I am a bad blogger. Haven't done this for ages, and I am sorry. We have had a busy summer so far, and have been trying out new things such as gluten free and dairy free(not in the same cake for methinks that would be impossibe if you wanted it to taste of anything!) cakes, caribbean soup, full of plantain and yam and scotch bonnets.
We have been official groupies of Shakehands eric and joined them at the BeerFest at which we gave away cake to a very confused but pleased audience, and they joined us on bank holiday sunday to play a few tunes and sing from their newly released album "A weekend in another country"
So, all busy and I spoke to Quentin- he of RNLI fame, and Mrs Quentin and was asked for some cake recipes- Hummingbird cake and Lemon and Banana.
so here goes;
Banana and Lemon cake- this does taste bizarrely like Juicy fruit chewing gum to my mind!
250g plain flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
115g butter
200g sugar
115g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp grated lemon rind
3 medium mashed bananas- use up overripe ones
1 tsp vanilla essence
50 ml milk
75g chopped walnuts
ICING115g butter – room temp
475g icing sugar
¼ tsp grated lemon rind
3-5 tbs fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)Gas 4
Cream butter eggs and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time with a little of the flour to stop it curdling and beat or whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon rind. In another bowl mash the bananas and add milk and vanilla essence and mix. Add all the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and then stir in the banana mixture. Fold in the nuts.
Line 2 x23cm cake tins, or one larger one, and fill with cake mixture.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until it bounces back to the touch, or an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool a little in the tin and then turn out onto a rack.
For the icing, cream the butter until smooth, add the icing sugar and rind and then add the lemon juice until the icing is a good spread-able consistency.
Sandwich the cakes together and fill and then top with icing. Decorate with walnuts or lemon rind that has been shredded and blanched in boiling water.
NB if you don’t eat nuts, don’t add them! They do add a good texture, but will not alter the cake if they are not added.
Hummingbird cake
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
300ml sunflower oil
270g peeled banana, mashed
1tsp ground cinnamon
300g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp vanilla extract
100g tinned pineapple chopped finely
100g shelled pecan nuts or walnuts
Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3
Place the sugar, eggs, oil, banana and cinnamon in a bowl and beatuntil well mixed. Don’t panic if it looks like it’s split!
Add everything else and stir until evenly dispersed and mixed in.
Pour into 3 x 20cm cake tins, or one large one , that are lined with greaseproof or silicon paper, and cook for about 20-25 minutes. It will smell heavenly and bounce back on touch. Leave to cool for a bit before turning our to cool completely.
When cold, make up some carrot cake icing and either layer the three cakes or split the one large cake in to 2 or three and sandwich together with icing and top the cake. Decorate with pecans and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
NB Cinnamon has a very strong taste so use lightly. If you have guests with heart problems, cinnamon can have an adverse effect and make the heart rate quicken or palpitate.
Both these cakes are really moist and will last for a few days in an air tight container. They will get mouldy quickly if it is very warm and humid, but to be honest they will very probably be eaten before they go off!
If you have a friendly market stall holder ask for overripe bananas from them, as they usually will give away or reduce old battered bananas, but they are the best for making these cakes.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Monday, 9 August 2010
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
If music be the food......
Gemma and I got into a big discussion the other day. Usually I rant on, the girls loose interest after the first "and ANOTHER thing" that I squawk and I end up talking to my soup, but this was different. I asked Gemma what her soup tasted like. The uninformed tend to say things like glue, paint, water or "it's nice, I think" and I have to explain glue, paint and water are more texture than taste. I haven't eaten much glue, or paint in my life, but I know what they mean and it is texture.
Gemma has heard that rant before, so looked puzzled and then said hesitatingly "Tomatoes?" As it was tomato soup she was right, but no cigar. I taught Jodie a scale that I have always used, and was hoping that Gemma would pick it up. Jodie and I wave our hands around- High would be lime, white chocolate. Low would be bitter dark chocolate, rich stew. There are a lot of grades inbetween, and it doesn't always work simply. Certain soups- parsnip and apple for example, should be sweet, and deep at the same time. It is high and low, but the true flavour should be somewhere in the middle- a balance where one thing does not outweigh the other.
There is also a front to back scale. A beginning, middle and end. Mandy, when made to try things, always refers to this. She says things like "There is a lot of beginning, and end, but nothing in the middle." This usually refers to seasoning. Again the balance- Red pepper, chilli and lime soup is a good one for this. The flavour should begin with pepper, then the chilli should make an appearence, finishing with the lime but the pepper should remain all the way through.
Gemma waches with bemusment as Jodie and I wave furiously at each other saying "It's too much up there, add milk to bring it down a bit" She can taste the differences, but cannot vocalise them. Gary was the same until we discovered he had synaesthesia. That is he described flavours in terms of colour. Mushrooms were a dark brown, oak rather than mahogany. Stew was purple. This worked for Gary, and I learnt to describe the mixing of flavours, but I used to find it frustrating as I couldn't explain the subtle shades and blends that salt or sugar would add. When I looked at Gemma I realised I would have to find another way to describe flavours.
I tried various things. Blank looks all round. I would have to think harder. Then I remembered Gemma's boyfriend. He does beatboxing. He is very good, and thus Gemma listens to lots of music, while he tries to make all the sounds using his mouth. Gemma understands that he learns to make one beat, then learns another, and adds to it, to create the tune. "Ha!" says I turning to Gemma triumphantly "it's a band!" Again a blank look but I knew I was on the right track. Her soup was all guitar. No base line, no high hats. We fixed it, various conversations sprang up regarding stew being Wagner, Chowder being trance and rissotto was verging on drum and base.
Conversley Nico Muhly is a composer and has just joined the Chicago Symphony orchestra. When he writes he makes Veal stock, he says you have to go and skim it every 15 minutes, and the more you add the deeper the flavour. This is how he sees his music. He skims bits away, and adds different sounds to make the full ensemble. I love the fact that there is a composer who takes his inspiration from food, and we can take our inspiration from music. Every piece of music has a beginning, a middle and an end. From the solo tune, that relies on volume and strength to make it powerful to the large orchestral works where the smallest ting of a triangle will make a world of difference.
I wonder what the next person I teach will respond to. I am running our of metaphors but I am so happy that with Gemma, it was music.
Gemma has heard that rant before, so looked puzzled and then said hesitatingly "Tomatoes?" As it was tomato soup she was right, but no cigar. I taught Jodie a scale that I have always used, and was hoping that Gemma would pick it up. Jodie and I wave our hands around- High would be lime, white chocolate. Low would be bitter dark chocolate, rich stew. There are a lot of grades inbetween, and it doesn't always work simply. Certain soups- parsnip and apple for example, should be sweet, and deep at the same time. It is high and low, but the true flavour should be somewhere in the middle- a balance where one thing does not outweigh the other.
There is also a front to back scale. A beginning, middle and end. Mandy, when made to try things, always refers to this. She says things like "There is a lot of beginning, and end, but nothing in the middle." This usually refers to seasoning. Again the balance- Red pepper, chilli and lime soup is a good one for this. The flavour should begin with pepper, then the chilli should make an appearence, finishing with the lime but the pepper should remain all the way through.
Gemma waches with bemusment as Jodie and I wave furiously at each other saying "It's too much up there, add milk to bring it down a bit" She can taste the differences, but cannot vocalise them. Gary was the same until we discovered he had synaesthesia. That is he described flavours in terms of colour. Mushrooms were a dark brown, oak rather than mahogany. Stew was purple. This worked for Gary, and I learnt to describe the mixing of flavours, but I used to find it frustrating as I couldn't explain the subtle shades and blends that salt or sugar would add. When I looked at Gemma I realised I would have to find another way to describe flavours.
I tried various things. Blank looks all round. I would have to think harder. Then I remembered Gemma's boyfriend. He does beatboxing. He is very good, and thus Gemma listens to lots of music, while he tries to make all the sounds using his mouth. Gemma understands that he learns to make one beat, then learns another, and adds to it, to create the tune. "Ha!" says I turning to Gemma triumphantly "it's a band!" Again a blank look but I knew I was on the right track. Her soup was all guitar. No base line, no high hats. We fixed it, various conversations sprang up regarding stew being Wagner, Chowder being trance and rissotto was verging on drum and base.
Conversley Nico Muhly is a composer and has just joined the Chicago Symphony orchestra. When he writes he makes Veal stock, he says you have to go and skim it every 15 minutes, and the more you add the deeper the flavour. This is how he sees his music. He skims bits away, and adds different sounds to make the full ensemble. I love the fact that there is a composer who takes his inspiration from food, and we can take our inspiration from music. Every piece of music has a beginning, a middle and an end. From the solo tune, that relies on volume and strength to make it powerful to the large orchestral works where the smallest ting of a triangle will make a world of difference.
I wonder what the next person I teach will respond to. I am running our of metaphors but I am so happy that with Gemma, it was music.
Monday, 28 December 2009
New year, new paint work
Thank you to all the people that came to visit on Christmas day. Although the ice lay thick on the roads and paths you bravely took your lives into your own hands and came to see us. Who was it that said you should do something everyday that scares you? I thought that as I slid sideways in my car down to the cafe and spun gently to a stop by the bollards.
Jodie had never worked a Christmas, but I think she enjoyed it. Helped by the people who left a bottle of champagne for us, and all the customers who bought us lovely presents. Everyone is in a good mood, either because they are filled with the joy of the season or they are so relieved that they can get a coffee, speak to people other than their inlaws, their parents and siblings and they can view other families with the same issues and realise they are not alone.
We now turn our thoughts to 2010. There is a blue moon ( where a full moon occurs twice in one month) on new years eve, portending a glorious year of change and unexpected events- if you believe in that sort of thing.
Our glorious change will be our decorations in January. We will be closed for 2 weeks from 18th while we have things tiled and painted. I wont call it a refurb as we have been somewhat short changed on this, but tiles and paint are good and the cafe should look a little fresher, which is all I am able to ask. It has taken a year and half to get to this stage, and a lot of arguing and broken dreams, but we are here.
We are hoping it will go like this; Kitchen will be tiled floor to ceiling, toilets will be tiled floor to ceiling, and toilets etc will be replaced where needed. The cafe will be painted- the struts and window frames, under the counter and bar and the metal poles. We are going for coffee and cream type colours- a bit urban chic for the country I know, but it is bright and bland enough for us- the main thing is the view which will not change (I hope).
Jodie and I will be looking at the menus. I think the salads we put on last year have been a good option. Although winter has been a bit wasteful- so we may start two menus. We are also looking at putting on more stews etc for the specials board. We will continue to create new soups and cakes. We are also trialing gluten free and sugar free stuff, and try and get some of it to taste of something!
I hope you all have a good new years eve, and I trust that 2010 will be a glorious, happy and healthy year for us all.
Jodie had never worked a Christmas, but I think she enjoyed it. Helped by the people who left a bottle of champagne for us, and all the customers who bought us lovely presents. Everyone is in a good mood, either because they are filled with the joy of the season or they are so relieved that they can get a coffee, speak to people other than their inlaws, their parents and siblings and they can view other families with the same issues and realise they are not alone.
We now turn our thoughts to 2010. There is a blue moon ( where a full moon occurs twice in one month) on new years eve, portending a glorious year of change and unexpected events- if you believe in that sort of thing.
Our glorious change will be our decorations in January. We will be closed for 2 weeks from 18th while we have things tiled and painted. I wont call it a refurb as we have been somewhat short changed on this, but tiles and paint are good and the cafe should look a little fresher, which is all I am able to ask. It has taken a year and half to get to this stage, and a lot of arguing and broken dreams, but we are here.
We are hoping it will go like this; Kitchen will be tiled floor to ceiling, toilets will be tiled floor to ceiling, and toilets etc will be replaced where needed. The cafe will be painted- the struts and window frames, under the counter and bar and the metal poles. We are going for coffee and cream type colours- a bit urban chic for the country I know, but it is bright and bland enough for us- the main thing is the view which will not change (I hope).
Jodie and I will be looking at the menus. I think the salads we put on last year have been a good option. Although winter has been a bit wasteful- so we may start two menus. We are also looking at putting on more stews etc for the specials board. We will continue to create new soups and cakes. We are also trialing gluten free and sugar free stuff, and try and get some of it to taste of something!
I hope you all have a good new years eve, and I trust that 2010 will be a glorious, happy and healthy year for us all.
Friday, 18 December 2009
Beginning to look like Christmas
Those of you living within a 10 mile radius of the park will have heard Jodie at full volume declaring we should "Let it Snow"- not that we have much choice- and those that have braved it have seen the cafe in full Christmas sparkle.
We will be open over the holidays- Jodie and I will be working Christmas day. We are not going to cook, but soup and cakes will be available, and if you are really lucky you may be serenaded by Jodie in her Christmas hat!
We opened for Christmas a couple of years ago and it was a really good day. Lots of people don't understand why I like working Christmas. We get to see and talk to our regular customers. The dogs still need walking and it is lovely to meet the extended families of customers that we have known for ages. We also become a peaceful haven for those that just want to get away from the house and the family for an hour or so. The "me" time is always important on busy days and a coffee drunk over looking the lake seems to fit the bill.
We also see the really Christmassy people, who feel pleased we are open, but sad we are working and so sing along and generally come in a festive hullabaloo to brighten up everybody's day. The children all arrive in new gloves, on new bikes, cold and excited and their youthful exuberance spills over to other people, making everyone smile and wish they could be that young again.
There is a certain atmosphere for workers on Christmas day, and it must be the same for all professions that work through all the holidays. It is a necessary thing to work, but everyone you deal with is polite and happy and if you are doing something you love then it cannot be a bad day.
My staff are going to dress up on Christmas Eve and Boxing day, which will be interesting I'm sure. Trying to explain to them that anything that is too round and bulky will get in the way has been difficult, but we will see.
We are well into making the mince pies and pork pies that will ensure the Christmas buffets are well stocked. We have ordered 16lbs of pork just for pies, and I am hoping that is enough. I think this weekend will be pie making and cutting little leaves out of pastry for me, which is fun to start with, then gets dull on about leaf number 140, and then is so lovely when cooked pies come out of the oven all golden and pretty.
So, in the run up to Christmas, and one of the most stressful times in the year, enjoy the snow, come and have a hot chocolate with a sneaky shot of rum in it and marvel at the beauty of the park.
We will be open over the holidays- Jodie and I will be working Christmas day. We are not going to cook, but soup and cakes will be available, and if you are really lucky you may be serenaded by Jodie in her Christmas hat!
We opened for Christmas a couple of years ago and it was a really good day. Lots of people don't understand why I like working Christmas. We get to see and talk to our regular customers. The dogs still need walking and it is lovely to meet the extended families of customers that we have known for ages. We also become a peaceful haven for those that just want to get away from the house and the family for an hour or so. The "me" time is always important on busy days and a coffee drunk over looking the lake seems to fit the bill.
We also see the really Christmassy people, who feel pleased we are open, but sad we are working and so sing along and generally come in a festive hullabaloo to brighten up everybody's day. The children all arrive in new gloves, on new bikes, cold and excited and their youthful exuberance spills over to other people, making everyone smile and wish they could be that young again.
There is a certain atmosphere for workers on Christmas day, and it must be the same for all professions that work through all the holidays. It is a necessary thing to work, but everyone you deal with is polite and happy and if you are doing something you love then it cannot be a bad day.
My staff are going to dress up on Christmas Eve and Boxing day, which will be interesting I'm sure. Trying to explain to them that anything that is too round and bulky will get in the way has been difficult, but we will see.
We are well into making the mince pies and pork pies that will ensure the Christmas buffets are well stocked. We have ordered 16lbs of pork just for pies, and I am hoping that is enough. I think this weekend will be pie making and cutting little leaves out of pastry for me, which is fun to start with, then gets dull on about leaf number 140, and then is so lovely when cooked pies come out of the oven all golden and pretty.
So, in the run up to Christmas, and one of the most stressful times in the year, enjoy the snow, come and have a hot chocolate with a sneaky shot of rum in it and marvel at the beauty of the park.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Give us a job, mate
After each summer we always shed staff- it's our annual moult. With the loss, even though it is temporary,of our summer staff and Florian moving on to pastures new we find our selves in the position of being able to hire some full time newbies.
The summer newbies will return, for holidays, and bring their own shall we call it "special"brand of professionalism, but in the mean time we have two new starters, who have blown fresh air through the cafe.
With so many people looking for work at the moment I thought we would be inundated, and as time is generally short we put an advert in the paper that would put off the time wasters. We were brutally honest. We dared to put "hard work, long hours" we didn't make it pretty.There is no point putting all the good stuff on adverts- if they still want to work after reading the advert then good for them. If they think we are lying, then they will find out we don't do that.
It is amazing though how bad some people are at writing even a covering letter. They are miss spelled, have smiley faces or just downright awful.
The ones that start with "Hiya", "Alrite" or "Hey" followed by a smiley face in any form are generally disregarded. I know email etiquette is informal, but you are applying for a job, speaking to your new boss.
The email address is also a good thing to look at. I would, personally, change my address to my name, and a number or something that was adult and "normal". I would not keep the address I created at 14 that I thought was cool, sweet or sexy.
We have had various interesting email addresses. Anything that starts DJ tends to scare me, more so when its followed with words like skunk, gangster or killer. I am aware the name does not reflect the personality generally, but these names have been picked by themselves to show what they would like to be.
Gothy-lucy-babe was another we had. She turned out to be blond and in her 40s. A past revealed unwittingly? Sugarboymassiv is one of my favorites. It conjures up so many images. I-love-sex-and-chocolate was another that I don't think I would have kept. I have smiled at some; mums-email was quite sweet, a lady being dragged into 2009 possibly? I have received emails blatantly sent from the works address. This is surely either very brave or just stupid if the company isn't going belly up.
As an employer cv's are the initial introduction and the covering letter can really help that cv to stand out. Fancy fonts, colours and awful clip art pictures will not generally enhance anything. Clear, concise and enthusiastic is what I am looking for, and unless you are going for a job in computer design type stuff, I would imagine most employers are the same.
If you are in the market for a job then check you cv, and make sure your covering letter is enthusiastic and most of all spelt correctly!
The summer newbies will return, for holidays, and bring their own shall we call it "special"brand of professionalism, but in the mean time we have two new starters, who have blown fresh air through the cafe.
With so many people looking for work at the moment I thought we would be inundated, and as time is generally short we put an advert in the paper that would put off the time wasters. We were brutally honest. We dared to put "hard work, long hours" we didn't make it pretty.There is no point putting all the good stuff on adverts- if they still want to work after reading the advert then good for them. If they think we are lying, then they will find out we don't do that.
It is amazing though how bad some people are at writing even a covering letter. They are miss spelled, have smiley faces or just downright awful.
The ones that start with "Hiya", "Alrite" or "Hey" followed by a smiley face in any form are generally disregarded. I know email etiquette is informal, but you are applying for a job, speaking to your new boss.
The email address is also a good thing to look at. I would, personally, change my address to my name, and a number or something that was adult and "normal". I would not keep the address I created at 14 that I thought was cool, sweet or sexy.
We have had various interesting email addresses. Anything that starts DJ tends to scare me, more so when its followed with words like skunk, gangster or killer. I am aware the name does not reflect the personality generally, but these names have been picked by themselves to show what they would like to be.
Gothy-lucy-babe was another we had. She turned out to be blond and in her 40s. A past revealed unwittingly? Sugarboymassiv is one of my favorites. It conjures up so many images. I-love-sex-and-chocolate was another that I don't think I would have kept. I have smiled at some; mums-email was quite sweet, a lady being dragged into 2009 possibly? I have received emails blatantly sent from the works address. This is surely either very brave or just stupid if the company isn't going belly up.
As an employer cv's are the initial introduction and the covering letter can really help that cv to stand out. Fancy fonts, colours and awful clip art pictures will not generally enhance anything. Clear, concise and enthusiastic is what I am looking for, and unless you are going for a job in computer design type stuff, I would imagine most employers are the same.
If you are in the market for a job then check you cv, and make sure your covering letter is enthusiastic and most of all spelt correctly!
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