Myriads of Cupcakes

Hello you all

I hope you are all well.

Today it is Monday and I am feeling better after a really 'feeling down' weekend. Just feeling purposeless, I still feel lost and  keep doing things to help me find a purpose in life but I don't know at all where I am going.

I must admit I often follow Facebook, one of the world's recent diseases. Some people totally reject Facebook, others are addict to it. I think Facebook is a very useful tool to find long lost friends and in my case, to see what is happening in my friend's lives across the world. I find it very dangerous that we live in a very agreeing world, nobody seems to debate, question or even verify the source of all the pearls of wisdom that are often published. I often caught many mistakes but am scared to tell as now everyone feels attacked if we try to discuss any of their ideas. We have the idea that Jewish people are always quarrelling but it is a way of thinking. They give more importance to the argument than to the conclusion, because arguing makes you think! Thinking is a little bit short in the world nowadays as to think you need to learn how to think. One good friend of mine said: 'At first they taught us how to think, then they taught us what to think and now they teach us not to think'. Sad times. To learn how to think we need to refer to those who once thought, as Greek philosophers or philosophers of all time. If you have the time to rear Aristotle, you will find that you need little else to understand human kind nowadays because if there is something that remains unchangeable throughout the centuries is human nature. I find it really funny when people criticise conservative people. I do admire people that think they can change the world but I do not believe we can change the world without changing human nature and all attempts to do that have miserably failed. Some men are greedy, racists, liars, cheats and they will always try to take advantage on the kind hearted well intentioned people. Nothing wrong about dreaming of a better world but we need to acknowledge the task is hard and some things will take too long to change. I also think some changes are for the better and others for the worse. Sometimes I think after changes upon changes we are more or less the same, as says the song.

You are probably asking yourself what does it have to do with cupcakes? Well, I cook when I get frustrated with the world. Building and decorating cupcake towers is one of the most rewarding bad day thing you could possibly cook. You make the batter, you pour it  into little decorated cases, they make all sorts of decorated cases: hearts, starts, rainbows, you name it. After that you see the little cupcakes grow, you take immense pleasure in decorating them with butter icing, whipped cream, sugar icing, you can put colours on them, you can pipe the icing out and finally, you can throw lots of different sprinkles. While you do all of that, your brain can wonder wherever it wants to go. This is the magic of cooking.

These are some of the cupcakes I baked recently, with or without help.

Have a peek!

Gisele

My niece Juliana 20th Birthday Cupcakes - Butter icing and sprinkles

Christmas 2010 cupcakes - Chocolate and butter icing

Manuella 2nd Birhday Cupcakes 2012 (helped by Juliana and Mariana)

Chocolate and sugar icing

My sister Anamaria Birthday July 2012 (chocolate and whipped cream)

Last batch with sugar icing

Cupcake recipes:

Chocolate cup cakes Recipe by: xmusic_loverx

(5) Saved by 179 cook(s) Easy  Ready in 1 hour 15 mins Picture by: xmusic_loverx A lovely cup cake recipe for all of the family. It makes delicious cupcakes that smell and look delicious!!! Ingredients Serves: 24 2 x 12 bun trays 24 x cupcake cases 1 x big bowl 250g softened butter 250g caster sugar 4 eggs 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 225g self-raising flour 5 or 6 tablespoons milk Preparation method Prep: 1 hour |Cook: 15 mins 1. Wash your hands and tie back your hair. Preheat the oven to 200 C / gas 6. Put the paper cases in the bun trays and leave to one side. 2. In a bowl mix together butter and sugar until it is smooth and creamy. Gradually add the eggs until they are all beaten in. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla. Then gradually add the flour until all of the flour is gone. Add the milk gradually until it makes a smooth paste. 3. Gradually put the cake mixture into the bun cases. Make the bun cases half-full. 4. Now add the cake trays to the oven with the bun cases filled with the cake mixture. Leave the cup cakes in the oven for 15- 20 minutes. 5. You can tell they are ready once they are a light brown or if you stick a knife or fork into one of the cup cake and none of the cake mixture sticks to the knife or folk. Or you can tap one of your fingers onto one of the cakes and if it bounces back then it means it is done. 6. Once the cakes are done take them out of the oven and place the trays on a wire rack to cool completely before icing with your favourite icing recipe.

Vanilla cupcakes

Ingredients

110g/4oz butter or margarine, softened at room temperature 110g/4oz caster sugar
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g/4oz self-raising flour 1-2 tbsp milk
For the buttercream icing
140g/5oz butter, softened 280g/10oz icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
a few drops food colouring

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
   
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
   
3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.
   
4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
   
5. For the buttercream icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
   
6. Then add the remaining icing sugar with one tablespoon of the milk, adding more milk if necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
   
7. Add the food colouring and mix until well combined.
   
8. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe the icing using a spiralling motio onto the cup cakes in a large swirl.
   

These easy vanilla cupcakes are so simple to make. Decorate with a swirl of delicious buttercream frosting. 

Happy Baking!!!

My little French Bistrot

Hello

I forgot to tell you that we converted our conservatory in a little French Bistrot.

Just posting the pictures for you

Gisele

Patisserie and Confiserie course lesson 1: tarts

Hello

Today I started a new course: patisserie and confiserie at South Devon College.

We learnt today to make blind pastry and chocolate and fruit tarts.

The best pastries turned into chocolate tarts as they have to be thick, even and with no holes (mine was one of them) and the others turned into fruit tarts.

My tart stayed in the college, unfortunately and it was not possible to take a picture as it was setting before being decorated, but the fruit tart I made with my partner and colleague is here.

I think I also took a picture of the pastry.

Here they are:

My beautiful pastry ready to be filled with chocolate

The chocolate tart we all ate (last piece)

Our fruit tart (fully decorated)

Every week I will keep you posted!

See you soon,

Gisele

Mighty Mulligatawny

Hello bloggers

I am finally getting up to date with my recipes, hurray!!

Yesterday I made a mighty Mulligatawny. For those who don't know, Mulligatawny is a rich flavoured soup, spiced with curry powder. For me it was much more like a Spanish cocido.

I started by cooking the minced meat and adding chopped red onion, coriander, sliced garlic, chilli peppers, red peppers, carrots and seasoning to it.

The sauces added were curry paste (I bought a medium strength one but I guess it is up to you!), HP sauce and tomato puree, all cooked in a broth, it was supposed to have been meat but I put a vegetable one.

Butternut squash is cooked with the rice, garam masala and thyme. Squash is very tasty and you could eat rice and squash with nothing else, it is so delicious.

I doubled the quantity of meat in the recipe and I thought it was maybe better, it depends if you are a meat eater!

We still have left overs for today. A hearty meal, really good for the coming Autumn, spice, rich and lovely. Not at all difficult to make and not too long, about one hour. It feeds well 4 people.

Here are the pictures:

Colourful chopped vegetables

Beautiful squash, quite hard to chop though!

Minced meat frying

Adding vegetables to cook for 10 minutes

 Isn't it gorgeous?

Added the vegetable stock

Cooking squash 

You can even see the steam in the picture, squash slowly softening in olive oil

Rice and water added to the squash

Rice all cooked up

The result of cooked meat and vegetables in the sauce

Dished up with a drizzle of fresh natural yoghurt and chopped chillies

I hope you enjoyed another recipe. Any questions do not hesitate to ask. You can find all those lovely recipes in Jamie Oliver's Great Britain, a tribute to British cuisine.

See you all soon,

Gisele

RECIPE 22

Crackled pork belly and homemade apple sauce

Hello dear bloggers,


Continuing with the update, my next recipe dates from the 4th September 2012, day when my parents would have completed their 64th Wedding Anniversary, if my dad hadn't passed away in March this year.

We invited over Dave Holland, our friend and pianist.

I cooked Jamie's pork belly, again from our local butchers, Halls, with lots of onions and Scrumpy. I also made Jamie's home made apple sauce to go with it and potato mash.

Pork belly cooked really slowly for long hours in the over (3h 1/2 to be more precise) till it really melted in your mouth. Though pork belly can be really fatty, this one was very lean, so be sure to get a good piece from your butchers.

I have realised that many people buy their meat at the supermarket thinking it is going to be much cheaper but you would be very surprised to see that the difference in price is extremely small (£1 per kilo!) and the quality is much more superior. Some times it is even cheaper to buy at the butchers and we are also supporting local businesses which is very important as supermarkets tend to crush all small local business and making the world a very boring place, where all high streets tend to be cloned. I am lucky to live in Totnes, where we still have heaps of independent shops.

Here are the pictures and no more delay:

 Chopped onions 

Spice and herbs marinade 

Ready to go in the oven all covered up in spices and olive oil on a bed of onions

Apples cooking 

After many hours, the final result in a lovely creamy and mustardy sauce

As I said, I served it with mash potatoes, cream and chives.

There is absolutely no excuse for buying ready made apple sauce as it takes minutes to make and you can't compare the flavour.

The whole piece of belly went, it was meant for 4 people but we all had seconds.

Pork belly is relatively cheap (about £5 serves 4 people and that is about this size piece we had, 1 kg) and extremely tasty. Iy might not be what we call a noble piece of pork but do not despise it as it does taste delicious when well cooked and well seasoned.

I hope to see you shortly for more updates on my recipes.

Gisele


RECIPES 20, 21

Seared peppered steak & Creamy mushrooms with creamy spinach

Hello dear bloggers,

I am sorry I have been absent for such a long time but my computer crashed and I have only got it back.

This recipe, seared peppered steak and creamy mushrooms dates from the 3rd September 2012. It was just for my husband and I to eat.

I went to our local butcher, Halls, on fore street and got an amazing piece of Sirloin steak and also a lovely piece of pork belly to be cooked the following day.

38 Fore Street Totnes, Devon TQ9 5RP‎

01803 863178

Cooking time on this recipe was spot on and 3 minutes each side plus an extra minute was perfect to have a pink but not rare steak. The steak was then sliced and put on a bed of mushrooms.

Here are the pictures:

Steak in a very hot frying pan

Cooking to perfection

Sautee mushrooms

In a serving dish/pan

 Dished out with fresh watercress and sauce

I served this dish with creamy spinach, another incredible recipe in Jamie's book. It is crusty with breadcrumbs and cheese gratin. The spinach is prepared with tomatoes and it is the best spinach recipe I have ever tasted!

Picture as follows:

I think this picture does not depict the beauty of this dish, but there we are.

I hope you keep following this blog and sorry for the delay in posting again.

See you shortly

Gisele


RECIPES 18, 19