A Taste of France

Well, it has been over three weeks now since I've been back home and despite England feeling a little more like home again, I am still of course pining for my beloved France! So what better way to pretend that I am in fact still living the French life, than by recreating one of their wonderful desserts? At the weekend I had a go at making a crème caramel after stumbling across a very easy recipe by Delia Smith. With it being custard-based, I have to say it is probably one of my favourites and it is actually quite a light way of finishing a meal (as long as we don't think about the amount of sugar/cream it contains!). The French certainly know how to do a good dessert and this was no exception. I was very pleasantly surprised at how straight forward it was to make too, albeit a method I have never used before. The custard mixture cooks in a ramekin that stands in a tin with water in it, so essentially it is steamed. To be honest, the science of how it all works sounds a bit complicated to me. All I know is that it worked beautifully and the end result was divine. I thought I was back in France for a second...and then I looked outside and saw the grey skies and imminent rain. No, I'm definitely in England.

 

Crème Caramel    makes 6 individual desserts

Ingredients
110g Caster Sugar
150ml Milk
275ml Single Cream
4 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
40g Soft Brown Sugar
1tbsp Water (from the hot tap)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
2. Start by making the caramel. Put the sugar in a pan on a medium heat.
3. When the sugar starts to melt and bubble, stir and continue to cook until it is a regular dark brown colour. (2 shades darker than golden syrup, according to Delia!).
4. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the water.
5. Stir until smooth and then quickly pour it evenly into each ramekin, tipping it so it covers the sides a bit. Don't worry if it starts to set at this point as it won't matter once it's cooked.
6. Now pour the milk and cream into a separate pan and leave it to heat gently. 
7. Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
8. Once the milk is steaming hot, pour it onto the egg mixture, whisking until it is blended. 
9. Pour the liquid into the ramekins and place them in a large roasting tin.
10. Transfer the tin to the oven and pour cold water in it to surround the dish so it is two thirds full.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
12. Cool and chill until it is ready to serve.
13. Remove from the ramekin by running a knife around the edge and then turn it upside down on a plate.
14. And voilà...enjoy!

 

Berry Lemon Cake

I can't remember the last time I woke up to blue skies. Yesterday I had to walk through what seemed like a lake on the way to the hairdresser's. England, where is the summer please?  Now this little cake I made will not magically make the sun appear unfortunately, but it will hopefully give you a taste of summer! My Dad has decided to grow redcurrants this year so after hunting around for something to do with them I came across this recipe, which was quite wonderful. I've not really had anything with redcurrants in before I don't think, but I may be on the look-out for more. Who could resist having a bite of something which was brimming with these vibrant red jewels? Certainly not me anyway.

 

 

If you couldn't get your hand on any red currants though, you could definitely get away with using another berry instead - either raspberries or cranberries would be best. But I guess you could subistitute any other fruit you wanted really. In fact, if you used a fruit that was a bit sweeter, you could probably reduce the amount of sugar you put in, because I dread to think what the the sugar content of these little beauties is! Good job they're only small squares! Anyway, these are possibly one of the moistest cakes I've tasted, which I imagine is largely because of the dash (or two) of cream that you put in and the lemon syrup that is drizzled over just as it comes out of the oven. Surprisingly, they're fairly light too, so when the rain continues to pour over the next few days I'll be able to stuff myself with my Berry Lemon Cake and not feel as if I'm about to burst. Because let's be honest, it's unlikely that the sun will return any time soon. And I don't know about you, but I'll need something to cheer me up... 

Berry Lemon Cake     

Ingredients

175g Plain Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Pinch Salt

150g Unsalted Butter

150g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

3tbsp Cream

150g Redcurrants (washed and stalks removed)

Juice of 2 Large Lemons (about 100ml)

100g Demerara Sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

In a separate bowl cream the butter and caster sugar togther so it is light and fluffy. 

Beat in the eggs one at a time, folding in a spoonful of flour after each egg.

Fold in the remaining flour and gently stir in the redcurrants and cream.

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine the lemon juice and demerara sugar. When the cake comes out of the oven, pour this mixture onto the cake.

Allow to cool for about half an hour, then cut into slices and put onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy (with a nice cup of hot tea in this weather!). 

Gorgonzola, Pear and Caramelised Onion Cake

Apologies once again for practically disappearing off the face of the earth! These past few weeks (which were my last in France) have passed by in such a blur, but now I'm settled back in England for the summer (sob) with plenty of time on my hands to cook up some tasty treats. To take my mind off pining for France and those glorious sunnny days that just do not seem to exist here, I will be busying myself in the kitchen. A kitchen which is far more pleasant to cook in than when I was in France! So there are pluses about being back...

Oddly enough, I have chosen to cook something which I would not consider to be typically French, but very delicious nonetheless! Once you've got your head round the fact that you're eating a savoury cake that is. I watched another one of Rachel Khoo's programmes the other day (just to make me feel more at home!) and her cheese, pistachio and prune cake caught my attention. However, I thought I'd mix things up a bit and decided to give it a go with a different filling. and in fact, what makes this cake so great is that you can experiment with whatever filling you fancy. I've recently discovered that I'm actually a fan of blue cheese in small doses and since I've been in France I've tried a variation of cheese on toast with pear. With this in mind, I decided to put it all in a cake along with some caramelised onions to balance out the bitterness of the cheese. And the result was a delight. Perhaps slightly on the oily side when it first came out of the oven, but with a side of salad it made the perfect light lunch and was a bit different to a standard sandwich. It would also be a lovely addition to a picnic in the countryside...that's if the weather decides to provide us with some sunshine of course!

 

Gorgonzola, Pear and Caramelised Onion Cake

Ingredients

250g Plain Flour

15g Baking Powder

150g Gorgonzola, sliced

1 Red Onion

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Pear (peeled, cored and sliced)

4 Eggs

150ml Olive Oil

100ml Milk

50g Plain Yoghurt

Seasoning

Recipe

1. Begin by making the caramelised onion to give it time to cool.
2. Slice the onion finely and add it along with the butter, olive oil, sugar and balsamic vinegar to a frying pan.
3. On a medium heat, cook for 10-15 minutes until the onion has caramelised. Allow to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf tin with greased proof paper.
5. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, gorgonzola, caramelised onions and pear.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy, then gradually whisk in the oil, milk and yoghurt. Season well.
7. Fold the flour mixture into the whisked eggs, careful not to overbeat. 
8. Pour the batter into the tin.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool in the tin and enjoy!

Cupcakes à la Tarte aux Fraises

Gosh it's been a while! Sorry about that. The past few weeks have been very hectic and full of visitors, because I'm making the most of my final month in Aix. I can't believe I leave in 14 DAYS!! In fact, this time in 2 weeks I'll be back home. Scary. So anyway, I've not really had much time for baking because I've been swanning around absorbing every little bit of Provence to make it last until the next time I'm in France. As much as I love baking, slaving over a hot stove when it's ridiculously warm outside is not always my idea of a fun afternoon, as I've come to realise that I don't cope particularly well with the heat! But today I braved the kitchen for what may be one of my last times actually, because before I know it, I'll be back in rainy England. Great...

It was also much more of a plesant experience than usual actually. I have recently had a new flatmate move in who I can certainly say has put his stamp on the place! But actually, it's been a good thing in some ways because he bought this for the kitchen...

 

...which makes baking and just cooking in general a lot easier and more practical. So merci, David!

As I'm sure I may have mentioned before, une tarte aux fraises has to be one of my favourite French patisseries. Mainly because it contains crème patissière, which is basically like custard, so if a cake has some in, you can guarantee I'll choose it! But also because strawberries always look so appealing. They're definitely in season at the moment here and whenever I see them on a market stall or at the supermarché I am always tempted to buy some. As I know that I won't be able to have a tarte aux fraises that's quite as good as I'm used to when I'm back home, I thought why not take the idea of this French treat and put it into a cupcake. That way one mouthful will remind me of being in France, but I won't be disappointed that it doesn't reach French standards, because there's a little bit of a twist to it. And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed! Perhaps only for those who have a very sweet tooth, but deliciously strawberry-flavoured too. So hopefully in one bite I'll be transported back to France when I recreate these little beauties back at home. Which I shall certainly be doing!

 

Strawberry Tart Cupcakes      makes 12

Ingredients:

For the crème patissière (taken from Rachel Allen's recipe here):

2 Egg Yolks

1/4 cup Caster Sugar

1tbsp Plain Flour, Sifted

1/4tsp Vanilla Essence 

175ml Milk

For the cupcakes:

1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups Plain Flour

10 Strawberries (medium-sized)

6 Strawberries (small, for decorating)

Method:

1. Start by making the crème patissière. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until light and thick, then stir in the flour.
2. Put the milk in a pan and bring it slowly to the boil.
3. Pour the milk onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Put the mixture back in the pan and bring to a gentle boil once more.
5. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time, until it has thickened. Use a whisk to get rid of any lumps that may form.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla essence. If the mixture is still lumpy at this stage, you can push it through a sieve.
7. Transfer to a bowl and cover (touching) with cling film to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool. 
8. Next make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and flour the cupcake holders or line a bun tin with bun cases.
9. Melt the butter over a low heat.
10. Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar until combined.
11. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, until it is lukewarm.
12. Whisk in the eggs.
13. Add the milk, vanilla essence and baking powder, then beat again to combine.
14. Stir in the flour until just combined.
15. Fold in the strawberries.
16. Fill each cupcake holder with mixture and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
17. Allow to cool.
18. To assemble the cupcakes, cut a small circle into each cupcake and spoon it out carefully. Cut this circle in half.
19. Place a spoonful of the crème patissière in the hole.
20. Put each half of the circle into the crème patissière like wings and place half a strawberry in the middle.
21. Repeat with each cupcake and voilà...your cupcake is ready to enjoy! 

A Spoonful of Speculoos.

I don't know whether I'm quite ready to admit this yet, but I think something may have replaced Nutella in my heart. There, I said it.

Just a couple of months ago, I would have told you that nothing could beat it and if you'd tried to persuade me otherwise, I just wouldn't have believed you. But I've been proved wrong. The new addition to my life is pâte à tartiner aux Speculoos. And I simply can't get enough of it. Now, unless you're living/have lived/have been recently to France, it is unlikely that you will have been acquainted with this wonderful invention, so I shall explain to you what it is. It's a spread with a similar consistency to Nutella, but the colour of peanut butter with the most delicious sweet and cinnamony taste that makes me want to carry on eating it forever. If you've ever had a coffee that comes with one of those little posh cinnamon-flavoured biscuits on the side, then that's the flavour. You're probably thinking, well actually I don't know why you're making all that fuss, because it doesn't sound like anything special. And I've got to be honest with you, when I first heard about it I didn't dash to my local supermarché to buy some. But once I tried it, I was hooked, and ever since, I've just not been able to stop eating it...

I may even go as far to say I'm slightly addicted and I'm on my way to trying it in every form possible. Like Nutella, it goes very well on toast and I'd reccommend it on crêpes too. I've had Speculoos flavoured ice cream and the other day I even discovered there's such a thing as Speculoos flavoured yoghurts! Today I celebrated finishing my exams with none other than a Speculoos cupcake. But actually, you can't beat a sneaky spoonful of the stuff straight from the jar, which I know you shouldn't, but when it's there you just can't resist!!

I've been dying to bake something that's Speculoos-related for a while now and with it being my friend Abbey's birthday recently, it was the perfect opportunity to bake a Speculoos cake. And as it was her who introduced me to my new addiction, it seemed only right. So here it is...my Speculoos birthday blondie cake.

 

Speculoos Birthday Blondie Cake

Ingredients:
150g White Chocolate
30g Butter
70g Speculoos
3 Eggs
175g Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Essence
200g Self-Raising Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
75g Raisins
6 Speculoos Biscuits, crushed into small pieces
Exra Speculoos for the filling and topping

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Line two cake tins with greaseproof paper.
3. Break chocolate into a pan and add butter and Speculoos.
4. Melt over a gentle heat.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar thoroughly.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla essence, raisins and the biscuits.
7. Stir in flour and baking powder.
8. Pour into prepared cake tin.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes - it should be ready when a skewer inserted still comes out a bit sticky.
10. Allow to cool.
11. Remove from tins and peel off greaseproof paper.
12. Spread one cake with a generous layer of Speculoos and place the other cake on top.
13. Spread another layer of Speculoos on the top.
14. Using raisins decorate your cake as you wish.
15. Share and enjoy!  

 

Go on, try a spoonful of Speculoos! I will be taking several jars home in my suitcase and that won't be enough...that's how good it is.

Falling in love with Barcelona...

As promised, I have eventually got round to putting together a post on my trip to Barcelona. Better late than never...!

I love city breaks; arriving on that first day and knowing that there's so much hidden away just waiting to be explored and then by the end you don't want to leave. Well that's exactly how I felt when I went to Barcelona last the other week for a few days...I can only rave about how good it was when people ask and I'm already thinking about when I can go back next! From Gaudì's Sagrada Famìlia and Parc Güell, to the Parc Ciutadella and the beach on the Med, Barcelona literally has everything. And of course, the food there is pretty great too. I mean, who doesn't love tapas and sangria? Well, I'd just like to share with you a few of the tasty treats that I managed to find whilst I fell in love with Barcelona... 

We found a lovely place that became our regular for breakfast, which was just round the corner from our hostel where we staying, called Caffe di Francesco. I think it may actually be Italian, but it sold a variety of Spanish pastries that made a perfect start to our day! And it did great coffee too.

Caffe di Francesco

66, Passeig de Gràcia,

08007 Barcelona.

I had a chocolate magdalena, which was delicious! The Spanish equivalent of the madeleines that I made the other week actually. Light and fluffy and suitably chocolate-y. And you can't really complain when you're basically eating a cake for breakfast!

Abbey had a canya crema which apparently was also very tasty. I had the chocolate variety another time, which was a bit like a pain au chocolat (and in fact, I think it's just the Spanish version of it), but the pastry was flakier and the chocolate in the middle was more like cream. I'd definitely reccommend it!

The place just generally had a nice feel to it: a buzzy atmosphere, friendly staff and so convenient for us. If you're ever in Barcelona anywhere near here, make it your port of call breakfast. Apparently there are a few others dotted around the city too. If you can't find one though, just be sure to try a canya xocolata! It doesn't feel like breakfast, but when you're on holiday you're allowed to eat dessert for breakfast! And if the Spanish do it, why can't you?

Of course, a trip to Spain (for me anyway!) cannot go by without eating some tapas. So on our first night we headed out in search for some typical Spanish food. This was aided somewhat by the most brilliant guidebook that I have ever purchased (and yes, I did not stop going on about it the whole time I was there!). It's called 'Top 10 Barcelona' and at only £4.79 it's definitely worth getting, because it led us to all sorts of hidden treasures that we never would have known existed otherwise. One of such places was a cute little tapas restaurant that I don't think we would have noticed without knowing about it, because it doesn't look like much from the outside. It did fantastic tapas though, with all the usuals, our waiter was friendly and it was very reasonably priced. I just can never get used to the fact that the Spaniards eat their evening meal so late! We went at about 8pm and it was virtually empty, but we were hungry so the delicious food was all that mattered to us! Don't let the outside put you off and give this authentic little tapas restaurant a try. The only slight downside was that they didn't serve sangria (which shocked me slightly...no sangria in a Spanish restaurant?!), but as we soon realised it's not difficult to find in Barcelona and it was soon forgotten once we had a glass of wine on the table!

Bodega La Palma

7, Carrer de la Palma de Sant Just,

08002, Barcelona

Chorizo, patatas bravas and some sort of vegetable pastry (I can't remember the name of it!). All extremely garlic-y, but I expected nothing less!

Again, I can't remember the name of this either, but I think it was potato-based with vegetables inside. As you can see, it's deep-fried too (which a lot of it was), so you really don't need many dishes. I think we ordered about 6 between the two of us.

And of course, a truly tapas meal isn't complete without a Spanish tortilla. Yum! In the background you can just see the bread too which with the tomato and garlic on top (which we had to smush on ourselves in one restaurant!) is a Catalan speciality apparently. Delicious.

I must also tell you about THE most amazing market we found. Now I have a little thing for markets anyway and so I try to go to the market that's on in Aix at least once a week to pick up some fruit and veg. The smells, the hustle and bustle, the beautiful array of colours...it just makes me want to buy everything! And wish that we had markets as good as this back home. I have to admit though that the Mercat de la La Boquería, just off Las Ramblas, beats Aix's little market any day. For one thing, it's massive. When I was offered a map as I walked in, I thought, "don't be so stupid, why would I need a map to navigate a market?" but as I stepped inside I quickly realised that it would definitely be somewhere I'd get lost in (especially with my brilliant appaling sense of direction!). That just gives you an idea of the size of it. I don't think I've ever seen so much fresh food displayed so beautifully in one place! There was virtually every fruit imagineable, and nearly every one had been made into a fruit juice, vegetables I didn't recognise, ostrich eggs, duck eggs, bog-standard hen eggs, fish (and a very pungent smell to go with it), cheese, sausages, mushrooms of all varieties, sweets, chocolates, cakes and every type of offal that can be eaten, which I must confess did make me feel a little queasy! It was definitely an experience and if you get the chance you must go!!

Mercat de la La Boquería

91, La Rambla

08001, Barcelona

Before we left, we had just enough time (and left just enough room!) to fit in a visit to a cute little café for xurros, which again was recommended to us in the guidebook. I don't think I've actually ever had xurros before and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The chocolate we were given was very dark and intense and perhaps a bit bitter for my liking, but I'm glad I tried it. My trip wouldn't have been complete without it! It was all served to us very nicely anyway (and by a rather lovely looking waiter!) and was certainly the perfect end to a perfect holiday. I will definitely be going back to Barcelona, but in the meantime I'm going to make the most of my last month or so in France and eat as much French food as possible before I have to say goodbye to my beloved Aix. 

Granja La Pallaresa

11, Carrer de Petritxol,

08002, Barcelona

  

But honestly, you MUST go to Barcelona. You're missing out if you don't!

 

Moelleux au Chocolat

Firstly, I'm sorry for my lack of blogging lately! I don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone actually - they've flown by and I seem to have been ridiculously busy. A couple of days ago I got back from a wonderful trip to Barcelona, which I will be blogging about in the not-too-distant future I hope, because there a lot of food-orientated things I'd like to share with you. For now though, I'll leave you with this recipe that is certain to get your tastebuds going. Granted, today's beautifully sunny weather here in Aix does not particularly make me want to bake this, but when have I ever been known to refuse chocolate?!

How often do you go down the dessert aisle at the supermarket and hope that today will be the day that the Gü chocolate fondant puddings will be on offer? But oh, that would be too good to be true! And it's always when I really fancy something far too chocolatey, when a bar of Cadbury's just doesn't do the job. I simply can't justify spending over £3 on two tiny desserts though, even if I do convince myself that it's worth it because you get to keep the little ramekins they come in. Well fear not, because I have found a recipe for them (courtesy of Rachel Khoo's TV programme that I am just a little bit in love with still!) so you can make them whenever you want! They might even taste better. And they've got a little twist, because not only does the chocolate come oozing out when you break into it, but a pool of caramel too. If this hasn't got your tastebuds going, I don't know what will!!

Considering how impressive these desserts look, there's not really much too them. You don't even need ramekins, because I improvised with a little coffee cup. The key is to not cook them for too long, because it's the fact that they're a little under-cooked that means you get the melted chocolate in the middle. This is also why it's important to let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking. Surprisingly, the caramel sauce is very simple to make too. And literally all you need is sugar and cream. Yes, they're not the healthiest of desserts, but then that's what makes them taste soooo wonderfully delicious! Give them a go and you can bake away to your heart's content...without having to worry whether or not there's an offer on at Sainsbury's!

Moelleux au Chocolat     makes 6

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
150g Dark Chocolate (so it tastes as chocolatey as possible!)
85g Butter
170g Sugar
85g Flour
6 Eggs
Cocoa Powder

For the caramel sauce:
150g Sugar
150ml Cream

Method:

1. Start off by making the sponge. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring gently.
2. Whilst this is melting, grease the ramekins (or coffee cups in my case!) with butter and coat in cocoa powder.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir the sugar and flour together.
4. Add the melted butter and chocolate and stir through.
5. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the mixture, sitrring through again thoroughly.
6. Put the mixture into the ramekins so they are about two thirds full.
7. Place in the fridge and chill for at least an hour.
8. Whilst the mixture is chilling, get on with the caramel sauce. Sprinkle enough sugar to cover the bottom of a medium-sized saucepan.
9. Cook until it melts and turns golden brown and then add the rest of the sugar.
10. Continue cooking until it turns the colour of Coke.
11. Add the cream. Stand back at this point as it does boil up.
12. Cook until it coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 108 degrees if you have a themometer!).
13. Pour into a bowl and cool in the fridge, but it does have to stay runny.
14. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
15. Remove the chilled ramekins from the fridge.
16. Transfer the caramel sauce to a piping bag (or a sandwich bag in my case!).
17. Push the end of the piping bag into the mixture and squeeze some of the caramel sauce out.
18. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until they are cooked around the edges, but still gooey in the middle.
19. Turn the ramekins upside down onto a small plate and enjoy! You will not be disappointed, I promise! Well, I wasn't anyway...
    

 

Also, I apologise for the lack of real photos of the finished product for this post. I recently deleted all the photos on my camera, which I literally NEVER do. Now I know why. I forgot to upload the beautiful photos I took of my moelleux au chocolat onto my laptop. Typical. I definitely won't be doing that again anyway. I've included some chocolate-y pictures despite this, as I don't think you can get a dessert that's more chocolate-y! It just gives me an excuse to make them again I guess!!