It's the start of a new year and time for me to start blogging again.
Since my last post I have moved from the city to the green fields of Trevelgue, started a brand new job at a fantastic restaurant and among other things found out that a mini dress and tights are not suitable attire for walking through two miles of fields to work, even when they are teamed with wellies and very thick wooly socks.
Autumn is now most definitely over and winters freezing weather is out in full force. The hedgerows look like skeletons and the fields are a blank canvas awaiting spring.
We have been working hard on our plans for the business and hope to launch 'Hampers from deluxe cornwall' around Easter time. Our very basic website can be viewed here www.deluxecornwall.co.uk and we can now be contacted on info@deluxecornwall.co.uk.
From February we will be taking over Carpe Diem in Plymouth every Sunday to serve a decadent high tea between noon and six. We will have lots of newspapers and magazines to read, board games to play, delicious homemade food served on vintage china and a soundtrack of 50s, 60s and 70s records played though our radiogram.
In preparation I have been experimenting with lots of high tea recipes for little cakes and treats. The day before yesterday I spent the afternoon baking which was good for a number of reasons. Firstly and most importantly I enjoyed getting creative trying out a new recipe for white tea and honey cupcakes with an orange mascapone frosting. Secondly it meant for the last couple of days we have had lots of treats and thirdly and almost as importantly as the first I had the oven on all afternoon, resulting in the room temperature rising above freezing for a couple of hours, enabling me to take of my coat and gloves. Living out in the country in an old farm building with high vaulted ceilings great for 70% of the year, but with only a log burner to keep us warm over the past couple of weeks part of me has been missing the cosy little flat I used to share with a friend, where my room was tiny and our toilet leaked but there was a thermostat and boiler so we were always warm.
From February we will be taking over Carpe Diem in Plymouth every Sunday to serve a decadent high tea between noon and six. We will have lots of newspapers and magazines to read, board games to play, delicious homemade food served on vintage china and a soundtrack of 50s, 60s and 70s records played though our radiogram.
In preparation I have been experimenting with lots of high tea recipes for little cakes and treats. The day before yesterday I spent the afternoon baking which was good for a number of reasons. Firstly and most importantly I enjoyed getting creative trying out a new recipe for white tea and honey cupcakes with an orange mascapone frosting. Secondly it meant for the last couple of days we have had lots of treats and thirdly and almost as importantly as the first I had the oven on all afternoon, resulting in the room temperature rising above freezing for a couple of hours, enabling me to take of my coat and gloves. Living out in the country in an old farm building with high vaulted ceilings great for 70% of the year, but with only a log burner to keep us warm over the past couple of weeks part of me has been missing the cosy little flat I used to share with a friend, where my room was tiny and our toilet leaked but there was a thermostat and boiler so we were always warm.
My white tea cupcakes were a little dense, next time I make them I'll try a pinch more baking powder. Trying to make fancy shaped scones did not go very well either. Although my scones looked like perfect heart shapes when they went in, when they came out and the baking powder had worked its magic they looked like normal roundish scones. I was beginning to think I had lost my baking ability until I cut one in half while still warm, covered it in butter and blackcurrant and redcurrant jelly, and devoured it in two delicious mouthfuls.
Yesterday like most of the country we were snowed in. Joe and I spent the day with our neighbors making a snowman and snowcat and sliding down the hill on trays. To warm ourselves up we came in from the cold to our neighbors house for coffee and I took round some cakes and scones.
To make your own scones to take round to friends and neighbors you can follow my recipe below- just remember to use a simple round cutter.
You will need:
350g self raising flour
one teaspoon of baking powder
25g caster sugar
85g cubed butter
190ml milk
a sqeeze of lemon (optional)
sultanas/raisins/currants/stem ginger/chunks of chocolate (all optional)
a beaten egg or a splash of milk (for a beautiful golden finish)
Preheat your oven to gas mark 7 (200'c)
Fist combine the butter, flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl using your fingers to make little breadcrumbs as if you were making pastry or biscuits. Next add your desired addition; sultanas or raisins for classic scones or stem ginger for some extra winter warmth. Add a squeeze of lemon to the milk to sour it slightly and pour this in a little at a time stirring gently with a metal spoon to bring the dry mixture together until it forms a doughy ball in the centre of the bowl. Place your dough on a heavily floured surface, press it out, fold it over and re press it a few times until it become stretchy (there is no need to over work it like bread dough). Press the dough out until it is about 4cm thick all over, I tend not to bother with a rolling pin for scones but I am sure there is no harm is using one if you prefer. Use a floured round cutter (as I discovered pretty shapes don't work too well), cut scones from your dough and place on a warm baking sheet. Refold the leftovers and repeat until all the mix is used up then paint the tops with a beaten egg or milk. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm from the oven or halved and toasted with clotted cream or butter and some fruit jam.
No comments:
Post a Comment