BBQ Time

The sun was shining, the beer was chilling and the time seemed right to drag ye olde kettle barbecue out of the garage and get it going.  Helped along with new gadgets purchased by trusty housemate (THM) who has been waiting for such a beautiful day as today.  We had the trusty chimney thing which started the BBQ so much quicker not to mention more efficiently!  The thing was smoking away with white hot coals in no time - makes a change!  Everyone should have one of these things - go to http://www.planetbarbecue.co.uk  to have a browse (THM swears by them!)

A handful of pre-soaked maple chips were added to make the kettle nice and smokey - another purchase by THM from aforementioned website.  Seriously, she must be their best customer this year!! hehe!  THM was experimenting with a ham chunk which she kept very simple and just left to cook slowly in the smokey, mapley fog coming from the BBQ.  It looked beautifully charred - Bobby Flay would've been proud of her - and I'm told it tasted lovely.  Subtley sweet from the maple, lightly smoked and charred to perfection.  Can't argue with that!

We had BBQ-ed corn cobs - surely the finest BBQ food known to man?!  Wrapped in foil, I drizzled the cobs with rapeseed oil (my latest thing!  Good it is too and British as an added bonus) and then a sprinkling of Crate & Barrel's sweetcorn seasoning - an import from the last trip to the USA and running dangerously low now.  Toasted to perfection, it was devine.

Following that we had giant field mushrooms dotted with garlic butter and cooked until they were soft and the garlicy, buttery juices dribbled down your chin.  Heaven!   A side of garlicy (yep!  I'll be a fragrant joy tomorrow!) olive oil laced, smokey roasted potatoes and a green salad from the garden and it really was a meal fit for a king.

To finish it, because, lets face it, it would be a crime not to do this, we had S'Mores.  Giant Rocky Mountain marshmallows that reminded us of Cowboy Casey and his cowboy ranch at the Grand Canyon,  toasted until singed and gooey, sandwiched between 2 giant chocolate buttons and digestive biscuits.  Yuuuummmmm!  So, I'm thinking perhaps a S'More cupcake could be something worth trying.  Watch this space and I'll keep you posted with that!

On that note, get out the BBQ and make the most of the sun before the rains arrive again.  Happy Summer everyone!!

Toastey marshamallow perfection

S'More heaven!

Happy 4th of July, y'all!

flag cake

I've been invited to a 4th of July BBQ by my American neighbour so have spent today getting into the Americana mood.  The flag is outside, the bunting is up and I thought I'd make dessert!  My flag cake will hopefully hit the nail on the head! It's a vanilla sponge with mascarpone cream smothering it then covered in blueberries and raspberries.  Eat, drink and be merry folks!

I go to Cakecraft School

My parents came up trumps for my birthday this year and sent me back to school!  Only this time, it was sugarcraft school.  The location - Paul Bradford's Truly Scrumptious Cupcake Cafe Bar in Linlithgow.  See his website for the amazing pieces of art he creates with his very talented team!  http://www.designer-cakes.com I am in awe!!

We started with the basics before building up to creating the fabulous bow cake that we all got to take home with us.  Paul taught us how to cut the cake, ganache it so that we had a perfectly smooth base on which to place our sugarpaste - and which we then built up the cake from.  We iced the board (never been able to do that before!), created lovely little glittery stars on sticks to decorate the cake with and then put the bow in it's rightful place, slap bang in the middle of the cake, as a crowning glory!  I came home sticky with icing sugar, chocolate smeared and glittery with red hands from the food colouring - but I was very happy and grinning like a Cheshire cat!  Can't wait to go back and learn more.  I have the sugarcraft bug so watch this space as I start to produce my own creations1

I could go on for hours and hours about the wonders of my day - from the skills I learnt, to my great classmates but, I won't!  I'll let you see some of the pics I took.

My classmates' cakes.  How talented a bunch are we!! Mine is the pink one in the front row! :)

Bow and star detail from above.  (admire the very smooth surface!)

Pink glittery star and curled wire detail

Glitter works on everything you know! Sparkly ball detail around base of cake

I had to cut it, as painful as that was.  Would have been a waste of cake otherwise!   It's a lovely rich, moist chocolate cake with a hint of Baileys.  Yum!

Crail Food Festival

Crail Food Festival this weekend!  Lots and lots of lovely things to try, demonstrations to watch and people to meet.  The Festival takes over the whole of the village for the weekend and will be a grand day out.  I'm at Old House Interiors this afternoon (Sat 18th June) with some cupcake samples.  Pop in for a chat and a wee tasty morsel of course!

Made the desserts for the supper with King Creosote & Friends last night which was amazing!  Fabulous food and great music - can an evening be more perfect! A trio of raspberry desserts - crananchan, raspberry tart and raspberry cheesecake brownies- ended the meal.  It started with a heavenly East Neuk chowder style soup laden with mussels and huge chunks of fish (yum!), made by The Honeypot Tearoom (http://www.honeypotcrail.co.uk ) and then a Beef Bourguigon and rosemary roasted potatoes followed, courtesy of La Petite Epicerie in Anstruther (http://www.la-petite-epicerie.co.uk ), which was  rich and chunky and gravy laden!  Whilst the music began, a glorious cheeseboard supplied by The Guid Cheese Shop of St Andrews (http://www.guidcheeseshop.co.uk ) appeared on the tables to munch whilst you listened to the tunes coming from the stage!  Honestly, an evening really couldn't have been more wonderful!!

Have a look at the website for details about the festival:  http://www.crailfoodfest.co.uk

Pics and things next week - when I have five minutes to think!! Been a busy old week!  :)

The Angus Show

It's time to get your Hunter wellies out again, grab the waterproof jackets and prepare to admire the handsome farmers - only in Angus not Fife this time!! Only a matter of hours until the Angus Show arrives - Friday 10th and Saturday 11th June are the dates for your diary.  The place to be is Brechin Castle, Brechin. I'll be in the Showcase Marquee so please do stop by to say hi!  Check out the website for more details about the show including who will be there (apart from me!) and what will be going on:  http://www.theangusshow.com  It'll be a grand day out!

My amazingly talented friend Lindsay will be there with her fabulous equestrian art.  Make sure you hunt her out to admire her work and maybe place a commission! She doesn't just paint horses - her talents are so much broader than that so, pampered pooches and spoilt cats feature in her repertoire amongst other things!  She will be based near me in the Showcase Marquee.  To tempt you, have a look at her blog: http://mathersart.blogspot.com or her website: http://www.mathersart.com

In the meantime, my kitchen is a steamy, icing sugar laden, sweet smelling heaven!  Lots and lots of tasty treats are being baked to tempt the most un-sweet-toothed!  There will be cupcakes galore, rocky road, brownies, (ooh - rocky road brownies - they sound interesting!  may try that!!)  home-made tablet, flapjacks and oh so much more ...... Few pics to show you my works in progress:

Coconut tart slabs, just cut and ready to wrap.  Moist coconutty topping, home-made jam and light, crispy pastry.  Who doesn't fancy a bit of that?! 

Carrot Cake cupcakes, straight out of the oven.  They are just waiting to be dressed in a scrummy cream cheese frosting and a pretty flower!

Rocky Road - still squidgy and warm.  Resist if you can!

You know it's been a busy day when the egg shells mount up!   All free range of course.  They are destined for the wormery as a tasty treat for the worms and the allotment to keep the pesky slugs off my lettuces!

A lovely tempting tray full of local (Blacketyside of Leven), juicy, strawberries.  My storeroom smells of summer!  They are destined for Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes amongst other things.  

To remind you:

The Angus Show

Friday 10th and Saturday 11th June

Brechin Castle, Brechin

Showcase Marquee

See you there!! It'll be fun!!

cupcakes and cocktails

I have a love of cocktails.  I mean who doesn't??!!!  I love everything about them - the taste (obviously!), the combinations, the colours, the wee paper umbrellas and plastic-y palm trees.  Fabulous!  It made me think, why wouldn't the flavour combinations work in a cupcake?  A Cup-tail if you will.  So, I've started experimenting - and my gut feeling was correct.  They work!
So far I have a Pina Colada - a scrummy pineapple chunk and coconut laced sponge with a swirl of coconutty buttercream and a cocktail brolly added for good measure.  I'm thinking a swig of Malibu may be worth trying too.  Yum!
I've also been working on the Strawberry Daiquiri - heaven in a glass so a perfect cupcake too?!!  I've mastered the white rum and strawberry laced sponge cake with a white rum and lime buttercream swirl topped with a tasteful decoration of a whole juicy strawberry and a sprinkle of lime zest too.  It makes me want to be sitting on a beach in the sun.  In fact, they both do!! :)
In true Carrie Bradshaw tribute, The Cosmo has featured too.  An orangey, cranberry filled sponge with a twist of lime topped with a cointreau and lime buttercream swirl and dried cranberries and gold glitter.  All you need are the Manolos to go with them!  
I'm thinking Whisky Mac and Margaritas next.

Cosmopolitan Babycakes looking all glam and Sex and the City like

The Strawberry Daiquiri and Pina Colada Cup-tail!

Did I say that I think one at least will feature at the Angus Show next week?!   Date for your diary - I'll be at the Angus Show in the Showcase Marquee on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th June.  Details next week!

The Fife Show - done and dusted!

The wind blew a hooley, the gazebo stayed standing, just, the rain threatened but didn't fall until we were leaving,  and we had a great day!!  Can you ask for anything more?!!  The Fife Show excelled itself. We had a busy afternoon selling cupcakes and traybakes and tablet and goodies galore.  My fab co-workers took over for 15mins or so which meant I even had chance to look at the sheep and the ponies and the tractors and to dance a jig with my fav wee man whilst we waited for his aunt to buy willow fish for the garden!

I had a lovely neighbour in the shape of Laura of Laura's Chocolates fame.  They were to die for!!  And she was full of great advice and top tips too which is always a good thing.  Visit her website to see what I mean about the deliciousness she produces:  Http://www.lauraschocolates.com  Her unexpected companion who joined her stall just before we opened was selling Trotter's Wild Garlic Pesto amongst other things.  I had to buy a jar - would've been rude not to!!  Again, scrummy to the extreme.  Check out the website too - http://www.trottersindependent.co.uk

Anyway, I digress.... we had cupcakes a plenty - Grasshopper, Choc Fudge, Carrot, Red Velvet, Cola, Disco Vanilla, Banoffee and oh so many more - and they all sold, nearly!  Tablet was popular as was Rocky Road and Brownies.  The surprise hit was the coconut tarts - thank you to the couple who bought what must have been at least a dozen of them, so nostalgic was their experience of them!!

Here are the photos so you can see what we were up to!

Tasty goodies a plenty!  Including a bucket full of tablet!

More scrumminess, just waiting to be bought and devoured!

My wee corner at the Fife Show!
Take note of my cool bunting!

Coconut and Bakewell Tarts - a nostaligic treat for many - and using my Gran's recipefor the Coconut ones so they've got to be good!

New for the show, and the first to sell out - The Grasshopper!  
It sat oh so prettily alongside the Mocha.

Disco Vanilla and Banoffee - comfy companions!

Can you beat a pink cupcake?  Strawberry Shortcake were a fav!

Always a popular choice and one I'm especially proud of - the Carrot Cake
(complete with homemade wee carrots!  Cute!)