Book 7 : The Thrifty Kitchen - Suzanne and Kate Gibbs

I firmly believe that everyone has at least one recipe that they cook that I always remember (you better get cooking to get on the list!).  Not so much that I remember but that I remember them for, hopefully that makes sense?  The sort of meal or recipe that I can't eat someone else's without comparing it to yours.. Steph's scones, Mum's crepes, Nan's hedgehog, Shirley's salad, Jan's pasta bake, Grandma's apple turnovers (I would give up chocolate for these!!), the list is huge.  Every one of them remind me of the person who cooks them, some times in a sad way.  I have trouble eating hedgehog, because Nan used to make it for me without fruit and its never the same.  On the other hand my Grandma make the worlds best apple turnovers and they bring out the worst in me!  I'm not going to pretend that I'm easy going or the worlds best sharer (I have hidden chocolate stashes!) but when it comes to apple turnovers, I would rather eat 30 of them and make myself sick than let you have one!  To give you an example, once on a visit to Grandma and Pa's she had made me 3 batches (around 40 a batch) I had eaten almost all of them, I had oil coming out of my pores. Grandma had invited  friends over for morning tea and had placed four apple turnovers on the table, you cannot imagine my horror.  I finagled a place at the table and manage to snatch (seriously I almost knocked an old lady over!) all four of them and shove them into my mouth before I had even been introduced.... I feel no remorse for this, how dare they eat my apple turnovers.  Dammit, I was trying to tell you about Dad's meatloaf! My Dad makes the best meatloaf, this book has meat loaf that almost matches it.... blah, blah, blah here is the recipe (not for meat loaf, I've made that before!)

Recipe:  Roast Belly of Pork with Apple and Fennel Stuffing

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 105kg piece pork belly, boned and scored
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
roast potatoes, to serve

Apple and Fennel stuffing
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
200g lean pork mince
1 cooking apple, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rub salt all over the skin of the pork belly and leave for 30 minutes to draw out some of the moisture.  Preheat oven to 230c and lightly butter a flameproof roasting tin large enough to hold the pork belly lying flat.

To make the stuffing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.  With a sharp knife, starting from one short end, carefully cut a slit length ways through the centre of the pork towards the middle.  Turn the pork and make a cut towards the middle from the other short end, leaving the sides intact, to form a pocket for the stuffing.  Fill the cavity with the stuffing and close each end with one or two small skewers.

Transfer the stuffed pork to the prepared roasting tin, kin-side up.  Rub the skin with a little more salt, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the skin has blistered.  Reduce the oven temp to 190c ad cook for a further 45 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.  Transfer to a warmed serving platter and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the gravy by pouring 1 1/2 tablespoon of juices from the roasting tin into a small saucepan.  Add the flour and stir over medium heat until browned.  Pour in the stock and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the tin, until the gravy has thickened and is smooth.  Simmer for 1 minute, then season to taste and serve in a jug at the table.

Remove the crackling in sections to make carving easier, if you like.  Cut the meat into thick slices and serve with a piece of crackling for each person, alongside plenty of roast potatoes.

_________________________________________________

I'm not a huge fan of pork belly, I find it can often be way to fatty and slimy.  This is the 3rd time I've cooked it, the previous times with various success.  When I say success I should say dumb luck!  There are so many ways to cook it, I tend to find it a little bit intimidating.  I'm like that with savoury dishes, avoid it and it will cook itself or someone else will cook it for me (hint hint Mum!).  Righto, back to the pork belly.  This recipe is really delicious, the fennel and garlic flavours go right through the pork to give it a really nice flavour.  I'm not a huge fan of fennel and would have normally reduced it or left it out (I know pork and fennel, perfect match!) but in the spirit of the challenge I chucked it in, good decision! (not really, I was just reading the recipe not writing it!)

I didn't show you the plate with gravy, mainly as it looked like I'd tripped while trying to plate it!

This book is full of delicious recipes that are fairly simple to make, and tend to be delicious.  I'm not sure about the thrifty title, pork belly is no longer a cheap cut of meat.  But everything I've made has worked really well.  Next time I'm reducing the amount of garlic slightly, increasing the amount of apple and serving it with asparagus or green beans.  Its a great entertaining meal, it looks spiffy and kind of impressive without being terrifying

Plus there is a stack of crackle :)

thanks
Kate
xx

Still playing with my Kate Bracks book, for dessert we had Frangipan Tart... yum

 

Book 6: Fast Food - Gordon Ramsay

I have a bit of a crush on Gordon Ramsay.  There is something kinda sexy in his craggy face and baby blue eyes...  I also love watching him on TV, when he goes into a crappy restaurant that doesn't understand soap and yells at them until they wash stuff, its just awesome!  I always hope he will rock up at my house and tell me to clean my kitchen, usually he has his top off and keeps..... (maybe I should keep that to myself?)  Anyway, I love kitchen nightmares, especially the original British series with the kitchens that were disturbingly dirty.  I remember one in particular restaurant that served Gordon (disappointingly with his top on) rancid meat and then were annoyed at him for pointing it out. Granted his way of pointing it out involved a stack of F-bombs and yelling, but I'm pretty sure he was only trying to be helpful.  I find dropping f-bombs and yelling at everyone gets stuff done, if people aren't sobbing quietly and asking me not to yell....  some people are just too delicate.

Recipe:  Beef Fajitas with Soured Cream and Guacamole

600g Beef Fillet
1 Red capsicum
2 Yellow capsicum
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp hot (or medium) chili powder (replace with ground coriander for a mild taste)
1/2 tsp paprika
Sea salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
6-8 plain tortillas
6-8 tbsp sour cream
few coriander sprigs (leaves only), roughly torn

Guacamole:
2 medium ripe avocados
juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely granted
1/2 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 ripe plum tomatoes, finely chopped
handful of coriander (leaves only) chopped

Slice the beef into long, thin strips and place in a bowl.  Halve, core and deseed the peppers, then cut into strips.

In a small jar, mix together the cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  Add half the spice mix to the beef strips and mix well.  Add the rest to the sliced peppers and toss to coat.  Set aside to marinate.

To make the guacamole, halve the avocados and remove the stones.  Scoop the flesh into a bowl, add the lime juice and lightly mash with a fork until you get a chunky paste.  Add the garlic, chili, shallot, tomatoes and coriander.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Heat a large wok and add the olive oil.  When it is very hot, tip in the peppers and saute until they are slightly soft, the toss in the beef strips.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring and tossing frequently, until the beef is just cooked.  Remove from the wok and keep warm.

Warm up the tortillas in a dry frying pan for about 10 seconds each side.  Put some beef and peppers along the centre of each tortilla and add a dollop of sour cream and some guacamole.  Scatter over some torn coriander and roll up. Serve...

_____________________________________________________

I struggled a little bit trying to find something to cook in this book, don't get me wrong there are lots of delicious recipes, but some of them are a little stuck up for a night with the kids.  I decided to make fajitas mainly because we eat them a lot at home.  Generally though (when I say generally I mean all the time) I use a spice mix by Old El Paso and have heaps of cheese.  I've got to say although this recipe is delicious, I would double the spice mix (at least), it has a really nice flavour but you can hardly taste it.  I only used half the meat, so more spice is definitely required!  On the hugely plus side, the capsicum, meat and coriander all go brilliantly together.  This is one tasty recipe. 

What makes this even better for me, is that this book only cost me $10.00.  I picked it up at work when the book man came.  Even better for you is that ever since Gordon insulted the chick from A Current Affair (Tracy Grimshaw?) you can pick up a lot of his books in clearance bins all over the place.  Not good for Gordon but awesome for everybody else (maybe not Tracey either?).  Anyway, I like this book and will be making up extra spice mix to go in the pantry for next fajita night.  Sorry Old el Paso....

.

Thanks

Kate

xx

Hey do you remember last week when I was telling you about me brain washing my daughter to get the recipe book I wanted for Mother's Day?  I made my first thing out of it this weekend, Chocolate Terrine with Spiced Praline and Mandarin Oil....





Book 5 : Easy Baking - The Australian Women's Weekly

I have come to the conclusion (brace yourself!) that the blame for my cookbook obsession can be firmly laid at the feet of the Australian Women's Weekly!  I'm not saying AWW has made me buy all the cookbooks I have, neither am I saying that I am blameless!  BUT, my first memories of cooking with my Mum generally involved me trying to convince her that I needed to have the train cake, NOT the mouse, from the AWW Kids cake's book (the train carried a stack of lollies, where the mouse only had coconut!).  I'm pretty sure most houses either had this amazing book in their house or knew somebody who did?  Every year my brother and I would study the book before we made our decision, mine was often overruled (Mum seriously didn't get my logic with the train, it has mint slice wheels!!!!!)  Anyway, I really love AWW cookbooks, they cover everything, slow cooking, slices and soups!  If you want to cook something AWW will have a book for it.  They have been around for years and best of all are really cheap! (hence why I have so many) SO, in my waffling, round about way they are kinda (not really sure how? I got a bit confused!) to blame for my massive shelf of recipe books.....end waffle  :)

Recipe:  Orange Blossom Cakes

100g Butter, softened
1 tsp Orange blossom water
110g Caster sugar
2 eggs
150g self-raising flour
30g almond meal
125ml milk

Orange Blossom Glace Icing
160 Icing sugar
10g Softened butter
1 tsp orange blossom water
1 tbsp water, approx

Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan-forced.  Grease six-hole mini fluted tube pan or Texas muffin pan.

Beat butter, blossom water and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time (mixture will curdle).  Stir in sifted flour, meal and milk, in two batches.

Divide mixture into pan holes; bake about 25 minutes.  Stand cakes in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make orange blossom glace icing.  Drizzle icing over cakes.

Orange Blossom Glace Icing

Sift Icing sugar into small heatproof bowl;  Stir in butter, blossom water and enough of the boiling water to make a firm paste.  Stir over small saucepan of simmering water until icing is pourable.

____________________________________________

This will hopefully be quick :)  Great book, very basic easy recipes to make (I enlisted the kids help).  If you aren't very comfortable with baking this may be the book for you.  The little cakes are delicious, although they dry out freakishly quickly!  The icing isn't anything much like the picture and sets really quickly, but they may have to do with the children fighting around me while I was trying to make it?  (that's my excuse anyway :)).  Next time I would actually make the icing while the cakes are cooking and pour it over them while still warm.. 

Anyway to make a long, waffley story short, this is a great book that I think will be perfect for the kids to learn from.  Also it has a recipe for upside down pear and pistachio cake, that I'm going to make when no-one home so I don't have to share....  drool

Thanks
Kate
xx

Sam and Charli, licking the bowl..

Book 4: The Complete Book of Baking

My kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it!  You can almost guarantee when ever I'm cooking anything that I will find some way to use at least every pan and bowl in my kitchen.  Yesterday was no exception, if anything it was actually worse than usual.  By the end of the day I had no dessert spoons left in the drawer and all of my pots were scattered all over the kitchen.  I honestly don't know how I make such a mess, I start off every time with a fairly clean kitchen and end up with a sticky, horrid mess.....   Its kind of like when I go off on a tangent, I can start off talking about how much I like chocolate (seriously how good is chocolate!!) and end up on my fruit trees and how I can't wait for all the fruit I'm going to have.  Like the mess I make I have no idea how I got there and can't really remember how it started!  :)   Anyway......

Recipe:  Brandy Snaps  
Which I've never made before (my Mum makes the best brandy snaps, so I better not stuff it up!) :)

125g Butter
125g Sugar
180g Golden Sugar
150g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp ground Ginger
15ml Brandy (1 tbsp)

Place butter, sugar and syrup in a heavy-based saucepan.  Stir over moderate heat until sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Stir flour, salt and ginger into mixture.  Stir well and add brandy.

Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto greased baking tray, allowing enough space for spreading.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 10-12 minutes.  Remove with buttered spatula and roll around the greased handle of a wooden spoon.  Leave a few minutes until biscuit firms.

Store in an airtight container for a few days and fill with whipped cream, spooned or piped in.

______________________________________________________

Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme and Brandy Snap with Raspberry Chantilly

This book is one of the books that I've had for years and have never made anything out of.  I have a bit of an issue with recipe books that try to fit as many recipes as possible per page.  I like to know what I'm cooking without trying to match it to the eight different pictures on the opposite page.  My issues aside, this book has HEAPS of recipes in it, tarts, cakes, pastry pizza etc etc.  I'm not sure that's a good thing?  I struggled to find something I wanted to cook, everything just blends into each other!  But I'll let that go (for now!) and tell you about my brandy snaps. 

Being the first time I've made them I thought they were a little heavy, I like delicate crumbly snaps and I thought mine were tad solid.  BUT, instead of the normal plain cream I filled them with raspberry Chantilly and that was awesome!  It was a little bit tart and sweet and seriously delicious.  I keep thinking of all the different things I can put it in, macaroons, chocolate cups (..drool..).  You may have noticed I've stopped talking about the book?  Nothing about it grabs me so back to the bookshelf it goes :)

The rest of dessert was made up of a Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme which I stole from my favourite food blog Brave Tart.  If your wanting to try your hand at the vanilla pots have a look here, Stella is amazing and this recipe is fabulous!  (and its dairy, that's so good for your bones!) Oh, just make sure you have stacks of eggs, I used almost 2 dozen making 1.5 batch's ....

Thanks

Kate

xx

Mothers day was yesterday and you will be happy to know my addiction was fed, I had worded up my 4 year old before she went shopping.  So as soon as they walked into Big W she started chanting Kate Bracks, Kate Bracks......  score :P



Book 3: Jamie Does... - Jamie Oliver

I will always pick sweet over savoury!  If I was ever told I had to pick one over the other for the rest of my life, there is no way I could pick savoury.  Don't get me wrong, I love savoury food (look at me,  I love any food!), pasta, steak etc etc.  But if it came down to never eating chocolate or vanilla again, you can be sure the pasta would be flung out of the window without a second thought.  So it's with some relief the random number draw picked Jamie Oliver (and no I didn't redraw, this time :) ), because otherwise I would stick to deserts and would never cook anything savoury.... who would?

By the way the full title for this book is, Jamie Does... Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, France (Thought I'd better clear that up cos the above title looks a tad wrong)

Recipe:  Souvlaki (Wicked Kebabs)   
(this one was chosen by Matt)

-  3 Sweet peppers (mix of colours)
-  8 Flat breads, to serve
-  4 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked
-  a small bunch of fresh dill, chopped (stalks and all)
-  red wine vinegar
-  Extra virgin olive oil
-  1 lemon, to serve

For the kebabs 
-  800g leg of pork, (I used Fillet, I couldn't get the suggested shin) cut into 2cm chunks
-  1 tablespoon dried mint
-  1 tablespoon dried oregano
-   juice of 1 lemon
-  100ml good-quality olive oil
-  2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely grated
-  1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-  pinch of freshly ground black pepper
-  pinch sea salt

For the tzatiki
-  1/2 a large cucumber
-  200ml natural yoghurt
-  1 small clove of garlic, peeled
-  1 heaped teaspoon dried mint
-  1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

If using wooden skewers, cut 8 to fit your pan and soak them in a tray of water to stop them burning.  Put all your kebabs ingredients into a bowl and use your clean hands (dammit, I wanted to do some gardening!) to mix everything together really well.  Cover with clingfilm, then pop into the fridge for 30 minutes, or longer if you want the flavours to get  a bit more intense.

Meanwhile, blacken the peppers directly over the flame of your hob, in a hot dry griddle pan or under a hot grill.  Turn them every so often and when they look almost ruined, pop them into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and put to one side to steam for 5 minutes or so - this will help their skins to come off.

Make your tzatziki by coarsely grating the cucumber into a sieve set up over a bowl.  Add a few good pinches of salt, then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can.  Pour the water away, then tip the cucumber into the empty bowl and add the yoghurt.  Pound the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt until you have a paste, and spoon that into the bowl with the cucumber.  Add the dried mint and red wine vinegar and mix really well.  Have a taste to make sure you've got the balance right, then put aside.

Preheat a griddle pan or grill (or BBQ) on a high heat.  Thread the skewers through the marinated pork pieces, leaving little spaces between them so that the heat cooks everything evenly.  Cook the kebabs on the screaming hot griddle or grill for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally until done on all sides.  Warm your flat breads in the oven or in a hot dry pan while your kebabs are cooking.

Just before your kebabs are ready, peel and deseed your blackened peppers, then tear them into strips and put them in a bowl.  Roll up your mint leaves, finely slice them and add to the bowl along with the dill.  Add a few splashes of red wine vinegar, a pinch or two of salt and pepper and a lug of extra virgin olive oil.  Toss and mix together, then have a taste to check the balance of flavours.  Cut your lemon into wedges.

Put a dollop of tzatziki and the meat from one skewer on each warmed flat bread.  Top with some of your pepper mixture, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Life doesn't get much better.



The finished product

___________________________________

Who doesn't love Jamie Oliver?  and if not, why not?  This book/recipe is awesome!  The book itself is a great collection of recipes, every recipe has a little story or spiel that goes along with it (which I love! You may have noticed I like to type?) The biggest problem I had with this book is that it was so hard to choose!  My partner Matt picked this recipe and I wouldn't normally let him anywhere near the books (mainly as he may realise how many there are and freak out a tad!!).

I was a bit disappointed at first that he chose souvalki's, there are so many interesting recipes in the book, that I thought it might be a tad boring.  How wrong was I, this recipe is amazing!! I was extremely sceptical of using pork, I honestly thought lamb would be the meat of choice, but the pork was fantastic and incredibly tender (I marinated mine for half a day).  The condiments that go with it go really well, the tzatiki in particular is delicious.  The only things I would change for next time, is a tad more salt and pepper on the meat and I'd use small pita pockets and put the meat etc. inside them.

Once again, I really like Jamie Oliver!  Which is funny considering I have never thought about buying one of his books, (I picked this up as a two pack for $20.00 on a Aust Post clearance table) and now I'm thinking about getting all of them.  I'm thinking if I put them in a box in the shed, I can pretend I've had them for years :P 

Kate
xx

Really should edit myself a bit, the waffle is going a bit nuts (I won't though)   :)

Book 2: Wild Sugar Desserts - Skye Craig and Lyndel Miller

I really wasn't sure how I was going to pick the order I was going to go in when it came to my recipe books.  Originally I was thinking of going from one side of the bookshelf to the other.  But when I thought about it, I realised I haven't organised my cookbooks alphabetically, I organised them sweet, sweet/savoury and savoury, then based on height (seemed like a good idea at the time).  Also, I haven't included my cake decorating books, based mainly on laziness but also partly because they aren't proper recipes! (Because I am the recipe judge, well at least on here!).  So anyway, I counted how many books I had (193) then put that number in a random number draw website.  That came up with book 36, otherwise know as Wild Sugar...  

(if I'm being totally honest it came up with 190 first, but that was a Weight Watchers book and not half as interesting as 36, so I redrew..)   :)

Recipe:  Creme Brulee, to end all Creme Brulees   pg 148

4 egg yolks
80g Caster Sugar
300ml Cream
300ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
30g pure icing sugar  (I've only ever used caster sugar so this makes me a tad nervous!)

Preheat oven 160c
   Place 6 x 125ml ramekins in a baking dish, fill the baking dish with boiling water, three-quarters of the way up the sides of the ramekins.
   In a mixing bowl, cream the egg yolks and sugar.  Set aside.
   In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, whisk creams together and add vanilla.  On heat bring to just under the boil, where little bubbles start to surface.
   Take off the heat, pour a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture, and whisk well then add the rest of the cream slowly while still whisking.
   Return the mixture to the stove, over low heat and mix continuously with a wooden spoon.
   To test if the creme is ready, dip your spoon into the mixture and run your finger over the back of the spoon, making a clean wipe.  If the custard runs over it requires more time.  If it remains in place and doesn't run over your wipe, it is ready.
   Divide into the six prepared ramekins and place on the middle shelf of your oven.  Transfer the mixture immediately to the oven so you don't end up with scrambled eggs for desert.
  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  It is ready when it feels just set in the middle of the brulee.
  Carefully remove from the oven and baking tray and leave to cool to room temperature; this should take about 30 minutes.
   Then place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
   To serve, sprinkle each brulee with icing sugar.  It is best to use a shaker or fine sieve here to avoid lumps of sugar and give an even covering.
   Use a blowtorch to caramelise the top.



This is one of my more recent recipe book purchases and it is a beautiful book.  The cover, the photos and the way it has been set out are all lovely, it even has a pretty pink ribbon to mark your page with.  It's also an Australian book so you can pick it up quite cheaply at Target...

The problem I have with this book is that even though the recipes look and sound delicious ( Spicy Pear Love Cake and Chili Chocolate Mouse)  the recipes themselves don't seem to work.  I followed the recipes to the letter and yet the first thing I made (the Love cake) the polenta was still crunchy and ruined the whole thing!  Now the Creme Brulee didn't set and the caramel on top burnt straight away!  The recipes also tend to waffle (No, I didn't write it), I have culled a hell of a lot of the above method simply because it didn't need to be in there. 

Don't get me wrong the Creme Brulee is delicious!  But double the cooking time in the oven and use caster sugar for the caramel (it takes longer to melt but doesn't burn as quickly)!  The great thing about Creme Brulee is you get to use a blowtorch,  I personally think these are one of the best kitchen gadgets you can have, you may not use it that much but when you do its brilliant fun!  Just take it from me, you shouldn't use it to light birthday candles and don't wave it around while you're talking (your guests hair will thank you!)

Kate  :)
xx

Note: You know how I said you may not use your blowtorch very much??  Today I used it to light the fire, I couldn't find any match's and thought it might do the job, best fire lighting EVER!!!  Blowtorch's are such fun.  Excuse me I'm off to burn things.... I mean, cook things :)

Book 1: Donna Hay - A Cook's Guide

I love this book, unlike lots of my other recipe books I've actually used this quite a bit.  Its got a great mix of basics and spiffy recipes and its set out in a way that makes it fairly easy to follow.  I'm a fan of Donna Hay's so you will see quite a few of her books pop up on here..... Anyway  (I did warn you about my tendency to waffle!)

Recipe:    Basic Brioche  pg 96

I've never made or even eaten Brioche before but I've been thinking about it for a while and finally pulled my finger out.  This is a really long recipe to cook, time wise, with the the rising time it takes over 4 hours to get the the actual eating.  But after eating it I think its worth it!

The Final product..

I haven't put the recipe up for this post, but I will from now on (let me know if you want this one, otherwise get the book its great)

I will say with this recipe that you have to have a stand mixer with a dough hook.  I wouldn't even bother trying to make it by hand, unless you don't want your arms to work afterwards!  I also increased the mount of water I mixed with the yeast at the beginning.  The recipe stated 1tbls but it wasn't nearly enough, my yeast turned into a almost solid ball and I didn't think it would mix with anything else so I added 1 extra tablespoon of lukewarm water.  I don't know if my oven was too hot?  But it also didn't take the full 35-40 minutes to cook, I had it out of the oven by 30 minutes.

Brioche with honey

I slathered my brioche with honey, but you could use it for anything you wanted a decadent bread with.  Its almost like a croissant, a loaf of croissant maybe?  The book has four other recipe suggestions for brioche including Cinnamon Brioche Scrolls (which look delicious!) and a friend of mine told me that brioche makes the best french toast. 

But considering our loaf didn't make it past 9.00am, that might be something for next time :)

Kate

xx

The Start - My Cookbook Challenge

I recently unpacked my collection of recipe books, I've always had a bit of a attraction to recipe books (to be honest, I've never met a cookbook I don't like).  But it was only when I unpacked them all that I realised that my attraction may actually be an issue! 
I would like to blame Booko and the Book Depository for increasing the size of my library, but it is simply that I love cookbooks!  I love the covers and the look of them, I love everything about them!
I also discovered whilst unpacking that a lot of the books I have I've either never made anything out of them or its been so long that I don't remember what I cooked.

So, I decided to set myself a challenge.  Every week, for however long it takes, I am going to make at least one thing out of every recipe book I own... To clarify, I'm picking one cookbook a week and doing a recipe from that.

I've got a few rules:

Rule 1:  I can't cook something I've cooked before

Rule 2:  I can't just cook from my new books, the old ones need to be used as well

I think that's about it? 

Be warned, I have a tendency to waffle, but I shall try to keep it short.  I also tend to loose interest really quickly so I'll need to keep motivated, also I have no idea what I'm doing so you may need to bare with me :)

But anyway, this is just the introduction so I better get started cos this may take a while :)

Thanks

Kate
xx

PS:  Below is a photos of some of my books, the recipe books are in the middle shelf :)




My book shelf, cookbooks are in the middle