Brioche Success!

 This morning I am writing to report a great culinary success. Yesterday, inspired by watching Rachel Khoo, and Julie & Julia, I got out my French cookbooks and decided to make...Brioche.Assuming it would be half disastrous as a first attempt, I began.

 I used a book that I bought in a French supermarket years ago, and so had to work out the recipe using rather rusty language skills. The recipe also called for fresh yeast, where I used fast action.

First thing was to create a sticky mess with flour and eggs and sugar. It's quite a tough mix and my hand got completely stuck in it!

This needs to be left for half an hour and then a yeast/flour/warm milk mix is added along with lots of butter chopped into small pieces.

 Again, mixing this up was quite a challenge, and tool a little time. In the end all the butter was incorporated and, due to the butter, my hand came free and the bowl was left clean!

I covered the dough with cling film, so it was completely airtight, and left in  warm place for 2 hours.

The dough rose nicely, and was easy to work when I took it out, but I did flour my hands and the surface.

 I made a nice ball, and made a hole in the middle, gradually making it bigger until the hole was quite large. This then had another half hour of rising time, again, in a draft free place (I put the mixing bowl over the top, but it was only just big enough.)

It came out lovely and puffed up, I painted it with a whisked egg yolk, and sprinkled almonds over the top. Hence, pic 1.

It then went into the oven for 20 mins, and cam out as above!

 And we had it, lightly toasted, for breakfast. It was buttery, and light, and delicious.

What a treat!

Oeufs in pots with polenta soldiers

I wish I had taken a photo of this one - because it looked delish. Bright yellow polenta soldiers, white eggs with a smattering of grey pepper, their sunny yolks just peeking out, and some bright green cabbage - because I am convinced of it's vitamin content and it's liking for the humble egg.

Inspired by the BBCs latest TV cook - Rachel Khoo - I attempted her 'Eggs in Pots' - though as usual I had to bodge the recipe as I don't often have creme fraiche to hand. I swapped this for some cream cheese, and carried on as instructed. The nutmeg and pepper works wonderfully, and the oeuf in a pot was lovely. Though, I wasn't sure when it was done as the white didn't seem to set due to the presence of the cream cheese, also, half the yolk was overdone due to it's proximity to the edge of the ramekin. So in future, I'll try to keep it away from the edge, and nudge it towards the middle. I need to practice, but it is a lovely recipe for a quiet night in, or a treat breakfast.

For the polenta chips, and I did impress myself with these I have to confess, I made polenta as usual by tipping 50g into 200ml of boiling water and whisking away until smooth and thick. Once it had 'plopped' or 'burped' - which I know sounds delicious! - I turned off the heat, tipped it into an old takeaway container, and put it outside the window, on the sill, to cool.

So, when it was coolish (I don't have the patience to wait long - plus, I was hungry!), I turned it out onto a board, and chopped into thick chips (about 1cm, by 1cm, by 9cm or so). In a frying pan, I heated half oil, and half butter, and laid the chips in when hot. I gave them a good time on each side, so that each side is nice and crispy. Polenta doesn't seem to brown easily - I'm still working out how the chefs do it.

And this meal was delish - crunchy polenta chips dipped in soft egg yolk, soft egg white, mixed with cream cheese, nutmeg and pepper tipped over soft green savoy cabbage! Yum.