Butternut Squash Tart for Thanksgiving

We were invited to a proper Canadian Thanksgiving feast this year ... some folks we met through our antenatal classes have had a Canadian friend visiting over the last week and she wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving ... and they invited us along.  I offered to bring the pumpkin pie (any excuse).  Unfortunately, life with a little monster means that sometimes plans have to be cancelled at the last minute.  After 2 very busy social days Lyra found it very difficult to nap at all yesterday morning and only finally closed her eyes after much protest 20 mins before we were supposed to leave the house for the party.  I could't face waking her up and getting ready and then walking to our friends' house ... so I had to cancel.  It was sad, but it is part of having a new-ish baby.  They understood ... 

And ... as they pointed out ... even though I was missing out on the turkey and trimmings at least I could still have pie! Thank goodness for that! I love pumpkin pie, I love the texture, I love the spices, I love the mountain of whipped cream plopped on top ... I love it all and while tinned pumpkin is becoming easier to find here in Edinburgh I still prefer to make it with butternut squash.  The flavour is slightly mellower, I think ... plus it is so easy (ok, not as easy as opening a tin...but still pretty easy).  

I like to buy a squash that is just over 1kg, I cut it in half length wise, scoop out the seeds, place it cut side down on a roasting tray and then roast untill super soft.  Then all I do is use a fork to scrape the flesh out of one half, mash it up a bit and let it cool while I get the rest of the filling/tart shell ready. 

I use a 2cm deep flan ring with a loose bottom and find that the flesh from half a squash is enough (it usually measures just over a cup of mashed squash).  It might not be a traditional pie plate, but I like the daintiness of the fluted edge when it comes out of the tin.  Yesterday I used shop bought pastry (did you read the bit about the new baby?) to make everything a bit easier, and it was.  

While the squash is cooling and the tart base is blind baking I mixed up 2 medium eggs, 50g of light brown sugar, 100ml evaporated milk, 60ml maple syrup (or golden), and some spices: 3/4tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp all spice, 1/4 tsp ginger, and a good grating of nutmeg...oh and pinch of salt.  Once the tart base was ready I blended the squash in with the rest of the filling, poured it into the base, topped with pastry maple leaves and baked at 150 for about 45 mins (until set).  

It really is so so so easy.  I've mashed up the other half of the squash and put it in the freezer for Christmas (if I can wait that long).  

Gobble Gobble Gobble 

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Empire Biscuits and takeout goodies from Dalkeith

Last week a friend of mine popped by for a visit and to cuddle Little Miss Perfect and brought us a whole bag full of baked goodies from The Wee Bakehouse in Dalkeith.  Brownies, tray bakes, soda bread and Empire biscuits.  Actually she brought one of each goodie and we cut them in half so that we could try a little bit of everything...except the Empire Biscuits.  She brought two of those.  She has a bit of a weakness when it comes to Empire Biscuits and...well...there was no way she was going to share (I don't blame her).  

This week Little Miss Perfect is 2 months old and because I am determined to celebrate every month with something sweet I thought I'd try my hand at making some Empire Biscuits. I used James Morton's recipe and it couldn't have been easier.  

I filled the biscuits with rhubarb and ginger jam and put a dollop of really thick icing on top, instead of completely covering them.  Of course I had to make mummy and mini sized, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't.  

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Blueberry Lemon Drizzle Muffins

I am typing this with a sleeping baby attached to my chest.  I probably should be doing some laundry or  making the bed but when she's sleeping I like to do something for me...besides there is no telling how long she will sleep for... 

Wednesday morning Lyra and I whipped up a batch of Blueberry Lemon Drizzle Muffins.  Using my Quick Anytime Muffin recipe I added some lemon zest in with the wet ingredients and then, once baked and slightly cooled, slathered them with a lemony icing sugar topping.  

These muffins are great without the drizzle but sometimes I think it adds a little something special to jazz up my morning (or anytime) treats.

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Macarons and some respite

My mum has come to stay with us for a month.  She is cooking and cleaning and cuddling and today she gave me some time to play with the macaron set she brought me.

I've never been brave enough to make macarons before. I am terrified of piping and I was under the impression that they were a real faff to make.  I'm not saying that every shell turned out perfectly, but for a first attempt I was really pleased with myself.  

The kit my mum brought  me is a silicone sheet that has little circles on it to help make the shells uniform.  It also comes with a fancy schmancy silicone piping set and a recipe book.  I had seen the set in some shops a while back and was skeptical, but I was actually really pleased with how everything worked out.  

I made vanilla macarons with a dark chocolate ganache filling. It took a while...luckily the baby sat happily in her bouncy chair in the kitchen while I finished off filling the shells...and in the end I have been converted.  Also, I had a pretty horrible macaron (made by a professional pastry chef) at an afternoon tea I went to last week so the fact that mine tasted and looked a billion times better has really boosted my confidence.  

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A Wee Scone

mama scone and baby scone 

I am so happy that I finally feel human enough to sit down and blog again...and I've even managed to get into the kitchen! That's right...our wee scone has finally arrived.

Just over 2 weeks ago we welcomed our gorgeous little girl into the world.  It was tough and we needed a few extra days in hospital, but we are home now and settled.  My mum has come to visit/help out for the next few weeks...allowing me time to close my eyes and also to bake (cinnamon and mixed fruit scones).  

I hope that it won't be too long before I get a chance to write again.  

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That Nesting Instinct...to bake

I seriously have not had an urge to "nest" over the last month...I mean sure everything is ready and washed and now just waiting...but I wasn't on my hands and knees cleaning the grout in the shower (that's what husbands are for).  The only strong urges I have had, recently, is to bake.  Last week I was hoping and praying that the muffins I whipped up would be the the final bake until the wee bairn arrived...but...nope.  I am now 6 days overdue and NEED baked goods in the house.  

To remedy both  my urge to bake, and my desire for homemade baked goods I decided to do something  a little bit crazy over the weekend...I made croissants...from scratch...with my own fair hands.

During one of my many hours watching Food Network over the past weeks Anna Olson dedicated a whole episode of her Bake programme to making croissants.  Having watched her make them step by step gave me the courage to actually make them at home!

I'm not sure why I have shied away from making croissants before (especially with my love for anything yeasty).  I mean legit patissiers must leave their dough to rest and proof for ages, something that might be a bit tedious for the home baker...but the recipe I followed gave the option to leave the dough to rise anywhere from 1-8 hours.

I started my dough around 6pm on Saturday and decided to leave it to rest for an hour between folds, leaving it overnight in the fridge for the final rest...before shaping it, leaving it to rest again, and then finally baking! 

I was really happy with the outcome.  I halved the recipe (although I could have easily devoured the 30 croissants the original recipe promised) so I'm not sure if my tinkering did anything to the quality of the dough.  They didn't rise as much as I would have liked, and probably could have done with a couple more minutes to really crisp up...but they are seriously buttery, flaky and delicious.  

As I type this the news is reporting that the Royal Baby is on its way...I'm a little bit jealous...but at least I've got croissants! 

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Over Due

I've been at a total loss for things to do the past few days...there are two things that I want to do, Bake and Have the Baby.  I really only have control over one of those things... 

Yesterday was D-Day, and seeing as I woke up feeling no different from the night before I decided to make the most of my "free" time and whipped up a batch of Banana Hazelnut Muffins.  Using my Quick Muffin Recipe I tossed in 2 mashed bananas with the wet ingredients and about 1/3 of a cup of chopped hazelnuts.  I also sprinkled some Demerara Sugar over the tops before baking...which crisped up nicely and then promptly melted in the heat of the kitchen.

I was going to freeze some of them to snack on once the baby arrives, but at this point I am far to greedy and, really, they are so easy that I'm sure I can squeeze a batch in at some point between feeding, changing, playing, napping, cleaning (she says naively).  

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