2009: My year in sweets

Magnolia Bakery, New York City

2009 was a pretty big year for me. It was the year I started a blog, learned how to use my fancy schmancy camera and took my love of baking from casual hobby to serious obsession. I probably spent 5% of my salary on butter, but it was worth it because I had a whole lot of fun.

January

This little blog started! I hadn't found my writing voice yet, my HTML skills were elementary (OK, they still are), I had the fancy camera but no clue how to use it properly. But I knew I was having a blast. This brownie puddle tart from Rose Levy Beranbaum was one of the first half-decent photos I showed here as well as being one of my favourite desserts. I urge you to add it to your 'baking resolutions' list for 2010!

February

February brought a snow day which shut down the whole of London! It also brought this favourite coconut cake of mine and Edward's, with which we celebrated his 30th birthday in juvenile style.

March

In March, after reading about the process at Chocolate & Zucchini, I used a bottle of vodka that had been sitting in our cupboard unopened for over a year to make my own vanilla extract. Cheap and easy (note to self: this would make a great edible gift for a food lover next Christmas), this is probably one of simplest but most satisfying things I made this year.

April

April is the best month of the year. After all, none other than yours truly brought sunshine to its rainy days when she blessed the world with her presence nearly 30 years ago! But my baking highlight for this month actually came a week after my birthday when I had a crack at making my own pizza dough, something my sister had been doing for months. Now this Mark Bittman recipe has become a staple in our house.

May

May was filled with holidays, to Suffolk and New York City. The culinary high point was visiting my cousins' uber cute and stylish kitchen store in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, Whisk. I also got a huge number of visits to this post about my version of Clinton Street Bakery's blueberry pancakes, after they were featured on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. It's still my most popular post by a mile.

June

Weatherwise, June in England was glorious. (It was all downhill from there.) For me there is no better summer drink than refreshing elderflower cordial, and this year I managed to raid a tree near my house and make my own. It's so simple, I can't wait to do it again this summer.

July

By July summer was officially gone but we still had to keep up the pretence, right? I loved the colours in this blueberry frozen yogurt. I think it's one of the prettiest desserts I've ever made.

August

In August I launched my shortlived but impassioned one-woman campaign to encourage everyone to bake by weight! As you may know, I'm a huge fan of using a scale in the kitchen. If you feel kind enough to indulge me, go back and read my manifesto on this important issue! :)

September

September brought good things: a trip home to visit family, a friend's wedding and a stay in lovely, leafy Vermont. It also brought my best baking highlight of the year. This gluten-free lemon, polenta and almond drizzle cake instantly became a new favourite and the cake I made most in 2009.

October

My mum's nomination for my recipe of the year was this autumnal All-in-one holiday bundt cake from Dorie Greenspan. (Dorie even commented on my post!) It combines all the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas flavours into one moist cake so it's perfect for serving throughout the fall.

November

November hails the start of the long, dreary, wet British winter. That means comforting, cold weather foods, hopefully using as much as possible that's in season and local. I try to cook vegetarian as much as I can, and this pumpkin, spinach and goat's cheese tart is a fantastic 'vegetarian company's coming' dish. The colours make it look so special!

December

I didn't get a lot of blogging done this month, but I was glad I got to share my traditional stollen recipe with all of you (the lady in the coordinated sweater-apron combo was my sister, by the way. I can't take credit for such stylishness.) This year's batch turned out a little drier than I like, but it was still fantastic toasted and lathered with butter.

So, that was the year in my kitchen. What's your favourite thing you cooked this year?

Christmas stollen

My sister Ele is very big on Christmas traditions. A 'tradition' can be defined loosely in her book. Take the Advent calendar that hangs in my parents' dining room; it has 24 pockets on it with a sweet little ornament in each one, which are hung on the felt Christmas tree above as the days go by. One year during our childhood it was her turn to do the even numbered days and hang up the itty bitty Baby Jesus, the tree's crowning glory, on December 24th. But lo and behold, instead of it being my turn the next year - you know, the normal, fair thing to do - it had apparently become 'tradition' that it was her job. At the ripe old age of 29 I'm still stuck with the odd numbered days.

This stubborn insistence on Christmas tradition can be a good thing, however. If not for her bullheaded regard for it, I probably would have skipped making stollen this year, a sweet German Christmas fruit bread which we started making 5 or 6 years ago after some encouragement from our mum. Ele and I usually give it to our aunts and uncles as gifts but neither of us will be with them this year, and the bread does require quite a lot of ingredients and more than a modicum of time and effort. I thought it would be easier to do without, but it never crossed her mind that we wouldn't make the bread - I mean, it's tradition!



I have to say I'm glad we pressed ahead with this particular tradition. If you have a genial companion to work with with and some Christmas tunes to listen to, it definitely doesn't seem like work.

While there are a lot of steps involved, none of them are actually difficult. And the results are so impressive. I am rarely boastful of my baking achievements and most often downright critical. But with stollen I find myself secretly congratulating myself at my prowess. People go crazy for this bread, including me.

The beauty of stollen is that it's adaptable to so many palates. Some versions include marzipan in the middle, some have nuts, some are more reminiscent of a fruitcake with the addition of candied peel, while those people who can't abide the stuff can substitute dried chopped fruit instead. We usually fall firmly into the 'no candied peel' camp, but this year we ventured into a brave new world: Ele made her own! Our mum made it first and sent along the recipe, and we agree heartily with our parents that this candied peel is like nothing you've ever had from the supermarket. I ate a whole piece on its own... it really is like candy! (And would be divine dipped in dark chocolate.) If you think you don't like candied peel, try making this and tell me then if you still don't like it.



If you venture into stollen-making (and I so hope you do, because it's fun, impresses people, and provides you with a whackload of edible gifts) you should know that stollen improves with age. Make the bread at least one day before you want to serve it, and preferably two. Later, once it's lost most of its moisture and gone stale it's wonderful toasted and slathered with butter. This stollen would make, shall we say, a great Christmas Day breakfast 'tradition'.

Quark Stollen

From Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Makes 4 very large loaves or more smaller ones.

2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated to lukewarm

4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups quark, or substitute 2 cups plain whole milk yogurt that has been drained for 1 hour

1 cup currants

1 1/2 cups sultanas (golden raisins)

1 cup candied lemon or orange peel or a mixture, chopped small, or substitute a mix of dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots

1 cup orange juice

1 cup dark rum or strong black tea

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

7 to 8 cups all purpose flour

1 pound cold, unsalted butter

1/4 cup butter for brushing on top, optional

1/2 cup granulated sugar

The night before you wish to make the breads, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and stir in the sugar. Let stand five minutes. In a large bowl combine the yeast mixture with the milk. Stir in 3 cups of flour until well mixed, then stir for about half a minute in the same direction. Add the quark or drained yogurt and stir in, then add one more cup of flour and stir until the dough is smooth. Cover well with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Meanwhile (also the day before you want to bake) mix together the currants, raisins and chopped peel or fruit in a bowl. Add the orange juice and rum or tea nd mix well. Cover and let stand overnight.

When ready to proceed, drain the fruit mixture thoroughly in a sieve, reserving the soaking liquid; you should have about 1 cup liquid and nearly 4 cups fruit. Set both the fruit mixture and liquid aside.

Sprinkle the salt over the dough and fold in, then add the reserved soaking liquid and the sugar and fold in. Add 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, first turning and folding to incorporate it, then kneading it in, while leaving the dough in the bowl.

Cut the butter into chunks and place in the food processor with 1 cup of flour. Process together. Add the butter and flour mixture to the dough in the bowl and knead it in well. Let the dough stand, covered with plastic wrap, for about an hour.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper silicone liners and place them near your work surface.

Turn out the dough onto a generously floured surface. (You'll use another cup or so of flour at this stage.) Flatten the dough out to about a one-inch thick rectangle. Spread the drained fruit over one half of the rectangle leaving a wide border all around. Fold the other half of the rectangle over the fruit, then fold the dough in half again the other way. Gently knead and roll it to help distribute the fruit through the dough, incorporating flour as necessary. Some of the fruit will break out to the surface as you knead; don't worry too much about this.

Cut the dough into four equal pieces, or more as you wish (we made six breads this time.) Working with one piece at a time on a floured surface, flatten the dough into an oval about 12 inches long and 6 to 8 inches wide. Fold it over in half lengthwise to give a mounded oval about 4 inches wide. Brush off any excess flour and transfer bread to the baking sheet. Repeat with the other three breads, placing two on each sheet. The breads puff up considerably in the oven so leave several inches in between them!

Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise for 45 minutes; they will be a bit puffier but will not double in volume. Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C. Place a rack just above the middle of your oven and another below the middle, making sure there's enough headroom (5 inches clearance) for the breads.

Bake for about 60 minutes (less if you are making more, smaller breads) with one sheet on each oven rack. Switch the baking sheets around after 20 minutes. If at any point they are getting too dark, cover them with a loose sheet of parchment paper.

When done the breads will be golden, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. They'll still be soft and very fragile, so be careful when handling them until they cool. Remove the breads from the baking sheets onto cooling racks. Brush on the melted butter if you wish, and sprinkle the sugar on generously (it will stick to the loaves with or without butter.) Let the breads cool completely (4 to 6 hours) before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap.

The breads should stand at least overnight and preferably for 24 to 48 hours before serving. This helps the crumb firm up and improves the texture and flavour. The breads can also be frozen and defrosted at room temperature.

Loving... Christmas gifts for the baker

It's crunch time. Only one shopping weekend left 'til Christmas, you've got at least seven presents left to buy and your inspiration ran out back in November. But help is here. If there are any keen bakers on your list, allow me to lend a hand with my holiday gift guide. They'll appreciate one of these goodies so much more than that gift basket from Crabtree and Evelyn that smells like a funeral.

Now, I admit that I'm one of those people who asks for socks for Christmas - it was top of my list this year. Last year on my wish list was a new grater. I may be all about the practical for myself, asking for things that are too boring to buy myself during the year, but when buying for other people, I like to have a bit more fun. The perfect kitchen gift should be useful and stylish. Here are my top picks.

A reference or everyday baking book

A really great baking book is worth its weight in gold and will spend many happy years not collecting dust. Here I've chosen The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri, but other good choices would be In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley, Mary Berry's Baking Bible, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.


A set of nesting bowls


One of my favourite things in my own kitchen is a set of three ceramic, vintage-inspired nesting bowls. They're solid, sturdy and they look great! This set of stacking bowls, colander, sieve and measuring spoons from Joseph Joseph caught my sister's eye when we were out shopping on Marylebone High Street a few weeks ago. It's practical, space saving and super fun. What a great gift for the beginning baker or cook.


One great pan or dish


When I tackle a new recipe that calls for a pan I don't have, I often end up buying the cheapest, flimsiest version I can find - what if I never want to use it again? Maybe this is how a lot of us end up with collections of junky and mismatched pans and dishes in our kitchens. Life's too short for crappy kitchen equipment, so why not spoil someone with one terrific piece? It could be a heavy duty novelty bundt pan or a colourful set of ramekins. I'd love to own this versatile deep pie dish from Emile Henry.


A cake plate or stand


Last year I received a beautiful white china cake plate from my parents. I felt it was too fragile to travel though, so it's stashed in their basement, waiting for a move back to Canada one day! This delicate square stand from Williams Sonoma is a neat twist on the traditional round version. A square layer cake would look really modern perched atop it.


Made in England rolling pin


I *heart* this rolling pin with a twist. British designer Kathleen Hills' bone china rolling pin stamps the phrase 'Made in England' into your dough. Ideal for the anglophilic baker!

Now that I've provided the inspiration, get out there and start shopping!

Another blog steal: Crispy cheese biscuits

Do you want to know something crazy about me?

I don't like cheese. The smell, the squidginess - blech. Because it's so unusual, I tend to remember every single person I meet who feels the same way. So far our numbers are small. One of my cousins. A good friend of my sister's. My former boss. I'm looking for more club members, if you know anyone.

Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm overstating the case somewhat. As I've gotten older my tolerance for this foodstuff has grown to the point where I enjoy cheese in the following, very specific, incarnations:

• A judicious amount of mozzarella on pizza or lasagna (must be browned on top)


• Freshly grated Parmesan on top of pasta


• A chunk of mature cheddar on a cracker (must be cold and must not be dyed orange)


• Ricotta and mascarpone OK in most forms


• Cream cheese icing on a layer cake
  
• ... And crispy cheese biscuits.

For someone who doesn't like cheese much, I have a bizarre love of cheese crackers. I think it's because the cheese becomes almost caramelized in the oven, turning it into a completely different animal. So when my friend Chris took it upon himself to email me with his Christmas requests for the blog (yes, really) and included cheese shortbread on his (long) list, I knew I had to make it for him.

In the end, I'm not sure what I've made actually constitutes shortbread, but it's close. I found the recipe at Chocolate & Zucchini and followed it to the letter - and what a recipe it is. These thin, savoury biscuits are buttery and cheesy with a hint of heat from smoked paprika (or you could use cayenne). They crumble as soon as they hit your tongue. The word moreish was invented to describe these little wonders.

I played around with cutting them to different widths and found that I liked the paper-thin ones the best - they take just 5 minutes to bake and shatter so deliciously under your teeth. And because you roll the easy peasy dough into a log, you can keep it in your fridge and bake off a fresh batch as needed throughout the holidays. This is the way to enjoy cheese!

NB: I did not eat any of that cheese in the photo. I took it from Edward's cheese stash for staging purposes only!

Cheese Thins
Makes about 40 to 50 biscuits if sliced very thinly

Recipe at Chocolate & Zucchini

Blog steal: Gingerbread

Is it weird that I've never made gingerbread before? I don't mean icing gingerbread men or decorating a gingerbread house. I mean baking gingerbread, that dark, sticky, spicy, Christmassy cake. Could it be because I'm Canadian? I don't think of gingerbread looming large in a chilly Canadian December - to me gingerbread cake is an exceptionally English Christmas treat. I could be wrong, of course. Where are you from? Do you make gingerbread?

For a first attempt I'd say I did pretty well. The reason being that I went straight to that source of culinary excellence, Smitten Kitchen. A Smitten Kitchen recipe very rarely lets me down and this one definitely didn't. The cake is really gutsy (I doubt it would be high on a four year old's list of favourite things to eat) so if you're one of those people who doubles the spices in recipes, you'll love this cake.

The one thing that could be improved, I think, is its moistness. Don't get me wrong, the cake is moist, but I like my gingerbread to have almost a wettish, pudding-like consistency. (A lovely lemon and sugar glaze doused over the cake would also not go amiss - I love the way light lemon complements deep, dark gingerbread.)

If you, like me, are a gingerbread neophyte, I urge you to go for it. Or if you're an old hand, tell me about your favourite recipe! I'm all ears.

Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread

Recipe at Smitten Kitchen

Christmas Q&A

I know what you're thinking right now. It's gotta be, 'I wonder what Hilary's favourite Christmas song is?'

Well let me tell you, today is your lucky day! Because you can find the answer to that, and to all your most burning questions about the deep Christmas secrets of my heart, over at Kitchen Simplicity. When Cheri asked me to take part in her Christmas Q&A series I was delighted, but a bit freaked out. Having your pics posted on Cheri's gorgeous blog drives home just how much work you have to do on your own photography...

Kitchen Simplicity is filled with stunning photos. Cheri's been taught well by her husband James, a sometimes photographer, but it's obvious his pupil had tons of raw talent to begin with. It's one of my favourite stops around the web for edible inspiration and once you've seen it, it will be one of yours too!