Archive for the 'Cakes, breads and baking' Category

Go to the recipe for Bread and butter pudding

Our friend Anthony brought round one of those panettone things on Christmas Day. In the end not a lot of it got eaten – we had a decent spread lined up already, and the panettone was kind of a last-minute whim on Anthony’s part.

For those not familiar, panettone is a kind of domed bready cake, often containing dried fruit and other goodies. It’s usually risen with yeast as opposed to baking powder. Panettone is a centrepiece at Italian Christmas tables and seems to be becoming more popular in other countries.

So Christmas came and went, as did Boxing Day, New Year’s, and the thing was still sitting there in its box, with only a few slices taken off. Continue reading ‘Panettone pudding recipe – a twist on bread and butter pudding’

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How to make rum balls: two ways, humble and posh

Published on December 20, 2010 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Quick and easy, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 4 Comments Tags: rum ball recipe.

Go to the recipe for Humble rum balls
Go to the recipe for Lenny’s faff-tastic wonder balls

It’s a good idea to have a few snack-like goodies prepared for the Christmas period and rum balls always do the trick. Our friend Angie mentioned she’d made a batch to her Nana’s recipe so Waz thought he’d follow suit.

They are based on Weetbix or Weetabix, a cereal bar made out of wheat flakes, and include condensed milk for sweetening. Instead of Weetbix, if there’s no such thing where you live, you can use a plain graham cracker, digestive biscuit or similar cookie. Continue reading ‘How to make rum balls: two ways, humble and posh’

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How to cook with truffles

Published on November 26, 2010 in Cakes, breads and baking, Chicken and poultry, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, English traditional, Favourites, Indian, Pasta, Quick and easy, Sauces, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 6 Comments

Go to the recipe for Pasta with white truffle
Go to the recipe for Eggs in cocotte with white truffle

On “schoolnights”, when everything happens at helter-skelter pace, it’s always a rush to get home from work, throw a meal together and do the day’s housekeeping before crashing into bed. If I’m lucky Waz has been on an early shift and we can share the evening duties.

So on the weekends we really like to give a lot more time and attention to creating lovely meals that we can enjoy eating at a slower pace.

I thoroughly respect the ideology of the Slow Food Movement – begun in 1986 to celebrate and enjoy local and regional cuisines. So when time permits I love to create meals that embody the Slow Food philosophy of creating the simplest of dishes, with the highest quality ingredients.

Chef Michelle and I recently treated ourselves with a whirlwind weekend trip to the centre of the white truffle universe – the Alba truffle festival in Piemonte near Turin, Italy. We ate a fantastic truffle meal at a Slow Food restaurant with some luscious local Barolo wine. We couldn’t believe our luck the following day when, while roaming the Alba hills, we ran into a local truffle hunter who sold us some white truffles that his little dog had just dug out of the ground. Continue reading ‘How to cook with truffles’

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Let the jelly roll: Swiss roll recipe from Waz’s Nana

Published on March 25, 2010 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Favourites, Quick and easy and Video recipes. 23 Comments

Go to the recipe for Swiss roll, aka jelly roll

Swiss roll – or jelly roll to the Americans and Canadians – is what Lenny likes to call a store cupboard cake. Like my Mum’s teacake, this is baking at its easiest. You’ve probably got most of the ingredients already, and the results are sure to win you a disproportionate amount of praise from your guests. Continue reading ‘Let the jelly roll: Swiss roll recipe from Waz’s Nana’

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Uncle Kev’s sausage rolls

Published on September 14, 2009 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, English traditional, Pork and Video recipes. 10 Comments

Go to the recipe for sausage rolls

This is my Uncle Kev’s sausage roll recipe, and it’s fantastic for parties. Or you can even make a double or triple batch before Christmas, Thanksgiving or local festive holiday and freeze them, then heat them up in the oven for a really quick finger-food for a big group of people. Continue reading ‘Uncle Kev’s sausage rolls’

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Crème caramel: from one flan to another

Published on May 8, 2009 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, French traditional, Sauces, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 20 Comments

Go to the recipe for crème caramel

If you want a dessert that combines simplicity and wow factor, this has got to be it – crème caramel or flan, either vanilla or au café (the latter, “with coffee”, tends to be preferred in France).

Sure you’ve got to make caramel and custard. But neither could be easier. While a careful eye is needed to get the caramel just right, if you cut and run a bit early it will probably just mean that it’s a lighter colour.

And the custard is not your fraught stove-hovering kind, where you’ve got to heat and whisk over the burner for ages while engaging in some minor bacteriological warfare until the consistency and temperature hit their alchemy point. Nope, as far as custard goes this is really a straightforward heat-and-mix job. Continue reading ‘Crème caramel: from one flan to another’

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Blackberry crumble with short ramble

Published on September 11, 2008 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 3 Comments Tags: blackberry crumble, cooking, Cooking videos, crash test kitchen, kitchen, lenny, recipe, video blog, waz.

Continue reading ‘Blackberry crumble with short ramble’

Although we haven’t had a brilliant summer here in the UK, and it looks like what we did have is pretty much over for the year, we did manage to bid a sad farewell to the summer by taking a lovely walk in the Kent countryside.

I love the public footpaths here in the UK: there is a network crossing public and private property that anyone can walk along and enjoy what the countryside has to offer. We often take a day-trip down to Kent to wander across the rolling green dales, through the fields, woodlands and orchards, taking in the fresh air.

On this particular sunny Saturday our route took us through numerous apple orchards where crisp, pink apples shone on the trees and the hedges were thick with fat, juicy blackberries.

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Portuguese custard tarts recipe (pasteis de nata)

Published on June 13, 2008 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Favourites, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 27 Comments

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I’m not much of a sweet tooth, and unlike Waz I’m not much of a coffee drinker. But when I do indulge in a proper espresso it’s always lovely to complement it with a sweet little morsel. Just like nata – or proper Portuguese custard tarts. These delicacies are made with a puff pastry base and a vanilla egg custard filling with a hint of orange zest.

They are by no means the only custard tart around. Waz and I are also huge fans of Chinese dan ta – those lovely little glossy-topped, flaky-based tarts you get when you have good yum cha (also known as dim sum). Continue reading ‘Portuguese custard tarts recipe (pasteis de nata)’

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Loaf to admit failure

Published on May 29, 2008 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Failures and redemptions, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 12 Comments Tags: baking bread, bread maker, cooking, crash test kitchen, crock pot, crockpot, homemade bread, lenny, recipes, slow cooker, waz.

You can’t beat waking up to the smell of fresh-baked bread. But how to get it without the rising, the knocking down, the second rise, and then the EARLY rise on your own part to stick the dough in the oven?

Yes yes, I’ve heard of bread machines. They seem a great idea, but aren’t they a little soulless? Load everything in the evening and it’s done in the morning – the washing machine school of cookery. Surely the tactile experience – getting your hands messy – is part of the satisfying process of baking your own bread.

From what I’ve seen, people tend to buy bread machines as a fad item, then shelve them to gather dust or ship them off to the charity store within a few months. So I’m not sure they are worth the investment. Continue reading ‘Loaf to admit failure’

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Tickety-Boo Tipsy Trifle (part 2)

Published on October 29, 2007 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional and Video recipes. 6 Comments

Preparing and gathering together the component parts of a trifle is only half the job – it is also necessary to give some thought to assembly.

Because even though trifle is ostensibly a slapdash co-mingling of separate (and according to Waz, perfectly edible separately) bits and bobs of sweetness, sharpness and creaminess, the presentation is all-important.

In fact, the appearance of trifle is probably the only thing I have liked about this traditional English pud in the past. Continue reading ‘Tickety-Boo Tipsy Trifle (part 2)’

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Trifle Part 1: The Spongeblob Redemption

Published on October 23, 2007 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional and Video recipes. 3 Comments

Remember Sponge Blob Square Pan? The absolute debacle where we tried to cook a sponge cake?

It was back in the very early days of Crash Test Kitchen. We’ve learnt a few things since then, but the idea of cooking a simple sponge still gives us the collywobbles.

But then Lenny went and decided she wanted to make a classic English trifle – and of course that involves a sponge cake sliced into fingers. This time we armed ourselves with Allegra McEvedy’s “Never Fail Victoria Sponge” recipe, as handed down by her mum and published at the Word of Mouth food blog of the Observer Food Monthly, where we do some cameo appearances. Continue reading ‘Trifle Part 1: The Spongeblob Redemption’

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About the soufflé

Published on June 4, 2007 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Favourites, French traditional, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 15 Comments

There’s an old Buddhist saying that goes something like: “When two paths open up before you, make soufflé.”

There are two main paths to soufflé, and in accordance with the true version of that Buddhist proverb, we chose the difficult one. Continue reading ‘About the soufflé’

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Project Benedict

Published on March 9, 2007 in Breakfast, Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, English traditional, French traditional, Sauces and Video recipes. 22 Comments

You’ve had eggs benedict – but what about eggs benedict on a fresh, home-made muffin with handcrafted hollandaise sauce? And what if your hollandaise “splits” in the middle of the cooking process? Can it be retrieved, or should you bin it and start again?

These and other questions answered in this marathon episode.

Strictly speaking, eggs benny is made with ham, but in our experience smoked salmon has become synonymous with the dish. Continue reading ‘Project Benedict’

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These pretzels are making us … feisty!

Published on November 16, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 18 Comments

Well. To anyone who says I give Lenny too much hassle and back-talk in the kitchen, I say just watch this episode.

I reckon I’m pretty capable with dough and have a good feel for the right texture, moisture and density. So when we decided to make pretzels – the big soft chewy bready variety, not the nasty little crunchy bar snacks – I decided to take charge.

I got hooked on these things in Canada where there was a chain in shopping malls that baked and sold them fresh. I always wonder about those instant-baked breads – do they use yeast, for example, or some sort of chemical for a quicker result? Anyway, they were still good enough to suck me in repeatedly. Continue reading ‘These pretzels are making us … feisty!’

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Joy of tarte tatin

Published on November 7, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, French traditional and Video recipes. 10 Comments

Go to the recipe for tarte tatin

A while back we had a giveaway for the Joy of Cooking cookbook’s latest edition. We were impressed by this American culinary tome – it really is quite an almanac, and we use it regularly. No surprise that when we decided to bake a tarte tatin it was right there in the index.

Tarte tatin is traditionally made with apple but we have used pear once before, and Lenny reckons you could even do it with plums. Loads of butter and sugar are simmered into a buttery, sticky toffee-caramel sauce that fuses the slices of apple to a layer of puff pastry. It’s cooked upside down, first on a hob, then in the oven, and you invert it to serve. Continue reading ‘Joy of tarte tatin’

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Cinnamon teacake

Published on October 16, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Quick and easy and Video recipes. 27 Comments

Wow! I was interviewed as an authority on food podcasting for the Guardian Unlimited newsdesk podcast this morning and can’t believe how nervous I was. I hope they managed to edit together something sensible from all my babble. You can find the interview about 16 min 40 sec into the bulletin.

Loads of stuff I forgot to mention – like how we’ve been in Time magazine, and how we’re cited in Stephanie Bryant’s new book Videoblogging for Dummies.

Go to the recipe for banoffee pie

Anyway. It’s been a while since we posted an episode – listen to the GU podcast and you’ll learn that it’s partly because our cooker/stove/oven was broken, and getting it replaced was a bit of a nightmare. Also we’ve been travelling again, and work life has been keeping us busy. But we’ve kicked back into gear and, to coincide with the Guardian interview, here’s an episode in which we make a simple teacake.

This video was previously posted incomplete, but it’s now the full episode, so if you saw “Part 1″ please watch again.

Now, about teacake. As the name suggests it’s the perfect accompaniment to a cup of your favourite leaf tea, and is as much a part of the Anglo-Australian baking repertoire as scones and sponge cake. Continue reading ‘Cinnamon teacake’

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Banoffi or Banoffee? Vol. 2

Published on May 5, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional and Video recipes. 10 Comments

If you’ve watched the last episode (this one includes a quick recap) you’ll know that we made banoffee (banoffi) pie after much pleading from our gastro-pal Chef Michelle and her hubby Phil.

Most of the work was done at our place, then we transported the components , including the fragile shortcrust base, across London to Michelle and Phil’s for completion and gustation.

The crust made it intact and the results were pretty good all round, making allowances for a little over-zealous whipping of the cream by Lenny. Continue reading ‘Banoffi or Banoffee? Vol. 2′

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Coffee, Toffee, Banoffee Pie – Vol. 1

Published on April 24, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional and Video recipes. 13 Comments

Banoffi or banoffee? The debate rages, and the inventors of this world-famous dessert, the Hungry Monk Cafe, arguably should get the last word – even though they would appear to be in the wrong, since the name stands for “banana and toffee/coffee”. Maybe the “i” is there to make it sound Italian.

Go to the recipe for banoffee pie

Our friend Chef Michelle and her man Phil had suggested we crash test this one at our house, under her supervision. But plans change, and we had to switch the dinner venue to their place at very short notice. That meant whipping up the base and filling at ours, then transporting the components across London and finishing the job at theirs.

The easiest and perhaps most dangerous way to make the basic caramel filling needed for this dessert is to submerge a can or two of condensed milk in a pot of water and boil for hours and hours. There’s always the risk of the cans exploding if you let the water level drop. Continue reading ‘Coffee, Toffee, Banoffee Pie – Vol. 1′

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Heart-melting chocolate pudding

Published on March 30, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Favourites and Video recipes. 30 Comments

Go to the recipe for heart-melting chocolate pudding

I couldn’t help it. Lenny left those blocks of delicious dark chocolate sitting there in the cupboard for weeks and weeks. Late one night I just had to have a nibble.

In the end, having not quite enough 70% cocoa dark chocolate to make these molten-centred puddings wasn’t such a big problem. Hidden away in another corner of the cupboard was some plain old Cadbury’s glass-and-a-half, and it probably took the edge off the cheek-puckering bitterness of the hardcore Green & Black’s Organic.

Lenny had been dying to cook this devilish delight after we had one at the rather posh St John restaurant in Clerkenwell, London. Continue reading ‘Heart-melting chocolate pudding’

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How to make cracking creme brulee

Published on March 8, 2006 in Cakes, breads and baking, Chicken and poultry, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Favourites, French traditional, Quick and easy, Sauces, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 23 Comments

We all want one of those chef’s blowtorches, don’t we? You know, the ones that you can use to blacken a capsicum (sorry, a pepper), blister a tomato … or make creme brulee!

I’ve had a serious addiction to this oh-so-unhealthy French dessert for years now – probably since I saw the movie Amelie, with that pixie-faced leading lady who rates “cracking creme brulee with a spoon” as one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Most restaurants have it on the menu, and I’ve eaten all sorts of variations – fruit flavoured and the like – in different parts of the world. Continue reading ‘How to make cracking creme brulee’

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Chocolate cake like mum makes

Published on December 18, 2005 in Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking techniques explained, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Favourites, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 24 Comments

I have never found a chocolate cake as good as my mum’s. Actually it’s my grandmother’s recipe, and a great one at that.

I didn’t know until I asked mum for the recipe that it’s a “boiled” cake. You don’t actually boil it to cook it – but you simmer some of the ingredients before making the final mix. Continue reading ‘Chocolate cake like mum makes’

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Here’s steak in your ale pie

Published on October 29, 2005 in Beef, Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, English traditional and Video recipes. 30 Comments

Ah, London and its familiar smells. That tantalising, fatty waft of fish and chips. That grey electric dust that gets up your nose in the Tube.

But what we love best about London is the food culture. Fresh ingredients are plentiful in the fruit and veg stalls on the street, the multicultural stores, the market districts, and the new “gastro pub” movement is adding another dimension to the culinary scene.

After our transatlantic flight from Toronto we “dossed” with Lenny’s brother Cam for a few days while we found somewhere to live. We did our research and ended up moving into the first place we saw.

The good news is our new kitchen is EXCELLENT! Good lighting, plenty of bench space and, best of all, a gas stove. Continue reading ‘Here’s steak in your ale pie’

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Canada Day Souffle, Part 2

Published on July 3, 2005 in Breakfast, Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, French traditional, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 2 Comments

Technically, Canada Day, July 1, celebrates the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation called Canada. This all took place in 1868. These days, it’s mostly a day for fireworks, lots of drinking and another excuse for a big family gathering.

Click here to VIEW THE VIDEO

It was great to spend Canada Day with the most Canadian of families out at the L’Hirondelle ancestral property in Sturgeon County. We even participated in a good-ol’ game of horseshoes, eh. I got a “ringer” and a “point” in one go, for a score of four points – very impressive for a first-time horseshoer. Unfortunately I and my teammate Scott were knocked out by veterans Terry and Sue. I was consoled, however, by the fact the “souffle” turned out a treat! Continue reading ‘Canada Day Souffle, Part 2′

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O Canada, we make souffle for thee

Published on July 1, 2005 in Breakfast, Cakes, breads and baking, Christmas recipes, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 2 Comments

It’s Canada Day! We’re Aussies, but we’re in Canada, so any excuse for a party. This afternoon we’re off to our mate Tom’s place for a real Canada Day bash with his family. Last night we were up late preparing French toast souffle as our contribution.

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It’s a sinful amalgam of bread, creamed cheese, eggs, butter, maple syrup and a few other delicious elements. Extremely tasty, and not a true “souffle”, so you don’t have to tiptoe around the kitchen while it’s cooking. Being “French toast souffle” we feel it’s a nod to Canada’s Francophone influences, while the maple syrup makes it true-blue Canuck tucker. Sure to get the patriotic blood flowing, if all the wicked creaminess doesn’t give you a coronary. Continue reading ‘O Canada, we make souffle for thee’

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Sponge blob square pan

Published on June 29, 2005 in Cakes, breads and baking, Cooking videos, Desserts and puddings, English traditional, Failures and redemptions, Vegetarian and Video recipes. 14 Comments

[blipit id="117224"]

QuickTime video

We started out with the best intentions: whip up a layered sponge cake to celebrate our friend Paul’s 30th birthday.

He’s back in Australia, we’re here in Canada, but we’d just eat it on his behalf we reckoned.