Strawberry Tartlets & book review of Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler

If you've read my blog before you'll already know that I am a fan of Jane Austen's work and when I came across this little book titled Tea with Jane  I couldn't resist! Two of my favourite things tea time and Jane Austen.

When I say it's a little book it physically is a bit smaller then the average cookbook and only has 60 or so pages, perfect size to slip inside a bag! Don't let the size fool you, it's packed full of tea time treats inspired by the world of Jane Austen; her work and her life!

My favourite thing about Tea with Jane Austen is that our author Pen Volger includes an old fashion version of the recipe next to the updated recipe - or how we read/write/cook today!

Emma is probably my favorite Austen novel so I had to make the strawberry tartlets! They were, of course, inspired from Emma and the day that Mr. Knightley invited everyone to Donwell Abbey to pick strawberries!

With a baked strawberry custard set in a sweet short crust pastry these would make a great tea time treat or if careful a perfect picnic treat! I would like to think Mr. & Mrs. Knightley would agree!

Strawberry Tartlets

sweet shortcrust pastry:

225g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and using your finger tips combine the flour mixture and cold butter cubes until it looks like bread crumbs. You don't want the butter to melt, so be quick and firm when rubbing in the butter. Mix the egg yolk and water together before adding to the flour/butter mixture. Using a knife stir it all together it should form big clumps. Then using your hands bring the dough together. Add water if you need to little by little. No need to knead. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

strawberry custard:

200g soft or damaged strawberries, hulled
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
40g plain flour
300ml milk

Grease 4 tartlet pans or a 9in/22cm tart tin. Heat the oven to 200C and take out the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch or 5 mm thickened line the greased tartlet pans with the pastry. It's okay to leave some of the pastry having over the edge to help with shrinkage. Prick the pastry with a fork. Cover each tart pan with a sheet of grease proof paper and fill with baking beads and blind bake for 10-12 minutes for the tartlets and 15-18 for the tart tin.
Take them out of the oven and remove the paper and the baking beads and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or so.
While they are blind baking boil the milk and leave aside, cover it to keep it warm. Puree the strawberries and leave aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk, until sugar has dissolved. Shift the flour in a third at a time beating well after each addition. Gradually pour in the boiled milk, whisking as you go. Return the custard mixture to the pan and heat until it just starts to boil - beat until the custard holds sits shape. Dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and pull it out. Run your finger down the spoon face, it should leave the line.
Take off the heat and beat in the strawberries. Pour into the pastry cases and bake for 10-15 minutes until the custard is set. Cool and serve! With strawberries or cream or meringues.

Suggestion: if you save the 3 egg whites from this recipe whip up some meringues to top your tarts with! Just half the recipe in this post I wrote: Waste Not Want Not!

notes: Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler (check out her other title Dinner with Mr. Darcy!) was sent to me to provide a review - recipe is taken from said book with permission from the publishers, Ryland, Peters & Small. This title was published in February and is available at all good book sellers and online shops! All opinions are my own, no other compensation besides the book was given - please see my contact/policy page for more information!

Teavivre Tea For Life (review)

Tea has been around for hundreds of years and probably one of the most popular drinks around the world. I love trying new and/or different teas then the usual English Tea. Teavivre make a variety of different flavors that they ship around the world.

This is the second time they have sent me tea to review and I was just as impressed this time, as I was last time.

Superfine Taiwan Moderately-Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea is a very rich tea with lots of flavor. It too has a subtle sweet taste that is great for a morning cuppa!

Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea this tea is similar to the above, the obvious difference as the above is roasted. It is a popular tea, most likely due to the sweet mellow taste.

Taiwan High Mountain Oolong Tea is a great tea for first time drinkers of Taiwan oolong tea. It has a flowery fragrant, but a very sweet taste.

Taiwan Monkey Picked - Ma Liu Mie - Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea has a smooth fruity flavor with a hint of honey. It is called “monkey picked” because a legend says that the cliff where oolong tea leaves grows can be too abrupt and so a monkey is trained to climb the cliff and pick the precious leaves. A soft fire bakes the leaves in about 6 minutes; it is what gives this tea its distinct flavor.

Anxi Monkey King – Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea is low in caffeine so a great evening or bedtime tea. This tea smells amazing! It is also a very smooth tea, with a sweet aftertaste.

notes: For more information and other tea flavors check out the Teavivre website! Check out my first post! The tea was provided for the review no other compensation was given. Please see my contact/policy page for more information! 

Baking Book Gift Guide

It is the day after Thanksgiving. 

Sometimes it's also known as Black Friday. In the states after Thanksgiving people start getting ready for Christmas. A lot of families will be putting up trees and other decorations this weekend, along with starting their Christmas shopping.

It makes a bit of sense really, if the stores know that people are going to be shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend then why not entice them in more with some great savings? 

It suits both retailers and shoppers. One makes a lot of money while the other gets some great savings. I don't like the chaos and you will never find me going out on Black Friday, but I don't hate it either.

So, because a lot of people will be starting their shopping this weekend I though I would write up a quick "gift guide" based on baking and cook books that I own. Then at the end of the post I have included my book "wish list" for books I wold love to read!

I have chosen these books because I think they would make great gifts for bakers with particular tastes! Some are just because they are a good read! 

To me it's not just about the recipes, it's about what they have to say as well! I like a cookbook that I can read and get into too! 

 

Cake by Rachel Allen

This literally has every and any cake you’d ever want to make in it! A great book for cake lovers!

Cake Days and Home Sweet Home by Hummingbird Bakery

Cake Days is the book that really started my baking and blogging life. I can’t recommend it enough. It has amazing recipes perfect for every season. 
Home Sweet Home is just as good! Perfect for a new or experienced baker! 

Chocolat by Eric Lanlard

~ For the chocolate lover in your life! 

Crumb by Ruby Tandoh

It is one of the most informed baking books I have ever read. Perfect for a new baker! 

Fat Witch Brownies by Patricia Helding

I think this has some of the best bars and brownies I have ever come across! Perfect for brownie lovers!

Jamie Magazine

Not a book, but I love this monthly addition to my recipe collecting habit. I should probably get a subscription!

Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

 I find myself engrossed in this book whenever I read it. Perfect for any cookbook lover!

Leon: Family & Friends (book 4) by John Vincent & Kay Plunkett-Hogge

Great book for anyone who likes to cook for their friends and family! 

Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town! by Ms. Cupcake

Not just for Vegans, but a must this Christmas for the Vegan in your life!

Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Perfect gift for ice cream lovers! Make sure they have an ice cream maker!

Robicelli’s A Love Story with Cupcakes by Allison & Matt Robicelli
The funniest and most real cookbook I have ever read. For cupcakes biggest fan! 

Sprinklebakes by Heather Baird

 Need an artistic twist to your baking, then this is the book for you!

Sweet Treats for a Sugar Filled Life, Presented by Cakespy by Jessie Oleson-Moore

 This book is your guide to taking dessert above and beyond your wildest dreams!

The Vintage Sweets book, The Vintage Tea Party Book, The Vintage Tea Party Year by Angel Adoree

If you know someone who loves vintage, afternoon, tea, sweets, parties and more then this is the book for them! 

Warm Bread & Honey Cake by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra

Great read and recipes in this book! Great for someone who loves to learn about food from all over the world. 

Now for the books I wouldn't mind appearing under my Christmas Tree this year!

Bake to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy by Anna Olsen

My Paris Kitchen: Recipes & Stories by David Lebovitz

Sweet by Valerie Gordon

Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan

Baked Elements: The Importance of Being Baked in 10 Favorite Ingredients

& Baked Occasions by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Sugar Rush: Master Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Sweet Baking by Johnny Iuzzini & Wes Martin

Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from our Kitchen by Zoe Nathan

Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes by Shauna Sever

What is your favorite baking and/or cookbook that you think would make a great gift? Any book that you think everyone you know should own? Just leave a comment below because I am always looking for new cookbooks!!

notes: To see my full list of baking books and a handful of my cookbooks check out the tab above! I really need to update it! All opinions and suggestions are my own I have in no way been compensated for this post by any of the publishers or authors. Please see my contact/policy page for further information. The black box on the top is intentionally a black box. 

Tea for Me

Before I moved to the UK I didn't drink much tea. In fact I didn't drink many hot drinks I preferred iced drinks really.

Even though I do prefer iced teas and coffees, when I come in soaked from another rainy day a cup of tea really does hit the spot.

I have always preferred fruity or herbal teas. Teavivre sent me a variety of to try out!

Here is the list of teas they sent me and a short reaction to each:

Unbridled Love Fruit Tea (Iced) – The fruit used in this tea are apple, roselle, orange peel and grapes. The orange peel is the strongest flavor which was very refreshing and made a great iced tea!

Blueberry Fruit Tea (Iced) – it was blueberry! Probably my favorite tea out of the samples I tried. I tried this one hot and cold and liked it both ways!

Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea – I like a good cup of green tea in the mornings and this one had a very “green” or herbal smell a great tea to wake up too!

Jasmine “Dragon Pearls” Green Tea – This was a gorgeous smelling tea and had a great taste another one I really enjoyed first thing in the morning!

Strawberry Oolong Tea – This tea had an absolutely amazing smell! However it was my least favorite tea of the selection I had tasted. I wonder if I was expecting it to taste as it smelt and it was just not as strong as the smell.

Superfine Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong Tea – it was a very smooth and mild flavored tea, which was great as an afternoon tea. 

All of them had amazing flavors and were really refreshing! I of course had my favorites, but everyone has their own tastes so I would suggest trying these or different ones!

All these teas and many more can be found on the Teavivre website! There is also a lot more in depth information on the website. Each tea description is very well detailed and gives you the best temperature for brewing each tea. Which I thought was great! 

notes: These tea samples were provided for an honest opinion. For more information please visit my contact/policy page. Photos: the tea in the cup is the Strawberry Oolong Tea, but the tea on the table is the Jasmine Pearls. 

Let the sun in. {Twinnings Tea review}

Before I moved to England I was never really into hot drinks. The colder the better in my opinion! However after half a decade in the UK I have warmed to hot drinks. Pun intended.

I was given an opportunity to taste 3 fruity flavors of Twinnings Tea: Orange Crush, Apple Crunch, and Blackcurrant Burst!

"Let the sun in. Prepare for a burst of juicy sweetness" 

is what the side of the Orange Crush box promises. It's pretty close! It was the most refreshing of the 3 hot or cold. The day I was taste testing was a bit warm so after drinking a hot cup, I took the advice of the back of the box and made a chilled drink. Which my eldest daughter drank down when I wasn't looking!

All you do is make the cup of tea let it cool down. Then add it to a tall glass with ice and top up with lemonade, Lilt, or some other citrus soda and enjoy! 

"Mellow - Sweet apples ripe and ready for drinking" 

This was the least authentic tasting, it was good and it tasted like apples, but it reminded me of a candy/sweet flavor not a true apple. But I suppose apple flavor would be hard to replicate. Was a refreshing cup of tea none the less!

"Mmmm... the sweet tang of plump blackcurrants is just moments away" 

Blackcurrant isn't my favorite flavor, mainly because it always catches me out when I'm eating Skittles. They are not grape like they are in the USA! However the tea was light and refreshing and perfect for this gorgeous summer we are having! 

I tried this chilled as well! Instead of using lemonade or another citrus drink I used cranberry juice. It was good!

I gave a few tea bags to Mr Knightley to take to work for some of them to try too and his lovely co-worker Michelle tried them and rated them Orange, Blackcurrant, Apple. We were both on agreement that the orange was the best! She was also the one to put into words why I didn't fancy the apple one as much, which was the reason I stated above.

When it's warm out the last thing we need is are thinking of is a hot milky drink sometimes a nice fruity tea is what is needed! Twinnings have a whole range and most of them are only 4 calories so perfect for those who are watching that part of their life! 

notes: I was provided these teas for tasting. Please see the contact/policy page for further information. 

Muscovado Madeira cake from Cake by Rachel Allen {book review}

Any chance I get to bake I take it. Baking just for me and for the family has gotten a bit…well… it’s hard to explain. There is only so much cake one family can eat! So, I've cut back a bit on my baking “just because” and baking more useful things like bread. So, having some mum friends around for coffee was a great excuse to use one of my new books I got over the holiday period!

Cake by Rachel Allen! I have watched Rachel since I moved to the UK on her various TV programs. I could never decide which one of her books to start with, not being able to buy all of them in one go, I didn't.

It wasn't until watching Cake Diaries on the Good Food Channel that I decided to start with the accompanying book. Cake is broken down into 9 chapters: Easy; Fast; Healthy; Classic; Teatime; Dessert; Children’s; Celebration; Festive. The Chapter titled ‘Easy’ is where I found the recipe for the Muscovado Madeira cake the one I made for my mom friends. With only 4 ingredients (butter, dark soft brown sugar, eggs, flour) this cake was easy to throw together. It was a hit as well, everyone said it was very nice and went great with coffee or tea!

Normally when reviewing a book I list all the recipes I really want to try, but this book is slightly different. It has so many different ideas for different occasions I wouldn't know where to start my list. However, I know that whenever a cake is needed, Cake will be one of the first places I look! It has so many great looking (sounding) cakes, 200 to be exact, that I will be completely spoiled for choice!! 

notes: last picture; 1. Angel Cake, I love Angel Cake and this is the first time I've seen it not made in a tube pan! A must try! 2. Madeleines, these are everywhere I look at the moment! Thinking I'll have to try them soon! 3. Rhubarb and Custard Swiss Roll one of the reasons I bought the book. Looks delicious! 

Cake by Rachel Allen: Amazon & The Book People

Rachel Allen’s website

A variation on this cake: Orange Madeira cake

Rachel Allen's Cake Diaries on Good Food Channel (recipes from book)

The Vintage Tea Party Year by Angel Adoree {book review}

With the party season upon us Angel Adoree’s The Vintage Tea Party Year is the perfect companion for any host/hostess! In the midst of planning my soon-to-be 5-year-old’s birthday party I realize I really enjoy the whole thought process and execution of parties. I devoured this book in one night and dreamt of all the events I can’t wait to celebrate! Armed with all the information in this book party planning will be a lot easier!

With 12 chapters, loosely based on the 12 months of the year, there are plenty of fun ideas to pick and choose from! In saying that it’s not the typical 12-month celebrations you might be familiar with. New Years and Christmas are of course present, but then it’s more based on events that warrant a party. Such as: Hen-Do’s, kids parties, picnics, street parties, Guy Fawkes Night and so on.

My favorite is the Gentlemen’s Tea Party. I so wish Mr. Knightley would let me arrange a tea party for him and his friends! Some how I think it won’t be happening, but that doesn't mean I won’t be using some of the delicious looking treats from this chapter!!

Not only is there a range of gorgeous sounding and looking food, but lots of tips to help your event go off with a bang! The hairstyles are a fun bonus as well. I would never succeed in doing the hair myself, but if I had a little help I might be able to pull it off!

As I write this I am listening to fireworks and I know I will be listening to them all night and weekend long! Guy Fawkes Night is one holiday I have come to love, having never celebrated it until I moved to the UK. It's just the first of many events that deserve to be recognized with a party, better yet a tea party!! Even though we are staying in this weekend it doesn't mean we will be skimping on the food and activities!

I haven’t decided what I will be making yet, but when I do you will be the first to know! What are you doing this weekend? Really I just want to know what you're eating?!? Doesn't matter if you made it yourself or someone else is making it for you! Have a fun and safe weekend! 

links: The Book People; Octopus Publishing Group; My thoughts on Angel Adoree’s The Vintage Tea Party Book, be warned it has footnotes and I talk about my problem for the first time in a public space.

Soho, London {Bakery Tour: Part 2}

Finally getting around to the second part of my day in London*!!

We walked to Soho after our morning in Covent Garden and we passed a Bubbleology! Having never been I went in to try it out! I couldn't make up my mind on which flavor to get but finally settled on White Peach. The very nice Bubbleologist said it was a popular choice! I really enjoyed it. Very refreshing and flavorful! Tasted a little floral (maybe?), but it wasn't a bad thing!

Then we went to Paul.A.Young, it's a small shop with lots of chocolate. I saw somewhere (probably twitter) that he makes killer brownies so that's what I went for! I also love Pecans so choose the salted caramel and pecan brownie.

I didn't eat it right away* as it says it's good for 7 days at room temperature or 14 days in the fridge and I had already indulged a lot that day. When I finally got around to eating it I didn't even get a picture of it unwrapped! Obviously because I ate it and it was so good that the last thing I was thinking of was taking a picture of it. Now that's a good brownie. It was the right texture and very rich and extremely gorgeous! The sales lady was very nice and answered all of our questions. I always think service is important and will mention it if it's either outstanding or terrible. I will definitely be going there again! 

And last but not least the Hummingbird Bakery! It's pretty much right next door to Paul.A.Young and earlier that day on twitter I learned they started there new daily specials and that Monday's were Cadbury's Double Deckers, Mr. Knightley's favorite candy bar.

So, I stopped in there to get him one of those. I did try a bite and it was okay. I have been to Hummingbird Bakery before and then I had 2 cupcakes one really good the other only so/so. The double decker cupcake was soft and moreish. However the frosting wasn't my favorite. It was heavy literally and figuratively. So, again I feel 50/50 about the place. Love the books though. Maybe that's the problem that I have such great success from the books that I hold the actual bakery to higher standards? I don't know? I wouldn't tell you not to try the new specials, because the cake was good and the filling. It just feel a little short on the frosting for me. 

That concludes my semi-spur of the moment day trip to London. Planning to go again later in the month! Can't wait to tell you all about it!! 

Places we went:

Bubbleology: 49 Rupert St, Soho, London, W1D 7PF

Paul.A.Young: 143 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8WA

Hummingbird Bakery:  155a Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8WG

*It's been a whole week! First part here! 

*Why this post came later....

Nigella's Buttermilk Scones!! #AugustBreak

I have been baking for a while now and have lived in the UK even longer. Yet, I have never made scones before. Before this weekend that is. These turned out great! Way better then the store bought ones! They were very easy to make! If you own Nigella's Kitchen you'll find the recipe in there on page 283. If you don't I think you should. It's one of my favorite cookbooks ever, it has the best of everything! It's also available on the BBC website. I had my copy of Kitchen signed!! Check it out here!