Cookin' in the Kitchen

After an early start and a long catch up phone call with K (who was sitting on the beach at Nobbys watching the surf roll in) Meg and I mixed feed, fed up then went to town. After a pleasant couple of hours we came home and hit the kitchen. Gibbo had to dash to Beaudesert to deliver some poultry for tomorrow's auction.

Now some people might think that the art of making macarons is a difficult one and hardly worth the bother. Not our Meg. She did plenty of research, knew exactly what to look for at each stage of the process and produced this at the end!! Startling!! What I always thought was an untidy little rim on a macaron is actually supposed to be there - that's what is known as "feet". I had no idea. I'd never really looked at a recipe either, to see what goes into the making. Well it's quite simple really - a meringue mixture (using aged egg whites), icing sugar and almond meal. That's it (well that was all that was called for in the recipe Meg used). While there might not be many ingredients required, the process has to be closely monitored. Too much beating will lead to the mixture being spoiled and runny. The icing is easy - double cream and melted chocolate. It makes impressive patterns when you beat it (after chilling). Don't put the chocolate and cream on the stove to melt then sit on your mother's bed giving fashion advice while she starts to pack to go away; disaster averted, but only just. Follow the process below (although we forgot to take photos in the early stages).

Make the meringue mix and fold in the icing sugar and almond meal. Remember to take photos BEFORE you've cleaned out the bowl.

Pipe onto baking tray then leave sit for an hour to "set".


Bake in the oven, rotating the tray once.



Cool icing patterns.

Very impressive and they taste as good as they look!

While Meg was busy with her cooking I was splashing pumpkin soup across the kitchen. I used a recipe from a book by Jane Kennedy that Meg got for Xmas. It's a roast pumpkin soup recipe; other times I've made it, I've boiled the pumpkin.
Cut and peel the pumpkins.
Roast the pumpkin and garlic.

Blend. I didn't photograph this bit as I was covered in pumpkin. The next photo shows the soup finally in the pot, heating up with chicken stock.Served with crispy bacon and a baguette, it made a delicious hearty meal. Followed up by a macaron - well what more could you ask for really?