been approached several times for my opinion on cakes and baking. This is new to me; newspapers wanting my views; radio shows wanting to interview me. Why me? I’m no one special, just a mum verging on the empty nest syndrome with tendencies of Mediterranean moments that never kick in when it’s cold! Perhaps it’s because of the Bake Off, being the only person from my adoptive Scottish home to be on the show so far. Perhaps it’s because of my involvement with Scotland’s first cake club, the fabbytits Edinburgh Cake Ladies; who knows? But one thing’s for certain, it’s been enormous fun!

"RICKEEEE!"

Last Friday I was lucky enough to be on Castle FM’s City Talk show with Ricky Callan. It seemed churlish not to take in some baked goodies. With mangy bananas needing to be used, I dumped them into one of my old faithfuls – banana loaf. I adapted the recipe as per usual, adding in chocolate chunks and a wee bit of freshly ground green cardamom. I also took a bit of a risk and made some sea salt and smoked chocolate cookies with fennel pollen. Well sometimes it’s good to walk (or bake) on the wild side.
Ricky is a man who bakes and a confirmed, or should that be committed foodie, it was a hoot talking to him. Being interviewed on live radio is a first and quite frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. I used a lot of errs and ums. But Ricky was great; we had a laugh and of course cake. I even brought some of my own china – if we’re going to eat cake, let’s do it right!

If we're going to eat cake or cookies, then let's do it proper!

The other media stuff was the article in this week’s Herald magazine. Back in February, I spoke to Ali Howard on why baking has become so popular. It’s a great piece (there are a couple of little errors but heigh ho, these things happen), so the Edinburgh Cake Ladies – ECL and I feature alongside the three gorgeous sisters from Quarriers Village over in the west, who have their own place aptly called, Three Sisters Bake. I’m also mentioned in the same paragraph as Dan Lepard (this is just icing on my cake!).

Katey's cake says it all ... (photo from The Herald)

The picture of Edinburgh Cake Lady, Katey aka @Edin_Eats is just wonderful, after all she is a very pretty and talented young baker.

I hope I have the opportunity to appear on other radio shows; it gives me an excuse to bake, but best of all it allows me to share my passion and my baking with others.