Kevin's Watch

peter wrote:I do a lot of the baking at work Av and am pretty good at judging when pastry is at it's optimum (if I say so myself! ) so I'll play it by ear ..... eye ..... ear. Yes hot sugar! Good point! In my desire for sticky sweet stuff I'd probably have forgotten that!

The GF bids me inform you that I have traduced her recipe by neglecting to mention the cinnamon and nutmeg she added, as well as the (optional) sprinkle of almond flour over the crushed nuts and chocolate.

She also advises packing the slices tightly in a deepish dish, lest the filling run out as the pastry expands.



--A

I have also been tasked with issuing a correction. A Chocolate Thing is more closely related to brioche than scone.

Now is Peter reading this? Or are our corrections falling on deaf ears? (blind eyes?)

--A

Wow Av - who would have thought so simple a confection could taste so good! Chocolate and orange is a marriage made in heaven. Even E, who is not a sweet pastry lover was tempted and impressed with the result. Your partner was totally correct with her advice on packing them tightly - of course I failed to do this so the end result was not as visually pleasing as perhaps it could have been, but the eating was still very good! (In truth I was worried that the pastry would not cook where it was in contact, so erred on the side of caution perhaps). We served it hot with a scoop of Heston Blumenthal's marmalade ice cream as a dessert - a definite for the family at Christmas!

My breakfast was oatmeal with plain yogurt, and some bites of pumpkin bread.

Sorus wrote:I have also been tasked with issuing a correction. A Chocolate Thing is more closely related to brioche than scone.

Looks like I'm not the only one who has conversations that involve, "I told some friends from online that..."

peter wrote:Wow Av - who would have thought so simple a confection could taste so good!

Ah, glad you enjoyed it. They really are good cold too. Maybe even better.

Thanks for the feedback. I shall tell the GF.

--A

Therein lies the problem Av - what to do with the three remaining slices! Mrs P is back on her diet and I'm already being told by my liver that I've eaten my pastry quota for the week. I find myself on the horns of a dilema - alas the Cornish seagull's may shortly be in for a serious treat!

They keep for quite a while you know. (And they make a pretty good breakfast...)

--A

Avatar wrote:

Sorus wrote:I like that. There's a local bakery here that makes a pastry they just call a Chocolate Thing.

The other day the GF did the following:

Rolled out a sheet of puff pastry, and covered it in chocolate spread. Then, spread marmalade over that. Then sprinkled it with chopped almonds and dark chocolate pieces. Then rolled it up like a swiss roll, cut into slices, and baked.

Dark chocolate orange and almond pastry...it was delicious.

--A

Wow! Sounds yummy and simple! Adding that to my foodie repertoire Cheers!!!!

Like Av - I rarely eat allegedly "the most important meal of the day" .. I'm never hungry in the morning ., and my stomach takes its sweet time waking up.

However, for lunch I enjoyed home made crumpets and a cup of coffee .. a nice warm up for the day. By then Id worked outside fencing, I seem to be always fencing! But after that I was ready for my crumpet! LOL

Is that fencing with a sword, or building a fence? I've always wanted to learn the sword type. Or archery, but I'd probably be better at fencing because I have no depth perception.

Homemade crumpets sound good.

Need depth perception for fencing too. I'm pretty sure Sky means the fence type of fencing.

(I used to do a bit of fencing myself (epee) (damn site won't allow accents on that) but that was long ago now.)

--A

I'm better with depth perception issues when they're close up. Since it's something I was born with, there's a degree of automatic compensation. The rest is just math.

This thread is in a tangle; I assumed Av meant the kind of fencing he thinks that Skyweir is meaning - but then I realized that he meant (or I think he does) Sorus's type. And just to complicate matters a bit further, I also used to fence occasionally, chiefly post and rail, but sometimes wire; I always fancied learning the art of dry stone walling - there was something about the lone figure in the middle of the rolling moor patiently balancing and locking his stone wall into place that appealed to the incurable romantic in me.

Yeah, I'm one for derailing threads. Anyway, crumpets. It's difficult to get a good crumpet around here.

peter wrote: This thread is in a tangle; I assumed Av meant the kind of fencing he thinks that Skyweir is meaning - but then I realized that he meant (or I think he does) Sorus's type. And just to complicate matters a bit further, I also used to fence occasionally, chiefly post and rail, but sometimes wire; I always fancied learning the art of dry stone walling - there was something about the lone figure in the middle of the rolling moor patiently balancing and locking his stone wall into place that appealed to the incurable romantic in me.

I do love Cotswold stone walls...

--A

Oh yes! (To crumpets and stone walls! )

peter wrote: This thread is in a tangle; I assumed Av meant the kind of fencing he thinks that Skyweir is meaning - but then I realized that he meant (or I think he does) Sorus's type. And just to complicate matters a bit further, I also used to fence occasionally, chiefly post and rail, but sometimes wire; I always fancied learning the art of dry stone walling - there was something about the lone figure in the middle of the rolling moor patiently balancing and locking his stone wall into place that appealed to the incurable romantic in me.

Me: Fencing Post & rail and wiring it to stop animals walking through it! I'm always fencing!

I'd LOOOVVVE to learn stone wall building!! I lived in a small village below the not that far from Hadrians Wall - we had an Armstrong in the village - more like in a manor in the village. Anyhoo I have such memories of climbing over styles and and nothing but stone walls ..as far as the eye can see

Av: sword fighting - en garde!!

Sorus wrote:Yeah, I'm one for derailing threads. Anyway, crumpets. It's difficult to get a good crumpet around here.

You should pop down under for a visit ... my hubby makes the best home made crumpets! They are to die for! He made me a batch before I left home for the week!

The joys of having a man that can cook ... and that lives to bake!!

Not super for the waste line ... but am past caring about my waist line! When you're as old as I am all I care about is being healthy and fit! Though I will admit I do on occasion feel I'm letting the side down .. with a body building fitness model for a daughter who just got her pro-card!!! She's soooo frigg'n food organised! She food preps once a week - 30 or so boxes of meals for the week! She's ripped! Then my dancer / singer son who travels on 6-12 month contracts world wide - well you can imagine how ripped he is! And both sons and daughter in-law have gone vegetarian/vegan .. well they just don't eat meat!!

And I'm British!!!! I love my Sunday roasts and .. well I can do vego but I loooove bacon!!! Sorry piggies !!! But I do!!!

Ahhh Bacon! We have a thread dedicated to it somewhere I believe, and I know I've said elsewhere that no chef anywhere in the world can ever put anything on a plate better than a crispy buttery mustardy bacon sandwich.