Books and cakes - 18

 

    This month's Book Group book (to be discussed tomorrow over at Cornflower Books) provided another challenge on the baking front. Anyone who has read The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding will know that it is set mainly in Svalbard, far north of the Arctic Circle, in 1616, and that Thomas accepts a wager to prove that a man can live alone in those inhospitable regions throughout a winter. While his shipmates leave him some provisions, Thomas must also supplement his diet of cheese, dried fruit and cured meat with what he can hunt.
   Lacking a ready supply of polar bear to imitate Thomas' diet, I've gone for the simple, unsophisticated option this month. While he lives with the Northern Lights and fierce arctic storms, ice and snow are ever-present, so what did I make?

Iced buns!
Yes, pretty basic, but very tasty (my testers are reporting back as I type this).
 The recipe is here and I didn't deviate, making it as given - though I think we could have been a bit more lavish with the icing - but although this is June, just imagine glaciers, the advancing snowline, "the great cold is coming"!

Comments

[blackbird]

I think that iced buns are brilliant- not only is the icing a sweet rendition of a glacier but if it ever gets as cold here as it was for him- I would want iced buns warm from the oven.

I was wondering if we were going to learn to make candied plums but these are better.

[Dark Puss]

I am glad you didn't chose whale meat! If you had time you could have done some rays/curtains/arcs in red and green to represent key auroral features reflected off the snow during the long winter night.

Can you email me a bun for my elevenses please?

[Cornflower]

Wish I could (I'll be having one for mine!)

[Rebecca]

Love your thinking Karen and a great recipe link. Incidentally, your tomato & boursin tart is now a regular feature in this household.

[Cornflower]

So glad you like the tart, Rebecca - we've had it again this evening!