Thursday baking - gingerbread loaf

As we bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking...

I love gingerbread, and this simple loaf looked worth trying. It was easy to put together, and spread with a little butter it has been an understated, but perfect morning tea morsel lately to enjoy with my daily coffee. Substantial and sweet without being too OTT or treaty. My loaf was a fraction dry - I suspect I overcooked it a little - but it was lovely all the same. I upped the amount of ground ginger, which I think it definitely needed. I don't usually go for crystallised ginger, but was so glad I included it, as this and the sultanas really made it. This loaf kept well for over a week (I think I was the only one eating it as we have had a surplus of baking in the house lately!)

gingerbread loaf - Tui Flower (Week 20)

125g butter

3/4 c brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 c treacle

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp ground ginger (I added 2 tsp and it still wasn't overly gingery, just nicely spiced)

1/4c crystallised ginger, chopped

1/4c candied peel, chopped (I added orange zest instead)

1/4 c sultanas

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp milk

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and treacle and mix well. Sift in dry ingredients and mix in thoroughly. Add dried fruit. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add that.

Spoon into a lined 19x7cm deep loaf tin. Bake at 160c for 1 - 1 1/4 hours. (Next time I think one hour would be plenty in my oven).

fill the tins baking

I did a bit of baking yesterday, just to fill the tins, so nothing too fancy. I made Bill Grangers chocolate oatmeal cookies, a longtime favourite, and 'Betty Boop', a delicious, easy (and very moreish!) melt-and-mix chocolate slice our family has made for years. It is a little like an afghan slice if there was such a thing, as it has cornflakes in it, so is nice and crunchy and ever so slightly chewy. I have no idea of the origins of the name, the original recipe came from Rotorua's Fat Dog Cafe cookbook I think.

With the cookies I like to press a square of chocolate into the top of each one as soon as they are removed from the oven. The chocolate will melt onto the top of the cookie, which looks quite cool but also means each coookie is guaranteed at least one big chunk of chocolate. (Not that I am mean with the chocolate chunks in the dough, but it doesn't always get evenly distributed does it, and that can be disappointing!) Usually I am a Whittakers girl, but I think the flatter shape of Cadbury's Old Gold looks quite nice here.


Bill's Choc Oatmeal Cookies

300g butter
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 c rolled oats
2 c chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugar. beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, then stir in oats and chocolate. Roll into balls, press with a fork, and bake at 180c for 15-20 minutes. They won't spread too much so you can fit a few on a tray. Makes about 50.


Betty Boop

250g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
250g brown sugar (I have used white too which works fine)
2 c flour
2 1/2 c cornflakes
4 tbsp coconut
2 tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a large saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and press into a rectangular slice tin (smaller than roasting dish size). Bake at 180c for about 20 minutes. When cool ice with chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut if you so desire.

Dinner date - Red lentil, kumara and coconut soup

This soup from the latest Dish magazine (August-September) combines kumara, apple, lentils and tomato in a spicy, coconuty soup. I was in two minds about whether to add the apple the recipe called for because kumara, red lentil and coconut alone sounded like a good mix. In the end I used one apple but don't think it really added anything other than an odd sweet mouthful among the coconut and curry. I think the apple is just one ingredient too many. Next time, I'm going to leave out the apple and halve the amount of chicken stock to make this a curry to have with rice.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp mustard seeds
salt
2 teaspoons madras curry powder
1 tin crushed tomatoes
400g (1 large or 2 small) kumara, peeled & diced
2 apples, peeled, cored & diced (I added one)
1/2 cup coconut cream
4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cups red lentils

To serve:
chopped fresh coriander
toasted long-thread coconut (completely optional, coconut-haters can leave out)
extra coconut cream

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add onion, carrot garlic and a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Add ginger, mustard seeds and curry powder. Cook for two minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients, season and simmer (partially covered) for 20-25 mins until the kumara is tender.

Before serving, stir in chopped coriander. Ladle into bowls and top with a little coconut cream, toasted coconut and more coriander.

A few of our favourite things...

It's by complete coincedence that all our favourite things are cheese-related this week...

Libby: I bought this wedge of Evansdale Farmhouse Brie at Christchurch Farmers Market on Saturday. It's one of my favourite cheeses - always beautifully ripe and unlike many soft cheeses it's incredibly full-flavoured. Best enjoyed with little more than some plain crackers or oat cakes.

Miriam: I love the combination of caramelised onion, blue cheese & pear. Some friends and I enjoyed this pizza I made on Saturday night while sipping on mulled wine - another of my favourite things when the weather's cold and wet.

Becs: I have recently rediscovered these single serve packs of Philly cream cheese. I used to take them to work, for my back up lunch of toasted Vogel's fruit bread with cream cheese, sliced banana and honey. Perfect for when you want cream cheese to be available but without the obligation to eat your way through an entire pack.

gingerbread men...and a wee giveaway

Wallace Cotton, purveyor of beautiful linen have just released the 2010 'Ruby's tea towel'. Ruby is a 13 year old cancer survivor who has designed a teatowel for the last three years to raise money for Starship Children's Hospital. The tea towels are a bargain $10 each, and all profits ($6) go to Starship. I bought one to frame and hang in Daisy's room, alongside 'Ruby's cupcakes', the 2009 edition.

I have an extra 'Gingerbread friends' teatowel, so if you fancy it just leave a comment on this post telling us what your favourite baked treat was as a child. We will draw a winner next Friday, and send it out to you.

Daisy and I made a batch of Ruby's gingerbread men the other day. Little fingers were very keen to help, and the wee man was very nearly popped into her mouth...no doubt he would have tasted rather more exciting than her rice cakes!

Thursday baking - ladysmith cake

Ladysmith cake has the flavours of Belgian biscuits - cinnamon, mixed spice and raspberry jam - in a cake. You can use any kind of jam but I used raspberry as it goes well with the spices and I had just the right amount (four tablespoons) to use up.

The mixture wasn't difficult to make but spreading it out in separate layers with jam in the middle was a bit fiddly. Especially because the end result - wobbly, wonky layers - is less than impressive given the time and care that I took!

Despite what the recipe said, this cake didn't keep well. It was soft and delicious straight from the oven, but by the following day it was going stale. I made the mistake of slicing the whole cake into squares before putting into a tin. The cake might stay fresher if you put the whole cake into a tin and slice as-you-go. But I have my doubts, I always find "pound" style cakes like this one with an equal ratio of butter, sugar, flour and eggs quite dry.

If making again I would make it even more Belgian biscuit-y and spice all the mixture instead of leaving half plain. In place of the walnuts I would ice it with pink icing and sprinkle it with pretty pink jelly crystals or coloured sugar. And I would eat it the day it was baked.

As we bake our way through A Treasury of New Zealand Baking...

Ladysmith cake (Alexa Johnson) - week 20

180g flour
1 tbsp (15g) cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
180g butter (at room temperature)
180g sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
4 tbsp raspberry jam
45g walnuts, chopped

Sift flour, cornflour and baking powder together.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time,, beating well after each addition. Carefully fold in dry ingredients and when mixed together, scoop half the mixture into another bowl and sift spices on top and fold through.

Spread the spiced mixture into a greased & lined 18cm square cake tin. Spread the jam over as evenly as you can and then top with the plain cake mixture.

Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 50-60 minutes. Or until the cake springs back when pressed.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack.

pinwheels

I went to a Tupperware party on Sunday. I was feeling slightly delicate after the food (and wine) show and wanted to eat/bring something cheesy - so I whipped up these pinwheels.

I made a basic bread dough in the breadmaker (about 3tsp yeast, 3 cups flour, 1tsp of sugar & salt, a swig of olive oil and 1 and a bit cups of water). I rolled out the dough, spread on some cream cheese, and scattered over some ham, herbs from the garden and grated edam cheese, then rolled it all up and cut into appropriate sized segments. I brushed the tops with some beaten egg, sprinkled on some poppy seeds and cooked at 180C for around 20 minutes. Yum, just what I needed while checking out all the plastic fantastic containers.

Dinner date - from Morocco to my house

When Lewi was in Morocco a few years back she bought this tagine. It has sat on display looking pretty until recently when it was deemed time for its maiden voyage. So, lamb with figs and sesame seeds was on the menu, served with couscous with roast pumpkin, raisins and almonds. This was a yummy, satisfying winter meal - it was subtly spiced, and I'm told it tasted just like the tagines in Morocco. The recipe comes from Julie Le Clerc and John Bougen's book 'Made in Morocco'.

ahmed's tagine of lamb with figs and sesame seeds

1kg lamb shoulder steaks cut into 5cm pieces (we used lamb shanks)

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

2 teaspoons simple Moroccan spice blend*

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon each ground ginger and paprika

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup olive oil

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Place lamb in the base of a large tagine with onions and brown over a medium heat for 5-10 mins. Add remaining ingredients to the pan, except sesame seeds. Cover pan and bring the liquid to the boil, then turn down the heat to simmer for 1-1/2 hours, turning the lamb once or twice, until lamb is tender and the liquid is much reduced. The cooking can alternatively be done in an oven heated to 180C. Adjust seasoning of sauce with salt and pepper to taste and skim any excess fat from the surface. Spoon caramelised figs over finished tagine and sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Caramelised fig topping

2 cup dried figs

2 cups cold water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

While the tagine is cooking. simmer figs in water until softened, then add sugar and cinnamon and continue simmering until liquid is reduced and figs are caramelised.

*Moroccan spice blend: combine 2 teaspoons each ground cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger and cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each ground white pepper and turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon each chili powder and ground nutmeg.

couscous with roast pumpkin, raisins and almonds

1/2 large pumpkin

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1-1/2 cups chicken or vege stock

1-1/2 cups instant couscous

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 200C. Cut pumpkin into 2cm cubes and place in an oven pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for 30 minutes until pumpkin is tender and golden brown.

Meanwhile heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan and cook onion and garlic over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add stock and bring to the boil. Stir in couscous, then remove pan from heat, cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes to soften. Remove covering and fluff up couscous with a fork. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Combine couscous with raisins, toasted almonds, coriander and hot pumpkin and toss well to serve.

A few of our favourite things...

Miriam: I went to The Food Show on Saturday. I hadn't been to one since about 2005, and was a little skeptical as to how much I'd enjoy it - the concept of paying $22 to fight crowds for 'free' samples didn't really appeal. But we took a strategic approach and went at about 2pm, when the crowds had died down a little. And what fun we had! We feasted on fine (and some not so fine) food and washed it down with samples of wine. Here's Natalie, Jane & I enjoying Ti Point wine.

Becs: Growing up in Rotorua, the nearest mall was Bayfair at Mt Maunganui. Every now and then the family would make a shopping trip and - much to our excitement - at lunchtime Mum and Dad would give us each a $5 note to purchase the lunch of our choice from the foodcourt. Such choice! These days foodcourts are possibly my least favourite place to eat, but I do like the Sushi Express at our local Westfield, and have been enjoying these rice balls lately. Sticky, seasoned sushi rice enclosing a generous filling of teriyaki chicken and avocado. Delicious and very easy to eat on the run, therefore enabling me to avoid having to sit in the foodcourt!


Libby: I been wanting to pay a visit to Cafe Polo in Miramar since reading Millie from GustyGourmet's post. We had one failed attempt - turning up on a Sunday to find Cafe Polo is closed on Sundays and Mondays. This time we went on a Saturday and I even made a reservation as I didn't want to miss out a second time! I had the hash browns with roasted tomatoes, feta & rocket (which was actually mesclun salad greens) and Jabez had these Polo baked beans with ham hock & Island Bay Butchery sausage - both delicious, as was the coffee. Well worth the trip across town.

muffins by Sarah

I'm not the biggest fan of muffins. It may have to do with the ubiquitous cafe muffin. Often over-sized, dry and born of a pre-mix. If after a sweet treat to have with coffee I would usually pick a biscuit or slice over a muffin. I couldn't, however, resist these carrot, apple and pecan muffins when looking through the Ottolenghi book. They sounded a bit like a morning glory muffin, but with the addition of a crunchy crumble topping. The only change I made to the recipe was to use walnuts instead of pecans, as those in the supermarkets are usually rancid. It made quite a big batch, I got 18 decent sized muffins. Unlike cafe muffins they tasted every bit as good as they looked! The recipe says the flavour improves after a couple of hours, and I found this to be true. I put some in the freezer and have been taking one out to pop in my lunch each day. Some even made their way up to Wellington for Libby to sample...You can find the recipe for the muffins here.