It’s a Prince!

For days, much of the world has been waiting for the Royal baby to arrive.  Baby Cambridge was born today, and it’s a Prince! His name has not been revealed yet, and may not for days. Sophie is hoping for Ryland, but I’m with all those who think George is a nice name.  We shall see eh?

What better way to celebrate the royal baby’s birth than with cake?  Not just any cake though, we need a Chocolate Biscuit Cake. 

Chocolate Biscuit Cake will not be new to any Royal Watchers.  It was the cake William chose to be his Groom’s Cake.  In his book, Eating Royally, Darren McGrady, former chef to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, relates that this is the Queen’s favorite tea cake.  I’ve also read somewhere that she would have it served when William visited from Eton and it is his favorite too! 

Click here for the recipe!

Here is a little video from 2011 with McVitie’s on making the cake for the Royal Wedding.

The Royal Wedding Cake

Classic French: Fruit Tarts

 

This month’s Classic French challenge was Fruit Tarts.  I keep forgetting that I do not own a normal sized tart pan, but I do have four small individual sized tart pans.  I had never used them until the other day.  Yes, this is my 3rd CF challenge, and my 3rd first time making said challenge dish. 

Trying to decide what tart to make took a while.  I searched my cookbooks for the best recipes, and settled on a pâte sucrée, (short crust pastry), blind baked, and filled with crème patissière, (pastry cream) and topped with fresh peaches. 

This is peach time in my neck of the woods.  I love a good peach.  Early in my pregnancy with my son, I craved a good peach. The kind that you can taste the sun in it.  You know what I’m talking about.  I wanted a peach I could bite into and the juice would drip down my chin.  Soft and sweet, with just a hint of tang.  But it was January.  I could have cried.  The really sad part is that when summer finally rolled around, I was not interested in peaches anymore.  BUT right now I can get those delicious peaches at our neighborhood produce stand.  Linda’s Produce is the best place in our area to get produce.  I just walk in and pick out which fruits and vegetables look good to me and then plan meals and snacks around them.  It’s a good plan.  

Peach Tart

This recipe will make 4 small tarts or one large one.  Buy enough peaches to spread over the tart, about 1 per person, but make sure you have more, just because.  Pâte Sucrée 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar, (I used vanilla sugar) 1/4 teaspoon salt (I prefer fine sea salt) 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1-3 teaspoons water Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until the butter crumbles look like peas.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of water. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and pulse until is starts to clump.  It should not be crumbly, add a little more water until it is nice and smooth and not crumbly. Press the dough into the tart pan.  Try to keep the dough even and pretty. It’s all about the details from here on out.  Stick the pan(s) in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Blind bake by covering the crust with foil and lightly pressing it down. Fill the crust with dried beans or rice that you don’t plan on eating at this point, (keep them around for more blind baking later.) Bake for 20 to 22 minutes.  Peel back the foil, if it doesn’t come off easily, bake for another 5 minutes and try again. Take the foil and beans off and bake the crust for another 10 minutes until golden.  Allow to cool outside of pan on a rack.  Once cool, return to pan to be filled.  Crème Patissière 2 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar (vanilla sugar again!) 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour In a saucepan, heat the milk to just below a boil.  In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar for a couple minutes until it is lighter in color.  Add the flour and whisk. Add the milk to the egg mixture, whisking quickly.  Keep whisking until all is smooth.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat to a boil, whisking the whole time.  If a lump appears, remove from heat and whisk until smooth.  Continue cooking and whisking until flour is cooked (a couple minutes), and everything is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in extract.  Cover with cling wrap, pressing to the surface of the cream to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cool and ready to use. Filling the tart 1/8 cup apricot jam teaspoon of water (or so) Peaches Blanch the peaches in boiling water for 10-30 seconds.  Remove to cold water bath.  Peel the peaches starting at the stem end and working down.  Thinly slice the peaches and set aside. In a small heat proof bowl, mix the jam and water together.  Heat for 30 second in the microwave then stir until smooth, add more water or heat for longer if needed. You want a smooth but not runny glaze. Brush the inside of the crusts with the glaze to protect it from getting soggy. Fill the crust to almost the top with the cream.  Leave room for the fruit! Arrange peach slices in a pattern to cover as much cream as possible.  Brush the tops of the peaches with the remaining glaze to make them glisten.  You can place the tart pan on top of a tin can.  Carefully pull the sides of the pan down to leave the tart hovering above.  Remove the bottom of the tart pan if you are brave, or just serve the tart as is.  The tarts can be refrigerated for a short time, but plan on eating them the day they are made.  Cream and crusts can be made ahead of time for stress free entertaining.  Always hold the tart pan from the sides and not the bottom, you don’t want to destroy the tart!

I’m also linking this to Simple And In Season.  I’ve just learned of this and look forward to getting new ideas for eating what is in season!

Classic French: Macarons

 

We had been wanting to go on a picnic recently, but the weather was not cooperating.  Finally, Brian had a day off that also promised nice weather. We jumped at the chance!

As I’ve said before, picnics should be relaxing and fun, so keep it simple.*  I did want to make it a pretty picnic, so I went with a blue/white theme.  It was as easy as going through my linen closet and kitchen cabinets.  I have a lot of blue and white things, so this was no problem to put together.  I have to say it was genius of me to think of the coasters, they gave our cups a level-ish place to stand.  My 2 year old had absolutely no trouble keeping his cup upright this way. 

Since I knew that we were having our Classic French Macarons for dessert at this picnic, we decided to have something of a French picnic with a baguette, a selection of cheeses, deli ham and some gorgeous purple grapes, with lemonade to drink. Aside from the pre-chilled lemonade and macarons, everything else was picked up at the grocery store on the way to the park. Super easy prep!

Sophie enjoying her bread.

Daddy dressed Liam as a pirate, in hopes he would keep something on his head.  Great idea Dad!

Our Earl Grey Macarons!  I packed them in a small metal loaf pan and kept them chilled with the lemonade during transportation.  I didn’t have to worry too much about melting because the filling is ganache, much more stable than buttercream in the heat.

Liam kept reaching for these; he knows a good thing when he tastes it.

Delicious!

Unplugging from the world and just spending time together as a family in nature is good for you.

It brings calm and happiness.

It makes memories.

 

 

So, in keeping with my Classic French experience so far; here is my first time eating and making macarons.  I think, for my first time, they turned out pretty well.  I know they are not perfect, but they could be worse!  Anyway, they tasted fantastic, and that’s what they are for!

I followed the recipe and advice from Stella Parks of bravetart.com.  She is a macaron master, and I learned so much from her posts about macarons.  You can find her basic recipe HERE!  I adapted her recipe by adding the contents of 3 Twining’s Earl Grey tea bags (1 Tablespoon of dry tea) to the dry ingredients.  Earl Grey has such a lovely fragrance!  For the filling, I made an Earl Grey infused chocolate ganache.  This ganache is crazy good!  It was actually the basis for this whole Earl Grey macaron concept.  I first encountered Earl Grey truffles at Claude’s Chocolates in St. Augustine, Florida.  And they are amazing!  I don’t know why it has taken me so long to try this. 

Earl Grey Ganache

Ingredients:

8 ounces good quality milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional for normal truffles, but good for a smooth filling.)

1 Earl Grey Tea bag or 1 teaspoon of loose Earl Grey in a diffuser

Directions:

Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.  Place the cream, butter and tea in a small saucepan.  Heat on medium low to allow the cream to slowly warm and the tea to infuse it.  Allow the tea to steep for about 5 minutes after the cream is good and warm (you should gently stir it often), then turn up the heat to medium and bring the cream just barely to a boil. Remove the tea and pour the cream over the chocolate.  Stir the mixture until it is smooth and shiny.  Allow it to cool to room temperature before piping into the macarons.

A note on macarons.  Stella Parks mentions that macarons get better with age.  You just stash them in the fridge.  I have to tell you that when I first made these, I had one to test the flavor.  They were too sweet!  Not the ganache, but the shells.  So sweet I didn’t think they were very good.  But I put them in the fridge and left them for 5 days until we could have our picnic.  Something magical happened during 5 days of refrigeration.  The sweetness mellowed somehow.  They are still sweet, of course, but just right.  And the Earl Grey really shines.  So, please, send your macarons on refrigerated vacation.  It’s the right thing to do.

*My philosophy of picnics is that they should be relaxing and stress-free.  Too much work will not allow that, so that’s why I keep things simple.  If you, however, can pay someone to do all the work for you, then you can throw an elaborate picnic like the olden days. BBC Food has an excellent article on picnics, and how you can enjoy a traditional picnic.  But, no matter how you picnic, make sure it is enjoyable, and spend time with people you love. 

Thanks to Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes for giving us the Classic French Challenge and Victoria at A Kick At The Pantry Door for hosting this month.

Classic French: Madeleines

 

I sit here with a cup of tea and a freshly baked Madeleine.  In Proust approved fashion, I dip my Madeleine into my tea.  The spongy cake absorbs the tea in a flash.  One bite.  I’m hooked. 

I am a daily tea drinker.  But I would never have dunked a cake into my tea before now.  The thought of crumbs in my cup really turned me off, but I need not fear with a proper Madeleine. 

I’ve just recently stumbled upon the blog Blue Kitchen Bakes and blogger Jen’s monthly Classic French Challenge.  Classic French is an opportunity and motivator to “explore and celebrate the joys of French patisserie.”  April’s challenge is Madeleines.  I, sadly, had never even tasted a Madeleine before this challenge. I’m confident I have not even been in the same room as a Madeleine.  So this was a completely new experience for me.  Step one was to order a Madeleine pan.  I bought this one. Step two was to open up my gorgeous copy of Anne Willan’s Country Cooking of France.  This book is exquisite.  I brought this book home from the library and devoured it.  I read it from cover to cover and was so sad when it was time to return it.  So, when I received it at Christmas, I was thrilled.  Anne’s book takes us across France and through its many pays, that is, specific regions in France and their produits du terrior, (products from a very specific area.) 

Not only does Anne’s book give you authentic French recipes, but it also delights with beautiful photos, superb commentaries on regions and towns, descriptions of local foods, and what and who make French country cooking so enticing.  It is a massive book, and I have not even begun to describe how wonderful it is.  It will give you daydreams of France.

Here are a few photos I took of this book to tease you into wanting your own copy.

First Catch Your Snail—best recipe title ever!

Truffles

La Truffade—Potato Cake with Cheese and Bacon, what is not to like?

“No two French markets are alike.”

Viennoiseries

Fruits Glacés

So, what have I learned from my first encounter with Madeleines?  First, I believe that the double buttering of the pan is not optional.  I would not have trusted this pan, nonstick though it may be, to have parted with them as willingly if not for the double buttering of the pan.  It’s kind of fun anyway.  Second, refrigerating the dough is a must.  Although I did not document it, my Madeleines had the coveted hump on the underside.  So how do they taste?  Honey sweet with just a hint of lemon.  Buttery.  Crispy and soft at the same time.  Anne’s recipe makes 18, my pan is for 12.  I filled them just a little too full, but not by much, I think they may have spent a minute or two too long in the oven as well.  With time and practice, I will be turning out even lovelier Madeleines.  Being my first experience, they did turn out nicely and I look forward to trying different recipes.  But I think I will always come back to this one; my children loved these.  Sophie said they were “too good.”

Click here for the delicious recipe for Honey Madeleines from The Country Cooking of France.

Forever Nigella: Colourful

 

Admission: I have only ever had pasta sauce in the colours of red, white, or yellow.  Is that sad?  I don’t know.  Well, today that changed.  The ushering in of Spring and its parade of colours has inspired me to name this month’s Forever Nigella #25, (which I am hosting), “Colourful”.  Thumbing through Nigella’s recipes I came across a beautiful pasta dish with green sauce!  My attention had been captured.  It was lovely, colourful, fresh, and inviting.  And it’s a relatively easy and quick recipe too! 

Pasta Alla Genovese

Click here for the recipe.

So what gives this its gorgeous green hue?  Basil!  And it smells divine.  This was a beautiful switch from my normal sauce.  The basil and parmesan give the sauce a classic Italian taste, while the potatoes and beans add texture to the dish. 

Next time I make this, (and there will be a next time), I may put the beans in at the same time as the potatoes.  Although I found the beans just perfect, my family prefers longer cooked beans.  I’m ok with that.  I may also not allow the potatoes to cook as long as I did this time.  Perhaps it was my choice of potato, (Idaho), or the size of the chunks, but they cooked quite quickly and started to turn to mush.  It was still delicious, but I may have lost some of the potato when I drained the pot, I should have trusted my instincts on this one. I also would add a pinch of salt to the pesto next time, just to boost the flavor a little. One more thing:  the recipe calls for both olive oil and extra virgin olive oil.  I thought I had both, but only had the extra virgin olive oil.  So that’s what I used.  Brian said it was ok as long as I didn’t use olive oil with a questionable reputation. Sound advice.

Note for American readers: Silly me. Of course I would choose a theme word with a different American English spelling. Don’t freak out! I decided to spell it the British English way in this post, (since Nigella would spell it that way, of course.) If you don’t like it, just blame Noah Webster for making things terribly confusing for us all. Also, the recipe calls for “fine beans”. The all knowing internet told me that’s just green beans. Skinny ones perhaps work the best for this recipe, but use whatever fresh you can find.

A big thank you to Sarah at Maison Cupcake for organising the Forever Nigella blogging event, and allowing me the opportunity to host this month.  We would love for you to join us this month by whipping up something colourful from Nigella Lawson’s recipes and then blogging about it, (see rules below).  Please link up to your post using Linky Tools below.  All entries will be eligible for a drawing to win one of these colourful beauties:

The winner will choose the colour of choice.  The second scoop goes to the winner of the raffle below.  International entries are allowed.

Link your Forever Nigella blog post here: 

Enter here for the Ice Cream Scoop Giveaway:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here for the round-up and winners!

Forever Nigella Participation Rules

How it works:

Events run 1st to 30th unless otherwise stated.

Events are to be announced on host’s blog on the 1st with round ups on 1st of the next month signposting the next host and theme.

Blog checking lines:
Forever Nigella #[number] is being hosted by [name] of [blog]. This month’s challenge is to prepare and blog any Nigella Lawson recipe [describe theme]. Forever Nigella is organised by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.

1. Blog by the deadline showing:
a) current Forever Nigella badge
b) link to the current host’s announcement post
c) link to Forever Nigella page: http://maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella-faq

Entries should have been published during that month.

2. Remember copyright.
Please do NOT reproduce Nigella’s recipes verbatim. Say which book it was and/or link to it online (see likely places below). If you’ve adapted the recipe i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write directions in your own words.

3. Submit your post via the linky tool – if there is no linky being used email the host cc’ed to sarah AT maisoncupcake DOT com. Tweet posts using #forevernigella and @maisoncupcake and Sarah will try to RT all those she sees.

The Forever Nigella page has a list of Nigella resources, future hosts and links to past themes and round ups.

Nigella Resources

No Nigella books yet? Search these resources online:

• Official Nigella site: http://www.nigella.com/
• BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/nigella_lawson
• Channel 4: http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-chefs/nigella-lawson-recipes
• Good Food Channel: http://uktv.co.uk/food/chef/aid/530864/
• Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/nigella-lawson/index.html
• Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Nigella+Lawson

Forever Nigella: Afternoon Tea

 

Forever Nigella #16 is being hosted by Fleur of Homemade By Fleur. This month’s challenge is to prepare and blog any Nigella Lawson recipe for Afternoon Tea. Forever Nigella is organized by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.

Afternoon Tea.  For us Americans, we think of it as something we have to get dressed up for and try our best to be posh.  But in reality, Afternoon Tea is supposed to be a snack to get us through the afternoon to dinner.  Now, I could go into all the different kinds of “Teas” there are, but I’ll save that for another post.  Today, lets treat Tea as so many do, with a cup of tea and a nice cake, cookie, or other sweet treat. 

I’m usually a chocolate lover, but in the summer, I’m a sucker for Lemon.  When I saw these Little Lemon Puddings on Nigella.com, I was hooked. (Translation: pudding can mean a steamed cake or just dessert.)  These puddings, are what Nigella calls a “short-cut version of the traditional English Canary Pudding.”  The traditional is steamed, while these are baked.

Don’t they look sunny and happy?  And Cute! And just look at that drippy lemon curd!  I gave these a try for a family dinner.  They were a big hit!

I had to use a conversion chart to figure out a few things:

125 grams of sugar = 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon

125 grams of butter = 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon

125 grams of flour = 1 1/8 cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, (the equivalent to the 180 degrees C and gas mark 4).

I also used silicone cupcake liners, so they were a little smaller than the ramekins I would have used, so I got 8 servings instead of just 6.

Mine didn’t turn out as golden as the Nigella photo, but that doesn’t keep them from tasting delightfully lemony.  The lemon curd on top is the icing on the cake, literally. 

These little puddings are a nice addition to your own Tea Time recipes.  But I didn’t stop there.  Because this little beauty is also a part of my 2012 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest entry.

The Ice Cream Contest is being hosted by Scoopalicious and Cupcake Project.

When I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for the contest, I thought about all the different ice creams I wanted to try making.  My mind kept coming back to Afternoon Tea.  I love lemon curd on a scone with clotted cream.  It’s divine!  So what better to go with the Little Lemon Puddings than Clotted Cream Ice Cream.  Yes, I went there!

Wow! This ice cream was so good!  It’s yummy perched upon a Little Lemon Pudding, topped with more lemon curd; it tastes like sunshine!  It’s perfect for a summer afternoon.

Clotted Cream Ice Cream 6 Egg Yolks 1 Whole Egg 1/2 cup Sugar (I used Vanilla Sugar) 2 1/2 cups Whole Milk 1 Vanilla Bean (split, with seeds removed) or 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1 1/4 Cups Heavy Cream 6 ounces Clotted Cream Use a whisk to combine the yolks, egg and sugar.  Whisk until the mixture turns pale yellow.  Add the milk and vanilla, (pod and seeds) to a saucepan and simmer.  Once it simmers, pull out the vanilla pod and VERY slowly pour the milk into the eggs while quickly whisking.  Bring the mixture back to the pan with the vanilla pod and simmer, stir constantly, until thickened.  (It will coat the back of a wooden spoon.) Strain the custard mixture to remove any lumpy eggs and vanilla pod.  Stash the mixture in the fridge until cold.  Stir the clotted cream into the cold mixture. Whisk the heavy cream in a cold metal bowl until it forms soft peaks, and fold into the mixture.  Freeze according to your ice cream freezer’s manufacturers instructions.  *Note:  Clotted Cream can be purchased at grocery stores that specialize in international foods.  A tea room shop is another place to look.  Or you can buy online from companies like the English Tea Store.  Alternatively, you can make your own; a feat I would like to tackle soon.

2012 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest

Official Rules:

• Dates: You can enter any time through June 30, 2012.
• How to Enter:

1. Create a recipe for ice cream cupcakes! The ice cream cupcakes must contain cake and ice cream (or frozen yogurt, gelato, or something ice cream-like). Cupcakes baked in ice cream cones without a frozen element are not eligible.
2. Write a new post on your blog about your creation. The post must include a photo, a recipe, and a link to both this post and to Scoopalicious. If you don't have a blog, upload a photo of your creation to Facebook or any photo sharing site (like Flickr). Make sure that you make the photo public (on Facebook, you'll simply change "share with Friends" to "share with Public"). In the photo description, include the details about the cupcake and the recipe.
3. Find and click the "Add your Link" button at the bottom of this post.
4. Complete the entry form. In the name field, enter the name of your creation. In the URL field, enter the link to your post (not your whole blog). If you don't have a blog, enter the link to your photo's page. On Facebook, this is the address of the photo post, not the one that is facebook.com/yourname. When you click to add a thumbnail image, the program should let you choose from the images on your page. If it doesn't work properly, check your link. If it still isn't working, you can upload an image directly from your computer.
5. After you submit your entry, wait a few minutes and refresh this page. You should see a thumbnail version of your entry displayed. Your entry is now complete!

• Number of Entries per Person: Sorry, we are allowing just one entry per person this year - so make it count!
• Judging Criteria: Cupcakes will be judged on perceived deliciousness, creativity, and presentation - in that order of importance.
• Prizes: The Grand Prize winner and the entry prize winners will be announced by the end of July! For the Grand Prize of a $250 gift certificate to a favorite cooking store, the store (virtual or brick and mortar) must specialize in cooking and/or baking supplies. General stores like Amazon, Target, etc. are not eligible. The cooking store must sell gift certificates. Stores outside of the U.S. are eligible, but the gift certificate will have a value of $250 U.S.

Read more: http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/05/2012-ice-cream-cupcake-contest.html#ixzz1z9kZpUBD

 

Forever Nigella Rules

1. Blog your entry by 28^th of the month showing:
a) the current Forever Nigella badge
b) a link to this announcement post
c) a link to the Forever Nigella page at Maison Cupcake: http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella

n.b. posts must have been published since the announcement post. Archived posts need to be re-published afresh if you wish to submit.

2. Remember copyright.
You must NOT reproduce Nigella’s recipes verbatim. Tell us which book it is from and/or link to it online. If you’ve adapted the recipe in some way i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write directions in your own words.

3. Submit your post
Use the linky tool or email the host cc’ed to sarah AT maisoncupcake DOT com.

Forever Nigella: Diamond Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952.  This year marks her 60th year and is being celebrated with her Diamond Jubilee.  She’s the second longest reigning British monarch, just barely tailing Queen Victoria. For more information, programing and merchandise, us Yanks can turn to BBC America’s Diamond Jubilee page.

Of course, this is Forever Nigella, so we have to cook up something yummy to go with any celebration.  This month I decided to try my hand at making my own custard creams.  “What are custard creams?” You may be asking.  Just one of the most delightful little cookies you’ll ever have.  I must confess, although these were easy to make, as Nigella states in her book, Feast, I did find that mine turned out to be just a little fussy.  It may be completely my fault though.  First, I think I added too much of the liquid to the cookie mixture.  I ended up having to add more flour when it came time to roll out the dough.  It was also difficult to roll out the dough thin enough.  Next time I will be more careful with the liquid.  The second thing I had trouble with was my cookie cutter.  Using a diamond shaped cutter for this occasion was a no brainer.  My particular cutter is the kind with the closed top.  It was very difficult to use.  I will soon invest in an open designed diamond cutter.  Those two things aside, these are tasty little cookies, or biscuits as they probably should be called.  I’m so glad I tried them.

Some may think of me as an Anglophile.  I’m not sure that I am.  Yes, I enjoy certain aspects of British culture, history, cuisine, literature, pottery, etc.  But I don’t buy things just because it’s got a Union Jack on it.  Actually, I don’t think I have anything with a Union Jack on it.  So I made a little something for my Diamond Jubilee display. I’ll blog about that later.

Gracing the table is also a commemorative dish I picked up in England.  It celebrates the Queen’s Coronation in 1953.
 
I have to admit something to you.  I found this picture, (actually a postcard), of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Heathrow.  It reminds me of the cheesy Olan Mills pictures we all had made in the 80s.  I imagined framing this in the most gaudy gold picture frame I could find (the one it’s in now is quite tame) and displaying it in my home amongst family photos.   We would casually mention to guests that this was Aunt Liz and Uncle Phil.  I wondered how many people would recognize her without a crown, a big hat or her Corgis. 
 
By the way, we have decided to refer to this picture as Cousin Liz.  As I’ve mentioned before, Brian and the Queen may share a common ancestor in Henry of Scotland.  That would make them 24th cousins. 
I’ve a few more postcards from my collection to share with you, just for fun.



Actually, now that I think of it, there is something I have with a Union Jack on it.  It is one of my favorite pictures I took in England.  It graces the back cover of one of my travel journals.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Awesome, right?
Forever Nigella
Forever Nigella #15 is being hosted by Nelly of Nelly’s Cupcakes. This month’s challenge is to prepare and blog any Nigella Lawson recipe that you would serve for the Diamond Jubilee.  Forever Nigella is organised by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.
So are you interested in joining the fun with Forever Nigella?  Each month is a new theme, so come and fun cooking and baking tempting treats and delicious meals. 

Forever Nigella Rules

Blog checking lines: Forever Nigella #[number] is being hosted by [name] of [blog]. This month’s challenge is to prepare and blog any Nigella Lawson recipe [describe theme]. Forever Nigella is organised by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.

1. Blog your entry by 28^th of the month showing:
a) the current Forever Nigella badge
b) a link to this announcement post
c) a link to the Forever Nigella page at Maison Cupcake: http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella

n.b. posts must have been published since the announcement post. Archived posts need to be re-published afresh if you wish to submit.

2. Remember copyright.
You must NOT reproduce Nigella’s recipes verbatim. Tell us which book it is from and/or link to it online. If you’ve adapted the recipe in some way i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write directions in your own words.

3. Submit your post Use the linky tool or email the host cc’ed to sarah AT maisoncupcake DOT com.

The Forever Nigella page shows a list of online Nigella resources, future hosts and links to past themes and round ups.

Tweet your post: #forevernigella
If you don’t have any Nigella books check out these resources online:
Nigella’s official site: http://www.nigella.com/
BBC Food: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/nigella_lawson
Channel 4 Food: http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-chefs/nigella-lawson-recipes
UKTV Good Food Channel: http://uktv.co.uk/food/chef/aid/530864/
Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/nigella-lawson/index.html
Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Nigella+Lawson

Sophie In Wonderland: Menu

 

Our Tea Party menu was a mix of some things you would find in a traditional Afternoon Tea, and some things that you would find in an Americanized type of Tea.  For example: Pink Lemonade.

We just had to have something in little “Drink Me” bottles.  It would not have been right to skip this little nod to the movie. These tags were printed on cardstock and attached with glue dots.  It would have been a lot of work to tie these to each bottle, but the easy glue dots give the same effect when you place them at an angle.  FYI: These are Starbucks Frappuccino bottles.  These are so cute with homemade labels.  That wouldn’t work with the “Drink Me” labels, maybe next time.

At the main table, each place setting included the lemonade and a plastic tea cup.  The plate holds a small cup of Strawberry Bisque, a prepared scone and an Egg Salad Sandwich.  If we had wanted to be more authentic, the crusts would have been cut off.  Sorry.

The center of the main table held a towering display of Cream Puffs and Mini Éclairs.  Yum!

Cake stands held the cupcakes at both ends of the main table.  You shouldn’t be surprised that they are The Best Cupcakes Ever!  These are topped with blue Sixlets bought at Party City.

The buffet table held all the same treats as the kids’ table, with the sandwiches being traded for mini quiches. 

There is the tea, of course.  Oh, and there are some Easter M&Ms tucked in there too!

The center of the table showcased the little scones, “clotted cream”, strawberry jam, and lemon curd.  This allowed the adults to make their scones as they liked.

You can find the recipe for my Strawberry Bisque HERE.  It’s served in a punch bowl Nana has handed down to me.

Classic Scones This recipe was given to me by a lady in Scotland. Makes 24 2-inch Scones

Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups Self-Rising Flour 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder 3 Tablespoons sugar 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold 1 Large Egg 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 2/3 Cup Whole Milk, (You will not need all of it)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Add the cold butter and rub with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbles.  Stir in sugar and salt. 

Break an egg into a liquid measuring cup and mix with fork, add enough milk to measure 5 ounces. (That will be just under 2/3 cup total.)

Pour egg and milk mixture into flour mixture a little at a time, mixing lightly until the dough just comes together; you may not need all of the liquid.

Gather mixture and place on a lightly floured surface, knead very gently, just until it holds it’s shape.  Flatten with palms to approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Cut into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on a greased baking sheet, (I use parchment.)  Lightly gather remaining dough and repeat cutting.

Brush tops with any leftover egg/milk mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes or until they are pale golden in color.  Serve immediately.

Notes:

I find the dough works better for me when it’s just a little more moist that I think it should be. I use a very gentle hand when patting it out, you don’t want to overwork the dough.  Keep the dough very cold the whole time.  If the butter starts to melt before going in the oven, the scones will flatten and spread.  If things start getting warm, place the dough in the fridge just long enough to cool things off.

Clotted Cream is a beautiful thing.  If you’ve ever had fresh clotted cream from South-West England, you know what I’m talking about.  There’s nothing like it.  Unfortunately, if I want clotted cream here in the states, I have to either buy it in a jar, (above), which is kind of expensive, or make it myself. 

I’ve yet to try making it for real.  That’s something I hope to try soon.  For the party, I used a recipe found HERE.  It uses mascarpone cheese and heavy cream.  It isn’t quite like the real thing, but it worked well enough.  I would recommend it in a pinch. (Note: I did not use the optional zest.  It seemed unnecessary to me.)

If you remember from the last post, the guests had a sweet take-home treat. 

These cookies are my favorite cut-out sugar cookies from Nigella Lawson.  They hold their shape when baked and are very reliable.  The trick for me is to take them out before I think they are done so they are still a little soft.

The icing is Wilton’s Royal Icing recipe.  I kept it thick to outline the cookie then thinned the rest with water and about 1/8 tsp. lemon extract and filled in the cookie.  I don’t know how many of these I had, I was a little addicted. 

I placed the cookies in little goodie bags, (Hobby Lobby), folded them and closed them with a little sticker.  I used Avery 3/4 inch diameter stickers stamped with a little clock face from a cool cling sticker collection from Hobby Lobby.  It kind of has this Steampunk-ish vibe going on.  I'm looking forward to using all the little stamps in the future!

Next post: How to plan an Alice party.