Cooking Corner

November 2017

by LadyL

A Taste of Asia's Sweet Culture

I love food! Who doesn’t? Ever since I was a kid, reading and writing had been my passion, but food is in a completely different world for me. I was interested in how things are done, how things are properly prepared. I was in love with the joy that comes to cooking for people and seeing them smile with deliciousness. My country is rich in culture, cultivating food that is made originally in my country as well as food that they gained from the countries during the colonial times. In a modern perspective, food had become a language of culture. It speaks to the history and the purpose of food, and how, some dishes are very important to one’s country.

Last time, we talked about the wonders of Quiche Lorraine and its simple history, then I remember, November is coming up, and we all know the well-known event during this time of the year. That’s right! It’s Thanksgiving! A celebration which stemmed from the pilgrims from Europe who came to the new land. It would be cliché to just share my recipes on a good turkey stuffing, or some pies. So, I decided, why not share my top three recipes of November that highlight more than one culture. The humble Kulfi of India and the traditional pastry dessert of Central and West Asia, the Baklava.

Baklava Recipe

Now, Baklava is a Middle Easter dessert. It’s already popular in America. It originated from the Ottoman Empire and spread from there to the west. It is a sweet pastry dessert, with layers of filo with chopped nuts and honey or syrup. It’s a characteristic dessert of cuisines in Levant, Balkans, and Central to West Asia.

The pastry dessert, Baklava, has many different variations, like in Armenia, it is made of cinnamon and cloves, while in Iran it is drier and flavored with rose water. Traditionally, Baklava is made with filo pastry, pistachio, walnuts, and almonds bathed in honey or syrup.

Baklava is a very historical dessert. There are no well documented of its specific origins, but it is known that it was made in the Imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Sultans serve baklava every 15th month of Ramadan in a procession of a ceremony called Baklava Alayi. Now, I would give estimations and other similar dishes that could have inspired or originated from baklava. But I won’t bore you on that.

Instead, on the right is my recipe for a traditional Baklava that you can make to surprise your family and friends.

Ingredients

1 lb. walnuts (coarsely ground)
1/2 lb. almonds (coarsely ground)
10 cloves (whole) *optional
½ - 1 cup honey
1 tbsp. cinnamon (ground)
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 lemon (extract juice)
1 lb. phyllo pastry sheets
1/2 lb. butter (unsalted, melted)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Mix the walnuts, almonds, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
Carefully remove the Phyllo roll from the plastic sleeve. With the use of a scissor or a sharp knife, cut the sheets in half to make two stacks of 9 x 12-inch sheets. Often, when you buy phyllo rolls and unroll it, it’s about the 12x8 inch in size.
Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 rectangular pan. First, layer six sheets of phyllo making sure to brush each with melted butter as you lay them one by one. After the first six of phyllo sheet add half of the nut mixture in an even layer. Pat it down to flatten. Repeat the step for the second set of layers.
Put remaining six layers on top of the nut mixture, creating the last phyllo layer. The pattern should be: 6 phyllo to nut mixture to 6 phyllo nut mixture to 6 phyllo.
Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. Note that if it turns golden brown, you can take it out and leave it to rest for five minutes.
While baking the baklava, get a medium saucepan and combine the water and the honey and mix well. Add in cloves and simmer over medium-high heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. After, remove the saucepan from the heat and remove the cloves then stir in the juice from the half lemon and let it slightly cool.
Pour the honey syrup carefully into the pan. Baklava can be refrigerated or stored at room temperature. You can pre-cut before serving or leave the try in the fridge or on the kitchen counter covered in a baking sheet.

Kulfi Recipe

A popular frozen dessert from the Indian subcontinent, notably known as the “traditional Indian ice cream”. According to records, it was believed to have been invented during the Mughal Period of India in 16th Century BC, by then the mixture of dense evaporated milk is also popular in Indian desserts. It is also popular in the countries of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. Some Indian restaurants all over the world also serve the traditional ice cream. But how is Kulfi different from another ice cream?

Ice cream is known to be light and creamy, while Kulfi is denser and creamier. Unlike ice cream, Kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a dense solid dessert, different from the custard-base that ice cream has. Due to its density, it takes longer to melt compared to the more well-known Western ice cream.

Kulfi comes in a traditional cream flavor, known as mala. It also has other flavors such as rose, mango, saffron, cardamom, and pistachio. New flavors also rise, such as strawberry, apple, orange, and peanut.

On the left is my recipe for Kulfi, you can add your own mix to the flavor since it gives way to experiment and discover what works well:

Ingredients

12 ounces evaporated milk
¾ cup pouring cream
2 tablespoons honey
⅓ cup finely chopped roasted pistachios
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted pistachios, extra

Instructions

Combine milk, cream, and cardamom in a large saucepan and bring to a boil in Reduce heat then simmer, uncovered while continuing to occasionally stir for about 10 to 15minutes or until reduced to about 3 cups.
Stir in honey and when everything is evenly combined remove from heat to cool for about 15 minutes.
Third step. Strain mixture into a large bowl while discarding the cardamom.
Divide the liquid kulfi mixture among molds; sprinkle with finely chopped nuts at the top and cover with tin foil. Freeze in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

Serving tip: To take out the kulfi from the molds, dip them in a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat dipping if necessary.

Food gives culture a new light. I've learn through my reading and interaction with people from different countries, food is not just for celebration. To them food reminds them of home, it reminds them of things they grew up with. It reminds them of their culture and it reminds them of who they are.

To me, food is a journey of discovery and I hope that you had fun discover the other side of historical foods. Give your Thanksgiving a little twist from Asia, and I'm sure it would be worthwhile for everyone.

Till next time!

-LadyL

Quiche Lorraine

by unknown courier

October 2017

When I think of cooking, I think of how the people who eat my food, eat with gusto. How they would smile and laugh while they all eat. I especially love it when at the end of the meal, you can see the twinkling of satisfaction in their eyes. Writing is my passion, yes, but cooking is my soul. I could never go a day without making a meal in my own kitchen, may it be breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. Throw in midnight snack in there if you’ll have it.

The food I make has a classic touch to it. I love cooking those simple comfort food and at the same time, I love cooking all those complex classics and modern twists. So I’m here today welcoming you to the recipes of my kitchen, along with Knit_orious in her own kitchen with amazing recipes of her own.

This month, we’ll be talking about something from France from its regional area of Lorraine: The Quiche. I don’t want to bore you about the technical history of Quiche, but I will indulge you on its luscious history part and how to make it.

Quiche Lorrain is an open pastry crust, commonly known as a tart, and it’s oozing withsavory goodness. Although quiche is considered a classic French dish, it actually came from Germany. It started in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, which was under German rule, which the French later renamed Lorraine after they conquered the land. The word 'quiche' is from the German word 'kuchen', meaning cake.

A quiche can be filled with eggs, milk or cream, and with anythingsavory. Back then, it’s filled with lardon (a small strip or cube of pork fat) but now, is filled with meat like bacon, and sometimes with vegetables. They also fill it with one or more kinds of cheese. The fun thing about a quiche is, you can serve if hot like an appetizer in a meal or you can serve it cold as a snack, or maybe part of a party platter.

Now, how do you exactly make it? Below is a recipe that I use and actually got this from the internet when I was in high school. What I got back then is a plain Quiche Lorraine with a plain one type of cheese, bacon cubes and spinach with egg and crème Fraiche. Now with work, I was able to re-do and tweak it to make it a bit more special for you GPiers.

First is to make the pastry. If you are a baker with pride (like, I am sometimes) feel free to use your own recipe for a pastry, or you can buy the pre-made pastry at the store. Either way, it will be up to you on how to make this recipe, I’ll applaud you for the bravery of making it itself, alone.

Ingredients

For the pastry you will need:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using a pastry blender or 2 table knives through ingredients in the opposite directions, until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (You can add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water if need be).
Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry to be flakier. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
Preheat the oven to 400° F (204.5° C) before placing the dough in the tart pan. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into the tart pan or pie pan (whichever you prefer, round square, mini versions, etc.). Press the dough firmly to the edges and bottom of the pan. Use a rolling pin to roll over the top and pinch off any extra dough. Prick the tart shell in dozens of places with the tines of a fork, then place the tart pan in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

When the dough had enough time to chill from the freezer, take it out and immediately place it in the hot oven to bake for 10 minutes to blind bake it. Remember to put in a foil over the dough and pour in some rice or bean, as pie/tart weights (*see tips at the end of the article for further information). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Now while the crust is baking, start preparing the filling of your Quiche Lorraine.

Ingredients

Filling:

8 slices bacon (chopped or cubed)
1 cup ground sausage
2 large green onions
1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese (shredded) or swiss cheese (or both but make sure you the portions would be ½ cup per cheese)
4 medium eggs
1 3/4 cups milk (or half-and-half)*
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (freshly)
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

After you’ve gathered all of those ingredients start mixing!

First. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the bacon, sausage, ham, green onions, and cheese evenly on top of the precooked crust. Pour the egg mixture on top.

Second. Simply bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, until thecenter is set. You’ll know when it’s done if you poke the middle with a toothpick and when you pull it out it comes out clean.

And voila! It is done.

Cooking tips:

Pie/tart weights are used in order to maintain the shape of the crust as it is being baked. If you eliminate the weights during baking, you may encounter undesirable levels of puffing, curling and shrink. If you'd rather brown the top of the bottom crust while baking, an alternative method often used is placing a second pie plate over the one containing the crust, and the metal should assist in browning the crust.
Half-and-half is a simple blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream.
If you want a meat lovers Quiche Lorraine, you can add one or two more kinds of meat to total at least 3 or 4 kinds in one serving. The proportions must be in equal ratio. This also applies to the cheese. But make sure you don’t overflow it and leave out the equal proportions with the milk.
If you want a more heightenedflavor, replace the portion of the milk with a crème Fraiche.

Quiche Lorraine is naturally moist and creamy in the mouth. But sometimes, we can all use some sauce. A sweet butter sauce glazed over it would be enough, or a small serving of hollandaise sauce is also good too.

This recipe is something I love to make on rare occasions, but mostly on family dinners that rarely happens. You can experiment with this recipe to cater to whatever it is that you like. More meat, or less meat, add some veggies like broccoli or spinach. Use Crème Fraiche or plain milk or half-and-half portion. Either way, it will be something to enjoy with family or a group of friends.

It’s exciting to share this humble classic French dish with you GPiers, and I can’t wait for December where I’ll be sharing with you a recipe that never misses the year-end feast at home.

August 2017

by Chloe

Rainbow Cake

Hey guys and girls! It saddens me to tell you all that this will be my final post. So I decided to go out with a bang. With the awesome pride event last month, I made a rainbow cake to show that I love all colours of cake!!! And now you can all make an awesome rainbow cake with as many layers and colours as you like. The bigger, brighter, and more extravagant, the better! This is fun to make and even more fun to eat, just remember to wear old clothes since food colouring is involved and we wouldn't want you ruining any of you favourite clothes now!

*This makes 2 cakes, so please make sure you have enough ingredients for all the layers you want*

Ingredients

For the cake

125g of Softened Butter (a little extra may be needed to grease the cake tin)
225g of Plain Flour
150g of Caster Sugar
3 Medium Eggs
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
A pinch of salt
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Edible Food Colouring

For the icing

150g of Softened Butter
450g of Icing Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon of Milk

Instructions

Heat oven to 180° C. Grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper. Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth.
Split the mixture perfectly in half, weighing it if you need to. Pick 2 of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy with the colour (the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave). Scrape the different batters into the tins, trying to spread and smooth as much as possible, but try not to waste a drop of the batter. Bake for 12 minutes in the centre of the oven until a small knife or skewer poked in centre comes out clean.
Repeat the above steps and bake as many cakes as you want in different colours, leaving all the cakes to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, fold the icing sugar into the butter carefully, a small bit at a time until the mixture is thick, creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and milk, and make the sure the mixture is still thick, adding more butter and icing sugar if needed.
Spread a thin layer of butter onto the bottom of your cake stand to grease it. Placing the first sponge and covering it with a layer of butter cream. Keep repeating this until all the sponges are stacked. Using the rest of your buttercream, spread generously over the sides and the top of the cake, using a spatula or palette knife to spread the mixture evenly. Sprinkle on some coloured sprinkles and enjoy your rainbow cake.

Love Chloe xoxo

July 2017

by Chloe

Lenten Apple Pie (Milopita)

In preparation for my holiday to Greece later this month, I decided to make a traditional dessert with a Greek twist.

Lenten Apple Pie, known in Greece as Milopita, takes a traditional dessert and changes it by switching a butter, egg and flour pastry into something a little different. The cognac/juice used also makes sure the pastry isn’t too dry and flaky. The Mediterranean flavours used for the traditional apple filling creates a wonderful and rich dessert perfect for all the family.

Ingredients

For the dough

100ml of corn oil
110g of granulated sugar
110ml of orange juice (the juice of 2-3 oranges)
50ml of cognac (substitute for apple juice for anybody who does not drink alcohol)
500g of self-raising flour

For the filling

5-6 apples
½ a cup of chopped walnuts
½ a cup of raisins
The zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions

Start by mixing together the corn oil and granulated sugar in a bowl. Whisk for 3-4 minutes until the mixture has completely combined, then add the orange juice and cognac, whisking for another minute.
Slowly add the flour bit by bit until the mixture forms a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to cool in the fridge for 20 minutes.
While the dough is cooling, make the filling for your Lenten Apple Pie. Start by peeling and slicing the apples into thin slices. Place in a pan with the rest of the filling ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the apples start to soften.
Dust a surface with some flour then split the dough mixture in half. Roll out one of the halves of dough until it is half a cm thick and ease into your pie tin (20cm tin should be appropriate). Use a fork to poke holes into the bottom of the dough.
Place the filling into the pie dish, then roll out the other half of the dough mix so it is half a cm thick.
Cut the dough into strips and place over the pie in a criss-cross/lattice pattern. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in the centre of the oven at 180°c for 40 minutes or until golden.
Take out of the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Note* Using a mixture of in season eating and cooking apples will make this pie even more flavourful.

Send us a picture of your Lenten Apple Pie on our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page ‘@GPSweetheart’ and get a shout out in our next issue, and don’t forget to send any recipe requests to ‘Phoenix<3’.

June 2017

by Phoenix<3

Banoffee Pie

I have been asked a few times now to post a recipe for the classic dessert, Banoffee Pie. Although this delicious treat is called a pie, there is actually no pastry or pie involved.

It is another of my favourite desserts to make, simply because I love caramel and bananas, so combining the two in a dessert gets me all kinds of happy.Banoffee Pie originated in 1971 in the English town of Sussex when two chefs were trying to make the classic American dessert Coffee Toffee Pie. After boiling a can of condensed milk for several hours and trying to find a fruit that would go nicely with the dessert, the pair tried adding banana and found that it was such a hit with customers, it couldn’t be taken off the menu.

Ingredients

250g/9oz of Digestive Biscuits
(chefs outside of the UK can substitute Graham Crackers)
100g/4oz of Melted Butter
400g/14oz of Caramel
(or you can make your own, details will be at the bottom of the recipe)
2 Bananas peeled and sliced
300ml/ ½ a pint of Double Cream
(also known as heavy cream) whipped until soft
2 tablespoons of Grated Chocolate curls

Instructions

Crush the Digestive biscuits/graham crackers until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, before stirring in the melted butter. Mix together and place in a deep cake tin, pressing down the biscuit base until firm.
Place the biscuit base in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.
Pour the caramel* over the biscuit base, using the back of a teaspoon to even it out.
Cover caramel with a layer of sliced bananas, then spoon over the whipped cream.
Decorate with chocolate curls and enjoy.
*Optional: To make your own caramel just bring 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ a cup of butter and ¼ a cup of milk over a medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, this should take around 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract then leave to cool.

Send us a picture of your Banoffee Pie on our Facebook page "Guilty Pleasures Forum" or our Twitter page @GPSweetheart to get a shout out in our next issue! And don’t forget to send any recipe requests to "Phoenix<3."

May 2017

by Chloe

Carmel Tart

Caramel Tart is by far my favourite dessert ever! I first fell in love with this when it was given to me as dessert in primary school, the rest of the school lunch was horrific but there was something about the gooey caramel and chocolate flakes that made me want more.

Still, to this day, there are many variations of this classic, and although there are easier ways of making this dessert (you can now buy tinned caramel and pre-made pastry tart cases), I have used the recipe that has always given me the best results.

Ingredients

Instructions

Sweet Pastry

90g of Butter
3 Tablespoons of Icing Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tablespoon of Milk
1 ¼ Cups of Self Raising Flour
3 Tablespoons of Cornflour

For the caramel

1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 ½ Cups of Milk
2 Egg Yolks
2 Tablespoons of Cornflour (Already dissolved in a small amount of Milk)
1 Tablespoon of Butter
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the egg yolk and mix well. Add the milk and continue to mix. Once well combined, add the sifted flour and knead the dough.
Roll out the dough (pastry) and place into a lightly greased tin. The pastry should reach all of the walls of the tin. Trim away any excess pastry. Cover the pastry with a piece of greaseproof cooking paper and add pastry weights of bags of raw rice to stop the pastry from rising when cooking.
Bake at 180 degrees for 12 minutes, then carefully remove the pastry weights or rice bags and cook for a further 3 minutes or until golden. Let the pastry cool.
In a saucepan heat together the milk and brown sugar over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg yolks, cornflour, butter and vanilla extract, and whisk over a medium heat until the caramel begins to thicken while continuing to whisk so the caramel doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Increase the heat while still stirring the caramel until large bubbles begin to form. Keep stirring until the caramel is almost boiling and is thick like custard. Pour the caramel into the cooled tart case and leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours. Don’t forget to sprinkle some crumbled chocolate flakes on top for that extra special finishing touch.

Why not send us a picture of your caramel tart on our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page ‘@GPSweetheart’

and get a shoutout in our next issue.

Chloe xoxox

April 2017

by Phoenix

Hot Cross Buns

With pancake day over and some people giving up their favorite treats for Lent, the next exciting holiday to binge eat comes in the form of Easter.

Easter is the time Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the bible, the day Jesus was crucified is known by the name Good Friday. After his death, he was left in a cave, which was blocked with boulders and rocks. By Sunday, his body was no longer in the cave, and it is believed that he appeared to up to 500 people on Easter Sunday to preach to them.

Around Easter time it has become customary to give chocolate eggs to children, and dress as the ‘Easter bunny’. But another delicious treat to enjoy are hot cross buns, which we will be baking today.

Ingredients

500g of white bread flour

½ teaspoon of salt
2 heaped teaspoons of mixed spice
50g of caster sugar
50g of butter
200g of mixed dried fruit
7g of dried yeast
200ml of milk
2 eggs

Instructions

Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt, mixed spice and sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir in the dried fruit, then sprinkle over the yeast and stir in. Gently warm the milk so it is hot, but still cool enough to put your finger in for a couple of seconds. Beat the milk with the eggs, then pour into the flour mix.
Using a blunt knife, mix the ingredients to a moist dough, then leave to soak for 5 mins. Take out of the bowl and cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape the dough into buns on a floured surface. Space apart on a baking sheet, cover loosely with cling film, then leave in a warm place until half again in size. This will take 45 mins-1 hr 15 mins, depending on how warm the room is.
When the buns have risen, heat oven to 220°C /fan or 200°C /gas. Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste. Pour into a plastic food bag and make a nick in one of the corners. Pipe crosses on top of each bun.
Bake for 12-15 mins until risen and golden. Trim the excess cross mixture from the buns, then brush all over with honey or golden syrup. The buns will keep fresh for a day. After that, they are best toasted and served with butter.

Why not send us a picture of your hot cross buns to our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page ‘@GPSweetheart’ and get a shout out in our next issue!

Phoenix xoxox

February 2017

by Chloe

Pancakes

Pancake day, or Shrove Tuesday as it is known to Christians, falls exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday and is traditionally the final day before the Lenten fast, in which people would eat up all the fatty foods in the house before the start of Lent the next day. This year Shrove Tuesday happens to fall on the 28th of February.

The four main ingredients in traditional pancakes each have a significant meaning within the Christian church. Eggs – Were the creation of life. Flour – The staff of life. Salt – Represents the wholesomeness of life and Milk – The Purity of life. Mixing these four ingredients together makes the perfect pancake batter, which is how the name Pancake day came about.

In the UK, it is now a tradition to enjoy pancakes, while still hot, with lemon juice and caster sugar sprinkled on top, although there are many variations now such as fruits, chocolate and salt. They can be enjoyed as a sweet or savoury snack and are family friendly to make.

Ingredients

Instructions

(makes 12)

100g of Plain Flour
2 Large eggs
300ml of milk
A pinch of salt

Optional – Drizzle some lemon juice and caster sugar over the pancake and fold, then enjoy while hot.

Alternatively – Why not spread some chocolate spread over your pancakes, add some sliced strawberries and enjoy them as a special dessert.

In a large bowl, mix together the Flour and salt. Make a small well in the middle of the flour mix and add the eggs and milk.
Carefully beat the milk and eggs, slowly mixing in the flour mix until you have a smooth batter mix, it should be a similar consistency to thick single cream.
Over a medium heat, grease a pan with either a small bit of butter or oil. Once heated add a very small amount of the mix to the pan, just enough to cover the entire pan. Cook for 30 seconds – 1 minute then flip.

Why not send us a picture of your pancakes on our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page ‘@GPSweetheart’ and get a shout out in our next issue.

Chloe xoxox

January 2017

by Chloe

Spiced Bread

With the passing of Christmas and the new year, most of us have consumed our body weight in food or close to it anyway. It was during this time that Celtic Pagans would begin planting their crops in preparation for the up and coming springtime. February 2nd is known as Imbolc day to those who practise Paganism. Imbolc day is the day the Celtic Pagans begin their festivities, honouring the Goddess Brigid and her recovery after giving birth to the god.

The goddess is believed to shine light and warmth over the earth, helping the crops to grow in spring. This is the reason practising families light numerous warm coloured candles such as yellows and reds, and why they give food offerings for the goddess. In tradition of the Imbolc day, we have a traditional recipe that is centuries old. "Returning Sun Spiced Bread" not only tastes amazing, but is fun to make alone or with friends and family.

Why not take some pictures of your finished spiced bread and share them with us on our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page '@GPSweetheart." You never know, your picture may just be featured in next month’s article.

Ingredients

Instructions

1 ¼ cup of plain flour
1/8 cup of poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup of raisins
½ cup of baking soda
½ cup of butter
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
¾ cup of golden corn syrup
½ cup of light brown sugar
4 tablespoons of milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of mixed spices – equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Mix the flour, soda and baking powder in a bowl, then add the mixed spices, ginger, brown sugar and raisins. Make a small well in the centre of the mixture.
In a saucepan melt the butter and corn syrup over a low heat.
Add the beaten egg and milk and mix the mixture well.
Pour the mixture into a bread tin and cook at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes then leave to cool before enjoying.

Enjoy!

This bread improves with age, so why not make it the night before and enjoy it with family with some soup? Either way, be sure to send me your pictures of the finished product and have fun cooking.

December 2016

by Chloe

A Little Info

With Bonfire night having passed in November, it seems fitting that for the first issue of Cooking With Chloe, we celebrate by attempting a traditional British cake in honour of the legend, Guy Fawkes.

As most of you may already know, Bonfire Night is the night traditionally celebrated where we remember Guy Fawkes and his plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament using fireworks. Although his plan was foiled and the Houses of Parliament are still standing as strong as ever, it is important to recognize the houses as the heart of the city and the place where all laws and bills are passed for England.

The Houses of Parliament were built in 1835, and two years later the longest reigning monarch took her place on the throne: Queen Victoria.

Therefore, this month we have chosen to feature the Victorian Sponge Cake, which was named after the Queen herself, who often enjoyed a slice of sponge cake with her afternoon tea.

The Victorian Sponge Cake is traditionally two light sponge cakes, with raspberry jam and whipped double cream sandwiched in between the two sponges. Of course, this can be substituted to your own tastes, as I did, using strawberry jam instead of Raspberry.

And do not forget to take pictures of your finished cake and share them with us on our Facebook page ‘Guilty Pleasures Forum’ or our Twitter page ‘@GPSweetheart’. You never know, your picture may just be shown in next month’s article.

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 200g Caster sugar
• 200g Softened Butter
• 4 Eggs
• 200g Self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp Milk

For the filling:
• Strawberry Jam
• Double cream
• Icing sugar to decorate

Instructions

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, mix all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
Split the cake mix between the two tins and bake for around 20 minutes, or until golden. Then leave to cool.
Using a fork or hand whisk, whisk the double cream until thick. Spread the cream evenly over one of the cooled sponge cakes. Do the same with the jam on the other sponge cake.
Sandwich the two cakes together and lightly dust with some icing sugar for decoration