London to Paris (by road bike)

Yep that's right, on with the Lycra, shave (I mean wax!!!) the legs, and off to London to participate in the 2015 London to Paris bike ride, hosted by Hotchillee (www.hotchillee/londrestopari).
I was lucky to convince a good friend of mine, Tim, to join me on the challenge. A challenge not only to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis, but also a ride to challenge our mental and physical ability.

Three days
550km

All money raised will go to the Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick, to support the Cystic Fibrosis Unit.

Whilst on our adventure, we will hopefully stop and experiment the local food of both London and France, and do a little sight seeing and visit the Queen.

Day 1

London to the port in Folkestone (England).

161km to reach the port to cross the channel to Calais (France).

5am start and off we go. 

400 riders in total, broken into 6 groups. 6 ride captains in each group to guide and assist all riders. 

Average speed in my group (group 6) was approx 24-26km/hour. 

For those of you that can read a bike chart, this is what Day 1 looked like, highlighting some of the greatest hills (i called them mountains).

Day 2
Calais to Ameins

After a good nights rest in Calais, 38 degrees C, we managed to get a later start of 9am. We enjoyed a good typical French bistro type meal the night before, followed by a breakfast buffet filled with French cheese, pastries, and hot fresh baguettes. Yum, heaps of food, but a huge ride ahead of us, so cautiously we ate very little.

This was the most enjoyable part of the ride. Lots of rolling roads, farms, and little villages, you just new you were in North of France.

I could not fault the event organisers (HotChillee) at all. This was the most organised ride for amateurs, I have ever come across. All roads were blocked, traffic was stopped, cold water and food was always at our disposal, as well as full time bike mechanics, physio's, coffee carts, and fantastic people including the ride captains. 

The fellow riders were also such beautiful people. Riders from all parts of the world. Italy, Germany, England, France, South Africa, Ireland, and Australia.

Each rider with their own story and reason behind the challenge. 

Each day the companionship and comradery grew stronger.

Day 3

To Paris we go................

Ameins to Paris. 176km.

This was definitely a challenging day. The temp remained constant at 35 degrees C. By lunch time we were exhausted. A few more mountains climbed, a little bit of soul searching, and questioning your self, "will I make it". 

This was the part of the ride that made me think back to the ride briefing, and thought about why they asked those to raise their hand if they are first time riders, with a cheeky grin!!

Well, soon enough we stopped for lunch, and lucky for group 6, we were the first to roll in. This meant a good 2 hour lunch break. Enough time for a massage, feast on a cheese and prosciutto baguette, a cold drink, and a apple pastry (tarte tatin) followed by a nanna nap. WOW, talk about recharging the batteries.

From here only 50km to Paris, and from here all 400 riders gathered to ride off together in the biggest peloton I have ever seen. A monumental peloton of riders that stretched for almost 2.5km in length, all the way into Eiffel Tower in Paris.

As we commenced riding into our last segment of out tour, all of a sudden the carbohydrates from lunch kicked in, and the adrenaline in our body began to rise. Our legs found a new source of energy, and all the aches and pain of the last 3 days suddenly disappeared.  The end of our life time challenge was getting closer. There was no turning back from here. You now felt that achievement was very near. Paris here we come. 

There are only two rides that the French authorities have approved to close off the busiest road into Paris (the "champ elysees"), and that included our ride (HotChillee), and the other is the Tour de France. 

As we felt the road change from smooth tar to a bumpy vibrating rough surface, we new that we were now riding on ancient cobblestones and before us was the  "arc de triomph", with only meters to the finish line, the Eiffel tower.

... and there it was. The "pièce de résistance". Only meters away. The finish line. The Eiffel Tower. For most of us, emotion took the better of us, and the feeling of achievement was like an overwhelming moment in life, when one acknowledges satisfaction. 

As the finish drew nearer, nothing more could bring a tear to a mans eyes, than his own family there at the finish line, flagging hand written posters like your some superstar in centre court at Wimbledon. 

....and finally, 3 days of full on pedaling, all of the years training, and preparation up Razorback hill, a personal record was achieved. A feeling of achievement was met with kisses, group hugs, and big football like slaps on the back. The smell of Moet replaced the bottles of energy drinks, and the sounds of corks popping, replaced the dreaded sound of a tyres blowing. 

 

A big cheer to the bunch of beautiful people we met on our journey. 

Couldn't have done it without you. 

Group 6

Only good friends understand mateship.

and why else would I have persevered to the finish line. Thankyou to my beautiful wife that gives me my motivation and energy to continue to achieve in life. 

And to my girls, who believe in  their dad. 

"thnkyouverymuch..."

To donate to the "cycling for cystic fibrosis" appeal click on
https://give.everydayhero.com/au/riding-for-cystic-fibrosis-london-to-paris

or follow us on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009879096157

Lyon - Time for a Pastry Lesson In Lyon (france)

Lyon - France

Well second to Italy for the best pastries and crème fresh would be not other than France.
First place to visit would be Lyon. South of Paris. One needs to learn how the French bake their beautiful pastries, such as the tarte tartin, and the chocolate éclairs, as well as their famous flans, filled with custard and fresh strawberries.
Hopefully I will bring back some new recipes and tips to add to my baking blog.

Red Velvet cupcakes

 Delivering 125 Red Velvets as a thank you to all who donated to my 100km spring cycle ride for Cystic Fibrosis.

Icing sugars and Confectioners sugar

CSR Soft Icing Mixture?

Also referred to as Confectioners sugar.

It is a blend of finely ground cane sugar and starch (4%), which gives this icing its free flowing profile. The starch is gluten free, made from tapioca or maize. instantly making deliciously smooth icings, frostings and fondants. It is also used for dusting, giving a slightly sticky topping/coating when dusted onto warm desserts, and a light fluffy finish to room temperature or chilled sweets. 

What is CSR Pure Icing Sugar?

It is finely ground 100% pure cane sugar, with a superfine crystal size. It gives a firm brittle set (as opposed to the soft set of CSR Soft Icing Mixture), which makes this icing ideal for Royal icings, flat icings, piping and decorative finishes. This icing is most commonly used for wedding and celebration cakes. Available in 500g pack.

What is CSR Rich Chocolate Icing Sugar?

Making chocolate icing is quick and easy with CSR’s Rich Chocolate Icing Sugar. Simply mix the icing mixture with hot water and a knob of butter, and you have a chocolate icing mixture ready to spread onto cakes, cupcakes and other sweets where a chocolate icing or filling is desired. It has all natural ingredients, being made from 100% cane sugar, cocoa powder and starch which is gluten free, made from tapioca and maize. Available in 375g pack.

What is Gluten’s Role in Baking?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten helps give cakes their light fluffy texture, gives biscuits their desired crumb texture, and is important in ensuring the ideal consistency for dough.

The gluten protein has an important influence over the texture and structure of desserts and sweet treats, as well as the texture and profile of bread, for this reason substituting flours containing gluten for gluten free alternatives is not as simple as exchanging one ingredient for another. For hints, tips and gluten free substitute ingredients see the ‘Coeliac’ page of this site. Our recipe collection also features a range of gluten free treats for everyday delights to decadent desserts.

Piglets arrive

This is what Spring is all about.
7 new family members.
Well done Peggy.

Extended family enjoying their day in the mud

Loving it in their new house. 

home made Ravioli

Finally I use my pasta machine.  

. 

Easy pasta  

200g plain 00 flour. 

2 eggs.  

Pinch of salt.

Mix by hand and let it rest for 20 min. 

Figolli

Figolli, Figolla

Maltese Figolla (Almond Biscuit)

5th April, 2014
The filling. 
I have two types of ways of making the Almond filling. The first is a recipe that is a softer method, using soft icing sugar.
The second method has a more thicker texture.
Both methods are applied in between each layer of biscuit and cooked at the same time.


Now this is a biscuit that my Mum would make every Easter (and I found it in a recipe book called The Almond Biscuit). Its a sweet biscuit baked for Easter celebrations. But who wants to wait till Easter.
Typically a pastry figure filled with ground almond (or almond meal) mixture, covered with royal and glace icing.
I found large biscuit shape cutters in a tiny shop in Bowral, NSW. Traditionally the biscuits are three times the size of the biscuits I baked in this picture. I find the smaller size is more easier to handle for one person to eat and you don't need to share. I finished my biscuits with a tiny chocolate egg in the centre.

 Figolli 2010

PASTRY

• 800g Self Raising Flour
• 225g Castor Sugar
• 340g Unsalted Butter
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 1 Grated Lemon Peel
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence 
• Pinch of salt
• Water to bind

FILLING  (Softer texture type)

• 170g Pure or Substitute Ground Almonds (almond meal)
• 170g Castor Sugar
• 100g Pure Icing Sugar
• 1/2 Grated Lemon Peel
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 Egg White or three subject to texture of mix

FILLING ( Harder texture)

• 400g Castor sugar
• 400g Almond Meal
• 3 egg whites
• 1 Tsp of either Almond Essence or Vanilla Essence. 

GLACE ICING (to decorate to the top of the biscuit)

• 2 Egg whites
• 400g Soft Icing Mixture (Confectioners sugar)
• Half Lemon (Freshly Squeezed)

ROYAL ICING (to decorate the edges of the biscuit)

• 2 large (60 grams) egg whites
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups (330 grams) pure icing sugar

Making the Pastry

(Use your hands) Sieve the flour in a bowl and mix the flour, vanilla, sugar, butter, salt and lemon peel together. Then, add the eggs (one at a time) and mix until a smooth dough is obtained. If need be, add some water.

Making the Filling Mix:

In a separate bowl Mix all ingredients together until a smooth paste is obtained.


To do the Biscuit:

Roll the dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin. (about 1cm thick)
Cut 2 identical shapes with your biscuit cutter. Spread the filling on one shape (about 1 cm thick), and place the second shape on top just like a sandwhich.
(Optional - Spread the filling around the shape but keep it 1/2cm away from the egdes, so that you can press down the top layer of pastry (with a fork) onto the bottom layer to close the gap, brush the edges with milk to soften.

Cook in a preheated oven 170º C for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool before decorating.
You should get 8 to 10 large cookies out of this pastry mix. (as shown in my pic)

For Decoration:

Beat the egg whites in a bowl and add lemon juice. Then add the sieved icing sugar to the egg mixture until a smooth icing is obtained. Pour a drop or two of your preferred food colouring and mix until the desired colour is obtained. Spread this icing on the top of the biscuit to decorate.
 
Use Royal icing to decorate the edges (in white). I use my piping bag.

Icing Sugar Notes:
Pure Icing Sugar sets harder, therefore used for Royal Icing.
Soft Icing Mixture - or powdered or confectioners' sugar. Is used for Glace Icing. Much softer. Soft Icing Mixture contains added starch

 

Figolli 2013

Carrot Cake - Single Serve

Rathar than bake this in a 20" cake tin. I decided to bake them in individual muffin size (square).

Served with Cream Cheese frosting, and coconut shavings.

Cartocci fritti

I finally purchased the correct tubes to make these Italian custard pastry.

Makes about 6 cones

500 g flour 00

50 g of sugar

50 g lard (or margarine or butter

250 ml of milk at room temp. environment 

(Or slightly warmed)

1 egg

a good pinch of salt (8 g)

one packet of dry yeast (mastrofornaio) 7g 

Melt the lard and let it cool, I generally do loosen up in half and take it off the heat (or microwave), so that it continues to merge and grow warm quickly 

Put the flour in a bowl with the sugar. Take the fountain in the center and crumbled fresh yeast or one packet of dry. Add a little 'milk and stir. Add the egg and beat with a fork while continuing to incorporate the flour very slowly in the center. Continue adding 

the melted lard, and the rest of the milk a little at a time. Add the salt and continue to knead with your hands on a lightly floured work (just a little flour).

Knead for about 15 minutes until you get a bell'impasto hard and smooth. Cover with a cloth and put it to rise in a warm place, it is the ideal oven with the little light on. Let rise for about 2 hours until doubled, tripled but if it's not bad   

Take back the dough and pull the pieces of about 120/130 g each, consisting of rolls of about 40 cm long and roll them in aluminum torches. NOT pull the dough as I rolled up (one of my first mistake), do only three max 4 turns, letting out the two ends of the tube, because during the leavening will be achieved even those 

Reinstall it to rise for an hour and a half, and fry in deep oil but not hot, so you have to slowly browning cook pretty well.

Let cool and remove the torch aluminum. Add the chocolate chips to the sweetened ricotta and put the cream in a pastry bag. Fill the cones and gently rotolateli in granulated sugar.

200 Madeleines

freshly baked ready to be sprinkled with icing sugar to serve in the morning.

Searching for Red Velvet in London

Chicken & Leek Pie

On this cold Autumn day, peel back the pastry lid and let the steam warm your face.  

Layered with Mash potato underneath the crunchy and flaky pastry lid, a pie filled with fresh veges, chicken and Leek for extra flavour. 

Prepared by my wife.

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Factory Visit

Only 500 registered factories are allowed to produce the authentic Parmigiano cheese. The Parmigiano must be authorised by the DOP of Europe to be sold as authentic Parmigiano cheese.


The process:
The factory we visited in Parma, make 10 wheels a day.
A gastronomic day of visiting a real cheese factory in the Italian town of Parma. The making of Parmigiano cheese.

This factory had 5 vats.
Each vat produce 2 round wheel.
1 Wheel weighs approx 50kg.
Take about 3 hours for the entire process.
Then it take up to 24 months for the cheese to mature.
Salting followed by resting.
Incredible process.
The longer the cheese rests, the more mature and strong the taste will be.
The cheese is rested for 12, 24, or 36 months.

Madeleines

Soft "tea cake" type biscuit.
A favourite French delight.

HINTS
Melted butter must be warm when added to mixture.

Refrigerate the batter mix for 2 hours. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 days. This will give the Madeleines its traditional hump.


Grease the moulds with melted butter, then dust flour on the tray. Refrigerate the trays for 10minutes for the butter to harden. This will allow the cooked Madeleines to fall out of the tray when cooked.

Follow this link for a video demo. This is the best way to explain and see the above hints.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/madeleines.html


Ingredients

• Eggs                        3
• Caster Sugar            175g
• Plain Flour (Sifted)  125g
• Baking Powder        1 Tsp
• Unsalted Butter        115g (melted and warm)
• Grated Lemon or Orange

Preheat oven at 175 Degrees. Then turn it down to 140-150 when ready to  bake.

Combine the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. (use a paddle on slow mix master)(I do it by hand with a whisk)
Add sifted flour into the mix and combine.
Add melted butter and lemon zest.
Once combined, leave to rest in the fridge. (the longer the better).
Bake for 8 - 12min. Golden and fluffy.
Cool for 10 min.
Sprinkle with Icing Sugar.


Soft and fluffy, nice when dipped in hot espresso coffee.

Pie Season

Chicken & Leak Pie

Home made by my wife. .

Sour Cream Butter Cake with Pears

Bourke Street Bakery cook book

Bourke street bakery book, is still a great reference for many yummy recipes. This I tried and proffed twice. The second attempt was a success. The first, due to my eagerness, (and the great smell), I tipped the cake out of the tin too early, and it fell apart.

The pears are bought fresh (the softer the better), or you will need to poach the pears, or use can pears. I used soft pears cut into thick slices. You can also add rasberries, but I like to keep it simple so my family can enjoy it. The simpler the better.

Thecake is soft, moist and fluffy, with the pears that sink to the bottom, that gives the cake that fruity taste at the end. 

Simple recipe, all shop bought ingredients. Use a mix master with the whisk adaptor. 

Recipe

• 250g Unsalted Butter
• 300g Self Raising Flour (sifted)
• 200g Sour Cream
• Vanilla pod or 1 Tspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 330g Caster Sugar (I used 250g)
• 4 Eggs
• 4 Pears (or at your own discretion)