This is a story about shoving common sense to one side, and blindly following recipes.
As I’ve said before, pasta was a big part of my staple diet before the start of this year, and filled pasta (predominantly tortellini) was the ultimate in lazy. You didn’t even have to make a sauce: just boil some water, drop the parcels in for a few minutes and chuck some grated cheese on top.
Continue reading
Muesli is the oxymoron of the patient/quickie food analogy.
I compiled it in about 30 seconds, but to prepare the ingredients took over five hours (and if I had chosen different fruit, my research tells me could have been hitting the eight hour mark). Continue reading
So after nine long months it has arrived. The bun has been slowly baking away since January, and now it’s ready to leave the oven and say hello to the world, and you, the good people of the From Scratch kingdom, will be the first to see it.
No I am not talking about a baby, but in fact the launch of the Suppers From Scratch exclusive members club!
Continue reading
(***Health Warning! The following recipes were cooked by trained professionals under strict safety conditions. Suppers From Scratch cannot take responsibility for any pastry induced cardiac arrests. Do not attempt unless you plan to neutralize the copious amounts of butter with a strict exercise regime!***)
So last week in my perfect French bliss I enrolled on a one day veinnoiserie course. I was going to learn to make the perfect Croissants, Pain au Chocolat and Pain au Raisin. Continue reading
I currently have the luxury of writing my blog in 30 degree heat with a light breeze in the kitchen of a very petite medieval French house in the Languedoc Roussillon – well, more 3 rooms stacked on top of each other but you get the picture.
Writing in the shade on a sunny day, filled with a dappled glow of a truly From Scratch lunch, life couldn’t be better.
Now I was trying to work out, what makes it so good? Is it the holiday or is it the From Scratch food? I am well over half way through my year now and, as holidays always seem to provide, I am starting to get some perspective on the project so far.
Continue reading
I realised today that what my story needs is a bit of gritty realism in the form of British kitchen sink drama!
Well, really more of a concise look at the reality of eating From Scratch everyday for a year. Not the epic tales of baked goods, the eloquent eulogies of dinner parties, or the devastation of failed chocolate. No. No drama, no comedy, just your average run of the mill tale where you get to peak over the neighbours fence in to the realism of daily life From Scratch.
Throughout the whole experience so far, from bread to chocolate, jam to pasta, there has been one glaring omission from my From Scratch story. Those of you who know me can probably guess, and for those of you who don’t you can also probably guess!
What else could it be but the master of all food loveliness – CAKE!
When it comes to cake I am like a sugar starved child with a constant image of what could be if only I had a slice of mouth watering chocolate, lemon, carrot, banana (you name it, I love it … except coffee, but nobody likes coffee) cake.
Now I know I promised a cake blog and it is coming, but trying to describe an epic victoria sponge, black forest gateau, banana cake, bread and macaroon baking day is taking its time and since then stuff has happened. So I’m filling you in on this week and sharing perhaps the least attractive emotion of this experience so far…. Laziness…..
I think the reoccurring theme with my cooking tends to be ambition. As I am not one to go against the grain, this bank holiday weekend I planned a roast, two loaves of bread, cake, pancakes, pea soup and Jam.
And for once I actually achieved it all! (Although I think it was more to do with the extra Bank Holiday Monday than with anything else)…
Today I got really excited about the summer, or more specifically summer food. The recent good weather has already led to my first BBQ of the year and some lovely picnics in a variety of outside spots.
As I write this, the sunshine is streaming through my windows and you really start to feel that the earth is singing. However one vital ingredient has been missing (no not rain!) the actual summer ingredients.
