Richard
Ben
Katy
Though in all honesty, mine and Katy’s hoards would be interchangeable.
Author: admin
Saying goodbye to Kippy the Kia, hello to Margo
Been a sad/stressful month as we had to say goodbye to our little Kia, who served us well since we moved to Switzerland. We knew it was going to need to happen this year, as we were facing some hefty bills for new brakes and an expertise service. That would have been throwing money down a hole, as it wouldn’t really have done anything to the trade-in value (especially with the visible bodywork needed).
When the brakes started squealing much sooner than anticipated coming back from a sledding outing in Marchairuz, we bit the bullet, shuffled some money around and took out a leasing on a much newer, bit bigger, Kia Niro hybrid SUV. The paperwork and process were a bit stressful, especially because the dealership’s whole European operations got caught in a ransomware attack and, for reasons unknown, the insurance transfer got me really anxious. Everything seems to be falling into place now.
Katy was a bit concerned about the fact that it would be an automatic, but she’s getting used to it now and says hill starts are much easier.
Seeing in the new year with a big black dog
Generally, big black dog refers to depression, but this time it factually refers to a big black dog, who was super well-behaved while we saw the new year in with Colin, Karen and the kids. We had raclette, nitraty-pig (hmmmm nitrates) and played cat bingo, exploding kittens, ticket to ride and a really abbreviated round of cranium. Fun night. We needed something like that, even if the price is a slight hangover this morning.
2021 can just go fuck itself right off
2021 was a hard year.
It involved way too many visits to hospitals and vets. We lost a Pavel. We lost a Stu. We came very close to losing our goddamned minds as a family. The jury is still out on that one – that’s still very much a work in progress.
Work-wise, the whole thing sometimes felt like one step forward, two steps back, heeeeey macarena.
There were some bright spots, but they seemed very few and far between. Visits from NMD, beach beers, little things. Even some of the potentially bright spots seemed to get tainted by some level of drama.
I miss seeing my family. I miss seeing my friends. I miss having goals and dreams. I miss the calm, quiet moments. I miss having fun. I’m tired of stress, worry and drama.
2022, please be kind.
[recipe] yule log
Sponge:
4 large eggs
100g caster sugar
65g self-raising flour
40g cocoa powder
Chocolate ganache:
300ml double cream
300g dark chocolate (around 35-40% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
Cream filling:
300ml double cream, whipped
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin, and line with non-stick paper or baking parchment, pushing it into the corners.
For the sponge, in a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric hand whisk until the mixture is pale in colour, light and frothy. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and carefully cut and fold together, using a spatula, until all the cocoa and flour are incorporated into the egg mixture. Be careful not to beat any of the air out of the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly out into the corners. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until well risen and firm to the touch and the sides are shrinking away from the edge of the tin.
Place a piece of baking parchment bigger than the Swiss roll tin on the work surface. Dust with icing sugar generously. Carefully invert the cake onto the paper and remove the bottom lining piece of paper.
Cut a score mark 2.5cm/1in in along one of the longer edges. Starting with this edge, begin to tightly roll up the sponge using the paper. Roll with the paper inside and sit the roll on top of its outside edge to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the ganache topping. Heat the cream in a pan, just so as you can keep your finger in it. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it is melted. Cool to room temperature, then put into the fridge for 1h to firm up (this icing needs to be very thick for piping).
Uncurl the cold Swiss roll and remove the paper. Spread the whipped cream on top, and re-roll tightly. Cut a quarter of the cake off from the end on the diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end in to the middle of the large cake to make a branch.
Put the chocolate icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe long thick lines along the cake, covering the cake completely so it looks like the bark of a tree. Cover each end with icing or, if you wish to see the cream, leave un-iced. Alternatively, just use a palette knife to spread on the icing and create rough bark texture with a fork.
My christmas mood
Are we having fun yet?
Christmas Dinner 2021
Roast duck, stuffing, roasted and mashed potatoes, vegetables, sausage wrapped in bacon, yorkie pud, mulled wine braised cabbage.
Happy birthday Katy
[recipe] Orange and burrata salad
4 medium-size navel oranges
350g mix of red-leaf Boston, Bibb lettuce and/or rocket
120g burrata cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp whole-grain mustard
1/2 shallot, minced
salt and pepper
Using a sharp knife, slice both ends off oranges and remove the peels and white pith; discard. Cut the oranges into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Whisk honey, lime juice, vinegar, shallot, tarragon, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Toss lettuce with the remaining dressing in the bowl.
Arrange the lettuce and orange slices on a platter. Tear burrata and scatter over the top. Drizzle with the reserved 3 tablespoons dressing.
Tip: Look for Cara Cara oranges, as they don’t have much pith. They also have a sweeter, more complex flavor than a standard navel and a more crimson color, closer to a red grapefruit or blood orange. You can also quickly char the the oranges with a blowtorch to given them a sweet, smoky flavour.
[recipe] Bao buns
50ml warm water
100ml warm milk
1 tbsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp sugar, divided half
2 tbsp light-tasting vegetable oil
300g all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, half the sugar and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar to dissolve then let it sit until years activate, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine flour, remaining sugar and salt in a stand mixer.
Pour the wet ingredients to dry ingredients mixture. Start on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep kneed for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft but not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.
Take the dough out form the hook and form as a ball. Place back to the mixing bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple size, about 2 hours. Let it sit longer if needed.
Place the raised dough on a working surface. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkling four is not necessary but if you do, use as least as possible. Cut the dough using a 9cm circle with a ring mold or glass (I used a wine glass). This recipe should make 14 to 16 baos.
Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper lined steamer. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring water to boil on a wok or steamer pot. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, tilt the lid slightly to allow for a slow air circulation, about 2 to 3 minutes before open the lid. Serve baos as a side or make sandwiches by filling them with pulled pork or fried chicken and coleslaw.