Gingerbread house

Tried yet another gingerbread recipe today and made it into a little house! My first ever :) I liked that this recipe required you to grind and mix your own spices (which included more than the usual cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg). I'd suggest doubling or even tripling the recipe if you want to make a larger house. This was only JUST enough for a small house.

Gingerbread by wholesome cook (how cute is the ice-cream idea too)

My version

Ingredients

Spice mix

5 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1 1/2 tsp cloves (I used whole ones but they were quite difficult to crush in the mortar&pestle so will use ground cloves in the future)
1 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp cilantro (coriander)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp star anise seeds

1. Place all powdered spices in a small bowl.
2. Place all other whole spices and seeds into a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle and work until they become powdery.
3. Combine with the remaining spice powders and mix.

 Gingerbread cookie dough
250g plain flour
50g brown sugar
150g molasses
60g unsalted butter
1/2 egg (beat whole egg lightly then measure out half)
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbsp Gingerbread spice mix (above)


1.Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced. Line baking trays with baking paper.

2. Place butter, molasses, sugar and spice mix into a small saucepan and heat on low, stirring until the butter melts. Set aside to cool.

3. Sift flour and bicarb soda into a large bowl.

4. Add the cooled butter, sugar and spice mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs.

5. Start working the dough with your hands until it has come together, take out onto a flat surface and knead until the dough is pliable and uniform in consistency.

6. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm and easier to handle - 15-30mins.

7. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes or elements of the house. I made templates with baking paper. Place on baking trays about 1cm apart.

8. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Cool on tray for 5 mins then transfer to cooling rack.

Royal Icing
1 egg white
1 C icing sugar

1. Combine in small bowl and beat until firm and glossy. Add colouring as desired.

Construction/decoration 
1. Pipe icing around the edges of the walls and put together. Use cans/cups/anything as support while it dries. Put in the fridge if possible to accelerate the drying process. Do the same for the roof once the sides are sturdy.

2. Decorate! I used nutri-grain shingles, freckles, candy canes, m&ms, mini marshmallows and dried cranberries. 

Verdict
I only tried a little but this is a very spicy and tasty gingerbread. Can't comment on texture really as I tried them while still piping hot.

Gingerbread houses are a lot of fun!! Hard work but perfect for when you're feeling a little bored during the holidays :)

Next up - choc-chip + cranberry cookies.

Macaron ponderings

I've been doing some research since making those macarons yesterday and I've come to realise that most recipes call for a 2:1 icing sugar to almond meal ratio - the recipe I used was a 1:1 ratio. I should have realised this sooner but I was desperate to make a somewhat successful recipe after my terrible failure.

Now I am very keen to try again using this more correct ratio! Is making 3 batches in 3 days a bit ridiculous?? So tempting but I suppose I'll be forced to wait as I don't have any aged egg whites. Dang!

Thanks google images

Chocolate macarons

Attempt number 3! There are so many different recipes and techniques out there.. it's quite overwhelming. I'm sure all can work fine and it just depends on technique and practice. Practice is indeed something I need more of. Yesterday I used this recipe and they didn't develop nice feet, they spread out too much, appeared splotchy and were impossible to remove from the baking paper. I think they probably should have stayed in the oven a bit longer. In general though I think I go wrong in the egg white whipping stage. Or the folding in. Ok ok - the whole process!!

Today I used the first recipe I used to make macarons. They turned out much the same as the first time. Nice feet, nice texture, easy to lift from the baking paper BUT I think the mixture was much too thick. I don't know whether it's due to overwhipping the whites or due to the actual recipe asking for too high a ratio of dry components. I think I need to seek guidance from someone who has perfected the technique.

Ingredients

90 g egg whites (equal to whites of 3 large eggs), at room temperature
125 g ground almonds or almond flour
125 g icing sugar
25 g unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
125 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) divided into two equal portions

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 140C fan-forced. Pulse the almond powder, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor just until a fine powder is obtained. Then sift the mixture into a large bowl. (If using almond flour, you may simply sift the almond flour and icing sugar together).

2. Place the egg whites in a bowl and add half of the caster sugar. Begin beating the whites and sugar at low-medium speed. 

3. After 2 minutes, when the mixture starts to rise and holds its shape, increase the mixer speed.

4. Continue beating at medium speed until firm peaks are obtained. Add the rest of the caster sugar and beat until all the sugar is dissolved.

5. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a larger bowl (if necesssary) and add all of the almond powder mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold the mixture until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, taking care not to overmix. The batter should be smooth and glossy and have a lava-like consistency. It should form a ribbon when dripped from the spatula.

6. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Fill a large pastry bag half full with batter and, using a 2-cm (1/2 inch) tip, vertically pipe the mixture into small mounds about the size of walnuts. The batter should be fluid enough that the macarons slowly flatten themselves out (mine didn't). Tap the trays against a hard surface a couple of times to remove any air bubbles.

7. Allow to the macarons to sit for 20 to 30 minutes until a “skin” forms and they are no longer wet when lightly touched.

8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate tray halfway if necessary. Shells should be smooth and shiny, with the characteristic “foot” or ridge underneath. You can tell when they’re done by very lightly tapping the side with a knife or fork. The macaron top should not slide but remain firmly on its foot.

9. Remove macarons from the oven. Cool for a few moments and remove with a lifter. They should come off easily.

 Buttercream filling - I halved the recipe and this produced the perfect amount for my 12 macarons (24 shells)

Vanilla Slice

Goes without saying that I would like a good vanilla slice! Thought this would be a perfect recipe to precede making macarons as it uses egg yolks, leaving the egg whites ready for aging then usage.

Vanilla Slice from spicy icecream

My version:

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 1/2 (1.5) C milk
1 1/2 (1.5) C cream (35% fat)
60g unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 C caster sugar
1/3 C cornflour
1/2 C water
6 egg yolks

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced.

2. Trim each piece of puff pastry to slightly bigger than the slice tin you are using.

3. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper.

4. Top each piece with another baking tray as a weight and bake for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool on racks.

5. To make the custard, place milk, cream and vanilla seeds and vanilla extract in a medium sized saucepan and heat until just before boiling point.

6. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to infuse for 10-20 minutes.

7. After it is infused, add butter and sugar and cook until hot but not boiling.

8. Mix the cornflour and water to a smooth paste in a small bowl and then whisk it into the hot milk mixture.

9. Add the egg yolks and stir, allowing to simmer for 6 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

10. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

11. Line your slice pan with non-stick baking paper. Place one of the pastry sheets on the bottom, pour in the custard and top with remaining pastry.

12. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Cut into squares using a serrated knife. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

 Verdict
This all went smoothly until I added the egg yolks and some of it ended up 'cooking' so there was a small amount of egg pieces that I had to spend time picking out. Next time I might try to add the eggs and sugar to the cornflour mix first. That or at least make sure I'm whisking as I add the yolks. I thought this was a sure sign that I'd stuffed up but the slice was actually really good! The custard set nicely and had a nice texture (although possibly a little softer than store bought ones). The pastry was nice. I didn't rotate the baking trays while cooking them so one was less browned. It softened and became almost rubbery so it was hard to slice after a day or two in the fridge, hence why spicy icecream recommended eating this on the day you make it. I still thought the taste was fine though. Will make this again for sure.


So today was the second time I attempted macarons. I used syrup and tangs recipe. I failed - the mix was a bit too runny, I piped them too big and they didn't develop nice 'feet'. I'll try again tomorrow or Friday with my remaining 3 egg whites.