Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Monday, 14 December 2015

Gifts for the Foodie/Baker

Gifts for the Foodie/Baker
At the more expensive end of the scale is a Stand Mixer, though these can be bought for between £50 to £300+ depending on the brand you choose. Kitchenaid mixers are very popular because of how pretty they are but Kenwood mixers are just as good for a fraction of the price from what I hear. To go with that, you could also purchase a Recipe Book or two to start them off. If your friend has a specific diet or allergy such as vegan or gluten free then finding them a recipe book designed specifically for this will be much appreciated I'm sure. For someone who's planning on moving away from home in the new year essentials such as Tea and Coffee Canisters, Mugs or a set of Mixing Bowls would be a lovely practical but also pretty idea. A Cute Novelty Timer would be a useful present and would look lovely in a set with some Cookie Cutters and a Cake/Display Stand to make a little baking themed hamper for a young child. Alternatively a ready made Macaroon Making Set is a simpler way of doing that. For a coffee lover a Cafetiere is a good option as it allows them to make freshly brewed coffee from real beans rather than instant coffee. For those that love the smell of freshly baked goods in their home how about a Food Scented Candle, loads of these can be found at christmas time. A more novelty idea such as a Donut Maker would be a nice gift too as it's not really the kind of thing someone would buy for themselves. 
Two other ideas I've just had whilst writing this are 1) a gift card for a cooking masterclass/experience type thing or 2) Put together a ready made mix (loads of recipes are available on pinterest) so that all the recipient has to do is add butter etc and bake.
This is the final of my gift guides, so I hope I've sufficiently inspired you to find beautiful and practical gifts within your budget no matter what it might be!

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

GBBO Inspired Mille Feuille







After watching the GBBO final a few weeks ago I really wanted to try out the Mille Feuille as they looked so delicious. My first attempt did not go well at all, but the second attempt went a lot better as you can see. The most important bit which I forgot the first time was to put a tray on top of the pastry whilst it baked to stop it rising too much. The consistency of the icing second time round was a lot better too, though could still have done with being a little thicker.
The recipe I followed for the pastry cream is here and for the whole things is here, it was a lot easier than it looks once you read the recipe (I made it up as I went along the first time I did it), the videos are particularly useful. I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe, mainly adding in strawberries between tiers, plus I piped the pastry cream and put two lines of cocoa icing on top rather than one. I also found it easier to cut the pastry into rectangles prior to cooking rather than baking it as one sheet and then cutting it up.
I don't really watch many cooking programmes anymore, but I wanna get back into them, it's finding the time to try out new recipes rather than just sticking to the same old ones that's the issue really. What shows would you recommend, what recipes do you wanna try?