#bakeoffbakealong

[djseaward]

expat thoughts on the bake off finale

a bake-off post! in case you still aren't sure what i'm nattering on about, i've been baking along this autumn to the show, the great british bake off (series 9) which just had the finale this week. as i know this series will hit the states several months later, i just want to say: i will mention the winner of this series sometime in the post (spoiler alert!), so if that matters to you, go ahead and skip to my bakes (below) or click out. but something has been rattling around in the old craw about this year's bakers that i just felt like i had to comment on.

i found the finale deeply touching this year, especially all of the scenes with rahul, giving viewers even more background and depth to his story. rahul is one of the three finalists -- he moved to britain eight years before to study for a doctorate degree. rahul is sort of the eeyore of this year's bakers. or maybe more of the piglet. but the point is, he happens to be an extremely endearing and likable person even though he admits the one word to describe him is "depressing", he can't at all handle the judgement, and seems to have a low opinion of his own abilities.

in this week's finale episode, we learn more about his background. we already know that he skypes with his parents back in india every day, but this episode, the contestants get talking about who will be there to support them at the finale garden party that occurs each season. kim joy's partner is coming, ruby's large family will be there, and then we meet rahul's two closest friends-- a couple in sheffield. he thinks of them as family, and it is touching to see how they've supported him in his expat journey to the united kingdom.

see, rahul is an expat. or immigrant; i'm not exactly sure as i don't personally know his intentions with how long he plans to remain in the UK (shorter term or indefinitely), but either case, he finds himself in his eighth year in his new country. his friends, the aforementioned sheffield couple, admit that they encouraged him to get into baking as a way to learn about his adopted culture. and now, here he is, one of the top three (if not the best) amateur baker (of traditional western baked goods!) in britain. can you even imagine the kind of talent and intuition that would take? it is incredible.

rahul says, during one challenge to the camera:

"nobody brought me [to the UK]. i came here myself, because i wanted to."

later, when rahul's name is called as the the winner, my heart just swelled with pride. the camera pans to his sheffield friends, looking at each other wide-eyed. his family, his parents in india weren't present at the party, but he had these sweet friends supporting him. from one expat to another, this entire episode was incredibly touching. rahul made a new life in this country halfway around the world and such sweet friends are supporting him, like family, in this huge success. i couldn’t help but relate it to my own experience -- having such wonderful people supporting us here in our own choice to move to a new country, no family around. it is friends like this that make everything worth it.

rahul holds the glass cake stand as he poses for the cameras and his hands won't stop shaking. "i've never won anything before." he calls his mum and tells her the result.

later after the series, we see that his parents in india finally visit rahul in the UK for the first time. he is shown sitting on the couch with them and his glass cake stand trophy; serving them a british cake in the kitchen. i just lost it. it must have meant so much to him to have his parents realize how important this competition was to him, to britain, to all the viewers around the world. it must be hard to have a child move around the world "because they wanted to". it can be also very difficult for one person, unsponsored, to make it in a new country. and now, rahul is introducing his parents the flavors of britain. it was a beautiful moment.

what an ultimate measure of success! on an expat level, i felt very much for the contestants this year.

now, i can talk about two bakes!

vegan week (week 7) was a breeze for me. i've been cooking vegan recipes for almost a decade and feel pretty confident about it... if i had to give one type of food i am good at cooking, it would be "asian" and vegan. i decided to opt for the signature challenge of the savory tart, which gave me a little problem because even though the vegan category doesn't scare me off, i've never blind-baked a tart before and i couldn't think of anything heat resistant enough to put in it to keep the shell from caving in a bit, which of course, it did.

in the end, i made a roasted red pepper and walnut tart with a coconut oil-based sage spelt crust. the filling was quite delicious and great for a tart -- i think the crust, however, i would choose to make with whole-wheat flour in the future instead of the spelt flour. still, it was full of autumnal flavor. roasted red pepper is almost always a win!

danish week (week 8) was exciting for me, and i was happy to bake my first ever loaf of danish rye, which came out quite nicely. i had to bake it much longer than directed to get the dense middle to finally cook, but i really enjoyed snacking on it throughout the week. it also made me appreciate all the rye bread that we have around here, whether i like it or not. i still prefer the more fluffier american-style bread but now i feel like i can finally eat rye without grimacing inside.

for my two smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches) that were required in this signature challenge, i made a salmon and medium-boiled egg and spring onion on delicious homemade remoulade, and a "beet tartine" with giant capers (not shown). as the loaf wasn’t very tall, the slices are thin (but good).

the last challenge which i will be tackling this weekend: the world of french patisserie for the semi-final challenge. i can't recall having made french patisserie before, so i'm looking forward at finally trying my hand at it.

have you been watching the show this season? what did you think? curious if any fellow expats had similar feels as i did.

(photo source 1 & 2)

[emetoile]

#sausageroll production line. An evening well spent pandering to my #OCD penchant for perfectionism and attention to details. . . #sausage #sausagerollextraordinaire #bakingyoubetter #greathawkeyebakeoff #bakeyoubetter #bakeoffbakealong #pastry #bakingforfriends #baking #gbbo #instafood (at Wandsworth)

[plainjanejonesmusic]

HOW many biscuits?! #baking #cooking #gbbo #bakeoffbakealong

[djseaward]

october, lately + bake off update

hi guys. it's been a strange start to the school year this time around. i've had a few work switcheroos and cancelled lessons throwing me for a loop -- not exactly the kind of thing you want to have happen a month or so before you go on a big trip.

ohhh, did i mention i was going on a trip next month? more perceptive readers will know i tend to post my travel plans on this page as soon as i’ve scheduled them, but i haven't yet got a chance to mention that next month, one of my biggest travel dreams is going to come true. one that i have hinted about on social media for months, actually! not only that, but i'm going to be able to see my family (mom + bro) because we're headed back to....

iceland!

i have been wanting to go to the iceland airwaves music festival even before the very first trip to iceland i took in 2011. for years, i have been watching the streams and following along with the icelandic music scene, thanks to my favorite seattle radio station and international pioneer of music, kexp. i don't know why, but i quickly developed a deep love for all things icelandic music related. maybe it's because the music scene there reminds me of the scene in my hometown of anacortes, wa.

whatever the reason, boy am i lucky enough to have my family join alex and i there! i feel like the luckiest gal in the world this year.

meanwhile, it's been a busy but lovely month as octobers usually are. we've had quite the "babí léto" this year (indian summer) and the past entire week has been gorgeous and warm. not complaining! sandals have even made a reappearance as you can see, above.

i've been thinking a little bit about ways we all, as different people, choose to spend our free time. on most days of the week (except for saturdays, which i tend to fancy as a glorious "do nothing" sort of day a lot of the time), i have an extremely structured regimen of how i prefer to use my time. if i have free time, the priorities for me are laying out the mat and doing some yoga (if it's morning), or cracking open the books and studying language (if it's any other time of day). other activities (herbal studies modules, reading, etc) take a back seat. because i'm doing the bake off bake along right now through the rest of the month, sunday baking is taking up those afternoons... it's all really quite regimented. 

on one hand, i prefer to pencil things in this way because i have so much i want to do and want to make sure i accomplish it all, but on the other, isn't it strange to plan so many things to do for yourself that you no longer even feel like doing them, even if they were supposed to be fun? 

the past couple sundays (don't know why it was on a sunday, pure coincidence) i hadn't been feeling that well, but the first of those days, i plunged ahead with my regimen, not realizing what poor shape my body was in and that i needed to take a time out for a bit of extra self care. (the second sunday, i was able to realize this in advance and take better steps) in the end, balance is always the key, isn't it.

do you prefer to have a more regimented daily routine or just do things spontaneously as they come?

speaking of sunday bakes, i have the past few weeks of bake off bake along to share! is anyone else immensely enjoying this season? i love the themed weeks so far and sandy and noel just really make it, for me, channel four switch be damned. rahul cracks me up on the regular -- the flavors he chooses are mesmerizing! but kim joy's my favorite. i am absolutely intrigued by the way her mind works, not to mention she is a fantastic artist and i dig her aesthetic. 

  for week #4, dessert week ("but isn't every week dessert week?" -- alex), i decided to go with the signature challenge of a meringue roulade... never having made meringue before. i have once attempted to whisk egg whites into stiff peaks (necessary for the creation of meringue) with utter failure. i don't own a stand mixer, so it all had to be by hand, but after some research and self-pep talks, i was absolutely successful and hand-whipping beautiful stiff peaks! the meringue was so pretty, i didn't want to roll it all up! 

i decided to make mary berry's classic strawberry meringue roulade recipe with only one tiny hiccup: i overwhipped my whipped cream. (doh!) i still used it, but it would have been tons better at the normal consistency. at least the meringue itself was up to snuff! the strawberries which i froze at peak freshness late last spring where absolutely delicious.

for week #5, spice week (perfect for this time of year, really), i chose the signature challenge (a ginger cake) and created a fantastic pumpkin ginger cake with speculoos crumbles! the icing wasn't so thick and lovely (surely i'd get marked down for a thin icing) because i outright refused to use another two sticks of butter in the icing when the cake already had plenty. but the cake was the real star here -- absolutely moist and delicious. it tasted very similar to my favorite pumpkin cookie recipe or the starbucks pumpkin scone. the photos were utterly horrible so i’ll spare you, but i highly recommend that recipe if you want to make the perfect, moist autumn-inspired dessert.

on week #6, last weekend, i just took a pass. i'm going to come out and admit it! it was pastry week, i had no idea -- choosing between an extremely complicated dessert, samosa (did not want to deep fry anything), or a hand-shaped pie -- and i wasn't feeling well. the rest instead of an afternoon in the kitchen was one hundred percent worth it, but i'll be back to try a vegan week (#7) challenge tomorrow.

going to try a thing and write more regular (but perhaps shorter) posts + i have one coming up combining a berlin + czech interest!  hope you all have a great weekend. 

above photo of our “first day of october” monday morning coffee date on a boat. (life in czechland is not so bad!)

[emetoile]

#Hoisin & #springonion #sausagerolls. Little sausage soldiers in neat little rolls. Daintily painted with more hoisin. . . #sausage #sausagerollextraordinaire #bakingyoubetter #greathawkeyebakeoff #bakeyoubetter #bakeoffbakealong #pastry #bakingforfriends #baking #gbbo #instafood (at Wandsworth)

[emetoile]

An evening of #sausageroll making. 1. Morocc'n'rolls: Harissa, apricot, glazed with sumac, honey & rose petals. 2. Hoisin & spring onion. 3. Pesto, cheese & tomato. . . . #sausage #sausagerollextraordinaire #bakingyoubetter #greathawkeyebakeoff #bakeyoubetter #bakeoffbakealong #pastry #bakingforfriends #baking #gbbo #instafood (at Wandsworth)

[djseaward]

november, lately

hello all, happy thanksgiving week! it started snowing sunday night and there was a blanket of snow on the ground by monday morning -- and still snowing (despite what the photo above from a lovely day last month shows!). i really got in a more wintery mood in iceland as there were no leaves on the trees anymore and festive decorations all over the main streets, but there is absolutely nothing like a blanket of snow on a monday morning to get your week going! (if you like snow, that is)

since coming back from my trip, i've just felt like there are endless things to do -- catching up on cleaning, winter gardening preparations (which i shamefully still have not done, despite the first snow), an extra work project i've got on my hands this week, not to mention that it's time to start with some preparations for christmas, ordering things that need to be obtained, tickets to buy, and so on.

oh, did i mention that i am taking a czech proficiency exam next week for my visa next year? so yeah, there's that, too. it's a lot.

the reason why we're electing to take this czech exam is that passing it will make us completely eligible for the grand, much vaunted permanent residence visa. even though we just got our visas good for the next year, we intend to apply for this visa as soon as possible, mostly because we already know our financial information has been accepted and that we should have no problems. and hey... a smooth visa application would be everything.

although, i was joking that i think after all of the walking around to different offices i’ve been doing this week to get my documents in order for the exam and actual conversations i’ve been having, i think some sort of švejk character should pop out from behind the desk at the examining place, shake my hand, and give me the certificate. but that’s just me.

also, it is thanksgiving week! we're not having a dinner this year because a month or so ago, we were invited to a (non-american) friend's on the very day we always observe thanksgiving (the saturday after). my first inclination was: "nooooo! it's thanksgiving!" my next inclination was: "okay, but i'm bringing mashed potatoes and stuffing and no one's going to tell me otherwise." my third inclination was: "hooray, i don't have to host!"

even so, i still wanted to observe this thursday, although totally normal day here in czech republic, with some meaning. my plan is to whip up angela's lentil walnut loaf with some kind of vegetable side-dish, perhaps a squash. something doable after work on a weeknight. i have made some incarnation of this loaf before to sub as a veggie haggis for one burn's night a few years ago and it was quite good!

if you’re an american living abroad (or have in the past), how do(did) you observe thanksgiving? i love hearing about these things.

i also wanted to share with you my very final bake off bake along project.

the last bake i participated in was patisserie week. known as a somewhat challenging week (which i imagine, is why they leave it to the semi-finals), i was waiting all season for the opportunity to try my first patisserie. as the challenge this year was pretty flexible, i chose the eclair -- a standard of french patisserie, and i do say that i basically mastered it!

i made a standard choux pastry which came out absolutely gorgeously once i realized that you have to leave it in the oven for longer than you think or else it will deflate. the result was crispy and delicious, filled with a vanilla creme patisserie. no glaze. no fancy stuff. it was delicious in its simplicity, and it was undoubtedly my best bake all season.

it was good to go out with a bang.

i want to wish a happy thanksgiving to those celebrating this week! i'll leave you with an image someone shared online that i've been thinking about a lot today and i think is a great way to put your head in the right place going into this holiday season.

my second iceland post soon to come!

ps, you might like musings on identity and being an american (from this time last year) or thanksgiving weekend trip to vienna (two years ago).

(photo sources one & two)

[djseaward]

happy september, indeed! + bake along #1 (biscuits)

well, we’ve made it to six years in europe, y’all. i don’t know how it happened and this year, it was certainly against all possible odds, but it did. that’s right! our major visa issues have been resolved thanks to the wonderful people we know here in budejovice and apparently, they are the right sorts of people to know. i am ever so grateful. i’ve heard about others in the same situation as us not having quite the luck we did and that it had been the end of the road. but for us, not today. cynthia and alex are going to keep this crazy thing going into year seven. hooray!

here’s a snapshot from down the not-so-distant memory lane.

ahh yes, the end of sweltering july. hot days for even hotter bureaucracy! a tote-bag to go to all of your government offices and keep your documents in tip-top shape! sunnies to keep you cool on that walk up the parking lot of the financial bureau! 

as much as i love summer (and oh, i do), the past week has been so refreshing, cool and rainy. we spent the last hot summer day at the edge of the malše river reading our books, one eye on the dog as he ran around the banks and chewed on sticks.

then, sweet delicious rain. it kind of crushed the spirit of the annual ‘end of summer��� block party, normally known for its wonderful temperatures, perfect for sipping mojitos on the lawn, it did lend a nice sort of autumnal character to last weekend.

we spent a slow sunday at our friends’ house, hiding from the rain snacking on freshly-baked apple bread pudding and swilling fresh apple juice -- it’s “apple time” right now! see how they’re just dripping off of the trees? we took a rainy walk with the dogs and became the recipients of far too many goodies. i am so excited about all the sage and lemon balm and all the things i’m going to make with them this season. currently, drinking the lemon balm as a tea which tastes fantastic.

the weekend was also a perfect time for the first great british bake off bake along of the year! some of you may recall how i participated in this ten(ish) week baking challenge three years ago. i needed exactly three years to recover from that, but now i’m ready to give it a go again and bake along with the program. i hope some of you will participate too! if you are, please let me know and i will definitely pop over and take a look at your bake!

week one is “biscuit” (aka cookie) week and i chose the signature challenge, to bake a british region-specific biscuit. naturally, to celebrate exactly six years since we stepped off the plane in glasgow, scotland, i had to choose a scottish shortbread. to properly send off the summer and as a nod to our holiday in provence this year, i chose to flavor the biscuit with lavender flowers and homemade lavender syrup. 

i noticed, as i loosely followed jamie oliver’s recipe for shortbread that he gave a warning: “go easy with the flavoring - a little goes a long way with shortbread”. i guess you got to hand it to that guy, but he was right. i added about two tablespoons chopped lavender flowers, and it could be that i’ve just had way too much lavender nibbles this year, but it was too much for me. it really could’ve done with just one tablespoon. but still -- if you love lavender, you’d really love these!

when all’s said and done, i wish i had chosen something slightly more complicated and used more adventurous flavors, but that’s what the following weeks are for, i suppose.

a friend recently asked me “why are you doing this bake along?” i had a long long answer for him, almost as if i had prepared it, but the short of it is that i love discovering another culture, especially from a country or area i admire, and i feel like baking and cooking brings me closer with different places. i also think it’s a great skill to hone and be more proficient in. but then, i’m one of those nerdy types with about a hundred different hobbies. i can’t help it. there’s so much to do and learn.

[djseaward]

sunday cookin’: yorkshire pudding & mushroom gravy

alright, i admit it! not officially participating in the bake off bake along this year has me feeling a bit shut out of the kitchen. although it's lovely, because i can bake when/what i want, i did want to try something that really grabbed me from the show if i saw anything.

as i watched last week's "batter" episode of this season of the great british bake-off, i smiled as they announced the contestants had to make yorkshire puddings. my personal experience with yorkshire puddings is kind of silly: the first evening in our cottage in arisaig, scotland, i went rifling through the freezer to see what past guests had left behind and saw a cardboard box advertising frozen "yorkshire puddings". awww, sweet! puddings! 

needless to say, i was a bit disappointed after i pulled them out to discover that these were not like the puddings i know and love. they are just a "pastry cup" that you're supposed to put more delicious things into, and not sweet at all.

after i saw how easy they were supposed to be (just a batter of flour, eggs, and milk), i knew i had to bake along with the show, at least this week. (don't worry - not putting you all through ten weeks of this like last year, bwahah) it was amazing how at least a handful of the contestants actually failed to make sufficient puddings. the biggest problem seemed to be that they didn't rise or take a proper shape. it seems pretty fool-proof to me: as long as you put enough fat/oil in the tray beforehand and have it piping hot, and then do not check on them until they are finished, you should have something that generally resembles a proper pudding.

ta-da! for my filling, nothing sounded better than a creamy, mushroom sauce, inspired by all of the delicious local mushrooms in season now around here. the sauce was gravy-like; just turned out beautifully! i served it all with steamed green beans.

here's the recipe i came up with... (inspired by this one)

creamy autumn mushroom sauce

you'll need... - 50g mushrooms of your choice (about three big handfuls) - 1 small onion, sliced thinly - 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated - 1 cup white wine - 1-2 cups milk (more milk if you need more sauce) - 3 tb butter - 2-3 tb flour (for the roux) - 2 pinches of dried sage - salt & pepper to taste

1. add about a tablespoon of butter or so to a pan on low-medium heat, and add in the onion. when they go translucent, add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for about three more minutes.

2. add the wine and stir. continue simmering until the liquid is reduced by half.

3. remove mixture and transfer to a bowl.

4. make a roux by adding in remaining butter (around 2 tablespoons) and turn heat up to medium. when melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour. slowly begin whisking in one cup of milk, with pauses in between to thicken up mixture (it should be thicker than a milk consistency at this point - if too thin, sprinkle in a small amount of flour and quickly whisk mixture).

5. slowly stir the mushroom mixture into the pan. continue stirring and add more milk if necessary, depending on your desired quantity and thickness. (sauce will thicken as it continues to stay on the heat)

6. add the pinches of sage, and salt & pepper to taste, as you like.

7. when satisfied with thickness and quantity, remove from heat and serve immediately in puddings, over green beans, and on anything else!

this sauce does not leave anything to be desired - i felt as though it was a proper sunday dinner. you won't even miss the roast!

this post is a part of the bake off bake along. and if you want to see some reeeal amateur (but creative) baking, check out last year’s bake along archive.

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 10 (finals)

you guys. it's been a long road these past ten weeks, but the great british bake off bake along has come to an end. i went from a completely novice baker who only made cookies to a person who made biscotti, creme brulee, a frickin' seven layer czech cake with no sugar in it, and so many more. i learned so many baking terms. i made custard at least three different times. i would say i am no longer afraid to attempt those recipes that seem a little out there; that this baking challenge has made me realize that i can do it. i mean, if i can do a marzipan topped fruit-cake and a flawless custard, i can probably make almost any normal baking recipe, and that's a great feeling. not only that, i did it all without an electric mixer and an unpredictable fan oven. 

let's take a look back to how bright, tanned, and happy i look starting this challenge at the beginning of august! awwww. and then some of the rougher moments along the way... (i don't even want to think about victorian week ever again!)

this week, i had to go with the signature bake of iced buns, a concept fairly new to me. i mean, it looks sort of like an american donut. but was it the same? only a bake would tell. i followed paul's recipe and, once again using pumpkin, i came out with some gorgeous cardamom iced buns with chia pumpkin jam.

the creation of the bread went well and everything rose just as it should, which made me remember how much i adore a loaf of fresh homemade bread! might have to make this bread recipe again. here are the buns during their final prove, or rise before i put them in the (fan) oven for nine minutes at 200C.

after cooling the buns, the recipe calls for you to ice them then cut them and add the filling, but i found it worked much better to do it the other way around. the few buns that i iced first ended up looking very slightly sloppier than the others. but really, they turned out beautifully. i found the rolls to be absolutely light, fluffy, and generally perfect with just the right amount of cardamom icing and the rest tasted like pure pumpkin pie with whipped cream: a wonderful combination!

after inviting alex in to the kitchen for tasting... (oh boy oh boy oh boy!)... then he just sat there and made "yummy" sounds while eating it. i can't tell which is better: the pumpkin brownie (tart) or this donut (iced bun). (it really did taste like a donut!) the flavor and texture is all there. 

i was thrilled to go out on a good note and feel good about the day. goodbye, bake off!  the final episode of the actual program was really sweet too... i definitely got teary eyed during nadiya's speech. i was pleased that she ended up winning.

thank you for following along on this ten week baking journey of mine! happy autumn baking season. please enjoy this triumphant gif.

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 9

how funny-- we all started bake off in the beginning of august and now instead of sundresses, i'm wearing hoodies to bake! i was pretty thrilled about chocolate week, because guys, i think that alternative ingredients week killed my baking mojo. i was such an ambitious, chipper little squirrel that first week with my madeira cake, but every week especially after that turning point, i have rarely liked my bakes. then i almost quit during victorian week, so it's been a bumpy ride.

and perhaps you noticed... i didn't even post a bake last week! i really wanted to, but with a weekend in the city planned, i only had friday afternoon to bake and that did not account for a re-bake, which is what i needed after my genoise sponge cake didn't rise properly. 

so, onto the lovely chocolate week! for the first time in about a month, i was genuinely looking forward to the bake. i chose the signature, a chocolate tart and decided to make it a dark chocolate pumpkin tart! now that it's october, i have two months to put pumpkin into every bake or meal i make with impunity. i would've never thought that chocolate would go so nicely with pumpkin, but it really does!

before the bake, i roasted a pumpkin to get pumpkin puree, which is not available to purchase in stores here if you can believe it. however, for the past two years i've found that roasting my own pumpkin, then scooping out and mashing the warm flesh makes perfectly wonderful fresh puree, no blender necessary. all's you do is scoop out the innards, cut it into fourths, place it face down on a baking tray with paper underneath, and roast at 375F/190C for about an hour or until the flesh is soft.

first i made my chocolate crust from this recipe of martha's-- it came out so deliciously, i was eating the extra mixture. then i pressed it into my 8x8" pyrex instead of rolling it out, baked for about 15 minutes and put in the fridge, then freezer to cool. (i do intend to keep with the two and a half hour baker's time limit, you know!)

then to make my two fillings: first, a dark chocolate filling (from this recipe) made with over two bars of dark chocolate, cream, vanilla, eggs, and salt. while that set a little, i made the pumpkin filling essentially the same way, but instead of vanilla, with the inclusion of autumn spices like ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. mmmmm.

i have to admit that i actually did mean to layer the fillings, but since i'd never done this before, i was silly and didn't bake the first layer separately before adding the second. so of course, the pumpkin kind of sunk into the chocolate, but i swirled it around, forming a nice marbled consistency instead. it's not the most beautiful creation, but i did like the effect the marbling had in the end.

about about 35 minutes in the oven at 150 C (fan oven), i took it out when the filling looked set at least three inches from all sides, as i knew the middle would continue setting on its own even after removal from the oven.

my kitchen reeked of chocolate at this point and i was so pleased! but, the taste test? i sort of just zoned out in bliss with my eyes crossed and the richness of the chocolate, and the pumpkin tasted just like pumpkin pie with the same consistency. i didn't finish my whole slice because it was soooo rich and i needed to pour myself something to drink to go with it.

let's see what alex thought! oh my..... this has got to be your best bake yet. i'm in trouble with this one! it's like half brownie, half pumpkin pie. do you think chocolate goes well with pumpkin? yes, especially dark chocolate. 

so if you ever couldn't decide on pumpkin pie or a chocolate tart-- this one's your answer! perhaps not my prettiest bake, but definitely a contender for most delicious. 

the final week is upon us, next week! bake off is ending! i don't know whether to laugh or cry!

[djseaward]

bake off bake along, week 7

hey friends. as some of you may have gathered, i'm participating in the 2+ month bake off bake along, a cooking and baking challenge where participants bake along with the BBC program, the great british bake off. i know some of you, dear readers, may not all be not digging all of the attention to baking on this here expat lifestyle blog of mine, but i assure you... i am starting to see the light at the end of the baking tunnel!

this is the seventh week, which takes us into the dreaded victorian week. and hoo boy. i am not using dreaded lightly. as soon as i watched the last episode, i have been flopping back and forth. three options, not a single one appealing in the least to me.

cue nadiya’s stink-face.

if i liked meat or savory pies, the first and easier challenge of a game pie would be it. (in hindsight, i should have just gone for it!) as i am inexperienced with gelatin living here in the czech republic (i've had actual fails just making jello from a box here!), anything with gelatin in it was right out.

which leaves us with the technical challenge: mary berry's victorian tennis cake. oh goodness. i have no feelings about tennis. totally neutral about it; can count on one hand the amount of times i've played.

so i decided to tweak the sport and turn it into a sarcastic football cake. i am far too cheeky to go quietly into the tennis cake night! i went in with the best intentions and will save you the boring details, but it was not really a success. although it looked kind of cool!

what went wrong? using the wrong kind of butter. alex accidentally grabbed a butter/margarine mix at the store (this can happen when you are living in another language!) and i did not figure that out until, one hour in the bake, the entire cake basically exploded with "butter" in the oven.  you have to use an entire package (250g - gag!) of butter for this cake which grossed me out to no end, and a lot of it just melted and came bubbling up, causing a near crisis complete with plenty of smoke.

however, most things were salvaged and i put the cake together okay! upon tasting: extreme disappointment. much, much too greasy. alex offered that he liked it and it had a good flavor, which i think i agree with. too much fruit to my liking!

victorian week nearly, and still has a chance to break me, you guys. i have to be honest with you: i stayed strong just to finish, but i am starting to become disenchanted and nearly quit the challenge this weekend. i love healthy baking projects with very little butter and sugar, so this week didn't suit me at all and it pains me to throw food away. i am hoping for the best for next week and that i manage to complete the challenge.

but at least victorian week left us with this quote: “this is a disappointment. just like the NFL.”

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 6

week 6 of the bake-off brings us to pastry week! we had to pick from a frangipane tart, flaounas (a cypriot cheese pastry), or a gazillion vol-au-vents (puff pastry hors d'ourves). 

though i really wanted to give the flaounas a go because they looked delicious, i happened to be the recent recipient of a bag of apples. it's apple season! so i knew it was apple frangipane tart time.

there is no way i could find almond paste, key ingredient of a frangipane, in czech grocery stores. they do have loads of marzipan, because central europe, but in the end, i actually made by own. first i decided to make almond milk because the number one byproduct of this is looooads of almond meal. (which hmmm, a cold glass of it would go deliciously with this tart!) then i blended the dry meal with an egg, a cup of sugar, a teaspoon of flour, a pinch of salt, and 50g of butter. this is the frangipane cream filling.

although, then i realized i was doing it all backwards-- it would've made loads of more sense to start the pastry dough first because it could chill in the fridge for longer! this week, unlike the last, i am not spending seven plus hours on a baking project. nope. got stuff to do.

mixing dough while reading a computer recipe in today’s modern age.

the dough came out brilliantly, and managed to chill it only for about 18 minutes before i had to put it into use. my first idea was to roll the dough out (with my makeshift rolling pin) and sort of flop it on the tray. that ended in crumbles. so the next idea was just press the dough onto the tray, which actually worked fine. i'm glad i gave myself a bit of time to configure this, because this time, i was aiming for--and would be successful at-- keeping within the two hour time limit.

next, arranging my apple slices as neatly as possible, and into the oven for about 40 minutes. the joy of baking recipe i was following suggested 50 to 60, but with my fan oven, it took much less. the crust edges were already golden brown.

can i just say HOW HAPPY I AM to not have to use honey instead of sugar this time around? i was just feeling really stoked to actually have all the implements to make a fantastic tart. and oh, it was. buttery, flaky, apple-goodness-mouth-splosion.

and after alex was invited to the taste test..... oh wow-- this is delicious. this is your best bake by far of the bake off. actually it might be one of your best period. it's so light, fluffy and sweet. awesome! yeah, you taste it right in the center of the tongue. and look, no soggy bottom!!!

(via) contestant paul is right: it doesn't (necessarily) need blind-baking. i definitely didn't think it did in this case. 

so, i'm over the moon about how this turned out-- it's a perfect seasonal tart to welcome in autumn!

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 5

i almost can't believe i've already baked along with the great british bake off for five weeks running. then again, one thing i've never been is a quitter, so......  

this week is alternative ingredients week, something i rather have experience with. from time to time i'll bake something vegan or sugar-less, preferring to use honey as my substitute. so when i saw that the first challenge was a sugarless cake, i needn't see anything more. i knew it had to be a honey cake, and what better than a czech medovnik? i think i felt a little bit like ugne this week, choosing the most ambitious project of mine to date and even deciding to go ahead and make a sugarless (honey) custard creme icing! uh oh.

i have to say that the actual bake itself went well. i was a bit disappointed that i could not keep my cake to the timeline (2 1/2 hours) from the show that i like to challenge myself by. but damn, that custard. because of choosing custard, it went from a two hour challenge to a multi-hour one.

traditional medovnik is a multi-layered (as in 7 to 9 layers!), honey-flavored cake, which has a soft consistency and a nice brown color. unfortunately, far too late, i realized where it gets its distinctive color-- the caramelization of the sugar while making the batter. duh-doy. needless to say, with honey alone, i did not achieve this color, but it was a nice honey color and the batter smelled pleasantly of honeycomb cereal! (below, all of my layers cooling)

the layers were no prob. i made them round by pressing them into flat rounds, the size of a small plate, onto a stencil of sorts ontop of baking paper. then, in twos, into the oven they went for six minutes at about 185°C (fan oven). when out, they were the consistency of a biscuit (cookie), which was a little unexpected.

but oh, that custard. when finished cooking, it was the consistency of egg nog and i popped it into the fridge for a couple of hours. eventually it thickened a little, but it really took until an overnight cooling and thickening to achieve the consistency i wanted initially. i would've failed bake-off time limits miserably. no more custard!

as medovnik has a crumbly topping, i chose one imperfect cake layer, crumbled it up, and baked it again until drier before sprinkling on the assembled cake then topping with toasted walnut halves. then into the fridge it goes again. the taste test... oh boy, was i nervous! i was hoping to bring it along to a game night if successful.

alex, the impartial baked good tester’s take...

it is... very dense. good flavor, though. yeah, it's definitely much harder to slice through than a medovnik should be. a soft biscuit consistency.

honestly, i am not very happy with the result and i am positive that paul would tell me it tasted a little bland... there’s no way i could take it with me to a game night, let alone take such a strange medovnik to a czech’s house!

if i'm going to eat a slice of cake, i want it to be a "can't put the fork down" kind of flavor, as i'm sure you would too! the recipe i followed was definitely in need of some salt. not pleased. the custard, being so thin, basically just melted between the layers. the honey vanilla flavor of the custard, though, was superb... i hope mary would've given me some props for a delicious sugarless custard!

it did, however, taste great with the extra custard sauce drizzled on top of a slice!

so, it didn't go completely my way this week, but i will be more careful with the choice for next week and make sure not to unnecessarily uncomplicate things as ugne knows, it can be one's downfall!

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 4

it’s dessert week! after i watched the fourth episode of the great british bake off, i was at a loss. (even more so when i saw the preview for the following week! ahhhh) the spanischer windtorte seemed like something i really ought to attempt because it comes from a country very near where i live right now... and i’m just into that kind of thing.

however, we were just about to leave on a long weekend holiday away and i couldn't bear the thought of the torte just sitting there for four days. crème brûlée it was to be.

now, custard and i have a history. at a relatively early age, i became obsessed with it and went about making custard after custard for several days. (so many curdled disasters!) colored with pink food coloring, i still have this mental image of all of these pink custards just sitting in the fridge. nowadays, i only make a custard-type food every december, when i whip up some egg-nog for christmas eve. (delicious!) so why not crème brûlée, right?

for a flavor, i immediately wanted to try an earl grey flavor with a topping of lemon zest. (and lemon zest makes yet another appearance....) i recently picked up a large box of delicious earl grey at M&S and have been drinking it every morning in between teaching intensive lessons like a champ. it was truly earl grey week, all around.

so, i began with this lot of ingredients, using šlehačka (40% cream) and confectioner's sugar. first, i mixed my three egg yolks with the sugar. secondly, i slowly heated my cream with one tea bag of earl grey tea. i was a little concerned that one tea bag might not be enough, but as the amount of cream was relatively small (about 300ml), i went with it, pressing a spoon to the bag during heating to extract as much flavor as possible. such a lovely light brown color!

then the coming together of the two, added vanilla, and whisked heartily. at this point, i poured into my four coffee cup "ramekins", sat them in a bath in an outer pan, and baked for about 45 minutes, and into the fridge for about 30-40 minutes (as long as i could allow within the GBBO time-limit of an hour and a half)

the sugar part, i'm sorry to say, wasn't a success. i've never used the broiler setting on my oven (and furthermore, still not really sure what that setting is) and it was way too cool in there for any real sugar-broiling. this, with being nervous about ruining one of my coffee mugs plus the time limit left me with no caramelization effect. also, are you even supposed to keep the ramekins in the bath during the broil? i admit that i did only because i saw the contestant paul doing it! (i know, look how his turned out)

but hey, it is brown, so maybe it did caramelize? heh.

BUT. the most delicious, smooth, silky creamy JUST RIGHT earl grey custard you have ever tasted. i had my second serving the next morning for breakfast, and then i did a very stupid thing, my friends.

in my scramble of holding on to ten things at once and thinking about twenty, i absent-mindedly set my half-eaten crème brûlée IN THE SINK. alex, the pro-dishwasher that he is, immediately filled said cup with water.

"uhhh, alex.... have you seen my crème brûlée?", i asked, after having come somewhat back to my senses. "uhhhh... it's..... umm..... i'm sorry, but it's gone." "WHAT?" "you set it in the sink, it's got water in it now." "WHAAAAAAT?!!!!"

(cue tears)

i hate to admit it, but since it is part of the "story" of this recipe, it is true. i cried over a crème brûlée, people, all the while cursing my stupidity, and trying not to throw up.

"ohhhh, don't worry. i fixed it!" alex offered. he had poured all of the water out and tried to dry it. awh.

after sulking and feeling angry with myself for five minutes, i ate the rest. and it was still amazing. and worth crying over. not to be penetrated or ruined by water. although paul and mary certainly would chide me on my lackluster sugar topping, the custard was the best work of my life. which is better than i can say about at least four of the GBBO contestants. so... bam.

and now, i will continue being nervous about what the heck i am going to do about next week's recipe. (this is my first bake-off! i’m scared! hold me.)

[djseaward]

the bake off bake along, week 3

week three in the bake off bake along is bread week! hooray, bread! but of course, i have to choose from between a quick bread, a baguette, and the show-stopper, an elaborate bread-sculpture. in keeping with staying far away from the show-stopper challenges, and i'm not a fan of baguettes (just not a sandwich kind of girl) left me with the quick bread.

immediately, i had an idea for my loaf that i had to run with. throughout my childhood, my mom would buy this cheddar jalapeño loaf at safeway and it was soooo good. mountains of cheddar, the spiciness of the jalapeño that left you wanting a tall glass of milk, i have loved that bread. i actually forgot to buy a loaf (do they still make it?) when i was home in washington this past summer so trying my hand at making a quick bread version of it seemed like the best idea.

now, this so far, was the least time-consuming and yet the trickiest of all of the bakes. i did find a sort of cheddar jalapeño quick bread recipe, but as the rules state, i am not to use a loaf pan, and i didn't want to mix in my ingredients. really, this was going to be a different sort of beast. you see, traditionally, the cheddar and jalapeños sit on top of this loaf, but i didn't think that would be impressive to paul and mary, so i wanted to fold in the ingredients near the top. we'll see how that goes...

so i've got my ingredients here again. and yep, i am using scottish cheddar and jalapeños together. kind of weird, huh? i mixed together my wet ingredients (yogurt in lieu of sour cream, two eggs, and oil, omitting sugar because why) then i mixed together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, one teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder) then mixed them together.

the mix came out so sticky that i was feeling generally unsure about myself. after re-watching the quick bread portion of the most recent GBBO episode, i decided to add more flour as most of the contestants loaves were much drier than mine.

so, then i had a loaf. with no toppings mixed in it. in the spur of the moment, i just started laying out all of the toppings so it started to resemble a pizza (oh geez) before folding it all in, scoring the loaf, and topping it with the rest of the cheddar.

into the oven it went for about forty minutes at 150 C (fan oven). i've never felt more nervous for a bake since i was waiting for the crack to appear in my madeira! all of the bakers were right: the fact that this bread doesn't rise before the bake is so unnerving!

although forty-five minutes was the absolute minimum on the recipe, i took it out five minutes sooner to test for doneness. when the knife (then fork, then other knife) all came out clean and the top was lightly browned, i called it good.

in the end it did NOT taste how i expected it to. don't get me wrong, it tasted nice, but i didn't expect it to be so moist and crumbly-- no doubt from the yogurt and wet jalapeños! i liked how the layering of the toppings inside from folding it turned out, and the jalapeños were in a glom just like the original bread.

then i sent in alex to give it a shot. "I really like it". can you tell me more? “it's moist, good flavor... i almost want to say that the consistency is more like a cake than a bread!” uh-oh, you're right. so if you bought this at a store and came back to try it, would you be pleased? “oh, definitely!”

phew. he did point out something i never thought of... that it definitely was almost cake-like! it is so crumbly that it would probably be hard to spread butter on, but i do remember that paul wanted a crumbly cake, didn't he? not quite like the more traditionally "bready" consistency of the loaf i've loved from my childhood, so i have to be honest and say i was just a might disappointed by such a moist, crumbly consistency, but that's a quick bread for you, i suppose!

i leave you with my favorite moment from last week’s great british bake off episode...