Wednesday 27 June 2012

Sweet things

 The Jubilee of H.M. The Queen was a good excuse for making fancy biscuits. They are not something I generally make, mainly because I love biscuits. When I do make them, they tend to be made to a rich recipe. These (above ) were the basics. Almost equal amounts of butter, sugar and flour, bound with an egg yolk. The cutters came from good old Lakeland. ( A very reliable chain of  British shops, specialising in cookware. )

 These are slightly modified. Small shapes cut out, then filled with chunks of boiled sweets.


The basic biscuits, covered with Glace icing, and then decorated.

Again, the basic biscuit, but with Royal icing, then decorated. The monogrammed one is for a friend, with whom I share an interest in a certain historical figure. ( Hi, HJ.)

These biscuits were delicious, but...they became crumbly very quickly. Luckily, they did not last long.



Tuesday 26 June 2012

Midsummer washout

Saturday was Midsummer Day. It has fallen out of use, with the Solstice being a more fashionable celebration. Either way, it was pouring with rain, so there were no Roses dry enough to pick to decorate the house for the celebration.                                                                                                               


So, into town, and a happy while was spent, choosing yarn. I have a baby cardigan to make, for the new granddaughter of my lovely hairdresser. Jane has been cutting my hair for....well, too many years to count.
The wool, and it really is wool, is for a fair isle cardigan. I designed one about five years ago, in pale pinks and greens. This may be the time for me to tidy the design up, and write it down properly.
So, the yarn sat in a bowl, looking pretty, in lieu of Roses.



Friday 8 June 2012

Bread and Yeast Cookery

 One of the things I truly enjoy in life, is baking. I bought a copy of Elizabeth David's 'English Bread and Yeast Cookery ', towards the end of 1979. It was a fascinating read , and a lot of my spare time that autumn was spent experimenting with many of the recipes. The success of of those experiments ensured my continuing enthusiasm.  Sadly, my copy is showing it's age, and use.


Over the years, I have collected a number of Bread/Yeast cookery books.( Above is a picture of my favourites.) Mrs David remains the best, in my opinion. Luckily, Best Beloved knew that my old copy was falling to pieces, and gave me a new, hard-back copy for Christmas. 

This simple, enriched dough is not an Elizabeth David recipe. It includes some grated lemon rind, and a little cardamom.

Kneaded, and formed into small balls, it has a second rising.Then, it is baked quickly in a hot oven.

A simple glace icing, made from icing sugar and lemon juice gives a sweet finish.

I don't know who reads these posts.....would the readers like the recipes included?