'Jannat' in a Jar: AKA Nutella.

In Arabic, 'Jannat' means heaven. And to me, that's exactly what Nutella is. Well any hazelnut spread really, but nothing beats good ol' Nutella. I just can't express my love for this chocolatey goodness. On hot toast in the mornings or as a midnight snack, with breadsticks, chappatis even. Anything! The best is, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, getting your fingers dirty and licking them off straight from the jar. It turns all of us into big kids.

When hazelnut meets chocolate, awesome chemistry is made. And at times I've wanted to sandwich macarons or other goodies with Nutella. But sometimes, the shop bought jar doesn't quite fit in with the homemade baked delights.

Recently, I ran out (shock horror) and thought I'd make my own. I read that it tastes better. I mean what could possibly be better than Nutella!? So I thought I'd finally give it a go.

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients: 
230g hazelnuts
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 and 1/4 cup icing sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons any flavourless oil, hazelnut oil works better, if available.
1/4 teaspoon salt

HOW TO MAKE THIS GOD GIVEN GIFT:

• Get your hazelnuts and put it in a baking tray in the middle shelf of an oven to roast for around 15 minutes. Or until you get a hazelnutty aroma wafting in the kitchen, but then that could also signal that they're burnt so....errr just keep an eye on 'em.

•If they're blanched you've saved yourself a lot of time. It also shows you have common sense to buy blanched nuts so you don't have to take the skin off later. But if you're non-sensical, like myself, (is that even a word?!) then once roasted, place them in a bowl with another bowl the same size on top and shake, shake, shake them, 'till they're practically naked.

•Grind them in a food processor until it turns into a thick paste like consistency, make sure to get all the oil out of them.

•Dollop in your icing sugar, oil, vanilla extract and salt and blend away. 

•Now it could still be really thick, in that case add a bit more oil, if it's too smooth then you could add more icing sugar, or grind it for longer, some of us prefer it that way however. I know I do if I'm also gonna use it to fill stuff.

And voila, you have your own Nutella and though it's not quite the same, it tastes 100x more flavoursome then the real thing! Like heavennn *sings* And it couldn't be easier!

Kinda just added my own label, because I'm cool like that.

Also, I just discovered that Nutella is actually pronounced as 'Noo-tella'. I think I fell more into a fit of hysterics, rather than disappointment as I found this out. Seriously?! NOO-tella. With my pea-NOOT butter sandwich?! Ha! No. Just no.

Try not to sleep with the jar of this amazing stuff. Because that's weird. Not that I do that or anything...

The Dainty Cook x

Bake Yourself Happy.

Some of you may have noticed (or maybe none of you, I guess I'm not that popular), that I've kapeesh-ed for a while. I'd been a busy bee over the summer and also a very very lazy bee. I can barely use my lappy because they are so full of food and other photos resided over time thanks to Mr Canon and so, haven't really been photographing my recent bakes. No photos, no awesome blog posts, of course.

But I will soon. Pinky pwomise.

More macaron antics in the summer

And now, final year of uni is taking it's toll on me, as I inevitably expected. But no, I promised myself I shall still continue to bake. I mean why do I have to stop? Well you see the thing for me is, I use baking as means of channeling my stress elsewhere? As a means of distraction. You see, when I'm stressed, or anxious or just have something on my mind, I bake.

And I like to make more complex things because it takes longer, it needs the utmost concentration and dedication and with that - for that day - for that moment - I forget about everything else, as I stand amazed by my finished baked good. Or appalled even. And it's actually one of the only things I can successfully concentrate on.

Decorated a cake with these royal icing sheep recently, took agesss.

Whilst being at uni however, I just don't feel like I can do that. I don't have time to spend on faffing over how each length of pastry aren't exactly the same measurements or the butter icing isn't completely level or smooth, yanowarramean? I have to let go of my perfectionism and compromise on style. And you know, sometimes the er, not nicest looking of things, actually turn out to be one of the bestest things you've ever eaten!

So anyway, while I have been baking these past few weeks, I'm consciously aware of the fact that I have deadlines looming, books to be read, dissertations to be started and I'm not very relaxed as I work my hands into a bowl of flour. In fact, now it's more of a form of procrastination. Don't get me wrong, I have a HUGE sweet tooth and I always get urges to bake, even if it is 3am in the morning. I love it, it's fun, it's crafty, you don't even have to be good at it. Also it's food. I like food.

Snailbons!

And then I realised, who gives a crap about whether it's simple or takes forever to do, as long as I've baked something that tastes good, I'm happy. And that's why I bake. To lift the low mood, the humdrum of a glum day and not just because I can't be bothered to read Austen.

I mean these no bake type makes are a GOD send - and I've been doing more of these recently.

Peanut butter cup with Marshmallow, mmm. I'll show you how I made this and take a better pic soon, promise!

And I think while stress and anxiety levels are kinda peaking right now, I shall stick to these no-bake wonders that the Lord has blessed us all with.

Yeah so the next coupla posts will be 'quickies' made whilst I've been overwhelmed with too much Wordsworth and words in general. Or I might just stop posting, again. (Also for photos, instagram wins. SorryNotSorry.)

Go ahead and bake yourself happy, which is what Marian Keyes does. I like her. I do.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pie.

The Dainty Cook x

Temperamental Twats: The Macaron.

Yes, this is yet another post about macarons. If you haven't noticed (minus my last two recipes) I hadn't blogged in a while. Why not? Well whilst I did do some making and baking, which I quite frankly, was too lazy to type up, I was busy perfecting my 'macaronage'. Or trying to anyway.

As I mentioned in my post 'Macaron Madness', these have become as popular as the teenage obsession with Zayn Malik's hair. (I'm not going to lie, I think he is gorgeous!) They're like a little French delicacy I guess. Existing in a variety of flavours, fillings and colours, there's just something about them that I cannot get enough of. 

I am obsessed.

They're pricey and they're scarce where I live, so I thought I'd rise up to the challenge and make them myself.

Now let me tell you this straight mate. Unless you have magic hands or an enormous stroke of good luck and chance by your side, you will NOT get these right the first time. Like the title of this suggests, these idiots are far too temperamental. Do mind my language, I only use such terms when I'm annoyed. And oh boyyy have these buggers frustrated the hell out of me!

So in my recent trials, I've had around one fail. One okay. One awesome-oh-my-god-I-am-a-baking-queen and one good attempt (in that order.)

It takes practise, patience and persistence to get these right. Each time you make a mistake, you learn and you know better for the next time, so don't be disheartened. I mean, if you're an emotional lass like me, I actually got rather disappointed. BUT I WILL KEEP MAKING THEM UNTIL I CONSISTENTLY GET THEM TO BE AWESOME. *Breathes* Let's start with the recipe perhaps…

Oh, before we begin, I used the Italian meringue for this (that's what produced the awesome and good batches) as the French one's didn't work quite as well for me. Apparently they create more consistent results as you don't end up over-whipping the macaron mixture. The italian meringue involves heating sugar to a controlled temperature, whereas the French version doesn't. [Thank you BakerSt Cakes for this tip :) Do check out his lovely baked goods guys!]

As my macaron book (Macarons by Annie Rigg) uses only the French method I decided to google an Italian version. This lead me to annies-eats: How to Make Macarons Step by Step, (thank you annie-eats), which I then took and adapted.

Ingredients

215g almond powder

215g icing sugar 

82g and 90g egg whites, divided 

236g normal granulated sugar, plus a pinch 

158g water

Makes around 140 shells. Bear in mind not all batches will come out perfect if it's your first time!

Method:

• In a food processor, process away the icing sugar and almond powder, to make sure they are combined and extra fine.
• Sift this into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre (we don't want any lumps 'n' bumps folks!)
• Pour in the 82g of egg whites and mix until it is pastey and thick. This may take some strength to do, or maybe I'm just weak, whatever..

• Place the granulated sugar in a saucepan with the water on medium heat along with a sugar thermometer. When the temperature reaches around 200˚F - okay fine you can cheat and start a bit earlier like I did, I can get impatient sometimes - take another clean bowl and whip the other portion of egg whites, adding a pinch of sugar.

• Continue with the egg whites until they reach soft peaks, whilst checking on the sugar. When the sugar reaches 248˚ F take it off the heat.

• Pour this sugar syrup down the side of the bowl while whip-whip-whipping away on a higher speed until they are stiff and glossy! My mixture wasn't as stiff as it could have been, but they turned out fine so don't worry.
• This is the time to get creative. If you want to colour your macarons. Do it NOW. For these I added red food colouring gel to achieve a dark pinky colour. I use a cocktail stick to do this. I also added freeze dried raspberry pieces/powder to give it a bit of flavour. 
• Fold in the meringue with the almond paste, being careful not to over-mix.

• Pop the mixture into a piping bag with a plain round nozzle and pipe small rounds on baking paper on a baking tray. To help you get perfect circles draw small rounds on the paper and flip the paper on the other side. Conversely, you could buy a silicon mat! If the mixture is too thick it will stay the size you've piped, too thin and it will spread too much. You want it in between.

Bang the mat/tray on the table to let out air bubbles.

• Annie's version says you don't have to let them rest, but it is important that you do let them rest until a skin forms at the top and they are not wet to touch. This is to avoid cracks as the air will then escape from the bottom 'feet' of the macarons. Again another tip from BakerSt Cakes!
• Now you're supposed to put them in a preheated oven and then turn it down to 160degrees C. I didn't do this as my macarons ended up cracking. Instead I switched on the fan oven to 150 and placed them in straightaway. They took longer to bake, 15-25 minutes, but it meant that they wouldn't crack and I wouldn't have to waste my efforts and end up sulking at a failed batch. I say you just keep experimenting with your oven. If you can put it higher then go for it, I'm not a fan of waiting around for too long to be honest.
• Keep a close watch on them though, they are unpredictable fools.

• And there ya go me lovlies. They should come out smoooth, shiny with risen feet. You can fill em up with whatever you like! I used white chocolate and dark chocolate ganache (separately): Simply melt 200g of choccy in a bowl over simmering heat, add 150ml double cream, 5 tbsps butter and whisk away! Then pipe them on a shell and leave to set.

 

The end product: Raspberry and Chocolate Macarons.

They're just one of the best things I have tasted and created! They should be crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Ideally, you should put them in the fridge for a day for the flavours to mature.

I then tried making these again but in more flavours. Mango with a mango crème filling. Peanut butter with a peanut butter and choccy filling and strawberry with chocolate ganache.

I'm going to have to admit, not all of these worked as well as I hoped. I had to keep them in the oven for agess and they ended up being more crisp than expected. Nonetheless, they were still devoured!

Boxed up for friends!

So have a go! They're dainty, yet fab. I'm still going to be perfecting my technique and trying out other recipes until I get them to be constantly immaculate. The next time you hear from me, I may complain that I have gone half bald..

I guess they really are 'bad boys.'

Au revoir mes amis.

Dainty Cook x

Get Loose: Chocolate and Honeycomb Mousse

A chocoholics paradise, this decadent mousse packed with rich honeycomb pieces will surely drive you and your taste buds wild!

Cooling, chocolate fixing, 'I want more' you will be gagging.

I love choccy mousse. I can't even tell you why. It's just so mmmmmmm *slowly sinks down on the sofa and licks lips* The smooth texture, the rich taste, the sweet fusion of the crunchy honeycomb. It's just overly seductive for the tongue. Can you get these in the supermarkets? No. 

Having to buy appetising products that are only 'suitable for vegetarians' is difficult. Chocolate mousse is a rare breed in this category, particularly one that screams a good consistency and explodes with flavour in your mouth as you eat it. The rest are just plain, limp and hardly chocolatey at all. 

So guys, have a try at this lucious little recipe. You won't regret it and it's a bitta fun!

Serves 6

Honeycomb Ingredients:

5 tbsps granulated sugar

2 tbsps golden syrup

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Bit of sunflower oil to grease.

Method:

 

• On some greasproof paper/baking sheet spread oil all over to grease and set aside on top of a chopping board.
• Meanwhile, place the sugar and syrup in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns a golden caramel colour.
• Lastly, to make it foam up, quickly whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and pour it onto the paper, leaving it too cool for at least 10 mins.

Mousse Ingredients:

200g plain dark chocolate (or milk chocolate if you prefer a less sweeter/rich taste)

200ml double cream

4 eggs, separated

Method:

• Heat the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave to cool slightly.
• Stir in the egg yolks.

• In another bowl, with a hand held whisk, lightly whip the cream achieving soft peaks and fold into the chocolate mixture. Don't worry if it melts in, it's supposed to do that.

• Whisk the egg whites in a large clean bowl, reaching stiff peaks. Fold this into the chocolate cream.
• THE BEST BIT: grab your honeycomb slab and smash it into small chunks with a back end of a wooden spoon! (At this point, think about someone who you really hate or annoys you. TRUST me, it's very therapeutic!)

• Fold the honeycomb into the mousse, leaving some for decoration (and some to nibble on in the meantime of course!) Fill 6 glasses or bowls with the mousse and leave it in the fridge for 10 mins or until set.

• Sprinkle the leftover honeycomb on top just before you serve it. If you leave it too long in the heat it does tend to melt.

And voila! You have yourselves a sweet tooth's dream dessert!

[For those who love mousse, but prefer something less sweet, try milk chocolate or do without the honeycomb - although I think it gives it more bite and makes it less boring!]

What do lot you think of this recipe? 

The Dainty Cook x

Simply Strawberry Gelato (and a bit of Italy).

Simply Strawberry gelato.

When I think of gelato I instantaneously refer back to my lovely memories of Italy. Prior to my first visit in 2009, I heard a great deal about their gelatos by many who had been there. My dad would go every year for business and would always return praising their food, particularly their creamy confections.

Growing up with an absolute love for ice cream, this was music to my ears. I had to see what the fuss was all about. It was a must.

Daddy agreed to take the family and off we went, planning to visit various cities in Italia! Everyone was excited as we decided to head off to Venice, Rome, Florence and Pisa, thinking about all the things we were going to see and do. Yet there was a slightly younger me, who as thrilled as I was on the concept of an amazing holiday: could only ponder on whether my frozen friend would live up to my expectations over there. I mean you know, people exaggerate and have different tastes...and hey I love my ice cream!

Strolling along the Venetian streets, the gelato was one of the first things I ate. The initial verdict? Very tasty, but it lacked the 'wow factor' I believed I would experience.

We then went to another gelateria.

Yup. It was like I stepped right into heaven. Uber creamy, super flavoursome, extremely nom. My taste buds went frantic, a huge smile appeared on my face and my heart was content. Could it get any better than that?!

Throughout that trip we visited various gelaterias each day. We learnt that some places were good and others were OUTSTANDING. It was a matter of finding the right places, identified by the huge flavours some had. Just looking at the vast array of these was like staring at a colourful painting. Mesmerising.

Gelateria in Rome.

Anyway, enough about my trip. The reason why I thought I'd add that anecdote is because, sadly, English ice cream does not live up to that standard. This is why I make my own!

So what is the difference between 'gelato' and 'ice cream' or is it the same thing?! Well yes and no. While the word gelato is used by Italians for ice cream, there are diversities. Gelato has less fat, (so more milk than cream compared to ice creams) and less air, so it doesn't crystallise while frozen. I'll explain that better later, but for now, the recipe!

Ingredients:
300g hulled strawberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
200ml whole milk
100ml double cream

Method:

•  Remove the strawberry stems and chop them in half or quarters.

• Place them in a blender or food processor adding the icing sugar and lemon juice and blend until it has turned into a red purée. I'd check the sweetness here, if it needs more icing sugar feel free to add some more as sweet as you'd like it.

• Get your ice cream machine out* -- I own a Magimix Gelato Chef 2200. Amazing machine with a built in freezer so you can practically eat it straightaway! Churn the purée until think, being careful not to over churn it.

• Slowly add in the milk while the machine is on and then add the cream and churn until a thick gelato consistency.

* If you don't have a machine, don't worry you can still make ice-cream! Instead, freeze the purée until thick (not frozen) and mix in the milk. Then whip the cream, fold it into the purée mix and freeze to a gelato like consitency. To stop it from crystallising and turning icy, after every hour or so, keep folding or whipping the mixture to let out air and break the particles.

Another difference between the two is that Gelato is served at a slightly warmer temperature and isn't so watery as it melts. This is crucial. I froze mine for too long so ended up being like ice cream, but all you need to do is leave it out. I on the other hand, couldn't wait to eat it in this super hot weather! Also, I think next time I'd use a lot more strawberries to get more flavour and colour. Nonetheless, it was still delicious and refreshing :)

The finished product!

I put mine in wine glasses, added fresh strawberries and a chocolate piece (made from ganache) to give that 'showstopper' feel!

How can you not resist to make some in this current heatwave? 

I went back to Italy last year and I really could not get enough of this stuff. Who else agrees that they are a-may-zinggg?! Lemme know folks!

Ciao!

The Dainty Cook x

Swan Lake Pastries

Who said the only form of art is a painting? Baking is also an art involving the correct blend of ingredients, the right balance of flavours and textures in order to concoct a masterpiece. A masterpiece that all will want to ferociously devour, yet would hesitate in doing so, because of it's impressive countenance and the dedicated craftwork it took to assemble. The idiom 'feast one's eyes upon' would come to perfect use in this instance.

And that's exactly what happened when I made these 'Swan Lakes'. My mother refused to eat it. "Can't I just keep it on the kitchen worktop to look at? It's like a mini swan statue!" She then gave in to the luring aroma of the Chantilly cream.

The swans, made of Choux pastry consist of sliced strawberries, Chantilly cream and a raspberry coulis. They are simple to make, the only difficult part is getting the pastry right.

For the Choux pastry:
120g plain flour
75g butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
175ml water.

• Melt the butter in a pan with the water and bring to heat, making sure that it doesn't boil.
• Take it off heat and add the sifted flour in and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until it turns into a smooth pasty.
• Place it back on the heat and beat gently until it turns into a glossy dough.
• Leave the dough to rest until it is cool.
• When you have impatiently waited ages for it to cool down like I did, add in the eggs bit by bit and mix away until it resembles a thick paste (you have to pipe these!)

• Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe long 'S' shapes .
• Pop em in the oven for 15 minutes or when you see them turn nice and crisp.
• With the remaining dough, spoon ovals for the body and place in the oven for half an hour.
• After half an hour open the oven door to let out the steam (these swans have some hot bodies you know!) Bake for 5 minutes.
• Pierce a small whole in your oval to let steam out and bake again for 5 minutes until brown.

It's a long process, but worth it when it comes out correctly!
This pastry can be used for eclairs and Profiteroles too :)

Chantilly cream:
250ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add all the ingredients together and whip away, but make sure to stop when stiff peaks form!

Raspberry coulis:
250g fresh raspberries
1tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp icing sugar

Place all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend away. Mine however, came out thicker than I preferred as I kept adding more sugar to make it sweeter.

With all the components made all you need to do is assemble your swan. Pour the coulis in your serving plate, then make sure to cut the base and fill with strawberries and pipe the cream with a star shaped nozzle and then add the wings!

There you go, simple right?

They're beautiful and oh so scrumptious to eat. My family loved them! :)

The Dainty Cook x

White Chocolate 'Slab' Cake.

Want to know how this mouthwatering, pretty gem was made?

Filled and coated with fresh cream and jam, topped with chocolate curls and fresh berries.

Well, you've come to the right place.

Boredom beckoned and my new kitchen called. It was time to start baking again! But what to make? I was in the mood for cake. What kind though? I wanted to create something with an elegant touch, something with chocolate. Now cigarellos are a common elegant addition to cakes, they give them that nice chic finish. They look lovely, but they sure do cost a bomb. Around £25 for 500-750g, I may as well buy a cake for that much! Then I thought, chocolate shards - though they would have been too messy. Thus, the 'slabs' were born. Elegant yet edgy. Yep, that's what I was going to make.

I settled for an 8 inch Victoria Sponge cake and I was going to cover the whole thing with fresh cream. You could use buttercream instead if that's what you prefer, however in my household, fresh cream goes down better.

For the sponge:
250g softened butter.
250g* Caster sugar. 
250g self raising flour.
4 medium eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract.
1/4 cup milk to loosen (optional)
1/2 tsp baking powder (optional)

*If you know you're going to add more sweet stuff to your cake, such as buttercream, chocolate, jam etc. I'd put about 20g or so less sugar so it doesn't become overly sweet. Again this is personal preference and how you lot enjoy your cake!

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas mark 4.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
• Add an egg one at a time, whisking in between each addition of the egg so they are fully incorporated.
• Dash a teaspoon of vanilla extract in (I love sniffing this, it smells gorgeous!)
• Sift in the self raising flour using a sieve and then fold into the mixture. Beat until its thick and smooth.
• To loosen it up a lil, pour in around a quarter of a cup of milk. You don't have to add the whole thing at once and you don't have to add as much, I just prefer my mixture to be slightly runny.
• If you want, put some baking powder in the end and mix awayyy.
• Grease your cake tins (non stick) with butter and dollop half the mixture in one and half in the other, then flatten it out by shaking the tin. I like to pretend i'm Mexican and shake along with the tins, but you know, that's optional too.

That's all it takes folks! Pop 'em in the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 mins or until they turn a nice golden colour.

Now that the main sponge has been effortlessly created. Here comes the messy/artsy bit - well kinda - the filling!
You can put whatever you like, peanut butter and nutella, buttercream and caramel sauce. Your choice. But the classic is always the best. I went for fresh cream and strawberry jam. Nom.

Filling:
500ml Double cream
Strawberry/Raspberry Jam.

Method:

• Once the sponges are done, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool. Then transfer on to a wire rack till they're completely chillin'!
• Whip up all the cream, adding around 15g of caster sugar (I just chucked some in to be honest) in, half way through the whipping process.
• On one sponge spread a good amount of the whipped cream. On the other, spread some generous spoonfuls of jam.
• Now it's time for the jam and cream to kiss. Carefully place the jammed cake on top of the other and press down.
• Coat the rest of the cake in cream and leave to set.

Filling: DONE.

Okay, so the slightly fiddly and tricky bit starts here. The chocolate slabs and the deco!

Usually tempering with chocolate involves thermometers and heating and cooling chocolate to a specific temperature in order to achieve a nice glossy finish. I however, think that's unnecessary with white chocolate and we can all use our own initiative with this technique.

For this you would use the same method as for chocolate shards. The difference is, we're making squares/rectangles by measuring them out.


Chocolate Slabs:
280g Plain White chocolate (chopped).
Baking Paper or Acetate.

I used baking paper as it is easily available and we all have it somewhere in our kitchen..

Method:

• Line a tray with baking paper so that it just fits inside.
• To melt the chocolate, fill a saucepan with water and place a bowl on top. You could use a microwave, but I feel that this has more control and you're less likely to go wrong.
• Throw in your chocolate and leave to melt on a high heat, stirring occasionally. When it has all melted leave to cool for a minute. 
• Drizzle the melted chocolate over the paper and then spread thinly and evenly all over with a spatula. Leave to cool.
• After it's cooled, though not entirely set, measure out and score the rectangles using a ruler. Mine were about 9cmX7cm. (I checked the height of my cake.) Once you've done this, put them in the fridge to harden.
• When they've hardened, re-score the chocolate carefully and separate the rectangles. You will now have your slabs in shape!
• Lastly, very very carefully peel off the paper from the chocolate, this can be fiddly, so take your time.
• Once you have your slabs press one side into the edge of the cake and repeat all the way round. I put the rippled effect facing the outside, but you could turn them the other way for a smoother finish. 

The cake looks pretty even when plain, but I decided to go the extra mile and add milk and white chocolate curls on top and then decorated them with fresh berries, which  compliment the cream. And voila! You have a perfectly chic cake fit for any special occasion.

The berries really 'shine' out amongst the white chocolate.

If I do say so myself, it was one of the best cakes I had tasted in a while. So moist, light and delicious, yet beautiful to look at too.

If I can make it, so can you :)

Let me know how you lot get on!


The Dainty Cook x