Biscuits for Valentines Day

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Tandy

For me, there are many challenges when baking sugar free products. But the biggest challenge to date has been to find a recipe for biscuits that turn out a crispy, crunchy morsel of goodness. I wanted to use my heart shaped cookie cutters in preparation for Valentines day, and in order to do that I needed to come up with a cookie dough recipe where the dough could be rolled out. I could not find one in my recipe books and so the one you will find below is one I created. Chocolate is perfect for Valentines day, but you could substitute the cacao for ginger, or any other dry ingredient that takes your fancy. So, the box has been ticked for challenge 1 – find a recipe that rolls out.

Challenge 2 was to have crunchy biscuits. I baked a small batch and had to force myself to wait for the biscuits to cool completely. Once that was done I took a bite and *crunch* the challenge box was ticked. But, what good is a crisp biscuit if it does not stay that way? So, I baked a second batch and left them in the cookie tin overnight – and, the third box is checked. The biscuits last and retain their crispness. My fourth requirement for a good cookie dough is that I can freeze it. I portioned the left over dough into two, shaped them into discs and covered them in clingfilm. These where then placed into a Ziploc bag and put into the freezer. I finally got around to testing them, and the dough is perfect! This recipe has more than met all my requirements for a perfect biscuit! Now, all I need is a perfect Valentine’s day.

BISCUITS

ingredients:

125g butter

½ cup sugar – I used fructose

1/3 cup honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

3½ cups flour

1 tablespoon cacao

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

method:

place the butter, sugar and honey into a mixer and beat until light and creamy

add the egg and beat well

sieve together the flour, cacao, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda

stir into the butter and mix well

turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes

cover in clingfilm and put into the fridge for 15 minutes

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

roll the dough out to 1cm high on a floured surface

cut the dough with a cookie cutter

place the biscuits onto a prepared baking sheet

bake for 8 minutes

leave to cool on the tray for 1 minute and then cool completely on a wire rack

BISCUITS PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy

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Chocolate Beetroot Cake for the Crazy Cooking Challenge

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Tandy

This month, the Crazy Cooking Challenge is to bake a chocolate cake. I decided to make Betty Bake’s Chocolate Beetroot Cake as I was wondering whether Dave, who does not like beetroot, would notice it in the cake. No-one who had a taste of this cake knew it had beetroot in other than Dave – and he thinks it is great. It has a lovely deep colour and not too overwhelming a chocolate taste. It got a resounding thumbs up from the taste panel. Betty Bake has a gluten free recipe, but as this is not a concern for me, I used ordinary flour and substituted the sugar!

The one great thing about this challenge is that I get to show case my fellow South African bloggers. Betty Bake was more than happy to let me use her recipe, and I am more than happy to be able to share it with you.

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE

ingredients:

50g dark chocolate
a tiny pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cream

200g brown sugar – I used fructose

3 eggs
180mls canola oil

1 cup cooked and puréed beetroot *

3 tablespoons cacao

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour

method:

preheat the oven to 155° Celsius

combine the chocolate, salt and cream in a bain-marie over a low heat

melt the chocolate and then stir until smooth and put to one side
use a whisk mixer to beat together the sugar, eggs and oil until thickened slightly and the mixture has lightened a little
add the beetroot to the egg mix and mix in

add the chocolate mix and mix in until totally incorporated
sieve together the cacao, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and flour

gradually add to the wet ingredients, beating well

place the mix into a buttered and floured cake tin – I used a springform tin

bake for 40 minutes

leave to cool before turning out of the pan

* to get one cup of cooked beetroot I took 250g of peeled and julienned beetroot and popped it in the microwave for 4 minutes. I then used my immersion blender to purée it. This was really a no mess, no fuss option.

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy

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Turnip and Spinach Soup, Mushrooms With Spinach and Gruyere, Quinoa Coated Hake Gougons & Chocolate and Berry Swiss Roll For Ready Steady Cook

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Tandy

I want to thank all the bloggers who took part in this challenge. I was not going to take part, but Paula was going to have her ingredient list ‘orphaned’ so I decided to participate. I love making food with a random set of ingredients and so this challenge is a pleasure for me. Paula challenged me to use the following 7 ingredients:

fresh spinach
fish – fresh or frozen, freshwater or saltwater
berries – fresh or frozen
cheese – Gruyere or Emmentaler
portabello mushrooms
quinoa
turnips, parsnips or rutabaga – or any combination of the three

Together with the 7 ingredients, I had devised quite an extensive pantry list of ingredients the participants could use – based on the original challenge I did, and I asked each blogger to add an ingredient. These were as follows:

Milk/Cream
Eggs
Flour (or a flour substitute)
Lemons
Garlic
Ginger
Chillies
Fresh Herbs
Dried Herbs
Dried Spices
Sugar (or a sugar substitute)
Butter/margarine
Salt
Pepper
Oil – any of your choice
Vinegar
Pasta / Noodles / Rice
Tinned Tomatoes
Tinned Chickpeas
Chocolate / Cacao
Stock

For starters I decided to do a turnip and spinach soup. This was easy, and perfect for the night I decided to make my ready steady cook meal, as the heatwave had broken and it was raining.

TURNIP AND SPINACH SOUP

ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large turnip cut up into a large dice

1 cup stock

1 cup water

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

80g baby spinach

method:

heat the oil over a medium heat in a soup pot

add the turnips and stir well, until they are starting to cook

add the stock, the water, the nutmeg and the seasoning

bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes

blend until smooth

add the spinach and bring back to the boil

blend again, adjust the seasoning and serve

TURNIP AND SPINACH SOUP PRINTABLE VERSION

My side dish for the main course was easy to prepare. I chose the biggest portabello mushrooms I could find and I chose a locally manufactured Gruyere cheese. The cheesery is less than 100km’s from us and they make a really nice selection of cheeses. I added the rest of my spinach to these and came up with a really good side dish, which could be served as a starter.

MUSHROOMS WITH SPINACH AND GRUYERE

ingredients:

2 portabello mushrooms, stalks removed

100g baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, crushed

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

a pinch of nutmeg

30g Gruyere, grated

10g butter

olive oil for drizzling

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

wilt the spinach with the garlic and season

set aside to cool

squeeze out the excess liquid and add the nutmeg

chop finely and mix in the cheese

place the butter into a frying pan and cook the top of the mushroom

drizzle the bottom (ribbed side) with olive oil and season

distribute the spinach mix into each mushroom

bake for 10 minutes

MUSHROOMS WITH SPINACH AND GRUYERE PRINTABLE VERSION

For my main course I chose hake – a soft white fish that is fished for off the coast in False Bay. These come directly from the company that fishes for them. I have never used quinoa before and so the night before, I made up some to go with our meal. This is a low GI grain with an unusual taste and texture – and Dave loves it. We are quite addicted to Chopped and so I used the the program for my inspiration here. I took the quinoa and ground it up to ‘bread’ the fish with. It added a great texture to this soft fish, and I am going to do this again.

QUINOA COATED HAKE GOUJONS

ingredients:

¼ cup flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup quinoa

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon salt

1 hake fillet, sliced into goujons

15g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

method:

season the flour

grind the quinoa together with the coriander seeds and the ½ teaspoon salt

pat dry your fish

set up a breading station and place the fish first into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the quinoa

heat the butter and the oil in a large frying pan

cook the fish one minute per side, skin side down first

QUINOA COATED HAKE GOUJONS PRINTABLE VERSION

After such a healthy starter and main course, a decadent dessert was in order. I made a Swiss roll that has me thinking about other options with the base. Raspberries and blackberries were on special and so I bought a punnet of each, knowing the colours would be great in contrast to the chocolate base, and whipped cream centre.

CHOCOLATE AND BERRY SWISS ROLL

adapted from James Martin BBC Hands On Workshop

ingredients:

for the Swiss roll:

2 eggs

55g caster sugar – I used fructose

50g self raising flour

5g cacao and more for dusting

for the filling:

125mls cream

24 assorted berries

method:

for the Swiss roll:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

line a small Swiss roll tin with baking paper

whisk together the eggs and the sugar until they are light, fluffy and thickened

sieve together the flour and the cacao

fold the flour into the eggs until well combined

pour the batter into the tin and smooth the top with a spatula

bake for 8 – 10 minutes – watch from 8 minutes as you want a skewer to come out clean and you don’t want the surface to crust

place a piece of baking paper on your work surface that is larger than the Swiss roll

dust lightly with cacao

turn the sponge out onto the baking paper and then peel the baking paper gently off the exposed side of the sponge

set aside to cool slightly

whisk the cream until stiff

spread the cream over the sponge, leaving a 2cm gap along one of the long sides

on the long side that has the cream to the bottom, place a row of berries

and then place a second row quite close to the first one

starting at this edge, use the baking paper to roll up the sponge to form the Swiss roll

make sure you press tightly to encase the filling

CHOCOLATE AND BERRY SWISS ROLL PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy

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Tangzhong For Fresh From The Oven

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Tandy

The year has started with an interesting challenge for those of us who participate in Fresh from the Oven. This month, Silvia and Ivan from mushitza set the challenge and it was for a bread I have never heard of before. In fact, I am not sure how one even pronounces this? A real challenge indeed. The challenge continued throughout the bread making process. The cooking of the tangzhong took me 45 minutes of stirring and with my sublocated rib, this was a challenge indeed. The next challenge was the issue of room temperature. The Western Cape has been in the throws of a heat wave, and the room temperature in my house has been over 30 Deg Celsius – too hot for anything and not at all what Europeans would consider room temperature. Following that challenge, my tangzhong only weighed in at 85g and I needed 120g for the recipe, plus extra for glazing. I was worried the bread would not work out – but it did, so that challenge was achieved. Then, I did not have a loaf tin – I had forgotten to buy one and made the bread in my cake tin. This worked for the bread, but as the top rose so nicely, it does not cut perfectly. I am off today to get a loaf tin. The recipe below is my adaption of the one we were given.

TANGZHONG BREAD

ingredients:

for the tangzhong:

30g flour

150mls cold water

for the bread:

125mls milk

5g instant yeast

350g bread flour

55g sugar – I used fructose

5g salt

120g tangzhong – or less if that is what yours makes

1 egg

30g butter, melted and cooled

for glazing:
the rest of the tangzhong or milk, if yours does not make more than 120g

method:

for the tangzhong:

whisk together the flour and the cold water until there are no lumps

cook over low heat, stirring all the time, until the temperature reaches 65º Celsius

allow the tangzhong to cool down at room temperature before using it

for the bread:

dissolve the yeast in the milk

combine the flour, sugar and salt

add the milk, tangzhong and the egg

use a stand mixer equipped with the dough hooks to mix all the ingredients into a soft dough

add in the butter

knead in the mixer for 25 minutes

to test if the dough is ready: take a small piece of dough and stretch it to a very thin membrane before it tears

cover the bowl and leave it to prove for one hour

knock the dough back on a lightly floured surface

give it a quick knead just to let the gas escape, then form it as desired

transfer to buttered loaf pan for bread or a lined sheet pan for rolls

cover with cling film and allow to prove for one hour

preheat the oven to 180º Celsius

brush on the rest of the tangzhong or the milk

bake for 25 minutes until nicely golden

remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before slicing

TANGZHONG BREAD PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy

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Fresh From The Oven: Festive Wreath

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Tandy

This month’s Fresh from the Oven challenge was set by Michelle who blogs over at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families. I decided to make the festive wreath using my kitchen aid stand mixer, but decided not to even attempt Michelle’s directions for the actual making of the wreath, but rather to repeat my cinnamon buns layout and make a wreath using my pizza pan. To make the wreath more festive I lit a sparkler shaped in a star for the photograph. The taste is like a Chelsea bun and Dave and I each had one for after lunch dessert. I took the wreath to my cousin to add to their table for evening snacks and we were left with two to come home with. They do not keep very well, so make that your excuse for eating the whole lot in one day.

FESTIVE WREATH

ingredients:

for the dough:

1 tablespoon instant yeast

420g flour

1 tablespoon sugar – I used fructose

1½ teaspoon salt

50g softened butter

1½ teaspoon ground mixed spice

315mls lukewarm milk

for the filling:

50g softened butter

2 tablespoons sugar – I used fructose

1 teaspoon almond extract

45g flour

½ cup blanched almonds – I chopped half of them

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

milk for glazing

for the icing:

30g chocolate

5g butter

method:

for the dough:

place the milk into a pot on a low heat while you measure out the balance of the ingredients for the dough

using a mixer with a dough hook, add all the ingredients into the bowl

knead for 10 minutes until the dough forms a soft ball that springs back when lightly pressed

turn the dough out of the bowl and lightly grease the bowl

roll the dough into a ball and place back into the bowl

cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 45 minutes in a warm place

near the end of the proving time make the filling so that it’s ready to use as soon as the dough has proved

for the filling:

beat together the butter, sugar, extract and flour to make a paste

fold in the nuts and the fruit

knead the dough for a minute and then roll out in a large rectangle shape on a well floured surface

position the dough with the longest edge facing you

spread the filling over the bottom edge, then roll it up

use a sharp knife and cut the roll into 1 inch (2.5cm) slices

place the slices into a pizza pan around the edges, joining each slice together and pushing each one flat

leave to prove for 45 minutes before preheating the oven to 200° Celsius

glaze the exposed surfaces with milk

bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through*

for the icing:

once you have taken the wreath out of the oven melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave

drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the wreath

FESTIVE WREATH PRINTABLE VERSION

* I checked at 22 minutes and one side was slightly darker than the other!

I then decided to make the wreath again in my bread maker. I have a Breville Ikon that allows me to select a dough setting and so I used that. I also decided to make the wreath itself differently by cutting the rolled out dough into two and making a filling for each half. I used the same filling as above for the one half and a dried cherry and pistachio nut filling for the second half. I rolled each one up lengthwise and then twisted them over each other to make a rope and laid it out around my pizza pan. It was not as easy to do as the bun layout so you need to be careful not to split the dough – I was not that careful as I tried to untwist the dough and redo it! This however made no difference to the outcome. For the recipe I used for the bread maker, click here: FESTIVE WREATH FOR THE BREAD MAKER PRINTABLE VERSION. This had a lovely taste with the pistachio’s really coming through. It had less of a Chelsea bun taste than the first recipe even though the base ingredients were the same.

Tandy

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Crazy Cooking Challenge: Fudge

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Tandy

The 7th of every month sees the Crazy Cooking Challenge reveal. This month we were challenged to make fudge. I was so pleased when my google search revealed my friend Sam’s blog – Drizzle and Dip. However, two attempts at fudge making were not successful. I am not sure why, as I have never made fudge before on the stove top – but the recommended temperature of 118° Celsius was reached both times – and by the time it got there, it had gone past the fudge stage and all you could smell was burnt sugar. It was more like toffee gone wrong than anything else. My friend Shirley sent me her fail safe recipe and she told me not to adjust the quantities as it will not work if halved. I wonder if this could be the problem as I halved Sam’s recipe as I wanted to try a sugar free version first. In quite a state with the 7th looming, I tweeted for help and my friend Carey recommended I use her recipe. Dave used to make fudge when he was a child and so he popped in to the kitchen to help – which was great, as I could take photographs. He says this fudge is good, and I can tell you it is easy to make. Do give it a try!

FUDGE

makes 24 squares

ingredients:

4 cups sugar

½ cup water

1 can full cream condensed milk

125g butter

30mls corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vinegar

method:

put the sugar, water, condensed milk, butter and syrup into a large pot (this is to prevent it boiling over)

heat gently allowing the sugar to dissolve

raise to 115° Celsius and keep it boiling for about 30 minutes until it caramelizes and thickens

do not let the fudge get above 118° Celsius

watch the bubbles change and when they are big in the middle you are at the fudge stage

check this by dropping a small amount into water – it should for a soft ball

remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and vinegar

beat the fudge with an electric beater on a low speed to avoid splash backs which can result in bad burns (use lavender essential oil on a burn straight away to prevent blisters)

do this until the colour lightens and it has thickened and it has started crystallizing against the side of the pot

pour into a lined rectangular dish and cool until firm enough to cut into squares (about 20 minutes)

allow to stand for 1 hour before removing from the dish

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Gluten Free Country Style Bread

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Tandy

I have a few family members who are on a gluten free diet. My dad has followed a wheat free regime for many years and so when they came to spend their annual holiday in the Western Cape I decided to make him a loaf of bread so that he could enjoy his breakfasts at the hotel. No-one raised an eyebrow when he bought his own bread to the table, and a lady sitting next to them even commented on it. This was made in my bread oven and it was quite a mission as there are ‘strict’ rules to adhere to – but looking at the loaf, and the look of joy on my dad’s face, made it all worth while.

GLUTEN FREE COUNTRY STYLE BREAD

Recipe from Breville Ikon Bakers Oven – for a 1kg loaf

ingredients:

300mls water

50mls olive oil

2 eggs (weight per egg = 60g)

¾ teaspoon vinegar

1½ cups white rice flour

1 cup potato flour

¼ cup soy flour

1/3 cup tapioca (arrowroot) flour

50mls sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk powder

3 teaspoons guar gum or xantham gum

1½ teaspoons yeast

method:

mix the liquid ingredient together in a small bowl, using a spoon

mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl

add the liquid to the dry ingredients and fold in using a spatula

mix to a soft dough

spoon the dough into the bread pan pressing down with the spatula after each spoonful

insert the bread pan into the baking chamber

make the necessary selections – gluten free / 1kg and then press start

once done, remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool on a rack

if the mix is too dry add more water and if it is too wet, add more rice flour

in case you don’t have a Breville machine but your bread maker does have settings you can preset:

knead 1 = 3 minutes

knead 2 = 17 minutes

rise 1 = 50 minutes

shaping = 10 seconds

rise 3 = 49 minutes 50 seconds

bake time = 50 minutes

bake temperature = 135° Celsius

Printable Version

Tandy

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Panettone For Fresh From The Oven

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Tandy

I was like a child, the day before Christmas, checking the blog very half an hour on the first of the month, to see if this month’s Fresh from the Oven challenge had been posted. Eventually I had to leave work and on the 2nd the first thing I did was check in. I was super excited to see it was a recipe for something I have never made, and something I have wanted to try making for quite some time. Thank you Sarah from Maison Cupcake for this great challenge.

I turned to my Larousse Gastronomique for the recipe and just love the story behind the bread (pane):

According to one legend, it is a contraction of pane de Tonio. Tonio, a poor baker from Milan, had a pretty daughter with whom a young nobleman was in love. As she could not be married without a dowry, Tonio provided all the ingredients to make an excellent cake. Tonio made a fortune with his pane and his daughter made a good match.

Sadly, it was a cold and wet day when I made the panettone and it did not rise much as our house was not warm enough. I will make this again in December when hopefully the weather will be better.

PANETTONE

From Larousse Gastronomique page 742

ingredients:

3 tablespoons water

50g butter

75g soft brown sugar – I used fructose

300g flour

20g yeast

2 tablespoons raisins – I used dried cherries

50g diced candied citron peel – I used the peel from my Candied Clemengolds

2 egg yolks

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

place the water, butter and sugar into a saucepan and leave to melt over a low heat on the stove

sift together the flour and the yeast at least 4 times

add the raisins and the citron peel

mix well and then add the egg yolks

slowly pour in the butter mix and mix together with a wooden spoon

when the dough pulls away from the bowl (I had to add a bit more water at this stage) turn out and knead for 2 minutes

place the dough into your mould – I used a coffee tin as I could not find a panetonne mould

using a sharp knife make an incision in the top of a square, with a cross inside it

leave to rise for 30 minutes

bake for 45 minutes

just before the end of the baking time spray some water over the incision to give it a glossy finish

allow to cool in the tin before turning out

Printable Version

Tandy

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Chocolate Brownies

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Tandy

I am a firm believer in the saying ‘what goes around, comes around’. I also like to be
grateful for everything in my life and I try to see the positive in all situations. So, I have
decided to mentally ascribe something that was meant to be horrid and hurt me to being a
positive. I will see it as payback for something I may have inadvertently done in the past to
hurt someone. I will view it as the wheel turning for whatever wrong I may have done
previously.

We are not always aware of our wrong doings. Sometimes a well meant word can actually
hurt. I often say things without thinking them out in my head first, and so I know I have been
guilty of too quick a word. Sometimes our actions cause harm rather than do the good we
meant them to be. And I am sure that some of the choices I have made in my twenties
were not the best ones, even though they felt right at the time. So, I have mentally ascribed
the person who tried to hurt me, to the positive box of my life. The point has been made and received but I think the person is wrong. I will see their words as payback for all the wrong I may have done in my life.

Some wrong doings however, are really not meant to be! This recipe is one of them. I had
half a dozen recipes for brownies, and so I mixed them all together and came up with this
one. The addition of chewy, yummy things to it was inspired by a recipe for Rocky Road
from my friend Bev. I was then quite gobsmacked and shocked to read this is not an
original recipe. And, it is so similar to the ones sold at Fifteen. It appears I have Jamie’s recipe – or dare I say it, he has mine!

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

ingredients:

250g butter

200g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken up

100g nougat, cut into chunks

100g small marshmallows

100g cranberries

80g cocoa powder

66g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

350g castor sugar – I use fructose

4 eggs, beaten

method:

preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius

line a rectangular baking tin with baking paper

melt the butter and chocolate over a double boiler and mix until smooth

in a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and castor sugar

add the nougat, marshmallows and cranberries and mix

add the chocolate and stir well

add the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency

pour the brownie mix into the baking tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes

cool in the tray and remove and cut into squares

Printable Version

Tandy

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Monthly Mingle: Baked Chocolate Custard

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Tandy

Sally, better known by bloggers as my custard pie is someone I follow on a regular basis. She lives in Dubai (where I have been) and spends her holidays in Devon, an area of England I love and would move to tomorrow if I had to. This month she is hosting Meeta’s Monthly Mingle. Her challenge – make custard – how apt is that!

Monthly Mingle badge November Custard theme I have made all sorts of custards as you need them for ice cream and for crème brûlée as well as for our traditional bobotie. You even need to make a custard to fill profiteroles. I decided to really challenge myself and turned to my trusty Larousse for help. I chose to make a custard I had never tried before, and so a baked custard was the dish I decided to try. This is a cold custard that takes very little effort to make.