GBBO Challenge Week 7: Kouign Amann

This week on the GBBO: a technical challenge which no-one knew of - such fun! In fact, the same thing happened on the Dutch Bake Off this week, but everyone there failed miserably there. That strengthened my belief that British Bake Off contestants are just the best, as they did a whole lot better considering. 

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Rose Meringue Kisses with White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

As the Dutch version of the Bake Off has started up again (I know, it's Bake Off season, can't talk about anything else it seems!), some businesses are seeing ways to promote their (often awesome) bakeware with giveaways and contests. I'm not complaining, if there's cool stuff to win I'm in! These meringues are my entry for a cookery store contest, where you can win their weekly prize (some fancy whisks this week) and if you participate each week, an Ankarsrum kneading assistent. 

These meringues are superchic and somewhat special because of their rose flavor. Rose is a difficult flavor to use because you could end up with something which tastes like soap. Dosed properly, however, it is very lovely and floral. It always makes me think of those English gardens, full of roses - but then sweeter and in my mouth. Some might shy away from it but I love a bit of garden flavor. Rose Meringue Kisses make a great addition to a high tea or a fancy get-together!


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GBBO Challenge Week 6: Chocolate and Hazelnut Swirl Gugelhupf

You might call this a cake, others would call it a bread. Whatever it might be, it tastes amazing with a hot cup of tea. Last week on the bake off, European cakes was the theme. And I'm sure most of you expected a Prinsesstårta on my blog for the challenge, what with me being such a big Sweden fan. I sort of want to come up with my own (pink!) version though, so I'll leave it to another time. 

The yeasted cakes looked really good and, I can now say, taste pretty awesome as well. Some of the bakers baked a French Savarin, others a German/Austrian Gugelhupf. Since I don't have a savarin mould, a gugelhupf is what I chose. Not disappointed with my choice - at all!

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GBBO Challenge Week 5: Classic Vanilla Custard Tart

This is probably the first time that I have genuinely felt like a GBBO contestant. I set out to make a simple custard tart - the first time I had ever attempted one. Tart dough made - so far so good, I had done this many times. Rolling out the dough proved a little difficult, as the fat content of this dough was quite high. 

The first cracks started to appear in my confidence, as well as in the crust as I was lifting it into the tart tin. As I placed the tart shell in the oven, I told it to behave well, and not dare shrink on me. Of course, I had an disobedient tart shell and it decided to shrink on me anyway. As I saw the crust creeping down the sides of the tin, I felt this could never work out. 

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The Cutest and Easiest Hedgehog Cookies

You know when you find that Instagram account that you can't believe only has 400 followers? I'm on the hunt for baking inspiration on Instagram all the time (the Baking tag is helpful), and a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon one of those accounts that deserves more attention (and followers!). Samantha of @elleventy bakes the CUTEST cookies. Owl shaped, tortoise shaped - if it's an animal, it's a cookie. She also posts some great pies. Unfortunately, there are no recipes with the pictures, so you have to be a bit creative to recreate the bakes, but it's worth it purely for the foodporn and cuteness. I recreated one of her animal-shaped cookies: the hedgehog!

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Traditional Frisian Sugarbread

I'm proud of my Frisian roots and even though I like a good French baguette or an American pie, few things can top those traditional foods from your childhood. I know - your teeth might as well fall out at the sight of this super sugary bread. But ohmy. A sticky, flaky crust, the brioche-like inside studded with coarse pearl sugar and a cloud of cinnamon and ginger syrup to flavor the dough. Even though we aren't the only ones baking sugarbread, ask any Dutchman or woman what Frisians eat and 9/10 will answer "suikerbrood" or "sûkerbôle". There are versions of this bread in other parts of the Netherlands and even in Belgium, but apparently we Frisians like quite a bit of the ol' sucrose (although you wouldn't guess it, considering Frisians' general aversion to buttercream). We use about double the amount of sugar other bakers do - a whole lot. Recently, cooks, ice cream makers and bakers have been trying to give a modern twist to the bread by churning it into ice cream, or using it to make the most AMAZING of bread and butter puddings. 

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GBBO Challenge Week 4: What Puds?! 7 of the Best Molten Lava Cakes

Source: @BritishBakeOff on Twitter

This week, I felt a little bit like Norman does pretty much every week: confused and wanting to go back to baking roots. I had never heard of a self-saucing pud and baked alaskas are, to me, somewhat of a fuss (I don't say that too often..). I wanted to have a go at Kate's chocolate puds with salted caramel filling and vanilla whipped cream, but I had a case of Murphy's Law, not having time to bake them before (darn thesis!) being out of eggs, not being able to go to the shops and not having the right equipment (but honestly, are dariole molds worth investing in? I don't know). So this week no recipe, but rather a nice list of yummy looking self saucing puds (a.k.a. molten lava cakes) to get inspired. Warning: chocolate is involved, in a big way! I think most of what could have been said about last week's episode has been said already - and then again - on (social) media so I will just keep to the list this time!

10 of the Best Molten Lava Cakes

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Apple Crumble Pie (Vlaai)

Autumn is drawing nearer, as signalled by my upcoming birthday, decreasing temperatures and increasing levels of university related stress. Just a few weeks and we'll be huddled together in front of (optimally and most cozily) fireplaces and (less optimally) gas-powered central heating. When most people around me start complaining about low temperatures and pouring rain, I know my time has finally come. Finally I'm able to layer my clothing again, finally sunscreen on my face will suffice and finally (and most importantly) it is acceptable to bake with cinnamon again. When our wood heater was blazing away, I felt it was not more than logical to bake some kind of apple pie and so this Southern Dutch style Apple Crumble Pie came into existence. For me it makes that dreary day all the more glorious and for those for whom it is less enjoyable more bearable!

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