Question: What can I bake without an oven?!

Answer: nothing!

After 18 looooong years, my parents have finally decided to update our kitchen. Currently it is an empty shell, with bits of plaster and tiling just lying about… Gone are the cupboards, the sink, the oven, the tiles, the benchtops, the fridge, the rangehood, the shelves, everything! I have no idea why it’s taken them this long to renovate, because seriously, who wouldn’t want to keep the poo brown laminex benchtops, a broken Mistral rangehood and 80s beige cupboards? (that’s a rhetorical question, people!)

So, no kitchen = no oven = no baking = something non-baked for the blog. We have an additional kitchen outside in our carport/garage (all of you who have Asian or European parents will understand) but the oven isn’t all too flash, so I can’t use it.

In anticipation of summer, I decided to make ice-cream this week. Many people scoff at the idea of going to all the trouble of making your own ice-cream, especially with so many good-quality ice-creams on the market. But real ice-cream, made from scratch, lovingly stirred and whipped, is quite simply, one of the greatest pleasures in life (oh, I’m in love!).

Homemade ice-cream is easier than it sounds. It is easy as making a custard base, adding a few flavours, popping it into the freezer and taking it out every few hours and beating it up. The constant beating breaks up any ice crystals that form and incorporates air, giving it that dreamy and light mouthfeel. If you own an ice-cream machine, it’s even easier, less labour intensive and much quicker (I’ve had my eye on a few on eBay, so fingers crossed I can get one soon!).

I decided to make strawberry ice-cream because after visiting the Queen Victoria Market today, strawberries seemed to be everywhere, and luckily, they were rather cheap. To be honest, I used to hate strawberries. I was even given a strawberry adorned cake for my 17th birthday (or was it my 16th?) by Z (bought, not made) and I turned my nose up at it. Of course I ate it with a smile on my face, but I didn’t enjoy it (we’ll see if he mentions anything – I don’t believe him when he says he reads this blog).

So as I wait for summer to approach me with the sunshine and heat, I’ll just continue to make batches of ice-cream, sit outside and eat it all.

I made Vanilla Bean Ice-cream and a variation: Strawberry Ice-cream. The vanilla flavoured ice-cream is fantastic on its own, but I use it as an ice-cream base for different flavours.

Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream (makes 1 litre)

(adapted from a recipe in Delicious magazine)

5 egg yolks

125g caster sugar

400ml milk

half a vanilla bean

300ml cream

1. Place egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and using an hand-held mixer, beat until it is thick and pale yellow. Pour the milk into a small saucepan, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and put the whole bean into the milk. Cook over medium heat until the milk comes to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the pod to infuse its wonderful flavour into the milk for 15 minutes.
2. Add the milk to the egg/sugar mix and whisk well. Strain this custard base into a new saucepan. Place the saucepan over low heat and stir continuously until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon – unfortunately this can take up to 15 minutes, but be patient! Don’t let the custard come to the boil and if it splits, plunge the pan straight into a sink full of cold water and whisk madly.
3. Once the custard is thick, place a large metal bowl in the kitchen sink, half full with water. Let the custard sit in its bath to cool down. Add the cream and mix until well combined.
4. Pour the custard into a shallow plastic container, cover and freeze until it is frozen at the edges (approximately 3 hours).*
5. Beat the ice-cream with a hand-held mixer until smooth and repeat this process four more times after every few hours.

* If you have an ice-cream machine, churn the custard at step 4 for approximately twenty minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Strawberry Ice-Cream

1 quantity of Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream custard mix

500g strawberries

1. Process the strawberries in a food processor or blender – I like to leave it a bit chunky as it adds a bit of interest to the ice cream. Add this fruit puree to the custard at Step 4 and continue on from Step 5.

I originally intended to make Strawberry Ripple Ice-cream and I even prepared the syrup to mix into the vanilla ice-cream base, but I fell asleep and it was too late to marble it through. Oops! I’ve still included the recipe though:

1 quantity of Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream (partially frozen)

250g strawberries

75g sugar

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 60ml of water and heat until dissolved. Set aside.
2. Process the strawberries in a food processor or blender and strain the puree, removing all the seeds and lumpy bits.
3. Add the strawberry juice to the sugar syrup in the saucepan and return to the heat. Boil the syrup for around 2 minutes. Allow to cool and place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
4. Once the ice-cream has been placed in the freezer and beaten a few times, it should be partially frozen and quite thick. Remove from the freezer and alternate spoonfuls of the ice cream and syrup to another plastic container. Using a spatula, stir through the syrup and ice cream to create a marbled effect. Freeze and beat the ice-cream with a hand-held mixer until smooth and repeat twice more every few hours.

Some bloggers are obsessed with blogging. Me? I love writing on this blog and it is still fairly new but I’m not obsessed… yet :)

Although I am not a daily blogger, I find myself developing strange blogging habits:

• When shopping (and especially at markets), I scour the tables/shelves for unusual pieces (such as bowls and plates) that would look good photographed.
• When I bake for the blog, I bake during the daytime hours only so that I can use the bright natural sunlight for better quality photos (I think a lot of bloggers/photographers do this!). If I bake in the late afternoon or night-time, I simply take shots the next day.
• I randomly purchase odd bits of paper and fabric that would make good photo backgrounds – thanks Lincraft!. I now have a box of patterned paper ready to be used during times of creativity (I have a penchant for spots and stripes if you haven’t noticed).

Odd behaviour aside, one great thing about this blog, is that it has allowed me to develop a love of photography, so now I am saving up for a digital SLR and photography lessons (I have my eye on this one and it is not cheap!). Hopefully I’ll be able to inherit my dad’s old Canon SLR (which I think I should considering he hasn’t used it in years) and get a chance to fiddle around with it. I have even attained a copy of Adobe Photoshop, but I have no idea how to use it.

This blog has inspired me greatly and has allowed me to get my creative juices flowing. It brings a smile to my face to be able to bake something yummy, write something totally random about it, style the end product and then bring it all together here on this blog.

Just for you, I will share a delicious recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Biscuits. They are crisp, yet chewy; packed with crunchy peanuts and little morsels of dark chocolate. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Biscuits

(adapted from the wonderful book ‘From My Home To Yours’ by Dorie Greenspan (one of America’s baking sweethearts))

2 ½ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of cinnamon

230g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth – I used smooth)

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup salted peanuts, chopped (easiest way is to place in a plastic bag and bash it around with a rolling pin, Jamie Oliver style)

½ cup dark chocolate chips (I prefer to chop up a block of good chocolate instead – I used Lindt this time)

¼ cup granulated white sugar (just like the type you use in your coffee)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter for a minute or two until it is smooth and creamy.
4. Add the peanut butter and thoroughly combine. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute between each addition (don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then!).
5. Throw in the flour mix and beat until just combined. Add the chocolate and peanuts (the mixture is quite soft, so don’t be alarmed).
6. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place them on the baking tray about 5 centimetres apart. Flatten them slightly with the tines of a fork so you get those lovely indentations.
7. Sprinkle them liberally with sugar and bake them for around 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown (the biscuits will be slightly soft). Repeat with remaining mixture. Place the biscuits on a wire rack to cool.

Baking can be quite overwhelming at first. When you start getting into it, you may burn a few lots of cookies, a cake or two may come out a bit flat or it just doesn’t taste right. I first started baking when I was around 13 and it’s taken me a while to get the hang of it. After years and years of experimentation and many, many, many disasters, I’ve been able to learn a few nifty tips to make it all an easier, and enjoyable, process. I still do have my bad days when things fail miserably, but it’s all a learning curve. The more you bake, the better you become!

I am in no way a baking expert or culinary genius, but I’ve listed a few pointers which might help in making you (yes, you!) a better baker!

EQUIPMENT

• Necessary equipment: assorted tins/trays, measuring cups/spoons/jug, scales, spatula, whisk, sieve, non-stick baking paper, mixing bowls, cooling rack.
• Non-stick baking pans tend to create a darker crust on cakes. Best to use these tins for cheesecakes, especially springform ones. Non-stick muffin trays are excellent too.
• For cakes and slices, I use aluminium baking tins, I find they conduct heat better and work best.
• Look after your equipment, especially your appliances. They will last longer!

INGREDIENTS

• Don’t be a tightarse. Use the best ingredients you can buy and you will notice a difference in taste! I always use good quality chocolate (not the nasty compound stuff), fresh spices, fresh fruit (the only approved frozen fruits are berries), fresh eggs and always buy the nuts on the day I need them.
• Use vanilla extract, not its unwanted cousin: vanilla essence. Vanilla beans are the even better option, but are very expensive (I only use them when I have cash to splash). Extract is good enough.
• Use caster sugar, not the regular sugar you use in your tea/coffee. Caster/superfine sugar is more refined, dissolves more easily and doesn’t create that grainy texture.
• Use butter. Never margarine. Only butter. Unsalted. Full-fat. Artery hardening. Cholesterol increasing. Always. Mmmm, butter…

PREPARATION

• Always read a recipe in full before attempting to put it all together, making sure you have the correct equipment and ingredients.
• All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin (this mainly applies to butter and eggs – unless you keep your flour or sugar in the fridge. You freak).
• You must always sift your dry ingredients to avoid lumps.
• A spatula is your best friend. Regularly scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing.
• If you are time-poor, you can soften butter in the microwave. Cut it into large chunks and blitz it in the microwave on 15 second bursts on medium-power. You want it soft, not melted!
• It can be tricky spreading batter into a tin when the baking paper is sliding about (this occurs when there is not enough grease holding the paper in place. If it’s too late to add more grease (i.e. half the batter is already in the tin), use wooden clothes pegs to hold it in place while you spread (just don’t forget to remove them when you place it in the oven!)
• If using berries in baking, dust them with a spoonful of flour before adding to the mixture. This helps to prevent bleeding into the batter.
• When mixing, gently fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. You don’t want to lose all that precious air which makes your cake rise.
• When trimming pastry, use smooth, downward strokes with your knife (as my best pastry friend Bec used to tell me, “Be graceful, Linda. Be graceful”).
• Always grease and line your baking tin. I prefer to use canola spray and non-stick baking paper and this works well for round tins, square/rectangular tins and trays. For odd shaped tins such a muffin tray, I use paper liners. For a ring, Bundt or Kugelhopf tin, I grease with butter and dust the insides with flour (if it is a chocolate cake, I would replace the flour with cocoa powder).

BAKING

• Always preheat your oven (no-one likes a cold oven).
• When placing the prepared tin/tray in the oven, position it as close to the centre of the oven as possible. This allows optimum air circulation.
• Always use a timer when your baked goodies are in the oven. A few minutes too long can result in burnt cookies or tough cake! (I’ve been there before!)
• If your cake is ready, the sides should have slightly shrunk from the edges. Also, test your cake by inserting a skewer in the centre . If it comes out clean, it’s ready!
• Cookies are tricky ones. It entirely depends on the recipe, but if you like them chewy, remove the cookies from the tray as soon as they are out of the oven. If you like them crunchy, bake them for a bit longer and leave them on the tray to cool.
• Remove cookies from a baking tray with a fish slice so that you don’t break them in transit.
• Always cool your cakes on a wire rack. Depending on your recipe, if you leave the cake to cool in the tin, it may go soggy.

I am a published writer. Yes, my work has been printed in a book…

Okay, okay, I lied. I’d love to have my own book one day and I’m not really a published writer, but I have had one of my recipes published in one.

Last year, to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Epicure invited readers to submit chocolate recipes for their book, Epicure Chocolate: Recipes from 20 Years of Indulgent Ideas. Naturally of course, I submitted this wickedly delicious recipe and was chosen. My recipe even got a photograph and a double page spread, which I’m rather chuffed about. It is one of the easiest recipes ever, and it tastes oh so good!

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Slice

(my very own recipe which can be found in Epicure Chocolate)

1 cup of self-raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

125g butter, melted

400g tin of condensed milk (yes, a whole tin!)

100g dark chocolate

100g white chocolate

1/2 cup chopped nuts (either almonds, macadamias, pecans, walnuts, a mixture – I like macadamias, but it’s up to you)

icing sugar, to dust (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line with baking paper a 22cm square cake tin (I find it easiest with oil spray, but you can use butter, whatever).
2. Combine the flour, coconut, brown sugar, cocoa powder, melted butter and condensed milk and mix well.
3. Spread this extremely thick mixture (you could plaster walls with this stuff!) into the prepared tin (eat as much raw batter as you can at this point too).
   
4. Roughly chop the chocolate into largish chunks and press into the base. Sprinkle the nuts over the base.
5. Bake for about 25 -30 minutes (the slice will be firm on the top and very soft in the middle – don’t be scared, it firms up on cooling).
6. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan (I know it may be hard to resist, but you have to wait until it’s completely cold. If you remove it while it’s hot, or even warm, be prepared to cry because it will fall apart. I don’t want to be the one who says “I told you so”). Cut into squares or bars and dust with icing sugar if desired.

Farmer’s Markets are gaining immense popularity here in Victoria. Markets pop up every week, usually on a Saturday, and I’ve always wanted to visit one, but I’ve never had the chance to, as in the past 3 years, I’ve always worked on the weekend (as a poor student pulling shifts at Max Brenner and as a pastry apprentice), but now that I’m working Monday to Friday (which I love), my Saturdays are free to do as I please.

I was going to visit the Bundoora Farmer’s Market last week, but had to pick my parents up from the airport at 8am (not fun!) so all week, I was looking forward to visiting the Collingwood Farmer’s Market today, especially since the weather was absolutely magnificent (sunny, 20°C, blue skies and not a cloud in sight). It was the perfect day to go, but I couldn’t :(

Why didn’t I go? Well, last night while driving home from the train station, I noticed this strange ‘pffft pffft’ noise coming from my car. I knew it wasn’t my anything under the bonnet, and intrigued, I pulled over and had a look. At this point, it was 7 in the evening and already pitch black. As soon as I got out of my car, my heart sank. Yep, a flat tyre.

I was tired. I was sleepy. I was absolutely starving and all I desperately wanted was to go home, eat and head straight to bed. I had a spare tyre in the boot and I do know how to change a tyre (unlike many young females in my generation), but I just couldn’t be bothered. I was only one minute away from home and I thought “Bugger it, let’s drive this baby home” (my ‘baby’ is a red 1994 Ford Laser in case you’re wondering). I drove her home, traveling at 40km/hr all the way, pissing off every single driver behind me, copped a few dirty looks (sorry!) and finally got home in one piece. Don’t you just hate it when things go wrong when you least expect it?

So, anyway, this morning…

Excited to be going to the market, I quickly replaced the flat tyre with my spare one, but then realised the spare tyre was an old one which already had a hole in it from an incident last year. How bloody pissed off was I? Answer: very. Dad has nagged me constantly and begged me to buy a new spare tyre, but as usual, I’d just shrug it off and reply with a “yeah, yeah, yeah”. (I regret that now Dad, sorry!)

So after all that, I took my car to the tyre dealer and bought 4 new tyres (I needed them anyway). Two and a half hours and $280 later, it was too late to go to the market as it finished at 1pm. The Collingwood Farmer’s Market will have to wait until next month! :(

At least these muffins cheered me up! :)

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

(adapted from a recipe by Susan Elizabeth Fallon found on Epicurious)

Lemon sugar

¼ cup caster sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

Muffins

1 cup caster sugar

125g unsalted butter, softened

2 cups plain flour, sifted

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.5 cups of raspberries (fresh or frozen – I used frozen because they aren’t in season as yet)

10g unsalted butter (to brush on top of the muffins to make the lemon sugar stick)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with papers.
2. For the lemon sugar, combine the caster sugar and lemon zest together in small bowl and mix well.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Cream the remaining caster sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well.
5. Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and half of the lemon sugar and mix well (it will look rather nasty and lumpy, but don’t be scared – keep going!)
6. Fold in the flour mixture (don’t worry if there are lumps). Gently fold in the raspberries.
7. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown and tested with a skewer.
8. In the last minute of baking, quickly melt the spare butter and have the lemon sugar ready.
9. As soon as the muffins are removed from the oven, using a pastry brush, moisten the tops of the muffins with a little melted butter and liberally sprinkle the lemon sugar on top.
10. Cool on a wire rack.