Sunshine, flowers + cocktails.

Yesterday was just so sunny and all the flowers were out...

 6:30 end of work, time to relax in the garden.

Some birthday flowers from the lovely boy...

Cosmos + Pomegranate 

I can't wait till summer.

Truffles

I think I'm getting a bit too excited for Easter, but if you're already fed up of eggs and want a chocolate which is a bit more elegant take a look at these badboys. Most of these truffles were made as Christmas presents but can be edited for the season, you could even make some small ones and put inside chocolate-cereal nests as an alternative for mini eggs.

They are really easy to make.
(This is a simple recipe from my friend Rosie)

- 400g chocolate
-  150ml double cream

* Gently heat the cream until it just summers, then remove from the heat.
* Stir in chocolate until it melts (you may need to put it back on the heat again briefly)
*  Add flavoring (see ideas below)
*  Put into a sealed tupperware pot and refrigerate for at least 1 ½ hours. (If using alcohol this can be overnight)



* When mixture is set scoop out small balls of chocolate with a teaspoon or melon-baler and roll with hands. (Be quick or it will melt, especially if you have hot hands!)
* Roll in topping and place in truffle case (from the baking section at most supermarkets) and refrigerate/ enjoy.

 * Makes about 24 truffles, but I like to split each chocolate mix into three smaller tupperware pots and add the flavor then giving me 3 different truffle types with each batch!



 Ideas for flavorings (1tbs of mixed in vigorously)
- Baileys
- Cointreau (or Orange Essence)
- Amaretto
- Crystallized Ginger
- Vanilla Essence
- Rum
-  Fizz-Whiz popping candy
-  Chilli Oil

Ideas for toppings
- Crushed nuts
- Dessicated cocoanut
- Sugar - caster/ confectioner's
- Cocoa Powder/ Hot chocolate powder
- Cake decorating sprinkles (works nicely with white chocolate)
- Broken up Crunchie bar


I've tried some with raspberry centers which worked well but have always struggled with doing any with chocolate coating (pop the truffles in the freezer before dipping them in cooled melted chocolate)

They are really good to give as gifts- you can make boxes and even menu cards. These were part of a Christmas present for my Grandad- Dark chocolate and crystallized ginger.  More have been requested!

This was a menu card I made for a group of friends this Christmas.

Truffles that always go down well ...
- Dark Chocolate and Chilli (Look really good if you mix confectioner's sugar and red food coloring into a thick but drizzle-able paste and swirl it over the top. Works well with chocolate orange too!)

- Dark Chocolate and Cointreau  could mix in small pieces of crystallized orange or decorate with them.

- White Chocolate and Amaretto (with white cake sprinkle)

- White Chocolate with Raspberry Liqueur

Easter Chicken

Home for the holidays I thought I'd try my hand at Jamie's amazing roast chicken and a bit load of very much needed roast veg.

The recipe is really simple to follow and you do your roast potatoes alongside it. The idea is that you par-boil them with the whole lemon and the garlic bulbs and then the piping hot lemon is stabbed a few times and inserted into the chicken cavity with the garlic and thyme creating a really zingy taste. You then cook the potatoes in its juices and they are all crispy and fluffy and delicious.








I also used my new favorite Herb and Salt mix smeared on the chicken and it made the skin beautifully crispy.
Beautiful on a Chicken + Bacon club sandwich the next day (forgot to take a photo...)






Par boiled potatoes sit to rest with rosemary whilst the chicken cooks.

 Lots of veg, much needed!

























Chicken breast turned out really crispy and herby and I could definitely taste the lemon!

My Tai

6:30 is cocktail o'clock and I love Mai Tais. The fruity and potent mix is a great aperitif to get you started, though with 2 down the cooking becomes slightly impaired....

There's a commercial bar mix Mai Tai invented by Victor Bergeron (of the famous Trader Vic cocktail restaurants) which originally used 17yr old J.Wray and Nephew rum but when it was introduced to Hawaii in the early 50's it was so successful that it exhausted the whole world's supply of the lovely 17 year stuff, so the cocktail had to be reinvented with a blend of rums.  I love a bit of history with my cocktail.

I use an edited 'bar-mix' version (I add OJ and get rid of the 1/3 msr of Almond syrup but each to their own)

- 1msr white rum
- 1msr dark rum
- 2/3 msr triple sec (Cointreau)
- 1/3 msr sugar syrup (** make your own...)
- 1/4 msr grenadine
- 1msr OJ
- juice of 1 lime


- Shake all ingredients with ice, and pour over a cocktail glass of crushed ice. Garnish with spent lime shell.

** Sugar Syrup Recipe
2 parts water, 1 part sugar
- Bring water to the boil, stir in sugar and mix constantly. When all sugar is dissolved remove pan from the heat. Allow to cool then store.


If that doesn't do it for you this is a version of a Cosmo

- 2msr Vodka
- 1msr triple sec (Cointreau)
- 1msr Cranberry
- juice of half a lime.

Composition as above. Because there's 1/2 a lime you may as well make 2. The cranberry's got to be good for you. Have one in the bath.

Quick and Warm Carrot Cake

A miserable evening at 6pm called for something warm and filling, post- Christmas indulgence in mind I opted for carrot cake, lying to myself that this counted as a veg portion.

My carrot cake recipe created from various internet versions and edited over time:

150g SR Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
125 g Softened butter
125g Brown sugar (though I've made it with white just as well)
120g grated carrot (on the smallest grater setting not the chunky one you'd use for cheese, washed but skin can be left on or off)
2 large eggs
2 large handfuls of dried fruit
(I've tried loads but sultanas and raisins work well, I guess you could easily use larger dried fruits as long as you cut them up. I once also tried adding a handful of chocolate drops but didn't think this added much to the texture or flavor)

Really easy composition. Cream the butter and sugar (3-5mins) add eggs, one at a time, beat for 1min between each one. Chuck everything else in and fold in with a wooden spoon. Transfer to pre-lined cake tin for 25-30mins into a oven preheated to 180. (NB my student oven is a bit dodgy and often below temperature so this may need to be edited).

Mine came out of the oven with 6 eager faces waiting for it. They wanted it hot and wanted it then, so I whipped up some orange extract frosting and sprinkled with a bit of edible glitter.

I think the cake was gone before the icing had time to melt (otherwise it would have turned into a sloppy mess) If I was leaving the cake to cool again I'd do this icing (I think the orange and the carrot go really well?) but doing it hot again I think a slice with a dollop of cream and a cup of tea would be perfect.

Rosie's Cake

Back in January it was Rosie's birthday so here is her cake...
It was the first time I'd properly made an Amaretto cake (and it's now a stock fave!) following the Hummingbird recipe but adapted- what's really special about it is that you make an Amaretto syrup which you pour over the warm cake when it's  just out of the oven. It all soaks in but leaves a glossy sticky top which is so yummy!

The filling was Morello cherry jam and cream whipped with confectioner's sugar, but I also cut some small holes in the top (like you would when making butterfly cakes) and filled them with jam. White chocolate and Amaretto frosting on top, decorated with edible gold flakes and raspberries.

A classy cake for one classy lady. (Taken with not-so-classy shots of raspberry liqueur which was a good idea at the time) Happy Birthday Rosie!

Layer Cake

With the middle of term setting in and the Week 5 Blues in full swing more cake was needed...

I've got a new Cake Leveller from Lakeland and decided to give it a go. I made 3 layers of cake, Lemon, Amaretto, White Chocolate, all based on Hummingbird recipes. With each one cooled I sliced them into 3rds (thought the White Choc one, made with whisked egg whites, could only cope with being halved!) and piled them all on top of one another with strawberry jam and my go-to white chocolate frosting in the middle. The top was coated in Mars Bar frosting and grated chocolate.

I think only one person managed a whole slice. Definitely a cake to share!