Keston Kitchen Birthday Cake

This month is the one year anniversary of the Keston Kitchen blog! In order to celebrate our first birthday I decided to make a cake to mark the occasion.

If you have read Julia's previous post about the exciting calendar announcement you will have seen the fabulous new logo which has been created for us by Nick Ritchie. The logo was the obvious choice for the birthday cake design.

I knew it needed to be a fairly substantial cake to do the logo justice, so I turned to my friend Abbie in her capacity as the office baking expert and general wizard with icing for advice. Abbie suggested making a Madeira cake and text me the recipe her and her mum use for many of their cake creations.

Madeira was definitely the right choice as the result was a sturdy cake that was easy to cut in half to add a filling and it provided a nice flat surface for icing. Although solid, it was not too heavy and had a lovely subtle lemon flavour.

The ingredients below are for a 7 inch round or 6 inch square tin, I was filling a 9 inch square tin and so used 7 eggs instead of 3 and adjusted all the other quantities accordingly.

Ingredients:

175g butter (room temperature)

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

225g self raising flour

pinch of salt

dribble of milk

grated zest of 1 lemon

Method:

Line a 7 inch round cake tin with greased baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 170C.

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a fork, making sure the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture has a paler appearance than when you started.

Whisk in the eggs and then fold in the flour a bit at a time.

Finally add a little milk until the cake mixture is a soft drop consistency.

Scoop the mixture into the lined tin and make sure it is levelled off so it does not rise unevenly.

Place in the oven and cook for 1-1.25 hours until a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean (the larger cake took about 1.5 hour)

By the time the cake had cooled last sunday, I'd run out of energy for the icing part (plus we had to fit in watching an episode of the Wire that evening) so the cake lived in a tin for a couple of days before completion.

I sliced the cake in half and filled it with strawberry jam and whipped cream. I then heated a bit more jam with a splash of water to make a glaze to help the icing stick to the cake.

I used a packet of white icing which comes ready to roll. I used a 1kg packet for this cake but if you are making a 7 inch round cake a 500g packet would do.

After covering the cake in a layer of icing a few mm thick I cut out the design from the remaining icing using a stencil I created from a print out of the logo. Abs advised me to paint the food colouring onto the icing rather than mixing it in to produce a more vivid colour.

I left the painted icing letters to dry before putting them on the cake (just using water as glue) and so finished it hastily in the morning before work. We had a quick candle ceremony before I chopped it up to distribute to the other Keston Kids and the office where I work.

I was concerned the it may not have been as enjoyable 3 days after it was baked but the Madeira cake was still yummy and by the end of wednesday at work there were only a few crumbs left as evidence.

Thanks for your help Abbie (and Mrs M)

Rachael x

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1 Carrot, 3 Ways

By Ceri x

1 Carrot, 3 ways began when my friend, Paul came to see me earlier this month. He appeared at my door with a somewhat theatrical flourish (he is an actor, so to be expected) announcing 'Wade, I have brought you a Carrot!'. As I turned around to see quite what he was talking about I realised he really wasn't kidding.

What followed was immense excitement in the Keston Kitchen household, as Paul had brought me literally the biggest Carrot I have EVER seen in my life and probably ever will again. He had been round to visit his friend Mark who lives close to us in London. Mark's Father is a prize winning vegetable grower so he had a lot of the left over vegetables just knocking around the house. He kindly donated a couple of items to Paul who knew that one way to impress the Keston ladies would be to bring us prize winning giant vegetables- it worked! I literally ran around to Jules' and Charlotte's rooms brandishing the giant Carrot, much to their delight.

That weekend was the first one I had been free just to potter around the kitchen since June. As much as I love them, the festivals of the Summer had kept me away from any culinary adventures (bar the crew food, which is often a different type of adventure!), so I decided to make the most of it. Saturday was spent on the first 2 recipes and Sunday was spent cooking a 2 bird uber roast (the first of a long roasting season) for 9 other South East London based friends and roast dinner fans. I had a brilliant weekend!

After peeling and top and tailing, I got 600 g of Carrot so I wanted to put it to as many uses as I could. The first of which is the tried and tested Carrot Cake recipe by Delia. It is one of my favourites and one of the most deliciously moist carrot cakes going. This is partially down to the inclusion of the sunflower oil instead of the use of butter, which means it's good if you are watching your waistline too.

Delia's Low Fat and Incredibly Moist Carrot Cake

Ingredients

6 oz (175 g) dark brown soft sugar, sifted

2 Large eggs at room temperature

4 fl oz (120 ml) sunflower oil)

7 oz (200 g) wholemeal self-raising flour

1½ level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

3 rounded teaspoons mixed spice

Grated zest 1 orange

7 oz (200 g, I actually used 300g just because I could) carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

6 oz (175 g) sultanas

For the topping:

9 oz (250 g) Quark (skimmed-milk soft cheese- philadelphia or own brand works just as well, just make sure you don't buy the garlic and herb version!)

¾ oz (20 g) caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a little extra for dusting

For the syrup glaze: juice ½ small orange

1 dessertspoon lemon juice

1½ oz (40 g) dark brown soft sugar

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).

Equipment

You will also need a non-stick oblong cake tin measuring 6½ x 10 inches (16 x 25.5 cm), top measurement 7 x 10½ inches (18 x 26.5 cm),1½ inches (4 cm) deep, the base lined with silicone paper (parchment).

Method

Begin by whisking the 6 oz (175 g) sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl using an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes.

Then sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the mixed spice into the bowl, tipping in all the bits of bran that are left in the sieve.

Now stir all this together, then fold in the orange zest, carrots and sultanas. After that pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until it is well risen and feels firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre.

While the cake is cooking, make the topping by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl until light and fluffy, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 1-2 hours or until needed. Now you need to make the syrup glaze, and to do this whisk together the fruit juices and sugar in a bowl.

Then, when the cake comes out of the oven, stab it all over with a skewer and quickly spoon the syrup over as evenly as possible. Now leave the cake on one side to cool in the tin, during which time the syrup will be absorbed.

Then, when the cake is completely cold, remove it from the tin, spread the topping over, cut it into 12 squares and dust with a little more cinnamon.

The results are usually very well recieved, delicious and tasty. Here is my version which I served up after the Sunday Roast.

A Spiced and Spicy Carrot, Apple and Tomato Chutney

The second idea I had for a recipe also incorporated the other present Paul bought me that day which was a bag of ripe and fast over- ripening tomatoes, also from the prize winning vegetable grower. Autumn in the Keston Kitchen is often a Chutney making affair. In fact, one of the plus points to the other girls for me moving in around 18 months ago was the fact that I was bringing my very large pan that is perfect for such events. I couldn't agree more and thought it was time to have a proper go at this and tomatoes that needed using quickly lent themselves very appropriately to the cause. I couldn't find a good recipe for Carrot and Tomato Chutney, so I did what I enjoy doing most which was looking at a few recipes and having a go at freestyling. My base recipe was from Rachel Allen on the Good Food website (which is a fantastic resource for a quick search for recipe ideas). It appealed to me as it was simple and looked tasty. I came up with the following based on that.

Ingredients

• 1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 200 g onions, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• 300 g roughly grated carrot
• 1 large red chilli
  
• 100 g raisins or sultanas
• 250 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 300 g sugar
• 225 ml vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp onion seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a large stainless steel saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved completely.

2. Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer on a low heat, stirring regularly (to make sure the mixture does not burn on the bottom of the pan) for about 1 - 2 hours or until thick and pulpy. The chutney is cooked properly when you can draw your wooden spatula across the bottom of the pan and the two sides created take a short time to come back together.

3. Pour into hot sterilised jars and cover. To sterilise, you need to boil the jars for approx 10 mins and then dry in a heated oven.

4. The Chutney is best left to mature for 4-8 weeks before eating if possible. And in which event, I am yet to taste my Chutney, but I will report back once I have done so. You can guarantee I will be using it to it's best effect with some West Country cheddar and some crusty granary bread with a nice glass of red wine :)

Carrot + Paul

So what of the 3rd way? Well after a cake for 12 people and 5 jars of Chutney, The Carrot had given as much as it could give. I made honey boiled Chantenay carrots with butter and black pepper to serve with the Roast dinner, which I know is a little bit of a cheat, but I really don't mind, so I hope you don't either. Thanks to Paul for genuinely one of my favourite culinary presents I have ever recieved and to all my carrot tasting friends, which has so far involved 10 of us in total, and potentially a lot more once the Chutney has been dished out. I have to say, I enjoyed getting back in the kitchen and working out my carrot based kitchen endeavours. This post has been fun! I'm definitely embracing the Autumn.

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Gazpacho in the park

Gazpacho in the park

By Charlotte

Cold soup on a hot day is very pleasurable. With raw food at the height of culinary fashion this traditional Spanish dish is worth trying. It is also super versatile so you can just throw in your favourite vegetable and salad ingredients. I love Spain and Spanish food, more often than not though, I go for tapas or fresh fish when by the sea and until last week I had forgotten how good gazpacho can be.

My earliest memory of gazpacho is when a good friend came round and made it for me one summer (it may have passed my lips on an unforgettable school trip to Lloret de Mar but as food was not high on the agenda back then I can't quite remember). Tenille is a lover of Spain, she speaks the lingo and lived in Madrid for a while so knows her stuff and the soup that she dished up was delicious, so full of flavour and incredibly fresh - it basically tasted like salad ingredients blended together with a dressing and then chilled. I assure you this is good.

Anyway, this experience occured couple of summers ago.

2 years on (last weekend), Tenille called to say she was ill with a temperature so I thought I'd go round and return the favour by making gazpacho for her to chill her out - literally. I hope it worked T? Again I realised how much I loved the stuff and decided to make a batch this morning, the perfect accompaniment to the HOT weather.

Charlotte's gazpacho (serves 4)

2 garlic cloves

1/3 of an onion chopped (I used white onion)

1 small cucumber diced (I didn't peel it but perhaps should have done)

1 red pepper chopped into squares

5 medium tomatoes blanched and peeled, then roughly chopped

old bread, about 3-4 slices, no crusts and cut into cubes

olive oil

wine vinegar (I used cider but white/red wine would work)

salt and pepper

Soak the bread in a little bit of water then place it in a mixing bowl with all the other prepared ingredients. Add some water, about 200ml, 3-4 big glugs of oil, 2 glugs on the vinegar and blend with a hand blender. Taste and season. A lot of Spanish recipes tell you to pass it through a sieve a couple of time so that it's super smooth so you can do this or eat it with a few bits. It tastes real good with toasted ciabatta with oil and salt on.

If you want to add or swap ingredients you could try avocado, asparagus, beans, spring onion - the gazpacho world is your oyster.

Serving suggestion: naked in the park.

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Food From Friends: Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut from The Netherlands

by Charlotte

When you get invited to dinner for roast chicken, homemade sushi or an Italian feast the answer is always yes please. Does the offer of sauerkraut earn the same amount of enthusiasm? I don't think it does but it surely should do!

Here's a little tale of how I discovered the joys of sauerkraut. One sunny weekend I was in the Netherlands on a boat with some Dutch friends and Matt (pizza oven enthusiast). They sail every year for 3 weeks and we decided to join them for a long weekend. One evening a delicious smelling supper was being prepared, and yes it turned out to be a meal of sauerkraut with pork escalopes, potatoes, mushrooms and many other delightful flavours. This was my first sauerkraut experience: a momentous occasion.

The trip ended and a few weeks later I was on the hunt for a birthday present for a friend; a very creative young lady who has many hobbies and is good at many things. I ended up in a vintage shop with a copy of Mrs Beeton's Cookbook and Household Management in my hand - a 'must have' I decided. 

That evening we had decided to treat some friends to the sauerkraut experience but had not located a recipe. Lo and behold, Mrs. Beeton (she won't let you down) had the perfect pork and sauerkraut dish to hand. We had 5 guests, who may have been a little apprehensive although they didn't let on. Lucinda might have made a couple of small comments (she always does) but obviously she quickly became a sauerkraut aficionado along with the rest of the dinner table.

So, the moral of the story is sauerkraut is a winner. It's easy to prepare and not only delicious but incredibly reasonable and available in all major supermarkets! Think we got a large jar for 89p. Here's a similar recipe to try (I've now given Mrs. Beeton to the birthday girl!) 

Best served on a large Dutch barge after a hard day's sailing. If this is not possible a kitchen table should do the trick. Invite the skeptics and convert! Enjoy.

IngredientsServes: 4-6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped

3 potatoes, cut into large pieces
5 juniper berries
1 clove
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon black mustard seeds
4 strips of bacon, cut into rough squares
500g of sauerkraut
4 pork escalopes, cut into chunky strips
1 glass of dry white wine 

In a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, melt the oil over a medium heat. When hot, add the onions and sautee until transclucent (about five minutes or so). Then, add the sauerkraut, white wine, juniper berries, clove, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and garlic. Add the pork strips and bacon. Cover and simmer for about two hours.

In another saucepan, simmer the peeled potatoes (if you're using new potatoes leave the skins on and just cut in half). Simmer until the potatoes are done and add to the pot before serving.

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