Eggs. The backbone of the kitchen. Young and old, toddler to Michelin, we’re all ovivorous beings. Perhaps you’ve just had some scrambled eggs for breakfast, or braving the stink of an egg mayo sandwich for lunch. Or maybe there’s just nothing in the fridge, but it’s OK, because there’s always omelet, or a quick quiche, …
The Plan Down at the restaurant, my dough of choice, is of course, sourdough. Everyday, I’ll take a portion of sourdough starter, and mix that in with my flour and water to make the pizza dough. Simple enough. Usually, I’ll use around 4% by weight of flour of starter. That is for every 10kg of …
Fianlly, the moment has come. I’ve mastered Amaretti, the ultimate coffee biscuit. But it didn’t come easy. From sugar choice to your perfect ‘almond’, this is the definitive, final chapter on how to make, and understand, perfect amaretti. Experiment 1: Comparing bases What makes a biscuit base? When it comes to choosing a …
I just wanted a biscuit! Caramel biscuits, hazelnut shortbread, every one a disappointment. Maybe I’m to blame here. Maybe attaining the perfect coffee biscuit was just too lofty a goal. Or maybe, I just need something simpler, something, like Amaretti. The archetypal coffee biscuit. Conceived, according to legend, in village of Saranno, up in the …
Our daily brioche Pain bénit, the blessed bread. For the last 400 years, France has been at war. No, not with Germans, and no, not even themselves, but with butter. Yes, butter. Brioche, that soft, pillow miracle, was originally a holly bread. Up until a 17th century clergyman got a hold of the butter that …
What’s a man to do with too much cream? Freeze it of course! One of the many benefits of restaurant work, is wastage. Not so much from a business perspective, but on a personal note, it’s great! This week it was 1.2 litres of cream that I needed a use for. The first thing that …
The gluten-free gospel Yes! The gluten-freevangelicals have won. Welcome to the first, and last long form post, on flour-less cake. Strap in, this is a long one. This post, was inspired by Angels. Or at least their food. Like a true gluten free cake, Angel Food Cake’s structure is not supported by wheat starch but …
Food manufacturers…they’re a secretive bunch, and for good reason. The world wouldn’t be the same if the 11 Original Herbs and Spices were printed out as nutritional information for the world to see. Even then, reverse engineering Tunnock’s Teacakes was hard work! Given that all I had to go on was this: Indeed, these food manufacturers …
How’s your banana? If your bananas are more freckles than fruit, fear not, and follow me. Today, we’ll be pushing the unfortunate fruit to the very limits of what it means to be solid. This is banana bread…with a microwave. Click below for full recipe and measurments.
Is it possible to create a sourdough, using only oats? Below is a full laboratory report of the experiment. Highlighting the results, methodology and the science behind it all. Abstract A 50%hydration wheat based sourdough starter was refreshed with oats and water over a four day period. The aim was to establish a stable …