Banana Bread

image courtesy of keepitsweetblog.com

I have always been fond of banana bread, but have always been under the impression of its more of a cake than bread. It has often raised discussion (sometimes heated) amongst the catering community. In retrospect all cakes are a form of bread, and such ill have to go along with it. The smell of banana bread when cooking / cooling has been known to drive people to distraction - and i used to use this to my advantage. I would have a small amount prepared to cool down in the restaurant and bar area, and people would buy it in droves. Heres the recipe i used to use, i promise that you will love it. Its food that will make you smile, again and again.

You will need:

1 Loaf tin greased and lined with silicone

250gk of self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of bicard of soda
100g of butter softened
18g caster sugar
2 eggs
250g kilo of banana, peeled and crushed
Demerara sugar

The doing bit:

Sieve flour, bicarb and baking powder

Cream together butter and sugar until white

Add the eggs one by one and with each egg add a little flour

Add the banana

Fold in the flour mix

Place in the loaf tin, sprinkle the top with Demerara sugar


Bake in a moderate oven (about 180C) until when pierced with a inkef, the blade comes out clean.

Allow to cool and devour. Its a rather beautiful thing warm.

Amaretti

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Amaretti are probably one of my favourite of the festive biscuits, just because I adore amaretto, and all things almond flavoured. They are remarkably easy to make and if made just before the festive period you can give them away as gifts which will be gratefully recieved. With this in mind you may have to make a double or triple batch, as they may soon vanish after the tasting begins...

Theyre ideal as an after dinner coffee token, or with elevenses or afternoon tea. Or whenever you feel the craving...

Ingredients

340g/12oz ground almonds
340g/12oz caster sugar
4 eggs, whites only
30ml/1fl oz amaretto liquor
butter, for greasing

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
In a large bowl beat the egg whites until firm.I reccomend using a light whisk for this as youll gain more speed and also more activity and air for the whites.

Mix in the almonds and sugar gently one spoonful at a time, with about 30 seconds gentle beating in between.

Add the amaretto in a steady stream, still gently beating.

Place some greaseproof paper on a baking sheet lightly brushed with butter.

You can use a teaspoon to deploy the mixture in small amounts onto the tray, but i reccomend using a small nozled piping bag- youll get a more consistent finish.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool and devour.

Cantucci

image courtesy of shutterstock.com

Cantucci are a wonderful type of biscotti that are good for a variety of occasions, such as elevenses, afternoon tea, to have with the occasional coffee, or as a dipping medium for other "dippy" desserts such as chocolate mousse, lemon posset or ice cream.

These are even more indulgent than regular biscotti, and so are even naughtier. They are however very well suited to this time of year and in particular the festive season, sue to their wonderful sweet indulgent flavours. That said they are enjoyed year round.

500g Sugar
4 Eggs
Vanilla essence
500g Plain flour
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
250g of flaked almonds or Hazelnuts
250g of dried fruit

Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy and form soft peaks

Add all the other ingredients

Form mixture into a large sausage

Place upon a silicone mat, and allow to prove for 20 minutes

Bake for 20 minutes at about 180C

Allow cooling before slicing into biscuits

Rebake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Devour.

Biscotti

Image courtesy of castbakery.com

Biscotti are wonderful little nibbles that provide a wonderful accompaniment to a variety of occasions, from elevenses, the casual beverage or afternoon tea. They also provide a good medium for many other dessert accompaniment such as lemon posset and similar "dippy" style desserts like ice cream, and chocolate mousse.

Theyre perfect this time of year, because they fit the profile along with many other sweet and naughty but nice treats that we all indulge in during the festive period.

You will need:

250g of flour
65g of coco powder
1 Teaspoon of baking powder
100g of chocolate buttons
150g of pistachio nuts

Blend the above into a mix

Then take...

100g of softened butter
225g of soft brown sugar
2 eggs beaten

Cream the butter and sugar

Add eggs slowly

Fold in the first mix to form dough

Rest for 20 minutes

Cook in a lined tin for 30 minutes at 180 degrees or until knife comes out clean

Allow to cool then slice into fingers when cold.

Most importantly enjoy!

Welsh cakes

This delightful little nibble is eaten all over Wales - and is considered a delicacy. It is however impossible to resist one once you have tried one -these are wonderful at any time, although arguably best at elevenses or with afternoon tea.

Welshcakes purchased from Cardiff Market

During the trip to Cardiff, I came across "fabulous welshcakes", a quaint shop in Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay selling a variety of welshcakes, including my favourite "Sour cherry and dark chocolate" which was positively divine. Others included "traditional" (see following recipe), and cinnamon. All of which I will bet were beautiful. The shop also sells a cornucopia of patisserie and teatime oddments, many of which i was tempted to buy. Congratulations on a wonderful shop.

The following recipe comes genuinely from a Welsh source, and having tried various welsh cakes during my birthday trip to Cardiff, I can vouch that both this recipe and welsh cakes are a beautiful thing.

Ingredients:


8oz SR Flour
4oz Sugar
4oz Butter (Preferably welsh). You can use margarine if required though.
2 Eggs
4oz Sultanas

Preparation:

Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.

Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.

You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle, although a heavy bottomed frying pan will do the job. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning.

Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool, and then sandwich them together with jam.

Scones

Image courtesy of The Guardian.

Scones are a wonderful accompaniment usually taken with afternoon tea, or elevenses. A British favourite scones are an umbrella term for a number of baked items, usually no bigger than a muffin or similar. Here is a standard recipe that never fails me, for regular scones. Feel free to add a handful of fruit, be it blueberries, chopped raspberries, cranberries, raisins, sultanas, currants. Adding the zest of half a lemon or orange will also give this recipe an uplifting beat.


Ingredients

225g/8oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter
25g/1oz caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten

The do-ing bit :)

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.

Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.

Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.

Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.