The Food and Craft Skills Thread!

[Celia Eriksson]

Well, I am very good at baking and tonight was no exception!!! I made a Chicken and Mushroomy pie to die for.... it was my tastiest yet!!! I love baking and my pastry is the bestest in town. I will start taking photos of my baking skills and post them here to share, I make all my pies from scratch and am gonna make shortbread tomorrow. I did take a photo of the finished pie, for a friend, so I'll share it with you girls too! Maybe I should start a recipe page? Maybe, but it's a bit late.... I'll give the recipe and that later maybe! Here is the pie!!!!




So, I broke up the pie to see the inner, all my own tried and tested creation, the sauce, the chicken cubes, mushyrooms, herbs and shortcrust pastry!!! I know, I have to agree it aint presented well, I was concentrating on getting the pie right and it don't look good as I can do. And it looks even worse on the plate, coz I chopped up carrots, parsnip and leek and the presentation is like 1/10?? I'll think about that next time, coz I'm on my own and that don't matter.... But the pie is like 10/10!!!! So frickin' tasty!!!! I only ate about a third, but will eat more of it tomorrow? Maybe, I know me, I might not coz I don't eat much and it'll end up in the lucky food bin.... Celia xx

1/10 presentation!!!!....

[Lesley Niyori]

Looks yummy, and thumbs up for the cooking/baking page idea, but go one further and call if "food and Crafts. Because I have so much of both I'd like to contribute.

And if it doesn't draw in new faces to our community, it will at least please us

[Celia Eriksson]

hi Lesley!!!!

Must sleep now, it's 1 a.m.!!! But that's a good idea. I just re-read my post and am ashamed at the look of that second picture!!! I will show dainty pies, cakes and biscuits in future.... and crafts will be nice to show too!! It just tasted so good that I kept the pics....

Celia xx

[MichaelaSJ]

I would die for a vanilla layer cake with pineapple filling and vanilla icing.

Let me know when you are moving to The Bay Area so I can start pestering you.

[Celia Eriksson]

So shortbread is easy peasy and my favourite biscuit. I don't eat sugar, but I will have some of these as a very naughty treat!!!

So, basic shortbread and this makes exactly 12 shortbread cookies. So the ingredients!!!!

150g/5oz. plain flour
100g/3 & 1/2oz. butter
50g/2oz. caster sugar

You can amplify the figures to make more!!!!



Cut the butter into cubes. then add to the caster sugar in a mixing bowl.



With your hands or a beater, beat into a solid ball, ensuring the butter and caster sugar is mixed well!!



Add the flour!



Work the flour into the butter/caster sugar ball. This takes a little work about five minutes!!!!



Until it's like this!!!! Have your baking paper ready. Cut two pieces out!



Line your baking tray tin ready to receive the cut out pastry. I'm going to make round biccies and will cut to size in a cupcake tin. But I can make animal shaped ones too!!!!



Roll the pastry out to about 1/4 of an inch between the baking paper!!!! Don't roll direct or it'll break up!!! Adding flour to ease rolling is not good for the mix either.... REjoin the pastry after cutting shapes and roll and cut again and again. This is all the pastry I had left.... I'm quite good at not wasting it and measuring right!!!!



Place the cut out pastry into your tray...



Put in the fridge for 15 minutes. This helps the pastry settle abd stops any expansion, however small it will break the cookies!!!!



Prod little holes in the top with a fork! I'm gonna get a thistle stamp for my shortbread baking one day....



Sprinkle caster sugar on the top of the cookies!!!!



Place in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown!!!



Oh, they were not easy to get out without chipping them, they were a snug fit.... they normally look better... more butter to line the tin... anyway, place them on a wire mesh stand until they are cool!!! Well, they are frickin' delicious!!!!!




*Edit* Only just read this!!!....

I would die for a vanilla layer cake with pineapple filling and vanilla icing.

Let me know when you are moving to The Bay Area so I can start pestering you.

Ok, my cakes always looked good..... it's been a while coz my sugar intake is next to zero!!! But I shall make one very soon and explain how I did it!!! It's easy!!!! Pineapple and Vanilla from scratch and it'll look good!!!

Celia xx

[MichaelaSJ]

Looks yummy!

What is Caster Sugar, is that a baker's term for powdered or confectioner sugar?

[Celia Eriksson]

Looks yummy!

What is Caster Sugar, is that a baker's term for powdered or confectioner sugar?

Hi Miki!!!!

It is very, very fine sugar and got it's name from the caster that it was sprinkled from way back when, at least the 16th century, for sprinkin sugar onto cakes and fruit etc. It is very good for baking coz you don't have to grind the sugar up, it mixes easily.

A sugar caster:

There are many types of sugar, at many used over here, how many do you have? Is powdered sugar the equivalent perhaps?

Some types of sugar:



Others include, cane, beet, confectioner's, malt, date, nib and other's I can't think of right now!!!


Celia xx

[Tara]

I believe that caster sugar is British usage for what we Americans call confectioner's sugar. Or, at least, close enough.

[MichaelaSJ]

Thanks Celia and Tara.

Not being a baker, the only sugars I am aware of, at least at my local food store is powered, granular and brown.

[Celia Eriksson]

Hi Tara and Miki!!!

Soz Tara, but they are not the same.... confectioner's sugar, (AKA icing sugar), is much finer ground and has added starch to bind the frosting/icing upon cakes! Caster sugar, from what I can find out on sites has no equivalent in the USA, as far as I know.... anyway it has larger granules, (though still very fine), than icing/confectioner's sugar.

As for other sugars.... just add in the different lingo and confusion reigns upon us all!!! And I thought we all spoke the same language!!!!! Lets sing: !!!!!

You say either and I say either,
You say neither and I say neither
Either, either neither, neither
Let's call the whole thing off.
You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto.
Let's call the whole thing off!!!!!

Celia xx

[MichaelaSJ]

Dammit, Tara - get your facts right!

[Tara]

Dammit, Tara - get your facts right!

What do I know?

[Celia Eriksson]

Oh.... sorry if I came over bossy..... ya got ya cake recipe coming and I'm gonna do gooey cookies and my famous bacon/[USA]ham and egg pie soon.... I'm not bossy at all..... oh no, no, no, no!!!

[Celia Eriksson]

Tonight I made one of my famous and delicious egg and bacon pies!!!!!

Ingredients!!!

Pastry:
10oz./300g flour!
7oz.200g butter!
3 tbs cold water!
Pinch of salt!

Filling:

Olive oil
Spring Onions
7oz./200g Chopped Bacon
4 eggs
One tomato chopped
Grated cheese/add to taste
Parsley
Pinch of salt



Shortcrust paste is easy, put the flour in the mixing bowl and cube your butter and add. Using your hands mould together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add a teaspoon of chilled water and using a knife work it in, then add the other two at intervals and it will bind. Using your hands make it into a ball and place in the fridge! 30 mins.



Now, you can prepare the other stuff, chop about 5 spring onions finely and the tomato. Add the bacon and sprinkle with parsley and add the salt Swizzle around and at a tbs of olive oil to help cook the squares.



Take the pastry out and roll. Cut into a circle using a large plate and line your pre-buttered pie dish. I like a high sided one for this. Beat an egg, sorry that's five eggs total!!!, and brush the patry. Cut excess off the rim.



Fill the pastry lined dish with the ingredients and punch down so the egg does not mingle too much.



Beat the 4 eggs and add a pinch of salt and a splash of milk and grate cheese to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the bacon mix and pop into the oven for 40mins @ 350f/190c.



Keep an eye on it, when the eggs start to brown cover with foil!!! Test the eggs with a cocktail stick, the eggs need to be cooked through!! Delicious!!!!!



Delicious!!!!!!!!




Now, I dare to watch my Manchester United, it should be into the second half. Switching TV on, wait..... Oh, it's 2-1 to my Manchester United and about 40 minutes to go!!!! Ooh, bye for now!!!! Celia!!!!!!!!

[MichaelaSJ]

Uhhhhh, thanks for the post, but I will pass.

[Tara]

Oh.... sorry if I came over bossy.....

I'm not bossy at all..... oh no, no, no, no!!!

No worries. I'm the oldest, with five sisters, so I've had plenty of practise with bossiness, both giving and taking.  

ya got ya cake recipe coming and I'm gonna do gooey cookies and my famous bacon/[USA]ham and egg pie soon....

Yum!

[Guest]

Oh.... sorry if I came over bossy..... ya got ya cake recipe coming and I'm gonna do gooey cookies and my famous bacon/[USA]ham and egg pie soon....  I'm not bossy at all..... oh no, no, no, no!!!

You bossy? On what planet?

I love pies by the way as does my eldest son. Pork pies Melton Mowbray. My wife and youngest are grossed out by them. Peasants!
We must have English ancestry somewhere.

In any case I usually buy a large chicken for the weekend. Too much to eat. Roast chicken and stuffing for Sunday lunch and  chicken pasta bake or chicken pie for dinner with the leftovers. We're not poor but I grew up poor. My wife didn't she was never short of anything so doesn't get it

It's funny how you  can't get away from your upbringing.

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