I feel like I have MUCH to report from this week, some of which may make you laugh, cry, think I’m ridiculous, or possibly shout ‘OMG, me too’… so here is my week in moments:
I trod in fox poo* at 7:30am on Monday morning whilst taking the dog out for her poo (a lot of poo chat here sorry). I proceeded to gag my way through bleaching my Crocs… and the rest of the house as I’d managed to roam around for a good 10 minutes before realising that I had poo all over my feet! GRIM!
A Tirami-choux* ‘concept bake’ that I’m not 100% happy with yet… but, if we ignore the slightly loose mascarpone filling, then, oh wow, this was a VERY good idea that I will try to refine for you to try. The happy news from my semi-failure with this bake was that, in the interest of not wasting things, I ended up freezing the end product and, quite magically, invented a kind-of parfait filled choux bun that I’m now thinking I should patent!
(*yes, that’s tiramisu but in a choux bun; not my clever discovery I’m sad to say)A very lovely mahusive passionfruit from M&S that had been lurking in the fruit compartment of my fridge for about 2 months, it was wrinkly and possibly even mouldy on the outside but tasted better than any passionfruit I have tasted before. Proof that you should never judge a book by its cover.
*Disclaimer: I can’t guarantee that all M&S passion fruits are as good as this one, sorry.A less lovely attempt at a chocolate tart: I keep seeing people make rich chocolate ganache tarts so obviously I had to have a go too. I went for a chocolate cornflake base, topped with a chocolate crémeux filling, aka chocolate cornflakes, with (set) chocolate milk, basically Breakfast, right? Ok, maybe my breakfast analogy is a stretch, nevertheless, in theory, it should be fabulous butttt… err, it just wasn’t, let me explain.
I didn’t allow the base to set sufficiently (impatient), I didn’t grease my tin (rookie error), I also used the wrong tin (IDIOT), as a result of my idiotic tin selection, some of the crémeux managed to escape from the loose-bottom as I poured it in (REALLY, I KNOW I’M AN IDIOT), my ratio of crémeux to base was WAY off… (it didn’t properly set either - merely details at this point), ANDDDD the result was O-KAY but a bit rich, and a bit sweet, obv sloppy, and REALLY chocolate-y, BLAH! Oh and having tried some at 8pm on Tuesday evening, (and had a tantrum about my failure), I couldn't get to sleep, because apparently, I’m a child and chocolate makes me wired! Eurgh, what a FLOP.Dropping a box of really great biscuits… carnage of broken biscuits. Sad.
Clementines… or whatever variety of small orange product currently on offer in the supermarkets - they are ON POINT this year. I hate a shrivelly insipid number, but every one I have tried thus far has been DE-LISH - firm, juicy and a little tart!! YUM!
My latest PB discovery: “Utta Nutta” peanut butter - firstly can we appreciate this flawless name, secondly, why have I only just discovered this wizardry? Thirdly, I’m really mad that I only picked up this sample pot which despite WINNING on cute-ness, is not sufficient. Send supplies!
A Haircut - I’ve resisted having my haircut for about 6 months, I just HATE being pampered and touched and yuck. Anyway, it really needed some attention, so I bit the bullet and booked an appointment. On the plus side, I am no longer hiding behind a pelmet of fringe, however, I hate change, so I need a week or two to ‘grow into it’!
I’m not really a huge fan of roast dinners, I mean, they’re fine but I’m kinda indifferent. HOWEVER… HOLY MOLY, I had a roast chicken on Sunday that was really bloomin lovely, (if you don’t already, I thoroughly recommend pre-salting or brining your meat for the moistest juiciest chicken! YUM). I then made chicken soup, and curry with the leftovers - which were also very lovely, WINNER!
Finally, I made a very LOVERLY loaf of bread this week, and you NEED to try it! It’s a simple artisan-style mixed-grain loaf, stuffed with plump sultanas, toasted pecans and a pinch of cinnamon; it’s packed with flavour and has got some real festive vibes going on. It’s a simple one to prepare (just a few stretch and folds), and can be knocked up in a morning. Despite its subtle sweetness, it’s epic for an Xmas sandwich or served with a cheese board. I sliced and froze leftovers for toast - it’s really good topped with marmalade and butter or PB and blackcurrant jam; I’m pretty adamant that it’s the definition of a Christmas miracle.
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