Victoria Sandwich

The Baking Bug

Yesterday morning I was biten by the baking bug.  I woke up feeling a sudden urge to bake.  My eggs were close to expiring so it was the perfect excuse to just bake and take a break from my work.  I was feeling a little sad and had a nasty dream, but smiled from the moment I picked the butter, to the moment I tasted my light jammy sponge.  Life felt good, the evening ended with laughter and a seal of approval from a certain critic. 

The Victoria Sandwich

I never realised the Victoria cake could be made so many different ways.  I had to be given help to construct it, I was unsure how to layer it.  In the supermarkets they use cream, but I followed the recipe I had which used icing sugar.  I also wanted to practise making butter icing.  Overall it tasted delicious and for the first Victoria Sponge I have ever made I think my grandmother would have been proud, it is also the first layer cake I made too. :)

This recipe was adapted from 'The Best Of Sainsbury's Vegetarian Cooking' (Reed International Books Limited, 1992)

Ingredients:

You will need double these ingredients to make two cakes in order to layer it.  Or you could just use the ingredients below and split the mixture into to 18cm cake tins.

125g butter, 125g castor sugar, 2 eggs, 125g self - raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder.

Method:

1. Mix the butter with the sugar until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the eggs and mix well.
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C/ Gas Mark 3.
4. Add the flour to the cake mix and combine until everything is smooth.
( An electric mixer may be used.)
5. Put the mixture in the cake tin.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cakes are springy and browned.
7. Cool before decorating.

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

75g soft butter, 175g sifted icing sugar, 1 - 2 tbsp warm water.

Method:

Beat the ingredients together until well mixed and smooth.

Saffy's Top Tips

1. Though I used crystallised fruit the citrus taste went really well with the cake, including the icing sugar.  

2. Make sure you do add butter to the icing, try not to use just water. 

3. Make sure the butter is soft before you mix it in with the sugar.

4. You can top the cake with jam as well, but though it may be tempting there is no need to over do it. 
1 layer of evenly spread jam is more than enough, especially if you are using icing.

4. If you are not decorating with whipped cream then serve the cake with cream to feel an extra comfort.

Pepper Omlette

Training like a superstar

I have always been an fitness fanatic so it is really important I eat lots of protein and carbohydrates to keep up my energy and repair my muscles.  Eggs help you to train like a superstar so I thought I would share my lunch/ pre workout snack.  My omlette can be eaten in a sandwich, or with some lovely greens. Even if you don't train like an athlete it is still good to know how to make an omlette.  Trust me, not knowing how to cook eggs is a damn shame!

Ingredients:

2 eggs, salt and pepper, a little butter, hot pepper sauce for serving.

Method:

1. Break the eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and about a tablespoon of pepper.
2. Beat lightly, it is done when it is mixed well but do not make the mixture frothy.
3. Melt the butter in a pan.
4. As soon as the butteris melted add the egg.
5. When the eggs start to set draw the mixture into the centre and try and let the un cooked egg run to the sides of the pan.  To achieve this tilt the pan so the uncooked egg can set at the sides if needed.
6.  When soft and creamy ontop and lightly browned underneath fold omlette towards the centre.
7. Serve with hot pepper sauce.

Spring Cheese on Toast

"Cheese On Bread!"

I love creating new cheese on toast or cheese on bread recipes.  I know it's simple but it's a poor man's food and I've been poor man walking all my life. Say Something!
This recipe was inspired by my mother.  One glorious day she decided to put spring onions on her cheese on toast. She is a genius, absolute genius it's the best invention since.... cheese on bread! But then I decided to go even further and add some Lea and Perrins Sauce! I mean "c'mon!" (South Park Jimmy Voice)



Ingredients:
Wholemeal bread, cheese ( I like to use grated mature cheddar), 2 spring onions (chopped up) and Lea and Perrins sauce.

Method:

1. Grill one side of toast until light brown.
2. Top the un grilled side with cheese.
3. Sprinkle on the spring onions.
4. Drizzle the sauce before the cheese grilling or at the end.
5. Take out the cheese on toast when the cheese has melted and its slight browny golden, crispy and looking gorgeous!
6. After your first bite say "Cheese on Bread Man! in a Bajan accent.  (If you can't do this then... you're missing out.)

Chilli Mushroom Kidney Beans

Invention Test

It was the night of the British TV show 'Masterchef' final and I was feeling inspired.  I wanted to just do something not out of a recipe book, see what was in the fridge and cupboard and go for it.  This dish is not Masterchef standard but I was pretty pleased with how I decided to spice things up and do things purley by taste without measurements. 

Ingredients:

1/2 can of kidney beans, 1/2 chopped tomatoes, 8 chopped button mushrooms.

Spices:

Add the spices to your own taste, I made mine pretty hot.
Paprika, ground coriander, cayenne chilli powder, black pepper, ground ginger, chilli powder, 1 tsp brown sugar.

Served with:

Long grain brown rice seasoned with maggie liquid seasoning to taste, and smoked lemon parsley mackrel.

Method:

1. Cook Rice.
2. Heat up the wok and add chopped tomatoes.
3. When heated add mushrooms and kidney beans.
4. Add your spices (the trick is to keep tasting, the sugar adds a little sweetness).
5. Heat smoked lemon parsley mackrel in grill.

Beautiful Vanilla Cupcakes

Beautiful Vanilla Cupcakes

When I was a young girl in high school I had to do home economics for about three or four years and during that whole period my teacher never once gave me encouragement to me for my cooking and even said that cooking was not my niche.  She said I will never be a cook and said I should stick to dancing or running (despite my academic ability - all white girls school), but when I tasted my cupcakes I felt so proud of myself and I just felt like finding her and shoving thse beauties in her ugly face.  She was wrong and every time I wear my 'midnight' apron and cook something so pleasurable I get so emotional because like my grandma I am a natural cook and I know she is looking down and thinking that's my Saffy. :)

Natural Cook

I added a few extra ingredients to make these cupcakes special and unique.  They were an absolute hit with everyone who tried them and to be honest they are the best cupcakes I have ever tasted in my life shortly followed by Starbuck's 'Skinny Apricot and Peach Cupcakes).  Also these were my first ever cupcakes so now it has been confirmed that I have the chef's hands which Gran Gran had many tricks and gifts I will have to keep secret and pass only through my own blood line.  It's a Caribbean ting and ting - say something!

Secrets:

When I first did this I made a sweet buttercream icing which made it taste very sugary and did not really enhance the flavour, so the next time I made a savoury buttercream and I actually improved the cupcakes. I also followed Pascale and made a syrup, I adapted her syrup recipe and technique.  The first time I made the cupcakes the syrup was simple but made the cake moist, fragrant and described by a few as "divine" (yay!).  The second time however I was a bit creative and my cupcakes got people questioning what was in it. They were excited, surprised and were left begging for more.

This recipe was adapted from Lorraine Pascale's 'Baking Made Easy' (Harper Collin's Publisher's, 2011)

Ingredients:

200g butter, 200g castor sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 eggs, 200g plain flour, 2 tsps salt, 3 tsps baking powder, 2 tsps water, 1 tsp milk,

Method:

1. Cream together butter and castor sugar until fluffy.  MAKE SURE THIS IS FLUFFY!
2. Add vanilla, and eggs one at a time beating as you go.
3. If curdled add flour. BEAT UNTIL SMOOTH!
4. Add flour, salt, baking powder and mix together until combined.
5. Loosen with some water or milk.
6. Heat oven 160 degrees C/ 315 degrees F.
7. Put mixture in 12 cupcake cases which should be in a 12 cupcake muffin tin.
8. Don't be stingy with your cupcakes unless you are selling them for a low price. Fill up the cases 3/4 of the way.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Cheese and Vegetable Gratin

Homemade Veggie Goodness

Though I use shortcuts I always feel that's it's better to make certain things yourself like your own breadcrumbs, because then you can use different types of breads.  I used soya and linseed bread (one of my favourites) and to make the dish  crunchier (as it is quite soft and wet) I would add seeds to the top or even make a base of lentils.  I added extra herbs to my vegetables to give the dish a nice fragrance.  My kitchen ended up smelling great.

Prep Work

Prep work in the kitchen is can be quite frustrating and takes up a lot of time if you are a rookie at knife skills.  My tip is when doing prep work listen to some music, study or listen to radio 4.  It makes chopping and prep more enjoyable and relaxes you.  Be careful not to chop off your fingers  and always check for tips on how to chop certain vegetables as some skins will cause the knife to slip.

This recipe was adapted from 'The Best Of Sainsbury's Vegetarian Cooking' (Reed International Books Ltd, 1992)

Ingredients:

2 tbsps oil, 2 onions, garlic granules, 2 medium courgettes chopped into small slices, 2 tbsps chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 2 tbsps mixed herbs, 1 tsp rosemary, 3 large tomatoes skinned and sliced, 25g butter, 25g wholemeal flour, 300ml skimmed milk, 125g grated cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp seedy bread breadcrumbs/ or you can just buy wholemeal breadcrumbs.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan or wok.
2. Add the onions and fry until soft.
3. Add the courgettes and after a few minutes season with the herbs and pepper to taste.
4. Cook for about 7 minutes and stir every so often.
5. Put half of the mixture in a dish and layer with tomatoes. Put on the oven at 180 degrees C/ Gas mark 4/
6. Spread out the rest of the onion and courgette mix.
7. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour.
8. Remove from the heat and add the milk, blend.
9. Bring the sauce to the boil and keep stirring untilt he sauce gets thick.
10.  Add half of the cheese and some pepper.
11. Taste and when it is at the right consitency pour over the courgette and onion mix.
12. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bread crumbs.
13. Bake for 30 minutes.

Saffy's Top Tip

Use the left over juices to make a gravy or a stock for a vegetable and fish pie :)

Aubergine Cheat's Tart

New Vegetables

I have no idea why people are not very enthusiastic about vegetables because they are so wonderful.  My oh my though I never cooked  aubergine in my life and it's definately a vegetable I want to cook again.  Vegetables are so important for our diets so go out there and try new vegetables and if you are not a vegetable fan spice up the vegetables you like so they don't seem so boring. 

This recipe was adapted from 'Sam Stern's Student Cookbook' (Walker Books, 2009)

Ingredients:

1 pack ready made easy roll puff pastry, garlic granules, 1 medium aubergine, 3 tbsps olive oil, grated parmesan, grated cheddar, herbs of your choice, black pepper, milk to brush pastry.

Method:

1. Slice your aubergine.
2. Fry it with a little oil until lightly browed. When cooked leave to one side.
3. Mix your tomato paste with some of your herbs and garlic.
4. Roll out your pastry and cut off thin strips at the sides to put around the edges. Or create your own pastry shapes. I used rectangles.
5. Brush the pastry with milk.

6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 degreesF/ Gas 6
7. Place your aubergine on the pastry and add some fresh herbs.
8. Sprinkle your cheese and layer if you like.
9. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until browned and the pastry has risen.