The Good Life - Pain D'Epices

After last weeks cooking adventure, I have decided to redress the balance and encourage a little entente cordiale. I suggested to Corinne that I would attempt to make pain d'epices for Christmas. Her mood, which resists some of my extra curricular cooking, immediately brightened. A broad smile filled her face and she described in simple detail her personal nibble of choice; a thin slice of pain d'epices, with a slice of butter, and another thin slice of pain d'epices on top. "A sandwich", I said, but in the knowledge that this was far from being a modest sandwich.  This combination may sound like an artery bursting experience, however this most luxurious of festive spice breads is as much part of the French Christmas tradition as the traditional fruit cake or Christmas pudding would be in Ireland, and England. It is often served as an aperitif or can be presented in delicately thin slices to accompany a specially prepared foie gras.

A large slab of pain d'epices among buches de noel and other festive treats from the ancient producer Mulot-Petitjean, Dijon

The recipes for pain d'epices are as varied as its origins. Some authors believe it to have originated with the Chinese, the Greeks, others mention the Romans, and nearly all refer to the Arab tradition, through whose lands many of the spices required were transported and traded. It is made in a variety of manners throughout France and northern Europe. Its basic spiced flavours permeate the speculoos biscuits produced in the low countries at this time of year, and in spiced and seasoned ginger breads produced in Germany and Alsace. Certain types of pain d'epices are associated with certain cities in France such as Reims and Dijon, where it has been produced for hundreds of years. In the city of Dijon there are a number of traditional shops selling large slabs of pain d'epices and other spiced cakes and confections such as nonnettes. The facade of Mulot - Petitjean in Dijon has remained the the same since 1842 and the decadent and richly decorated interior of the shop cannot have changed much either.

Mulot - Petitjean, Dijon

The first task we had was to identify the spices to use in our pain d'epices. This proved to be quite difficult because just about everything I have read provided a different list of spices with varying quantities. Most acknowledge, and include in varying amounts, the core spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and ground clove. However, other recipes incorporated other spices which one would expect to find, and to taste, in pain d'epices. Eventually we settled on a recipe, which we found in a very interesting blog called Les Jardin de Pomone. The recipe is as follows: 15g ground cinnamon bark, 20g ground anise seed, 3g ground nutmeg, 5g ground coriander seed, 5g ground ginger, seeds from 5 cardamon pods ground, and 10 cloves ground. To this I also added a few twists of the pepper mill in acknowledgment of the Roman colonists in the vicinity of Dijon, and Burgundy.

The honey, spice and sugar mixture being combined with the wholegrain flour and the parfait jar of ground spices

Having read a few recipes, we could not decide which one would be the best to use. Once again the measures and ingredients varied greatly, allowing us to fall back into a state of confusion having only just solved the secret of the spices. We finally resorted to phoning Patricia, our principal contact for all things culinary in France. She provided us with a list of the following ingredients for a 1 pound loaf tin; 200g good honey (preferably a mountain honey or one from a single source), 100g soft light brown sugar, 100g milk, 1.5 teaspoons of the spices, zest from half a lemon and zest from half an orange chopped finely, a pinch of salt, 1 egg, 250g flour (most recipes suggest a rye flour but I am using a stone ground wholegrain flour), 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder. In somewhat of an interesting departure form the norm, Patricia added a teaspoon of pastis to her recipe, however I allowed myself my own variation, or elaboration, and decided to add a teaspoon of fleur d'oranger. The ingredients are somewhat surprising when you first cast your eye over then, but once put into operation the recipe comes together quickly and very easily.

 The loaves of pain d'epices cooling in their baking tins

Into a heavy based steel saucepan pour the honey, sugar, milk, zest, spices, salt and fleur d'oranger. Dissolve all these ingredients together over a low flame stirring from time to time. Once dissolved and well combined, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Whisk the egg and combine well with the cooled honey, sugar and spice mixture. In another bowl combine the flour, bicarbonate soda and baking powder. Gradually stir the flour into the honey, sugar, spice and egg mixture. Once well combined, spoon the mixture into a buttered  and floured loaf tin. This can then be placed into a preheated oven at 160 Celsius for one hour. The pain d'epices is cooked if a skewer drawn from the loaf is clean. Once cooled the pain d'epices should be stored for a few weeks wrapped in plastic. This aromatic bread softens as it matures, and the flavours develop with time becoming the perfect accompaniment to a festive foie gras with a sweet wine, or simply eaten with butter.

The Good Life - Christmas Pudding - Se lancait un défi!

 A hard end to November

The Winter weather has arrived in earnest this weekend, and in the allotment the early November muddy tracks that separated the raised beds were neatly filled with crisp snow this morning. Is there anything left in the beds to eat? Yes there is. The prolific giant woody stalks of the Jerusalem artichokes have finally wilted and their great crop lies perfectly preserved in the undisturbed soil. The spinach has also survived, and to our surprise so has the late crop of lettuce. The most prominent survivors in the allotment are the leeks, Brussels sprouts, and kale, which although battered by recent winds appear to be in reasonably healthy condition.

After only fifteen minutes my hands became bitterly cold and sore. Having quickly got back on the road, I recommenced my search for the final outstanding ingredients to use in my apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding. The shredded vegetarian suet was ultimately purchased in the last of four searches of nearby supermarkets. One would have thought this product would be a well stocked item at this time of year, but sadly the homemade traditional Christmas pudding may be a thing of the past!

My recipe is a little different. It was published in Sainsburys Magazine in November 2004 and it immediately caught my attention because of the rich variety of ingredients. In a similar manner to the first time I embarked on making this recipe, I have been examining my dry stores over the last few days and established a list of the  purchases required. My ceramic pudding bowls remain unbroken and unchiped, but there was no dried apple or shredded suet to be found in the cupboards. I also noticed my ground mixed spice had disappeared! I link some of these observations to Corinne of course, who recently informed me she had cleaned the cupboards, and in doing so questioned  the need for certain items (without querying me). Having recently converted her to chutney, I have decided it is time for another challenge: Christmas pudding. After a brief description of the ingredients there was some hope at hand, but this halted following my description of suet. The initial reaction brought a quizzical look, which quickly turned to one of horror, and incredulity, peppered with French resistance; a look which I am growing accustomed to. Se lancait un défi!

The chopped dried fruit

Amidst the overnight snowfall, it has been a good seasonal adventure gathering together all the ingredients in preparation for this pudding of puddings. The next decision centers around the question of the number to be made, and how much mixture should I make? Ultimately, I decided to add to the recipe and increase the quantities, in order to make a few mini puddings. My first attempt at cooking this pudding involved a different adventure which will not be repeated. I decided to cook them all over the course of a single night as I was working for most of the day. My alarm clock was set every two hours through the night, so that the pots could be refilled with water to the required level, because of the serious risk of the water evaporating entirely and the pot burning. Adopting my experience in offshore racing, and curious ability to deal with sleep deprivation, I struggled through the night with successive steamings of the puddings, finally going to work with the usual, and expected, side effects of unpredictability, crankiness and lack of concentration coming to the fore.

Orange and lemon zest

To make two 1.2 litre puddings you shall require the following: sultanas 250g; raisins 250g; roughly chopped dates 200g; roughly chopped dried figs 200g; roughly chopped dried apricots 150g; roughly chopped dried apple 150g; warmed brandy 200ml; mixture of almonds and hazelnuts 200g; zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon; breadcrumbs 200g; plain flour 75g; ground mixed spice 1 teaspoon; shredded suet 200g; light soft brown sugar 225g; treacle 95g; and 4 lightly beaten large eggs.

Warm the brandy and pour it over the sultanas, raisins, dates, figs, apricots and apple, leaving the ingredients to soak for about a day. Having an inbuilt mechanism for changing a plan at the last minute, I also added about 150g of irresistible prunneaux d'Agen into my mixture of dried fruit. Turning the different fruit over in the bowl a sweet scent begins to emerge from the bowl, but once the warmed brandy is poured over the fruit the room quickly fills with a rich sweet aroma. French brandy might be a little expensive for this recipe, however a Spanish brandy, aged in oak sherry casks, compliments the diverse complexity of flavours in the dried fruit.

 Light brown soft sugar, eggs and treacle

Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in an oven for about 6 minutes, and after allowing them to cool before chopping. Combine them with the orange and lemon zest, breadcrumbs, flour and mixed spice, and the dreaded shredded suet. In another bowl beat together the eggs, treacle and light brown soft sugar. Spoon the egg and sugar mixture into the brandy soaked dried fruit and mix well. Then add the breadcrumb, suet and nuts etc. and gently stir combining all the ingredients well. At this point I introduced Corinne to a mysterious Irish tradition whereby everybody who stirs the pudding mixture is allowed to make one secret wish. During the Celtic tiger era this tradition may have been artificially augmented and exaggerated by greedy individuals who made many wishes, and obviously the wish does not extend to the unrealistic and fantastic, such as ridiculous desires in relation to the Irish Banks, EU and IMF bail outs. She did not grasp the concept immediately. However after a little thought she began to stir, and gave the wooden spoon a decent work out for several minutes.

 
The dreaded shredded suet

I normally let the mixture stand for a while before spooning it into the pudding bowls. When filling the pudding bowls press down firmly before covering with baking parchment, or greaseproof paper. As the pudding expands while cooking it is advisable toput a 2 or 3 centimeter pleat across the center of the sheet and repeat the process with a sheet of aluminium foil. These two covers must be secured well with string around the rim. This is not as easy as it sounds, however it ensures the boiling or simmering water will not get into the pudding bowl.

toasted almonds and hazelnuts

The bowls must be placed in a pot of boiling water reaching two thirds the way up their sides. The steaming pot should be covered well and puddings left to cook for five or six hours. It is important to remember to check the water levels occasionally, and top up with boiling water when necessary, to prevent the pot burning due to evaporation. Once removed from the water allow the puddings to cool, and thereafter check whether or not they are sufficiently cooked. To test, you can insert a skewer into a pudding and if it is cooked the skewer should come out clean.

 The Mason ceramic pudding bowls covered and tied

Before storing the puddings secure a fresh piece of baking parchment and aluminium foil on top of each bowl. When you wish to serve the pudding, it should be steamed for at least two hours. Thereafter it can be turned out and served with whatever sauce, cream, butter or custard takes your fancy. Obviously the common ingredient to all of these embellishments is brandy, and I would also recommend flaming the pudding with warmed brandy. Of course, by the time you have tasted your apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding your secret wish should have come true!

 Six hours later

The Good Life - Beatles, flies, blight and rust

 

 One of our happy sunflowers!

We were fortunate to have had a warm and dry start to the summer. June was particularly nice with long sun filled warm days making it the warmest June for 40 years. In contrast July proved to be mild, cloudy with above average rainfall for most parts of the country. These conditions did not inhibit growth; every plant was leaping out the ground in the allotment including the weeds. Meanwhile the humid warm conditions caused the steady advance of fungal rot, associated with various types of disease and infestations, attacking the foliage of the plants and vegetables. Another unexpected scourge was to play a significant role in our management of the plot. A number of light fingered thieving bastards visited a few of the allotment sheds taking rakes, forks, shovels and spades. There were no witnesses because this crime was perpetrated while most people were watching a dull and uninspiring world cup final.

The onions, shallots and red onions have all been lifted and we are in the process of tying them together to hang and dry. I have begun to carry out a little research into which recipe I will use to make a red onion marmalade. I am leaning towards a recipe which I can incorporate some of my little harvest of dried mustard seed recently cleared from one of the nursery beds. Indeed chutneys and preserves of various kinds are on my mind as the tomato and courgette crops develop and mature in the coming weeks.

Clearing a number of beds, and weeding them, has revealed a marked increase in the number of worms working the soil and various spiders defesively tracking their way across its crumbly surface. Beatles are also abundant and some have been laying their eggs among the vegetables. Plants have been primarily affected by green fly and black fly. Fortunately these manifestations have been quite isolated. Corinne has pulled the odd cabbage and showed me where the cabbage fly larvae have been devouring the roots causing immense damage. As the year has progressed, and as I have listened to her, I could swear just about every plant has its own particular fly which attacks it. To date I am told we have successfully avoided the attention of the carrot fly and gooseberry saw fly.

View across the allotment

The damp conditions in July caused the inevitable spread of rust and blight. The rust attacked the onions and leeks, and the blight blackened the leaves of a number of tomato and potato plants. Without the use of chemical treatments there is not a lot that can be done, but we have dug up the onions and cleared away some of the rotten plants and foliage where possible to limit the damage.

The real successes of July have been the gem lettuce and our crop of dwarf yellow beans with the potatoes and beetroot playing a strong supporting role. Due to a little judicious planting we should have two crops of lettuce and yellow beans extending our season of production into September and possibly October. These crops are also the principal targets of the dreaded slug, which took a large portion of last years delectable crop of yellow beans. We have only seen a few slugs to date this year and they remain conspicuous by their absence. Corinne's grandmother, who is 101, told us her secret of keeping the slugs at bay in her garden. She stated that in order to effectively deal with the problem it was imperative to kill 50 slugs every morning with a scissors and they would no longer be a threat. Within two or three weeks of this regime one could almost imagine some level of extinction taking place. It is no wonder it worked, however as I have only killed five slugs in five months we must be on the verge of an infestation of biblical proportions.

Poppy heads drying in a field during July

During the week we also harvested seeds from the heads of the poppy plants in a nearby field. The papaver somniferum, or ornamental poppy, and also known as the opium poppy, has a number of sedative properties. It is propagated on a huge scale in Afghanistan and Tasmania. For our purposes, as the head of the poppy swells and dries, the seeds also dry inside the head ready to be spread by the wind as the poppy bends and sways from side to side. Breaking off the head in your hand, you can cut the head open and shake the seeds into a jar. We collected nearly 300 grams of seed this way and look forward to incorporating them into cakes, biscuits and bread. My first recipe will be Lemon and poppyseed cake. I have found what looks to be a good recipe for this classic cake published in the London times in June 2005. I may substitute some ground almonds for the flour in the recipe to give it more of a nutty and rich texture and taste while also giving the cake the ability to retain some moisture. More on this later!

The Good Life - Sunshine, stories and tea breaks

 The allotment looks bare but there is life!

It has been a fantastic weekend in Dublin. The high pressure is well established and the the high cloud has yielded an uninterupted spell of sunshine for the last two days. We have moved from Winter to Spring in a matter of two weeks and the Birch have still not even begin to bud. However, when we were doing our shopping yesterday there were a number of people leaving the stores with BBQ sets and charcoal. Corrine says "En Avril ne te decouvre pas d'un fil, en Mai fait se qu'il te plait". In other words In April you wouldn't take off a thread, but in May you can do as you please. As I was digging I felt tempted to peel off a layer or two as the temperature rose however the arrival of a chilly sea breeze quickly changed my mind. The seasonal warm weather is welcome but you have to be wary.

The rise in temperature is evident in the ground as the seeds we have planted outdoors have been germanating;  the radish, salsify, peas and various beans, lettuce and spring onion have been shooting strongly in the last week. The indoor crop is already a good handspan high except for the pumpkin and pattison which remain dormant beneath their thin duvet of clay and compost. We have also been boosting our berry garden by purchasing cambridge favourite strawberries, late producing black currants and early season red currants. All these have been purchased at Lisenhall Nurseries, which is well worth a mention, because everything we have purchased there was in excellent condition and had a very healthy root system, guaranteeing growth and fruit. This is in stark contrast to a few gooseberry cuttings my parents purchased for in a well known German cut price supermaket (begins in "L" and ends in "l"). Corinne and I planted a few asparagus crowns in the last two weeks and already there is a little evidence of growth as shoots are breaking out through the soil. The only problem is that I do not necessarily believe the shoots that are appearing are asparagus. This could spell some trouble for Corinne, the horticulturally trained half of the partnership. If I find she has planted some dodgy piece of inedible shrubbery, or worse still a flower of some sort, there will be hell to pay.

As my four litre batch of birch sap wine enters its fourth week of production, I have decided to extend my home production to nettle beer. After spending an hour and half collecting young nettle tips I had amassed just over a kilo. I thought they would be plentiful and everywhere for the taking, but the nettles were sporadic thriving in well shaded patches of the birch forest, or where new runners had spread growth rapidly to newly cleared ground. In taking some of the tips the nettle was so tender the runner would also be easily pulled from the ground.

The ever dependable radish;.they sprout quickly and make me look like I know what I am doing!

For this experimental brew I gathered just over a kilo of nettles and simmered them in a large pot with approximately 4.5 liters of water, and a dandilion root for a little bitterness, for about an hour. After leaving the nettles in their pot for a further period to stew, they were strained and I added a pound of sugar and the juice of a lemon to the chestnut coloured wash. The sugar dissolved quite easily at this stage because the wash was just over 40 celsius, however it took some time for the temperature of the liquid to drop below 30 celsius, the point at which the yeast can be added. Adding it at too high a temperature will kill the yeast. The idea is that you let the brew ferment for three or four days, or until fermentation has stopped and then bottle it with a little sugar in each bottle. Some recipes call for sugar syrup others a teaspoon of sugar. We have bought some nice French lemonade with swing top bottles to drink for the next few days, whereupon we can use these bottles to rack the fermented wash. Fingers crosssed all goes well, or else there could be a lot of scrubing and repainting in the spare room. Apparently the beer can drunk within a week but it may be best to let it rest for at least two weeks. As it is an experiment I suppose I should test it at various stages, but we shall see.

I planted potatoes with Harry on Saturday. As a retired parks man from Dublin Corporation and having learned his trade at the Botanic Gardens it was inevitable that every time he stood up to rest on his hands on top of his shovel he had a story to tell. This makes for a very pleasant way to draw breath and pace yourself through a job that was going to last for two hours as we went back and forth preparing the drills and planting potatoes. Over the last few weeks I had seen most people around us planting potatoes on their plots. They were meticulous in their digging, preparation of the drills, and laying in the potatoes. Some used pegs and lines for straightness, others measured the distance between the potatoes with tape measures and some extolled the various attributes of their favourite potato.

This is Harry (wearing hat far right) multi-tasking; listening, resting, giving advice peppered with abuse and milking the shovel.

Harry is quite layed back in this regard and we fitted our four rows into a raised bed with a minimum of fuss. On one break he stood up straight supporting his body weight yet again, possibly sniffing for tea in the air, with both hands set u[pon the top ofv his shovel. Corrine calls this stance "milking the shovel". He collecgted himself slowly and began to tell me a story of an old lady in her 90s who had once asked him for some advice on the way she had been planting her potatoes. Harry opted to answer her question with a question of his own and smiled inquiring "How long have you been doing it your way and what have the results been like?" She replied "Twenty years and the crop has always been excellent". Harry retorted "I wouldn't change a thing if I were you". We continued digging and finished the job; it was not neatest or straightest bit of planting as we guessestimated our way across the bed but Harry's wisdom and experience will always produce a good crop. He commented at one point: " I see alot of people here putting potaotes straight into the manure or dung in the bottom of their drills, but to prevent any potential burning of the seed potato you must spread a little barrier of peat compost, across the bed and then place it in the ground". And so the stories continued and the day went on: stories and tea breaks

Lemon Curd

Once upon a time, I enjoyed taking the train on a Sunday from Palma to Soller. This little railway was built in the 1930s and features of it still evoke the time. The train with its airy and bright carriages makes its way out of Palma and climbs into and over the mountains, descending down into the town of Soller, which is just set back in from the north coast of Mallorca. As you arrive into Soller you pass by the gardens of the local residents which invariably are planted with lemon trees, and at certain times of the year the brightly coloured fruit laden branches are within reach of the passing train.

Lemons are uplifting and refreshing, and to savour this experience more often than I should I resort to making lemon curd. The following is a quick, simple and rewarding recipe:

3 large Lemons
Sugar 225g
Butter 115g
2 large Eggs

After washing the lemons with warm water remove the rind and chop finely. Add the rind, the juice of two of the lemons (7 or 8 tbps does it for me), the sugar and butter in a glass basin or double saucepan. Gently heat the water in a pan below the basin, melting the butter and sugar. Once the lemon mixture has fully melted, beat the eggs and pour them into the basin whisking or stirring to combine. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. It is better to spoon the curd into hot jars once the mixture has thickened rather overcook. The cooking process continues for a time as the curd cools and sets. Once the jar has been opened I normally store it in the fridge for further plunder.

For an intensely flavoured and zesty curd that can be used in a lemon tart, I have used a recipe from "baker & spice baking with passion" by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington. The recipe is enough to adequately fill a 25cm shortcrust pastry case. Don't worry about the odd fissure or crack in the case because the curd is quite thick as it sets and should not flow through small cracks, and as a result ideal for the imperfect baker.

Grated Zest and Juice of 6 Lemons
Sugar 225g
Butter 60g
8 eggs.

The curd is made in the same way as set out above however I would cook this for a little longer until the consistency is a little thicker before pouring into the pastry case. While ordinary white sugar works well, a light brown granulated sugar will give a rich yellow colour to the curd.

For the ultimate uplifting experience nibble a good 70% dark chocolate with a slice of this tart.