Marks & Spencer's Percy Pigs

O2's free gift yesterday: Percy Pigs! Fruit wine gums that come in two flavours, strawberry and raspberry, as indicated by their ears. They are so pink and soft I just love squishing them....

Pad Krapow & Orange and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Syrup Recipes

My good friend Elizabeth has kindly requested that I put up a guest post here on her blog. Out of the kindness of my heart, and my own shameless desire for anonymous self-promotion, I have decided to indulge her. So today I am providing you with two recipes which, in my own opinion can reasonably be regarded as idiot-proof. In the interests of science, I am going to test this claim by having Elizabeth here attempt to follow them.

    Pad Krapow

The first is a Thai dish known as ‘Pad Krapow’ which is more often than not my default option for dinner when I can’t be bothered to think or read a recipe. It’s a fairly basic stir fry of a protein of choice, mixed with a sauce of chillies, garlic, fish sauce, and basil, usually served over rice and topped with an optional (but definitely compulsory) crispy fried egg. All of which can be put together in the time it takes the rice to cook.

This recipe calls for regular basil, instead of the prohibitively expensive and hard to find Thai basil. Purists will tell you that this dish should therefore be called “pad bai horapa” instead of “pad krapow”. Nobody likes purists.

The measurements are by no means exact. Not everyone’s tastes will be the same, and nobody likes a pedant who follows a recipe to the precise gram. What I’ve provided is a basic outline which you can adjust to your tastes and preferences.

Ingredients

• About 200g of protein of choice; chicken beef or pork, either thinly sliced against the grain into thin rectangular strips or minced, depending on how you prefer it. For beef, thinner slices are better, for chicken and pork cut a little thicker is so the meat does not dry out.

o   In terms of cut, a sirloin or rump for the beef will serve you well, if you’re tempted to use a cheaper cut of beef such as the generic ‘frying steak’ you get in supermarkets, don’t bother, use mince instead, unless you enjoy the texture of vulcanised rubber. For chicken, boned skinned thigh fillets are best, but breast is also fine, and for pork a loin steak or pork chop will do.

•         2 garlic cloves
•         2-5 birds eye chillies – depending on your heat tolerance. I recommend starting with 2 and working your way up or down.
•          Fish sauce or light soy sauce, 1 – 2 tbsp
•         Oyster sauce or sweet dark soy sauce (I prefer oyster) 1 tbsp
•         Optional sugar ½ tbsp – try it without first, but some people like it sweeter.
•        ½ cup warm water or chicken/vegetable stock
•        White pepper
•          1 big handful of basil, Thai basil if you can find it, regular works just fine.
•        1 egg, optional (but not)
•         Vegetable oil

Method

1. Put your rice on to cook   
2. Finely dice garlic and chillies or pound in mortar and pestle to a coarse paste
3. Season meat with a few dashes of white pepper
4. Have all other ingredients measured out and ready nearby the wok. This happens quick.
5. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar (if using) to the wok and stir till everything is well coated.
6. Heat about 1-2 tbsp oil in a wok and coat well. Get the wok hot. I mean hot. I can’t stress this one enough.
7. Once oil is smoking, add garlic and chillies, stir for a few seconds until you can smell them, then add the protein and stir fry for a minute or so till half cooked. Everything should be searing and sizzling the whole way through this process, not stewing or bubbling. If it’s not, then stop stir frying and just leave everything to sit for a minute or so to let the wok heat up again.
8. Slowly add about half of the stock or more until dish reaches your desired level of sauciness.
9. Once meat is nearly cooked, which it should pretty much be by this stage, add the basil leaves and stir through till they have just wilted.
10. Dish everything out onto a plate of white rice.
11. Wipe out the wok, or in a new clean pan, fry an egg with runny yolks and place on top of the meat.
12. Eat.

    Variations:

      

      If you believe in notions such as health, add some spinach at the end with the basil or throw in a cup of diced green beans with the meat to make it a one plate meal.

     Orange and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Syrup  

      

      The second recipe is a dessert. I’m not overly big on sweets, but you can’t exactly show up on a blog called “cupcake continent” and just post about chillies and fish sauce can you? It’s a riff on an orange and almond cake that has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while. I’ve added my own variation to this by reducing the sugar in the cake and soaking it with a cinnamon syrup. 

      Ingredients

     For the cake

•         2 large oranges or 3 medium oranges
•          200g ground almonds
•         50g flour
•         150g sugar
•         1 tsp cinnamon
•         1 tsp baking powder
•         6 eggs

      Method

1. Place oranges in a saucepan of water with enough water to cover them         
2. Bring water to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or more, topping up water as needed to keep oranges covered (I am also told you can microwave the oranges for about 8-10 minutes in a covered container instead). This is to remove the bitterness in the oranges.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190c, line and grease a 9-inch baking tin with baking paper
4. Measure out ground almonds and flour, whisk together in a large bowl with baking powder and cinnamon and set aside
5. Once oranges are done, discard the water, and place the oranges in colander to cool. Once cool enough to handle, chop oranges into rough pieces, skin and all, removing any seeds and the core.
6. Place oranges in a food processor and puree until you get a smooth paste.
7. In a separate bowl beat eggs and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer, or until you get tired if using a whisk.
8. Add beaten eggs to flour/almond mixture and whisk to combine
9. Fold the orange puree into the flour mixture until everything is well combined
10. Pour mixture into the cake tin, and smooth the top with a spoon
11. Place tin in the middle shelf of the oven, then reduce heat to 180c and bake for 1 about hour – you may need to cover the cake with foil with after about 30 minutes to stop the top burning
12. Check after 45 minutes by inserting a wooden skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, or with a few crumbs on it, the cake is done.

      While the cake is in the oven prepare the syrup

      For the Syrup

•        Juice 1 orange or zest 1 orange
•         2 tbsp honey
•        1 tbsp sugar
•        1 cinnamon stick
•         ½ cup water
•         1-2 tbsp orange liqueur (optional)

1. Combine everything in a saucepan and simmer for about 10-15 minutes till it starts to thicken, and becomes, well, syrupy. 
2. Remove from heat and stir through 2 tbsp orange liqueur if you so desire.
3. Once cake is done, remove from the oven and poke holes with a skewer in the top of the cake to help the syrup penetrate. 
4. Reheat the syrup till slightly warm, then strain it into bowl, and pour it over the top of the cake. You may need to add the syrup in a few stages, as it may take a while to soak through the cake.

      Once the cake is cooled, remove from the cake tin and serve.

You may wish to dust the top with icing sugar, or serve it with a bit of whipped cream or yoghurt. 

    

Photo credits: 

(1) www.rasamalaysia.com 
(2) http://static1.cakeandcookierecipes.com/files/2012/08/09-slice-of-moist-orange-cake.jpg

10 Easter Eggs

0. Normal Easter Eggs in True DIY Style

http://pinterest.com/cookinglight/fun-foods/

But who is happy settling for normal nowadays?

1. The Leaping Hare Egg by Rococo 

Rococo Hand-Painted Egg No.3 with Leaping Hare Design, £25.00.

2. The Aristocratic Egg by Ladurée

Les Marquis de Laduree, £11.75 small, £37.50 large,71-72; Burlington Arcade, London.

3. The Art Deco Egg by Claridges

Quick! There are only 100 available for sale: http://www.claridges.co.uk/easter-egg/

4. You Crack Me Up by Hotel Chocolat

Filled with 10 pieces of piped smiley faces, chocolate brownie, pralines with cookies, fried eggs with melt away hazelnut paste, solid bunnies and chicks cast in milk, and caramel chocolate for £27.

5. Milk Chocolate Hen in a Bamboo Bowl by Haigh's Chocolates

Milk chocolate hen nested in bamboo bowl & 2 x 35g milk chocolate hand foiled eggs at AUD $28.50.

6. The Golden Mayan Egg by Louis Barnett 

For the Mayans 3,000 years ago, the seeds of the cacao trees in the Yucatán forests were considered gifts from the gods. "Wars were fought over chocolate, and the beans were used as currency," Louis Barnett. Here is the £89.99 golden egg made by the talented 21 year old chocolatier exclusive to Selfridges. Read his story here.   

7. Large Dark Swirled Egg by The Chocolate Society

750g of luxury dark 70% French Valrhona chocolate, swirled with seven pretty cocoa butter colours.

8. Egg in a Cup by Astier de Villatte

Classic example of when you cannot judge an egg by its cover because the Astier de Villatte website is very creepy, in my opinion... Nevertheless, the brand has an impeccable reputation for producing some of the finest Parisian home decor, cutlery, and furniture.

     
9. Oeuf Galets by Pierre Hermé

Buy it here for 89 euros: http://www.pierreherme.com/oeuf-galet.html

10. The Bunny Egg by Pierre Marcolini

 The little ones come in Selfridges for £13.99 each (call 0800123400). Though I'm not even sure whether the large ones are for sale... 

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!  

Chocolate Brownie Recovery Week

It's been a very intense few months with many sleepless revision nights and past exam papers. Dessert is what got me through this and now its helping me recover. In the last few weeks, my friends and I have discovered that chocolate brownie doubles up as a sweet treat and a chocolate panacea. Having received three of my module marks back, it has proven to be my secret weapon to success! 

The Hoxton Grill 

81 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HU

Now these warm chocolate brownies came as part of our three course meal, and all I can say is that the Hoxton Grill is a must go zone for more than just dessert. 

Sainsbury's Local Patisserie

Address: Click here to find your nearest store

Considering there are 1,023 Sainsbury's stores in the UK, chances are one might be around the corner. For 83p a slice or 3.56 pounds for 6, every student can afford one. 

And the best thing about buying brownies at Sainsbury's is that Ben & Jerry's might be on offer too.

Konditor & Cook

London's local bakery has three stores:

10 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD

22 Cornwall Rd, City of London, London, Greater London SE1 8TW

99 Shaftesbury Ave, Chinatown, London W1D 5DY

I came home to a lovely surprise that my housemate Laura brought back for me one evening. Turns out that Konditor & Cook really do make one of the best brownies in the world. Soft, velvety and packed with a tonne of chocolate chips, every tourist should be holding a camera in one hand, and a Konditor & Cook in the other.

On a final note, I didn't intend for the number three to have play such a big role in this entry...just seemed to be the magic number tonight. 

CUPCAKE APPEAL

This post is in relation to raising money for Childreach International. I hope you read Laura's message below and give generously. 

<3

Hello lovely readers,

By way of introduction, my name is Laura and I am a cupcake addict. However, I must stay away from the little balls of deliciousness as, come July 2013, I will be heading off to Tanzania to climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world for charity.

Cake has already helped raise over £140 at my team's first bake sale. I was lucky enough to get hold of my friend's recipe for chocolate and banana cake (a highly sought after secret) which went down a treat. I will be doing many more bake sales and would welcome ideas and recipes of top sellers at any sales you may have held?

If you want to find out more information about my climb of a lifetime, the charity which will benefit and make a donation then please visit:https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/rowleyclimbskili

Thank you very much.

Laura x

Snowflake Cupcakes

Snowflakes are seriously one of the most beautiful things nature has to offer. And when we talk about snowflakes on a cupcake, oh my god, I am in cupcake heaven. A decadent yet simple decor piece to any cupcake, these gorgeous snowflakes look great as a statement setting or scattered all around the layers of icing.

Photo 1: http://www.theswellelife.com/swelle_life/2009/11/cupcake-monday-the-tasty-snowflake-edition.html
Photo 2: http://pinterest.com/altdawn/tis-the-season-to-be-baking/
Photo 3: http://pinterest.com/pin/500321839822929517/
Photo 4: http://www.godairyfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/hannahvanillacupcakes.jpg

Savoury Sides: Cream Cheese Onion and Chive Cupcakes

Who says cupcakes have to be sweet? Savoury ones are the new lunchtime treat :) These are my first batch of savoury cupcakes and they won't be the last!

(Original images used, please source!)