Monday 25 June 2012

The Friand Cake Company


I have been neglecting my blog recently but this is because I am busy getting THE FRIAND CAKE COMPANY business of the ground. This is going very well but like everything takes time and planning. In the last couple of months at least , I have made and tested more friands than you can possibly imagine, giving them to friends, colleagues associates, cafe's, the public  to test and the over- whelming feedback is that they are excellent, new and exciting. I also have a cafe who wants to buy them from me in town. I have also been sourcing ingredients such as Madagaskan vanilla by a new award-winning company called Little Pod. The vanilla extract takes the cake to new heights in the most subtle way possible. I bought 10 kilos of ground almond, 40 packets of butter, 5 kilos of white chocolate and so on. I now have a wide range of silicone trays including financier tins to make little bars of little gold almond cakes. My logo is nearing completion and I am working on the packaging. I am almost set! I am hoping to launch in a farmers market later in July subject to confirmation of a stall. I am about to get the shelf life of my friands tested. And so on. Hard work but great fun and it makes it even nicer when I get feedback as I have been that I am one the right tracks with the friand cakes. My long term aim is to sell online so let me know if you are interested and I will add you to my mailing list. Also, I have a facebook page below  you can like to follow the development of this company and a soon to be website. I am also happy to advise on any aspect of making your own friand cakes. As I said , I have made a few. It would seem there is an appetite for friand cakes. People love the lightness of the egg whites, the almond texture, the range of fillings and so on. They are a nice size to snack on, they are relatively healthy with almonds and egg whites as main ingredients, there are gluten free and dairy free options. In fact ,with little flour,  the GF free option is something I am considering for all my friands as it does not seem to affect the taste at all. Still testing this.

Anyway, just a quick update.

http://www.facebook.com/TheFriandCakeCompany

Friday 4 May 2012

All About Little Friand Cakes

The Audrey Hepburn of the Cake World

Small, Delicate, Floatingly Light  & Lovely to Behold


Blueberry Friands

To the observant among you, you may have noticed I go on ALOT about friands. You may  think as one twitterer did that  I just have a problem repeatedly mispelling the word friends (until I suggested popping them in the oven that is!). I now call them Little Friand Cakes on twitter to avoid confusion.  I have been making these little cakes for about four years now and have increasingly grown to love them. There are many many variations and I am in the process of compiling a list of recipes which breaks them down into different categories. There are lots of recipes available if you troll the internet but once you get the basic idea, you will probably start to come up with your own versions whether it be adapting another cake recipe you love or just deciding to try different combinations of fillings.  Increasingly, I am  producing them on a grander scale  to sell them at farmers markets as I am convinced, if your not already a convert, you will love them too.  Their small size and egg white and almond base makes them light calorie wise so guilt free. The low or no flour (gluten free)  content and almond (or other nut) base makes them perfect for gluten free recipes

They are great to eat on their own with a cup of coffee. Or you can eat them  as a dessert in themselves. They can be served with fresh fruit and ice cream or with a raspberry sauce for example. This dessert has the potential to be  as good as any you will see in a top restaurant with great possibilities for wonderful presentation by a creative cook.

I did say I love them and I am not alone. I have read many food writers, bloggers who share this passion for friands especially in recent months and I am convinced they are going to take off in the UK very soon, hopefully with my small contribution and also the increasingly number of foodies blogging and reporting on them. It is clear that if they are such a hit in Australia and New Zealand, that it is only a matter of time. You do see them in the odd cafe etc but if you ask most people what a friand is , they look at you blankly.  Everyone deserves to enjoy friands. This leads me on to the telling you a bit more about them.

Potted History of Friands


Financiers

Friands, it is generally accepted,  started this life as financiers in France little round tea cakes similar to sponge. I read one blog where a contributer felt that perhaps the Friand had more in common with a Friand aux Amandes, another French cake and you can clearly see why they might think that. But I digress. Financiers  are made with  brown butter (beurre noisette) , egg whites, ground almonds, icing sugar  and flour . They are closely aligned with the more common madeleines. They were said to have emerged in the financial district of Paris and were traditionally baked in rectangular moulds to resemble gold bars and round coin like ones as well. While these cakes do not have any fillings, they are often  served with fruit and ice cream or other sauces  as I do now.


Lime & Coconut (delicious)

The friand cake  emerged in  New Zealand and Australia and is typically (lots of exceptions with friands) oval in shape. The basic ingredients of a friand are the same as a financier. The main difference seems to be in the melted butter which in a friand typically  (see what I mean) isn't brown.   The second big difference is that friands have fillings of an almost infinite variety and open up this cake to experimentation and versatility. It would seemed a whole world of possibilities opened up for friands in the same way cupcakes and muffins have.  It is as a friand that this cake really comes into its' own. Saying that a plain friand dusted with icing sugar definitely has its place alongside a lovely cappucino as a morning snack.

ok this does have Blueberries but you get the idea

 


What Does a Friand Taste Like?



Glazed Apple & Vanilla , my latest style
Mixed Friands

 As a financier, a friand is described as a tea cake and seems to be similar to a madeleine. One of the defining features of a friand is its lightness and texture. The crunchy edges and the soft centre and the melt in the mouth sensation if it has a filling. Some people like the contrast of the sweet filling with the bitterness in some fruit such as raspberries. Here are some quotes from various blogs.

" The more sophisticated friend of a cupcake." Lex Eat


The nuts and egg whites make them slightly superior to a muffin ( whilst a muffin looks up to a friand but down to a fairy cake - the fairy cake says ‘I know my place’), but the extent of their variations with different nuts and added fruits means they are just as versatile."Laundrey etc
.
"About four bites of the moist heavanly little cakes in the world." Marie from the English Kitchen

Shaped like a Little Friand!

The friand is perceived  as a class act superior in style to its counterparts.The friand is to the cake world what Audrey Hepburn is to the screen;  small, delicate, floatingly light and lovely to behold. I made some with fresh coconut and a marcapone cream filling for  a christmas party this year for Caliberi Interactive. They were piled high and resembled a wedding cake,no knives required!  This  impressed the guests eyes and palates, the chilled fresh coconut and cream filling makes each mouthful a taste of pure heaven.

Fresh Coconut with Marscapone Cream Filling

Some people come to making friands because they gave some left over egg whites to use. However, once you have made them once, it is likely you won't wait for left over egg whites until you make them the next time.  If you set out to make friands then the left over egg yolks are perfect for making ice cream. A friand with a dollop of ice cream with a scattering of fresh raspberries is truly a marriage made in heaven for me and a regular feature in my home and on my menus.


A Word on Friand Tins




This is what I use but I had to order from France and at some cost as the oval shape holes are not readily available here yet. This is silicone which solves every noted issue as lots of people complain about getting them out of the tins.  I started with individual tins which were fairly tricky and time consuming in the "losing the will to live" way. So whatever shape you make them, my advice  is use silicone as the friands just pop out.

Are You Converted?


Let's hope so. In the meantime, here is an few of the friand options out there. If you are already a convert and have interesting recipes to share I would love to see them. You can email me at honeywildandmannadew@gmail.com. I hope to meet you at a farmers market in the Borders or in Edinburgh very soon. If you are interested in attending a cake event dedicated to friands, let me know. Perhaps one of these fab cake groups would consider hosting one.

  • Fig & Pistachio       
  • Blueberry & Lemon        
  • Chocolate Hazelnut     
  • Orange & Poppy Seed
  • Coconut & Mango       
  • Lemon Curd          
  • Christmas Spiced       
  • Banana & Cinnamon
  • Raspberry & Galangel      
  • Candied Lemon      
  • Pecan & Maple    
  • Rhubarb with Flaked Almonds
  • Sticky Gingerbread        
  • Orange Drizzle          
  • Pineapple & Macademia       
  • Caramel Easter


Wednesday 4 April 2012

Anniversary Night

Send quote to a friend
On Friday,  I hosted the 1st  anniversary supper. It was a lovely night with some amazing food and lots of help from family,  friends  and fellow supper club hostess, Wendy Paterson of InsideoutChef. One guest fed back that the food was the best so far and I am inclined to agree. We started the evening off with an apperitif of Sloe Gin and Cava served in champagne coupes. I then broke with the classic menu style and served seven amuse bouche/canapes in place of a starter. The guests remained standing for these and mingled with the other guests. We started with a vibrant orange Soupe de Poissons topped with a  Rouille and Croutons and a nicely contrasting  velvety Spinach and Rosemary soup both served in little demi-tasse cups.


We then served Pan fried Scallops served with Green Apple Puree and Boudin Noir topped with a slice of green apple. The combined flavours of this verrine are divine and a freshly fried scallop needs no explanation.


My friend Guy kindly provided some  Foie Gras he had picked up on a recent trip to France  served on a toasted panini on little glass canape spoons supplied by Wendy who also found these in France . This canape, in one guests words, took the evening to new heights. I am uncomfortable with Foie Gras myself but decided to serve it anyway.


Next we served  freshly Pan Fried Pheasant (sourced locally from a friend whose husband, a gamekeeper  rears them with love and dedication , you can certainly taste that!). I  served this with my own Nectarine Relish and Red Amaranth Salad. I made little bread rolls to put all this in. Seriously cute!


To top it all we then received two vegetarian offerings from Wendy. She served Pesto Palmiers and Tomato Lollipops which were fabulous to look at and eat. TheTomato lollipops were visually great and  injected some fun into the proceedings and were a perfect rounding up of the canapes.



The guests especially enjoyed the canape selection as I knew they would.  They are my favourite things to make. One  guest said it was great to get to taste so many different offerings.

For the palate cleanser, friend Guy made a stunning Nettle sorbet. Guy of Thorncroft Drinks fame is responsible for creating a wide range of drinks. He is now embarking on a new venture producing and selling a range of iced tea called Yum Cha. When I sat down with the guests, they complimented the sorbet and they weren't surprised when I confessed to having an expert produce it. It is also nice when someone goes for a walk and comes back with an ingredient for dinner!


By this time everyone was seated and chatting away. I had loads of help this time but it was still hectic. Serving over 22 people at once is no mean feat especially as I offer more than one option! The two main courses were Slow Roasted Lamb with Lemon Potatoes and Open Lasagna with Roasted Butternut Squash,Wild Mushroom Marsala Cream Sauce topped with Sage leaves. One of my ovens, I discovered was not working properly so I was worried about the lamb being cooked enough. Fortunately, the canapes and sorbet slowed the evening down and it came out perfectly in the end.  My sister, Kim has lived in Zante for over 25 years and runs restaurants and a hotel with her Greek family. I have always loved the way they cook their potatoes in the oven and manage to infuse the lemon flavour. This is what I was aiming for here and I think I got pretty close. I served it with a version of  ratatouille where the vegetables are chopped into very small cubes to ensure the combination of flavour. It was a truly delicious compliment to the lamb and potatoes. Finally , I put jugs of mint and redcurrant jelly sauce on the table. The lasagna dish was also perfect taste wise  with the most incredible mushrooms bought in Morrisons of all places (can't resist showing you them) cooked in a Marsala and Cream sauce.

The butternut squash is roasted with chilli flakes in the oven and adds a nice sweet zing. It is a yummy dish with fresh saffron lasagna. However, while I have nailed the presentation in the past , I didn't really get it right this time and was disappointed in the plates going out. I will revisit this. Alas no photographs of the mains. We were all so busy!

Always a pleasure, desserts are another of my favourite things to do. I presented Chocolate and Raspberry Tart with Mint Ice  Cream which I have to say I think I did a very good job of. The fresh raspberries  buried under the chocolate is beyond good, not to mention the mint ice cream.



I also did Creme Caramel which worked well.


Wendy did Pavlova which was a complete show stopper. I am told itwas perfectly cooked with a crunch on the outside and chewy in the middle. I can't eat cream so Pavlova is not on my personal repertoire but it was the most popular choice for the dessert.



And , once again, regular waitress Jade produced exquisite cheese plates using Borders Cheeses this time

 To finish we served truffles and coffee and a bit more of that sloe gin slipped out of the kitchen though free of charge of course! Half the guests were still here at 1.30 a.m., several hours after the food was served, chatting and mingling. Without a doubt it was a really good night with now regular guests (some have been up to four times!) and new people too who all said they are keen to return.  I think it would be fair to say no-one leaves my suppers hungry! They were disappointed when I told them the suppers at my home will run quarterly from now on (less is more). The next  supper will take place at the end of June so if you are interested , you will have to be quick to book. I plan to do more canapes to start and an amuse bouche selection for dessert which will include a series of little mouthfuls of heaven. So you won't have to choose!

A big thanks again to everyone who helped me this year and on Friday and to Wendy and Guy for their lovely food contributions. Karen

Sunday 11 March 2012

It's here, Menu for 30th March Anniversary Supper Club

Honey Wild Menu

Canape Selection to start

 Little Cupfuls of Spinach & Rosemary Soup

Little Cupfuls   of Soupe De Poissons

Seared Scallops with Boudin Noir & Apple Puree

Pate de Foie Gras

Breast of  Pheasant served with Mushroom Compote & Honey Wild  Nectarine Relish on Fresh Mini Rolls

Pesto Palmiers
 
Tomato Lollipops

Palate Cleanser

Nettle Sorbet

Choice of Main

Slow Cooked Borders Lamb Shanks with Lemon Potatoes & Ratatouille

Open Saffron Lasagna with Roasted Butternut Squash with a Wild Mushroom Marsala Cream Sauce & Sage leaves

Choice of Dessert

Chocolate, & Fresh Raspberry Tart with Mint Ice Cream

Pavlova

Creme Caramel

Borders   Cheeses

To Finish

Coffee served with Petit Fours


Monday 20 February 2012

My Review of Honey Wild's First Pop up Supper Club in Edinburgh


On Friday, I did my first Honey Wild  'pop' up supper in an Edinburgh town house in Morningside offered up for the night by Joe and Jim.  They made a huge effort decorating the living room to stunning effect with  hilarious place name tags by Jim above , pink flamingo plastic  ice buckets bought from the in the The Camargue in France, colour co-ordinated tables with a beautiful array of gold and red place mats,  coloured  glasses , white linen and lovely flowers. The room was candle-lit and ready at 7.30 p.m. to recieve 18 guests comfortably. on three tables of six.

 The menu for the night was an elaborate five course meal. As ever, all the  food is prepared by me from scratch from the rolls right through to the petit fours  and I believe passionately that this comes through in the quality and taste of the finished meal making it worth all the effort.  Guests mingled before sitting down at their tables and the atmosphere convivial and spirited right from the start with hosts offering their guests a glass of Pamplerosa to kick things off. 


Amuse Bouche in the form of verrines were handed to guests while still standing . These originate from France and are typically a combination of  three main ingredients.where the  flavours, colours and texture  compliment each other and as the name suggests are designed to stimulate the taste buds. There are infinite possibilities which makes me love them all the more. I served  Nicoise Crumble which is made up of layer of a  ratatouille made in miniature, a layer of cream and cream cheese  with olive oil and seasoning and topped with a crumble and delicately served in a shot glass. I also served Carrot Puree & Caraway Seed with Goats Cheese & Mint pictured below.  




For the starters we served Caledonian Oysters www.caledonianoyster.co.uk. They were undoubtedly the star guests of the evening with even the non oyster eating guests praising the presentation which you can see from the picture below was stunning. The oysters tasted divine with the Bloody Mary lovingly prepared by Joe. We included a twist with some fresh horseradish and sherry ensuring it had a huge kick certainly judging by the faces of the testers earlier on.



The other starter was freshly made Tagliatelle served heated with Roasted Red Peppers, Pesto, Sauce Vierge, Capers, Black Olives, Basil & Parmesan. There a many different layers of flavours in this dish and was received well.



As a palate cleanser , I served Lime Sorbet with Mint Leaves. This to me tastes like diving into  a cold pool in a hot summers day, it is so refreshing. Actually, at the last two suppers, I forgot to serve the sorbet and I nearly did the same on Friday. It gives you an idea how frantic it is in the kitchen at this point that we can ALL forget.

On to the main courses which were Beef Osso Bucco, Risotto and Purple Sprouting Brocoli, Asparagus & Green Beans and Pan Fried Sea Bass Fillets with Beurre Blanc, Sauteed Boiled Potatoes and the above vegetables. Unfortunately, there are no photos of these as they left the kitchen. I like to think it is because they were so good that they were eaten before Jess, a guest and the lovely person who took most of these photographs, got a chance. Her only option was to photograph the empty plates which I am happy to say was the case with all of the plates.  I have also talked about these dishes elsewhere so will not discuss here.


On to the desserts. I like to give loads of choice because, quite simply, I think why not and I love doing them. The choices were Orange & Almond Blossom Cake, Treacle Tart, Strawberries with Limoncello & Shredded Basil and of course, Cheese. There was on even balance between all choices. I served them with Vanilla & Cardamon Ice Cream. I also had Mint Ice Cream which was utterly delicious but guess what we forgot to serve it! Not really sure what the guests thought individually of the desserts apart from the Orange Blossom cake which received high praise from one guest but again the general feedback was good. I am still  eating my way through the left over treacle tart  with its ginger and lemony tangs and nice consistency. The strawberries served in champagne coupes with the limoncello is a delight to behold and it tastes good!


 


And when it comes to the cheese , I have got Jade who effortlessly produces the mosts exquisite cheesboards I have seen in a while. I get all my cheese from Mellis in Morningside. I always try to choose cheeses that are a little unusual or just very good like Valdeon,  Taleggio, Ragstone or Mull Cheddar. And finally the Petit Fours were served with coffee. I keep these simple just great Belgian chocolate sourced from Cocoa Black in Peebles, cream and a little butter and dusted in cocoa powder. Simple is good.


 
So that was dinner but the evening continued for a couple of hours or so. Here are some of the pictures of the after meal party which I was part of and of the team in the kitchen to include Wendy Paterson of InsideoutChef www.insideoutchef.com who answered a last minute call to help and came along and mucked in and  taught me a few things I didn't know. Scottish Supper clubs are a relatively new phenomenon and this kind of helping each other out is fabulous and much appreciated. So there it is , a great night. Thanks again to everyone. Roll on the next one or come visit me in Innerleithen for the 1st anniversary supper evening to be held on the Friday the 30th March where I can promise I will pull out all the stops to make it a great night.

A well deserved drink at the end of service!

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Pop Up Edinburgh preparations

Went to visit the hosts house for Friday the 17th pop up in Edinburgh. They are making an incredible job of dressing up the space with beautiful table designs using lace tablecloths, beautiful crockery, etc all drawn from family heirlooms and plans for flowers, candles and flamenco ice buckets no less. I am excited about moving the operation to a townhouse although I will, at times, be out of my comfort zone i.e. I don't know where anything is plus any cook will tell you using someone elses cooker and oven is like leaving your blue blanket at home. It is also nice to hear your guests are excited about the event. Just have to deliver the food now - gulp, no I mean no worries ha ha!

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Musings over the menu for March 30th Anniversary Supper club

Pot au Feu

Many years ago , I  ambitiously attempted Bollito Misto (Boiled Mixed)  for a New years banquet in our house at West Preston Street in Edinburgh. I love what I had heard about the french new year where course after course of food is served throughout the evening. Food 'with'  wine  instead  of just drinking alcohol which seemed to me to be the main idea of celebrating new year in Scotland! I can't remember much about the meal apart from getting help as I was out of my depth at the time (bless the younger me though for trying). I do remember everyone still drank buckets of wine and fell out. Ah memories! You can't change hundreds of years of tradition I suppose. The French version is called Pot au Feu (Boiled Beef) which I think is a little simpler in style though I have yet to trawl many different recipes to decide on the best  recipe though I have a feeling it will be based mostly Julia Child's  Potee Normande with a few bits of tinkering here and there. I am thinking about making this one of the main courses for the anniversary supper club rumoured to be on Friday the 30th of March. You can book now before everyone else if you like.  It is made up mainly of Beef plus a variety of other meats such as pork, chicken, sausage  (have seen a recipe with calf's head just ha ha, I will do that yet!) and vegetables carefully simmered for different lengths of  times over a long  period (5-7 hours)  and served with the vegetables with various  sauces.  The French and Italian sauces are broadly similar but I may  prefer the italian versions such as frutta di mostarda (fruit preserved in wine and mustard syrup) or an anchovy based paste  to some of the French options as they just seem more gutsy,  robust and complimentary to the meats. It's not an especially pretty dish to look  with the crude cuts of vegetables and shed loads of meat  but with the right cooking,  it is going to taste amazing. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking , they say
"Here is the sumptious family-style boiled dinner which will serve 12 or more, and always makes a great hit with the guests. It is brought to the table in its pan looking for all the world like a plain pot-au-feu. The host starts the proceedings as usual by spearing out the beef and placing it on a dish. Then he finds a sausage, and after that a big piece of pork. Finally, to wild acclaim, he brings out a chicken".

This kind of serving food as a performance really appeals to me though I am not sure if I would be able to pull that off. I would like to try. We shall see. It depends on the number of guests. Any more than twelve... but I just love the idea behind this food as it is about more than just eating it. It is the whole ritual around cooking and eventually serving it that seems really meaningful to me.

More  research to do which I may blog about if I get time and if I decide to do it. The other dish I am going to do is a Lobster Bisque. I will probably do it as an amuse bouche in expresso  cups served with little croutons (I so love the 'everything in miniature' aspect to this delightful invention) because, to be frank , I can't afford to do anything else at £20 a head. This soup is ideal for this  because of the intensity of flavour which is one key element  to little mouthfuls of food. Bottom line,   I really just want an excuse to put this Salvador Dali image into this blog because I  love it.

Lobster Bisque Amuse Bouche


Saturday 28 January 2012

I Love Cakes

Finally, I am getting around to talking about one of my  favourite ways of spending my time, making cakes. This,I may add, also makes my family happy and I do feel home made cakes knock the pants off  supermakerket bought ones. For one thing, I know what's in them and I don't have to worry about my child bouncing off walls as a result of additives.  I can't really recall when I started loving making cakes. I have , over the years, built up a repertoire and thought I would include three of  the recipes of some that have stuck and that I produce again and again. I will give you the recipes I work from though I do tend vary the quantities a bit here and there i.e. an extra egg to make it more moist or more of something  to strenthen the flavour etc as I get to know the recipe better even though told I am counselled to stick to the recipe with cakes more than anything. Though I would emphasize I don't do that with new recipes.It's like learning the rules before I break them. In that way, I am not one of these cooks who can just get a few ingredients and throw them all together without even consulting a recipe and ta ta , masterchef! I am,  I confess,  a recipe addict. I check the recipe even when I have cooked something loads of times. Also,  you can read of ton of different recipes for supposedly the same dish and learn new tricks to improve your favourite dish. However with cakes sometimes, I feel a bit like a charlatan taking credit for them. All I do is throw the ingredients together and stick the oven on. I am told by friends, as they take mouthful of cake,  that cake-making is a talent. Oh ok , if you insist. It is always nice to think one has some talent since  on reflection, cooking is the only thing I have ever been particularly good at.

Tart Au Citron

I have definitely earned the 'I know how to make Tart au Citron'  t- shirt. I have practised and practised this one and spend my life trying to improve  my pastry. Now I do take credit for good pastry. That is a talent and getting a compliment for my pastry is the one thing that makes me brim with pride. It would be an added plus if I got a new best friend who was also a pastry chef. So many different methods to choose from. I am gettng there. Having said that I got totally sick of the taste of sweet pastry when making a large quantity for a catering event. The trick which you may be aware is to make it the filling night before. This ensure a wonderfully tarte taste.

Recipe

Sweet Pastry
350g plain flour
pinch salt
150g unsalted butter
100g icing sugar
2 eggs beaten

Filling
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
275g castor sugar
190 ml double cream
250ml lemon juice
finely grated zest of 3 lemons

1) Sift flour on to a work surface and make a well, add butter and work with fingertips and thumb till very soft (I  don't this, I keep it slighlty colder and use a pastry scraper to chop the butter in), add sugar and mix, add eggs to butter and mix and incorporate the flour. Everybody has their own way of doing this , I use the fraisage technique where you use the palm of your  hand to incorporate the butter then bring to a ball , knead a few times, and pop in the fridge in clingfilm to rest.
2) Preheat oven to 190c and blind bake pastry for 10 mins  in a 23cm round loose-based fluted cake tin
3) To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Add the cream, then the lemon juice and zest whisking all the time. As I said, you could leave overnight to improve the flavour
4) Reduce oven to 150c, put tray on baking sheet and carefully fill. Return to oven for 35-40 mins or until set. Cool before serving.

Coconut Cake


 I am always getting the words jumbled when I type this and I am sure I will end up putting the rude version on one of my menus!  This cake is from Delia Smith and is a complete star. The combination of the fresh coconut (nearly did it again!) and marscapone and fromage fresh makes it taste like you have a very tasty piece of ice in your mouth. Very popular at my supper clubs. I created a friand version at my catering event in town before christmas, photograph above. I think there is scope to creat a really tall one for a wedding.

Recipe

For the Cake
75g finely grated coconut (I always use more than reccomended)
175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
175g very soft bvutter
175 golden castor sugar (i usually just use normal)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the coconut frosting

4o g freshly grated coconut
250 g marscapone
200ml fromage frais
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 dessertspoon of castor sugar

For the topping
50g coasrly grated coconut (I use tons)

Use 2 8 inch (20cm) cake tins 1.5 inches (4 cm deep)  and pre-heat the oven to 170c

1) First thing is put coconut in a polythene bag and break up with a hammer (or get your husband to do it, oh sorry that's just me) and remove the outer shell. Then use a peeler to peel off the inner shell. Now Delia doesn't mention that this whole process is a total pain in the arse and your hands end up feeling arthritic at the end of it. I have learned the hard way and brace myself or try to find an unsuspecting victim to help me. Then grate preferably in a food processor  because if you haven't cut yourself peeling the inner skin off, you will catch it on the grater.

2) The cake is basically a victoria sponge with coconut in it. Sieve flour high etc and this is a good bit , just add all the other ingredients and go in with an electric whisk until smooth. If a little stiff, add some water until it drops off the spoon. I feel that this method minimizes the chance of the cake rising as much as it could. I am a big fan of the old fashioned method.  However, by the time you have mucked around with the coconut, you just don't care anymore and once you put the two halfs together and the topping, it is fine. Now pop in the oven for 30-35 mins until a skewar comes out clear. Leave in the tin for 5 mins then cool on a wire cooling rack until cold.

3) To make the frosting whisk together all the ingredients. Put a layer on each half with a palate knive then sandwhich them together. Then cover the exterior of the cake with the frosting. It's a bit of a messy job and you just have to make sure the frosting cover the whole cake so the coconut topping will stick. Finally cover the cake with the fresh coconut (as I said I always make sure I have tons) . Now all you have to do is find a beautiful cake stand to put it on and pop it in the fridge to chill until you serve it to your stupendously impressed guests.


Friands


I started making friands a few years ago when I stumbled on a recipe in an unlikely book I had purchased dead cheap from a book club at work. I don't know why I like them so much, I just do. My freezer is full of them and my son regularly takes them to school for lunch. Other people like them too. The classic recipe includes egg whites, ground almonds, melted butter, icing sugar and a little flour then maybe a filling of your choice. There is no end to fillings from blueberry to  chocolate, lemon drizzle, fig or combinations of whatever you like. I have found  a huge variation in the recipes  and I could definitely fill a book telling you about them. There's a thought, however that would require focus and I am easily distracted. They can be eaten as a little cake to have with coffee or served as a dessert with a dollop of ice cream and soft fruit . They originated  in France and were called financiers to emulate  little rectangular gold bars. Friands as they are also known now are oval shaped as above  (you even get round ones partly cause the oval shaped tins are hard to find here I suspect) and have been championed by Australians and New Zealanders. Apparently, they can be found piled high in beach bars etc and are widely eaten and as popular over there as croissants in France or cup cakes here. I have an idea to start selling them commerically this year on a small scale of course and see how it goes. 'Lets make Friands' is my working title, my hubbie thinks it's a rubbish name? Everyone has pretty much loved them so we shall see. And another great thing about friands is they are a perfect way to use up any egg whites you may have. I just pop them in the freezer and have a friand-making day every so often when they start to overcrowd my freezer. On the flip side, if you are making friands and end up with egg yolks, you can make some ice cream which go perfectly with friands.  Anyway, I feel I may be over-selling them to you now so  here is the basic recipe.  As I said above , the friand oval shaped tin are hard to find and in fact the individual tins are a real muck about . I invested in an 18 hole silicone tin which I got imported from France and costs me thirty five quid! I know!  So if you would like to kick start my business  you are welcome to order them from me!

Recipe- Almond Friands
160 g unsalted butter
90g ground almonds
40g plain flour sifted
165 icing sugar
5 egg whites
icing to dust

Preheat oven 210 c grease 125ml friand tins or muffin ones will do
1) Melt the butter in a small suacepan until butter deep golden, strain and set aside to cool until lukewarm
2) Sift flour and icing sugar into a bowl and if you can still see through the cloud this creates, add the ground almonds
3) Seperate egg whites and mix with a fork lightly until just combined. Add the butter to the flour mixture with the egg whites. Mix gently again until just combined
4) Spoon into friand tins until three quarters full. Pop in oven for 10 mins then reduce heat to 180c and cook for another 5 minutes. They are ready when squewer comes out clean and when the batter has shrunk from the sides of the tin. Again, I find this vaires with each batch. Remove and cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Honey Wild 'Pop Up' in Edinburgh Friday 17th February 2012

Here is the proposed menu for the first pop up in Edinburgh. Two regular guests of my supper club in the Borders have offered  their house in Morningside as a Honey Wild location which is true to the spirit of the whole supper club movement.   Over half of the guests to last years' supper clubs travelled up from Edinburgh. In December, I did my first Christmas Canapes Christmas party in penthouse suites for a blue chip company. This was a great success and gave me an appetite for coming into the city to do more. I am very happy to be able to offer this ;'pop' up option in the city.
To celebrate Edinburgh's long love affair with this oysters,  I am going to kick start the evening,  by serving them raw with a Bloody Mary and a Virgin Mary Salsa. For the main courses  I have been invited by my hosts  to include  my favourite main courses  from last year's suppers. I am going to choose a couple of classic dishes which probably best represents the kind of food I like to  cook. Firstly Osso Bucco using shin of beef which is a pleasure to cook and  serve and was a big hit at October's  supper with the meat literally falling off the bone and going very nicely with the traditional Milanese Risotto. Secondly I will cook Pan Fried Sea Bass Fillets with Beurre Blanc. I love the freshness and the simplicity of this dish. As ever , if you can't or won't eat the options or have specific requirements, I am happy to discuss this with you and come up with something that will suit. Actually, I quite enjoyed this part of the food last year. It surprised me how  incredibly  grateful and delighted people were that time was taken and they didn't have to feel the usual 'nuisance' that they tell me they had learned to expect when eating out.   I would like to think this flexibility is a defining feature of Honey Wild and supper clubs in general. So here it is. I hope you like it!


Menu


Amuse Bouche

Carrot Puree & Carroway Seeds with Goats Cheese served with Pitta Triangles

Nicoise Crumble

Choice of Starter

Fresh Oysters served with a Bloody (Virgin)  Mary  Salsa

Fresh Tagliatelle served with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Olives & Capers with Pesto

Served with Fresh Home Made White and Brown  rolls

Palate Cleanser

Green Apple & Honey Sorbet

Choice of Main Course

Beef Osso Bucco served with Milanese Risotto

Pan Fried Sea Bass Fillets with a  Beurre Blanc Sauce Served with New Potatoes

Both served with Green Vegetable Platters

Choice of Dessert

Treacle Tart

Orange Blossom Cake

Strawberries with Basil & Limoncello

Cheeseboard

To Finish

Fresh Coffee & Petit Fours



Tuesday 24 January 2012

Sunday 22 January 2012

A year in supper clubs

It will be Honey Wild's anniversary on March 26th. I have been reflecting on what motivated me to start the supper club last year. I had been coming back to cooking on and off for years and had done a couple of personal chef jobs  in the Borders for prestigious clients encouraged by my lovely friend, Caroline McNairn. As an artist, Caroline believed that everyone should pursue that side of themselves and totally backed my dream to eventually be able to live through my food and cooking. This was  refreshing  in my world where common sense invariably prevailed.  I will always cherish the memory of  stepping out of the real world and visiting  her cottage tucked away up the hill at  Hollylee to sip coffee with her & Hugh and  talk about our hopes and dreams which we resolutely refused to give up on. One evening a couple of years ago, Caroline  arrived at our house for dinner and declared that she had found the name to hang my dream on.  With impressive sweeping strokes befitting an artist (my writing is awful) , she wrote:

Honey Wild and Manna Dew

on a piece of paper and handed it to me. She then pulled a small book out of her bag turned to the correct page and read out loud the poem "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Keats. When she had finished she placed the book on the table , took her glasses off and said  with  laughing eyes "Anyone can come up with Wild Honey but it takes a poet to come up with  Honey Wild".   Her inspiration came from over twenty years ago when I had tried to start a catering business called Manna inspired by working on various events while working at a gallery in  Edinburgh.  For easily the maddest year of my life, I worked as an "Administrator" at the 369 Gallery, a Bohemian contemporary and frankly sometimes ridiculous  art gallery that had broken away from the Scottish Arts Council and was trying to go it alone. It didn't help that none of us were very mature and ran the gallery as if at one long boozy night out. It was doomed to failure but perhaps looking back now that doesn't really matter. It was the  fingers up to the SAC at the time. Bizarrely,  I don't remember doing a  single administrative task.  I spent most of the time holding off creditors, tripping over drunk exhibiting artists from the Eastern Europe, conflicting with so- called colleagues and hosting several  banquet style events  because no-one else would do them and we had already been paid!  This was where my interest in food and feeding people as a celebration   was born and it has stayed with me ever since.  At that time, I was learning to cook but was still pretty rubbish at it.  However , my friend Annie  was and still is a fantastic cook, a natural (I have worked hard to get here, she just seemed to have the gift).   it was the festival of 1992 that we did about three  banquets together for the Independant, The BBC & John Smith, the nearly prime minister.  We even did a gallery auction hosted by Robbie Coltrane. I can never stop myself  telling my eye rolling 7 year old that I have met Hagrid. "Whatever mum"!  That reminds me Caroline once  told me that she was once Robbie's girlfriend and that she dumped him by leaving him a note, priceless and I didn't say "Whatever Caroline". Back to the banquets. We had just 48 hours, £300 and not a clue what we were doing.  We were going for decadent, sumptious with food presented as though it were  a work of art in itself. We ran around town buying food from Valvona, Argyle Place and Victor Hugo. We hired crockery, crystal glasses, white linen  etc . I am amazed it didn't get nicked although it did takes several hours to locate it all the next day when the gallery resembled a war zone. We threw red velvet drapes over a long banqueting table with an expensive  beautiful Russian bowl as the centrepiece with Langoustines and Samphire spilling out  over the top. We filled large silver platters of marinated vegetables , tray upon tray of smoked salmon, salamis, parma ham, stuffed eggs & tomatoes, huge bowls of salad and an array of sumptious desserts. We dressed in our best party frocks and suits and served oysters and  champagne to guests as they arrived.  It was  opulant, decadent,  elegant and over the top and we loved it. It was Babettes Feast! The gallery setting was perfect with brick walls and black cast iron gates on the windows . with tall gold candelabras  burning evocotively in the corners of the room . They were inspired stunning events partly, I think, because they were impromptu. We even had a fireworks display at one event and I am surprised we didn't burn the gallery down years before it actually happened. Not long after that summer , I was sacked for being a crap administrator. Perhaps my job title should have been Events Organiser?  Ironically and after a fashion, I have become quite a good administrator though perhaps if I had stayed crap , I would now be a  full time foodie . I always say that no-one ever says " When I grow up, I want to be an administrator".Anyway, that is how the name came about though I shortened it to Honey Wild as the Manna Dew was too much of a mouthful. And I suppose it also explains essentially how I got here over 20 years later though obviously  other things have happened in between.


Here is the sad part.  Caroline died of  cervical cancer in September 2010, .It was really  unfair and all those things.We became good friends when she moved back to the Borders a few years ago and is my favourite artist by a mile with her paintings full of colour, optomisim and deeply complex ideas. I will never tire looking at them which is just as well as we acquired a few over the years. 

 In March 2011, I decided I would try a supper club which I had read about.and they sounded fun and something I could do alongside my other commitments. It also offered possibilities of satisfying my erstwhile craving to present food in a lovely setting. We converted an old mill lodge and have an unreasonably grand living room. The room looks amazing set up as a pop up dining area, candlelit  and flooded with my mother's stunning flower arrangements.The first supper  was more like a party with a good number of friends and family present. I read a verse from the poem and dedicated it to Caroline who I feel has been a big influence and has always encouraged me to keep going no matter what. Since the first, we have had well over 150 guests, some repeats and lots of new people. Everyone has been lovely and I can say truly 90% of guests (it isn't for everyone)  have loved the whole set up which is different from a restaurant. Guests who have never met  speak to each other, come into the kitchen to talk to us on the way to the bathroom, I often come and sit with the guests later on, the service isn't as professional as a restaurant and actually I am ok with that though we do aim to get the food out hot  etc. The suppers are alot of work. I produce too much .food for too little money. I just can't help myself. I spend hours trawling through recipes to create the right menu. It is a great excuse to try out amuse bouche such as ceviche, Nicoise Crumbe, Little Tarlets  which I love doing but what a fiddle they are! ,  Starters have included Beetroot & Apple Soup,Creamy Scallops with Pancetta, Moules Mariniere, Chestnut Soup . Guests have loved my palate cleansers to include Lime Sorbet with Mint, Green Apple & Honey Sorbet.   Main courses have included Venison Casserole, Osso Bucco, Pan Fried Pheasant , Cassoulet, Sea Bass, Butternut Squash Risotto . I love making desserts and like to think I have managed to impress the guests in some part with my cakes, pastry, ice creams  and yes choccy mousse! I am often totally out of my comfort zone as I feel I have to produce some food to order much to the stress of everyone in the kitchen. So far I have delivered but possibly at some cost to me and my helpers.  It is true my family help me  as well as some paid staff and I owe them a debt of gratitude which I am pretty sure I have failed miserably to convey.  I do prepare everything I can from scratch  (and I mean everything, rolls, pasta, stocks, ice creams, sorbet etc)   but that is nothing if I don't prepare it 'well' from scratch. Luckily, I am told I do not disappoint  and whilst the little doubting voice in my head never completely goes away, the suppers have finally made me accept at some level anyway that 

I do know how to cook.

And for me that feels really good.
Powered By Blogger