Stuff I make, bake and love

2012-02-02T16:18:00.000Z

Happy Belated New Year! Two days after my last blog post our gorgeous baby boy Liam came into the world! I was planning on making a gingerbread house but never got around to it as he decided to arrive early. My festive baking plans were sabotaged! Liam is doing really well now and we're almost in some sort of routine. I feel like I've known him forever and he sleeps most peacfully in the kitchen with the oven humming and the mixer whirring!

I've been up and down to Dublin doing a series of Baking demos on RTE's Fourlive programme for the past few weeks. We did four in total: Breads, Scones, Sponge cakes and pastries. They're all on RTE player now. I also did one just before Christmas on the Peanut Butter Cookies. One of my absolute favourites from Make Bake Love.

I've been doing lots of writing including a once a week piece for The Sunday Business Post's Agenda magazine. I really love that as it involves making a great family meal each week.Next Sunday's will be a gorgeous roast vegetable and goats cheese tart. It's great because I spend the week cooking and experimenting with different flavours. It really has become my dream job!

So if you've only just come across my blog as a result of Make Bake Love or if you're a regular around here: Happy New Year and let's make 2012 an absolutely great year full of gorgeous food!

Lilly x

Chocolate Tiffin Christmas Puddings: Easy Edible Christmas Gifts

2011-12-04T18:53:00.001Z

I remember when I was a child seeing the incredible Christmas cakes that my mother would make taking centre stage on the Christmas Table. When the time came to remove the ribbon, little glittery trees and Santa figurines we would all be so excited with the thought of what lay beneath the thick white icing. The disappointing reality was that under that icing was a thick layer of homemade marzipan and a fruit cake soaked in brandy and full of plump sultanas and nuts. Of course nowadays I realise that those cakes were works of art, a labour of love that my mother had spent hours preparing and mixing. As children we just presumed that these incredible cakes would be made from chocolate; but sadly no. The same went for Christmas Puddings, I so wished they were made from solid chocolate. A few days ago I got that sinking feeling when I saw a TV advert for Christmas Pudding and I realised that now that I am a grown up I can make chocolate puddings if I want, Yessssssss. And thats how these gorgeous tiffin christmas puddings came to be made. The perfect little present for the chocolate lover in your life!

Chocolate Tiffin Christmas Pudding
Makes 2 x 1 pint puddings

150g (5oz) butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
200g (7oz) dark chocolate, chopped
300g (10oz) biscuits (digestives, rich tea, polo, fruit shortcake etc.)
200g (7oz) sultanas
100g (3 1/2oz) nuts, toasted & chopped

Line 2 x 1 pint pudding bowls with cling film.
Melt the butter, syrup and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bowl of simmering water. Stir occasionally to make sure everything is melting evenly.
Crush and break the biscuits into bite size pieces, don’t worry if some bits are big as they’ll break down when you’re stirring.
Add the sultanas and nuts. Combine well with the biscuits in a large bowl.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture over and stir everything well to combine.
Spoon into the pudding bowls . Compress and flatten with the back of the spoon.
Leave to set in a cold room or the fridge before tuning out. Decorate with a cherry on top and white melted chocolate.

I added cherries to mine too. You could also soak the sultanas in brandy or rum for a few hours before using them. This tiffin recipe is from my book Make Bake Love. You'll find it in the Thrift chapter. I actually tripled this recipe and got six gorgeous puddings. You could make smaller ones by using suitably shaped teacups, just make sure you line them with cling film!

The only thing you can't do with these beauties is dowse them in brandy and set them alight!

Lilly x

Mini Panettone : Easy Edible Christmas Gifts

2011-11-29T14:58:00.001Z

Above: Macadamia, White Chocolate and Cranberry Panettone & Mini Chocolate & Almond

Lately I've become addicted to baking Panettone. Baking them and eating them that is. They have to be one of the most comforting of Christmas recipes. The warm yeast rising and the mixture of spices fills the house with the nicest of smells. No candle could compete with the toasted Macadamia, White chocolate and Cranberry beauty that I made recently. Mixed Spice and Raisin, dark Chocolate and Orange. The different flavour combinations are endless. I decided to make some small ones to give as part of some Christmas hampers. One of these with a little jar of flavoured butter (cointreau, rum or brandy) makes a gorgeous gift and if not eaten straight away they can be toasted for breakfast or transformed into a luxurious bread & butter pudding!

Dark Chocolate and Toasted Almond Panettone

Makes 1 large or 6 mini (depending on tin size)

350g strong bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 sachet (7g) fast action yeast
50g golden caster sugar
100g almonds, toasted & chopped
100g butter, soft
3 eggs, beaten
4 tbsp milk, warm
100g dark chocolate, chopped
25g melted butter, to finish

Grease and line the tin(s) with greaseproof paper. If using mini silicone tins there's no need to grease or line them.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast, sugar and nuts
Make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, butter and milk. Mix well. Turn out onto your work surface.
Knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. This can also be done in a mixer using a dough hook.
Place into a large greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to double in size for an hour in a warm place.
Once risen punch down the dough with your fist, knead for 5 minutes. Gradually knead in the chopped chocolate. Shape and place into the prepared tin(s)
Preheat the oven to 180C. Leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes. Carefully brush the top with melted butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. I remove mine from the tin for the final five minutes to give them an overall golden colour.
Once the base sounds hollow when tapped the loaves can be removed from the oven and left to cool on a rack. Duct with icing sugar once cooled and wrap.

I'm planning lots more edible gifts to share here on the blog and will also have an article in The Independent Weekend Magazine so I'll link to that here once it's out. Hope all your Christmas preparations are going well!

Lilly x

Quick Pumpkin Soup

2011-11-11T11:46:00.000Z

I love soup weather. When it's freezing outside and gets dark at five in the afternoon then there's nothing better than a mug of soup just before dinner. I love having soup while I'm waiting for dinner to cook. It's like a vegetable smoothie full of nutrients and healthy garlic and onions.And also sometimes cream. Ahem. This soup is great though because it has ginger, garlic and coconut milk and it uses up any leftover tinned pumpkin that you might have from making the pumpkin muffins. Win win!

Pumpkin Soup

Makes 1 big pot

50g ginger, peeled & chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

4 (500g) sweet potatoes, peeled & roughly chopped

1 large butternut squash, peeled & chopped

325g (or 1 tin) pumpkin puree

1 litre stock or water

1 tin coconut milk

Salt & pepper

Butter or olive oil

Saute the ginger and onion in butter or olive oil in a large pan until soft.
Add the sweet potato and squash.
Add the stock and simmer until the vegetables are softened.
Add the pumpkin puree, coconut milk and simmer for five minutes.
Puree until smooth. Season to taste.

There's no real rules with this soup, put whatever you have in! And don't worry if you don't have tinned pumpkin just add some peeled and chopped fresh pumpkin. Lovely!

Lilly x

Easy and Gorgeous Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-27T12:02:00.000+01:00

I spent all of last week in Dublin to launch MakeBakeLove and was delighted to be able to wander around one of my favourite food haunts Fallon & Byrne. I picked up two tins of pumpkin puree, for once I'll be ready for Halloween! I decided to make Pumpkin Muffins. Pumpkin Pie is still on my list of must bakes; Donal Skehans' gorgeous version is here.

This recipe only uses 100g of the tinned pumpkin, I'll post a recipe next week on a gorgeous soup that you can make with the remaining pumpkin!

Pumpkin Muffins with a Maple Glaze

Cake recipe from The Primrose Bakery

110g unsalted butter, at room temperature

240g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs, free range or organic
1/2 teaspoon good-quality vanilla extract
100g pureed pumpkin
125g self-raising flour, sifted
120g plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
125ml buttermilk (or 120ml milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)
Maple Glaze: Sieve 8tbsp icing sugar into a bowl, add 2 tbsp maple syrup and 1-2 tbsp hot water. Mix until smooth.
12 toasted pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 12 hole muffin tray with the appropriate size cupcake cases.
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take about 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin and beat until just combined.
Combine the flours, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat until just combined. Add half of the buttermilk and beat again until just combined. Repeat these steps until all the flour and buttermilk have been added.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 mins until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of he cakes – it should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before placing carefully on a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled top with the maple glaze and half a toasted pecan nut.

For me these cakes were light, moist and beautifully spiced. I didn't want to use the sugary creamcheese frosting that The Primrose Bakery suggested so just added the maple glaze. Very Thanksgivingy and very moreish! These muffins perfectly represent the Holiday Spirit and are gorgeous uniced with coffee for breakfast too!

And (not to be nagging but...) Make Bake Love is shortlisted for Best Irish Published Book of the year in this years Book Awards and the public can vote until November 13th. I'd love if you voted for it here! Thanks a million!

Lilly x

'Make Bake Love' is out!

2011-10-23T22:16:00.000+01:00

The book is now finally out! Yay! It's incredible to see stacks of MakeBakeLove in bookshops all over the country. Even though it only came out on Friday I've already had loads of people baking from it and letting me know what their favourites from the book are. It really is so exciting to be able to share the book with people who have never seen the blog and to see so many people getting back to baking! Massive thanks to all at Gill & MacMillan and to the brilliant Kristin who copy edited the whole book for me. She has her own lovely blogs Edible Ireland and Dinner du Jour and co-founded The Irish Food Bloggers Association. It was an incredible stroke of luck to have such a talented perfectionist on my team!

I was also really lucky that my boyfriend Colm took the photos of me for the book, seeing the photo he took on the cover really makes it for me!

If you can't make it to a bookshop and want to order online then here's a list of places where you can get it. I'm told it's out of stock at the moment on Amazon so these are your best bet!

Dubray Books

Gill and MacMillan

The Book Depository

Also some brilliant news: The book has been shortlisted for Best Irish Published Book Of The Year! I'd love if you took the time to vote for MakeBakeLove here. Thanks a million!

Lilly x

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

2011-10-12T12:20:00.000+01:00

Two of my sisters celebrate their Birthdays today! Hooray! So Happy Birthday to big sister Ettie and small sister Raedi! I made one of my favourite cakes from my book MakeBakeLove which will be out next week, it's so exciting to see it all printed and bound. Being able to flick through it and look at all the photos is great. It's like having the blog come to life!
This cake is the ultimate celebration. Peanut butter and chocolate is a winning combination. Covering the inside of the tins with chopped nuts adds a lovely texture and flavour, but you can just use flour if you like. To go totally overboard, you could pile some mini chocolate peanut butter drops or chocolate-covered nuts on top. A salty-sweet dream cake!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Serves 8–10

For the cake:
60g dry roasted peanuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
100ml milk
225g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder

For the peanut butter cream:
250g icing sugar, divided
125g smooth peanut butter
30g butter, softened
50ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and cover with the chopped nuts.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the milk.
3. Sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the egg mixture. Mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared sandwich tins, taking care not to disturb the nuts. Bake for 30 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool fully on a rack.
5. To make the icing, cream together half the icing sugar, the butter, peanut butter, milk and vanilla in a bowl until well combined. Add the rest of the icing sugar and mix well, until fluffy.
6. Sandwich the cake together with the icing. Top with more icing and roasted peanuts.

Lilly x

Chocolate and Coconut Granola

2011-09-14T20:40:00.001+01:00

I usually make this granola in huge batches and it lasts about two weeks. I really love it and feel very virtuous knowing that it's sugar free and jam packed with nuts and fruit. But... I recently bought The Vintage Tea Party by Angel Adore and as if by fate the book opened on page 26; This glorious chocolate and coconut granola! It's really easy to make and is highly addictive. I told myself that this could be my 'weekend breakfast' but by Tuesday I was adding a little to my sugar free granola, then by Friday the stuff was gone!
It makes a gorgeous dessert layered with yogurt and fruit. And amazingly it really does turn the milk a chocolatey colour!

Chocolate & Coconut Granola
From The Vintage Tea Party
Serves 8

240g rolled oats
175g flaked almonds
70g shredded unsweetened coconut
70g dark brown sugar
40g cocoa powder
90ml honey
50ml vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 120 C.
In a large bowl mix the oats, almonds, coconut and brown sugar. In a seperate bowl mix the cocoa, honey, oil, cinnamon and salt.
Combine the 2 mixtures and pour on to 2 lined baking sheets. (mine was more solid like a flapjack mixture but I was able to crumble it up nicely once it was cooked). Bake the granola for 1 1/4 hours, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even colour.
Leave to cool before storing in an airtight container.

I was tempted to leave out the cinnamon but didn't. It adds a gorgeous subtle spiciness. The book is lovely and beautifully styled, every page has little drawings and there are also tips on how to do vintage up do's and make up. A real how to guide to Tea Parties!
Lilly x

Prudence Magazine Article!

2011-09-12T09:07:00.000+01:00

This month there's a four page spread of my house in Prudence magazine! I'm delighted that my gorgeous dog Bo got to be in it, even though she was beside herself with excitement she does look calm in the photos, phew!Thanks to Annette O'Meara who wrote the article and Paul Sherwood for the lovely photos.

Lilly x

Free Calender Desktop Background: September

2011-09-02T10:33:00.000+01:00

A few months ago a blog reader emailed me asking if I could send her a high resolution photo of one of the cakes on the blog so that she could use it as a desktop background on her computer. She said that it would brighten up her office and I've been sending her photos ever since! So now I've decided to make it 'official' and I've added a calender so that you too can have a lovely desktop background!

I love doing things like this and putting it all together so will upload a calender each month, I actually can't wait to do a Toffee Apple one for Halloween and a Coconut Snowball one for Christmas! Hurray!

For September's calender I've used two of my favourite flower photos (above). It's actually the same bunch of flowers but one is a close up of the sage, fennel leaves and flower. You can download them on Flickr:

Here's the bright and summery one.

Here's the more Autumnal subtle one.

I'm using Flickr as I think thats probably the easiest way to download them. I'm going to move the calender up slightly this evening so it should suit all general computer screens.

Have a lovely weekend!

Lilly x

Easy Indian Flatbread & The Loaves & Fishes August Menu

2011-08-15T15:48:00.004+01:00

UPDATE: The Supper Club is now booked out for August and as I'm going on maternity leave we're taking a break till next year but I'll keep the blog updated about future events! Thanks! x

Mango Fool with Coconut Biscuits

I've been doing loads of cooking and recipe testing in preparation for the next (and last for a while!) Loaves & Fishes Supper. As usual there will be a loose theme and the planned summery evening will be Indian! Nothing will be too crazy hot or spicy so everyone should enjoy it. I'm using the amazing spices from Green Saffron, a Cork based company that import and mix the most amazing fresh spices.

Cucumber and Elderflower Champagne Cocktail
Mini Poppadums with fresh mint, red onion and mango chutneys
Chola Tikki (Indian Falafel) with salad
Green Saffron Red Lentil Dahl with Pilau Rice, Banana Raita and Coriander Flatbreads
Mango Fool with Coconut Biscuits
Tea & Coffee with Eastern Mendiants

Everything is homemade and it was great to practice making everything, especially the flatbreads! I've included the recipe below.I think they'd be perfect with dill added for a greek meal or chilli flakes. It's similar to a scone recipe and very versatile.

Coriander Flatbreads

Makes 8

300g plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bread soda
1 tsp nigella seeds
3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
250ml plain yogurt
Olive Oil (for frying)

Sieve the flour, ground coriander, baking powder, bread soda and salt together into a large bowl. Stir through the nigella seeds and chopped coriander.
Add the yogurt and combine with a fork until the mixture forms clumps.
Tip onto a floured surface and knead for a minute until a smooth dough forms.
Divide into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle 4 1/2" wide.
Lightly oil a heavy based frying pan and place over a medium heat. Cook the breads 2 or 3 at a time, leave for 3 minutes on each side until puffed up and golden brown. Serve warm.

I'll post the recipes for the onion chutney and Chola Tikki too!
Lilly x

Brilliant News & The Best Chocolate Cake

2011-07-31T22:01:00.002+01:00

So some brilliant news to kick off the week! We have a publishing date for the Make,Bake,Love book: 21st October and to top off all the excitement of that we're having a baby in December! Yay! We're so delighted and can't wait for both brilliant new arrivals; book and baby! So I'm taking 'maternity leave' from the Supper Club for a few months, August is our last and is fully booked. We are having a Tea Party in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland in the supper club on 27th August and there's still places left, Read about it here! To celebrate here's the most amazing chocolate cake recipe, it's flourless, a dream to make and tastes even better when kept in the fridge overnight. Hurray!

Green & Blacks Chocolate Mousse Cake

Use: 20cm or 23cm (8in or 9in) cake tin with removable base or a similar-sized tart tin

Serves: 10

1 tablespoon ground almonds plus extra for dusting tin
300g (101/2oz) dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
275g (10oz) caster sugar
165g (51/2oz) butter
5 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Brush the tin with a little melted butter and dust with the ground almonds, shaking off any excess.
Melt the chocolate, caster sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water, then remove from the heat.
Whisk the eggs with the ground almonds and fold into the chocolate mixture. The mixture will thicken after a few minutes. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Remove the sides of the tin and leave the cake on the base to cool, then dust using a fine sieve with icing sugar or brush with edible gold dust.

This is the perfect cake when you need something gorgeous but don't have loads of time, and it's really rich so a small piece with greek yogurt or cream is unreal!
Lilly x

Come to our fundraising Tea Party for Down Syndrome Ireland!

2011-07-23T14:24:00.000+01:00

We are having an afternoon tea party and you are all invited!

My sister Raedi and my Dad are two of the 150 cyclists completing the Tour de Munster, an epic 600km cycle, over 4 days, taking in every county in Munster. The Tour is in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland, a brilliant organisation which provides information and advice, influences policy, raises public awareness and works towards the improvement of education and services for children and adults with Down syndrome.

Each cyclist pays their own way on the Tour and has to raise 1000 euro for DSI. So we've decided to do what we love doing the most: bake! We're transforming our usual supper club venue into a tea parlour for the afternoon. There will be loads of delicous sandwiches, cakes and tea!

Tickets to the party are 20 euro and all of this goes toward our fundraising target.

Our Afternoon Tea party will take place on Saturday the 27th August from 2 - 4pm.

Please email Raedi at landfafternoontea@gmail.com if you'd like to come along! Thanks & see you there! x

Cider soaked Ham: Perfect for every occasion!

2011-07-17T16:33:00.000+01:00

My mother always seems to have a ham in the fridge. It's the best thing ever. As you're waiting for dinner to cook or whatever you can cut a slice off, spread it with mustard and down the hatch. But it's not just for snacking: a few slices of ham with new potatoes, parsley sauce & spring cabbage is amaaazing. A sandwich made with real crusty sourdough, mustard, a strong cheddar and some of this beautiful smoked ham is the nicest lunch ever. When you don't feel like cooking a dinner on warm summer nights just assemble a ploughman's platter: basically anything that's in the fridge will work. Pickles, salads, cheese and a little dip made by mixing some honey with mayonnaise and mustard. It's so nice! I actually am not big into meat, I don't really like beef or chicken but real cooked ham will always have a place in my heart. It was always a mystery to me how my mother cooked the ham but she told me how the other day and I went out and got some of my own in The English Market in Cork.

What you'll need:
1 piece of ham (mine was around ten euro, I forgot to weigh it)
6 allspice berries
4 cloves

1 tin cider

1 oven proof pot with a lid

Simply place everything into the pot, cover and place in an oven preheated to 180C for 1 hour.
And that's it! Oh and it also makes a gorgeous addition to eggs benedict!
Lilly x

Flowery Ice Cubes to make your day!

2011-07-07T20:03:00.000+01:00

I know now that there are much more important things going on in the world but every now and again it's great to just immerse yourself in a seemingly trivial project like.... Floral Icecubes! Yes! It's barbeque and afternoon tea party season. Jugs of lemonade are made even more gorgeous with some citrus slices suspended in ice. Pitchers of Elderflower cordial are unbearablely cute with little borage ice cubes. The possibilities are endless! I've looked on the internet at lots of different variables so don't worry; You don't have to now!

Here are my top tips for perfect party ice cubes:

You don't need to be a square: That's right! Use any flexible moulds to make your ice cubes. Silicone trays are perfect, you can get all shapes and sizes. Mini muffins aswell as star, flower and flamingo shapes! Just remember that water expands when freezing so don't use your good glasses or bowls.
Boil it down: By boiling the water first you are guaranteed a crystal clear cube and no cloudiness so your flowers can be centre stage.(I didn't boil the water for the ice cubes in the photo because I wanted to show you how they can go wrong. Ahem.)
The bigger the ice the slower it melts. If your planning a six hour soiree then maybe make bigger icecubes so that they'll melt slower. And only add your ice cubes at the last minute.
Flowers that work: borage, primroses, feverfew daisies, pansies, violets, lavender, carnation, dandelion, cornflower, hibiscus, honeysuckle (berries are poisonous), nasturtium, roses, scented geranium, chamomile, elderflower.
Herbs that work: Mint, Lemon verbena, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram etc.
Herb Cubes: If you have excess parsley, coriander or other fresh herbs in your garden then you can finely chop them and pack into an ice cube tray, half filling up with water. Once frozen top up with more water. When they're fully frozen simply transfer to a freezer bag and add to your stews, curries and soups during the winter to remind you of the sunny summer!

Now all we must do is cross our fingers and hope for more sunshine!
Lilly x

Incredible Cauliflower Cake

2011-06-15T08:41:00.000+01:00

I try to have at least four vegetarian dinners a week. The inspiring Plenty book from Ottolenghi is a must have for anyone trying to cut back on meat and eat more vegetables. I never really like cauliflower except for when it's done like this, pureed and mixed with parmesan. This cake really showcases cauliflower and is lovely the following day too, it's works really well for packed lunches aswell as for dinner with a green salad.

This is a brilliant recipe to have for the vegetarian in your life that is sick of risotto and quorn etc. It's such an unusual mixture of ingredients: Nigella seeds, basil, cheese, cauliflower. But it all comes together beautifully somehow!

Lilly x

Here's the recipe!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/02/cauliflower-cake-recipe-yotam-ottolenghi

Pikelets with Plum Jam

2011-06-10T20:16:00.000+01:00

Last night I was scanning the many TV channels and as usual nothing was on but then. THEN. I came across Bill Granger making these adorable pikelets. He is so upbeat, pleasant, sunny and, well, Australian. I always love Australian people and love their laid back attitude (not to be generalising or anything but they're all lovely aren't they?). Pikelets are an Australian little pancake. They are absolutely beautiful and this gorgeous recipe uses wholemeal flour. Thaaaaaanks Bill Granger.

Bill Granger's Pikelets with Plum Jam

For the Jam:

150 golden caster sugar

250g plums or strawberries, thinly sliced

1 vanilla pod, halved & scraped

25g butter

For the Pikelets:

125g wholemeal plain flour

2tsp baking powder

2tbsp sugar

1 egg

170ml milk

30g butter

Method:

For the jam: place a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the caster sugar and leave it to melt. When it has turned a light golden colour, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the vanilla seeds and the strawberries or plums and swirl the mixture around until the fruit and sugar combine to give a jam-like consistency. Stir in the butter and leave to cool

For the pikelets: sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and egg, then gently whisk in the milk, making sure there are no lumps in the batter.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Melt a little butter in the pan and, when it begins to foam, add spoonfuls of the batter. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pikelets, they are ready to be turned over and cooked on the other side until light golden. Keep them in a warm place until you are ready to serve.

These make a quick and easy breakfast, the plums are lovely but maple syrup or lemon juice works just aswell. Have a lovely weekend!
Lilly x

Photos of The May Loaves&Fishes Supper

2011-06-07T20:53:00.000+01:00

The May Loaves&Fishes Menu

2011-05-20T12:42:00.002+01:00

Last Saturday night I went to a lovely pop up supper club in Ballymaloe Cookery School held by Gill Hegarty. It was brilliant to go to someone elses supper and Gill really pulled out all the stops! Her homemade ravioli was amazing and I actually can't stop thinking about the beef carpaccio with beetroot and horseradish sauce! There were 4 courses and for dessert she made an almond, prune and brandy tart which was absolutely gorgeous! I must get that recipe. Gill is hoping to do the supper club once a month and you can find out more on her facebook page.

Meanwhile I have the menu for next weekends supper all planned out. One thing I definitely learned from going to Gill's supper is that I was so full by the end of the night! I give people massive portions so I actually need to tone it down a bit! I'll be emailing everyone who's booked in with the finer details on Sunday. Hopefully the weather will be nice and summery and will set the tone for this middle eastern delight of a night!

Mezze Plate (Hummus, Dukkah, Olives from The English Market, Beetroot dip & pittas)

Green Salad

Ottolenghis' Open Kibbeh, Carrot Salad, Tzatziki & Green Couscous

Strawberries with hibiscus tea, vanilla cream and Pistachio shortbread

Almond and Orangeflower Moroccan Snake

Tea & Coffee

I've put a link to the kibbeh above, it's unbelievably tasty. I've made it a few times now, it works really well as a packed lunch/picnic and is lovely warm in a pitta bread with salad too.

The Moroccan snake (in the photos above) is a gorgeous theatrical pastry that I learned to make in Ballymaloe. It's really lovely with strong coffee or Mint tea. I love the idea of having one of these on each table when we serve the coffees!

Lilly x

Homemade Christening Cake

2011-05-03T16:43:00.001+01:00

I love a challenge! So a few weeks ago when my friend Susan asked me to make her baby Oscar's christening cake I was delighted. I hadn't made a proper big celebration cake before so couldn't wait to get started on it. It was a joint Christening between Oscar and baby Lauren so hence the pink and blue! I bought a set of flower cutters from a kitchen shop in Cork and must warn you that making sugar paste flowers is addictive! I bought a block of sugar paste and added food dye to colour it 6 different shades of pink and blue.I then watched Beverly Hill Cop II and made over one hundred little flowers. Best Friday night in ever.

I made the cake a few weeks ago but still have some of the left over flowers in a jar for when I'm making cupcakes or something! Very handy and I made some in light yellow that look like primroses. Someone's been bitten by the sugarcraft bug.

Two Tier Homemade Christening Cake

Based on the Wedding Cake recipe by Eric Lanlard in Delicious magazine.

What you will need: 3x 8" sandwich tins, 1x 12" cake tin

For the small cake:

260g butter, soft

260g sugar

4 eggs

375g self raising flour

2 tbsp milk

For the big cake:

1.2kg butter, soft

1.2kg sugar

18 eggs

1.2kg self raising flour

150ml milk

Butter and flour the three sandwich tins. Butter and double line the large tin with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 160C. The method for both cakes is the same.
Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the eggs, beating well between additions. Sift the flour and fold into the cake batter with a large spatula adding the milk as you go. Ensure the batter is combined well.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake the small cakes for 20-25 mins and the large cake for 2 1/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

For the Icing:

625g butter, softened

850g icing sugar

125ml milk

2 tbsp vanilla essence

food colouring

Raspberry jam

6 x blocks of royal roll out icing

1 egg white mixed with enough icing sugar to form a thick 'glue'

Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar, milk and vanilla. beat for five minutes until light and fluffy.You can colour your buttercream like I did if you like
Cut the large cake into three layers. Spread with the jam and sandwich together using the buttercream
Next cover the entire top and sides of the assembled cakes with buttercream. This will make the roll out icing stick.
Measure your cakes by running a piece of string from one side, over the top and down the other side.
Next roll out the icing into a large circle using your string to guide you. Place both cakes on their cake boards.
Gently lay the icing over the cakes and smooth down using a ball of icing rolled in cling film.
Once both cakes are iced place on top of one another, I also used dowels in the base cake to help hold up the top cake.
Next run the ribbon around the edges and seal with the icing glue.
Use the icing glue to place all of the flowers or whatever decorations you want to use.

The beauty of using all of these tiny flowers was that I stuck them over any mistakes or bumps! It really was very easy to make but time consuming. I would set aside an afternoon to ice it! This cake recipe could also be used as a small wedding cake and decorated with fresh flowers. Beautiful!
Lilly x

The April Loaves&Fishes Menu

2011-04-25T15:01:00.016+01:00

Disastrous Update: Unfortunately we had to cancel the April supper club as my week of flu turned into pleurisy and I ended up going to hospital. My trip to A&E only took 4 1/2 hours which I thought was great really. I always thought it would take way longer. Anyway I spent my Easter holidays in bed and there was such nice weather and all. I felt like the sickly little boy in The Secret Garden. I'll be a weakling for the next two weeks or so but should be in flying form just in time for May's supper! So sorry to everyone that couldn't come!x

Apologies for my blogging absence! I've been sick for the past week but the upside was that I got to look through all my cookery books and magazines as I lay on the couch. This menu has been planned within an inch of it's life! I always have a loose theme and this month is no different. I like the menu to flow and become a complete picture. The inspiration for next weekends supper is of course: The Royal Wedding! Don't worry there won't be corgi centre pieces and I won't be wearing Geri Halliwells union jack dress. The menu is inspired by Scottish, Welsh and English dishes using Irish products. And of course a liberal sprinkling of Romance for the weekend thats in it!

Pimms

Princess & The Pea Soup

Ploughmans Platter with ham terrine, pickles and cheddar

Smoked Salmon, Leek and potato gratin with roast tomatoes & greens

Strawberries in Hibiscus with shortbread hearts and vanilla cream

RoyalTea: Queen Cakes and Regal Tiffin with Tea & Coffee

When we were in France last year I had the strawberries in Hibiscus Tea and it was amazing! So summery and fresh. Now I just need to find some gold leave or edible gold dust to sprinkle over the tiffin. Eeek! Exciting. It'll be gorgeous and I'll put recipes & photos on the blog afterwards.

Lilly x

Pea Falafel

2011-04-14T23:20:00.001+01:00

According to Wikipedia: Falafel is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. Falafel is also often considered a national dish of Israel.

I absolutely love Falafel. They always remind me of Electric Picnic, queing in the rain for a pitta bread stuffed with glorious, just deep fried balls of herby chickpea. I found a gorgeous recipe for Pea Falafel in this months Delicious magazine, So I just had to try it! As usual I didn't have all the ingredients so ammended the recipe. I made double the amount and brought some to lunch the next day and froze some.Oh how gorgeous they were with carrot salad and greek yogurt. But now I can't stop thinking about the ones in the freezer. I should probably take them out and cook them tonight? You're right.

The Perfect Falafel Dinner for Two:

Yogurt: Mix a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of dried dill, 1 crushed garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon juice & a pinch of salt. Combine well and drizzle with a good olive oil.
Carrot Salad: Mix 2 tbsp lemon juice with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Grate three carrots and pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
A mixed green salad or rocket
4 wholemeal pitta breads, warmed in the oven
As many falafel as you want

Pea Falafel
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
150g frozen peas
large handful fresh mint, parsley & coriander
400g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 egg
70g bread crumbs
sunflower oil for frying

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, stirring for 10-15 mins. Add the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Take off the heat.
Cook the peas in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and refresh under cold water.
Place the peas in a food processor with the spiced onion, herbs, chickpeas, egg and breadcrumbs.
Season well then pulse to a coarse paste.Using your hands form into 20 walnut size balls, then chill for 30 mins.
Half fill a large frying pan with sunflower oil and heat. Fry the falafel in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked. Drain on kitchen paper.

Lilly x

Wake up to Sugarfree Granola

2011-04-05T20:48:00.000+01:00

Lately I've stopped having porridge in the morning as the weather has been so nice so I decided to make a huge batch of toasty oaty granola. I really wanted a healthy recipe and not something loaded with sugar. I found a gorgeous recipe in The Rose Bakery cookbook. It's a sugar free granola that tastes as good as it looks. Full of nuts and sultanas. This stuff will keep you going till lunchtime I promise!

I love Granola and must have tasted nearly every type available trying to find the nicest one! My favourite is maple syrup & pecan granola but when I don't make that I love my Aunt Dee's granola. She sells all her 'Just Food' soups, pesto and hummus etc. in supermarkets all over the country but her organic Brazil nut and cranberry granola is only available at Midleton Market. I love it. It's made in small batches so always tastes toasty and fresh.

I only use sultanas and mixed nuts in my granola. I always find it very hard to get up in the morning, when my alarm goes off at 7 I always feel like I could sleep another four hours! The last thing I want to do is waste ten minutes of precious morning time by picking out the horrible candied papaya and sharp banana chips from my cereal bowl. I hate that stuff! So I suppose that really is the benefit with making your own food, you can control what you put in it and that makes me happy! I use the Flahavans organic oats. You can use the best of everything as it's so much cheaper than buying luxury granola. Score!

Sugarfree Granola

Adapted from The Rose Bakery Cookbook (an amaaaazing book)

300g rolled oats

50g whole almonds, roughly chopped
50g Brazil nuts, chopped
50g hazelnuts, chopped
120g sunflower seeds
50g sesame seeds
20g wheat germ
125ml unsweetened apple juice
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
dried or fresh fruits such a figs, sultanas or blueberries

Preheat oven to 160 C. Mix oats, seeds, wheatgerm, apple juice, sunflower oil in a bowl, then spread out evenly on a baking tray.
Bake, turning often, for between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
Remove from oven and leave until cool.
Add dried or fresh fruits and serve with yogurt or milk. And have a great day!

You can keep this in an airtight container for weeks but it's usually gone after a weeks breakfasts! My other favourite morning wake up is the organic Pukka Detox tea. I love that stuff! It's made from aniseed, fennel and cardamom. Really refreshing!

Lilly x

The March Loaves&Fishes

2011-03-28T21:05:00.001+01:00

I forgot to take a photo of the starter! It was olives from The Olive Stall and finnochiona from IAGO in the English Market. I also made Jamie Olivers Caponata and served it all with salad leaves and bread from ABC.

We were at a wedding in Italy last year and the food was amazing. After the meal the chef came out with a round table covered in a white tablecloth. He then brought out a huge biscuit base, several bowls of berries and a large bowl of what looked like white scrambled egg! At first everyone was chatting but soon we were all transfixed on the cake making process, the layers of jewelled berries, the icing sugar falling over each one. I just had to make it! It took me ages to figure out what the creamy mix was, this is the closest I’ve come to it! It’s based on a Sicilian Cassata Cake filling.

Sicilian Wedding Cake

(Serves 30-35 generously)

1500g digestive biscuits
750g butter
2000ml cream
1200g ricotta (6 tubs)
4 tbsp vanilla essence
6 tbsp icing sugar
Zest of 4 lemon
900g approx of each: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants
Icing Sugar for dusting

Crush the digestives in the food processor until there are crumbs and some large bits. You don’t want dust! Melt the butter and mix well in a large bowl with the biscuit crumbs.
Tip the buttered crumb mixture onto your serving plate. Work quickly while the mixture is still warm. Shape into a large circle and make sure it is compact by flattening with the back of a spoon so that it will set into a nice crunchy biscuit layer that you can cut into.
Whilst the base is setting prepare your berries. Place them in nice serving bowls, slice and sugar the strawberries.
Place the ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla and icing sugar into a bowl, beat until combined
Whip the cream until it is soft. Gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture using a large spatula.
To serve spread the ricotta cream mixture over the base, top with the berries and dust with icing sugar.

This is very easy to make, the most difficult thing is finding what to put it on! I used a circle of toughened glass. The Cake is perfect for large gatherings and parties! As always thanks to my brilliant sisters and Rosie for taking the photos!
Lilly x

NOTE: We're currently booked up for April and May, as we only do it once a month it filled up quick. It's great to see so much interest. It would be great if more people started holding supperclubs too! We're taking a break for summer but will keep the blog updated with upcoming events. x

The March Loaves&Fishes Menu

2011-03-20T19:51:00.000Z

For some reason no photos will load! The server is 'rejecting' them apparently, how embarrassing. Anyway we are really looking forward to Loaves&Fishes next weekend and here is the menu:

Antipasto

Four Cheese Tortellini with sage butter

Pollo al burro with roast cherry tomatoes & Herb Tabbouleh

Sicilian Wedding Cake

Homemade Cantucci

Tea & Coffee

A few years ago we went to La Sostanza in Florence and had the most amazing steaks. The house red wine was beautiful and served in little glass tumblers, there was a big open grill in the kitchen where everything was cooked. The whole atmosphere was so relaxed, I really loved it. We went back a few times and every time the people at the tables around us were raving about the Pollo al burro. Chicken soaked in a buttery bath. We had to get it! It was absolutely gorgeous and I've been making it at home ever since.

Last year we went to a beautiful wedding in Tuscany and at the end of the night we had the most amazing berry Wedding Cake. I've been trying to find a recipe for it everywhere and just recently figured out that the filling is like the Scilian Cassata cake. Anyway it's gorgeous and I'll post the recipe with photos here next week!

Lilly x

We have a title! It's MakeBakeLove!

2011-03-14T23:19:00.012Z

Thanks so much to everyone for all of the brilliant book title suggestions! I never really considered calling the book after the blog but ye all thought of it. Go Team! So since the blog is called 'Stuff I make, bake and Love' the book will be called the shorter version 'Make.Bake.Love'. You make it, you bake it, you love it. I think it's a grower. 100 sweet baking recipes and jam packed with photos.

I'm just at the 'typing up and checking everything twice over and over' stage so here are some photos I won't be putting in the book. Bo loves to help when I'm taking photos. She's lurking in the background of every shot, she knows not to go near me when I have the camera in my hand!

Thanks a million to my talented beautician sister Rosie (above) for using make up artistry magic and to my Colm for taking the photos of me for the book. Blogging can be a solitary and very personal hobby and it can sometimes appear like it's not part of the 'real world' but coming together to make this book has brought it all to life for me. I always write these posts for you to read but now other people will be able to read the book too! So come September we'll have to share! Thanks for all your support!

Lilly x

Drop Scone Tuesday is upon us!

2011-03-06T20:44:00.001Z

I absolutely love pancakes. A day where you just have to have pancakes is my dream come true. For about six months we had pancakes every Sunday morning with apple sliced or grated into the batter. Like this lovely recipe. I love adding fruit to the batter as it makes them 'healthy' and then you can drench them in glorious maple syrup. But for the past few months whilst I've been writing and baking up the book there has been nothing but cake in the house. We have lost our appetite for sugar. It's a sad day when you realise that no, you don't feel remotely like having cake or biscuits with your cup of tea. I had to make a new house rule: Nobody is to leave empty handed. If someone calls, give them cake. So the run up to lent and the symbolic pancake making has never been so apt. I am giving up sugar! Hurray! But first I must eat loads of drop scones.

I've always been crepe at making thin pancakes. I can never be mean with anything so the idea of a pancake so light and airy as a crepe just doesn't make sense to me. I want a generous fluffy pancake that holds it's topping and stacks up well. So I usually use a drop scone recipe for my pancakes. I make big drop scones and have them with slices of banana & maple syrup, greek yogurt & honey or like this morning: blueberries. Alot of kids don't like 'stuff' in their pancakes so I made a blueberry compote to have with our gorgeous pancakes.

A Simple Blueberry Compote

2 punnets of blueberries

The juice of a lemon

3 tablespoons of sugar

Place the lemon juice & sugar in a pan over a gentle heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Once the syrup is clear turn up the heat and boil for a minute until it thickens.
Add the blueberries and stir gently to coat the berries. Leave to simmer for a minute just until the berries look like they are about to burst.
Pour into a bowl and serve with the pancakes

A lovely drop scone recipe from Mark Hix.

I made my pancakes with a mixture of duck and hen eggs. Ever since we had to send our ducks & hens to Leahys Farm because of Bo and her overactive 'prey drive' I really miss not having real eggs. Luckily my parents have very productive hens that appear to even pencil in the date on their own eggs. The new project for Spring is to build a safe and secure hen coop that keeps birds in and Bo/foxes/bears out. I can't wait and am already boring the ear off a very talented carpenter that has agreed to build it. Yay!

Happy Pancake Day!

Lilly x

Mexican Recipes

2011-02-24T20:38:00.000Z

The Mexican L&F dinner was lovely! Massive thanks as usual to my brilliant sisters who were decked out like Mexican ladies with flowers in their hair and beautiful mexican dresses. We started the night with Tequila Spritzers. It was basically a big jug of margarita mix (cointreau, tequila & lots of fresh lime juice). A shot of this was poured into each glass & then topped up with lemonade. Very drinkable and I'd imagine a real winner for summer barbeques!

The main course was the Chili con Cocoa here. I bought the blocks of cacao from The Chocolate Shop in The English Market in Cork. I told the shop man that I dropped my last half used block of cacoa into a bolognaise sauce whilst grating it in and he said I should have just rinsed it instead of throwing it out. Ah too late now!

Thomasina Miers Cookbook 'Mexican Made Simple' really helped! Her chilli chocolate truffles are absolutely beautiful and I'll definitely make them again, so easy and alot of people loved them. I think it was the allspice and the hint of chilli, really nice.I had a bit of a panic when I saw ten cloves, a misprint?! Eeek! I didn't want the truffles tasting like antiseptic! But no, ten cloves is just right. Aoife from Icanhascook very kindly gifted me a cute red oval plate, It fits in perfectly with everything else! So nice and unexpected too. I'm just too obsessed with crockery.

Thomasina Miers Chilli Chocolate Truffles.

Makes loads (40-60)

500g dark choc (70% minimum cocoa)

200g milk chocolate (40% cocoa)

A sprinkle each of cinnamon, allspice and chilli flakes

10 cloves

425g of double cream

A knob of butter

Cocoa Powder for dusting

Break the chocolate into small pieces (or even better, grate it in the food processor).

Gently warm the cream in a saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir constantly until all of the chocolate is melted.

In a pestle and mortar (or coffee/spice grinder), pound the cloves, cinnamon, allspice and chilli flakes until ground, making sure there are no lumps of clove.

Add to the melted chocolate along with the butter. Pour the mixture into a lined tin (clingfilm or baking parchment will do) and freeze for an hour.

Remove and cut off small chunks, rolling them into balls, dabbling them in the cocoa until they’re coated. Store in the freezer or fridge until you’re ready to serve, they should last about a week.

Also if anyone is interested in us doing a Loaves&Fishes in Cork then do let me know as I'd love to do one in April/May!

Lilly x

Loaves&Fishes Love Mexican Food!

2011-02-14T21:05:00.002Z

Thanks so much for all of the brilliant name suggestions for my book! I really loved reading through them and will let ye know as soon as we've decided on the best title. Thanks a million!x

Now back to the business at hand: The Loaves & Fishes menu for next weekend. The loose theme will be Mexican so feel free to dust off your ponchos! I've resisted the temptation to make a huge pinata but there's a few days to go yet so you never know! Nothing on the menu will be crazy hot and loaded with chilli. It'll all be lovely and full of fresh lime,coriander and my favourite secret ingredient in the kitchen: Cacao!

Black bean Sopa Azteca

Guacamole, Salsa, Torilla chips and other lovely bits & pieces

Chilli con cacao, Green Rice and homemade cornbread

Citrus Tart

Homemade Chilli chocolate truffles

Tea & Coffee

The citrus tart is my recipe from 'The Book'. I was planning on making Thomasina Miers Vanilla Cheesecake with pineapple caramel, I made it and it was gorgeous but very messy for a large group! The green rice, soup and truffles are all from her brilliant book Mexican Food Made Simple.The cornbread is addictive! It's a mish mash of an Ottolenghi (suprisesuprise) recipe and a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe. It'd be gorgeous with spaghetti bolognaise too!

I love wine but always drink beer with Mexican Food, I just associate it with Corona or Sol with lime and kicking back and relaxing. But if you don't want to stick with wine then I found this great Article called 'Beyond Beer: Wine with Mexican Food.' Here are the main tips on pairing wines with Mexican food:

1. The most successful wines are fresh, sleek, and crisp with acidity. Good white choices include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio (also known as Pinot Gris), dry Riesling, and Albarino, a crisp, citrusy knockout from northwestern Spain that's phenomenal with green tomatillo-chili sauces. Acidity however, isn't the exclusive domain of white wines. High-acid reds include Spanish Riojas (based on the Tempranillo grape), Italian Chiantis (based on Sangiovese), and Pinot Noir.

2. A second group includes wines with a plush, thick, jammy mouth-feel. Soft, juicy Zinfandels with massive fruit flavors can be sensational with earthy red chile adobo sauces, and supersupple Shirazes and Shiraz blends from Australia, with deep berry flavors, can cushion robust seasonings. If you're not a lover of such powerhouses, try a simple, overtly fruity beaujolais (made from the red grape Gamay); since it's often served chilled, it's refreshing with highly seasoned dishes.

3. Avoid Chardonnay. Its typical oaky, toasty character fights with bold, complex Mexican flavors, and the wine ends up tasting coarse and bitter. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot don't fare much better. Both have a lot of tannin, and when tannin hits the flavor of chilies, it sets your mouth on fire and you miss all the complexities of the food.

Anyway that's it, We're all really looking forward to it and I'll post photos and recipes here after the event!

Lilly x

Help me name my book please! x

2011-02-08T21:16:00.000Z

So my lovelies I have exciting news! Eeek! I know.

I've been writing a book. All about Baking. For the past few months there have been four tier black forest gateaus,Banoffee Cake, Coffee Cakes, millions of muffins, tons of tarts and some gorgeous breads rising in the hot press! The whole house smells amazing and hopefully masks the fact that I've been neglecting the hoovering! The publishers, Gill & McMillan contacted me about the blog and would I like to do a book etc. so I decided on Baking as being what The Book would be about. But we simply cannot come up with a name! So I'd love if you would let me know what you think. Hopefully from reading the blog you know what the style of the book will be: gorgeous photos, approachable recipes and lots of beautiful baked stuff! Here are the suggestions so far. Please let me know any comments you have and let me know which one you think is best!

1. Baking Power

2. Bake it Easy (Lorriane Pascal kind of beat me to it with her new book 'Baking made Easy'.Doh!)

3. Bake, Eat, Love

4. Sweet Dreams

5. Flour Power

And if you can think up a completely different name do let me know too,The book will be out in the Autumn so the sooner the better!
Thanks a million!
Lilly x

The L&F Aftermath: alot of Rambling & Recipes!

2011-01-28T20:40:00.002Z

I have brilliant excuses for being so late in posting recipes from this months Loaves&Fishes Supper! They really are great. After 'the big clean up' on Sunday morning we made a massive brunch. Ate loads and then packed up all of our worldly goods (saucepans, favourite knives, 1 chi-russell, 1 jack russell and laptop).All set for the drive home. But when we drove through the 1st toll bridge at Portlaoise smoke started billowing from the engine and a loud knocking came from the glove compartment. That's what happens when your engine overheats apparently. So I had to pull over, call the AA who insisted on calling me MRS Higgins and hope for the best.

My sister Rosie was with me too and her two dogs were, in fairness, so good! They did go ballistic when the AA man did eventually show up and they were in 'miniature dog protective mode'. So we all piled into Michaels van with the lights flashing and the car on the back of the thing.We chatted about yorkshire puddings, Brian Cowen, tourism in Portlaoise and the downturn in the construction industry. We were beeped at going through two different roundabouts as Michael was taking his time. No-one rushing this guy. We were towed to Portlaoise train station where the ticket man charged me €88 euro and told me to get on the train that pulled up at platform 2, which we did. Only to find ourselves in Limerick an hour later. Some other poor boy (James) also was told the train was headed to Cork. I kicked up a fuss.The train men said there had to have been announcements because the train is a machine?!

Anyway we ended up all 3 of us and the 2 pups getting into the train mans car. He then reversed smack bang into another car. Luckily the people we reversed into had no tax etc. and just wanted to leg it anyway. Then we all drove to Limerick Junction. The train guy revealed he was infact a SIGNAL man. And could not actually drive the train. He had to do a 3 month course in Dublin and stay in a hotel for ages to be able to signal trains(!). We talked about the pressures of being a signal man, how Dublin is different to Cork, how the fog was blinding, how sausage rolls were the best hangover cure and his dog. The dog drives him mad but he loves him really when he looks in his eyes. Then we got to an eerily quiet Limerick Junction, waited for an hour for the train and then arrived in Cork at 11.50. Not bad considering we left Dublin at 3. So anyway to cut a long story short my laptop was in my car in Portlaoise. I should have just said that at the start!

Anyway! The weekend went really well and we met some brilliant people. Here are some recipes from it :

The Root Mash served with the Maincourse is from Ottolenghi. A gorgeous recipe that I definitely will be making again. The original recipe involves amazing wine-braised shallots, yum! Great as a vegetarian maincourse or to serve with lamb chops etc.

The Beef & Chorizo Stew I found on Kristin's blog Dinnerdujour.It's a Jay Rayner recipe and I added tinned tomatoes to it and used red wine instead of ale.Gorgeous!

The Sticky Toffee Pudding is my own recipe and works out absolutely gorgeous every time:

Sticky Toffee Fruit Cakes

120g chopped,pitted dates

150g sultanas

250ml water

1 tsp. bread soda

60g butter

185g Self Raising Flour

125g demerera sugar

2 eggs

-Grease 12 muffin tins.Preheat oven to 180 C.

-Put dates, sultanas & water into a pan. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat and stir in the bread soda. It bubbles!

-Add the butter and stir until melted.

- Sift flour into a bowl, stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and date mixture.

- Stir well to combine.

-Spoon into the muffin tins, fill to the top and bake for 20 mins until a skewer comes out clean.

Toffee Sauce

140g demerera sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

90g butter

185ml cream

-Put everything into a saucepan and stir over a low heat for 5 mins till sugar dissolves.

-Bring to the boil & simmer for 2 mins until reduced slightly.

To serve just pierce the warm cakes with a skewer and cover in toffee sauce, serve with lots of cold whipped cream. Beautiful!

Clare over at anamericaninireland.com did a lovely post about her night at Loaves&Fishes and she took more photos than I did (thanks Clare!). I was afraid I'd get toffee sauce on the camera!

Lilly x

The January Loaves&Fishes Menu

2011-01-17T22:08:00.000Z

It really is so hard to decide on a menu; But finally we have, after much cooking and eating. At the last supper all of the guests agreed on one thing: The portions were waaay massive man. So either everyone must be really really hungry or I have to try and control myself and acknowledge that not everyone will have spent the day out tilling fields and pulling calves. So here she is: This weekends January Blues Busting Menu.

Potato, herb & leek soup

Salad with goats cheese toast

Beef & Chorizo Stew with Root Mash & Horseradish Yorkshire Puddings

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes

Mendiants and homemade cookies

Tea & Coffee

So it all sounds basic enough but the devils in the detail! The root mash is an Ottolenghi recipe and would make an amazing maincourse just on it's own, I love it. It'll be a lovely eveningl and I can't wait to get started on it. I'll post some recipes on here after the event. One last word: The Sticky toffee puddings things are gorrrrrrrrrgeous. They're what cold whipped cream was made for!

Lilly x

Haaaappy New Year!

2011-01-04T21:08:00.000Z

Happy New Year! Hurray! 2011 is upon us. I have to say I am one of those people that can't sleep in the run up to Christmas.I just LOVE it. Images of sugar plums really do dance in my head. I lie awake planning to get more brown sugar and cinnamon after work. Then make the gingerbread dough. Then make mincemeat and pot it etc. Then Christmas comes and goes and I'm left with a fridge empty but for a jar of rum butter to remind me of all the gorgeous things we ate and the glorious sitting around with nothing to do and nowhere to go. I do suffer from the January Blues and often start to make Valentine themed biscuits pretty quickly! The New Year always seems so full of potential, a whole year to do whatever we want with it!

Last January I decided to start this blog and I'm so glad I did as I've made so many new friends as well as doing some gorgeous baking and crafts too. One of my favorite posts from the last year would be when the hens laid a tiny egg or when the ducks laid their first egg! It was like a miracle. Go Ducks!

On New Years Day I decided to use up all the cream in the house and be rid of the damn stuff. So I made Nigellas gorgeous Pavlova and Trifle combo. I have to say they were gorgeous. her recipes always work out perfectly. You may notice I overwhipped the cream. Yes I did. I have been overwhipping and overbeating things all Christmas due to my overzealous use of my new secret weapon. The Candy Apple Red Limited Edition 90th Anniversary Kitchen Aid mixer. Sigh... I have no problem admitting that I bawled my eyes out when I was given this. It really does rank up there with Christmas 1986 when I got my first Sindy Doll. But the mixer is more glittery and beautiful and it makes me want to keep the kitchen clean and tidy too which is amazing!

Also over the year I've been doing more food related posts rather than craft ones; Who knew?! Although my favourite craft was when I made the dolls pram blanket set for Eve. So cute! This year I also started The Loaves & Fishes Supper club with my sisters which I love doing and hope to continue this year and feed even more people! Anyway here's to a brilliant New Year full of beautiful things and gorgeous food. Here are some lovely flowers from last summer to get you in the mood for Spring!

Lilly x

PS. If you too feel like you can't face another mince pie then take a look at my sister Raedi's new blog: Get Fit Ireland. She's a personal trainer and triathlete and she WILL get you moving! x

Cheers my Deers! Christmas Cupcakes...

2010-12-20T19:40:00.000Z

Happy Holidays everyone!

Lilly Xxx

Baking a Christmas Wreath!

2010-12-12T21:01:00.002Z

So I don't have any photos of the last Loaves&Fishes supper as we had to cancel because of the ice and snow. Wah! I know. Totally gutted I was.After a long week of cabin fever we were able to leave the house and get supplies (butter, milk and a Christmas Tree.) So I put up holly and ivy everywhere and lit the fire. Next on the list of cheery uppy festive things is baking. I have been baking non-stop!

I love giving food as presents. I think a hamper of handpicked food like cheeses, nice crackers, chutney and some homemade stuff thrown in like mince pies or a teabrack makes one gorgeous present. I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy with that! I was at a fundraising Christmas fair yesterday and there were cute little hampers with three jars of homemade preserves and then a little hand knitted stocking full of chocolate gold coins. Such a cute idea and they were snapped up and made alot more money than if they were sold individually. Although I pity the person who receives the hamper with three jars of rhubarb chutney, I don't know how that slipped through the net!

A good hamper should have some 'background singers' like poor old Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland. These can be jars of cranberry sauce, a bottle of wine, nothing too 'Oooooh!' or 'Aaaaaah!'. Just nice things. And then you need the main attraction, The Beyonce. The Beyonce of my hampers this year will be...The Festive Wreath! Tada!

All I did here was use the same recipe that I used here for the strawberry swirls but I used Nigella's gorgeous Cranberry Studded Mincemeat and arranged all of the swirls in a circle to form a wreath. Then glazed with egg wash, and sprinkled with flaked almonds. She's a show stopper! Dust with icing sugar and tie a ruby red ribbon around it. Beautiful! This makes a really nice present especially with a jar of brandy butter!

Lilly x

Loaves&Fishes Christmas Supper Menu

2010-11-28T15:20:00.001Z

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas around here! The next supper is on this coming Saturday the 4th December, eeeeek! The time flies! I've been testing out mince pie recipes since Halloween and drinking mulled apple juice as I peel chestnuts and frown at the thought of us being unable to get a Christmas Tree so early. Hopefully (or should I say hohohopefully) we will be able to get one by the weekend! Anyway after much cooking and eating we have finalised the menu.

Mulled Apple Juice

Pernod & Langoustine Soup with kalamata olive bread

Winter Salad

Turkey & Chestnut Terrine, Hasselback potatoes, Root Vegetable Puree

Cranberry Sauce & Turkey gravy

Trifle with berries, homemade custard and sponge

Mince Pie Squares with Tea &Coffee

I was looking for a soup recipe everywhere, I wanted to have a nice festive menu with all of the usuals like prawns, turkey, cranberries etc. making an appearance. The first time I made this soup it took me four hours. Shelling the prawns, making the stock, skinning the fish, driving to my parents house to rob leeks from their garden (springing a leak!) and so on. By the time I was blending up the broth I just had had enough of it. But as soon as I tasted it the sweet langoustines enveloped me and the liquoricey Pernod kissed me reassuringly on the forehead. I just had to put it on the menu!

Lilly x

~~Also there have been a few cancellations so do get in touch~~ ~~landfteam@yahoo.ie~~ ~~if you'd like to come.~~ Now Sold out. Thanks!x

Marbled Milk Tart ( MelkTert )

2010-11-26T22:26:00.001Z

Milk Tart is a traditional South African dessert that we used to always have at barbeques and get togethers in Zimbabwe when we were small. Someone always brought shortbread and there was always Milk Tart. The traditional tart is a vanilla scented set custard lightly dusted with cinnamon. It really is beautiful. But I decided to try out a chocolate version too just to see what it was like. So I just stirred some grated chocolate through some of the mix and added cocoa to the pastry. My marbling is a bit messy! But it did taste gorgeous.

I felt guilty because poor Bo always watches me baking but never gets to eat any of it! (Except for that time she horsed down three coffee cakes when I was on the phone.) Every food photo I take for the blog she is in the background tilting her head hopefully. She's after getting so big since we got her way back in February!

Marbled Milk Tart

Pastry:

125g butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa

Filling:

1 litre milk

1 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tbsp cornflour

3 tbsp flour

10 ml vanilla essence

100g dark chocolate, grated or well chopped

Method

Put the butter, cocoa powder & flour into the food processor or use your fingers and rub the butter in well till it's a sandy consistency
Next stir through the sugar and mix in the egg.
Tip the lot into a pie dish or tart tin. Press the sandy mixture with your fingers to make a compact tart shell.
Line the tart case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or lentils. Bake @ 180 for 15 mins.
For the filling bring the milk and butter to the boil. Carefully watch it doesn't boil over!
Cream the sugar, eggs, cornflour, flour and vanilla essence.
Add some of the hot milk to the egg mix, then pour it back into the pot and heat until it thickens.
Don't let it boil. Then pour the 3/4 of the filling into the tart case. Stir the grated chocolate through the remaining 1/4 and drag a cocktail stick or similar around till you get a marbled effect. do it. Leave to cool.

So it was nice but I learned that you should never mess with tastes from a childhood memory.When I tasted it I just thought 'What the?! That's not Milk Tart!! I can't taste cinnamon!'. So if you would like to try the original then omit the cocoa and use 2 cups of plain flour in the pastry and don't add chocolate to the filling. And then dust generously with cinnamon. Phew! That's the Milk Tart I know and love!

This is a really good tart recipe to have, simple and fast. And you can make it well in advance. It's also gorgeous with strawberries or fruit on top.

Lilly x

Gorgeous Spiced Beef

2010-11-22T10:49:00.001Z

We used to always have spiced beef at Christmas when I was small. I always haaaated it. To me it was like a weird mix of Christmas pudding spices and Sunday roast. Why??! Such a weird combination. But this year I found myself drawn to it. I had to have spiced beef. O'Farrells Butchers in Midleton, Cork are brilliant and they always have gorgeous cuts of meat and can do anything with it for you. I was going into them last week for lamb shoulder and as I came in they were hanging up a sign saying 'All Ireland Spiced Beef Champions 2009' and it just hit me. Like in a film. I had to get spiced beef. But theirs wasn't ready yet as they were doing a big batch to send to this years Spiced Beef Championships so I had to go without.

Then on Saturday I went to O'Flynns Butchers on Marlboro Street in Cork and there she was. The last bit of spiced beef. They also gave handouts of how to cook your beef. And the butcher said ' Don't over cook it and then use it like Pastrami'. With his words ringing in my ears I cooked the beef and made a batch of massive sandwiches with cucumber, tomato & cold mayonnaise. Traditionally it'd be eaten with white sauce, boiled potatoes and cabbage etc. but the pastrami advice was the best ever.

The Directions on the leaflet:

Place the meat in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook gently for 20-25 mins per lb. Allow to cool. (I remember the spiced beef boiling away for hours when I was small but the piece I cooked only took 40 mins!)

Serve cold cut into thin slices.

Spiced beef can also be roasted for 20-25 mins per lb. This method gives the meat a spicier flavour.

Of course you can also spice your own beef but I think it's best left to the professionals and I'm happy to just support my local butcher with this one! (ie. I'll try and make it myself next year!)

Lilly x

Tuscany and steak for breakfast!

2010-11-16T21:15:00.001Z

Recently we went to an amazing wedding in Greve, a small town in Tuscany, about 20km from Florence. After the wedding, incredible meal, singsong and 5am walk home in the pitch dark through a vineyard in flipflops where at one stage I slid down a ravine of some sort we awoke to find that the main square in the town had been transformed with tables and benches and a huge barbeque area. It was the Meat Festival. Praise the lord. Huge men cut massive t-bone steaks and a real Italian mama manned the grill. It was the best breakfast ever.

The town of Greve is tiny but had an incredible shop and butchers that sold all sorts of preserved meats and wild boar products. The ceiling was covered in hams and the smell was amazing! In the cool dark basement all of the cheeses were sitting patiently as if waiting for something exciting to happen. I'm sure I gave them a good laugh when I banged my head on the stone door frame, the stairs were so damn low.

When we came home I realised there was absolutely nothing in the fridge. And that's when the gorgeous wild boar finnochiono really came into it's own! So I made some potato & herb soup and fried up some fennel seeds and some slices of the beautiful fennelly wild boar and it was absolutely lovely. I just love bringing food home from holidays!

Lilly x

P.S See the gorgeous plate in the photo below? In this post way back in August Sami from Teasemade left a comment suggesting that I'd love this plate and then my darling boy saw the comment and got me the plate! Yessssss! I couldn't believe it either, it's like somehow the internet came out of the computer and effected my real life! Thanks Sami! And Colm too of course!X

Photos of the first Loaves & Fishes Supper

2010-11-08T22:14:00.001Z

A massive thanks to my amazing sisters Maeve, Raedi and Daisy and honourary sister Sally Ann! And to my boyfriend Colm for taking such lovely photos and being sous chef for the night!

Also huge thanks of course to our fantastic guests for the night who really made it for us, you were all so lovely and appreciative! We all really enjoyed having you there!

Lilly x

See more about upcoming events here

The first Loaves & Fishes Supper Menu

2010-11-03T19:04:00.001Z

So our first Loaves & Fishes Supper event is just around the corner. Everyone is booked in and ready to go. And after lots of cooking and eating and more cooking we have our menu finalised! This Saturday night we'll be serving up the following:

Butternut & Roast Garlic soup with Sage leaves

Hazelnut loaf & Sourdough

Messy Mezze: Hummus, Beetroot Puree,Tzatziki, Pitta Crisps & Olives

Pilaf with Slow roast spiced lamb & Aubergine with Buttermilk sauce

Tunisian Orange Cake with Maya Gold Chocolate Soup

Caramelised walnuts & Marzipan dates

Tea & Coffee

For the first one I stuck to foods that I love to cook as I'll feel more confident then! There'd be no point in trying something drastically different when there's a load of hungry people waiting for dinner! I'll post photos of the food and a recipe or two after the event.

Lilly x

Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake

2010-10-24T16:37:00.001+01:00

For a long time I avoided poppy seeds. I just saw them as annoying little things that get caught in your teeth. But then one day I scattered them liberally over loaves of bread ( the recipe told me too). I used them in a gorgeous Ottolenghi cucumber salad. And now I'm putting them in cake. They actually add a nutty taste and distinctive texture. There's no saint like a converted sinner; I now love poppy seeds and put them in everything!

This is just the type of cake to make at this time of year. The berry season is pretty much over but there's always plenty lemons.The weather is getting a bit colder and we're drinking alot more tea. It's time to have a cake in the tin to go with all those cups of tea and there's nothing like a citrus cake to remind you of those summer days!

Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake
3 eggs
8oz sugar
2oz butter
100ml milk
7 1/2oz self raising flour
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
1oz poppy seeds

Icing: Mix 11 oz icing sugar with 70ml lemon juice until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease a tin with butter and dust with flour.
Beat the eggs and sugar until white & fluffy.
Melt the butter, stir in the milk.
Mix the butter & milk into the egg mixture.Add the lemon juice & zest.
carefully fold the flour & poppy seeds in.
Pour into the tin and bake for 25-30 mins.
When it's done and cooled drizzle the icing over.

This cake is gorgeous without the icing and with some vanilla ice cream, greek yogurt or a mixed berry compote. A really nice cake that stays fresh in a tin for a few days.
Lilly x

Loaves & Fishes Supper Club

2010-10-15T21:59:00.001+01:00

So... we're starting a Supper Club! Huzzah! Loaves and Fishes will be a once a month event where you can come to a home in Dublin, sit back and relax safe in the knowledge that some gorgeous food is about to go down. I'll be sourcing most of the food in Cork's famous English Market. Everything will be made from scratch with fresh Irish produce.

So here is what you'll need to know:

If you have any allergies please let me know well in advance. Vegetarians are welcome, allergy wise I will probably be cooking with nuts alot though.
This will be in a home, Not a restaurant. But the food will be homely and gorgeous and the atmosphere more relaxed and social.
I come from a big family so the staff for the night will consist of my sisters & friends. None are waitresses. We'll do our best but keep this in mind!
We won't be selling any alcohol so you can bring your own wine, we won't charge corkage!
I will do a blog post about the menu a few days in advance.
To book your ticket to this event email landfteam@yahoo.ie with your name and mobile number, I will also ring & confirm your place the day before. 40 euro per ticket: a welcome drink & 5 courses.

Our first supper will be on Saturday November 6th in Dublin. Hope to see you there!

Lilly & The Loaves & Fishes team

UPDATE: THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT!

Damson Cheese ; The King of Preserves!

2010-10-11T18:16:00.002+01:00

I'm actually still in Italy so don't have Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls book with me to get this recipe but as I was googling Damson Cheese I came across this brilliant blog , Mudpies & Minestrone, and have just spent the past hour reading all the beautiful recipes and posts. I love that; When I come across something different and fresh. Sarah over at Mudpies and Minestrone is also a caterer, all the lucky Londoners having access to her inventive cooking!

Anyway I did find a recipe for Damson Cheese on her blog and it's pretty much the same as the one we used, as far as I remember! Every year my boyfriend Colm makes Quince Cheeese as he has a steady supply of local quince! I love that stuff. It's also known as Membrillo and is usually eaten with the spanish cheese Manchego. Iago in The English Market in Cork sell Membrillo in little tubs along side their Manchego cheese. Quince paste has a lovely fig like grainy texture. Last year Colm made Damson Cheese and I have to say I was hooked on the stuff. It's richness is beautiful with goats cheese and saltier, stronger cheeses. It's the stronger cousin of membrillo and I had to request that he make a large batch again this year! He usually just pours it into a large tin and then slices it up into 'portion sizes' and wraps it in greaseproof paper. This keeps in the fridge for a good few months, I've never found out how long because we always eat it within 4 months anyway! Here is Sarah's recipe for Damson Cheese.

Luckily there are trees near us that were dripping with damsons this year. Last year there weren't as many. Not to be mistaken with the smaller blueberry style tart little sloe, the damson is larger and more like a wild plum.

Lilly x

My trip to London! Better late than never!

2010-09-30T21:58:00.001+01:00

I'm a disgrace! I know. I went to London about two weeks ago and still haven't shown you any photos. I actually didn't bring a camera. So I just took photos with my phone, excuse the poor quality! The highlights of my three day whirlwind romance with the English Capital begins with my lunch in The Hummingbird Bakery in Soho. I made a beeline from the airport to here. I sat perched on a stool eating this beautiful raspberry cheesecake brownie safe in the knowledge that I have the recipe at home in their brilliant book. Swoon. This was followed by an amazing sugar headache and a trip to Maison Bertaux for some more cake and pastries. I also went to the Selfridges Exhibition of Shoes by Vivienne Westwood, amaaaazing. Especially if you're off your face on sugar. Then I sat in a park in Soho reading for two hours and watching people play table tennis.

I also went to The Victoria & Albert Museum. I love it. So many beautiful things all together, and they have a brilliant shop too! Their glass collection was really gorgeous, I could have wandered around looking at it all day. They also have a beautiful cafe where we had a really nice lunch and sat in a huge room with massive glass globe lights and stained glass windows with a golden painted ceiling. Very beautiful.

The Tate was amazing. Interesting and modern. I would have loved to have seen the Gaugain exhibition, I think it may be open now and would be well worth visiting.

We also went to my most favourite restaurant in the world. I love the food. Ottolenghi! Yay! I have both of their amazing books and my bestest sister Maeve actually got both Sammi Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi to sign my birthday card this year. I'm a major fan. The food was perfect, a dreamy haze. So nourishing and inspiring. I actually saw Sammi going from the kitchen to the office while I was halfway through my aubergine and tzatziki and I nearly died. Starstruck.

The main reason I went to London was to visit the incredible Miss Marmite Lover and her Underground Restaurant. I was actually so excited about this because I have been reading her blog for a while now and read about her last year in The Irish Times. She did a brilliant write up of the night with great photos on her blog here. It was just amazing, the whole meal was beautiful and her house is just like a fairy tale film set. A cream Aga, Smeg and Kitchen Aid! Blue and White china as far as the eye can see. I wanted to live there. Wow. Maeve and her friends Josie, Claudia & more were doing stand up in between the courses so it was a tasty mix of food and humour. Just like dinner at home!

I would love to do a supper club night like this. I'm thinking probably in Dublin as my kitchen here in Cork is too small and too hidden away. I just love cooking for people and having people chatting over gorgeous food. Let me know what you think!

Lilly x

I want to be a cherry soaked in Brandy when I grow up...

2010-09-21T20:21:00.000+01:00

I was given this incredible bottle of cherries soaked in alcohol from a Polish friend. It's changed my life. Well it did change my life for a week because I ate drunken cherries with yogurt, on top of chocolate cupcakes, added to brownies and then to top off the week made this massive Black Forest gateau. I had to stop myself from adding them to my porridge on Friday morning! The back of the label simply states: Eat the cherries, Drink the alcohol, Long may it last. I'm sure you could get this stuff in your local Polish shop, I meant to check today. I'd be interested to see how much it is as the Bols Cherry Kirsch stuff that I usually buy is over 30 euro, ouch! And it doesn't taste half as nice as this, and you get incredible cherries too!

You too can have a gorgeous giant boozey cake. Beeeeautiful! Just use your favourite chocolate cake recipe. Soak each layer with the cherry brandy and dot with cherries. Top with cream and more cherries then top with the second layer and more cream. So just to recap: Brandy, Cherries, Cream, Cherries, Cream, Cream, Brandy, cherries, Cream. Cherries. Oh and a generous dusting of cocoa.

I once made a Black Forest gateau with eight layers in an effort to woo a boy. He was totally wooed but it was very difficult to actually cut the towering cherry chocolate mass. So I've changed the cake and now make a flatter, larger two layer cake. I haven't changed the boy though!

Lilly x

Seashell Salt & Pepper pinch pots!

2010-09-10T21:51:00.001+01:00

Every morning when I'm walking Bo I see loads of gorgeous sea shells along the shore. Last week I was late for work because I was combing the beach for the perfect scallop shell. Why? Because I had an idea for a craft that I wanted to do and couldn't rest till I'd done it! So finally here she is: The Seashell Salt & Pepper pinch pots. Catchy no?

Alls you need is some pretty shells,some gold paint and some rocks. I used a pair of matching mussells and a scallop shell. Collect some interesting shaped rocks with a flat base. You should be able to 'sit' your shells nicely onto the rocks. Paint the rocks gold or silver. Navy blue would be nice too. Nautical but nice.

Painting rocks gold is so relaxing. I could sit in the sun painting rocks gold all day long! Once dry you can position the shells the way you like and glue them in place using super glue.

Put salt in one. Pepper in the other. Sea salt just feels right served in a shell! Perfect for a seafood supper. Or for eating outdoors. I also made one using a scallop shell to hold salt. It's like something a mermaid would have at her table!

Also the plain gold rocks are perfect paper weights. They'll stop your napkins from flying off your picnic table! And they make a place setting very pretty when combined with the salt & pepper shells.

This is one of my favourite crafts ever. This Christmas everyone is getting these from me. So quick and easy to make. So enjoyable! I love them! These would also be a great craft to make with kids. The scallop shell would happily hold soap or hair clips. Pretty and functional, the last of the summer crafts!

Lilly x

PS. As with all 'original' ideas someone has done something similar. Wah! Ah well, Martha Stewart's minions got to it before me but I prefer my version, huzzah!

The Silk Purse restaurant, Cork

2010-09-05T20:14:00.001+01:00

One of my favourite restaurants in Cork is The Ivory Tower. It's where we usually go when we want to be dazzled and wooed by someones cooking. I love being able to relax safe in the knowledge that someone talented and creative is making my dinner! There's no worse feeling than sitting in an uncomfortable 'dining room' situation waiting to eat and pay for mediocre food. Most special occasions I'd rather spend the money on gorgeous ingredients and a beautiful wine to enjoy at home rather than pay top dollar for the same old dingdong in a restaurant. A few weeks ago I was telling a friend about a gorgeous meal in The Ivory Tower and how everything was perfect. She said that if I love it there then I will definitely love The Silk Purse, Open since April last year above An Cruibin. So we went there last night and sure enough I loved it.

Oh the food was beautiful.The menu is fairly short but there's so much going on in each dish that it felt like we ate way more than we did.This is what we got, 2 starters and 2 mains:

We were given two little amuse bouches to start, If I can remember it was a very thick smooth veloute style mix of lamb heart, yogurt and spices. And crispy seaweed on top. Lovely.
Lambs Liver Sautee, red lentils, chorizo & port: This combination is unreal. Pow. Loved it.
Marinated Fresh goat cheese, babaghanoush, local tomatoes, couscous: It was like a painting, glistening with plump pomegranate seeds. Beautiful. I could have eaten this all day.Very Ottolenghi.
Wild Irish Brill, courgettes, summer cabbage, spuds, leek/laver cream: This was beautiful and a really generous portion, I never cooked with laver (a seaweed) before so I love being served up something like this!
Roast Venison, Tomato Salad, greens, ovened spuds, red pepper/cayenne emulsion: They have a policy of cooking their meat rare, which is great, the venison was unreal. The sauce had a lovely warmth.

We didn't have dessert. There is a short wine list with something for everyone. We got a sauvignon blanc called Stables, it was perfect. So all in all a lovely night. If you love creative cooking, great use of local ingredients and a relaxed atmosphere then you too will love The Silk Purse.

The Silk Purse, 1 Union Quay, Cork Tel: 021 4310071

They also have a blog with funny insightful videos showing them in the kitchen etc. quite cute!

Lilly x

Wild Flower arranging is where it's at...

2010-09-02T09:02:00.012+01:00

So last year I never planted any flowers and then I couldn't believe it when no flowers grew. This year I knew better so I scattered wild flower seeds like there was no tomorrow and now: Badabing! Flowers everywhere for the past two months! Hundreds of butterflies, billions of bees. It's absolutely gorgeous.

I love having flowers in the house but don't like the air miles that most clock up so this is the perfect solution.

I've been arranging bunches all summer so here's some tips from my Housewifes Handbook (actually quite a good book.)

Cut flowers in the morning before the dew has dried, or in the early evening.
Cut them using a sharp bladed knife or scissors or else you'll blunt the stem
Place them all in a bucket of luke warm water for a few hours before arranging them
Strip off any leaves that will be below the water line
I always start by putting the greenery in first and building a frame. Then sticking in the 'filler' flowers, then the gorgeous big ones that will stand out. The damn book has no tips on actually arranging them.
Keep flowers in a draught free area, out of direct sunlight and not near a fruit bowl as fruit produces ethylene gas which ripens fruit but ages flowers.
Change the water every few days. Tada!

I'm not even sure what the wild flower mix had in it but so far I see tons of marigolds, sunflowers, dark purple poppies, borage, cornflowers, sweet pea and loads of other pretty stuff. I stick some lavender in with most of the posies just because it smells nice and I also use some herbs like sage leaves! I read that somewhere but can't remember, it makes perfect sense though. Especially for flowers that will be on the kitchen table. So now you know what all the cool kids are up to nowadays; flower arranging.

Lilly x

Organising my magazine stash!

2010-08-29T22:06:00.000+01:00

I seem to never be able to throw out a magazine. Probably because on Page 85 there is a small photo of curtains that I like, or a recipe, or an interview with an inspiring woman who has perfected the work/life balance and has two rosy cheeked children called Freddie and Delilah and a brilliantly behaved springer spaniel. I never throw out the magazines because I'm afraid I might forget all this 'stuff'. What if one day I wake up and can't remember if that beautiful bedroom was painted with Farrow and Ball's 'Elephant's breath' or 'Mouses back'? Well I have come up with a solution. Thank God.

First go through all of your magazines and newspaper clippings. Cut out everything you like the look of. Recycle the rest. Perfect! I bought three folders and divided them into main categories that my life is neatly divided into: Make, Bake and Love. Crafty things go into the Make one. Anything food related goes into Bake and beautiful interior ideas, home stuff and general loveliness goes into Love.

The Make folder includes loads of things that I saw and thought 'I could make that' (the usual) and a brilliant article about Avoca and how it's an ever expanding family run empire! Now all I need is my parents to buy a run down weavers mill...

I had loads of articles from Sunday papers and recipes I printed from various websites for the Bake folder. Also surprisingly a good few menus from different restaurants. I don't know how I got them.Ahem.

I also came across a great article about the amazing Lewis family who founded a company called MHOR in Scotland. They really are fantastic, they have a hotel, restaurant, fish shop, tearooms, farm, bakery and more. They do everything basically and have created this incredible self sufficient world but they invite everyone else in too!

The Love folder houses many, many photos of my Dream Kitchen. The cupboards, the tiles, the crockery.
Beautiful ideas for my living room. Fabric mixes and matches. Storage ideas. Furniture. Sigh.

I know that whenever I do eventually get around to hiring an interior designer they will thank me for accumulating such valuable information as to provide them with an insight into some of my favourite things.Yup.

Lilly x

Unbelievable Banana Loaf

2010-08-27T10:04:00.000+01:00

You know me. Usually I stick flowers all over the cakes I make. Loads of icing. Berries. Cream. More Icing. Crystallised flowers. Stuff everywhere. But let me tell you, this beautiful cake needed nothing. No rum flavoured syrup, no peanut butter icing with banana chips. It's just a lightly spiced honey flavoured banana loaf. The texture is soft and pillowy. When I had it for breakfast I sighed. I have to make it again soon.

The recipe I used is from The Hummingbird Bakery, I doubled the mix and it worked perfectly too. I used very ripe bananas and I think that might be the key to it. Brownieville Girl also has a lovely banana recipe on her blog this week, Nigella's Banana, white chocolate and cranberry muffins. Yum!

Banana Loaf

270g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

200g peeled bananas, mashed

280g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon'

1 tsp ground ginger

140g butter, melted

A 23x13cm loaf tin, greased & dusted with flour
Makes 8-10 slices

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.
Beat the sugar & eggs until well mixed. Beat in the mashed bananas.
Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda & spices to the egg mix.
Mix well until everything is well combined.
Pour in the melted butter and beat until well mixed.
Pour the mix into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
Bake for about 1 hour, until firm to the touch.
Leave to cool in the tin for a while before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

According to The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook (which is really good) this stuff flies off the shelves. A really gorgeous cake. I'll definitely be making it again!
Lillyx

I'm in love: Theodore Deck

2010-08-25T21:35:00.000+01:00

When we were in Bordeaux recently we went to The Museum of Decorative Arts. It's basically a load of pretty china and painted gorgeousness all stuffed into incredibly beautiful rooms. Real Boudoir style pastels and huge chandeliers, Gold chairs with velvet seats, plump feather filled day beds covered in hand embroidered fabrics. Everything is opulent and beautiful. The walls are lined with glass cases, and the cases are full of china. Cups, Saucers, Teapots and plates. I have never seen so much gorgeous stuff!

There was one case full of the most beautiful plates ever and they were all by one man. Theodore Deck. Does the name ring a bell? It didn't with me either, I had never heard of him. But there I was face pressed against a case full of his work, eyes widened with a covetous glaze. I.need.these.plates.

Look how chubby the birds cheeks are! Too cute!

This is what wikipedia says about him:

Joseph-Théodore Deck (1823–1891) was a 19th century French potter. Born in Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, he began learning the trade in his early 20s, moving to Paris at age 24. In 1856 he established his own faience workshop, and began to experiment with the Islamic style of ceramic making, and in particular the Iznik style. In the 1880s he also worked in the Chinese tradition, also collaborating with Raphaël Collin.

As much as I ~~wanted~~ needed these plates I can't have them because they were made over 100 years ago and are too precious for me to go putting cake on. So I couldn't buy them so I just took lots of photos to share with you! Beautiful work and I hope you like it too. Let me know if you know of any similar stuff knocking around that I could buy!

Lilly x

Cute Book Cover / Dust Jacket tutorial!

2010-08-22T21:42:00.000+01:00

So last night I fell asleep thinking 'I must read more...' and then I dreamt that I made this! So then when I woke up I had to make this cute book cover. The main idea is that it's like a copy book page and you can write whatever you want on it! Nobody will be able to see what you're reading and it will keep your book safe and warm! If you like you can write 'Ulysses' or 'Advanced Arabic Arithmatic' or 'The Lord of the Rings: The Klingon Translation'. Your friends will be so impressed!

The only things you will need for this is a book, fabric, thread, a pencil, a permanent (or fabric) marker and also probably a ruler but I couldn't find one anywhere today.

1. Open your book out and place it on the fabric. You can fold the fabric around the book to see what size it should be. Leave a few cm's around the top and bottom of the book, as you will be folding and sewing this down.Fold down the fabric about 1cm all around the edges. Iron it and sew it down.

2. Fold the fabric in half and using your book as a guide decide where to put your 'lined page'.

3. This is where a ruler comes in handy! Draw your lines very lightly in pencil.

4.Sew over the horizontal lines with blue thread and sew over the vertical line with red thread. I decided whilst doing the third line that it's ok if they don't look perfect! It is a great way to practice sewing in straight lines.

5. Sit your book over the cover and size it up. Where is the best place to fold it? Decide and then iron the folds in place.

6. Sew the top edge first and check to see how your book sits before you sew the bottom edges. Make sure your book fits snuggly, you don't want if falling off so that everyone on the bus finds out that you're reading Pride and Prejudice...again.

7. Then you can leave it plain, which looks quite nice, or you can get your marker and write whatever you want on it!

I'm really delighted with this! It was one of those ideas that I just had to try. It was quite easy and only took about 2 hours in all. It would be a lovely present that you could personalise and really 'dolls up' an old book.

Lilly x

Blackberry Crumble Cake

2010-08-16T22:45:00.003+01:00

The second blackberry recipe I tried is adapted from a really nice cherry cake. A few years ago there were about four Rachel Allen 'Bake' books floating around on Christmas morning, that type of thing always happens when you have five sisters! I ended up with one book anyway and have made the Cherry Crumble Cake a few times, really easy and nice with a touch of cinnamon. I knew it would work well with blackberries too!

Rachel actually has the original Cherry recipe here, Perfect! Just substitute the cherries for blackberries.

This cake was amazing straight out of the oven with whipped cream, it was gorgeous for breakfast and I also brought some to work and we all had it mid morning with tea!

Lilly x

Blackberry Recipes!

2010-08-13T21:11:00.008+01:00

This time of year the hedgerows are beginning to drip with blackberries. This year we seem to have a bumper crop! But I don't seem to be able to find any gorgeous blackberry recipes! When I was small we used to be 'sent out blackberry picking' and I used to dread it because I really didn't like blackberries and don't like blackberry jam. Yet all winter every tea time the jam would be lurking on the table. But this year I made it my mission to use our native blackberries as if they were raspberries, A berry to be loved and celebrated! I've been eating them all week! Here is the first recipe I tried: Blackberry Sponge.

Blackberry Sponge
This is adapted from Leila Lindholm's recipe for Blackcurrant Sponge.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
8oz caster sugar
2oz butter
100ml buttermilk
7 1/2 oz plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
110g blackberries tossed in 1 tablespoon plain flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 175c / 350f.
Beat the eggs and caster sugar together until white & fluffy.
Melt the butter and stir in the buttermilk. Mix into the egg mixture.Add the juice & zest.
Mix the flour & baking powder. Carefully fold into the egg mixture.
Pour half the mix into a ring mould that has been buttered and dusted with flour.
Add the blackberries on top
Top with the remaining sponge mix.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins.
Leave the sponge cool in the tin, then turn out onto a rack or plate.
Sprinkle sugar and a few berries over the top and serve!

I made a little posy of flowers and brambles and placed it into the centre of the cake, so unnecessary but so cute! This cake was gorgeous! So simple and made the blackberries the star of the show, I'll definitely make it again.

Lilly x

The Winner takes it all!

2010-08-12T21:43:00.005+01:00

So we have a winner! I ended up just pulling a name out of a hat (well actually a cake tin) and the winner is none other than the Stained Glass world's Darling Jaboopee! Hurrah! I'm busy picking loads and loads of blackberries and I hope to be back tomorrow to show you what I made this week! HINT: I had blackberry crumble cake for breakfast this morning!

Lilly x

P.S These photos are from when I made a Cherry Tart. Alas, I can't find the damn recipe.

A Vintage Homemaker Giveaway!

2010-08-06T14:33:00.015+01:00

That's right buddies. I know how much you all love that 1950's publication; Homemaker Magazine. For the past week I have been the proud owner of Issues 1-5 and I want to give them to you! I fought tooth and nail to win these babies on E-bay and then when I did get them I didn't really know what to do with them! It's all about the hunt.

There are some very good articles like 'How to choose fabric for making curtains' and how to wall paper ceilings. The ads are totally sexist and cliched but so was all the advertising in the 1950's. Lot's of the kitchen appliance ads have tag lines like 'Yes! Even YOU can work this kettle' .

You could use them as props behind your photos, as references or just add to your collection of vintage magazines! I saw a brilliant use of vintage magazines recently over at Red Lemonade.They covered their coffee table with pin-up photos.See? It's gorgeous.

Anyway all you have to do is leave a comment and then I have a tricksy way of picking one out but I can't tell you how or it won't be fun. The prize is the original, vintage Issues 1-5 of Homemaker Magazine. You. are. going. to. love 'em!

Keep in mind that these magas are 51 years old, so they are a bit tatty, and Issue One seems to have lost it's 'free' Colour Schemer. Damn. I'll announce a winner next Wednesday the 11th August. Good Luck!

Lilly x

Things to do in Bordeaux!

2010-08-02T17:43:00.018+01:00

So we went to Bordeaux in South West France for a weeks holiday. It was one of those last minute 'Where will we go?' holidays. Only a two hour direct flight from Cork, Bordeaux was perfect! The cute animal in the photo above is from a travelling Circus that passed through the city whilst we were there.

The photo above is the 15 euro sea food platter or 'Assiete de Petit Commerce' that I got in the incredible seafood restaurant Le Petit Commerce. It was incredible value, two large prawns, two oysters, periwinkles, whelk things, and a load of shrimp, and garlic butter. It really was gorgeous and some lovely crisp white wine. It was chardonnay and it actually tasted buttery. We went to Le Petit Commerce three times. When you find a good thing, stick with it! We also had a huge bowl of razor clams and they were gorgeous! And grilled mussells, a huge platter of grilled langoustine. And the fish platter for main course is unbelievable, Tuna, Swordfish, Salmon, Langoustine and a few prawns for 21 euro??!! Cest tres cheap, no? The atmosphere is bustling but relaxed, the staff are so nice and friendly but also very relaxed so don't expect to be in and out in half an hour!

La Tupina is one of the most famous restaurants in Bordeaux. I had seen it on Rick Stein a few years ago and they have a massive open fire and real traditional menu etc. A little bit of a touristy thing but no harm in doing that every now and again! The food was perfect. Chilled tomato soup and 17 euro salad for starters, 70 euro rib steak for two as a main course, and the beautiful creme brulee above for dessert. Everyone else in the restaurant was taking photos of their food and ooohing and aahing too! An expensive, but perfect once off!

On Sunday morning there's a gorgeous market along the quays with incredible bread stalls, fruits, vegetables and pastries. At the end of the market was a stall selling plates of oysters, Directly opposite was a wine stall. Perfect! I've always been a bit wary of oysters. I want to like them but, ugh. I've already been won over by anchovies so why not oysters? Then as we sat in the sunshine with our cups of white wine and dozen oysters I watched a four year old french girl shucking her oysters like a pro. If she could do it so could I!

The supermarkets over there were fantastic too. We stayed in an apartment so were able to cook all the gorgeous produce we wanted!

Another lovely restaurant is Le Boucher. It used to be a butchers but now it's a relaxed family style restaurant. Chequered table cloths, duck fat chips and Ricky Martin blaring from the radio. Who could ask for more? All of the steaks are cooked on a fire out near the tables by the waiters and there is a huge poster of Don Juan in the bathrooms.

Another gorgeous place is Le Bouchon Bordelais. Really inventive, creative and subtle food. With an incredible selection of wine.

A nearby daytrip to St. Emillion was brilliant. Vineyards everywhere and so historical. The area is full of caves, Europe's largest underground monolithic church and a massive belltower.

We also climbed 'Europes largest Sand Dune'. It's so massive that it already 'consumed' several houses and a hotel! Climbing vertical hot sand in your bare feet in 30 degree heat is... challenging. Your calves will thank you for it in the long run though! And the descent was great fun!

And of course the fantastic Tour de France passed through the city. The atmosphere was electric and we stood around for the whole day waiting for the cyclists to zip past us! It was only when I was home that my eagle eyed cyclist sister Raedi spotted the incredible Lance Armstrong in our photo below!

So that's pretty much it! I'll do a separate post about the galleries and museums (yaaawn!).

Lilly x

I'm home!

2010-07-25T00:14:00.011+01:00

I was on holidays! That's where I was. I know you were probably wondering. I was supposed to have a post ready to lock and load and pop up when I was away but then my poor old Grandaddy gone and left us. After 92 brilliant years on earth he decided that July would be a good time to drift off to Valhalla. So blogging took a backseat. I did do a massive wild flower display for him and was tempted for a second to take a photo and show you but then I thought, No.That'd be bad taste. Damn. I also made him a wreath out of toffees. This was all preplanned with him beforehand of course. He had been instructing me how to do the sweet wreath since he was in his 80's. There was alot of debate involved in what sweets would work best, we settled on his favorite Scots Clan toffees. We had planned how best to construct it. If ever you find yourself in this situation just get an oasis wreath and use toothpicks to 'pin' the sweets in their wrappers to the wreath. And hey presto! It was a real celebration of his life though, a whirlwind of baking, tea, snuff and whisky; as all Irish funerals are!

Then I headed off to Bordeaux for the week. There's nothing like a French warm sea breeze, a plate of oysters and a glass of white wine to make you relax!Unless the thought of shucking slippery oysters makes you gag. I'll do a post about Bordeaux and the food etc. (Lucky you, I know, ha! You can just scan over the photos if you want.) And then when I got home late friday night I found a small brown box in the shed. Exciting! I had forgotten that I had asked the talented Flora to make me a little stained glass bird!

He was cradled in tissue paper and wrapped so carefully, with some lovely postcards and stickers of more glass creations. I could pick any colours I wanted and I just had to get one. Isn't it so beautiful? I love stained glass but didn't want the usual 'skeletal fairy with butterfly wings perched on a toadstool cradling an injured bee' type stained glass. Floras pieces are just goooorrrrgeous and you can see them on her blog or in her folksy shop. I really can't stop looking at the bird, so cute! Thanks so much Flora, you really are a gem.

Lilly x

Rose Petal Jam: Romance is in the air!

2010-07-13T21:15:00.016+01:00

Any recipe that has sugar and rose petals in the ingredients list has to be sweet. Rose Petal Jam has it all. A delicate rose scent, a sweet floral taste, and a romantic glowing pink colour. Capturing summer in a jar has never been so easy!

My mother used to make this when we were small and I remember seeing her pulling the bitter yellow ends off the rose petals before covering the pink petals in sugar. If ever there is a relaxing job then preparing the velvety petals for the jam is it! And as your jam bubbles away on the cooker the whole house becomes drenched in the heady smells of roses and lemons. Beautiful!

Here is the recipe I used. The only alteration I made was that I used jam sugar which has added pectin as a setting agent. I don't usually use it because it can give a too 'set' texture sometimes but it worked here!

This jam is beautiful in a sponge cake with fresh cream, spread over slices of Madeira cake in a trifle or on scones. Oh and only use roses from your, or someone elses, garden. Only old blousy scented garden roses that are unsprayed should be used. And no greenfly allowed.

Lilly x

Another rose recipe: My Turkish Delight Cupcakes

Apple Hand Pies : My 50th Post!

2010-07-04T16:56:00.012+01:00

Are you looking to increase your daily intake of golden buttery pastry? I was too! And I found the answer in these darling apple hand pies! I first came across the brilliant idea of hand pies over on Amy Karol's Blog. Genius. An apple tart with a heart, just increase the proportion of pastry, decrease the fruit and you're on to a winner. You probably think they're just normal but I have to tell you that the day I made these I ate three. I know. My photo shoot was interrupted by a visitor that informed me I had sugar and crumbs on my face, I was mortified, hence the consumption of a third pie.

I am a bit scared of making pastry, or I was, until I came across the fabulous Leila Lindholm and her gorgeous shortcrust pastry recipe. It really does work each time. She suggests adding 1/2 tablespoon of water but I never do because the eggs I use are quite large, but do add it if you find it's not coming together for you.

Apple Hand Pies
For the Pastry:

150g (5oz) cold butter, diced

240g (8 1/2 oz) plain flour

30g (1 1/4 oz) icing sugar

1 egg

Maybe 1/2 tablespoon cold water if you need it

The Filling:

1 bramley apple

1 normal eating apple, any kind will do

2 tbsps brown sugar

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp mixed spice

Method

Put the butter, flour and suagr into a bowl and mix with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also do this in a food processor, works so brilliantly.

Add the egg and gently work to bind the ingredient together. Don't knead.

Flatten into a disc and cover with cling film. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meanwhile mix the brown sugar, mixed spice and cornflour together.

Slice the apples thinly, a mandoline is perfect for this.

Roll the pastry out and using a saucer as a template cut out your circle.

Layer the apples on one half of the disc, place a teaspoon of the sugar mix over this.

Fold over and pinch the sides together like in my photo. Cut three slits on one side.

Bake all the pies until golden, 180 c for 20-25 mins.

You can serve this with whipped cream, custard, ice cream or the lovely buttermilk pastry cream that I used in the Strawberry Tart. Gorgeous!

Lilly x

Garden Mint Lemonade

2010-06-27T11:52:00.010+01:00

There's a load of mint taking over my garden and I absolutely love it. I'm putting it into everything and the more I pick, the more it grows. Mint is one of those brilliant things that just thrives no matter what, my kind of plant! I used a mixture of spearmint and peppermint for this gorgeous summer drink.

Garden Mint Lemonade
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup packed full of mint
Handful of icecubes

First add the sugar and water to a pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar.
Leave the syrup to cool. Juice the 2 lemons and pour into a large jug with the syrup.
Crush the ice and mint together. I did this in a food processor and it really does push your food processor/blender to the max! Only do this if you know your machine can handle ice.
Add the minty ice slush to the jug and mix with the syrup and lemon juice.
Top with as much water as you like and keep tasting it. I added about a litre of water to mine as I didn't want it too sweet.
Serve with more ice and a few mint leaves.

Sipping this on a summer day is what it's all about. But I can't help think that next time I'll try and make it with half brown sugar/half white and I'll add a good glug of Bacardi rum. Yum!

Lilly x

Side of the road Strawberry tart

2010-06-21T15:09:00.007+01:00

This lovely tart came about because of a boy. Sitting on the side of the road selling glorious Wexford strawberries. Every summer there are horse boxes, trailers, and car boots brimming with wexford strawberries and new potatoes parked on the roadside all over the country. When you see the handwritten signs advertising this seasonal wonder you just have to stop as it's a traditional herald of summer. I know I'm such a brat because I was eating strawberries way back in March! These strawberries were nicer though, sun ripened and plump and also they cost a fortune. Funny how those cute handwritten signs never have any price and how you have abandoned the car on the side of the road with the hazard lights on so have to justify your risky detour by grabbing 4 punnets...

I used a Martha Stewart recipe for Buttermilk pastry cream. It's a real find. Any other recipes from Creme patisserie I've found have 8 egg yolks or something ridiculous and I can never justify that! But this recipe was easy and had lovely lemon zest in it too which was gorgeous with the strawberries. I'll definitely make it again. It would be gorgeous in a sponge cake, or as a filling for mille feuille.

Strawberry Tart
If you have a favourite recipe for shortcrust pastry then use that, I used this one and it really is so quick & easy:

The Pastry:
150g cold butter, cubed
240g plain flour
30g icing sugar
1 egg

The Strawberries:
Slice one punnet of strawberries and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar over. Mix and leave for half an hour before using.

The Creaminess:
One batch of Buttermilk pastry Cream folded into one carton of softly whipped cream. Amazing.

Put the butter, flour & sugar into a bowl and mix with your fingertips until it's like breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and gently work to a dough. Don't knead it.
Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll out to fit your tart tin and line neatly. Leave to rest again for another ten minutes.
Line the pastry case with a sheet of greaseproof paper,foil, or I use old butter wrappers, and fill with baking beans or lentils. Bake at 180 for about 15 mins until golden.
Remove the foil & baking beans and leave to cook for another 5 mins until the entire case is golden.

When the pastry case is cooled completely fill generously with the pastry cream. Drop the strawberries on top and serve immediately.

Of course you could use plain old whipped cream for this instead of the hassle of making the pastry cream. It really is a treat though. The balsamic vinegar is gorgeous with the strawberries and somehow brings out the sun ripened berriness of them! Balsamic Strawberries are really lovely with Greek yogurt too.

Lilly x

Lavender Madeira: The taste of Summer!

2010-06-16T10:33:00.011+01:00

Another Cake? I know. I'm addicted. It's just that butter is the perfect consistency for cake making nowadays, what with all this lovely weather we've been having. Anyway I was flicking through Country Homes & Interiors Magazine, as I'm sure alot of twenty six year old girls do, and I came across this freaky little recipe, so I had to try it.

Oh. Yum. So gorgeous and so easy. This beauty is smattered with lavender buds and covered in sugar. A golden crumbly cake with a subtle floral scent that epitomises a summer afternoon in the garden. Sigh. I got the lavender buds from The Real Olive Company stall in The English Market in Cork. My giant lavender plant still hasn't flowered so for now I'll rely on these.

As usual I doubled the mixture because I wanted two cakes instead of one. I always want lots of people to taste whatever I make. Then I pester them with questions: More sugar? Honestly did it taste like soap? Would you make it? Should I make it again? Are those tears of joy or dismay?

Lavender Madeira Cake

Makes 1 cake/ 12 slices

125 g butter, softened

150g sugar & extra to sprinkle

2 eggs

175g self raising flour

4 tsps lavender flowers, fresh or dried

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Preheat the oven to 170/325. Grease & line a metal loaf tin about 19cmx19cm.
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix for 1 to 2 mins until smooth.
Turn into the tin, level the top and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 1 hour or until risen and just firm to the touch.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool and sprinkle more sugar on top.

Isn't it so easy? Unreal. I'm definitely going to make it again. Before I tasted it I was thinking of covering the top in lilac icing, which would have looked gorgeous but there really is no need, it tastes beautiful and delicate as it is. Perfect with a strong pot of tea.

Lilly x

Pride Cakes

2010-06-13T20:10:00.012+01:00

Pride Cakes. I bet you were expecting photos of a gathering of lion themed cakes? Nope. Instead it's Pride Cakes to celebrate the start of The Dublin Pride Festival which starts on 19th June. The Cork Pride parade was on last June the 5th and was a beautiful bright and happy family day out with gorgeous weather. The theme for this years parade is family. I heard Oisin from Dublin Pride doing a great interview on Newstalk last week and I instantly thought: I must make some sort of cakes!

This recipe involved a basic cupcake mixture and 6 teacups. I divided the mix between the 6 cups and added food dye to each mix. Then I layered about a half teaspoon of each coloured cake mix into each case. Et voila!

I think white icing is perfect for these. We're after developing a bit of an addiction to cream cheese icing in our house. All I'm saying is next time I make these cakes I can't leave them unattended or they will be swiped from the kitchen table...again.

For more about the planned festival go to Dublin Pride. Have a great week!

Lilly x

Turkish Delight Cupcakes...ooh lala!

2010-06-04T21:34:00.006+01:00

It all started when Mise from Pretty Far West sent me some gorgeous chocolate as part of a giveaway on her blog. My snack of choice is usually crackers & cheese or something savoury. I rarely reach for the chocolate but this stuff was different. It was from The Cocoa Bean Chocolate Company and one bar was rose and pistachio. Schaaaawing! Gorgeous.

So I had to do something special with it and show this sweet treat a good time. Introducing.... Turkish Delight cakes! A fluffy rose scented bun with chocolate and rose frosting. Don't get me wrong it doesn't taste like a mouth full of pot pourri or when you accidently spray perfume in your mouth, the rose taste is subtle and romantic. The smell of these cakes baking in the oven is worth it alone! I'm in love!

Rose Cupcakes

(From The Primrose Bakery)

110g unsalted butter, softened

225g golden caster sugar

2 large eggs

150g self raising flour

125g plain flour

120ml milk

1/2 tsp rosewater ( I actually used 2 teaspoons! No harm)

Heat the oven to gas mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and the sugar until well smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing into the mixture between additions.

Sift the 2 flours into a separate, smaller, bowl.

Measure out the milk in a jug and then add the rose water to this.

Add 1/3 of the flour to the large bowl. Beat well until combined.

Add 1/3 of the milk and beat again. - Add another 1/3 of the flour, beat and keep going till it's all added & combined well.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Fill about 2/3 full. - Bake for about 25 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool inthe tin for 5-10 minutes.

Then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.

Turkish Delight Frosting

80g dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids

110g butter, softened

1 tsp milk

2 tsp rose water

125g icing sugar, sifted

Melt the chocolate in bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Leave to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, rose water & icing sugar until smooth.

Add the melted chocolate & keep beating until thick & creamy. If it looks too runny just keep beating it and it will thicken up.

Once the cakes are iced sprinkle them with chocolate vermicilli or the rose & pistachio chocolate pieces like I did.

I actually added some pink food colouring to these cakes just to complete the whole turkish delight theme but since the eggs I use have such yellow yolks the cakes turned out orange. Doh! If you used battery eggs then it probably would work. Oh the sacrifices I make to keep my hens happy! By the way this cupcake recipe is from The Primrose Bakery and is by far the best I've come across, gorgeous light cakes and you can just substitute the rose water for vanilla.

Lilly x

Don't mention Chocolate Swissroll...

2010-06-04T21:12:00.004+01:00

First, some exciting News! June is my first month being a columnist! Eeek! I know. My first article is out in Easy Food Magazine (Ireland no.1 food magazine, as they say.). I made a gorgeous crab picnic loaf (below) and next month will be kids cooking. It's brilliant because I can write whatever I want and do any recipe and get to take the photos too! Dream job!

Also me and my sister Maeve will be doing a cooking demonstration at Taste of Dublin next weekend. I'm so excited because I have an AMAZING thing planned and couldn't even sleep last night because I was so obsessed with planning every detail of it.

Usually when I'm baking I'm thinking of what my post will say. In this instance it was going to be along the lines of: Ate all the butter? No problem! Make a swissroll! Yum!

I was going to wax lyrical about how easy and delicious and quick and fun the whole process was but then I decided to take photos. 158 photos. And it all became quite messy. I wanted to do a stop-frame animation showing how the swiss roll rolls and how it gets all tarted up with raspberries. But it just got...complicated. My computer started acting up and I had an over zealous dog helping.

So this post is instead about how some sprigs of mint, two cartons of cream and a load of raspberries can save the day! Woohoo! Throw a load of chocolate chip things over the big swissroll mess and no one will complain! Real life baking always has cream everywhere and a swiss roll that refuses to roll. So I had to just realise that it's ok if this looks homemade, it is homemade. And it tasted gorgeous too!

I used frozen raspberries, I don't know what you think of that but personally I'm sick of paying top dollar for berries and arriving home to realise that the bottom layer of berries are furry. Yock! And raspberries are the worst for that so I have no problem buying good quality frozen.

I got the idea for making a cream swissroll from Rebecca, Thanks girl! I had to make it after your brilliant description! As Rebecca said you can jazz this basic cake up no end. I made it for my sister's birthday and it went down a storm. Having said that I won't fill a swissroll with cream again because it was so damn messy. Happy Weekend!
Lilly x

A Winner, & a Trip to The Natural History Museum!

2010-05-30T21:27:00.014+01:00

To find The Mermaid a home I used the brilliant Random.org and we have a winner! It picked no.5 so that's Maeve of The Delights of Tea and other things! She's not my sister Maeve, this is legit. So email me and I'll send her out to you. Thanks so much to everyone for entering and leaving your favourite cake comments! Expect to see alot of cakes made here over the next few weeks!
I spent my weekend in Dublin and apart from having a gorgeous dinner in The Mermaid Cafe and breakfast in Avoca we went to The Natural History Museum. It's now open again having been restored and Oh wow.

It has to be the best museum ever. I you love the idea of mice gossiping, Platypus posing and cute baby seals gazing lovingly at you then this is where its at.

Initially the thought of entering a taxidermists themepark is a bit weird but once you're in there an incredible sense of awe takes over and there is just so much to see! It's just brilliant. In the front garden there are topiary leaping fawns and greeting you at the door are three huge deer skeletons. Some of the animals look a bit worse for wear and you have to read the labels just to find out what they are, but it just adds to the charm. Like look at the state of this ferret thing...

There were loads of kids there drawing insects and staring in awe up at the elephant and whales. They have a brilliant case of rodents going all the way up from a tiny field mice to a huge rat. Upstairs they have gorillas, a tiger, lion cubs and hyenas. You name it, they have it.

I'm definitely going back there because you could spend hours wandering around looking at all the Irish sea birds and the fish, there's loads. And incredibly it's free! There was a very worried little boy asking his dad repeatedly if stuff would eat him. When he saw the monkeys: Would he eat us? The lions: Would he eat us? The poor eel that choked on a frog and got immortalised in the act? Would he...

Anyway I'm off to plan some serious cake making, yay! Have a good week!
Lilly x

PS All photos on this post were taken by my partner in crime and his brilliant camera that I always rob and get flour on by mistake x

My first Giveaway!

2010-05-25T21:18:00.006+01:00

I'm doing my first giveaway! Woohoo! Here are my reasons:

I've been writing this blog for nearly 5 months. It's now a semi-serious relationship.
The weather is absolutely gorgeous.
Me and my sister Maeve did our interview with the lovely Miriam O'Callaghan, you can listen to it here if you want.
I have 64 followers! I can't choose a favourite, I love ye all equally.
I found a fiver in my jeans after they were washed and it's still grand.
I made this mermaid.

So all you need to do is leave a comment telling me what your favourite cake is or something like that and then I'll pick a comment at random and you win this gorgeous maritime beauty and the design sketch of her! What a sweet deal!

In order to leave a comment all you need is an email address. The giveaway is open till Sunday night and then Monday morning she'll make her way to her new home! Make sure you check back here on Sunday night to see if you win!

She's not suitable for smallies and is more of an 'art doll'. She has rosy cheeks and a lovely beaded necklace. Her bikini top is two cockle shells, she favours style over comfort. Her wool hair is long and lovely, I have it done in a side pony tail but do whatever you want with it! She loves plaits.

So that's it buddies. Mise over at Pretty Far West is doing an important soap giveaway at the moment too! Good Luck!
Lilly x