My biggest fear...

...in the world of baking is bread! Don't ask me why, its probably because I have never spent the time practicing it.

2014 so far has been brilliant for me, and its only the 21st! That being said though, I have come to the conclusion that I need to try and conquer to fears when it comes to the kitchen.

So I decided to take bread head on.

You will notice from previous posts that I have attempted this before but things have either gone horribly wrong OR my overly picky side screamed at me and said it looked rubbish.

Just before New Year I ordered some books on bread from Amazon, one being Dough by Richard Bertinet and the other being Brilliant Bread by James Morton.

If you are like me and have a fear of bread, get these books! They are both brilliant, one starts from the beginning and explains every little detail about the ingredients, the method and the different outcomes. The other comes with a DVD that gives you a step by step guide on how to work the dough and get the best results.

This was my first attempt at a plain white loaf. Bare in mind at this point I didn't have the "Basic Equipment" the books said would help. At this point I wasn't so much worried about the working of the dough I wanted to concentrate on the outcome, the shape, the bake etc. I used the dough hook attachment on my mixer to speed up the process and focused solely on the shaping and baking. 
Although this loaf turned out ok, I wanted more from it!

For my next attempt I decided to go for the same dough as the bake itself was lovely. But I decided to attempt a different style of outcome.

This time I decided to create some baguettes in the form of Epis. The shape is formed by shaping the dough into a baguette shape and then taking a pair of scissors to the dough and snipping at intervals down the length. For a second attempt I was chuffed with these. They were yummy as well, perfect for sharing as its a bit like a tare and share loaf.

For this next batch my equipment had arrived and I was ready to work the dough by hand. Rather than using the traditional english method of kneading, I went for Richard Bertinet's method. At first it seemed a little alien but once you get into the swing of it you realise just how easy it is. I decided to try adding some flavouring to my white loaves buy adding Cumin and Gruyere cheese. To me these are a thing of beauty, look at the cheesey crust! For my first hand worked dough the crumb was brilliant and the flavours were spot on. I will making those again soon!

And finally my favourite of all, The pizza dough!
Never before have I stuffed a pizza so quickly down my neck. Good lord it was glorious!
The first picture was from my first attempt. It was slightly rushed as the weather took a turn for the worst whilst trying the recipe, causing my dad to get home later than planned with the ingredients. However the base was beautifully crisp and so flavourful. 

The second picture was my second attempt. I started this dough earlier on in the morning and decided to prove it in the fridge. Apparently this allows the dough to rise slowly which creates more flavour and also gives it a touch of acidity which will help create a crisp outside and a slightly chewy center.
I really don't see myself buying a pizza any time soon, I mean really, why buy when you make your own!?

Anyway, thats enough mouth watering food for today. My fear of bread has been conquered and I am now ready to tackle my next challenge...The sour dough starter! 

Wish me luck!

December in London...Scratch that...Food in London...

...Back in December I made a trip to London to get myself in the festive spirit. Usually when I plan a weekend away I book something to do, like a show or a concert...This time it was just a hotel and a train ticket...
It was quite exciting to arrive and just hurl myself on to the tube and get off where I liked.

My main aim for the weekend was to eat a lot and finish off my christmas shopping.

Lets focus on the food.

A trip to London for me is not complete without a MASSIVE burger, and for me it has to be Shake Shack.

The queue as always was massive, but lucky for me there was someone selling mulled wine near buy so I quickly grabbed one and kept myself warm whilst I looked over the menu.
My order rarely changes as my usual is just SO good. You join the queue and wait to be served, they then give you a buzzer that allows you to wander covent garden until your food is ready. Don't worry though you don't usually have to wait to long.

I went for the Double Smokeshack, Cheese fries and a malted peanut butter milkshake.

This particular photo truly doesn't do the photo justice, it was beautifully cooked. The molten cheese smooches the smoked bacon and I have lost my train of thought... Umm...Burger....
The cheese fries are awesome, I just with that there was more of them.
I have no words for the Milk shake..its peanut butter...PEANUT BUTTER!


Next stop on my foodie adventure was based on a recommendation from Ching He Huang. I sent her a tweet asking what restaurant I should visit in china town for an authentic meal. She graciously replied and told me to try Joy King Lau.

The restaurant is a 5 minute walk from Leicester square tube station and was quite easy to find.
I arrived later in the evening as I was pretty tired after a long day of wandering so popped to the hotel for a quick power nap.

Instantly I knew I was in for a treat, the queue outside was massive and it appeared that the downstairs room of the restaurant was packed out.
I joined the queue and probably waited 15 minutes to be seated which in my eyes was fantastic as they really were busy.
I was taken to the second floor of the restaurant and seated opposite 4 large circular tables that all had large families on.
My mouth started watering straight away. It was a little like the tables in Hogwarts, food covered every inch of the surface and the smell was amazing. One family opposite appeared to have a MASSIVE bowl of noodles to share which contained all sorts of goodies, including crab claws and king prawns.

I decided to go for something with a kick to start with. I went for Hot and Sour soup. It certainly was hot, I remember ordering a beer and thinking "I could really do with a warming cup of tea" and then downing the bottle of beer because I was sweating from the soup. A mix of vegetables, chicken, prawns and tofu swam in a broth so deliciously hot. I recommend you to try it if you go, just bare in mind it is hot!

Next on the menu was Chicken and Cashew nuts with a side of egg fried rice. Simple and so good! The chicken was tender and juicy, the cashews had a soft exterior with a bit of a bite and it was scrummy.

I had 2 courses and 2 bottles of beer and it came to under £20 which I was very impressed with. The staff were lovely and the atmosphere was great. It's lovely to see families enjoying food together.

My one recommendation for this restaurant would be this... If you are planning on visiting, go as a group! Although I felt very welcome and enjoyed every minute of it, the set menu's look and smell amazing. I was a bit jealous of everyone around me.

Give it a go next time you are in London! you won't regret it!

Happy New Year...

...Happy new year everyone!

I hope you have all had a brilliant Christmas and are enjoying 2014 so far...

2013 was a year of change for me. It started off pretty average, but starting this blog was one of the best things I have ever done. When I started out I remember thinking "I'll never keep this going, I can't even keep a diary!". But here I am 10 months later and i'm still posting, even if isn't as often as originally intended.

The blog has opened so many doors for me, i've met some amazing people...From John Whaite to Larkin Cen and not forgetting the fellow bloggers! It's made me push myself in the kitchen, I've tried foods that I wouldn't have dared eat before. I've consumed some damn good burgers and chicken wings.. I've baked my ass off and most of all I have loved every single second of it.

I have a few new years resolutions for 2014, some I am going to stick to, some will last a month or so..some may not even begin. But I will share it all with you.

The first is to eat healthier food that isn't as boring as sin! Every year I promise myself that I will try and lose weight and every year I get to the end of the first week and then stuff my face with every burger in sight. Blogging has shown me that there are some seriously tasty meals out there that are good for you and don't taste like the underside of muddy boot.

The second is to join the gym, as of the 5th of January this is still yet to happen but its having the time at the moment. I will do this though as I need to swim! 

The third is to give less F•cks... I get myself in to quite a state sometimes with the smallest of things. But this year I'm taking the attitude that people do what they want, it's not my problem.

The fourth is to update the blog more regularly and give it a make over.

And finally the fifth is to continue saving and do new things! 

All together I think I can stick to most of these...With a little help from you guys!

You may have noticed I've been a little quiet on here recently, Christmas is the busiest time of year for me at work. That and all the time spent in the kitchen at home creating Christmas bakes has really stopped me from having a moment spare to post. So I thought I would do a little round up of my lead up to Christmas now.

Christmas for me started with a solo visit to London. I decided to go with no plans and just explore, get some shopping done and enjoy myself. It solve involved some eating (standard) but I'll save that for a separate post.

London truly is beautiful at Christmas, the lights really give the festive feeling and a smile as wide possible.

The next part of Christmas is obviously the food...The glorious food!
This is the first year that I have actively wanted to take part in creating the food for the big day. I started with a Mincemeat Streusel, making everything from scratch. I've got incredibly warm hands so can struggle with pastry but this was BEAUTIFUL. Buttery pastry that makes the mouth water. This is probably the best bake I have ever done and it makes me sad that its a Christmas bake...I need it all year round!

The next bake was Raspberri Cupcakes Christmas tree meringues. I've never had much luck with meringue but was determined to push myself and they turned out beautifully. A gloriously goey center meets the tongue as your teeth break through the outer wall.

I even went as far as cooking a turkey! My first ever bird went down a storm, I stuffed it with a whole lemon and basted it with lashings of butter, white wine and water. It was beautifully moist and made some great left over dishes including a turkey and ham pie, Turkey curry and tons of soup!

I also attempted my first flap jack! Nigel Slater supplied the recipe and I have to say, they were bloody lush! Buttery goodness followed by sour cherries dancing on the tongue.

I also made some edible Christmas tree decorations for my colleagues at work.

Anyway enough about food, I'm sure you all have similar resolutions to me so I best stop talking...

My family were incredibly generous this Christmas, they have obviously noticed I like to bake, everything was baking related!

But I'd like to say one special thank you on here, and that thank you goes to Rosie over at The Londoner.

I received this little beauty after entering one of her give aways. Its possibly one of the nicest things I have ever received. If I knew you in person not only would you be receiving a massive bunch of flowers but you would receive the biggest hug ever. Its a lovely watch and I am going to wear it proudly.(but not to work, don't want it getting scratched to buggery!)

I hope you all have a fantastic year! Heres to 2014 and all it brings our ways!

Happy New Year!

Alex aka The Broke Boy

x

Stir up Sunday...

...for years my family has had a lovingly prepared christmas pudding. it started with my grandma who had one of Delia Smiths first books. the spine hangs from the book and the pages look like a treasure map for a deserted island. notes in pencil cover every bit of free space from where my grandma had tweaked things to suit her style of cooking.

we all used to be invited round to stir the pudding and make a wish on it. i have very fond memories of this and i really do miss the excitement.

when my Grandma passed away my Auntie took over the role as head christmas pudding maker. the book is still in use and creates an amazing pudding that i look forward to each year.

this year i've decided to have a bash at making a pudding myself but i've decided to stay away from the family recipe and make something slightly different.

John Whaite posted a recipe for his exotic christmas pudding and i thought i would give it a bash...

i struggled to find the toffee vodka (there is a brand called "Thunder" but my local shops don't sell it) so i substituted it for amaretto.

you will need: 

Billington's Dark Muscovado Natural Unrefined Cane Sugar 110g
Billington's Light Muscovado Natural Unrefined Cane Sugar 100g
Billington's Natural Glacé Cherries 200g
dried apple 150g, roughly chopped
plump raisins 150g 
dried apricots 150g, roughly chopped
dried mango pieces 100g
cherry cola 300ml
1 orange juice and zest
1 lemon zest
Amaretto 4tbsp 
orange blossom water 1tsp 
rose water 1tsp 
vegetable suet 200g 
breadcrumbs 200g 
plain flour 100g 
toasted pecan nuts 150g 
ground clove 1tsp 
ground ginger 1tsp 
ground cinnamon 1tsp 
ground nutmeg ¼tsp 
4 eggs beaten 
milk 6tbsp 
black treacle 1tbsp

place all of the dried fruits into a saucepan and pour the cherry cola and orange juice over them. 

cook over a medium heat and allow the cola to boil. stir and continue to heat until the liquid has mostly soaked into the fruit.

remove from heat and stir in the zests and amaretto, along with the dark and light muscovado sugar. leave to macerate for 1 hour.

transfer to a large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. this is the point where "Stir up Sunday" really comes into play. get your family to help you with this part as it does take fair amount of mixing.

scoop the mixture into the prepared pudding mould (you will need a 1.5-litre pudding basin, greased and lined with a circle of baking paper) and cover with a greased double sheet of baking paper. Tie cooking string tightly around the baking paper and under the lip on the pudding basin to seal then cover well with foil.
i found that i had quite a lot of mixture left over so it might be worth arming yourself with a smaller pudding mould to create a second pudding.

place into a steamer filled with a good few inches of simmering water and close the lid to steam. keep it over a low heat and check the water level every 45 minutes to make sure the pan doesn't boil dry.

if you don't have a steamer, put the pudding on a mug in a deep saucepan with a good few inches of simmering water, close the lid, and keep simmering as above, checking the water level. steam for 4½ to 5 hours. at this point remove from the steamer and allow it to cool completely.

remove the pudding from the basin and inspect the creation of all your hard work! i'm very impressed with mine and it was touch and go as to if it would actually last until christmas day, as dad wanted to scoff it.

wrap your pudding in a double layer of cling film and a double layer of tin foil and store in a cupboard until the big day. 

to reheat on Christmas day steam for 2 hours as you did first time round.

A cake for the minions...

its a bit of a tradition at work that we bake for each others birthday...well....the wednesday night lot anyway!

Frans birthday was last sunday so i promised her a cake! i gave her the option of either a chocolate cake with a chocolate brownie layer OR a banana cake with salted caramel icing. much like a minion she went for the banana.

this recipe is from Raspberri Cupcakes, an Australian blog that i have been following for quite some time now.

you will need:

for the cake: 
250g unsalted butter
500g caster sugar
4 eggs
4 banana's
1tsp of vanilla extract
500g plain flour
2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp salt
1 and a half tsp cinnamon
250ml buttermilk

for the frosting:
225g caster sugar
4 tbsp water
250ml double cream
500g butter
1-2 tsp salt
500g icing sugar

for the decoration:
1-2 banana's
small amount of granulated sugar

preheat the oven to 180°C.

start by creaming the sugar and butter together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

next add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated.

mash the banana's in a bowl and then add them to the rest of the mixture along with the vanilla extract. beat once again until fully incorporated.

next measure out the flour, add the bicarb, salt and cinnamon and sieve half into the bowl. add half of the butter milk and beat until well mixed. scrape down the sides of the bowl and then repeat the process until all of the buttermilk and dry ingredients are incorporated.

the batter itself is quite thick compared to my normal cakes, but do not fear! divide between two 18cm cake tins, you will find that there is a lot of mixture in each tin but the cakes will be thick enough to cut in half and create 4 layers of heaven.
bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and they are golden.

you will notice that the cakes dome quite a bit! no need to worry though as once they have cooled all you need to do is trim them off then slice each cake into 2 halves...oh...and eat the dome of course..to test the bake...greedy piggies...

whilst the cake is cooling get cracking on the caramel for the frosting. in a medium sauce pan add the sugar and water and stir BEFORE putting on the heat, once you apply the heat you don't want to stir at all! 

place the pan on a medium heat and allow the sugar and water to bubble away until they become a nice amber colour.
once this happens remove from the heat and carefully and slowly add the cream. it will bubble violently but this is normal. just make sure you continue to mix with a WOODEN spoon, don't use a whisk like i did...i ended up with a lump of solid sugar on the end of it and had to start again... oops!

once everything is nicely incorporated set the caramel aside and allow it to cool down to room temperature.

once the caramel is cool you can get on with the messy business of mixing the butter and icing sugar. as you can see i'm not the tidiest of bakers...

once creamed together add the caramel and beat again until its smooth and has a caramel tone to it. add the salt a little at a time, tasting as you go. you don't want to chuck it all in at once as you could ruin it.

slice the cakes and begin the layering process. there is a lot of frosting so make sure to put a nice thick spread in between the layers.

for the decorations, slice the banana and place onto a baking tray. sprinkle over the sugar and take a blow torch to them (if like me, you may want to scream "BE DO BE DO" as you do this).

i really enjoyed making this cake, it was nice to try something different and i was really happy with the result. although i think i need to practice my frosting skills a little bit...

place in the fridge to allow the icing to harden up slightly and remove 30-40 minutes before serving.