31 Dec 2015

Driving home for Christmas

A few pictures of the glorious skies as we drove home for Christmas. 



Happy new year all!

30 Dec 2015

A Christmas Tea Party

A Christmas Tea Party

This is a special blog post because it is a partnership between myself and one of my very best friends, Lizzie. Or, as I call her, Lizbuff.

Since I was 9 years old, I have been lucky enough to have a group of girlfriends to go through life with me. We grew, and continue to grow, up together. Sure we've had our differences, and sometimes we drive each other mad but I know, whatever happens in life, the girls have got my back.

These days, we all lead very busy lives and live in different parts of the country but we try and see each other when possible, particularly at Christmas. I always think it's important to get together at Christmas and enjoy some general merriment with your favourite people.

We usually try and go out for a meal at some point over the festive period, but this year, Lizzie offered to host a Christmas tea party. Now, this was EXCITING.  By day, Liz does complicated actuary stuff that I try, and fail, to understand. By night, she does a whole host of creative stuff that causes the group to generally think of her as a domestic goddess. In summer last year, she hosted a tea party in her back garden which out-trumped any professional afternoon tea I'd ever had. Let's have a peak at some photos from last year to give you a flavour:

A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party

After the success of last time, we were immediately excited when Liz suggested the idea of a Christmas-themed tea-party!

This time round, I wanted to know more about the efforts Lizbuff has to go to to create all the amazing food she makes for us, so I asked her to give me an insight which eventually turned into this blog post. Over various texts and emails sent as we rushed through our busy lives, Liz answered my questions and shared recipes/tips to accompany the many photos I took on the day. So without further ado...

Welcome to a Christmas tea party 

A Christmas Tea Party


The Menu 

Savoury:
Christmas tree cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches
Brie and cranberry sandwiches
Chicken and stuffing sandwiches
Pigs in blankets
Mini goat's cheese and olive tarts
Cream cheese and smoked salmon roulade 

Sweet:
Christmas cake
Mince pies
Chocolate Yule Log 

To take home:
Biscoff fudge
Rudolph shortbread 

To drink:
Mulled wine
Tea


A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party

Savoury 

Christmas tree cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches 
A Christmas Tea Party

Ingredients: White bread, cream cheese with chopped chives and cucumber.
  
Method: Spread the cream cheese on the bread and then use a Christmas tree shaped cutter to cut out the Christmas tree shapes. Note that, even if your cutter is sharp, bread is too springy/soft so you will need to cut round the edges of the tree with a knife to make a smoother shape. Then slice the cucumber into disks and cut each disk into quarters. Arrange them on top of your Christmas trees, starting at the bottom of each tree.

Top tip: Slice the cucumber really thin; if it's too thick then it's harder to layer on top of the trees.

A Christmas Tea Party

Brie and cranberry sandwiches
A Christmas Tea Party

Chicken and stuffing sandwiches
A Christmas Tea Party

Pigs in blankets 
A Christmas Tea Party

Mini goat's cheese and olive tarts
A Christmas Tea Party

Ingredients: Puff pastry, goat's cheese, black olives and fresh thyme.

Method: Layer your small puff pastry circles with a small amount of goat's cheese, half an olive and some thyme. Bake for 10 minutes at 180c.

A Christmas Tea Party

Top tip: Use a hard goat's cheese for a more sweet and nutty flavour.

Cream cheese and smoked salmon roulade 
A Christmas Tea Party


Sweet


Christmas cake
A Christmas Tea Party


Method: Nigella's recipe is relatively easy to make and doesn't need time to mature. Cook in a square pan and then cut into pieces and cover in marzipan. Royal icing on Christmas cake creates a nice crunch against the softness of the marzipan and cake. It is traditionally made with egg whites and icing sugar, but if you want to save some time, use Silver Spoon's Royal Icing Sugar. Follow the instructions on the back of the packet and then slowly add more water and beat until you have a spreadable consistency.

Top tip: For the 'peaks' finish, once you have spread the icing over the cake, use a spoon or palette knife (a knife with a flat edge) and press gently into the icing and pull away quickly. The icing will come with you and form a peak. 

Mince pies
A Christmas Tea Party

Chocolate Yule log
A Christmas Tea Party

Recipe: Delia Smith's Chestnut Yule Log from her Happy Christmas cook book.

Method: The sponge in this recipe is pretty easy but it involves a lot of whipping egg whites and there's no flour so make sure you have an electric whisk! The recipe uses a layer of chocolate mousse (made with eggs), a layer of chestnut spread (comes in a tin and surprisingly easy to find in supermarkets) and a layer of whipped cream as the filling.

Top tip: If you're worried about the presentation of your log after 'the roll', double the amount of chocolate mousse and spread over the cake as an icing. Then double the amount of whipped cream to go inside, along with the chestnut spread.

For the roll: 

Recipe: Mary Berry gives a master class on rolling here.

Method: Leave to cool for a few minutes after taking out of the oven. When completely cool, and when your fillings are ready, lay out a clean piece of baking parchment on the work surface and smother it in icing sugar! Then very quickly (be bold!), tip your cake out of the tin and onto the baking parchment covered in icing sugar, peeling off the baking parchment it cooked in. Use a sharp knife to score the cake about one inch from the edge so the first roll is easier - but don't cut too deep or it will just crack. Spread your filling about three quarters of the way across (as you roll, you will push some of the filling out as you go). Use the baking parchment underneath to roll it, and then slide onto a plate. Now roll!

A Christmas Tea Party

A Christmas Tea Party

Top tip: Once the cake has cooled, after taking out the oven, spritz a clean tea towel with water, lay over the cake inside the tin it cooked in. Put the whole thing inside a plastic bag and then put in the fridge to cool completely. This makes sure the cake doesn't dry as it cools down, making it more moist and therefore easier to roll!

A Christmas Tea Party
  
To take home

Biscoff cookie fudge, recipe here
A Christmas Tea Party

Rudolph shortbread (by yours truly), recipe here. 
A Christmas Tea Party

To drink

Mulled wine
A Christmas Tea Party

Tea (obviously)
A Christmas Tea Party

And some more pictures!

A Christmas Tea PartyA Christmas Tea Party

A Christmas Tea Party

True friendship = cheese-related Christmas-cracker jokes!
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party
A Christmas Tea Party

Thanks to my lovely Lizzie for your marvellous contribution to this post, and for your incredible tea-party hosting skills. 

29 Dec 2015

Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma


"She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen, gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love..."

Oh please don't make me read some dull love story between two perfect teenagers...

"...but they are brother and sister." 

OH.
This is a young adult book about incest. I've said before that I'm intrigued by books that push the boundaries and deal with controversial issues, but this is somewhat different to a story about a transgender kid. This is surely one of the ultimate taboos and I admire Tabitha Suzuma for writing this book in spite of the inevitable judgements.

This is a book bound to spark debate. The only thing I have read on a similar subject is Ian McEwan’s The Cement Garden. Whilst each book has a very different author and target reader, both include a family without parents, left in a lonely and intense environment. However, Forbidden differs in that the characters are portrayed as likeable and ‘normal’, if from a dysfunctional background. 

Lochan, 17, and Maya, 16, are the eldest of five children. Their father abandoned the family five years ago and their mother has neglected them ever since, spending most of her time out and allocating her affection to alcohol and her boyfriend. Between the two of them, Maya and Lochan have taken on the role of parents to look after their siblings; brothers Kit, 13, and Tiffen, 11, and sister Willa, 5. Despite a lack of money and help, they try to keep the house and their siblings in some level of order in a desperate attempt to prevent the authorities becoming aware of their situation and separating the family.

Though the reasoning behind their relationship is never truly explored, it is indicated that the stress of their lives has brought them closer than usual siblings. Their closeness quickly develops into a desperate love. They know it is wrong and try to ignore it, but they cannot stop something that, to them, feels so right. The descriptive writing-style and alternation between Lochan and Maya’s thought process creates an intense reading, however, I was often frustrated that more exploration wasn’t given to the reason behind Lochan and Maya’s feelings. The lack of a convincing explanation sometimes jarred an otherwise believable, tragic love story.

Other than that, this is a shocking and extraordinary emotional journey which succeeds in sensitively exploring the complex subject of sibling incest without sensation.

Beautifully written with an explosive, harrowing ending.

27 Dec 2015

A signature cake (a cookie one) #tocookbefore24


You blink and Christmas has gone! I hope you all enjoyed the festivities and are gearing up towards the new year celebrations. I also hope you're not sick of indulging on food because do I have a treat for you today.

In this article, which served as the inspiration behind the #tocookbefore24 series, Adam Liaw suggests everyone should have a signature cake. This cookie cake, I have decided, is mine. Admittedly, I think you probably are supposed to have made something more than twice before it can become a signature dish but I don't care. I want this cake to be something I make over and over because it is INCREDIBLE. Each slice is a beautifully thick slab of gooey, crunchy, chocolatey cookie goodness. It's better than any cookie (or cake) I have ever had and it's so easy to make!


For a cookie cake, you will need:

170g butter
200g light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g plain flour
2 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
230g chocolate chips


Pre-heat your oven to 170c and grease a cake pan or pie dish (approximately 9 inches). Whisk the butter until smooth (approximately 1 minute).


Add the brown sugar and whisk for a further minute.


Then add an egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well combined.


In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Slowly mix into the rest of the ingredients until well combined.


Add 200g of the chocolate chips to the mixture.


Mix until they are well disbursed amongst the dough.


Press the dough evenly into the pan. Try not to eat it all now... but definitely have a spoonful.


Bake for 10 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for a further 15 minutes, until golden brown.


Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then sprinkle your remaining chocolate chips on top.


Definitely eat a slice whilst still warm!


A note: the first time I made this, I used dark brown sugar which created a darker, more brownie-like cake. It was just as delicious so it's just down to personal preference!


You. Are. Welcome.



#tocookbefore24
#thebasics