after being cooked :)
savage :D
Thursday 8 December 2011
Choux Buns (delia style, meaning you cant go wrong)
To make about 30 choux buns you will need 2½ oz (60 g) of strong plain flour. As it needs to be added really quickly into the water and melted butter, fold a sheet of to make a crease and then open it up again. Sift the flour straight on to the square of paper and add a teaspoon of caster sugar.
put 5 fl oz (150 ml) of cold water in a medium-sized saucepan together with 2 oz (50 g) of butter, cut into small pieces, then place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately, as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water.
Then tip the flour in – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other with a wooden spoon.
Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute.
Next beat 2 large eggs well, then beat them into the mixture – a little at a time, mixing each addition in thoroughly before adding the next.
Beat until you have a smooth glossy paste. At this stage, lightly grease a baking sheet then hold it under cold running water for a few seconds, and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamier atmosphere, which, in turn, helps the pastry to rise.
To make the choux buns, place teaspoons of the mixture on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) between them, then bake on a high shelf in a pre-heated oven – gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) – for 10 minutes. After that, increase the heat to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C), and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the buns are crisp, light and a rich golden colour.
Pierce the side of each one to let out the steam, and cook for a few mins more and then cool them on a wire rack.
when they are completely cool whip some cream. add a drop of vanilla essence to the cream and using a piping bag pipe the cream into the buns through the hole you pierced into them.
melt some chocolate and then pour the choclate over them, yes it is messy and will destroy the counter but tis good craic :)
let the choclate harden, actually put them in the fridge cause they're nicer when they're cold.
ta dah, be proud :)
put 5 fl oz (150 ml) of cold water in a medium-sized saucepan together with 2 oz (50 g) of butter, cut into small pieces, then place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately, as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water.
Then tip the flour in – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other with a wooden spoon.
Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute.
Next beat 2 large eggs well, then beat them into the mixture – a little at a time, mixing each addition in thoroughly before adding the next.
Beat until you have a smooth glossy paste. At this stage, lightly grease a baking sheet then hold it under cold running water for a few seconds, and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamier atmosphere, which, in turn, helps the pastry to rise.
To make the choux buns, place teaspoons of the mixture on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) between them, then bake on a high shelf in a pre-heated oven – gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) – for 10 minutes. After that, increase the heat to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C), and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the buns are crisp, light and a rich golden colour.
Pierce the side of each one to let out the steam, and cook for a few mins more and then cool them on a wire rack.
when they are completely cool whip some cream. add a drop of vanilla essence to the cream and using a piping bag pipe the cream into the buns through the hole you pierced into them.
melt some chocolate and then pour the choclate over them, yes it is messy and will destroy the counter but tis good craic :)
let the choclate harden, actually put them in the fridge cause they're nicer when they're cold.
ta dah, be proud :)
Saturday 29 October 2011
bipolar day
only in ireland can one wake up to terential rain and now be basking in sunshine, however cold it might be, no wonder my entire family are dieing of the flu with bipolar weather like that.
I know im not the only person who loves rainy days as long as i get to stay indoors, rainy days when i have to go out are a whole other story but days like this annoy me. you wake up, hear the rian and feel justified in doing absolutely nothing for the day so you plan out your glorious lazy day, read a book, bake something, wear your ugly tracksuit, no make up or hair straightening just a complete strip back easy day spent on pure self rejuvenating. and then the afternoon comes round and it stops raining and the sun comes out with a vengance and then you feel so guilty for your lazy day, suddenly something in your mind tells you that today can not be a lazy day, you must get up and make yourself look decent and go out about in the world and get things done whilst the weather is in your favour. and 9 times out of 10, you get up, shower, get dressed, hair, make-up, the lot and an hour of effort later, head into the busy world to become one of those busy people rushing around paying no attention trying to get the following week sorted before it rains again.
i prefer when it rains all day
but today i have decided even if the sun is there i will not leave my room, i will sit here talking to you and trawling through cook books looking for inspiration to keep things ticking over in the vast cavern of my head reserved solely for all my food knowledge. well at least i will until about half 7 when i must do myself up to a grand extent for a party, but by then i shall be refreshed and able and more than willing.
days like these (if it were raining, but mentally i believe its raining) are perfect cooking days. days that you spend entirely in the kitchen. 5 hours will pass by without much thought or effort, just enjoyment. but what to make on days like this, nothing simple, you want a challenge, somthing to absorb your mind and take you out of the world around and contain you in the kitchen and music. so we start hawling the cook books up to bed and go through them page by page like you havent read them already.
and just as stereo hearts by gym class hereos kicks in to put you in the good mood we find just the thing :) croque en bouche- crunch in the mouth in rachel allen's book 'bake'. a glorious looking tower of profiteroles covered in caramel. a french wedding cake. each profiterole filled with a chantilly creme. it looks like a feast designed for lazy days, to consume time and produce something worth while and make you feel like you didnt waste the day. i suppose we'd just have to reduce the recipe, an entire wedding cake is a bit much me thinks. lazy days are all well and good unless we gain weight, then we arent happy at all.
yes i think i shall have to attempt this this weekend, unless my mother highjacks the kitchen but i'll try my best cause this is a stunner and i have it in my head and it'll be like a twitch until i do it.
i'll leave you the recipe with some of the songs that i'll be playing in the background (be warned im going through a bieber phase, yes i am a belieber no commenting on it) and i'll put up pics when i do it.
wish me luck :) and if your brave enough to try it enjoy :)
I know im not the only person who loves rainy days as long as i get to stay indoors, rainy days when i have to go out are a whole other story but days like this annoy me. you wake up, hear the rian and feel justified in doing absolutely nothing for the day so you plan out your glorious lazy day, read a book, bake something, wear your ugly tracksuit, no make up or hair straightening just a complete strip back easy day spent on pure self rejuvenating. and then the afternoon comes round and it stops raining and the sun comes out with a vengance and then you feel so guilty for your lazy day, suddenly something in your mind tells you that today can not be a lazy day, you must get up and make yourself look decent and go out about in the world and get things done whilst the weather is in your favour. and 9 times out of 10, you get up, shower, get dressed, hair, make-up, the lot and an hour of effort later, head into the busy world to become one of those busy people rushing around paying no attention trying to get the following week sorted before it rains again.
i prefer when it rains all day
but today i have decided even if the sun is there i will not leave my room, i will sit here talking to you and trawling through cook books looking for inspiration to keep things ticking over in the vast cavern of my head reserved solely for all my food knowledge. well at least i will until about half 7 when i must do myself up to a grand extent for a party, but by then i shall be refreshed and able and more than willing.
days like these (if it were raining, but mentally i believe its raining) are perfect cooking days. days that you spend entirely in the kitchen. 5 hours will pass by without much thought or effort, just enjoyment. but what to make on days like this, nothing simple, you want a challenge, somthing to absorb your mind and take you out of the world around and contain you in the kitchen and music. so we start hawling the cook books up to bed and go through them page by page like you havent read them already.
and just as stereo hearts by gym class hereos kicks in to put you in the good mood we find just the thing :) croque en bouche- crunch in the mouth in rachel allen's book 'bake'. a glorious looking tower of profiteroles covered in caramel. a french wedding cake. each profiterole filled with a chantilly creme. it looks like a feast designed for lazy days, to consume time and produce something worth while and make you feel like you didnt waste the day. i suppose we'd just have to reduce the recipe, an entire wedding cake is a bit much me thinks. lazy days are all well and good unless we gain weight, then we arent happy at all.
yes i think i shall have to attempt this this weekend, unless my mother highjacks the kitchen but i'll try my best cause this is a stunner and i have it in my head and it'll be like a twitch until i do it.
i'll leave you the recipe with some of the songs that i'll be playing in the background (be warned im going through a bieber phase, yes i am a belieber no commenting on it) and i'll put up pics when i do it.
wish me luck :) and if your brave enough to try it enjoy :)
Wednesday 26 October 2011
music to life!!!!
i know im going overkill on this sthting tonight but whatev :)
n case you havent gathered im a music nut just as much as i am a cooking nut :) so i maiintain its vital to cook with some feel good music going on in the background that will get you singing your heart out and dancing round the kitchen and put you in flying form ;)
so heres my playlist to life and cooking, well the start of it anyway i shall randomly add to it :)
heres what im feeling right now :)
enrique iglesias- i like how it feels
nicole shcerzinger- try with me
ed sheeran- lego house
joe jonas- just in love
justin bieber- baby
selena gomez- love you like a love song
n case you havent gathered im a music nut just as much as i am a cooking nut :) so i maiintain its vital to cook with some feel good music going on in the background that will get you singing your heart out and dancing round the kitchen and put you in flying form ;)
so heres my playlist to life and cooking, well the start of it anyway i shall randomly add to it :)
heres what im feeling right now :)
enrique iglesias- i like how it feels
nicole shcerzinger- try with me
ed sheeran- lego house
joe jonas- just in love
justin bieber- baby
selena gomez- love you like a love song
Scones :)
ok so i dont generally use measurements anymore, i just go by the feel of it and the look of it so i'm robbing meeasurements from a book and adapting :) bear with me :D there are other ways of making scones, some use icing sugar instaed of normal sugar, i find that makes anaemic sconees with not much of a sugar hit to them (if your going to have scones just do the dog on it like), some use sparkling water and all sorts but yano what? scones are best when kept simple and exacting to the science they were ddesigned around, i maintain thet shouldnt be messed with cause they're perfect as they are. just try and have them warm with butter and a good cup of tea :) cure for any bad day
the sugar and raisins are a prference thing, i like a good hit of sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth but some people, like my mam, dont like that (whats the point of the scone so???) so its up to you how much you put in but i wouldnt advise more than a 100g or it will be overkill on the sugar. maybe 75g. and the raisins, leave them out, load them in, few scattered around, whatever you fancy :) i give you licence to makae this your recipe :) just stick to the fundamentals :)
makes about 10
INGREDIENTS:
* 450g plain flour
* pinch of salt
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 100g butter
* sugar
* raisins
* 250ml milk
* egg
* little extra sugar
METHOD:
* preheat the oven to 220 degrees (i know thats high but trust me)
* sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, hold the sift as high as possible without making a mess that way you get as much air as possible into the mix and that will make them lovely and light :)
* add in a pinch of salt
* cut the butter up into chunks add to the flour and rub into the flour. this just means rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. i(f your butter was a bit hard before hand just cut it into smaller pieces and spend a bit longer rubbing it in and it wil be fine)
* stir in the sugar and raisins
* add in the milk a bit at a time, stirring with a butter knife until it forms a dough (you might need extra milk you might not use all the milk you have, dont panic, use as much as you need to make it into a dough that isnt too wet or too dry)
* turn the dough out a floured surface and knead it slightly (not a lot) until it comes together.
* roll out the dough and cut into whatever shapes you fancy and place them on a tray that has been lightly floured.
* then beat an egg in a bowl and using a pastry brush brush the top of each scone with some of the egg and sprinkle each with a little sugar to create a crispy top.
* then place in the oven and after about 7 mins turn the oven down to 180 degrees but do not open the oven until at least 15 mins into cooking.
* you'll know they're done when they are nice and golden, i usually break one open to see if they are cooked the whole way through
these will keep for 2 or 3 days, but the longer they are kept the tougher they get so they really are best the day you make them.
and there ya go, fool proof scones that are made to have warm with butter and jam and a big mug of tea, i suggest you have two, unless you made huge scones. bad day cure, hangover cure, busy day cure, sick cure....pretty much a cure for everything, even a good day :)
the sugar and raisins are a prference thing, i like a good hit of sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth but some people, like my mam, dont like that (whats the point of the scone so???) so its up to you how much you put in but i wouldnt advise more than a 100g or it will be overkill on the sugar. maybe 75g. and the raisins, leave them out, load them in, few scattered around, whatever you fancy :) i give you licence to makae this your recipe :) just stick to the fundamentals :)
makes about 10
INGREDIENTS:
* 450g plain flour
* pinch of salt
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 100g butter
* sugar
* raisins
* 250ml milk
* egg
* little extra sugar
METHOD:
* preheat the oven to 220 degrees (i know thats high but trust me)
* sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, hold the sift as high as possible without making a mess that way you get as much air as possible into the mix and that will make them lovely and light :)
* add in a pinch of salt
* cut the butter up into chunks add to the flour and rub into the flour. this just means rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. i(f your butter was a bit hard before hand just cut it into smaller pieces and spend a bit longer rubbing it in and it wil be fine)
* stir in the sugar and raisins
* add in the milk a bit at a time, stirring with a butter knife until it forms a dough (you might need extra milk you might not use all the milk you have, dont panic, use as much as you need to make it into a dough that isnt too wet or too dry)
* turn the dough out a floured surface and knead it slightly (not a lot) until it comes together.
* roll out the dough and cut into whatever shapes you fancy and place them on a tray that has been lightly floured.
* then beat an egg in a bowl and using a pastry brush brush the top of each scone with some of the egg and sprinkle each with a little sugar to create a crispy top.
* then place in the oven and after about 7 mins turn the oven down to 180 degrees but do not open the oven until at least 15 mins into cooking.
* you'll know they're done when they are nice and golden, i usually break one open to see if they are cooked the whole way through
these will keep for 2 or 3 days, but the longer they are kept the tougher they get so they really are best the day you make them.
and there ya go, fool proof scones that are made to have warm with butter and jam and a big mug of tea, i suggest you have two, unless you made huge scones. bad day cure, hangover cure, busy day cure, sick cure....pretty much a cure for everything, even a good day :)
whats the point again???
rearranged my room yesterday....well moved my bed....but still it gets me all excited and in a new motivated mindset to go do things with meself (im aware i need a life) but there is a lot to be said about this fung swai (not a clue how to spell it :P) crap, makes ya all happy. so yes, i am advising everyone to go reaarange there room and feel motivated in life :D
so today, with my new found enthusiasm for life, i think i'll stop and think a bit about what the hell im doing here...on my blog, not in life i dont ponder that, far too much hassle with no answers so i couldnt be bothered i just get on with it :) and in my pondering winne the pooh style i come to the conclusion that food and cooking is what im meant to do. it was either that or music, and my music talents dont go beyond singing so here i am, expressing my love and passion on a grand scale. and after a few tough years of a lot of fuck ups im dam happy to be here.
and after even more pondering i realise that what brought me to love it so much isnt being born to do it,or being naturally good at it and comfortable with it, it stemed from something as every great passion in history has. you arent born great or gifted it has to be nurtured in you. and at the start of life my mam and granny nutured it in me, and when i lost my way and went fairly far off the rails jamie oliver brought me back (dont laugh)
i still remember days standing on a chair up against the counter 'helping make scones, whch simply entailed standing at the ready with my mini rolling pin and cutters ready to beat the crap out of the bit of dough id be given, and having to have my own little bowl of raisins to stop me stealing them from the mix :) id spend a good hour rolling out the dough like my mam was doing and cutting out shapes, just to mush them all back together and go again. until eventually i'd decide i was happy with some shape and they'd get cooked. now no one had the heart to tell me that mauling the dough that much causes scones to go pretty tough and nasty. but still, mam and dad and even granny and grandad, took life in their hands, risking all sorts of poisoning and ate them whilst convincing me they were the best scones ever. times have changed, dad's my harshest crtic now but i can take it, granny and grandad still havent changed. and my scones have improved greatly...but i still have to have a bowl of raisins beside me :)
then when i grew up(17 onwards) i used baking as a way of dealing with stress, cooking well into the night after disastrous days, which brought the passion to the fore front of my mind, unable to ignore it any longer. and then i remember watching jamie's school dinners and i saw being a chef as something different to what i envisioned. it wasnt working your way up to being a head chef, to owning a restaraunt, to michelin stars and making money, it was something a little more, a bit deeper. it was a real passion, it was an ability that ccould do great things. it was a way to influence and help people. and suddeenly i knew what i wanted. and i went for it.
i want to be a chef, i want to make money, to be a head chef, to own a lot of restaraunts, to have michelin stars, but i want to do something worth while, i want to give everyone a little piece of that little girl who believed cooking was fun. who associates it with nostalgic memories and smiles that no one can take. cause cooking means a lot to me, and it shouldnt be something difficult or have to be learnt. cooking is an instnct, if you think it will work try it :)
i want to pour my passion into making the world want to eat, care about what tey eat, know what they eat. fast food is ruining the world and obesity is something that just gets to me and i dont wanna say i did nothing, as a chef i should and i will, somehow (i'm still working out the finer points). im going to do a jamie on things and try and make a difference in what people think and know about food. cause being chef is amazing, but i have no interest in being amazing, justs want to do amazing things and that way i can say it was worth my time being here :) and at the end of the day isnt that what its all about :)
so i think i'll start by paying homeage to my family, particularly my mam, who risked there lives just to make me feel good, with a recipe for scones that i now understand and do quite well :) so cheers to the mammy for instilling the passion and cheers to the family for not crushing it with honesty :)
so today, with my new found enthusiasm for life, i think i'll stop and think a bit about what the hell im doing here...on my blog, not in life i dont ponder that, far too much hassle with no answers so i couldnt be bothered i just get on with it :) and in my pondering winne the pooh style i come to the conclusion that food and cooking is what im meant to do. it was either that or music, and my music talents dont go beyond singing so here i am, expressing my love and passion on a grand scale. and after a few tough years of a lot of fuck ups im dam happy to be here.
and after even more pondering i realise that what brought me to love it so much isnt being born to do it,or being naturally good at it and comfortable with it, it stemed from something as every great passion in history has. you arent born great or gifted it has to be nurtured in you. and at the start of life my mam and granny nutured it in me, and when i lost my way and went fairly far off the rails jamie oliver brought me back (dont laugh)
i still remember days standing on a chair up against the counter 'helping make scones, whch simply entailed standing at the ready with my mini rolling pin and cutters ready to beat the crap out of the bit of dough id be given, and having to have my own little bowl of raisins to stop me stealing them from the mix :) id spend a good hour rolling out the dough like my mam was doing and cutting out shapes, just to mush them all back together and go again. until eventually i'd decide i was happy with some shape and they'd get cooked. now no one had the heart to tell me that mauling the dough that much causes scones to go pretty tough and nasty. but still, mam and dad and even granny and grandad, took life in their hands, risking all sorts of poisoning and ate them whilst convincing me they were the best scones ever. times have changed, dad's my harshest crtic now but i can take it, granny and grandad still havent changed. and my scones have improved greatly...but i still have to have a bowl of raisins beside me :)
then when i grew up(17 onwards) i used baking as a way of dealing with stress, cooking well into the night after disastrous days, which brought the passion to the fore front of my mind, unable to ignore it any longer. and then i remember watching jamie's school dinners and i saw being a chef as something different to what i envisioned. it wasnt working your way up to being a head chef, to owning a restaraunt, to michelin stars and making money, it was something a little more, a bit deeper. it was a real passion, it was an ability that ccould do great things. it was a way to influence and help people. and suddeenly i knew what i wanted. and i went for it.
i want to be a chef, i want to make money, to be a head chef, to own a lot of restaraunts, to have michelin stars, but i want to do something worth while, i want to give everyone a little piece of that little girl who believed cooking was fun. who associates it with nostalgic memories and smiles that no one can take. cause cooking means a lot to me, and it shouldnt be something difficult or have to be learnt. cooking is an instnct, if you think it will work try it :)
i want to pour my passion into making the world want to eat, care about what tey eat, know what they eat. fast food is ruining the world and obesity is something that just gets to me and i dont wanna say i did nothing, as a chef i should and i will, somehow (i'm still working out the finer points). im going to do a jamie on things and try and make a difference in what people think and know about food. cause being chef is amazing, but i have no interest in being amazing, justs want to do amazing things and that way i can say it was worth my time being here :) and at the end of the day isnt that what its all about :)
so i think i'll start by paying homeage to my family, particularly my mam, who risked there lives just to make me feel good, with a recipe for scones that i now understand and do quite well :) so cheers to the mammy for instilling the passion and cheers to the family for not crushing it with honesty :)
Saturday 22 October 2011
im old fashioned and i like it :)
got to cater for an awards night in college this week, it was unreal. was just handed a recipe and left go, it was my kind of cooking. and we actually worked togther like a real kitchen, communicating and making sure everything came together the rght way and helping each other and it just felt really good.
i also ame to the conclusion that kitchen aids are crap and i love kenwoods but im far better off doing things by hand, i just repell technology, every five seconds getting jack to take out my attachment and then put it back in, stupid machines.
i also ame to the conclusion that kitchen aids are crap and i love kenwoods but im far better off doing things by hand, i just repell technology, every five seconds getting jack to take out my attachment and then put it back in, stupid machines.
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