I will be honest here and admit that twenty years ago when I first moved over here to the UK, I had never had a croissant. Oh, I had had Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to be sure, but never a freaking awesome buttery flaky French Croissant.

I first experienced them when I was working at the Manor in Kent, and then I tasted an actual French one on the ferry across to France.  I had gone over with my friend Julie and she said that one thing that we needed to do on the boat was have a coffee and a croissant.

 I nixed the coffee (as I don't drink coffee) but I did take her suggestion on the croissant. I ordered an almond one because I love almonds. I died and went to heaven. 

If there is one thing that the French really know how to do it is bread, pastries and croissants. I am no suprised that they all go for Continental breakfasts. If I had that on tap every day I would too!

 I have never made my own however.  I thought though that one of the last things I would like to make, while I still have beautiful butter and flour available to me, was to make my own croissants from scratch.  Why not! 

Why not indeed!  I went searching for a recipe. I looked first at the book Baking with Julia. This award winning book (and indeed chef) was known to be one of the world's best bakers. The recipe was very convulated and required the use of fresh compressed yeast.

Scratch that. I have never known where to buy fresh yeast here in the UK, although I am certain that it is available. I kept searching for a recipe. 

Next I tried Dorie Greenspan. I have several of her books. No recipe for croissants in any of those, which was quite surprising as she used to be Julia Child's right hand assistant once upon a time, and actually wrote Baking with Julia.

 Finally I decided to try David Leibovitz.  He lives in France and is known to be a great baker. I found this recipe for whole wheat croissants.  I didn't have any whole wheat flour however. 

I decided to wing it and just use a mix of white bread and all purpose flours.  I had nothing to lose. I went for it. 

There is actually not anything all that difficult to making croissants.  They do require a lot of time and effort, but really they are not hard at all.

I broke my time up into three areas which made them all the easier to do. It was not as daunting that way.  The first day I made the dough which was simple enough. 

 The second day I laminated the dough by adding butter. You roll the dough out into a diamond shape, with four corners.  Then you bash out a block of butter into a small rectangle and place it into the centre of the dough. 

A good rolling pin will be your friend in all of this. I have a lovely beechwood one, which is heavy and one of my favourite kitchen tools of all. I never want to be without it. 

You will need to do the butter thing three times, leaving the dough to rest in the refrigerator in between each. Once you have done that you can shape them. 

Shaping the was really each actually. Just roll the dough, cut it into triangles and then roll the triangles into croissants.

 My first few were a bit wonky, but once I got the hang of it the rest turned out fairly good I thought. I am showing you my best one. 

I chose to put the shaped croissants in the refrigerator and bake them the next day because I was a bit beat by the end of all that and in all honesty, I had lost the light.

 Anyone who is a food blogger knows that light is everything when it comes to taking good photos. I am not the best photographer in the world. I lack the patience to set everything up in a fancy way.

Basically you see what you see. I do my best and sometimes I get it right, sometimes not so right. At the end of the day the food is the star, but I can't make it look like the star without good natural light.

 Sometimes it is worth waiting overnight just to get that perfect light. Just let the shaped croissants come to room temperature before glazing and baking. 

Now, after all that work, here is where I just about really messed up.  I forgot to set the timer for the second part of the baking.

 

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 So they ended up being a bit darker than they should have done. They were still delicious however.   

A few minutes longer and it would have all been for naught. They might have burnt! That would have been very disheartening to say the least, especially after all the time I had already put in.

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Croisssants from Scratch

Yield: Makes 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Once you have tasted a homemade from scratch croissant, you will be forever spoiled by any ready made version from the shops. Not quick, not easy, but well worth the effort.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 1/4 (175g) cups bread flour (strong flour)
• 3/4 cup (105g) all purpose flour (plain flour)
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 TBS granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole fat milk, slightly warmed
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 5 1/2 ounces (156g) of unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 large free range egg
• pinch of salt

Instructions

First Day:

1. Mix the flours together in a bowl. Place the yeast, milk and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixure.  Let stand until the mixture begins to bubble.  This will take 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Mix in the remaining flour and salt until totally incorporated.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to bring everything together into a ball. Do NOT over knead.
3. Place into a bowl, cover with plastic cling film and then put in the refrigerator to rest overnight. (At the very least 6 hours.)

Second Day:

1. Using the paddle attachment, put the cold butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium high for about 15 seconds or so, until no lumps remain in the butter. Alternately you can bash it with a rolling pin, turning it several times until you have a cold paste. Place the butter into the centre of a piece of plastic cling film. Close it up and shape into a 4 inch by 3 inch rectangle. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a diamond shape. You will need four flaps, two on top, two on the bottom, with the dough being raised a bit in the center square.
3. Remove the chilled butter from the refrigerator, unwrap and place into the centre of the doug. Fold the four flaps over top of the butter, sealing it in completely. Bash the dough with a rolling pin to flatten it out, then roll the dough into a 12- by 9-inch rectangle.
4. Take one third of the dough, on the left side, and fold it over to the centre. Then lift the right side of the dough over the centre to create a rectangle. Using your rolling pill, press down on the dough several times to make an X across it. Make a note on a piece of paper to indicaate you have made one "turn". Wrap the dough in plastic cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 45 to 60 minutes.
5. Repeat two more times, allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 45 to 60 minutes in between, for a total of three "turns." After the last turn, leave it to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to overnight. (You can also freeze it at this point if you wish.)
6. When you are ready to shape the croissants, line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Unwrap the dough and roll it out, on a lightly floured surface, to a 12 by 9 inch rectangle.
7. Trim any edges off with a sharp knife. Cut the dough into 3 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally. You should have 6 triangles.
8. Working with one triangle at a time, roll them out o a length of 11 inches. Starting at the wide end of each triangle, roll the dough up toward the point, not too-tightly. Set each onem point-side-up, on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Enclose the baking sheet with a large plastic bag (such as a clean trash bag), seal, and let the croissants proof in a warm place until the croissants are nearly doubled and puffed up, which should take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (You may also chill the rolled croissants overnight. When you are ready to bake, them out of the refrigerator and let them proof in a warm place.)

When you are ready to bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Beat the egg together with a pinch of salt to make a glaze. Brush each croissant with this mixture and then bake the croissants for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat of the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer until browned. It is natural for some of the butter to leak out when they are baking.

notes:

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I am not entirely sure I would have the patience to make these again, but you never know. Hope springs eternal and they are excellent. I think everyone or at least any keen baker should make croissants from scratch at least once in their lifetime! What better time than the present when we all most of us have plenty of time on our hands!

I have to say that, next to potatoes, cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables. I come by this love honestly. It is something which my mother cooked for us fairly often. Admittedly not as often as she would have liked to, as my father was not overly fond. 

He did not mind the flavour that it imparted into things like stews and such, but he was not fond of the vegetable itself. This worked well for me, actually as he would just give me his cabbage to eat, which I did not  mind one little bit.

My mom used to make lovely cabbage rolls. She would wrap up ground beef and onion in cabbage leaves and simmer them in a large pot with peeled potatoes, carrots and canned tomatoes.

My father loved the meat in them. I did not, but I loved the cabbage.  We would swap. My meat for his cabbage.

 

 

So this recipe makes four servings instead of 8. Which is still quite a lot, but when you love cabbage as much as I do, I know that I will really enjoy the leftovers.

Maybe even more so than the original recipe. Cabbage is one of those vegetables I find that tastes even better reheated the day after.  Or maybe I am just so in love with this vegetable that it doesn't matter when I eat it!

What I loved about this dish is that it is combined with my other favourite vegetable. The humble potato.  But not in such a high quantity that it messes with my carbs. As a diabetic I do have to watch my carb intake.

But with there only being one baking potato in the dish, divided between four people, its not a huge problem. This means that I get a little taste of potato without the risk of going over the top!

And if you love potatoes as much as I do, there is a real risk of going over the top.  Dishes like this are perfect for me. 

I loved the addition of the ham to this. It gives a bit of smokiness which goes very well with cabbage.  There isn't a lot of it. I had a chunk of ham in the freezer leftover from Easter. (Don't judge me, lol)

You could use thick sliced boiled ham from the shops or even a chopped up ham steak if you wanted to. You just want a bit of smokiness.  

It also uses an onion and some garlic.  You begin by sauteeing the onion in  a bit of oil. I cut the amount of oil way down.

Most recipes call for far too much oil. Even Eating Well recipes. I have always cut back on the amount without any problem. I also used light olive oil rather than canola oil. 

I had a medium sized cabbage in the refrigerator that needed using up.  I used about half of it which means that I have another half to get rid of before next Friday. Maybe I will make my favourite dish, Noodles and Cabbage to enjoy!

  

 Back to this one.  Its simple and quick to make and very delicious. You could jazz it up a bit if you wanted to, by adding some chili flakes, but I'll be honest it is pretty perfect just as it is. 

I have posted a lot of cabbage recipes on here through the years that you might enjoy. Creamed Cabbage is really lovely. Tender pieces of cabbage baked to perfection in a lush cream sauce. 

Another favourite is Cabbage and Tomato Soup.  Cabbage and tomatoes have a wonderful affinity for each other.

 

 

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Smothered Cabbage with Ham

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 15 Mincook time: 30 Mintotal time: 45 Min

This is the perfect way to use up little bits of ham. It cooks all in one dish, with salty pieces of ham, onion, tender chunks of potato, and buttery cabbage. This makes an excellent side dish to serve with roast chicken or pork! Quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 TBS canola oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup  (65g)diced smoked ham
• 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
• 5 cups (450g) coarsely chopped green cabbage
• 1/2 cup (120ml) low sodium chicken stock
• 1 large baking potato, washed and cut into chunks
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 TBS cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, just until the onion begins to brown and caramelise a bit.
2. Add the ham and garlic.  Cook for a further minute.
3. Add the cabbage, chicken stock, potatoes and season lightly. Bring to the boil and cover tightly.
4. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid. Turn up the heat to medium high and cook, stirring until most of the liquid has been evaporated, another 10 to 12 minutes.  Stir in the cider vinegar.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. 
6. Serve hot.

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 Both are wonderfully delicious.  Both have moreish qualities. One I would serve thinly sliced and spread with butter, the other I would not.

Because one is definitely more a cake than the other and I am sure you know which one I am talking about!

 This is one of those cakes that improves upon standing.  I left this overnight before I cut into it. I was not feeling very well yesterday and so any cutting and photographing got put off until today.

Turns out that was probably the right thing to do.  The cake had settled into something magnificent upon sitting over night.  I didn't wrap it in anything. I just had it laid on the cooling rack with a clean tea towel thrown over top.

Just look at how beautifully, and how precise it cut.  The knife crunches down through that crisp sugar coating. You can hear it cracking as it moves down into the cake.

And then it glides through the rest of the cake beautfully. This is a cake with a beautiful texture.

Look at that beautiful crisp crunchy topping.  You use castor sugar in the cake base, but you use granulated sugar in the topping.

One reason caster sugar is used in the cake itself is because of its melting properties.  Caster sugar is a finly granulated sugar.

 The reason it is preferred for baking is because it melts beautifully into batters and doughs. Have you ever seen a cake that seems to be speckled on top after baking?  That is because you used granulated sugar and it didn't melt/dissolve properly in the batter.

You can easily make your own caster sugar by whizzing regular granulated sugar in a food processor for about 30 to 45 seconds.

Its resistance to melting is what makes regular granulated sugar perfect for the topping. Because it doesn't melt easily it maintains loads of crunch, which makes it ideal for this purpose.  

Its almost like a lemon layer of candy snow on top of the cake.  Speaking of snow, I remember when I was a child living in Northern Manitoba, the winters would be so cold that there would be a "crust" on top of the snow.

You would have to "punch" down into it with your boots. You could actually walk on top of the snow without falling through the crust. 

That is like the lemon drizzle on top of a lemon drizzle cake. Exactly the same effect. And that's what you want. You would not get it with any other kind of sugar.

Another thing to think about when baking this cake is placement in the oven. Mary Berry recommends baking it on a middle shelf.

There is a reason for this. If you bake cakes on the top shelf, they will crack. The crust of the cake forms too soon and then cracks as the cake continues to rise!

Another suggestion is to resist the urge to open the oven door to check on the cakes progress. This can and will probably cause your cake to fall.

I remember learning this in Home Economics. When you open the oven door you cause cooler air to enter the oven and you really do risk your cake sinking in the middle.

You also don't want to be banging the door shut if you do happen to look in at it.  Your cake will surely fall then! 

Two good reasons for making sure your oven temperature is correct and that you have a working light in the oven!  Also do make sure your oven is properly pre-heated before you even put the cake in.

This can, and will make a difference.  Did you know when your oven is heating up the temperature is fiercer?  The heating element is blasting heat into the oven to bring it up to temperature.

This means that it can actually be hotter than you think it is!  For success it is just best to wait until the ideal and recommended temperature has been reached!

 

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Mary Berry's Lemon Drizzle Cake

Yield: Makes one loaf cake

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 40 Mintotal time: 50 Min

Everyone's favourite cake. Its a Mary Berry recipe so you know its fool proof and delicious!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup + 1 TBS (175g) softened butter
• 1 1/4 cups (175g) self raising flour (see notes)
• 3/4 cup (175g) castor sugar (finely granulated sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• the finely grated zest of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract (my addition)
• 3/4 level tsp of baking powder

For the drizzle topping:

• The juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 9 X 5 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift it out with.
2. Using an electric mixer beat all of the cake ingredients together in a bowl  until smooth. Spoon into the baking in and smooth the top over.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until risen, golden brown and shrinking away a bit from the sides of the tin. The top should spring back when lightly touched.
4. Whisk the lemon juice and sugar for the drizzle topping together and spoon it over top of the warm cake.
5. Leave to cool a little then lift out of the pan using the baking paper and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

notes:

To Make Self Raising Flour: Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together).

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So what is your favourite kind of a cake? I love simple cakes myself and Lemon Drizzle Cake fits the bill perfectly. Especially this one! 

 

I don't know why I had avoided it really. I guess I thought it might be a bit silly.  In any case I fell in love with the show and have been watching it ever since.

The characters in it actually reminded me very much of my brother and his friends when they were in high school in many ways. They were all science nerds!

One of my favourite episodes is where Sheldon decides he is going to prolong his life by taking certain steps. One of them was declaring that every Thurday night is going to be cruciferous vegetable night!  As one might suppose this does not exactly go to plan! 

Cruciferous veggies are a diverse group that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress and, surprisingly, radishes.

While these all may seem quite different in size, shapes and colours, they do share quite a few health benefits.Most cruciferous vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals such as folate and vitamin K.

Dark green cruciferous veggies also are a source of vitamins A and C and contain phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant-based compounds that may help to lower inflammation and reduce the risk of developing cancer.  

They are also rich in fibre and low in calories, a quality which helps you to feel full and satisfied without overly indulging!  Of course adding a rich cheese sauce somewhat adds a bit in fat and calories but what a delicious way to go!  

Most cruciferous vegetables go very well with a lovely cheese sauce. I am not sure about radishes.  Somehow the thought of radishes in a cheese sauce doesn't really appeal, but that's not to say that it wouldn't be delicious.

 They are awfully good in salads however, which does go for most cruciferous vegetables I have to say. When it comes to cheese however, I don't think you can get much better than Cauliflower  or Broccoli Cheese! 

Or, in this case, Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese!  Yummo!!

Crispy tender pieces of cauliflower and broccoli, bathed in a lush cheese sauce and baked until the whole thing is bubbling and golden brown. What could be bad about that! 

Today I used these little mini heads of both.  They're so cute. They look just like baby heads of broccoli and caulifower!

I cooked them until just tender to the tip of a knife in some lightly salted boiling water. Then I drained them well and cut each in half. DO make sure you drain them well or you will end up with a soggy result.

It doesn't take long.  Pop them into the water. Bring back to the boil and then cook for just a few minutes longer maximum. You want them to still have a bit of a bite.

For the cheese sauce you want to use a really good cheddar. I use a nice strong farmhouse cheddar. It is the kind of cheese you won't mind eating on its own  with some crackers and it is excellent in a sauce such as this.

The important thing is to use a cheese that is well flavoured. You won't want to use a mamby pamby cheese. You want to be able to taste it. 

 

 I always add a touch of mustard and cayenne to my cheese sauces. It truly makes a difference.

These two ingredients make cheese sauces taste even cheesier. I am not sure how that works, but it works very well, just like magic.

Of course you can use just broccoli or just cauliflower in this. It does not have to be both. It will truly be delicious either way.

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Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 40 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 55 Min

An old British favourite. This dish makes a tasty side dish, light main course, or delicious alternative for a Vegetarian Sunday lunch.

Ingredients

You will need:

• 2 very  small cauliflower, trimmed
• 2 very small broccoli crown, trimmed
• salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce:

• 1 clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 2 1/2 cups (600ml) of milk
• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (150ml)of single cream 
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 2/3 cup (7 ounces) grated strong cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

To top:

• 4 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. First make the cheese sauce. Attach the bayleaf to the onion with the clove, pressing the clove through the bayleaf and into the onion. Place in a saucepan along with the milk and the cream. Warm the milk mixture slowly to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to infuse with the flavours of the studded onion for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, strain the onion out. (reserve the onion)
2. Melt the butter for the sauce in a clean saucepan. Whisk in the flour and dry mustard powder, and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth bechamel sauce.
3. Add the onion again and allow to cook, over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. At the end of that time it should be lovely and thick and rich. Scoop out the onion and discard.
4. Season to taste with some salt and pepper, and the cayenne.  Whisk in the cheese until it melts. Set aside and keep warm.
5. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and broccoli. Cook just until tender. This should only take a few minutes, leaving a slight bite. Drain off the water. Season with some salt and black pepper.
6. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spoon a little of the cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish. Arrange the cauliflower and broccoli on top. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over top to coat. Sprinkle with the additional cheese.
7. Place in the oven to melt and colour for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be nicely browned and bubbling. Enjoy!

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I cou

ld quite happy sit down with a plate of this and nothing else. If you are not fond of cauliflower, simply use all broccoli. If you don't like broccoli, use all cauliflower. If you cannot find the miniature heads of these vegetables use a small sized head of each, broken into florets.  You can add buttered breadcrumbs to the top if you wish. 

With the leftovers I made a delicious soup. Simply add the leftovers to a saucepan with chicken or vegetable stock to barely cover.  Bring to a simmer and heat through. Puree with an immersion blender or in a regular blender (carefully). Enjoy!