It's been too long - I know! Every time I thought I'd post something it felt like there was just too much to say, but for some reason at this moment I feel it is acceptable to post only the briefest of summaries, so I shall take advantage of that feeling and post something quickly!
For those who don't know, shortly after my last post I was offered a post doc here in the UK, so I'm now working in Plymouth, and it's lovely!! Still by the sea, still at a university, still working with soil, and all is well with the world. I am happy :)
It's been a fantastic year - found a great flat here in Plymouth (I can see the sea from my kitchen window!), some really great trips to Vienna, Iceland and Cornwall, I did my first bit of proper lecturing (which was both terrifying and a lot of fun - until the assignments came in for marking, that is), and, of course, there's been a fair bit of baking.
I've decided to give the sourdough starter another try, so I'll keep you posted on any by-products of that endeavor, but I'm also going to try and perfect macarons this year. A friend and I had a good go of it for Thanksgiving - I think we did alright!! The first couple batches were complete and utter disasters, but then these came along and we knew we'd done it. We must have looked crazy, staring into the oven for the entire bake, waiting for nice little macaron feet to appear...but appear they did! Once I've figured out exactly the recipe I like (I think the method itself is absolutely key here, as timings and the order of additions really seemed to make a difference to the outcome between batches) I'll post it, but for now, look at this happiness!!
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| Just so you can see the disasterous apple macarons... |
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| The winners! Hazelnut macarons with maple buttercream filling! |
The other great baking/cooking craze to sweep my kitchen is this - my very own, very excellent, waffle maker!! My rather super boyfriend (groan, I know, but please forgive the gushiness just this once) bought it for me for Christmas this year after hearing ONCE (in passing, I might add!) that I wanted a heart-shaped waffle iron, a) because I love waffles (who doesn't?!), and b) because all the women in my family own heart-shaped waffle irons (it's a Scandinavian thing), so it reminds me of a lot of great family times while I was growing up (See why I feel the gushiness is waranted in this instance?). I used the waffle iron over the weekend when I had some friends visiting (with my gorgeous goddaughter! Another exciting event from the past year!), and the cast iron seasoning is finally starting to kick in - no sticking at all this time! A great success indeed!
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| Sour cream waffles - note my Hudson Bay cookie tin! Go Canada!! :) |
Whenever I've asked my either of my grandmothers for waffle recipes, the reply is along the lines of 'if I have X in the fridge I'll take some of that, but if not I'll use Y and Z', and 'you want a bit of X and some of Y, but I never measure...I'm not really sure how much I add. However much you want is fine'. I wish I had their skills - I need a recipe in front of me to follow... so for those of you who are like me, here's the closest thing to my grandmother's waffle 'recipe' I can give you. They're lovely and light, good warm or cold (served with jam if you're properly Norwegian), and taste best when heart-shaped (obviously). Enjoy!
Sour Cream Waffles
1 c. full fat milk
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c. plain flour
1/2 tsp cinammon (or 1/4 tsp cardamom) - optional
Combine wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and mix until well combined - there will be some lumps, but it doesn't matter - they'll disappear during cooking.
I won't put instructions for the actual waffle making...I'm assuming your iron is different to mine (as mine is a cast iron stove-top one) so I won't pretend to guess on cooking times!
