{Closed} Giveaway: Corner Cottage Bakery is 3!

Happy birthday, tiny blog.

And as you can't have a birthday without presents, one lucky person can win all of these:-

A china cup, bowl and plate set.

A set of measuring spoons.

A set of bright paper straws.

A bag of roasted cocoa beans. I use these in my Thyme, Honey and Cocoa Bean Scones but they are hugely versatile.

A copy of one of my favourite recipe books.

To enter, all you have to do is simply leave a comment.

I've also launched the brand new Pinterest board for Corner Cottage Bakery's posts which you can see here. You can earn an extra entry by following me on Pinterest. If you already do or have done so, please leave a separate comment.



Small Print
This giveaway will close on the 14th May 2013 at 11.59pm GMT.
Any entries after that will be considered void.
Valid entries will be numbered and then picked through a random number generator.
Any accidental duplicated entries will be deleted and not entered.
A maximum of two entries per person is permitted.
Due to having edibles included and postage costs, this giveaway is only open to UK residents. You must be able to provide me with a valid UK postal address if you are the winner.
The decision on the winner is final and no further correspondence on the matter will be entered into.
The winner will be published on this blog on the 15th May 2013 - I will endeavour to contact the winner but the onus remains on the winner to get in touch.
If the winner fails to claim their prize after two weeks from publication on the 15th May 2013, the prize will be redrawn in the same fashion.
There is no cash alternative for the prize.
My email address is on the About Me section of this blog if you have any further queries.

*GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED*

The winner is...

Milkpetal

(I've sent you a quick email, but if you haven't received it, please send me your postal address on cornercottage(at)hotmail(dot)com )

Seven on Sunday: 28.04.13

The Cottage Garden: forget-me-nots, tulips, wall plants, buds, bee paradise, more tulips, rocket shoots.

Sunshine Marshmallows

I can grow vegetables in a garden pretty well but my pot plant gardening skills are practically non-existent. My proof in that statement can be found in the following photos.

Giant courgette.

Mangy habanero plant.

Oh, how I longed for planters overspilling with leafy greens and bubbling with fruit. I want fat orange habenaro to slice into stir fries or simmer in some autumnal chutney. I want shiny fruit delicately dangling of leafy green sturdy plants. My terranium skills are rubbish.

It doesn't quite make sense. It's the same principle. Plant seeds, water, (prune, if necessary), pick.

Maybe I'll never get the hang of it. I'll console myself with these orange and chilli marshmallows in the meantime. Sweet and just a hint of warmth, perfect summery marshmallows. Do you have any container/pot plant tips?

Ingredients
120ml orange juice
Grated zest of one orange
1tsp dried chilli flakes
23gr powdered gelatine
160ml golden syrup
440gr caster sugar
Vegetable oil for greasing
Couple of tablespoons of cornflour and icing sugar mixed together.

Method
1, In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together the orange juice, zest, chilli, and powdered gelatine briefly. Leave this to sponge while you make the hot sugar syrup.
2, Add the sugar and golden syrup into a medium sized saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover it.
3, Turn the heat to low and stir until the sugar melts.
4, Using a damp pastry brush remove any rogue sugar crystals from the edge of the pan. You don’t want these falling in as it might trigger the syrup to crystallise. Turn the heat up high
5, Bring the syrup to a boil and continue to heat it until it reaches 130o/c on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat and leave to one side for a minute.
6, Turn your stand mixer on and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the bowl. Be careful not to hit the spinning whisk.

7, Beat until it goes pale and fluffy.
8, Whilst its beating, line an 8 inch square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Brush that lightly with vegetable oil and then dust with a little cornflour and icing sugar. Make sure you oil up the sides and dust those also.
9, When the marshmallow is ready, it will take on the consistency of really sticky bubblegum, carefully pour it into the prepared tin. Using a tablespoon dipped in water smooth the top out and then dust the top with some more of the cornflour/icing sugar mixture.

10, Leave in a cool place for a couple of hours until it has set.
11, Cut into squares and roll in more of the cornflour/icing sugar mixture. These will keep for around 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Coconut Baked Alaska Pops

I know there has been a bit of a craze for anything pop. Cake pops. Pie pops. Brownie pops. Pizza pops. You heard me. Pizza pops. But really, if you can put something on a stick, does it mean you should?

I tested this theory.

Cats - No. They get angry. If you persist.

Husbands - You'll need a big stick, and generally they're not best pleased about it. It's a no.

Phones - No real point there

Pen - PenStick! But also pointless. A no.

Honey - Impossible unless you keep it in motion.

Diet Coke - Just a puddle and a wet stick.

Baked Alaska - Yes. Big fat stick shaped yes.

Makes around 14

Ingredients

Coconut Ice Cream

2 egg yolks
50gr caster sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
150ml semi skimmed milk
200ml double cream
1tsp coconut extract
5gr dessicated coconut (lightly toasted in a dry saucepan until golden brown)

Genoise Sponge
1 egg
25gr caster sugar
25gr self raising flour
5gr dessicated coconut
1/4 tsp baking powder

Sugar Syrup
2tbsp caster sugar
6tbsp cold water
(1tsp coconut rum - optional)

Italian Meringue
2 egg whites
70ml water
120gr caster sugar
1/4tsp white wine vinegar
Small pinch of salt

You will also need
A small cutter, around 4cm-5cm in diameter
14 lolly sticks, or cut down bamboo skewers
A little blowtorch

Method

1, First make the ice cream by beating the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together in a heatproof bowl. Bring the milk and 150ml of the double cream up to a gentle simmer and stir in the coconut extract.
2, Pour this gently onto the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly. Pass through a sieve back into the saucepan and set over a low heat. Stir continuously until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 50ml double cream.
3, Chill until completely cold. Churn the ice cream base with the toasted coconut in an ice cream machine, following the machine instructions. Empty the ice cream into a 6 inch round silicone tin and freeze until completely solid.

4, Next, make the genoise sponge by preheating your oven to 190o/c and lining another 6inch silicone tin with a round of greaseproof paper in the bottom.
5, Beat the eggs and sugar together until thick, pale, and foamy. Gently fold the flour, coconut and baking powder until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 7-9 minutes until just golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Invert this onto a cooling rack and leave until completely cold before using.

6, Make the sugar syrup by stirring the sugar and water together in a small saucepan (with the rum if using). When the sugar has dissolved simmer for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Let this cool slightly before use.
7, To begin assembly, using a small cutter, that is around an 4cm-5cm in diameter (shape isn't too important), cut around 14 shapes out of the sponge.
8, Remove the ice cream from the freezer and cut 14 shapes out of that too. My ice cream was about as solid as granite as my freezer is new and a bit overenthusiastic, so you might have to let it thaw ever so slightly. Return the frozen ice cream cut outs in batches so they stay firm.
9, To assemble the centre of the baked alaska pops, dip one side of the sponge shapes in the syrup quickly and press it onto an ice cream shape with a lolly stick or cut down bamboo skewer in between. Press this down firmly and lay flat on a baking sheet. Return them to the freezer until solid again - at least an hour. You can now leave them there for up to two weeks or so. When they are frozen solid, store them by stacking them in a plastic container, separated with greasproof paper so they don't stick.

10, When you want to (finally) eat them, make the meringue by placing the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on a high speed until they are just forming medium soft peaks then beat in the vinegar and salt.
11, Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. This needs to hit around 160o/c to 165o/c.
12, When you have hot sugar and fluffy egg whites, turn the stand mixer up to high and slowly pour in the sugar syrup. Be careful not to hit the spinning whisk with hot sugar. Beat for another few minutes on high or until they look thick and glossy.
13, Remove the frozen pops from the freezer, a couple at a time and dip into the meringue mixture until fully covered. Using a little blowtorch, scorch the outside of the pop until golden brown. Eat. Repeat.

I'm entering these into Kavey Eats Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream Baked Alaska challenge. You can read all about BSFIC here.

Seven on Sunday: 14.04.13

Rain, cold weather skin savers, blue skies, gargoyle cats, the cottage garden, crochet, long arm of the Peach.