A special cake for a special lady

This weekend was my housemate Leash’s birthday, and to mark the festivities I set to work baking a cake fit for a princess. I decided to go a little old-school with a classic 2-tier victoria sponge lightly smothered in baby pink vanilla buttercream frosting.

With such a simple recipe, you can really afford to kick back and enjoy the baking experience. I preheated the oven to 180°, popped the cork on a bottle of red, turned up the speakers and got to whisking.

 

225 is the magic number here, so to add 225g softened butter to 225g caster sugar and whisk until light and fluffy. Then add 4 eggs (one at a time!), a drop of vanilla essence and a pinch of nutmeg. Sift 225g plain flour and 2 tablespoons of baking powder, and gently fold this through until everything has nicely combined. I poured in a couple of tablespoons of milk here to loosen the mixture slightly as it was quite thick.

 

Now given the teeny tiny size of my makeshift oven (yes, a full blown oven is considered a “luxury” to most Parisian apartments), I had to bake each cake separately – in a 20cm-wide-greaseproof-paper-lined cake tin for around 25 minutes until it was golden brown on top and the good old-fashioned toothpick test came out clear.

Once the cakes were cool, I wrapped them in foil and frosted them the next day. For the frosting, mix around 250g icing sugar into 175g softened butter and a splash of milk. I then added 4 drops of red food colouring to make a candyfloss pink tint, and spread this evenly over the first cake to make a sandwich layer, and then again over the second.

For the décor, I cut out a star shaped stencil from some baking paper, and gently pressed this onto the frosting. Then I dusted over some sprinkles and cocoa powder, and carefully removed the stencil. Finally, I added a few teaspoons of cocoa powder to some left over frosting and using this to pipe the birthday girl’s name across the middle of the star.

   

I made my own mini piping bag by fashioning a cone out of baking paper, filling it with the chocolate frosting and clipping a tiny hole at the end – it worked quite well for 5 little letters, but for more intricate decoration, it might be wise to invest in a “proper piper”. Chuck in a few chocolate buttons to frame the cake, and here was the end result…

 

Where?

My petite cucina

What’s playing today?

A friend recently played me Tha Connection and I’m ever so grateful. This is – Theme Song of Foul Play

Bye Bye Bakery

I’m not sure what’s come over me but this year I’ve decided to observe Lent for the very first time. I’ve given it some thought, and as of this morning I’ll be abstaining from my most beloved French delicacy, la pâtisserie.

For 40 days and 40 nights, absolutely no crescent-shaped flakey buttery delights will cross my lips. Hmm… just a tad over ambitious perhaps?

What’s playing today?

Lola by Jamie N Commons – I’ve fallen head over heels with this fella

Bon Mardi Gras

I’m a fan of any calendar event that promotes whisking up pancake batter on a plain old Tuesday. Well, it would be rude not to…

The secret to the fluffiest of pancakes is to whisk the egg whites to high heavan before gently folding them into the rest of the mixture:

• flour
• milk
• egg yolks
• a pinch of baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• I like to add slices of banana to each pancake before flipping!

I’m afraid I never use exact measurements but before adding the egg whites, you want a consistency that’s more fluid than cake batter but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

What’s playing today?

Bible Belt by Dry the River

Magic in the Marais

A Sunday afternoon stroll through the Marais is always quite delightful, but yesterday there was an extra special guest strutting the cobled streets of Rue des Rosiers. Sporting some fetching giraffe print overalls, this fella was a one of a kind one-man band: harmonica, acoustic guitar and a bass drum mounted on his back with a beater tied to the foot pedal. All that was missing was a pair of cymbals strapped between his knees.

It was great to see. Not only because the music was curiously catchy, but also because he was beaming the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen. Châpeau.

What’s playing today?

Sadly there wasn’t enough time to get a decent recording of this guy but here is a performance by John Martyn – I think this was recorded about 20 years after the original release but I love the more gravelly vocal here.

Bastille, je t’aime

I’ve been living in Bastille since I moved to Paris 2 years ago. I might be slightly biased but I truely believe that it’s one of the best quartiers in the city – from the Richard Lenoir market to the bakery and street art at the top of Rue de la Roquette; the pleasure boats on the marina at Port de l’Arsenal and the boutiques of rue de Charonne.

 

Now that I’ve started looking for a new apartment, the thought of leaving this neighbourhood breaks my heart a little. The Colonne de Juillet has become like a personalized Eiffel Tower, my own special Parisian icon. It sits in the middle of Place de la Bastille with its golden Génie de la Liberté perched on top. I took these photos over the weekend as Paris began to thaw after the February freeze.

      

What’s playing today?

Love What Happened Here by James Blake – I’ve had this on repeat for months now, and I just can’t stop!

Market treat #4: sausage surprise

Because Valentine’s day just ain’t Valentine’s day without a nice spicy hotpot. I’d bought a couple of lamb merguez and herb sausages from the butcher at the Sunday market, and decided to cook them with a big casserole of:

• 1 leek
• 1 onion
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 2 courgettes
• 4 juicy tomatoes
• 1 sweet potato
• 4 large button mushrooms
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 200ml organic vegetable stock

First I fried sliced leek and onion in a little olive oil. Then I added the sausages and sweet potato, which I’d chopped into chunks. Once the sausages were cooked and the sweet potato had softened, I added chopped tomatoes along with tomatoe purée, paprika, salt & pepper. I turned down the heat and let this bubble for around 20 minutes before adding thick slices of courgette and mushroom, then simmering for another 5-10 minutes.

 

It turned out to be a rather tasty cauldron of soul food, especially with all the spices from the merguez – harissa, garlic, fennel and pepper. It’s also quite a versatile dish; I served it with some steamed rice, and then had next day leftovers with a crispy baguette fresh from the boulanger’s oven.

Where?

My petite cucina

What’s playing today?

Higher and Higer by Jackie Wilson

Cucina gets a facelift!

I recently got a very special present from my wonderful friend, Elisa Mazzone. Not only is she a lovely lady, but she’s also a super talented illustrator, graphic designer, stylist and all around artistic powerhouse! I’d quite like to one day fill my whole house with her art, but for now I’ll settle for the brand new emblem she made for La Petite Cucina. I can see it printed on teacups and menu boards when I open my own little restaurant…one day!

Merci Miss Mazzone! xx

What’s playing today?

Down in Mexico by the Coasters

Market treat #4 – j’suis poissonnière

Today’s trip to the market was really quite fruitful: juicy vine tomatoes, a fresh bunch of mint and parsley, some spicy merguez sausages, baby courgettes,  and a whopping great big fish.

The chistled-face-Romain-Duris-look-a-like fishmonger had kindly scaled and gutted my sea bream, so all that was left for me to do was sprinkle over some salt & pepper and stuff the belly with parsley, lemon and butter. I roasted it for 25 mins at 180° along with some of the tomatoes and courgettes with a drizzle of oil.

As a nice little side dish, I also boiled up some pearl barley and bulgar wheat for 10 minutes. When this was cooked, I drained to water and added a knob of butter, salt & pepper and some chopped mint and parsely. It was a rather delightful Sunday afternoon.

Where?

Richard Lenoir Bastille market & my petite cucina

What’s playing today?

Shake it out by Florence + the Machine

 

Thank you for the music

It was only a couple of weeks ago that we bid farewell to Etta James, and now another extraordinary voice has passed. When I was growing up, Whitney Houston was the ultimate role model. To echo a Nina Simone song,  she was young, black and exceptionally gifted.

Sure she may have made some questionable choices but I’m a little tired of all the condemnatory articles chronicling her ‘fall from grace’ as though it undoes all that she achieved in her ‘glory days’. It reminds me of the days following Amy Winehouse’s death, when people were so quick to portray her short-lived life as a cautionary tale. Of course it’s tragic, but aren’t you missing what’s most important here? These artists shared their genius, whether it was an octave-defying vocal or lyrics that make your heart weep (Love is a Losing Game).

In a 2010 interview with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Amy was asked if she had any unfulfilled ambitions. Her response was “If I died tomorrow, I would be a happy girl.“Happy because she had acheived more than most by age of 27? Happy because she is credited for rejuvenating British music? Happy because she would leave a legacy of some of the most original and  mesmerising music of all time? Rather than discuss drug addiction and wasted talents, why not simply express thanks to these remarkable women.

What’s playing today?

One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston

The art of Apéro

What I love most about my friends is how we all share the same core values about good food: plenty of it!

There’s nothing worse than arriving at someone’s house for l’apéro (drinks and nibbles), only to find that they’ve taken the concept of ‘un petit truc à grignoter’ (a little snack) to the extreme, and laid out an unappetizing bowl of dry cacahuètes. Thankfully this seldom happens amongst my foodie friends. Here are a few creative assiettes to which I’ve been treated lately…

chunks of bread with shallots fried in butter topped with a slice of smoked duck breast

carrot & avocado salad with a mix of orange, yellow and purple carrots from the market

mini blinis with smoked salmon & cream cheese and smoked aubergine purée with fresh tomatoes & sesame

my housemate’s homemade mini bread rolls topped with sesame seeds

classic French apéro of saucisson, pâté, fromage, and a sprinkling of cornichons

grilled goats cheese bruschetta

Here is one of the hosts Polly – a fellow Brit who really knows the art of l’apéro and how to lay on a serious spread! There was homemade guacamole, sangria, patatas bravas, delicious sundried tomatoes, melt-in-your-mouth cheese, 4 different types of cured ham… and a few olives in case we got peckish!

Where?

many petite cucina’s

What’s playing today?

Hello Dolly by Mr Louis Armstrong