Blueberry and Lemon Friands

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website about a year ago and printed it off, but I’ve only just got around to making them as I just happened to have all the ingredients in the house. It’s a shame I never tried the recipe earlier as they are absolutely delicious. The cake is extremely light and moist and the fresh tang of lemon zest and the blueberries gives them a ‘Summer’s here!’ taste.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I used 3 large egg whites instead of medium because we only use large eggs. They had been frozen and I defrosted them overnight in the fridge, then I left them at room temperature for about an hour before using.

 

Instead of using non-stick friand or muffin tins, I used my new silicone cake cases that Steve’s Mum bought me from Wilkinsons. They worked really well as they held their shape when I put the cake mixture in and so I just put them on a baking tray to make it easier to get them in/out of the oven. Once baked, the cakes were easy to pop out of the silicone cases, but I did think that they retained the steam as the cakes were cooling and this made the bottoms of the cake slightly soggy.

 

The silicone cases are the size of fairy cakes cases, so I managed to make 7 cakes instead of 6. I have tried making these in paper fairy cases and I managed to make 12, but they were very thin/shallow and not as good as when I used the silicone cases.

 

TASTE TEST:

Well these went down a complete storm! Steve’s Dad doesn’t like almonds, so I warned him before he tried them that they were made of mainly ground almonds, but he tried them anyway and he said they were probably the best cakes I’ve made!

 

I will definitely make these again, but they will be considered a once-in-a-while treat as I think they’re expensive to make because they’re made of ground almonds and blueberries aren’t cheap either. Plus they’re just over 300 calories each!

 

• 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 125g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 25g plain flour
• 85g ground almonds
• 3 medium/large egg whites
• 1 unwaxed lemon, grated rind only
• 85g blueberries

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Generously butter six non-stick friand or muffin tins. Melt the butter and set aside to cool (nuke in the microwave for 35-40 seconds).
2. Sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl, add the almonds and stir together.
3. Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until they form a light, floppy foam. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, tip in the egg whites and lemon rind, then lightly stir in the butter to form a soft batter.
4. Divide the batter among the tins (using a jug was the easiest way). Sprinkle a handful of blueberries over each cake and bake for 15-20 minutes (mine took 20 minutes) until just firm to the touch and golden brown.
5. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. To serve, dust lightly with icing sugar.

Chocolate French Macaroons a.k.a. Mandy Macs

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

OK, the picture above doesn’t look like French macaroons and that’s because they went a bit wrong! I used the recipe from the April issue of Delicious magazine and I did a bit of research online for some hints and tips, but I still failed.

 

One of the tips was to use old egg whites. I had a load stashed in the freezer which I defrosted in the fridge overnight and then left out on the counter to come to room temperature. This apparently helps to whisk them more stiffly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My main downfall was that I missed out the step of sifting the ground almonds and icing sugar. So the mixture was really thick and I must have over-mixed as I was trying to get the “ribbon-like consistency as it falls from the spatula”. I knew that the mixture wasn’t right, but I proceeded anyway as I didn’t think I could save this mess! It’s funny because I did consider only using 100g instead of 125g of ground almonds as I didn’t really want to open another packet. If I’d done this, then maybe the mixture wouldn’t have been so thick.

 

I used a 1cm plain nozzle inserted into a food bag and it was quite hard to pipe out the mixture. As you can see they don’t look particularly appealing and it looks like I should have got busy with a pooper scooper! I did tap the baking trays on the counter to give them a ‘foot’ but the mixture was so thick that it made no difference.

 

 

 

Another tip I read online was to bake them with the door propped open. So I baked one batch with the door slightly ajar, and the second batch with the door closed. They all came out exactly the same: domed and cracked!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So they looked nothing like they should, but I filled some anyway with Nutella and tried them. They actually tasted really nice and had a lovely chewy texture, like a brownie. Steve preferred to eat them as singles with Nutella spread on them. He declared this new type of macaroon should be called Mandy Macs (quite fitting as his surname is Macfarlane, so when we marry I will be Mandy Macfarlane). Steve’s sister is the only one of us who’s actually tried a proper French macaroon and she said they were nothing like what I’d made, but she thought they were very nice anyway!

 

I will have another go at making French macaroons, but I will probably try a different recipe. But my Mandy Macs will also be made again and hopefully I will be able to recreate this new sweet treat! So here’s my recipe for Mandy Macs:

 

• Makes: about 32 singles
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C
• Oven shelf: middle

 

Ingredients:

• 110g icing sugar
• 65g cocoa powder (I used Bournville)
• 125g ground almonds
• 3 large free-range egg whites
• 75g caster sugar
• Nutella to fill or spread

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C. Whizz the icing sugar, cocoa and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy.
3. Fold half the almond, cocoa and icing sugar mixture into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining half and mix for a few minutes until well incorporated.
4. Spoon into a piping/food bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle (tip: place the bag in a glass so you have both hands free).
5. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Pipe small rounds of the macaroon mixture, about 3cm across, onto the baking sheets. Leave to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to form a slight skin then bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
6. Use the Nutella to sandwich the macs together or just spread on single ones.

Mini Meringues with hazelnuts and chocolate

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

Today on Saturday Kitchen James Martin made a variety of meringues, so I decided to make this Matt Tebbutt recipe that I’d pulled out of BBC Good Food magazine recently as I had loads of egg whites stashed in the freezer. The recipe posted on the Good Food Channel website has some errors, so I’ve copied it from my magazine.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

Matt sandwiched his meringues together with cream, but I’m not a huge fan of cream so I’ve left them as they are. These meringues are incredibly light and crispy, but they still have a little bit of chewiness to them (not as chewy as a Pavlova meringue – for that you need to add cornflour or white vinegar).

 

The combination of chocolate and hazelnuts compliments the sweetness of the meringue and it reminded me of Ferrero Rocher.

 

They were really easy to make but they look quite impressive. I like the little peaks on the top and they actually made it easier to dip into the chocolate and nuts as I had something to hold onto!

 

• Makes: 24 individual ones or 12 if sandwiched with cream
• Oven temperature: Gas ¼/225°F/100°C (we have a gas Rangemaster oven, so I set it to halfway between ‘S’ and 1)
• You will need:  2 baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper/silicone

 

Ingredients:

• 50g shelled and skinned hazelnuts, toasted
• 3 egg whites
• 140g caster sugar
• 75g dark chocolate, chopped (I used 100g)
• 180ml double cream (optional)
• 1 tsp icing sugar (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 100C/80C fan/gas ¼.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
3. Put the nuts into a food processor and whizz until finely chopped, taking care not to over-process them.
4. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they resemble stiff peaks.
5. Gradually whisk in the sugar a spoonful at a time, to form a thick glossy meringue. (A good test is to turn your bowl upside down – the meringue is ready if it doesn’t fall out!).
6. Using a teaspoon (I used a melon baller) spoon 24 small heaps of meringue onto the baking paper. Bake for about 1 hour or until crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
7. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (or in the microwave). 
8. Dip the flat side of each meringue in the chocolate and then into the chopped hazelnuts. Leave to set on a wire rack (or back onto the baking paper, chocolate side up!). 
9. Whip the cream with the icing sugar until thickened, then use to sandwich the meringues together.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• I used 100g of chocolate and this was just enough to coat all the meringues and I was literally scraping the bottom of the bowl!
• I had to swap my 2 trays around in the oven halfway through cooking so that they cooked evenly.

Coconut and Chocolate Macaroons

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I have an aversion to coconut, not so much the flavour as I like coconut milk in curries, but it’s the texture of desiccated coconut that I dislike. But Steve and his Mum really like macaroons and I had loads of leftover egg whites*, so I thought I’d give this recipe a shot.

It’s an incredibly easy recipe to make and the great thing is you can make up the dough and refrigerate it for up to a week or you can freeze it for 2 months.
They got a big thumbs up from Steve and his Mum. Bonus points were awarded to them being crispy/crunchy on the outside and nice and chewy in the middle. Of course I had to try one myself and I have to say that they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be! The texture of the coconut is still quite strong, but it wasn’t disgusting and I managed to eat a whole one!

• Makes: about 15
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: a medium saucepan, a silicone mat/parchment on a baking sheet

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites (100ml/100g)
• 260g (1¼ cups) white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 200g (2½ cups) unsweetened coconut**
• 45g (¼ cup) plain flour
• 50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the egg whites, white sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, honey, coconut and flour.
2. Heat the mixture over low-to-medium heat on the hob, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom as you stir.
3. When the mixture starts to smell lovely and toasty (the smell of coconut is yummy!) and it just begins to scorch at the bottom (the egg white looks like it’s cooking on the bottom of the pan but it shouldn’t colour), remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature.
   (At this point, the mixture can be chilled for up to one week, or frozen for up to two months.)
4. When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat*** and preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
5. With your hands form the dough into balls the size and shape of golf balls and place them on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread too much).
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until deep golden brown. Cool completely.
7. To coat the macaroons in chocolate: melt the chocolate in the microwave for 45-50 seconds on high. Dip the macaroons in the chocolate (top or bottom, it’s up to you) and put back on the baking sheet chocolate side up. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.

COOK’S NOTES:
*You can freeze egg whites and the best way is to put each individual egg white into an ice cube tray, so it’s easy to measure them out. You can also keep egg whites in the fridge for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.
**Available from supermarkets but it’s usually better value to buy from health food shops like Holland & Barrett/Julian Graves.
***I tried cooking these in my mini muffin tins because they were just the right size and they sort of came out in a mushroom shape which was cute. But you have to let them cool down so that they set, otherwise they just rip in half. So they were sitting in the tin (whilst I was watching Slumdog Millionaire) and they got soggy bottoms. Even though I’d greased the tin, some got a bit stuck, so I don’t recommend this method of cooking! Stick with the non-stick parchment or silicone! Or use Magic Non-Stick Liner from Lakeland which I’ve just discovered and it’s brilliant as it’s reusable.