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Rhubarb and rose pavlova
10 April 2017
Rhubarb and Rose Linzer Biscuits
26 January 2017
I've lost track of the number of time that I have sat down to write this post over the past few weeks. I'd like to blame writers block, that glamourous state of apparent blankness which has, I'm told, birthed many of the great literary works of the modern world.
Safe to say I have not been teetering on the edge of anything remotely groundbreaking. I'm just busy. And hard as I find it to admit, I'm struggling a little bit.
PEACH AND ROSE LEMONADE
14 June 2016
The love affair with peaches continues. Imported from southern Europe - white, perfume rich peaches from Campania, juicy yellow peaches from Piedmont - few things signal the dizzy, balmy height of British summer better than the arrival of rosy ripe peaches.
The sweet, soft flesh of peaches lends itself perfectly to pureeing, but their delicate taste can make them a tricky fruit to celebrate when paired with other flavours. Fragrant rose, when used correctly, is a time-tested classic to use with peaches.
Homemade lemonade is perfect to refresh hot and bothered souls on a summer's afternoon. My version, which uses a thick peach and rose puree along with fresh lemon juice, makes this childhood classic a classy alcohol-free option for adults and children alike.
Homemade lemonade is perfect to refresh hot and bothered souls on a summer's afternoon. My version, which uses a thick peach and rose puree along with fresh lemon juice, makes this childhood classic a classy alcohol-free option for adults and children alike.
This recipe is also available - along with lots of other seasonal recipes by me - on the new Kitchen Garden Magazine website here.
Once cooled, puree the peaches in a food processor, then strain. Add the lemon juice and rose water to the puree, then pour into a clean sterilised jar or bottle.
To make lemonade, use one part puree, one part ice, and two parts sparkling water. Store the puree in the fridge, and consume within one month.
THE INGREDIENTS
200g fresh peaches, stoned and chopped
100ml water
75g caster sugar
150ml fresh lemon juice
1 tsp rose water
THE RECIPE
Place the chopped peaches, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the mixture has reduced and the peaches have broken down to a thick, jammy texture. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.Once cooled, puree the peaches in a food processor, then strain. Add the lemon juice and rose water to the puree, then pour into a clean sterilised jar or bottle.
To make lemonade, use one part puree, one part ice, and two parts sparkling water. Store the puree in the fridge, and consume within one month.
HONEY ROSE FRIANDS
6 June 2015
This week, I found myself phoneless for a few days and, I am ashamed to admit, experienced the damning realisation that I am hook, line and sinker dependent on my iPhone. I went 24 hours - yes, just one day - without a phone, and the stress levels experienced were nothing short of embarrassing.
Having given up the ghost one evening this week, my poor phone sat on my dressing table as I vaguely suggested that I'd take it to the Apple store. My initial nonchalance quickly dispersed as I went to set my alarm... on my iPhone. Cue a 5.45am wake up call by my lovely and very gracious flatmate who was heading out for her café shift.
Despite my early start, I realised with a cloud of utter panic that my carefully laid plans to meet my friend to catch a train together relied on WhatsApp. Several desperate Facebook messages later, a plan B was in place.
Bag packed to go, I go to check the weather... on my phone. Oh right. No bother - it doesn't look like rain. Cue an absolute soaking en route to the tube. I arrive at my tube station to a foray of announcements about emergency works and, the absolute worst, rail replacement bus services. This line is closed - how have I missed this? Shoot, because my daily TFL updates are going to an inbox I can't access.
It's fine, I say to myself, totally fine. I'll just check the best way to get to Kings Cross without this line. *Reaches for iPhone, nearly cries.*
I could go on, but it's boring for you and embarrassing for me, so I'll save everyone the discomfort. 24 hours of smartphone-sobriety was undoubtedly stressful, but also really illuminating. How is it that I, a professional 23 year old woman, can't cope without the little computer I carry around in my pocket? Have I lost the ability to think through problems by myself?
Perhaps the answer to this question is, well, yes. It's a scary thought, by it's certainly made me take stock of my relationship with my phone, and the technology that surrounds me more broadly. There are so many surveys and reports revealing that we spend too much time on our phones, but it was my own digital detox (if you will) that's brought this home to me.
We're so busy checking in on everyone's lives, and it's easy to forget to step back, take stock and unwind without a screen beneath our noses. I made these honey and rose friands to calm myself during the phone crisis. I'm not necessarily suggesting you do the same, but I do think you should make them, and not just because they're delicious. Make them because you'll feel calm, and the people you care about will love you. And, you know, they might make a pretty Instagram picture.
Having given up the ghost one evening this week, my poor phone sat on my dressing table as I vaguely suggested that I'd take it to the Apple store. My initial nonchalance quickly dispersed as I went to set my alarm... on my iPhone. Cue a 5.45am wake up call by my lovely and very gracious flatmate who was heading out for her café shift.
Despite my early start, I realised with a cloud of utter panic that my carefully laid plans to meet my friend to catch a train together relied on WhatsApp. Several desperate Facebook messages later, a plan B was in place.
Bag packed to go, I go to check the weather... on my phone. Oh right. No bother - it doesn't look like rain. Cue an absolute soaking en route to the tube. I arrive at my tube station to a foray of announcements about emergency works and, the absolute worst, rail replacement bus services. This line is closed - how have I missed this? Shoot, because my daily TFL updates are going to an inbox I can't access.
It's fine, I say to myself, totally fine. I'll just check the best way to get to Kings Cross without this line. *Reaches for iPhone, nearly cries.*
I could go on, but it's boring for you and embarrassing for me, so I'll save everyone the discomfort. 24 hours of smartphone-sobriety was undoubtedly stressful, but also really illuminating. How is it that I, a professional 23 year old woman, can't cope without the little computer I carry around in my pocket? Have I lost the ability to think through problems by myself?
Perhaps the answer to this question is, well, yes. It's a scary thought, by it's certainly made me take stock of my relationship with my phone, and the technology that surrounds me more broadly. There are so many surveys and reports revealing that we spend too much time on our phones, but it was my own digital detox (if you will) that's brought this home to me.
We're so busy checking in on everyone's lives, and it's easy to forget to step back, take stock and unwind without a screen beneath our noses. I made these honey and rose friands to calm myself during the phone crisis. I'm not necessarily suggesting you do the same, but I do think you should make them, and not just because they're delicious. Make them because you'll feel calm, and the people you care about will love you. And, you know, they might make a pretty Instagram picture.
THE INGREDIENTS
125g butter
125g ground almonds
5 egg whites
100g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
125g icing sugar
2 tbsp. honey
glaze
100g icing sugar
1 tsp rose water
rose petals
THE RECIPE
Preheat your oven to 160C, and melt the butter. Using a pastry brush, use a little of the butter to grease your friend moulds. Set the remaining butter aside.
Measure the egg whites into a large bowl, and whisk a little until frothy but not yet in soft peaks. Add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, icing sugar and honey, and fold to combine. Add the melted butter, beat, then leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Once rested, measure into your buttered moulds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until pale but cooked and springy to the touch. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and rose water and, if needed, add an additional teaspoon or two of water to loosen. Drizzle over the cooled friands, and decorate with dried rose petals.
PISTACHIO, ROSE AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE
20 January 2015
Firstly, welcome to the new look Pudding Lane! I hope you like it. It felt like a good time for a little makeover and, if nothing else, redesigning this page distracted me from a rather drastic haircut that I briefly considered. Note to self: a fringe is not just for Christmas.
I hope that the new layout will make it a little easier to find your way around, access the recipes you're looking for and get in touch with me using the social icons on the right. You can also search my archives, have a sneak peak of my latest Instagram snaps and even sign up to get new posts straight to your inbox. Things aren't quite perfect yet, but it's really excited to have a little refresh around here.
It's been bitter cold in London this week - the kind of cold where you're still chilly no matter how many layers and scarves you throw on. I'm already seeking some summer sun, and have found myself drawn to middle eastern recipes of late, full of gilded colour and warming spices.
This cake makes me think of Arabia, Aladdin, Turkish Delight and gooey, sweet Baklava. The white chocolate, while not authentic perhaps, brings a rich, luxurious sweetness which finishes the moist sponge perfectly.
A quick note on the recipe. I find that the best sponge results from using exactly equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The best way to do this is to weigh your eggs in their shells, note this down, and then use equal quantities of each core ingredient. I use large Happy Eggs as they're rich and delicious, but any egg will do - just make sure you keep it consistent, people.
THE INGREDIENTS
3 eggs, weighed in their shells
equal quantities of
butter
caster sugar
plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g pistachios
2 tsp rose water
1 tbsp icing sugar
100g white chocolate
100g double cream
dried rose petals
THE RECIPE
Begin by toasting your pistachios. Place the nuts in a small frying pan, and toast over a medium heat until the nuts are brown and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside. Line a 6" cake tin with baking parchment, and preheat your oven to 180C.
Ensure all your cake ingredients are at room temperature. Weigh the eggs in their shells (they will likely weigh between 150g and 200g), note down the weight, and set aside. Weigh out this amount of butter and caster sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs, whisk to combine, then weigh out an equal amount of flour. Sieve into the bowl along with the baking powder, and mix to combine.
Set aside 25g of pistachios to decorate your cake, then crush up the remaining nuts using a rolling pin. Add to the cake batter, mix, then spoon into your lined tin and baking in the centre of the oven for 25-35 minutes until golden and cooked. Cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool until just warm.
While your cake is cooling, mix the rose water and icing sugar with 2 tsp water. When the cake is just warm, carefully slice it in half. Brush the rose syrup over each exposed half of the cake. Leave to cool completely.
To make the ganache filling and topping, pour the cream into a small saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Break the chocolate up into a bowl. Once the cream is just starting to boil, remove from the heat and gentle pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth, glossy ganache. Leave to cool in the fridge until it is moderately firm.
Once ready, spread half of the ganache over one sponge half, sandwich the second on top, and finish with the remaining ganache. Decorate with the remaining pistachios and a sprinkle of rose petals.
ROSE CRONUTS
22 May 2014
The answer is nothing, of course, but it sure is fun to play sometimes. I've realised that complications aside, the hybrid model possesses a mysterious intrigue which it actually really quite cool. And so it was that I put aside my prejudices and daydreamed my way to a 2012 Manhattan, belatedly succumbing to the cronut craze.
And oh my goodness. All i will say is that I thoroughly disagree with Edith Piaf, and couldn't regret resisting these badboys more. The androgynous supermodels of the baking aisle, cronuts are the perfect marriage of the croissant and the donut. The sweet and crispy exterior is a match made in heaven for the soft, layered dough inside. Fill em' up with creme pat, drizzle with icing, and prepare to wow even the most traditional of audiences.
While I made my own croissant dough - but cut this traditionalist some slack, I'm ravin' and bakin' fusions these days - you could easily use those nifty tins they sell in Sainsburys. Word has it that cronuts are classically flavoured with rose, but I've also heard tell of oreo-stuffed versions you could experiment with. Dream big.
THE INGREDIENTS
1x quantity of croissant dough (if you're making your own, try this recipe)
1/2 quanitity of creme patissiere (my recipe can be found here)
200g icing sugar
75g caster sugar
3 tsp rose water
pink food colouring (optional)
freeze dried rose petals/berries
you will also need
1 litre sunflower oil
THE RECIPE
Roll out the prepared dough to 1cm thick - this is much thicker than normal for pastry, but bear with me. Use a 3 inch cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough, then a 1 inch cutter (a wine bottle lid is a perfect substitute, as I discovered late on Sunday night) to cut holes in the centre. Reserve the left over dough, as this can be fried too - the centres make the most delicious little cronut bites.
Lay the cronut rings onto lined baking trays, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. The colder they are, the more they'll puff up in the oil- although try not to freeze them solid. While the dough is cooling, place the castor sugar and 1 tsp of rosewater in a shallow dish, and mix to combine. Have this ready to dunk the cooked cronuts into.
When the dough is ready for cooking, pour the oil into a deep saucepan, and heat to 180C. I'd recommend using a sugar thermometer if you have one, as it's easy for the oil to overheat. Once the oil has reached temperature, carefully spoon two cronuts into the oil, and set a timer for 1.5 minutes. Once the oil-side has reached a deep golden brown, flip over and cook for a further minute. Decant onto a wire rack covered in kitchen roll. Leave to cool a little, then roll in the rose sugar to coat. Repeat this process until all the cronuts are cooked and coated.
Spoon your creme patissiere into a piping bag, fitted with a narrow nozzle. Use this to 'inject' the cronuts with creme pat. To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, rose water, colouring and enough water to make a shiny, thick icing - then drizzle over the cronuts. Finish with dried rose petals or berries.
Deeeee-licious.
ROSE AND PISTACHIO MADELEINES
20 February 2014
we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree, and not two.
- Louis de Bernieres
Not being a lover of Valentines day, I couldn't quite bring myself to post a rose recipe last week. But these were too delicious not to share. And so, one week late, I present my valentines recipe for the year.
Beautiful they may not be, but these little babies are sweeter than sweet and the indisputable heart-breakers of the cake cabinet. Am I saying i'd chose rose cakes and roots over roses? Certainly not, although I do think Louis was onto something.
THE INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
100g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
2-3 tsp rose water
100g icing sugar
75g unsalted pistachios
THE RECIPE
Melt a little butter, then brush a clean madeleine tin with it. Dust with flour, shake away any excess then put the tin in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 200C.
Melt 100g butter, then set aside to cool a little. Seperately, whisk your eggs and sugar together for 3-4 minutes, until pale, fluffy and thick. When you drag the whisk across the surface, ribbons should form. Pour in the cooled butter and 1 tsp rose water, and fold to mix. Sieve in the flour and baking powder, folding once more to combine. Leave the batter to stand for 20 minutes.
Spoon 2 tsp of mixture into the frozen moulds, ensuring they are no more than half-full. Bake for 9-11 minutes - the madeleines need to rise a little in the middle, and be golden around the edges. Transfer the madeleines to a wire rack to cool.
Mix the remaining rose water and icing sugar with a tsp of water, adding a little pink colouring if you like. Dip the cooled madeleines into the icing, and sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Enjoy with strong coffee and people you love.
