everyday-wonders.com

Delightful

2009-06-28T21:38:01Z

Well.. yesterday's post was nearly a disaster.. but I think I've managed to pull it all together. :)

A print of today's image is available in the shop.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone..

Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding

2009-06-27T07:38:44Z

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Since I am fairly new at baking and it was my first time participating in the Daring Bakers' Challenge I tried to stick to the recipe as much as possible. I was just afraid I was going to ruin it and then I won't have beautiful images to post on the reveal date. :)

My only major deviation from the recipe was that I used 10" baking pan rather than a 9" one. As a result there wasn't enough frangipane to fill the tart shell to the top, but I don't think anyone noticed that as it was gone in one sitting. :)

I've also blind baked the tart shell and made my own grape jam for the tart.

I really enjoyed the whole process and I'm looking forward to the next challenge.

Oh, forgot to mention what I did with the leftover pastry - Bavarian Cream Fruit Tarts.

Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding

Makes one 23cm (9") tart

Recipe origins: Traditional (UK)
Inspirations and References: Allan Davidson, Tamasin Day Lewis, Anton Edelmann, Jane Grigson, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver
Hostess: Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict
Co-hostess: Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar

Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9") tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

Ingredients

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Directions

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4") thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

Ingredients

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Directions

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract.

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

Ingredients

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Directions

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don't panic. Really. It'll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Presence

2009-06-21T22:46:04Z

I just wanted to wish everyone a productive week and mention a small shop update.

Smaller prints of the works currently on exhibition at the VACD Gallery are now available in the shop .

Chance

2009-06-20T13:40:52Z

I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for coming to the exhibition opening on Friday.
It was a sheer pleasure to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.
Thank you! :)

VACD June/July 2009 Summer Exhibition

2009-06-17T23:28:53Z

That's where all my free time went. :)

I am happy to announce that a few of my new pieces made it into the upcoming exhibition at the VACD Gallery.

So, if you are in town and have some free time on Friday do stop by.

Smaller prints of the works on exhibit will be available in the shop starting Monday.

Flight of Fancy

2009-06-10T22:43:00Z

No food tonight. :)

I love it when titles just jump out at you when you are looking at an image.
Don't you?

I wanted to thank all of you for your wonderful support and kind comments. They are a pleasure to read and if you have any question don't hesitate to post them; I'll do my best to respond.

Have a wonderful Thursday! :)

N.

Almond Tartlets

2009-06-03T00:20:40Z

This is that little bit of baking I mentioned in my previous post.

Crafting Away

2009-06-01T00:04:53Z

For quite some time now I wanted to make a shoe bag for my driving shoes I keep in the car and this weekend seemed like a good time to do just that.

I must say this weekend was just perfect. A little bit of baking, a little bit of crafting, a few hours shooting and now I feel well rested and ready to embark on bigger and better things.

It's time to get things updated around here, get new prints out, visit a few of my favorite blogs, and just enjoy those little everyday moments.

So, how was your weekend? :)

Quest for Perfection

2009-05-18T00:58:26Z

The quest for the perfect sunflower & caraway seeds wafers continues..

Peaches & Cream

2009-05-08T00:28:56Z

Spring Spirit

2009-05-06T00:36:50Z

Luster

2009-05-03T23:52:53Z

Flatbreads

2009-04-21T23:37:16Z

Some more images from this past weekend.

On the left are the sunflower and caraway seeds flatbreads and on the right are the pepita and spinach flatbreads.

They turned out to be quite delicious. It's almost time to make some more. :)

Cauliflower & Squash Soup

2009-04-20T23:47:01Z

I'm late .. but I was so dead tiered yesterday.
I've spend the whole weekend cooking..

On Friday I've baked some almond cookies and made another panna cotta, but this time around I topped it with stewed kiwifruits.
Saturday was a day for baking experiments and as a result I came up with those lovely pepita & spinach flatbreads seen on today's image… :)
...and Sunday was a big vegetable day as I was steaming some spinach and making brussel sprouts & squash soup.

Perhaps it's time to add a new category in the archive and start posting some of the recipes. Definitely something to think about...

So, how was your weekend... ?

***

2009-04-16T23:58:36Z

Longings of the Heart

2009-04-14T23:04:57Z

Festive Treats

2009-04-12T22:48:08Z

Some festive treats to start the week with... :)

Did you have a good weekend?
Mine was wonderful... filled with exploration of new flourless desserts and checking lots of items from my to do list. :)
Friday, I've baked these lovely chocolate-walnut cookies and Saturday, I've spent trying out a new mocha torte recipe. It called for chocolate whipped cream filling, but instead I added some mint and it worked even better.
It was all so delicious...

Love Apples

2009-04-10T08:30:27Z

It's Friday! :)
I have the day off today and loads of things to do.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone... and happy Easter/Passover... :)

Something Sweet

2009-04-08T00:32:27Z

Lately I've been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen steaming greens and making vegetable soups. Sure, it's healthy, but monotonous and so time consuming!
So, over the weekend I've decided to have some fun and make Coconut Panna Cotta. :)

I was quite pleased with the way it turned out and I'm looking forward to making some more wonderful desserts. As to food photography, there is some room for improvement and, as always, comments/suggestions are welcome. :)

Have a lovely and sweet day,
N.

Simple Pleasures

2009-04-05T23:44:48Z

I finally got my b&w film developed.
I sure miss the darkroom...