Ischler/Isler

I fancied some biscuits today and I wanted something "bad" for my waistline(I deserve some Sunday's treat). I haven't had Isler for a while, as you can't really find this in England. Isler is basically walnut/almond biscuit rounds sandwiched together with jam, and covered with chocolate. You can have these shortbread like biscuits in Hungarian patisseries all over the country. They are lush to eat and they can keep for a long time ....if you can resist.

Ischler/ Isler

Ingredients (makes 16)

200 g plain flour

150 g grated walnut/almond

200 g butter at room tempeature

2 egg yolk

100 g icing sugar

pinch of salt

approx 200 g apricot jam/seedless raspberry

200 g dark chocolate

50 g butter

Mix the flour, grated walnut, icing sugar in a big bowl then add the butter, egg yolks and the pinch of salt. Try to mix the dough as quickly as possible to avoid overworking it and melt the butter with your warm fingers. Shape a ball, cover it with cling film and place it to the fridge for at least an hour, but if you leave it to rest overnight that is even better.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. After resting, work the dough for a minute on a floured surface than roll it to 4-5 mm thick. With a 7-9 cm cookie cutter cut out rounds and place them on a baking paper covered baking sheet.

Bake them for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden. Leave them to cool completely. Sandwich two rounds with some apricot jam. Leave the biscuits for a few hours to harden, so the biscuit rounds won't slide on the jam when you are dipping them.

Place a bowl over a boiling water in a heavy based pan and put the chocolate in the bowl stirring until melted. Add the butter, which will give a nice shine to it. Decorate with half walnuts if you wish, but it isn't necessary.

"Mum to be" Battenberg Cake

I made a cake for my colleague who had her leaving presentation this week, to start her new Yummy Mummy life. We didn't know the sex yet so I made a cake topping with generic colours, try to avoid the blue or pink. I made a battenberg cake as that is Ali's favourite, which was the first for me: also for baking and tasting. It turned out quite good, and the team demolished the cake in a short space of time. I used the battenberg recipe from the BBCgoodfood website.

"Mum to be" Battenberg Cake

Ingredients for the almond sponge

175 g very soft butter

175 g golden caster sugar

140 g self-raising flour

50 g ground almond

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 medium eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Ingredients for the pink sponge

1 X ingredients for almond sponge

pink/red food colouring 

For the cake decoration

200 g apricot jam

500 g marzipan (I used golden marzipan)

little icing sugar, for dusting

250 g brown icing (for the teddy bear)

some different coloured icing ( I used Renshaw Funky Flavoured Sugargough, as you can have 4X100g in a pack at all different colours)

edible writing pan

You have to prepare the decoration at least two days ahead as the icing needs time to harden. I  just used a video on youtube- to find a tutorial: just type in: fondant bear. Actually is like playing with play dough. It isn't difficult, as you can see the bear, duck and the train is recognisable and actually this is my very first try with icing sculpting.

So I prepared the toppings two days in advance and just left in the living room to harden. 

Heat the oven to 180C and prepare a round baking pan. To make the almond sponge, put the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until the mix comes together smoothly. Scrape into the tin, spreading evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes-when you spoke with a skewer, it should come out clean. Cool the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling while you make the second sponge.

For the pink sponge, prepare another round tin. Mix all the ingredients together as above but don't add the almond extract. Fold in some pink pink food colouring then scrape it all into the in and bake as before.

To assemble level the cakes(cut off the top if you have a little dome) and cut the sponges in half (all sponge layers should be the same height). Depending on the high of your sponge layers(sponge circles should be the same with and height) start cutting out sponge circles. For this cake I had 5 sponge circles. 

When you finished cutting one sponge layer lift out every second sponge circle, place it on top on the others and use it as the template. To make up the battenberg layers just use a pink, then a almond sponge till you made up the whole sponge layer. 

To assemble, heat the jam in a small pan until runny, then sieve. Brush the sponge layer with jam , than lay another layer on top but reversing the order of sponges.

When you finished with the cake, brush the surface with the remaining jam. Roll out the marzipan on a lightly dusted surface with icing sugar to just big enough to cover the cake. Carefully lift the marzipan and smooth over the cake. 
Place on top the decoration and serve:)

And this is the cake while cutting. I apologise as I don't have the best mobile to take a picture and in the office we don't really have proper knifes to slice a cake sharply.

Strawberry Jam With a Twist

This is totally my creation, but I warn you: don't let your husband to finish it as he MAY not read carefully the description of the pectin and he MAY don't put enough in it.(I had to leave and get some more empty jars from a friend nearby, as I run out of them earlier than expected) Otherwise it tastes delicious....but my version slightly runny as my dearest and nearest put  1/10 of the pectin that was required. Anyway.....this is my:

Strawberry Jam with a twist

Ingredients
1.2 kg strawberry
0.8kg jam sugar (or use granulated sugar+pectin-amount of pectin depends on brand, always use the suggested amount)
1 tbsp cinnamon
5-6 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
2 vanilla pods, halved length ways 

1 lemon juice

Put a small plate into the freezer.
Hull and clean the strawberries. Smash half of the strawberries with a potato masher, but leave other half leave in quarters (to have some "whole" pieces in the jam).

Put the strawberries with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and the vanilla into a heavy based sauce pan and bring to the boil. Boil the jam for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly, checking the setting point every 2 minutes during the last 5 minutes. 10 minutes into the boiling you can add the amaretto liqueur, the alcohol will evaporate, but the taste will stay in the jam. 

To  test the setting point, take the cold saucer out of the freezer, put a little jam on it. Leave it for a minute then push your finger into the jam, if it wrinkles, then it's done. You may put some extra pectin in the jam if it doesn't want to set, but strawberry jam unlikely to set very solid anyway. 

Take off the heat and skim off the scum if needed. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and store.

To sterilise your jars:
Wash your jars in hot, soapy water, then leave in a low oven to dry completely. Keep them warm. Alternatively, run the jars and lids thorough a hot dishwasher cycle, then let them dry.

Or like my mum did it: put your washed jars and lids into a massive saucepan filled with water and start boiling it, after 15minutes, just before filling take them out one by one. The jar should dry out within seconds as the remaining of the water evaporate immediately.

Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam

This recipe is from the BBC good food channel. I quite like the idea to add something to the traditional jams so it will be something special. The recipe is great, but I slightly reduced the amount of sugar to use, as the vanilla makes the jam sweet anyway.

Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam

Ingredients
1.2kg rhubarb, weighted after trimming, cut into 3cm chunks
0.9kg jam sugar or granulated sugar and some pectin-according to the recommended amount on the product
2 vanilla pods, halved length ways
1 lemon juice

Put a small plate in the freezer. Put the rhubarb into your largest saucepan with the sugar and halved vanilla pods. Heat gently into, stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved, then squeeze in the lemon juice and increase the heat.

Boil for about 10minutes, skimming off the scum as you go ( the fruit should be soft). 

Test for setting point by spooning a little onto your chilled plate. After 1-2 minutes, push your finger through the jam-if the surface wrinkles it is ready. If not, keep cooking  for 2-minutes intervals, testing in between. 

Once the jam is ready, let it cool for about 15 minutes before ladling into warm sterilised jars and sealing. Will keep for 6months in a cool, dark place.

To sterilise your jars:
Wash your jars in hot, soapy water, then leave in a low oven to dry completely. Keep them warm. Alternatively, run the jars and lids thorough a hot dishwasher cycle, then let them dry.

Or like my mum did it: put your washed jars and lids into a massive saucepan filled with water and start boiling it, after 15minutes, just before filling take them out one by one. The jar should dry out within seconds as the remaining of the water evaporate immediately.

Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam

This recipe is an adapted version from my new favourite book: Preserves and Pickles. The original recipe required 2 handful of elderflower removed from their stalks, but as I live in Southampton it is quite hard to get your hands on. 
BUT my dear friend, the creator of Kabi's Kitchen, just made some elderflower cordial (his recipe here) so I thought I would give it a go. It did the magic: first you will taste the tangy gooseberry, but than the sweetness of the elderflower hits your tongue! Quite special if you ask me!

Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam

Ingredients
1kg firm gooseberries, topped and tailed
250ml water
0.9kg sugar
1 lemon juice
4-5 tbsp home-made elderflower cordial

Put the gooseberries into a large saucepan, add the water and bring the mixture to the boil.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 20minutes until the fruit is soft. Using a potato masher, gently mash the fruit to crush it lightly. 
Add the sugar, lemon juice and elderflower cordial to the pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 10minutes, or to setting point.
Remove from the heat, skim off any scum and cool for 5minutes then stir. Pot and seal into sterilised, then leave before labelling.


To sterilise your jars:
Wash your jars in hot, soapy water, then leave in a low oven to dry completely. Keep them warm. Alternatively, run the jars and lids thorough a hot dishwasher cycle, then let them dry.

Or like my mum did it: put your washed jars and lids into a massive saucepan filled with water and start boiling it, after 15minutes, just before filling take them out one by one. The jar should dry out within seconds as the remaining of the water evaporate immediately.