Brandy Snaps

On Tuesday evening we had some friends round to play board games, so I thought it would be nice to have some refreshments!
I was a little concerned about making these after my tuiles were not very successful. However this time I was careful not to bake too many biscuits at one time.
Mary suggested four on one baking sheet, so I did as I was told. She also suggested using greased wooden spoon handles to wrap the biscuits around. As I only own one wooden spoon, I thought I would find an alternative. In the end I used four marker pens and rolled them in baking parchment. I then rolled each biscuit around them. They worked perfectly, in fact, it made me think that had I used a wooden spoon handle, the brandy snaps would have been very thin and not have much room for cream! They didn't take long to go hard, and I was able to use the pens for each batch that I made. I didn't need to replace the baking parchment each time. There was plenty of grease coming from the biscuits. Mary says that the recipe makes 24, but I only made 17. I think her ones would really be quite small. I don't wish to boast, but mine looked like shop bought ones, and they tasted delicious. We gave them 9.0! They went down well with our guests.

Apricot and Orange Cheesecake

I cannot believe that I forgot to take a picture of this cheesecake. It actually looked quite impressive. It was a pale orange colour and on the top it had a thin layer of apricot jam, which looked really quite professional (I can say this as there is no evidence to the contrary!). Around the edges were piped rosettes of cream and on the top of each one was a rataffia biscuit.
Whenever I make the cheesecake recipes I always think that there is not enough base mixture to cover the bottom of the tin. It is true that the base is very thin, but this time it worked out fine, and I was able to get it off the tin, which was the most important thing. The apricot and orange flavour was obtained by simmering dried apricots in orange juice, and then blending together with the other ingredients.
For the topping, apricot jam was warmed and then sieved to create a jelly layer. The recipe said to use 1 tblsp, but it definitely needed more than that. I used at least two.
The cheesecake went down very well at church, and again, several very kind people gave it 10. I have to say that I would give it 8.5. I felt that the honey overpowered the apricot and orange flavour. If I were making it again, I would only put one spoonful in.
I do have a photo on my phone of the empty plate - to show its popularity- however it might be a while before this appears. Just use your imagination!

Petit Fours aux Amandes

I had not planned to make these yesterday, but as I had two egg whites left over from the sweet pastry and they did not look difficult, I thought I would knock them up quickly. Unfortunately they did not turn out as they should. The mixture was supposed to be thick enough to pipe into rosettes. Mine was not - maybe I didn't whisk the egg whites long enough. Rather than start again, I thought I would put the mixture into the mini muffin cases. I put a piece of cherry on top, but as you can see, they all sank in the mixture.
They turned out rather like mini macaroons. They were ok, but i know Mary's ones would have looked and tasted much better! We gave them 7.0

Frangipane Tartlets

We had a lunch at church today, so that was a good excuse to do some baking yesterday. I had planned to make two things, but ended up with three!
I made these tartlets, and was very pleased with the results. The sweet pastry behaved itself, and I didn't have any trouble with getting it into the tray. The recipe said to bake them them for 15 minutes, but I gave them a few more as I thought the bottom of them was still a bit soft.
While they were cooling, apricot jam was brushed on top and then ground almonds were sprinkled around the edge. They were very tasty and scored 8.5

Foccaccia Bread with Onion and Balsamic Topping

I have been looking forward to making this, as the picture in the book makes it look delicious. We were not disappointed!
I made it for our lunch with friends, and we had it with soup.
There is not much to say about the recipe. It is fairly straight forward, but involves several stages, so its not for when you are in a rush. I would definitely make it again. We gave it 8.5

French Madeleines

I did succumb to buying a special baking tray for these madeleines. I had been trying to avoid it, but couldn't really see a way around it. So if any of my friends and neighbours ever want to borrow it, then please feel free!
The sponge mixture is made by mixing the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is thick. I always forget how long it takes to do this. It was probably about 10 mins in the mixer. The flour and melted butter is then added and folded in.
The recipe says to fill the moulds until the mixture is level with the top. I managed to overfill a couple of mine, but it didn't matter too much. One interesting thing was that while the first batch was cooking, the mixture seemed to thicken up a bit. While the first lot of cakes turned out well, the second batch had rather a funny bump on the top of some of the cakes where the mixture had risen too much. They tasted nice - the hint of lemon came through - but they were not outstanding. Apparently the french dip them in their tea. We  did try this, but it made them very soggy. We scored them 7.5. I think I might look around for other recipes to try using this tin, now that I have it. The shell shape is rather attractive.

Potato Scones

I made these earlier in the week as we were having friends round for lunch, and they like things quite plain. Although the scones have a small amount of mashed potato in them, you cannot really tell.
To be honest I was quite disappointed with them, and cannot really see the point of making them over the ordinary scones, apart from the fact that they don't contain egg.
I didn't end up serving them to our friends, but the kids managed to polish them off with cream and jam on top. I would only score these 6.5