I have never been so enamoured with a cook book as I am with this one...
My Vagina Monologues actors gave this to me as a gift - oh vagina ladies! Thank you! I love virtually every recipe in it and I want to make them all, so I'm going to. In a fairly haphazard fashion I am going to work my way through this entire book. Much like that movie about that famous cooking lady and that that regular woman who cooks her way through HER book. Much like that.
I have already made two cakes from the book and also cookies - If I were a more gracious, thoughtful and regular blogger then I'd blog about them too - but I'm not. So forget that version of me, she doesn't exist and even if she ever did I would have her killed off - in a tragi-comic manner involving deforestation.
I made a Swiss roll. I cannot read, say or think the words "Swiss roll" without hearing them sung in an 80's glam band falsetto. This is because Broden Kelly, an actor who I recently directed, sang it like that all through rehearsal - he had to eat a lot of swiss roll through the show and so I felt it was best to let him express himself about that baked good however he liked. Anyway I grew to like it, much as one grows to love an irritating jingle, and so when he got on stage and ceased doing it, I had to make him reinstate it.
Who knew that the Swiss liked to roll cake so much, but apparently they do. A Swiss roll looks pretty difficult, I have made a roulade or two in the past and that requires some fevered rolling of flat baked goods. It's fraught with the possibility of cracking and, shiver, breaking. I knew that going in - so I was pleasantly surprised when this was something of a doddle.
The nicest thing about a Swiss roll is the optional extras that can go in the middle. The only thing I condone jam in is a donut. And even then it has to be that cheap pink jam that is always in hot donuts. I don't really support the use of jam in any other type of cooking. I don't really eat jam either. Swiss roll calls for some jam action, but Mr Herbert is a big old sweetie and suggests that you add lemon curd if you prefer - or really anything else - I think that you could use nutella if you roll that way. I don't, sniff, but whatever.
Making a Strawberry Swiss Roll
4 large free range eggs
125g castor sugar
1 tsp of grated orange zest
125g self raising flour
icing sugar for dusting
Strawberry filling
250g hulled and quartered strawberries
3 Tblsp of castor sugar
150ml of double cream
2 and a half tblsp of creme fraiche or marscapone
3 tblsp of jam (if you are into that type of thing - or lemon curd if not)
2 tblsp of toasted almond flakes.
Preheat the oven to 190 and then grease and line a swiss roll tin. What might that be, you ask? Well, I asked exactly the same thing. And I looked it up - it seems that a tin that is approx 20cm x 30 cm is a swiss roll tin. Mine was a bit smaller than that and thus I made a more "robust" swiss roll - the recipe rises a lot.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and orange zest together for about 6 to 8 mins until it is pale, creamy and tripled in volume. It really does take about 6 mins to make this happen - so hang in there. I actually just put it in the mixer and set a timer and then walked away to do some other amazing thing. Like folding washing.
It will look a bit like that picture above. Now sift the flour over the top in batches and fold it in with a metal spoon. I don't know why a metal spoon, but I did it. It felt right. Plus I hate to fold and anything that will make that process seem more scientific is appreciated. Make sure that it is mixed thoroughly and that you don't see any flour. Slide it gracefully into the tin and smooth the top.
Cook it for about 10 to 12 mins or until it's golden and slightly springy. And now for the shenanigans of getting it out of the tin. I enlisted my husband in this. The recipe suggests that you put a piece of grease proof baking paper down and then scatter castor sugar on that in a fine layer and then "turn the sponge out onto that". We all know what will happen don't we? It will flop out and scatter castor sugar to the four corners of the house and then the Swiss roll will not be sufficiently sugared.
My husband, who is in logistics, suggested this: scatter some castor sugar on the Swiss roll in the tin and then place the paper over the length of the tin. Get a chopping board or similar, press it to the paper and then flip it over.
Worked a treat. Peel off the paper it was cooked in, slowly. Do that slowly. SLOWLY. The roll the swiss roll up so that the paper is wrapped up into it. See below.
My friend Christina rudely referred to it as a doona. Which is a sort of large quilt that we put on beds. I was quite proud of it.
I chilled it down for about 30 mins. Whilst that chilling was happening I got out my strawbs, sprinkled them with the sugar and squashed a few for good measure. They smelled lovely. Leave them for five minutes - they will do something - macerate I think.
Whip the cream into a frenzy and then add the creme fraiche (that's what I used) then the strawberry mix. I noticed that my strawberry mix was quite wet, so I actually drained off that juice - it looked like it would make my filling really gooey - and it was already a bit wetter than I'd like after the creme fraiche came along and de-whipped my cream.
Carefully unroll your sponge and then put a layer of jam - I didn't add anything here - and your cream mixture - leave 2cm round the edge as it squooshes itself out that direction on rolling.
Commence rolling. Roll. Finish rolling. Rest it on the seam. Then dust with icing sugar to hide imperfections - or adorable "oven kisses" as I like to think of them.
So that's her. The Swiss roll. It's the first time I have ever made a successfully springy sponge - so I felt good - but... sigh... truth be told it could have done with some jam. Or curd. So keep that in mind. It was about 40 bazillion times better than the bought one though.
The directors who were around for a reading of the Madwomen Monologues were very complimentary and ate her all. The Swiss roll kept her opinions to herself and stayed firmly impartial regarding the whole matter of being made and eaten. Which is very Swiss.
 |
| Oh David Herbert... swoon...http://davidherbertfood.com/ |
I have already made two cakes from the book and also cookies - If I were a more gracious, thoughtful and regular blogger then I'd blog about them too - but I'm not. So forget that version of me, she doesn't exist and even if she ever did I would have her killed off - in a tragi-comic manner involving deforestation.
I made a Swiss roll. I cannot read, say or think the words "Swiss roll" without hearing them sung in an 80's glam band falsetto. This is because Broden Kelly, an actor who I recently directed, sang it like that all through rehearsal - he had to eat a lot of swiss roll through the show and so I felt it was best to let him express himself about that baked good however he liked. Anyway I grew to like it, much as one grows to love an irritating jingle, and so when he got on stage and ceased doing it, I had to make him reinstate it.
 |
| "Swiss Rolllll" |
The nicest thing about a Swiss roll is the optional extras that can go in the middle. The only thing I condone jam in is a donut. And even then it has to be that cheap pink jam that is always in hot donuts. I don't really support the use of jam in any other type of cooking. I don't really eat jam either. Swiss roll calls for some jam action, but Mr Herbert is a big old sweetie and suggests that you add lemon curd if you prefer - or really anything else - I think that you could use nutella if you roll that way. I don't, sniff, but whatever.
Making a Strawberry Swiss Roll
4 large free range eggs
125g castor sugar
1 tsp of grated orange zest
125g self raising flour
icing sugar for dusting
Strawberry filling
250g hulled and quartered strawberries
3 Tblsp of castor sugar
150ml of double cream
2 and a half tblsp of creme fraiche or marscapone
3 tblsp of jam (if you are into that type of thing - or lemon curd if not)
2 tblsp of toasted almond flakes.
Preheat the oven to 190 and then grease and line a swiss roll tin. What might that be, you ask? Well, I asked exactly the same thing. And I looked it up - it seems that a tin that is approx 20cm x 30 cm is a swiss roll tin. Mine was a bit smaller than that and thus I made a more "robust" swiss roll - the recipe rises a lot.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and orange zest together for about 6 to 8 mins until it is pale, creamy and tripled in volume. It really does take about 6 mins to make this happen - so hang in there. I actually just put it in the mixer and set a timer and then walked away to do some other amazing thing. Like folding washing.
 |
| Tripled in size - we mean it. |
Cook it for about 10 to 12 mins or until it's golden and slightly springy. And now for the shenanigans of getting it out of the tin. I enlisted my husband in this. The recipe suggests that you put a piece of grease proof baking paper down and then scatter castor sugar on that in a fine layer and then "turn the sponge out onto that". We all know what will happen don't we? It will flop out and scatter castor sugar to the four corners of the house and then the Swiss roll will not be sufficiently sugared.
My husband, who is in logistics, suggested this: scatter some castor sugar on the Swiss roll in the tin and then place the paper over the length of the tin. Get a chopping board or similar, press it to the paper and then flip it over.
Worked a treat. Peel off the paper it was cooked in, slowly. Do that slowly. SLOWLY. The roll the swiss roll up so that the paper is wrapped up into it. See below.
 |
| Like rolling a doona. |
 |
| Birds eye view - if birds were allowed in my house. |
Whip the cream into a frenzy and then add the creme fraiche (that's what I used) then the strawberry mix. I noticed that my strawberry mix was quite wet, so I actually drained off that juice - it looked like it would make my filling really gooey - and it was already a bit wetter than I'd like after the creme fraiche came along and de-whipped my cream.
Carefully unroll your sponge and then put a layer of jam - I didn't add anything here - and your cream mixture - leave 2cm round the edge as it squooshes itself out that direction on rolling.
Commence rolling. Roll. Finish rolling. Rest it on the seam. Then dust with icing sugar to hide imperfections - or adorable "oven kisses" as I like to think of them.
 |
| More filling? Less sponge? Tasted great... |
The directors who were around for a reading of the Madwomen Monologues were very complimentary and ate her all. The Swiss roll kept her opinions to herself and stayed firmly impartial regarding the whole matter of being made and eaten. Which is very Swiss.
Comments
Post a Comment