I have moved

Dear Reader
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. I have moved on and my new blog is now called:

Please come and visit me there.
See you soon,

kristin

28.1.13

January Daring Bakers Challenge - filled speculaas cake

Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond. 

Let us start with a little history, about the Netherlands and spices, Francijn shared with us:


Until 1800 cloves, mace and nutmeg are exclusively found on the Maluku Islands, in the East Indian Archipelago. That's why these islands are called “the spice islands”.
To make one's fortune in Europe through the spice trade, one needed a monopoly on the European trade. Since 1500 the Portuguese owned that monopoly.
The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, too, wanted to get rich from the spice trade, and established the Dutch East India Company around 1600, to join forces. Since 1660 the monopoly on spice trade was firmly in Dutch hands. In the Dutch Golden Age, roughly the 17th century, the republic got rich through this trade, and flourished like never before, economically, artistically and scientifically. In many Dutch cities the heritage of this century is still visible. Sadly, this wealth must be considered in the light of war and repression. The Dutch used much violence and oppressed people to establish and defend their monopoly.
Only after World War II Dutch India became independent from the Netherlands. Until that moment the trade of spices, coffee, rubber, tobacco, opium, sugar, indigo and tea from Dutch India contributed significantly to the Dutch economy.








































Speculaas spices
When spices had become commonly available in the 17th century, bakers' guilds began to make their secret spice mixtures. A mixture that gloriously survived the ages is “speculaaskruiden” (speculaas spices). Speculaaskruiden contain at least cinnamon, cloves, mace and ginger, and these spices to taste: pepper, cardamom, coriander, anise seeds and nutmeg.
The smell of speculaaskruiden is overwhelming, especially when you take the trouble to mix them yourself. The deliciously warm and woody aroma is a perfect fit for the chilly Dutch winter months.

From the golden age onward, this spice mixture was used to bake a crisp, buttery biscuit: speculaas. For centuries it remained a luxury item, baked only in the holiday season, and often given as a present. Sometimes bakers made the dough three months in advance so that the flavor would permeate the dough.
Ever since the 15th century, the 6th of December has been celebrated as the nameday of St. Nicholas, combined with an exchange of gifts on the evening before. But in the age of the Dutch East India Company St. Nicholas became associated with speculaas. And that is not so strange, as St. Nicholas was the patron saint of sailors as well as many bakers' guilds.

 









































































Recipe Speculaas Spices
Speculaas spices can be bought in a store. But it's more fun to make your own mixture, so that you can adjust the flavor. Here is a representative recipe from the extensive Dutch tradition.

Mandatory:
Cinnamon 40 to 60 % of the total amount
Ground cloves 1 or 2 parts
Mace ½ or 1 part
Ginger ½ or 1 part

Optional:
White pepper ½ or 1 part
Cardamom ½ or 1 part
Coriander ½ or 1 part
Star anise ½ or 1 part
Nutmeg 1 or 2 parts

A convenient way to mix the spices is as follows:
Take at least 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground cloves, ½ or 1 teaspoon of mace and ½ or 1 teaspoon of ginger.
Add to taste ½ or 1 teaspoon of white pepper, ½ or 1 teaspoon of cardamom, ½ or 1 teaspoon of coriander, ½ or 1 teaspoon of anise, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of nutmeg.
Measure or weigh the amount of spices you have now, and add an equal amount of cinnamon.

This method yields at least 4 and at most 18 teaspoons of spices, so if you plan to mix just a few spices, use bigger or more spoons to get a reasonable amount.
Take your time to smell the ingredients individually before you decide how much to add. And remember the proportions, that will make adjustments easier next time.
Store the spices airtight, dry and dark, they will not spoil for a long time.


Recipe Almond Paste
As we are going to make stuffed speculaas, we will need almond paste. You can buy it in a store, but homemade almond paste tastes better.

Ingredients:
125g raw almonds or ground almonds
125g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Grind the almonds for one or two minutes in a food processor, until you see nothing but very small pieces. (Or skip this step if you use ground almonds.)
Add the sugar, and grind for another one or two minutes. It must be very fine after this step. Add the egg and let the food processor combine it - if it is powerful enough. Otherwise you will have to combine it with your fingers. Store the almond paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Although the flavor gets better as days pass by, it is not wise to store the paste for too long, as it contains a raw egg. For the same reason you should not eat the paste unbaked.


Recipe Speculaas Dough
Ingredients:
250g all purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g brown sugar
A pinch salt
2 tablespoons speculaas spices
175g unsalted butter

Method:
Put flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.
Cut the butter in dices and add.
Knead until smooth.
Feel free to add a little milk if the dough is too dry.
Wrap in clingfoil and put in the refrigerator for two hours.

You can choose to make the dough a few days in advance, just like the almond paste, that will benefit the flavor. Freezing is no problem.

Assembling and baking the Gevulde Speculaas
Ingredients:
speculaas dough
almond paste
whole almonds without skins for decoration
1 large egg

shallow baking pan, 8x10 inch (20x26 cm) or, round with of diameter 10 inch (26 cm)
Directions:
1. Grease the pan.
2. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas 4
3. Divide the dough into two portions.
4. Roll out both portions on a lightly floured surface, until they are exactly as big as the baking pan.
5. Put one of the layers in the pan and press it lightly to fill the bottom.
6. Lightly beat the egg with a teaspoon cold water.
7. Smear 1/3 of the egg over the dough in the pan.
8. Roll out the almond paste between two sheets of clingfoil, until it is exactly as big as the pan, and put it on the dough in the pan. (If you chose to make the paste soft, you can smear the paste instead of rolling it.)
9. Press the paste lightly down to fit in the pan, and smear the next 1/3 of the egg over it.
10. Now put the second layer of dough on top of the paste, press it lightly, and make as smooth as possible.
11. Smear the last 1/3 of the egg over the dough.
12. Decorate the pastry with the almonds.
13. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
14. Let cool completely in the pan, then cut it in portions as you like.

15. If you wrap the stuffed speculaas in clingfoil, after it has cooled completely, you can store it a few days at room temperature. Freezing is possible, but fresh speculaas tastes better.



Follow my blog with Bloglovin


24.1.13

Happy Australia Day with Macca's

Australia Day is nearing (Saturday, 26 Jan) and I am gearing up for a big picnic, as you do on this highest national day. Speaking of said day, last year I was working on a commercial for McDonald's and I think they really nailed it with this ad choc full of Australian-isms.
Australians are very nice people but sometimes hard to understand. I am not just talking about the Aussie twang. They just love to shorten everything as much as possible. Sometimes they even use completely different words no one else uses.
So, if you happen to be from somewhere else (like me) you might not understand a single word they saying in this ad. But don't despair, I have compiled a list of a few words and sayings that will prove to be helpful. I am sure there are heaps more and if you happen to be Australian, let me know what is missing.
And of course McDonald's has a nickname in Australia - locals like to call it Macca's.




Key Australian Slang – Make it short! 
The first thing you can do to get into the lingo is to abbreviate as many words as you possibly can. Here are some examples:
Arvo - Afternoon
Barbie - BBQ and not a Barbie Doll!
Bikkie - Biscuit
Brizzie - Brisbane
Breckie - Breakfast
Chrissie - Christmas
Cozzie - Swimming Costume
Exy - Expensive
Kindie - Kindergarten
Maccas - Macdonalds
Mozzie - Mosquito
Oldies - Parents
Pokies - Poker machines
Trackies - Tracksuit pants
Yewy - Do a U-turn
Reno - Renovation
Sunnies - Sun glasses
Rellies - Relatives
Ute - Utility van
Skandi - Skandinavian

Australian Sayings 
Chuck a sickie - To pretend to be ill so as not to go work (you'll get away with one or two a year)
Fair dinkum - That's absolutely correct
No worries - No problem, will do
G'day mate - Hello
Good on ya! - Good for you
She'll be right - Everything will be OK
Strewth! - Wow! Gosh!