A rustic, but immensely satisfying focaccia, using three of my favourite savoury flavours: Parmesan, garlic and rosemary – very much a case of allowing simple ingredients to shine. Continue reading “Roasted garlic, rosemary and Parmesan focaccia”
Month: November 2014
Orange & cardamom drizzle cakes
These simple mini drizzle cakes are very light and moist, with a rich orange flavour and just a hint of cardamom. The marmaladey orange zest on top, combined with the slightly soured cream, results in what I think is a very more-ish cake. This cake is great cut small to be served as petits fours or made more substantial as a cake to be served with tea. Continue reading “Orange & cardamom drizzle cakes”
Spanakopita with caramelised onions & pine nuts
I adore making pastry: it is up there on an equal footing for me with bread. Filo, however, is the pastry I find challenging: while I can make it, I just don’t seem to have enough hands to get full stretching without tearing, so it sometimes becomes a frustrating affair. But it is nonetheless fun to make. Continue reading “Spanakopita with caramelised onions & pine nuts”
Shortcrust pastry & fool-proof blind-baking
It might be easy to feel daunted when it comes to making pastry, but I hope this post will go some way towards facing any doubts you might have when it comes to shortcrust pastry. I have also included what I think is the most fool-proof way to blind-bake the pastry, giving perfectly cooked pastry and a neat finish. Continue reading “Shortcrust pastry & fool-proof blind-baking”
Bread: tips & ideas for the novice home baker and upwards!
There are few greater pleasures than the evocative smell of bread as it bakes, followed by eating warm bread that has been spread liberally with good quality butter: simplicity at its very best!
This post is about the basic, but nonetheless majestic bread loaf, made with commercial yeast, along with simple variations. I dip into pre-ferments as a great way to add even better depth of flavour to bread and I also give recipe links for classics such as focaccia.
My detailed post on sourdough bread, focusing on making and maintaining a sourdough starter, as well as how to make an excellent sourdough loaf with variations, can be found here.
Continue reading “Bread: tips & ideas for the novice home baker and upwards!”
Phil's Home Kitchen 