Pumpkin Pouffe

Baked Alaska with Raspberry Coulis

I've not been doing well of late. I lost yet another baby this week in a painful and horrendous journey that started over a couple of years ago. Not many people talk about these things and women suffer in silence with little support. I am hoping this post a tiny step towards helping change that attitude. It is part of my little mission to lift the taboo on the awful subject of miscarriage. If you have suffered like me, it is worth checking out Sands. Anyway, what does all this have to do Baked Alaska?! Well, making the Baked Alaska whilst being bed-ridden with a threatened miscarriage was my way of maintaining sanity. I have a fantastic husband who meticulously followed my instructions and actually made this recipe. It also proves that it is dead simple to do, no offense to the husband.

Ingredients:
1 flan base or a thin sponge cake
500ml ice cream. Try and avoid the soft scoop versions as they melt quicker. I'd recommend something like Mackies Scottish
4 egg whites, I used Dr. Oetkers powdered egg whites to avoid any salmonella risk
250g icing sugar.
1 cup raspberry coulis

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 230 deg C. Whisk egg whites until frothy and slowly add icing sugar. Whisk with an electric blender ( although you could do it manually I suppose) until the mixture is stiff and peaky. Now layer the ice cream on top of the sponge base. Cover the ice cream with raspberry coulis and then layer the meringue mixture on top and the sides. Stick this in the oven for 5-10 mins i.e. until the top has slightly browned. Stick this in the freezer for 10 mins and serve the strawberries or raspberries.  Simple!

Lessons Learnt: Now I believe using a blow torch instead of the oven has a much better effect and would make the whole process even quicker. Also in hindsight, making individual portions with smaller sponge bases may be easier or helps you decorate the meringue in pretty patterns.

P.S. Raspberry coulis recipe to follow

Sewing Machine Cover

Some years ago I bought a sewing machine off Friday Ads for £10. Its was in very good condition and had hardly been used by the lady I bought it from. I also found a fabulous antique musical sewing table off eBay to rest my machine on. The table has a chest and it sings when its opened. Is there a pun there?! I found scraps of fabric from an upholstery store and shown here is a simple yet pretty cover made for it. It is also incidentally my first sewing project. Did I mention I only just started using the machine as nearly 5 years!? Instructions to follow shortly. Ann x

Spaghetti Carbonara with Rainbow Chard

Sometime last year I posted a picture of my spaghetti carbonara without cream. I did not however end up posting a recipe which I have now done. This is the same recipe but I have fried a handful of  finely chopped rainbow chard (which has been growing like mad in the lottie) along with the onion and bacon. Its a more colourful version of the original and relatively tasty. My husband wasn't convinced by the chard but I thought it was alright. Worth having a go I think. Ann x

Quirky Afternoon Tea for Fashionistas

Some weeks ago my hubby and I were at a BBQ where I met some girls who had just walked in with some pretty goodie bags. The bags were quaint but the cakes and savouries inside looked even more exquisite. I found out that they had been to Afternoon Tea at the Berkeley and had great things to say about the whole deal. My friend Cherie and I were planning a London trip and so I asked her if she fancied doing Fashion Tea instead. Her response was a very enthusiastic yes.

Soon enough we were having Pret a Portea at The Berkeley where Anne Hathaway was also hanging out after the premiere of 'One Day'. The fare included cakes and savouries inspired by the latest catwalk fashion. So I was eating a Miu Miu inspired bikini, Tory Burch bags and Stella McCartney inspired mousse. The selection changes every 6 months in line with the latest catwalk trends. We ate the Spring Summer 2011 collection. The service at the Caramel Room could not be faulted and our  cakes and sandwiches were continuously re-filled. Cherie and I also finished two large pots of tea each plus tried another two. The tea was also fabulous. I had the 'pear caramel' which I highly recommend followed by the 'posh melon' tea. After stuffing our faces for a whole two hours we were given pretty goodies bags to take away. What more could a girl ask for?!

More recently I heard about a similar Afternoon Tea at The Langham. This one is called Stephen Webster Bijoux Tea. As you can expect the theme was fashion and bling and more bling. This has only recently started and is inspired by his latest collection 'Murder She Wrote'. It is  slightly pricier than Pret a Portea at £49 but maybe I'll give it a go one day. Meanwhile I am going to think of ways to use my pretty vintage style cake stand to make some fashion inspired goodies myself. Watch this space! Ann x