So this is my first blog post... Do I begin with an introduction? or just launch right in? maybe start with a joke? or a rant? Do I get all romantic and give you a poem? Maybe fit it all together...
See, my name's Yvette, I'm 19 and I'm a student at Bath University. The last 2 years have seen me catapult into the world of food. The beauty of delicately crafted cuisine, the smell and fascinating produce of the market, the sheer joy of baking or cooking something which turns out as a SUCCESS and the pride at having it complimented, the multitude of flavours available to my pallate and the enticing ingredient combinations found around the world, the pleasure of learning.
However, (and here comes the rant), despite the fact that I cook every night for my family when I'm on holiday and for my boyfriend when I'm at Uni, despite the fact that I can bake scrummy desserts 'til my hearts content. Despite the fact that i've regularly laid on feasts for the 11 members of my extended family and that I have this incredible passion for food, nobody will give me a job. In the culinary industry, that is, they won't even ask me for an interview because I have no professional experience. Well, how am i supposed to get professional experience if everywhere professional thinks I ought to already have it???
Oh by the way,
I went to a restaurant that serves "breakfast at any time." So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance
I went to a restaurant that serves "breakfast at any time." So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance
Alright it's not funny and I copied it from someone else but c'mon it's about food...
Anyway a few of my girlfriends are coming over tonight and I decided to make a chiffon cake because they always look so enticing and fluffy when i see them on tastespotting. I chose a lemon flavour from a Martha Stewart cook book and added a raspberry coulis which was just delicious, the tartness really accentuated the lemon of the cake and mellowed the sweetness too. Look how beautifully bright it is!
Lemon Chiffon Cake
Makes one 7″ cake
From Martha Stewart Living
90g self raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
150g plus 1 tbsp caster sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
2 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the three egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and water. Stir in the dry ingredients.
In an electric mixer, beat the three egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high until soft peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the tablespoon of sugar, beating on high for about 3 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Stir 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the remaining 2/3 into the batter. Pour into an ungreased 7″ springform pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake 45 minutes or until a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean and the top is golden.
Cool the cake upside down by inverting the pan onto a bottle. Let cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours, before running a knife between cake and pan and inverting onto a plate.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the three egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and water. Stir in the dry ingredients.
In an electric mixer, beat the three egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high until soft peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the tablespoon of sugar, beating on high for about 3 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Stir 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the remaining 2/3 into the batter. Pour into an ungreased 7″ springform pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake 45 minutes or until a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean and the top is golden.
Cool the cake upside down by inverting the pan onto a bottle. Let cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours, before running a knife between cake and pan and inverting onto a plate.
Raspberry coulis
200g fresh raspberries
1/2 a lemon (juice)
1 tbsp icing sugar (add more if you prefer it sweet)
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and gently heat, pressing down on the raspberries with a fork until they begin to simmer. Strain through a sieve and serve chilled with the cake.
Gorgeous on those hot summer days!
Lemons so bitter
They make your face pucker
But nothing tastes better
Than lemons with sugar
...Clearly not talented on the poetry front!
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