Mocha Choca Madeleines

Having chanced upon some madeleine tins while in Calais in November last year, I returned to London with all the best intentions of churning out try after tray of the tiny delicacies. I would be making madeleines every weekend, my kitchen would be filled with edible seashell shapes in all colours of the rainbow, all with different flavours. Best-laid schemes of mice and (wo)men, and all that...and so the tins languished in my kitchen cupboard for the next few months. 

Anyway, Ari sent me a link to that John Whaite off the GBBO's* recipe for madeleines flavoured with chocolate and coffee. They sounded tasty, and not too complicated. So I gave them a go. He also includes a recipe for a cocoa-flavoured dipping sauce, but I left that out and simply dusted with icing sugar instead.

*That's Great British Bake-Off for those of you not au fait with today's yoof slang. 

Mocha Choca Madeleines (adapted from John Whaite's recipe for the Telegraph)

Ingredients
100g salted butter
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
1 tsp coffee extract (I used this)
85gms plain flour
15g cocoa powder

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then set aside.

- Put the eggs, sugar and coffee extract into a mixing bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy, and tripled in volume. This should take about 12 -15 mins.

- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the egg mixture, then pour in the butter. Gently fold these into the egg mixture until smooth and silky.

- Fill the madeleine moulds about 2/3 full, then bake for 8 - 10 mins or until the madeleines look slightly browned around the ages. Turn them out of the tin as soon as they are baked or they will stick. Lightly dust with icing sugar or cocoa powder (optional). 

One Night In Paris

From one city to the next... I enjoyed a rather impromptu 24 hour trip to Paris last week with Shadi. We ate a lot, of course! 

Seven Seeds

One of the good things about going back to Melbourne was that my sister was also in town - and she's got a driving license and knows how to use it! She drove us up to Carlton one Sunday morning for this wholesome-looking brunch you see here. 

Seven Seeds is named for the seven coffee seeds Brother Baba Budan smuggled out of Yemen in the 17th century - read more about it here. Housed in an ever-so-hip warehouse with industrial fittings, their clientale is a mix of uni students and slightly older coffeefiends, all of whom look healthy and full of beans. I felt incredibly grubby in comparison, in my stained blouse and unwashed shorts. I also lacked the necessary accessory - a bicycle helmet. 

The big thing here was obviously the coffee - Melbourne people in general are all a bit mad about their coffee, I think. There was a constant queue at the counter, and we had to wait about 10 minutes to get a table. It was all good though. 

Cold-brewed  single origin coffee

We went for the cold-brewed, single origin (Kenya Kiangi - according to the cards) coffee, which our waitress took pride in telling us involved a 12-16 hour process. All very well, as long as I didn't actually have to wait that long for my coffee.

Have you had cold-brewed coffee before? I certainly hadn't, and I think I was expecting it to just be an iced coffee. While it did come with some ice cubes in the glass, the taste was very different from other iced coffees I'd had before. It was a lot more complex - not as bitter, and slightly sour (in a good way). I think I'm a convert. Also, cold-brewed coffee makers seem to look rather fantastic and should go some way towards impressing your friends. 

Eggs Benedict topped with bacon

Salmon tartare with courgette salad and toasted sourdough

Ricotta hotcakes with bananas, strawberries and blueberries

The food was pretty yummy too, although, to be honest, not as memorable as the coffee. The bacon was sliced thickly and cooked nicely, while my salmon tartare was made with beautifully fresh sashimi-grade salmon. I loved the pairing of beetroot and salmon, it's something that I'll be trying at home. Oh, oh, my sister's ricotta hotcakes came with a tasty banana cream, which I may also try to replicate at home. 

So, good coffee, tasty food, and a nice-looking place, what's not to like? 

Seven Seeds

114 Berkeley St, Carlton

VIC 3053

Australia

Handmade Holiday

I've just returned from a short but intense week-long holiday to Belgium and France, during which I set myself a challenge to wear at least one handmade or refashioned item everyday. 

Day 1 - London to Brussels (by Eurostar, so glamourous)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Faux leather jacket - Primark

Vintage silk scarf - Wimbledon car boot

Refashioned grey dress - op-shop (originally handmade by someone else too!)

Vintage canvas bag - op-shop

Vintage Coca Cola duffel bag - op-shop

Tights - 60 denier Pretty Polly black tights from Sainsburys

Shoes - Black school plimsolls from Bata, Singapore

Day 2 - Brussels to Bruges (taken at the Atomium)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Red silk blouse - op-shop

Rust brown corduroy shorts - Handmade (finished the day before I left, and yet to be blogged, but pretty much the same pattern as these shorts, except with slanted pockets)

Canvas bag - op-shop

Day 3 - Bruges (excuse the fluffy post-wash no hairdryer/comb hair)

Sunglasses - op-shop (same again...)

Refashioned gingham dress - op-shop (also finished just before I left so as yet unblogged)

Pasty white legs and bruised knees - all mine, baby, all mine. They have seen no sun for about 5 years. Nice

Canvas bag - op-shop (it converts into a backpack too!)

Black trainers - 10 euro purchase from a random shop in Brussels because my plimsolls were hurting me. 

Day 4 - Bruges to Lille (sweating it out in front of the Frietmuseum, which we did not visit)

Sunglasses - op-shop

Blue cotton shirt - stall in Bangkok night market

Yellow shorts - handmade

Canvas bag - op-shop

Day 5 - Lille (much cooler weather so the legs went back into hiding)

Sunglasses - just kidding, didn't bring them along today!

Faux leather jacket - Primark 

Blue cotton shirt - Bangkok night market stall

Green rayon blouse - handmade 

Rust-brown corduroy shorts - handmade and as yet unblogged

Black tights - Sainsbury's Pretty Polly

Pink socks - Bangkok night market 2nd hand stall

Black trainers - 10 euro purchase from a random shop in Brussels (these were my first purchase in Belgium)

Day 6 - Lille to Calais (with special guest star Peter Falk aka Columbo)

Sunglasses - same old, same old

Faux leather jacket - Primark

Red gingham dress - Refashioned vintage dress, found in op-shop

Canvas bag - op-shop

Red belt - vintage, MVE

Black tights - Sainsburys

Shoes - random shop in Brussels

Day 7 - Calais then back to Blighty

Sunglasses - same as above

Blue cotton shirt - 2nd hand stall at Bangkok night market

Red silk blouse - op-shop

Yellow cotton shorts - handmade

Black tights - Sainsburys

Pink socks - Bangkok night market stall

Black trainers - random Brussels shoe shop

Whew! A whole week of mostly handmade, remade, vintage and secondhand! I try to pack as lightly as possible for trips, hence the constant repetition of several pieces, but I'm happy to report that my handmade items held up brilliantly throughout a very active week. 

More photos of the trip to come soon...

Triple C - Chocolate and Coffee Cake with Chestnut Buttercream

This cake came about mainly because I really, really wanted to try making a Swiss meringue buttercream. And no, I couldn't just make the buttercream, because eating buttercream on its own would just be sinful, wouldn't it? Whereas eating buttercream and chocolate cake together is totally acceptable. Yup.

Chocolate and Coffee Cake (adapted from BBC Good Food: All-In-One Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients
175gm selfraising flour
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
175gm unsalted butter, softened
175gm golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp coffee flavouring (similar to this)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and baseline two 5-inch sandwich tins. Remove 3 tbsp of flour from the full amount ( the cocoa powder will make up the difference).

- Put all cake ingredients (except milk) into a large bowl and beat until creamy. Add the milk if mixture is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.

- Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins, and level the surfaces of the mixtures. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool completely (peel greaseproof paper off if attached to cake).

- Level the sponges if necessary, by slicing off the tops.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream with Chestnut Puree (adapted from Life Is Great)

Ingredients
340gm butter, cubed, room temperature
5 large egg whites
220gm granulated sugar
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup chestnut puree
pinch of salt


Directions
- Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a clean*, heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly over the heat, until mixture reaches about 70C and sugar has dissolved** (rub some mixture between fingers - if it feels grainy, then it hasn't dissolved).

- Take mixture off heat and beat with an electric whisk (or better yet, one of these bad boys if you're lucky enough to have one) on medium-high for about 8 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and mixture has cooled to room temperature.

- Lower speed to medium and start adding a couple of small cubes of butter, making sure it has incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is added, add in vanilla extract and chestnut puree, and beat until just combined***.

- Sandwich buttercream in between both layers of sponge, and over the sides and top of cake (I'm sure you can make it much prettier than mine - my spatula skills are non-existent. I also found that fish knives make nifty little 'spatulas' for tight spaces.)

(N.B. - this gives enough buttercream for 2 cakes. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen until needed. Just before using, defrost and bring to room temperature, and whip to a smooth consistency before using.)

* Clean your bowl and utensils with vodka beforehand to ensure there is no residual grease left. 

** I haven't got a sugar thermometer, so tested it with my fingers. Go ahead and dip your fingers in, and feel for a fairly hot and smooth texture. 

***You may find the mixture looks curdled after adding in butter - DO NOT PANIC! Keep beating it and it will smooth out fairly soon.