Comments (5)

By Anna, 25 August, 2011 3:30 pm

Rum Babas, basically. No, no, no. So much more than that. So much more.
Rum babas should be as good as it gets, but these little morsels – from the brain of Valentine Warner, but improved, slightly adapted by me – are even better. Yes, they are!
Orange zested buns soaked in a syrup flavoured by orange, orange flower water, orange liqueur and honey. All this orange sounds like overload, but it remains incredibly subtle. It’s the layering of the orange that does it. It sneaks in from all angles, but quietly, politely. It’s neither harsh nor brazen.

There is the slightest waft of the exotic in the barely discernible, yet very present, orange flower water. The freshness of Triple Sec – the least cloying of all orange liqueurs – is always less predictable than rum. My addition of orange zest to the batter makes the flavour carry through more.

Then there’s the honey. Warm, sticky, rounded and familiar, increased in its intensity by the quantity of sugar backing it up. There’s nothing like a massive slug of sugar syrup to show honey for the complex substance it is.
If anything is worth baking in Summer, it is this. Provided you have no objection to the consumption of a minor quantity of alcohol being consumed by your/someone’s child, then I can assure you that kids, well, my kid, loves them. They’re a crowd pleaser and definitely something I would make for a picnic – especially as you store them in jars. How very cool, hip, lifestyle and Anthropologie.

- *pause for whittering* O.M.G., I heart Anthropologie. I have been gasping over their website for ever. Then I met my dearest friend Claire in London for the day, requested a trip there and she took me. She took me to Anthropologie. It was a moment that I will never forget. She even took my picture by the living wall. Thank God I had stopped squealing and hanging on to it.
I left my heart there. If I win the lottery, I’m off to Regent Street to empty my purse right there. Dump, clatter.
‘One of everything, please.’
‘Certainly Madam. I say! Are those sticky, honey, orange scented buns packed artistically, yet deceptively casually, into a kilner-type jar?’
‘Why, yes they are!’
‘Madam, you are one of us.’
‘I know, right? Totally fey and co-ol. Did you know I am wearing crocheted knickers with a lace trim?’
‘*gasp* Madam is perfect!’
*blush*

- End of wittering, come on back in.

Continue reading 'Orangey Honey Buns'»

Comments (5)

By Anna, 22 September, 2009 8:39 pm

A pretty, orange-hued bread, chewy and almost oily yet light, well-mannered and great for sandwiches, outstanding for toast.
I have adapted a recipe for Potato Bread by Nigella Lawson, purely on a whim. I expected potato bread to be a poor-keeper, but quite the opposite. It stays delicious for several days and when at last too stale for any but the wettest of sandwiches, makes toast to sell your soul for. I was thrilled with the original, which uses white potatoes, but as I strolled past the sweet potatoes in the supermarket, I had a flash of inspiration and a pioneering urge that would not be ignored. I reasoned that sweet potatoes are prepared like any other potato, have a sweeter taste, but even better – they have that colour. Oh… that colour. So I tried it. And it worked.
It’s not vivid enough to look artificial, but would be a nice addition to a more natural Halloween meal. Apart from that, any pretty coloured bread has to be a welcome addition to the table.

Continue reading 'Blushing Bread'»