Right. Recipes. I'm going to do my best to be all multinational and convert things, too. So...sorry if I get it wrong! Alert me to anything that looks ridiculous, or if I've named something that needs translating. But don't expect me to do anything about it until I'm back from dragging Danger into the countryside for some fun.
Custard Creams. (Easy - about 15 mins prep, ten mins in the oven, and a bit of cooling/construction time.)
Biscuit:
185g butter
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
2 eggs
200g (2 cups) self-raising flour
60g (1/2 cup) of custard powder
Filling:
125g Butter
125g (1 cup) icing sugar
2 tablespoons custard powder
1 tablespoon orange rind (grated)
2 teaspoons orange juice
Cream together the butter/sugar. Beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour and custard powder.
Spoon the mix onto a lightly greased tray (if it's stiff enough it's easy to shape with cutters, just throw the offcuts back in the mix. If it's not, just have round biscuits!)
Bake at 180 degrees C for 10-15 mins. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Add the filling:
Cream the butter, icing sugar and custard powder together, then add the orange juice and rind. Spread the cooled biscuits with the fill and squash together. Easy!
And Beef Wellington (serves four. Or one Sherlock.)
500g pack of ready made puff pastry (or make it if you want...)
20g dry porcini or morel mushrooms (and strong flavoured mushrooms, really.)
500g Chestnut mushrooms
splash of Vegetable oil.
4x180g beef fillet slices.
4 small shallots, chopped finely.
Bit of butter
Splash of sherry
Some thyme
Bit of egg
300ml double cream.
Scattering of flour.
So, chuck a bit of flour about (get some on your boyfriend's bum) and roll out the pastry into 4 squares, about 7inches square. Chill in the fridge. Rinse the dried mushrooms, put in a bowl and cover in hot water, leave to soak. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan, season the beef with salt and pepper, fry the beef off for about a minute per side. Set aside. Fry off the shallots in the same pan until softened. Add in the butter and the chestnut mushrooms and cook for a few mins longer. Drain off the dried mushrooms, chop them finely, chuck them in the pan and glug some Sherry in. Cook off the alcohol. Chuck the thyme in, cook for a minute longer and season with salt/pepper.
Put the oven on to about 200 degrees C. Get your pastry out of the fridge again, spoon some mushroom mix on, about the same size blob as your steak is, and then put the steak on top of it. Brush the pastry edges with a bit of egg. fold in all the corner of the pastry, flip it over so the smooth side is up, neaten it up. Slash the tops with a knife and brush with egg. Bake for 12-14 mins, or a bit longer if you don't like medium/rare. About 5 mins before the wellingtons are due out of the oven heat up the rest of the mushroom mix again, once hot, add all the cream and cook high for about 2 mins. Season and use as a sauce over the wellingtons.
Enjoy.
116 comments:
Simple, he says... Think I'll stick to distracting you while you make them.
I could live with that.
I thought you might not object.
Do I need to pack? Or can I be lazy and do it in the morning? Have you?
The morning is definitely soon enough.
Mmm. I do like you.
So tomorrow...(brief trip to the yard), leisurely ride out West. Want to stop anywhere particular? Stonehenge? Avebury? Somewhere else?
Custard creams look v. tasty! I might give those a try when I have a couple minions to help me with assembly, at which I'm absolutely awful.
For any American looking to try that recipe, 185 g butter= 13 tbsp, or 1 stick + 5 tbsp. For custard powder (which I haven't seen in the US), sub corn starch with a bit of vanilla. Oven temp is about 350-360 degrees F.
Have fun on your trip! I'm envious, as I'm currently swamped with revision for finals.
Ah...sorry, I thought I just had to change to cups. I didn't know you didn't have grams ;)
And yeah, you can just put vanilla in. Although then it won't exactly taste like 'custard', but more like...proper egg custard. Which isn't a bad thing. But different.
Thanks.
L - Avebury would be nice. Maybe skip Stongehenge until we can bring the boys?
Stongeehengee? Yeah. At the risk of finding myself ejected from England and my passport revoked...it's not THAT interesting. I mean, you just go there, fight with loads of other people, and look at some stones from behind a fence. The boys should do it at least once. But we can wait.
Avebury is much nicer.
Oooh, lovely, thank you, Lestrade!
And thanks for the translations, Ria--I don't think I've ever heard of or seen custard powder. Do you know what caster sugar is?
And will the custard cream recipe work with margarine instead of butter, L?
RR - Google tells me castor sugar is called 'superfine' sugar in the US...possibly?
As for margarine...I'm not sure. Probably? They're not that different.
I'm sure you could find another recipe, anyway, to be sure.
Absolutely going to try these at some point. Can't wait! Well. Can wait, because I'm going to have to, but still.
Oh, happy Coming Out Day from here in the States!
Also, icing sugar is the same as confectioner's sugar, right?
Apparently it is, yes. And here was I thinking I'd done a good job of translating.
Thanks, Tink...that seems like an odd day to have. but thanks anyway. It's National Curry Week here. Don't tell John.
RR: Superfine sugar, if you can't find it in the grocery, can be made with a coffee/spice grinder and regular sugar. Just toss in sugar, press the button a few times until it's all fine. Pavlova uses the same stuff. (And use butter, butter is always better.)
Thanks, Lestrade--I think I could find superfine sugar. I'd want to substitute for the butter because of the kosher thing--can't have dairy with or for 6 hours after meat or poultry, so it's not very useful to have desserts with dairy in them!
Nope, Americans are all about the ounces and pounds, and butter comes in pre-measured sticks which are divided by tablespoons and ounces. I've lived outside the USA for long enough that I can usually do rough recipe conversions on the fly.
Another option for a more "custard-y" flavor would be what Americans would call "instant pudding" in an appropriate flavor. And the Internet tells me that you can often get custard powder in import stores, if you're suitably determined.
It's a day that's been around for a while and the LBGTS groups kind of all get together and have their help lines open and stuff and so people can have support in coming out to whomever. It's a scary thing to do as you might know :P So they put together the day to give people support while doing it.
My lips are sealed about it being National Curry Week.
It's National Curry Week here. Don't tell John.
(I think he knows now. ;))
Another option for a more "custard-y" flavor would be what Americans would call "instant pudding" in an appropriate flavor.
I certainly can find that! Would vanilla be an appropriate flavor?
I will also say that the 'international section' in my local grocery store has a UK set of shelves. There's some really good stuff there!
I think I'm confused as to what your margarine is. You can't get margarine here anymore. It's banned. You can just get butter, soft butter and vegetable/olive spreads. But our old margarine, when you could get it, did have a bit of dairy in it.
Tink - that's great. Shame the support isn't there all the time, but good that it is today.
Oh, and RR, they should work fine with margarine-- just keep a close eye on them while baking, and try to put them on parchment paper so that they don't spread out too much and get excessively thin and crispy, which can happen because margarine melts a bit differently than butter.
If you can't find superfine sugar, confectioner's sugar would probably work in this case-- the texture will just be a little bit different.
L, we use margarine as sort of a catch-all term for any butter-like substance that isn't butter, so we would call vegetable/olive spread margarine. For vegan/kosher products, I like a combination of vegan margarine and vegetable shortening for a cookie that tastes and feels right.
We can still get non-dairy margarine here--without transfats, even. And obviously, that's the kind I would use. There's also Crisco, but I'm not sure that would work in the biscuit part. Probably it would in the filling.
Adventures in international baking...
Stongeehengee?
Shh. I can spell. And type. Hush.
You can make me curry when we get back to celebrate.
This is all very enlightening, I would never have thought something like cooking would be so different just from hopping an ocean!
I think you'll all have to experiment, and then return here with your American and/or Kosher suitable recipes for everyone else! (Just eat the disasters...My recipe probably isn't even accurate in English. I tend to sort of chuck stuff in and hope!)
Can I, Danger? You're so good to me. Heh.
And now...I might have to leave the International Cookery Debate and drag you, you gorgeous delicious thing, to bed.
A much better idea! *makes shoooing motions*
A better offer than curry even... ;)
I hope none of you have culinary disasters...
Now I need to go and unpack the pyjamas Danger packed for himself. It's like the reverse of packing with Sherlock.
Without having to put the suitcase on top of a wardrobe.
Go already!
oh no, suitcase will go on top of the wardrobe. You may have missed previous discussions - but John is tiny. minute. almost invisible. He can't reach the rail in the wardrobe, let alone the top.
He doesn't need any clothes for this weekend, anyway. Only what he wears to get there and back. ;)
I'm going. Tidying and going.
Ooh, he's going to give you such a hard time when he reads that. If you're very lucky :-p
Have a wonderful and utterly filthy time away guys :-)
If he doesn't see that now, he will in the morning, you know! Or sometime in between.
Be gone!
What can I say, dear readers... I'm courting Danger!
Hah. Goodnight.
(Wait till he sees what I've removed from his case for that.)
That all sounds very delicious, although being vego and gluten intolerant, I can't eat any of it :)
... and now I'm craving mushrooms!
Found a site which might prove helpful to Americans who read English recipes: http://www.foodsubs.com/ You can look up an unfamiliar ingredient and it will give you alternate names, or what you can substitute if the ingredient isn't available in your area. I am blown away that Americans can't buy custard powder in the supermarket! It's a staple of Australian supermarkets, too. And a really good option for a cheap dessert for poor families with lots of kids!
Have a great holiday, guys. Enjoy the freedom!
Whatever you do, do NOT substitute confectioners sugar for superfine sugar. Oh god no. You can find superfine pretty much everywhere these days, and if you don't have a coffee/spice grinder to grind regular sugar, you can always use a mortar and pestle to grind it to get the same effect.
A friend of mine is from NZ, and so uses superfine a lot with his desserts and pastries. Om nom nom.
Oh, by the way, gentlemen? I'm 5'2" (about 1.57m).
Just sayin'.
:D
:D
I'm 5'3"! People putting things on top of the fridge or on high shelves is no joke. Well, ok, but it does get old...
These homemade custard creams sound like what we call yo-yos here in NZ (so called because of the shape, I presume). I had a flatmate who adored them and made them all the time. We get shop-bought custard creams here too, which I think are great for dunking. That's how I voted in the biscuit poll, although I did dither over gingernuts.
Enjoy your trip and your time alone, L and J! And I hope Sherlock has a great time with his mum.
Amy: Another kiwi! (aside from my friend I mean!) The first time I made a pavlova, I didn't know what superfine sugar was, and tried to make it with regular sugar. FAILURE.
Hah. That's nothing compared to the time I mixed up the sugar and the flour one time when I was trying to make brownies from scratch. Tried eating them anyway. Brownies with no flour and extra sugar sound like a good idea... but they are not.
Hope Greg and John are having a great time!
Ah, baking failures... My mum once mixed up the packets and used baking powder instead of cornflour. Ooops!
I'm nearly as bad as John when it comes to cooking! Except John's been learning. I can follow instructions sort of, but I have to have the cookbook right in front of me and my mother either at my shoulder or on speed dial. Baking however, once I've got a handle on things (like, oh, superfine sugar) I'm just fine with! The only bit of chemistry and maths I use on a frequent basis!
I made my first ever cake over the weekend. The kitchen was a disaster zone and I had to make 5 batches of icing to layer it and cover it, but it turned out pretty good. 6 layer rainbow cake with vanilla buttermilk icing. The rainbow was pretty awesome. Although the mess was so daunting and there was so much cursing at the topmost layer that decided to crumble that I don't know when the next time I try it again will be.
Anyway, have fun in Bath!
Congrats Mez! But you did it, don't worry about next time ;D It gets cleaner and easier each time.
That's a big cake to start out on, too!
And RR, Amy, you'd tower over him. I'm actually taking him to Bath in my pocket. That's how small he is. Apparently it all started when he annoyed a wizard... you'd have to ask him.
Greg: I did not realise you had that particular fetish XD The things we learn about you guys in this blog...
No fetishes. It's all about personality for me, Tink. Good things come in small packages and all that.
Although we're hoping Sherlock will create an antidote with his chemistry set.
Don't mind me. I'll just be over here plotting my revenge.
For the West coast of the US at least, I believe that I've seen Birds custard at Cost Plus (or World Market, or whatever their marketing department says they should be this week).
And I'll be here cooking you a special breakfast, gorgeous.
Wise play, L. Food is the best way to a man's heart (and forgiveness for short jokes).
(Though I must admit I'm curious as to the details of the revenge being plotted)
Ooh, he's horrible, John. I don't know how you put up with him. I hope your revenge is very sweet. He used to pick on me when he turned into a great lanky thing when he was a teenager.
I'll see if I can find some more pictures of him for further revenge.
Looking forward to seeing you both.
Oh my, the sibling(s) are going to get involved. This is going to be interesting. =)
Greg and John, I hope both of you have fun (in all the best ways)!
-A from NW (who has been struggling to post this past week...)
Hmmm. He can't be that mean to me. I woke him up (well, re-woke him, he'd already been awake) with eggy bread, fresh berries and syrup this morning.
Anyway, readers, he's not small all the time, see. Only around now, when the moon is full. The Wizard let him stay normal height most of the time, but put a spell on him to make him a Were-Liliputian. So give him a day or so, and a bit of sunshine, and he'll be back to normal (for him) size. Hah.
Were you one of those kids who just had to poke the hornets' nest? Good thing you're not allergic to John-stings...
I... give up. John, whatever you do, see if you can get pictures!
And both of you, have a wonderfylul trip. :)
??? That was SUPPOSED to be "wonderful".!!
As much as I'm on John's side, and will happily help him get revenge, I've got to say it is lovely to see Orio with someone he's so relaxed around (read 'rude to'). It's such a stark difference from before.
Now, where are those family albums?
DW, RR, he's just too cute when he's trying to pretend to be grumpy! And thanks, RR, we're in Avebury for lunch now, having just about managed to ease my old bones off the bike. And we are already having a wonderfylul trip. I may soon attempt to drag Danger behind a big rock and kiss him. (and we've been holding hands. In public. Wearing leather. We're just a moustache short of a stereotype!)
Nicky, we dont have to meet up with you, you know! There are plenty of ways we can keep ourselves occupied of an evening without you. ;)
No one is growing a moustache, don't get any ideas.
And we're definitely seeing yours sister. I clearly need reinforcements...
You don't. I know you've done something for revenge, because you were far too sweet and forgiving earlier, which clearly means you've somehow got me back in another way. I know you, DangerNanny!
*blinks* ...I'll have what he's having.
:D
Not until they perfect human clones you won't ;)
Nicky - it's actually impossible to be cross with him when he's this happy. Did this work when he was picking on you as well?
Did what work? And I didn't pick on her!
(Lestrade, there is clearly a "When Harry Met Sally"-sized hole in your movie-going experience!)
John, it's Trans-Atlantically contagious, even!
She said you did! You wouldn't call your own sister a liar would you?
Reminding her she's vertically challenged isn't picking on her, just telling the truth. Although she's managed to grow a bit since she was 10. You should have tried the same...
RR - my movie going experience is more holes than movies. In more ways than one...
Heh. Well, the line is at the very end of this scene.
Although, now that I think about it, your answer was just right anyway, because I wasn't referring to the conversation before, just that line at the end. :D
Probably not quite as well, John, given that I didn't find him cute, just really annoying! But we used to love the absolutely ridiculous stories he'd invent to cheer us up. I'm afraid I'm partly responsible for encouraging that side of him. He does have an active imagination.
Sherlock, in case you check in here before I get back online Sunday morning, here are some pictures of my sister's sukkah (the hut we eat in on Sukkot) from past years, the outside and the inside. My nieces and nephew all help my brother-in-law build it every year, but my nephew usually passes on the decorating part, which I think is the most fun part!
Since I am off to my sister's pretty soon and may not have a chance later, I'll just wish everyone a great week end and weekend, see you all late Saturday night or early Sunday, depending on where you are. :)
And John and Lestrade, really, have a wonderful (spelled PROPERLY!) trip.
Hugs!
RR: interesting, thanks for the photos. That's a bit more structurally sound than I was expecting.
Nicky: I think you should take credit rather than responsibility for his active imagination. That some of the best encouragement a person can get, especially at their young and impressionable ages.
J&L: have a fantastic weekend.
RR: Take care honey! Have a fantastic Holy Day!
Nicky!!! *hugs from across the Atlantic* It's been a while since we've heard from you! How've you been?
John & Greg: I'm grinning so big at you two right now. Enjoy the holiday!
New poll I need to run: will my holiday be better or worse now my darling boyfriend has removed all the underwear I packed from my bag?
Guess I'm going commando for dinner...
Greg: There is only one answer to that question. Better. Torturous maybe, but better.
ROFL!!
Oh ho, naughty! I wondered what he'd taken, but I had no idea it'd be that. Have fun, you two crazy kids.
Is wear his but, y'know, wouldn't fit ;)
Saucy! Here's hoping the leather doesn't chafe too much-- or if it does, that your boyfriend will kiss it better. ;)
Ha. I don't wear leather trousers, most of the time. I have armoured jeans for the bike. So no leather-chafing issues. Just denim-chafing ones.
But you're right, he will!
Fair enough. Leather trousers that are tight enough to be sexy are generally too tight to let you get a leg over (the bike, you dirty-minded heathens!), and baggy ones generally just look a bit weird.
John, may I once more point out this is why people find your blog when looking for porn XD It's all Greg's fault. Of course we of the internet have nothing to do with it. :D
Why am I not even slightly surprised that pants were what John removed from the case? Nice one, John :-D
Lestrade - better, obviously. And if you do start feeling uncomfortable or exposed, just think what John will be going through, spending the whole time knowing that you're wandering around pantless? I'll be amazed if he can keep his hands to himself in public :-p
Guys, have a great time (it sounds as if you already are, tbh).
Nicky - *waves* Good to see you here again, how are you? How's the family?
We're all very well, thank you, Anon. The kids are pretty upset that they're getting a babysitter instead of a night out with their Uncle Orio and John (although Carla's first question was whether Mycroft would be there, and once she got the answer to that she lost a bit of interest! - Sorry Orio, John.) But we won't get back until late, and it will be nice to catch up without all the kids.
Although now I'll be thinking about the fact my big brother has no boxers on whilst were eating dinner, which is really not something I need to think about. Carla would say 'TMI'!
We're in Bath, not the middle of the Sahara. I will buy more boxers. Well, John will buy me more.
Maybe these:
http://www.internationaljock.com/diesel-rainbow-striped-divine-trunk-black,68534.html
Hm...will I though?
But presumably if he has to buy you pants to replace the ones he left at home, you'd have to buy him pyjamas as quid pro quo. Maybe going commando for a few days is a price worth paying?
Nameless - I didn't actually remove his jimjams from packing. I wouldn't. I don't want him to feel uncomfortable.
Danger - don't buy them for my benefit, buy them for Nicky's. (You can't refuse that, right?)
And do you really think we're going to find underwear here that's sufficiently exciting for you?
Any old boxers will do. You can provide the excitement.
I'll do my best...
so modest. Your best is more than good enough for me.
It was very...touching that Sherlock rang us, don't you think? I hope his Mum doesn't mind. I mean, he did call her stories boring...
He thinks everyone's stories but yours are boring.
Anyway, now she realises what sort of stories he's been getting, I strongly suspect she can come up with...something. She might not do the voices as well as you do though.
I don't do voices! Well, maybe a bit. You shouldn't be listening anyway!
So...bed, hot tub, swimming pool, sauna, steam room or...bed. Hah. You feeling okay after the long ride (the bike, you lot, the bike.)
Why shouldn't I be listening! They're good stories.
I think bed. I might even not wear pyjamas.
I don't know whether to think be disappointed, or think that you're adorably considerate. A little of both, maybe? ;-)
You can always put them on once I'm asleep, Danger.
But I don't plan to sleep particularly soon.
It's so...quiet out here. Nice. Except you'll have to keep the noise down, y'know?
I'm the one who'll have to keep the noise down, am I? We'll see...
I love that you'll always accept a challenge ;)
My boss and super hired me at least partially to reach things on high shelves. They're about 5' and 5'4", I'm 5'11" and a bit.
John, whenever Lestrade teases you by putting things out of your reach, remember it could be worse. My dad (6'2") used to pick up my mom (5'6") and set /her/ on top of the fridge to prove a point. ;)
Well done you on the revenge, though, especially as it proves both vengeful and rather to your interest that he's pantsless!
L, I'm in your side in this one -- short jokes are /hilarious/. Of course, I'm 5'9" (though it makes me one of the shortest in my family, actually), and all of my friends are tinier than I am. One is unfortunately 4'11" so I offer to carry her around in my pocket a lot. And then run from her scary midget glare before she gets on tiptoes to bite my ankles. :P
X - I wouldn't pick on him if he really were short. I'm only about 5'11". He's only about 4 inches shorter than me. Just perfect for me to wrap my arms around him and give him a kiss on the forehead :)
And that's why I only stole his boxers. I'd watch out for your pocket-sized friend if I were you.
You had no complaints about my 'pocket sized friend' (odd euphamism, Danger?) last night. Don't threaten it now!
(Or were you talking to X?)
You know perfectly well I was talking to X! I have never offered to keep any part of your anatomy in my pocket.
No, you haven't. Although I do keep my hands in your pockets sometimes. Without an offer.
And have noticed you rather like getting your mitts in the big pocket on the front of my hoodie when we're on the sofa.
It's warm. And fuzzy inside.
Ha. I can't complain. It's nice, having you snuggled into me.
I want to cook us something. But am afraid of messing up the kitchen. It's so perfect.
I'll clean up after. You'll have to break it in eventually. What did you want to make?
L -- I imagined as much. :) it's all in good fun; we only tease the ones we love. Certainly there are no holds barred between me and my friends! But if anyone were ever truly mean or spiteful, we'd all come to each other's defense. :)
John -- I certainly will watch out. She's a good sport about beign teased, and pretends to be the "midget hulk." But if she really does have any hulk-like powers, I wouldn't want to be foot-less for the rest of my life. :P
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