Hello my dears! How long has it been since my last video? Too long!
Here in Europe it’s still another long week until we can get our hands onto the new Animal Crossing game, so I thought I’d make a video to pass the time. And what would be better than an AC inspired leaf cake? An AC inspired toffee leaf cake!
The cake recipe I’m about to share with you is one of my favourites. It’s so easy to make, and so delicious. As you’ll see I use carnation caramel in my cake, which seems to pop up in my local supermarket at random intervals. I’m not sure how readily available this little tin of magic is, but fret not. Whenever I can’t find it, I simply get a tin of condensed milk, put its contents into an oven safe glass dish, and let it sit on a low to medium heat for about half an hour. Do check it quite often, as the condensed milk is prone to burning. If you’re unsure, simply cover the dish with some aluminium foil. You’ll know your oven best!
When the milk is a lovely light golden brown colour, take it out of the oven, let it cool completely (believe me, you do not want to burn yourself on this stuff) and remove any burnt bits you might find. Give it a stir and voilà: Your very own dulce de leche.
If you can’t find pre-coloured icing, you can get a white icing block and some green food colouring and make your own, like I’ve done in my previous recipes. Just be advised that it takes time and effort, usually makes a mess and is fiddly to work with. Since you’re adding extra liquid to the icing in the form of the food colouring, the icing will get softer. This means that you’ll have to store it in the fridge after dying it and rolling it out, so that it has time to firm up again. Work quickly and neatly, and you’ll be totally fine.
You can get the leaf template I used here. For reference, my cake tin is 8 inches in diameter and about 3.5 inches deep, and it works perfectly with the leaf I’ve included. If you have a smaller cake tin, simply re-size the image.
And now without further ado, here it is in all its glory: My delicious toffee cake recipe!
For the cake:
200g self-raising flour
200g soft brown sugar
200g unsalted butter
4 eggs
About 75g mini fudge pieces
3/4 can carnation caramel / dulce de leche (see above) (1 can is 397g)
For the crumb coat:
100g soft cheese
Rest of caramel
Icing sugar to taste
For the coating:
500g green icing
Patience!
Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and the caramel, melt the butter and add it in small amounts while stirring constantly until everything is combined. Transfer to cake tin, sprinkle on the fudge pieces and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes (or until knife comes out clear) on a medium heat. Cool, trim, coat and put on the icing.
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
If this is your first time baking a cake, have a look at my cake baking strategy guide. It contains useful tips and tricks for first-time bakers.
For some more information on dulce de leche and alternative ways to make it at home, check out this blog!
And finally, if you’re not yet excited about the latest Animal Crossing, have a look at the official website. I can’t wait!
Picky eaters are like children – infuriating. Picture: Howard Dickins at flickr
If, like me, you happen to be of the culinary sort, chances are you like to share good food with your friends. A dinner party might be nice – some lovingly prepared food, a couple of glasses of wine, and happiness all round. Unless you’ve accidentally invited a fussy eater. All of a sudden, the evening that could’ve gone so well is replaced by ‘I’m not a big fan of that’-s and ‘I can make you something else if you like’-s and a stressed host trying to put together something the black sheep would eat out of the kitchen cupboard staples.
Now, I don’t care how or what someone eats as long as it happens in their own home. If they choose to be picky, let them be. But when a person tries to superimpose their absolutely ridiculous eating habits on someone else, I get a bit cranky. The fact that their diet differs from mine isn’t what this is about – I am quite happy catering for people with special diets due to allergies or personal beliefs, and see it as a test to my culinary abilities more than anything else. But I am in no way willing to support someone that thinks being ignorant about food is a good thing. And that’s really what pickiness is all about. I once had a flatmate who liked tomato-based pasta sauce, but had a phobia of ketchup and wouldn’t eat a raw tomato. She also considered it ‘rude’ to season any dish that was to be shared in case another person wouldn’t like it. To this day, I am lost for words.
I fully understand that there are some things that most people just don’t like. I myself wouldn’t go anywhere near black pudding, and I know that a lot of people feel the same way. But picky eaters are very unpredictable, which makes cooking for them a nightmare. Having to compromise taste in order to please the odd one out just plainly goes against everything I believe in. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Don’t pick at it with a fork until it’s cold, that’s just plain rude. The worst fear for a host is that people will not like the food, and it doesn’t matter how few or many people that entails, a virtually untouched plate is always a failure. But as if this wasn’t enough, picky eaters are almost always the most stubborn people you will meet. No matter how ridiculous their eating habits are, and no matter how well you know that if they’d just try it, they’d like it – trying to feed something new to a fussy eater is like making people drink poison. What’s the worst that could happen? You’ll actually like it and then you’ll have to start adding spinach to your shopping list of monster munchies and cheese slices? But of course, a fussy eater is more worried about projectile vomiting at the dinner table.
You are only a few ingredients away from making a lovely Italian inspired dish. What better incentive to get started?
Sometimes, I forget how much I love a certain food until I eventually eat it again. This especially happens with green beans. Whenever my mum made it, I used to wolf down half the bowl myself, but for some reason I never really cooked with them myself. Well, that’s about to change cause it turns out that I really love green beans! But something I love even more than green beans is umami. I’d happily swear to never ever eat sweets again, as long as I have a moderately (un)healthy supply of all things savoury. Hard cheeses and cured meats are only some of the foods naturally rich in umami and they both feature in today’s recipe. Throw in a good dose of garlic and I’m in heaven! Did you know that umami can be found in breast milk? We’re basically raised on it! And next time you find yourself craving some miso soup, remember that umami is a big part of Japanese cuisine.
If you’re not a big fan of pesto, don’t fret – there are many other things you could stuff your chicken with. How about some plain soft cheese with a bit of lemon juice, chives and crushed black peppercorns? Or if you’re looking for something more robust get yourself a pesto made with sun-dried tomatoes. Same great umami flavour, without the mountains of basil. If you’re looking to save some pennies, you can opt for a simple prosciutto instead of the real deal Parma ham, although I often find that it’s better value to get the latter. And if you’re cooking for two, there’s always a couple of slices left over that you can eat out of the packet when no-one’s looking… after having washed your hands thoroughly, of course. Oh and don’t worry If some of the filling spills out – just serve it on the side with the chicken. If you really don’t want to make a mess, you can cook the chicken in little parcels made out of baking paper – simply put the chicken on the paper, fold it over, and then fold the edges together. That way, there will be no spillage on your baking tray!
Feeds 2:
2 reasonably large chicken breasts
2 tbsp pesto
1 heaped tbsp soft cheese
4 slices Parma ham
250g green beans
2-3 garlic cloves
Good olive oil
Salt, pepper
Bake chicken breasts on a medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear.
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
This week I’ve really been struggling to decide on three links to give you… so I’ll cheekily include two in one: The first one tells you all about how Parma ham is made, and the second one is the official Prosciutto di Parma website, which has tons of information and most importantly: great recipes!
If you’re not a fan of green beans, here are 30 other sides you could dish up!
Finally, if the concept of umami still confuses you, this website has all the info: From what it is, to where you can find it – you’ll never have to go without!
Nothing is sadder and less appetizing than a few bits of bread, thinly covered with a bland filling, straight from the supermarket fridge. We all eat sandwiches like that far too often – I say, it’s time for a change!
Britain is a nation of sandwiches; there are no two ways about it. And while I love a good, decadently filled homemade sandwich that has fresh veg and fillings poking out at the side, I dislike nothing more than those awful, cold and soggy sandwiches you get with your ‘meal deal’. Who wants to look forward to that? No wonder people can’t find the joy in cooking and eating if all they live on tastes, well… horrible.
I haven’t made many videos that work well as lunch, because I often told myself that people wouldn’t have time for that in the morning. I’m one of the laziest people you’ll ever meet and no matter how much I enjoy cooking, I don’t want to wake up half an hour earlier every day just to spend it on the stove. But this term I find myself eating at university a lot, and since I prefer preparing my own food instead of paying over the odds for something substandard, I always take a packed lunch with me.
The great thing about these two recipes here is that they work wonderfully in single servings, taste delicious and they are so quick to prepare. I bet any of you that you could make either of these dishes in six minutes or less. I’m not even joking.
These are only two of many recipes that can be re-arranged, re-developed or invented from scratch that work great for lunch. If you have a day off, treat yourself to a warm lunch, or if your work has a microwave, even better. The tuna and broccoli noodles are quickly becoming a favourite dish of mine, and the couscous salad is easy to transport, superquick and supereasy to make. But whatever you want to take with you, do invest in a good lunch box. Don’t do it like me, you’ll have tuna leaking all over your bag and you’ll be smelling it for weeks! Although I must say, I do enjoy the company of the cats I’m attracting.
Both recipes feed 1
Couscous salad:
75g couscous
Enough boiling water to cover
50g feta cheese
2tbsp raisins
1tbsp pine nuts
Salt, pepper
Olive oil
Pinch of cloves and/or nutmeg (optional)
Tuna noodles:
1/2 can responsibly sourced tuna in brine
1 ‘nest’ of egg noodles
150g frozen broccoli
Salt, pepper
Soy sauce (optional)
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
Fed up with the usual sandwiches? Me too, and so is Hugh! Follow this link for a great guide on how to make lunch tasty, everyday.
If you’re unsure about where you can get responsibly sourced fish, here is a list of Supermarkets and their involvement in sustainable fishing.
If you have leftover couscous may I suggest making it into a tasty quiche? This recipe looks so fantastic, I might just have to try it myself!
This week, I’ve decided to make myself sound like a bit of a hypocrite and declare bread to be ‘better than toast’. Well, let’s just put it this way: All bread can be good toast but not all toast is necessarily good bread. In fact, once you’ve baked your own I’m convinced that little else will satisfy you just as much.
Bread is such a basic thing that we rarely stop to think about it. Supermarket bread is readily available at any time of the day and stays soft for days, but rarely sports a great crust. Of course, you could go to an artisan baker, but I’m somehow reluctant to pay a fiver for a loaf that I could just as well make at home. And yet, baking bread doesn’t really catch on with the younger generation. I don’t know if it’s because it’s seen as something old-fashioned to do, or if people are put off by how long the whole process takes. Granted, it’s much quicker to go to your nearest store and buy some than make your own, but homemade bread ages far better and gives you endless possibilities. Besides, you could make your whole flat smell of freshly baked bread and snack on a warm loaf afterwards. What’s not to love?
There are no two ways about it: making bread does take time. But that doesn’t mean that this is a bad thing! Schedule your bread-making on a day you have lots of little things to do, that way you can cross things off your list while you wait for the bread to rise. Make the dough and then tidy your flat, knock the bread back and skype with your parents afterwards, stick it in the oven and do your nails while you wait.
If you’ve never baked bread before I would really urge you to take your time with this recipe. Get a real feel for the dough, see how it changes beneath your hands while you are kneading it. After all, breadmaking is an ancient tradition and so vital. Take your time and think about what you are doing; you’re effectively transforming three basic ingredients (water, flour, yeast) into food with only your hands and some heat. You can probably already tell, but I really find something almost magical in making bread.
It is needless to tell you just how many different kinds of bread you could make. Wholemeal, with seeds, sweet, savoury, you can play around with different flours like spelt and rye, make a tin loaf one day and then burger buns the next – I could go on forever. Take this very basic recipe, memorize it forever, and run with it. Quite honestly, the best advice about breadmaking I can give you.
Makes one loaf:
500g strong white bread flour
7g dried yeast (1 sachet)
2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
1-2 tbsp salt, to taste (optional but recommended)
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
Want to know more about baking your own loaved? Check out this website for a thorough bread baking 101.
Once you’ve made your loaf you can either eat it as it is or make it into this heavenly creation (hint: goes down great at parties!).
And finally, don’t ever get tempted to throw out hard bread. There’s still plenty of life in it!
Yes, it’s that time of the year again. The shops are filled with bears holding up hearts, roses are basically shoved in your face and everyone is supposed to be happy and in love. But why not use this time to treat yourself to some handmade sweets?
It’s Valentine’s Day alright. Quite possibly the worst holiday of the year. You either feel under pressure to make a romantic gesture to your partner, or supposedly need to feel bad because you don’t currently have a partner. Either way, it’s not very cheerful, is it. So instead of spending money on some horrible stuffed animal, get a few bars of chocolate and make the magic happen! Celebrating Valentine’s Day should be about the people that you love, be it friends or family. And trust me, after they’ve tried these delicious chocolates, they will love you.
Working with chocolate is really tricky and easy to mess up. Many people will tell you that you’ll need to temper it by closely monitor the chocolate’s temperature and suggest a myriad of techniques to aid you in your quest for the chocolate of the century. The truth is, as long as you don’t get water into your melted chocolate, you’ll be just fine. True, the chocolate you’ll produce won’t be glossy and shiny, and won’t have that characteristic ‘snap’ when you bite into it; it’ll look and taste more like a truffle. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad! So stop faffing about with your thermometer and let’s melt some chocolate.
Melting chocolate is pretty straightforward. The only two things that could go wrong is if you accidentally get water into it (remember, even a tiny amount can ruin your chocolate, so be extra careful) or if you burn it, but if you’re as impatient as I am, that isn’t likely going to happen. The great thing about making these yourself is that you can personalize them to suit the person you are making them for. Think about their favourite chocolate and customise: chopped or whole nuts, dried fruit, tiny marshmallows, experiment with layering two kinds of chocolate or add a small amount of cereals – there is so much you can do. There is no right or wrong – think about what you like and then make it! This is a great opportunity to really bring your ideas to life.
I find working with silicon moulds easiest – when you choose one, make sure you take its shape into account and go for the one with fewer details. For example, it’s easier to get the chocolate out of a heart shape than it is to get all the corners of a star out without breaking anything. It takes about 4 hours for the chocolate to set, but I would suggest leaving it to set overnight. And if you have leftover melted chocolate, simply dip some fruits in it and let them to cool on a baking sheet. There’s nothing like a few sweet treats to reward yourself!
Makes approx. 20 chocolates:
150g white chocolate
150g milk chocolate
150g dark chocolate
Fillings like cereals, nuts, dried fruits, dried chilli flakes, marshmallows… be creative!
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
If you’re up for making chocolates but you don’t have a mould, or you want to make something a bit more sophisticated, why not try making your own truffles?
For the future Chocolatiers among you and for those who want to know the tricks of the trade, here is a great and simple guide on how to properly temper chocolate.
And if you’d rather keep the chocolates for yourself but still need a gift for your loved one, have a look at these great ideas for homemade presents.
There really isn’t much to say about today’s recipe, apart from that it’s quick, easy, and just delicious!
Fried rice is one of those treats that we all indulge in, but rarely think to do ourselves. A staple in any Asian restaurant and take away, fried rice is a very British way of having Chinese. It’s just foreign enough to tickle our taste buds with unusual flavours, but it’s still made up of ingredients that we know and love.
Today’s fried rice is supposed to be served as a main dish, but it can very easily be transformed into a side by halving the amounts. If you’d prefer a more substantial meal, try adding some ham to the dish. And if you’d like to be a bit more fancy, I’ve got just the recipe for you! Just have a look at the links at the bottom of the article.
I often used to make egg fried rice with simple vegetable oil – it’s cheap and it works. But if you really want to take your dish that little bit further, do invest in a nice bottle of sesame oil. There are two kinds of sesame oil out there: light and dark. Dark sesame oil is made out of toasted sesame seeds and has a stronger and more complex flavour. Both work wonderfully with today’s dish, just keep in mind to use less oil if you choose the dark one, as you don’t want it to be overpowering. If you feel like it, try seasoning the dish with a dash of soy sauce.
Last but not least all I can tell you is to run with it. There are so many things that you can add to a simple egg fried rice to make it as complex or as simple as you like, from a grown up seafood version to a very simple side of fried rice with spring onions. Think of your favourite ingredients and then make them work together. You’d be surprised at how quickly you can invent new recipes!
Feeds 2:
100g uncooked long grain rice, cooked as per instructions
2 eggs
1 large carrot
1 packet baby sweetcorn (usually 175g)
1 handful frozen peas
4 spring onions
Sesame oil
Salt, pepper, soy sauce (optional)
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
Nobody I’ve met has ever really been sure of how to properly cook rice. There are so many methods I won’t even get involved in it! If you are looking to achieve heavenly fluffy rice, follow this link.
Feeling fancy? Here is a great Thai version of fried rice, just begging to be teamed up with a glass of chilled white wine.
By far one of the most useful websites on the internet, Love Food Hate Waste has great tips on what to do with leftovers and how to make food go further.
I’m back and I can’t wait to get stuck in. Prepare yourselves for some delicious cooking coming your way, because I’ve got great things lined up for you!
After a lengthy winter break due to a minor injury I’m finally back doing videos. Having a break every so often is really good, as it gives you time to reflect on what you’ve achieved so far and also gives you the opportunity to plan ahead. And boy do I have some ideas! First of all I’d like to introduce you to TVP. If you are vegan or vegetarian you probably already know what I’m talking about. TVP is short for textured vegetable protein and comes in little granules as well as bigger chunks. It is an ideal substitute for mince and has so many advantages over meat. It’s cheap – especially if you buy it in bulk, it lasts forever, it’s low in calories, and it looks and tastes great. There’s really nothing TVP can’t do.
One of the reasons I’ve decided to make this video is because it’s January and most of us are dieting, or feel like we should. To compare: one serving of TVP has 125 calories, compared to the 350 calories of 200g extra lean beef mince. You can see where I’m going with this. Nowadays you can find TVP pretty much everywhere; check your local supermarket (it usually likes hang out with the stuffing mix…) or health food store. Health food stores will usually have TVP for cheaper and carry two kinds: light and dark TVP. There is absolutely no difference between them, except that the dark TVP has been coloured with caramel to make it look even more like mince. Honestly, once it’s on a plate, you really can’t tell the difference.
I must warn you now, since I’ve just recently gotten 15kg of the stuff there’s a good chance I will be cooking with it every now and then but don’t worry, if TVP is just not for you, simply replace it with some mince and follow the recipe as usual. And for the icing on the cake, or if you are indeed cooking for someone who is vegan, simply get some vegan parmesan to complete the dish.
Feeds 2:
200g short pasta
1 can chopped tomatoes
75g or 1 sachet TVP
1/2 diced onion
2 garlic cloves
1tbsp tomato concentrate
Olive oil
Basil to taste
Salt, pepper, other herbs & dried chilli to taste
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
For a more thorough explanation of what exactly TVP is click here.
If you’ve grown to like TVP and are wondering what else you could use it in, then why not start with a taco?
Last but not least here is a list of common veggie/vegan/raw foods and what they are. Very helpful if you feel a bit lost!
Fancy snacking on a sweetroll but you’ve had yours stolen yet again? Worry no more! With a few quick and easy steps you can simply make your own!
As soon as I saw a sweetroll in Skyrim for the first time I immediately exclaimed ‘That’s a Gugelhupf!’ Since then I’ve been meaning to do this video and now I finally got round to it! A Gugelhupf is a very popular cake that comes from the German-speaking regions (which is where I come from) and comes in sweet as well as savoury varieties. I realised that many people might not know about this cake and would never have the joy of baking their own sweetroll. And that’s just unacceptable!
Here’s the recipe:
200ml milk
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g butter, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 packet dried yeast (7g)
1tsp vanilla essence
For the icing:
Icing sugar (depends how much juice you get from your lemon – approx 150-250g)
Juice of 1 lemon
Some tins are bigger/taller than others, so you might need to adjust the recipe accordingly. My tin is fairly large and could have done with a little more dough, so if yours is too, simply use 700g flour, 300g sugar and 300ml milk instead of the quantities mentioned above and you should be fine.
Here in the UK Gugelhupf tins are relatively easy to find. I got mine from TK Maxx which usually sells a few different shapes and sizes. If you live in the US a bundt cake tin is fairly similar, although it is not as high as a Gugelhupf and not as elaborate. If you can’t find a suitable tin in any store, go to Amazon! They stock lots of different varieties for little money.
Last but not least if you want to read more about where the Gugelhupf comes from and get a lovely recipe for a savoury bacon and onion Gugelhupf click here!
As usual, should you have any questions or are unsure about any of the steps, do contact me! I’d love to help 🙂
Toad in the what? I don’t know, but just stay with me, okay? I promise this dish is so moreish and comforting, you won’t want to eat anything else until March.
So, for those who don’t know this dish, it’s basically sausages in a giant yorkshire pudding. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? It’s really easy to make and so great during winter. Plus, if you master this one, you’re bascially already an expert on how to make yorkshire puddings, so really it’s two recipes for the price of one!
For some reason I always thought that there must be some kind of wizardry going on when making yorkshire puddings. I fell in love with them the moment I set foot in Britain, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out how they make them. Why do they rise so much? What do you mean pour the batter in hot oil? That’s not gonna make any difference… is it? Turns out, it really does make a difference! I have since been told that the yorkshire pudding batter rises so much because of the egg, although my knowledge doesn’t go beyond that. Sausage-wise, it’s easiest to keep it traditional – this is a British dish after all! Use nice plump bangers that’ll stay moist throughout the cooking process, unless you happen to be vegetarian of course! In that case opt for this tip: I’ve never been a big fan of overpriced quorn style veggie sausages – they cost a fortune and more often than not the taste is quite disappointing. So if you don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty go get some sausage mix – you’ll usually find it in the aisle next to dried stuffing mix. It’s dirt cheap, makes a load of sausages, and you can season and shape them any way you want! I’ve used them in Toad in the hole before, and boy are they tasty. But I am rambling. To get back to the topic: make sure your oil is seriously hot before adding the batter (use vegetable oil, as olive oil starts burning at high temperatures), try not to open the oven once the batter’s in and if your toad is collapsing when you take it out, stick it back in for another few minutes! The trick is to make it get nice and crispy, so that it won’t collapse under its own weight. If you’re having serious trouble with it, try making individual toads in a muffin tray – they are easier to heat up quickly and therefore less prone to disasters.
A note on making your own gravy: You really don’t know how easy it is until you make it yourself. I was a firm supporter of instant gravy, and I can still see the benefits of it, but when a dish really makes the gravy shine, it’s definitely worth making your own. There is virtually nothing that can go wrong and it’s just fun and so easy! Besides, nothing can beat that ‘I just made my own gravy’ feeling.
Feeds 2:
For the Toad in the Hole:
4-6 bangers
125ml milk
75g flour
1 large or 2 small eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
Vegetable or Sunflower oil
For the side:
200g Cauliflower florets, cut into bitesize chunks
Olive oil, salt & pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan (optional)
For the onion gravy:
Half an onion, sliced
Knob of butter
1 tbsp flour
Half a stock cube
250ml water
Seasoning to taste
Heat oil in oven dish in a preheated oven on a high heat until very hot. Add sausages, reduce heat and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Add batter and bake on a high heat for 20 minutes or until crispy.
Watch the video for instructions, and do get in touch if you have any questions, as silly as you think they might be!
And finally, have a look at these great links for inspiration and information.
Ever wondered how Toad in the hole got ist name? This is by far the best explanation I could find!
Almost entirely unrelated to this week’s recipe, I came across this charming website that explains all the British culinary eccentrities to the non-Brits among us. Mainly aimed at those living in the USA, it’s a great read if you want to have a laugh!
If you’ve made too much roasted cauliflower (and who can blame you – roasted cauliflower tastes delish!) here is a great recipe for a lovely casserole.
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