Cornflower

Open for business

    For all who have been following Flora Shedden's progress with interest, I am pleased to report that her Aran Bakery, in Dunkeld, is now open! According to her Instagram posting, they sold out in four hours yesterday - the first day - so that's a great start.

Things to make and do

    -    Bake a blackberry galette - some eating apples (straight off the tree if possible), chopped and fried in butter with a little cinnamon, are a good addition.

    -    Stitch your city - (my northern fastness is just off the map).

    -    See this exhibition before it closes next month. I went for a second look recently and this picture is still the one I'd take home.

    -    Live long and prosper - Dan Buettner's TED talk tells you how, and ties in with Ken Mogi's book.

Crisp mornings, candlelight, and the promise of snow

   

   The Christmas Chronicles: out in October - full details here.

True to Life

    Very much worth seeing - True to Life: British Realist Painting in the 1920s & 1930s, on at The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art until 29th. October. Follow the link and scroll down for some of the highlights including James Walker Tucker's Hiking, c.1936 (see postcard above), and James McIntosh Patrick's A City Garden 1940.

    On a side note, if you should visit the exhibition and go to the gallery café for refreshments, try the unlikely-sounding but quite delicious spinach and hazelnut cake - this one looks similar.

Gather round once more

   

    For all those who are keenly following the progress of Flora Shedden's Dunkeld bakery, here's the latest update: her building work has hit a snag and the renovation required is more extensive than originally thought, so she's raising the extra money through a crowdfunding campaign. Should you be minded to lend your support you'll find the details here, and assuming all goes to plan, the bakery is now expected to open in early July.

Gather round, again

   

    Following on from this post, the latest news is that Flora Shedden's shop is to be called Aran Bakery (aran being Gaelic for bread, she says), and it's at 2, Atholl Street, Dunkeld. Lest you think I have some hotline, I just got this from Instagram!

Season to taste

    Balsamic onion soda bread from Flora Shedden's Gatherings. I'd put it in the oven before I realised that the recipe does not include salt, so I whipped it out and in a 'better than nothing' gesture sprinkled some of Maldon's finest on the top.

    The inclusion of yogurt in the dough and the flavours of the balsamic vinegar-enhanced shallots meant that it wasn't as lacking in taste as I'd feared, but bear in mind the omission, should you make it, as I found on my second go that a little seasoning does help it along.

    The bread has gone down well here, partnering variously chestnut soup, the baked eggs with chard (or in our case, kale, as there was no chard to be had) which also comes from Gatherings and which we've now had several times, so quick and good is it, and finally as part of a 'deconstructed' bruschetta type of thing with avocado, tomato, mozzarella, salami, and rocket.

    If the pictures suggest it's a small loaf, it's not - the end bit was all that was left to photograph, and even it disappeared sharpish.

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All gone

    Yogurt, poppy seed, and raspberry cake from Gatherings. 

    It didn't hang around.

Gather round

    Flora Shedden was the youngest ever contestant when she took part in the 2015 Great British Bake Off. She comes from my parents' neck-of-the-woods in Perthshire, so as the local girl we were cheering her on. She reached the semi-final in fine style and impressed everyone with her skill, creativity, and flair under pressure.

    Flora's first book, Gatherings, is out today, but I was able to pick up a copy in Topping & Co., St. Andrews at the weekend so I've had a good look at it already and it's excellent - full of delicious-looking, easily-made food. Thus far we've made the Slow Roast Pork Belly with Mustard Mash and Onions, and the Greens, Quinoa and Black Onion Seed Salad, both dishes worth repeating soon.

    The book is subtitled 'Recipes for Feasts Great and Small', and described as "a mixture of modern dishes, staple snacks, salads and sides, interesting bakes, and puddings perfect to end a feast with. Nothing overly fussy or complicated, just tasty, pretty plates of food." Visually it's a delight, but it's a work of substance as well as style, a book I'm keen to cook more from.

    Well done to Flora for her debut, and good luck to her for the forthcoming opening of her shop in Dunkeld - I'm looking forward to being a customer.

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Remembrance of cakes past

    Looking back through our book group books led me to revisiting the cakes I made to go with them, remembering the fun of finding food references and choosing something with direct significance to the text, or 'interpreting' the book in some way by means of baked goods. There were a number of highlights from which I've chosen the following few:

    Passion Fruit Custard Cake for All Passion Spent

    Maple and Roast Macadamia Blondies (firmly part of our repertoire now) for Alias Grace

    Wensleydale and Fruit Cake for A Month in the Country

    Ritz Mock Apple Pie - amazingly! - for Breathing Lessons

    Pecan Puffs for Fifth Business

    Midsummer Cake for I Capture the Castle

    Mulberry Bakewell Tart for The Tortoise and the Hare

    Thyme and Lemon Cake for Bel Canto

 

The bowl comes from Fenella Smith.

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Christmas stars

    Nigella's Parmesan Shortbreads, recipe here (and in Nigellissima, should you have it on your shelf); perfect with drinks.

Multi-millionaires' shortbread

    Our super-baker Harriet is home from university for the summer and keeping us well supplied with sweet treats. Today's delights are chocolate, peanut, and salted caramel squares from Seasonal Baking by Fiona Cairns.

    A shortbread base is covered with a salted peanut-studded caramel and topped with ganache, then smooth peanut butter is used to pipe the decoration - the Cairns version uses autumn leaves but Harriet ensured a fair distribution of squares by putting everyone's initials on them instead.

    Truly scrumptious!

Quote of the day

 

    "If you want to be brainy, scintillating, and slim, breakfast is the key."

 

    Sarah Raven, from her new book Good Good Food: Recipes to Help You Look, Feel and Live Well.

 

   

    Pictured, oat bannocks with poached eggs and salmon - a perfect start to the day.

Just a thought

    My apologies to Val (see her comment on yesterday's post), but I thought that with a quick roll in the hand, the chocolate nut butter could easily be made into truffles!

    Dust with cocoa powder or leave them as they come, but again, store in the fridge and eat within a few days.

 

Edited to add: Come to think of it, a little syrup from the ginger jar would be a good addition.

Chocolate nut butter

   In the brownies post the other day, Nan kindly left a link to her post on Nutella substitutes, and that reminded me that I had a recipe for 'Chocolate Nut Butter', as it's called. If you have Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Every Day you'll find it there, otherwise, (rather round the houses) go here and then click on the number 392 next to 'chocolate nut butter' in the right-hand column.

    I made it with almonds and I'm very pleased with the result (it yielded about 300g., by the way). It's much stiffer than Nutella, more grainy, more chocolate-y, and less sweet - wholesome, darker and richer, I'd say.You must keep it in the fridge and use it within a week, but I doubt that will be hard. Very much worth a try.