Posts Tagged ‘almond extract’

Recipe For Egg Free Marzipan And Baking For Christmas Fairs

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

It’s the time of the School Christmas Fairs, Nativity Plays and Carol Concerts and we are always being tapped for products or being asked to do some baking. 

But one of the problems we have always had is that, firstly, Christmas is our busiest part of the year for Steenbergs Organic in terms of order volume, and secondly, the fairs etc seem always to be mid-week.  But as both Sophie and I are working baking mid-week is almost impossible beyond the odd cake or biscuit.

As I discussed in an earlier blog, I have been experimenting with sweet making instead of baking.  Sweets last longer and can be made at the weekend and children (and adults) possibly prefer sweets to baked goods!

I have devised my own egg-free marzipan which we have coated in delicious dark El Rey 61% chocolate from Venezuela, as well as moulding chocolate into santa shapes, snowmen shapes and christmas bauble shapes; we used El Rey chocolate for all these – the dark one, a milk one and a white chocolate.  We have dipped brazil nuts in dark chocolate and milk chocolate.  We have also made milk chocolate circles and sprinkled them with mixed chop nuts and some sultanas.

These have then been bagged up into some polythene bags and then put into some nice Christmassy small bags for sale.  As always, the amount of effort, cost of materials and packaging never quite add up to the sales price, but you cannot be an accountant about everything in life.

Christmas sweets and shortbread snowman

Christmas sweets and shortbread snowman

This morning I have also started my token bit of baking – some shortbread snowmen, using a mould that we got at Lakeland.

So I’ve done my duty and I can go and listen to the school carol concert today in Ripon Cathedral with a clear conscience.

For those who are interested, the marzipan I made is a variation on something I found on the web.  I am going to keep my recipe a secret but heres the one from the Internet: 

350g/ ½lb organic ground almonds
350g/ ½lb organic icing sugar
2tbsp water
½tsp Steenbergs natural almond extract

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and knead dough until smooth.  Sprinkle some icing sugar on a baking board, roll flat and then cut into shapes – I made round balls and simple rectangles.

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Recipe For Sweets At Christmas Fairs

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Inspired by marzipanning the Christmas cake yesterday and acutely aware of the looming Christmas Fair after the Carol Concert at our children’s school, I decided to experiment with some sweet making this morning.  Also, chidhood memories of Niederegger marzipan may have played on my psyche.

I think we’ll look at making fudge and peppermint mice – I’ve already talked about the recipes for these on a previous blog: see http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/08/make-your-own-birthday-tea/.

We used a slightly different marzipan recipe to the one from yesterday as I wanted something less rich and a bit drier.  I also beefed up the almond flavour with some of our very own Steenbergs natural almond extract.

Ingredients

350g/12oz   Ground almonds, delumped using your fingers
175g /6oz   Icing sugar, sieved
175g/6oz   Caster sugar
1½tsp  Lemon juice
¼tsp Steenbergs natural almond extract
1 Free range egg, lightly beaten

Put the ground almonds and sugars together in a mixing bowl, then make a hole in the centre.  Add the lemon juice, natural almond extract and beaten eggs into the hole.  Mix it all together – I use my hands for this, massaging it all together into a smooth paste.   When it has all mixed into a ball, put it onto a lightly iced board.

Now, you can do as you wish.  For this experimentation, I simply rolled small amounts into smooth balls; it’s probably about 1tsp for each ball, but you just need to break it off the main ball with the tips of your fingers.  We then dropped some of the balls into cocoa which is nice and easy, but the children were not sure about the mix of the bitterness of the cocoa and the sweetness of the marzipan; I actually quite liked it.

Coating marzipan in dark chocolate

Coating marzipan in dark chocolate

For the remainder, I melted two 150g bars of dark Green & Black’s chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water.  We then dipped the balls into the melted chocolate and using a toothpick scooped them out and left them to dry on some baking parchment.

You probably only need 200g of chocolate as we had some left over and poured this into some chocolate moulds that we have to make some chocolates.  The dark chocolate worked really well against the sweetness of the marzipan, but milk chocolate would work better for individual chocolates.  I think we will also look at getting some brazil nuts and coat those in chocolate, as well as some white chocolate to play with the colours a bit.  This could really be quite fun; really messy fun.

A selection of homemade sweets

A selection of homemade sweets

We also experimented using the marzipan with trying to make mice shapes.  We shaped the marzipan into a thick oval, teased out the end to make a nose and pinched up two small bits to make the ears.  Then we stuck on some pink coloured balls for the eyes.  We will either use string or find some edible shoelace to make the tails when we use the peppermint cream mix to make the actual ones.

Everyone’s got involved in some capacity, particularly scoffing the sweets down!

I have ordered some little gold truffle boxes to put them and they have Merry Christmas printed on them.

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Recipe – Making Your Own Christmas Pudding

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

We have had a brief hiatus from Christmas preparations with Halloween and Bonfire Night, but this weekend I’ve got back to the task of preparing for Christmas.  This weekend was the turn of the pudding.

I started making my own Christmas puddings several years ago as an experiment and you know what – it’s way better than the things that you get from the shops.   It also gives you a great sense of achievement.  It does takes ages to steam though.  Also, the recipe does make masses of Christmas pudding, but then we usually make two and give one away to great friends of ours, the McMurrays.

I like to be a bit nerdy with the stout or beer that I use.  I like to find something a bit special, slightly quirky.  This year I have used Titanic Stout from the Potteries, brewed at the Titanic Micro-brewery run by Dave and Keith Bott in Burslem Stoke-on-Trent.  It is the CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain for 2009.  Titanic Stout is full-tasting and full of character, with a roasted grain, coffee, licquorice and tangy hop resin aromas.

Some of the ingredients for Christmas pudding

Some of the ingredients for Christmas pudding

Another great thing about using beer rather than the brandy that most chefs use is that (and anyone who’s done the maths will see where I’m going) you’ve bought a 500ml bottle of gorgeous beer but only need 150ml, so in the best “waste not want not” attitude I think I better enjoy the rest of the beer myself!

This year I am also reviving an old tradition and have stuck some Christmas favours into the Christmas pudding.  Silver charms were popular in the past, with the traditional shapes like a boot (for travel), ring (for marriage), a button (lucky for men) or silver sixpences for general good fortune.  To stop them tainting the pudding, I have wrapped the coin tightly in baking paper.

The recipe I’ve got down below is an evolving recipe.  I think that my original recipe came from  a Keith Floyd book, but I’ve looked back at his books and I must have changed it a heck of a lot over the years as it bears no relation to his recipes anymore.

That’s one of the things I love about real cooking – you start with the germ of an idea (either from a book, something your mum does or just something that seems to fit with the ingredients you’ve got in front of you) and then you play with it, changing ingredients for those that you’ve actually got in the cupboard or just because they seem to have the right taste, then (when it works) you’ve got your own recipe.  I guess what I mean is don’t be beholden to a recipe book, you’re your own best cook – experiment and play and the more enjoyment you have in doing the experimentation the more happiness will flow into your food.

Ingredients

This recipe does 2 x 1.2 litre puddings, so if you want only the one pudding, simply halve the quantities.

25og/ 9oz vegetarian suet (you can use Atora if you want)
350g/ 12oz sultanas
350g/ 12oz raisins
250g/ 8oz currants
50g/ 2oz almonds
100g/ 4oz mixed peel (I use Crazy Jacks)
75g/ 3oz glace cherries, snipped with scissors (use Crazy Jacks as it includes no horrible added colours)
75g/ 3oz crystallised or stem ginger, snipped with scissors
350g/ 12oz Fairtrade dark Barbados sugar, such as Traidcraft Muscovado
2 grated eating apples
250g/ 9oz fresh white breadcrumbs
175g/ 6oz plain flour, sieved (we use Sunflours who are a fab local hand miller of flours)
1tsp Steenbergs organic Fairtrade mixed spice
1tsp Steenbergs nutmeg powder
½tsp fleur de sel
6 free-range organic eggs
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
1tsp Steenbergs natural almond extract
150ml/ ¼ pint pint stout

DSC_0719_edited-1Toast the almonds in an oven for 5 minutes or so. Mix all dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs; add lemon, orange, Steenbergs almond extract and stout. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in all other ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Now make a wish! Cover and leave somewhere cool overnight.

Turn into greased basins, cover with butter papers and a double layer of cloth.   Sneak a silver coin into the mixture; I wrapped a cleaned 20p or 50p piece in some baking paper and push it into the mix.  Tie securely with string going right round the bottom of the bowl to make a strong handle to lift the bowl.

The Christmas pudding all wrapped and ready for 7 hours of steaming!

The Christmas pudding all wrapped and ready for 7 hours of steaming!

Steam for about 7 hours.

On Christmas Day, steam again for about 1½ hours or until heated right through.

To flame the Christmas pudding, place the cooked pudding on a plate with a decent curve.  Then warm 2 – 3 tablespooons of brandy or whisky (I use whisky) without boiling.  Pour over the Christmas pudding then set alight with a match, being very careful not to set yourself alight!  I am sure there was a useful purpose for the flaming ritual but nowadays it’s just for the flamboyant show.

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Steenbergs is product of the day at Woman & Home

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Steenbergs Home Baking range of organic extracts, including organic Fairtrade vanilla extract and our natural almond extract, is featured as the product of the day at Woman & Home today.

Take a look at:

http://www.womanandhome.com/articles/food/buyoftheday/391623/home-baking.html

Not bad, eh.

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Recipes: Macaroons – part 3

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

This is the final recipe that I think is worth using for macaroons.  It came from a Women’s Institute charity cookbook.  It came with a tale that the word “macaroon” stems from the Greek makaria which means happy, and was introduce by the Greek to Naples in the 10th Century and around 600 years later came to England.DSC_3136

Ingredients for 20 macaroons

125g    ground almonds
225g    caster sugar
25g      brown rice flour
1tsp    Steenbergs almond extract
2          egg whites, stiffly whisked
Split blanched almonds
Rice paper, or non-stick baking parchment

Preheat the oven to 180oC

Use a metal spoon carefully to fold the ground almonds, caster sugar and rice flour into the stiffly whisked egg whites.  Then fold in the Steenbergs natural almond extract.

Line some baking trays with rice paper and spoon small scoops of the mixture onto the rice paper, leaving plenty of space for each to spread out.

Put a split almond on top of each macaroon and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cut the excess rice paper from the base of each macaroon and leave to cool on a wire rack.

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Another Macaroon Recipe – this time from Betty Crocker

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

 

My mum has leant me a wonderful cookbook which is packed full of traditional, homely recipes from America.  It’s the classic Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book which was given to her by her German aunt on her engagement in 1965.  It has a lovely dedication which says “with this book you will really learn to bake marvellous cakes…”

 

On my current quest for the perfect macaroon recipe, I found a section on macaroons within this Betty Crocker book.  It takes some time as it does include 2 stages, including one that needs maturing for a few days, although you can get away with reducing that maturation period down to a couple of hours if you use an intense natural almond extract.

 

I have tweaked the recipes to convert it into metric units as well as including ground almonds rather than explaining how to make your own ground almonds.

 

Stage 1: make your almond paste

 

In a food processor, blend together 450g (2 cups) ground almonds with 185g (1.5 cups) sifted icing sugar.  Blend in 2 egg whites, unbeaten and 2tsp Steenbergs natural almond extract.  Pulse process until nicely blended together.  Mould into a ball and leave tightly covered in fridge for at least 4 days.

 

Stage 2: create your almond macaroons

 

450g     caster sugar (2 cups)

¼ tsp    sea salt

4tbsp    plain flour

85g       icing sugar (two-thirds of a cup)

5          egg whites, unbeaten but whisked together

 

1                        Preheat the oven to 160oC.

2                        Line a baking tin with silicone or rice paper, but the best is rice paper so you then don’t have to worry too much about them getting stuck to the bottom.

3                        Now kneed the almond paste until soft.

4                        Dampen your hands and form the mixture into small balls.  Space a good 2-3cm apart on the baking tray.  Press a large almond sliver onto the centre of each macaroon (Betty Crocker doesn’t put an almond sliver on the top but I think they need this flourish)

5                        Bake until lightly coloured, about 20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and dust, if wished, with icing sugar.

6                        Store in an airtight container.

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Almond Extract – Recipe for Almond Macaroons

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

 

Sophie and I have an ongoing discussion with each other about the best macaroons.  I like the ones in our local farm shop The Smithy at Baldersby, which have been locally baked.  Sophie says these are nowhere near as good as the ones you get down South, which are more of a biscuit and don’t include pastry.

 

I Googled a recipe and came up with this from one of our great friends, Clarissa Hyman.  This comes from her book “The Jewish Kitchen” and it is much closer to what Sophie thinks of as a macaroon.  They are called a marunchinos (Sephardic almond macaroons).  Clarissa says that in Iraq they change the almond extract for rose water, which also sounds delicious, although a bit less like a macaroon.  They are reminiscent of amaretti biscuits but a bit harder, but in any case we wolfed down the lot in abut half an hour.

 

So to celebrate the fact that we’ve just launched a new extract – Steenbergs natural almond extract and an organic orange blossom water.

 

Ingredients

 

175g     Organic ground almonds

125g     Fairtrade caster sugar

Pinch of sea salt

1tsp      Steenbergs natural almond extract

1          Egg white

Almond slivers, to decorate (optional)

Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

 

Method

 

1                     Preheat the oven to 160oC.

2                     Line a baking tin with silicone or rice paper.

3                     Process the almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground.

4                     Add the Steenbergs natural almond extract and egg white and pulse-process until the mixture forms a damp paste.

5                     Dampen your hands and form the mixture into small balls.  Space a good 2-3cm apart on the baking tray.  Press a large almond sliver onto the centre of each macaroon.

6                     Bake until lightly coloured, about 20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and dust, if wished, with icing sugar.

7                     Store in an airtight container.

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Steenbergs’ June/July newsletter

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

 

Tasty treats from STeenbergs

A mixture of looking at new products and firm favourites for a delicious summer from Steenbergs.

We’ve also got some summer offers on as well as lots of new products and recipe ideas. Hope you have a wonderful July from us all here at Steenbergs.

Summer special offers from Steenbergs

We are currently offering 10 per cent off vitamins and supplements and as an introductory offer to cereals we are also giving 10 % off organic corn flakes and grape nuts.

So it’s a good time to stock up on old favourites or try something new.

Home baking gets some new additions

They’re here – natural bitter almond extract, and organic orange flower water. We’re very excited about these new additions to our home baking flavouring range. The almond extract goes wonderfully in sweet pastries, macaroons, marzipan and with apricots amongst many other things. The orange flower water works well with fruit and in madelaines.dsc_04543

This joins our very popular organic Fairtrade vanilla extract, organic rose water and organic peppermint extract to form the core of our home bakery range. Next month the flavoured sugars, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder will join them with colourful labels.

We stock a range of organic and ethical home bakery ingredients from organic sultanas, currants and raisins to organic flour (including gluten free versions) and unbleached baking paper and recycled aluminium foil.

Paprika – just arrived from Spain

7-recogida-de-pimientoOne of the lovely things about the fact that Steenbergs has now been going for nearly 6 years is that we have developed strong links with our growers. We’ve just had delivery of another delicious harvest of organic paprika and natural smoked paprika from our Spanish growers in Murcia, south-east of Spain. This family run company has been going since 1880 growing, drying and grinding this delicious wonderful paprika. They are a wonderful company to work with and their paprika is exceptional – intense in colour with a lovely sweet flavour.

Jams, chutneys and marmalade – Glenroyd give us the low down

glenroyd2Glenroyd Organics is Dean & Michelle (husband and wife) based in Barnsley in Yorkshire. They’re both complete foodies and when Michelle isn’t making Glenroyd’s delicious chutneys, mustards and jam, she’s reading recipe books and magazines for new ideas or watching foodie programmes. Dean is blessed with the enviable job of product testing and enjoying all the culinary delights!

They admit to always having been foodies and their best days and nights have been spent sharing great food and drink whether it be on fantastic holidays, with family & friends or simply chilling out together with some treats over the weekend.

The enjoyment of great food & drink and hectic professional lives naturally led to trying out recipes in the kitchen for those luxury weekend chill out treats and the beginnings of Glenroyd Organics was born…

Axel and Sophie’s favourite Glenroyd products – organic beetroot chutney, organic chilli jam, which the family can get through pots of – on the sweet side it has to be blackcurrant jam.

“Pots of gold” and other sightings

We were delighted to be listed in The Independent’s top 50 for Food websites this June – our first appearance on this list compiled annually where the Steenbergs jars were described as “pots of gold”. Whilst our Madras curry was suggested by that wonderful ethical cook – Rose Prince – in The Telegraph whilst discussing making the perfect coronation chicken.

Steenbergs jars were also spotted by one eagle eye fan being used by comedienne and actress Helen Lederer on BBC Celebrity Masterchef.

Lifestyle magazine continues its series using Steenbergs products.  Lifestyle issue 12 covers French cooking with our French box – go to pages 16-17, issue 11, page 34 – 35 gives some ideas on Thai cooking using our Thai box.

Many thanks for all the support.

Za’atar and sumach top sellers

Many of you have come to us because of the wonderful Ottolenghi  – the Cookbook - written by the Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  This London based restaurant draws on numerous culinary traditions from Persia to California, focussing particularly on the Mediterranean. There are now 4 of these restaurants in Islington, Belgravia, Kensington and Notting Hill.  The book was kind enough to mention us in regard to buying sumac and za’atar. In the book, they are recommended as great garnishes for a plate of hummus or labneh – a type of Arab cheese. They also recommend them for salads and roasted meats.

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New products

At Steenbergs.co.uk we often introduce new products. Recently we’ve added cereals and cereal bars - this offers everything from organic mueslis (with or without raisins), the classic grapenuts and organic cornflakes. We’ve also pulled out our free from non Steenberg products – all Steenbergs blends are gluten free, dairy free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans – this new section includes gluten free bread mixes and chocolate cakes and dairy free chocolate drops and chocolate spreads. We’ve also introduced a number of Mediterranean items including olives, pesto, pasta and sun-dried tomatoes. We add to the shop regularly so don’t forget to check our What’s new section.

Blogs and stockists

Latest blog updates including a number of items about summer cooking including for delicious lunches in the office and the delights of home-made cooking.

We continually update our list of stockists - which grows daily – just tap in your postcode and find your nearest stockist. However, we also have a number of distributors, particularly on the home bakery range, so we don’t always know which shops stock us!

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