MOVING!

Hey all!

Just to let you know yummy in my tummy has moved to a new address. Please go here; http://bbaking.wordpress.com/ and if you have me on your blogroll please amend to the new address.

Wordpress have more of the features I am after and although I love my blogger blog especially the way it can be personalised, I have decided it is worth the change for many reasons.

Hope you like the new blog, it is still a work in progress!

Bev and little Ollie x x x

Heaven is; Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

So. I received Nigella's new book for Christmas, my mum got the hint. This is the first thing I have cooked from it and it is so good. I liked the look of this recipe as it seemed really simple and had a nice short ingredients list, there can be too much on a recipe list sometimes, it just puts me off. But this was perfect.

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

• 350g dark chocolate (min 70 % cocoa solids) chopped
• 1 x 397g can of condensed milk
• 30g butter
• pinch of salt
• 150g pistachios (next time I'm going to try walnuts)

1. Put the chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt into a pan over a low heat.
2. Smash up the nuts in a freezer bag leaving a mixture of small and large pieces.
3. Take off the heat and stir in the nuts.
4. Pour the fudge into a foil tray about 23cm square. (or just pour and spread onto greaseproof paper in a tray, it doesn't spread thinly so it works just fine).
5. Let the fudge cool then refrigerate until set. I found a couple of hours as it should be nice and firm when you cut it.

You need to store this in the fridge, Nigella says you can also freeze this and eat straight from the freezer, it didn't get as far as my freezer, we ate it all over the weekend. This is the sort of thing that to me, looked like a disaster until it set, then when I cut it, it looked perfect. The pistachios looked so beautiful against the chocolate fudge and the textile designer in me kept taking photos and thinking "what lovely patterns" I thought; could I incorporate this into a design? Then I stopped thinking and ate more fudge. yumyumyum.

orange poppy seed shortbread

Orange Poppy seed Shortbread (from this book)

• 200g softened butter, chopped
• 2 tbsp of grated orange rind
• 1/2 (80g) cup of icing sugar
• 2 (300g) cups of plain flour
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp of orange juice

Preheat the oven to a low heat of about 150 c. Line a 20x30cm tray with greaseproof paper.

Put the butter, rind and icing sugar into a food processor or beat by hand until light and fluffy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients then press together into a dough. Press into the pan as firmly as possible. Mark the bars with a knife.

Bake for about 30 mins or until the shortbread is lightly brown. Can be stored for about a week in an airtight box.
Perfect with a cuppa, these melted in your mouth. I think they would be even tastier with an orange icing drizzle.

Mincemeat Cake

I know what you're thinking; "yuk". But not the meaty kind, the sweet leftover jar from Christmas kind.

I have seen a few recipes online but I kind of made it up as I went and added a few extra ingredients.

Mincemeat Cake

• 410 jar of mincemeat
• a small apple grated
• rind of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter

Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer. Pour into a tin and bake at 180 c for about an hour. Easy peasy.

Carl asked for seconds so it must be alright!

Chilli Jelly - more Christmas gifts

Another Christmas gift that I cooked up this year was this Chilli Jelly. I saw it in a magazine and knew it was my dads sort of thing. Mum and dad loved it, although my hubbie said that it was like "toothpaste", but don't listen to him, he thought it was meant to be like a wibbly wobbly jelly and doesn't really like this sort of thing anyway. Try it spooned onto cheese, meats and anything else you fancy.


Chilli jelly (from Prima magazine)

INGREDIENTS

• 1.4kg/3lb cooking apples, skin on and roughly chopped
• a few sprigs of rosemary
• around 1.4kg/3lb caster sugar
• good pinch of chilli flakes, about 2-3tsp (or to your preferred heat)

You will need: sterilised kiln jars

1. In a large pan, add chopped apples, core and all. Now pour in 1.7 litres/3 pints of cold water and throw in rosemary. Cook for about 30 mins, till apples are soft and stewed, then remove rosemary and mash gently with a potato masher. Drain and retain all the juice. Measure how much juice you have, then measure out 1lb sugar for every pint of juice. Discard the apple.
2. Add juice to a clean pan and bring to the boil, then add sugar and stir till dissolved. Tip in chilli flakes and stir. Cook on a fairly high heat for about 40-45 mins, stirring occasionally till the liquid reduces. To test if jelly is set, add 1tsp to a plate and push with your finger. If jelly is beginning to set, it is ready; if not, cook for a little longer.
3. Carefully pour into jars and seal when cool. Put in fridge and leave to set overnight.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti - Christmas pressies

Not that I'm under any delusions that my family and friends read my blog but I have waited until after Christmas to post my gifts. Just in case.
One that was a favourite, but that I am glad to see the back of after batch after batch is this walnut biscotti.


Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti adapted from here.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of sunflower oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 170°C. Lay baking paper onto a large baking pan/sheet.
In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together oil and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined well. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.
On prepared baking sheet with floured hands form dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, and sprinkle with icing sugar. Bake logs 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool biscotti on baking sheet 5 minutes.
On a cutting board cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack. Put into airtight boxes, should last for a few months (I omitted butter and added oil instead to increase the last-ability).

Take 2 - The Yule Log

So, second challenge time. This time I was rather worried when I discovered it was a yule log, even more so when I saw the extensive list of ingredients and recipes involved.I put it off for a while and after a minor disaster with the first batch of meringue mushrooms I finally got it made. There were no real disasters with the recipes, the butter cream was lovely and the sponge did crack when rolled but that was no problem a layer of icing couldn't fix easily.
Although everything went really well, it was a challenge this month which is great as I am learning new skills and techniques that I have never encountered before so I can't complain.
I did make a change to the butter cream icing. I am not a big coffee fan and so rather than spend out on the espresso powder that would never be used again I used melted Belgian chocolate and once cool mixed with the soft butter. It worked beautifully but I think I would even add more chocolate next time for a richer flavour.
For the filling we could use whatever took our fancy so I used the butter cream and some chopped walnuts.
Carl and I had the first taste, and the boys at Toyota Europe were very happy with the remainder the next day.
I may make this next year but I'll need the years rest before I try it again!

Lovely white mushrooms after an early disaster. TIP, read the recipe carefully and do not mistake an F for a C.
Also topped with orange and lime peel as well as mushrooms.

I will update this entry with relevant links and the recipe at a later date. I am on my Christmas holiday in England and it is 2:30 am. night night fellow Daring people!