What Librarians Eat! Issue 11: November 2013

What Librarians Eat! I S S U E

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N O V E M B E R

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

A Brief History of Baking

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Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Caramel Fudge

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Festive Macaroons 5

Welcome As most of you know, this month the Library will be hosting a Bake sale in aid of Puttinu Cares so we decided to give you some inspiration by dedicating a whole issue to baked desserts.

Chocolate Mousse Tart with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

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Apple And Cinnamon Malted Muffins

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Mocha Mousse Sponge Roll

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Rainbow cake

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Ask Us Something!

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For some people Baking is a relaxing way to cook. It is also one of those cooking methods that require precision and the exact amounts listed in a recipe. You can be creative and adventurous but you have to treat baking like a science and follow the instructions to the letter.

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A Brief History of Baking The first breads produced, around 4000 BC, were unleavened flat breads, though there was usually some natural leavening due to the fermentation of noble rot, wild yeast or steam. The Egyptians are credited with inventing grinding materials, enclosed earthenware baking containers, crude ovens, and the use of the levain process which utilizes a piece of day old dough to introduce fermentation. The Greeks expanded on these baking concepts and became specialists in baking cakes and pastries. The Romans ere the first to promote the training and refining of baking skills and established the first corps of bakers in the western world. The United Kingdom established the first guild that set standards of baking and an apprenticeship of 7 years leading to a master baker certification.

In the Americas, Native Americans cultivated corn. The Pilgrims wanted to get in on the act and developed what is known as Johnnycakes. Wheat grasses were grown and cultivated as settlers moved West and built grist mills near streams and rivers to grind the grain into a fine meal. Steam engines allowed the grain to be ground closer to where it was grown. Out on the range, cowboys made bread with flour and potato water which was fermented by bacteria and wild yeast. If they felt like something a little different, they also used a mix of cornmeal, water, and sugar.

Aside from the steam engine, there were other improvements in baking. In 1856 baking powder was introduced and a mere 12 years later, in 1868, commercial yeast was sold which made life a lot easier for bread bakers as they didn’t have to wrangle those rascally little wild yeasties. Life got even better for bakers and pastry chefs in the 1930s when the first mechanical mixers were developed.

Baking utilizes carefully balanced formulas. What goes into a flour based baked good either strengthens/toughens (proteins and starches), weakens/tenderizes (fats and sugars), moistens (any water containing ingredient), dries, or leavens it, but not by themselves. Without heat and water, the important chemical and physical reactions wouldn’t take place. Hence the boom the cavemen experienced after the invention of fire.

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Staff members are encouraged to participate in the event by either baking something themselves or buy pre-baked goods and donate them to the library staff who will be in charge of the event so that it can be sold to the public on the 10th November. All proceeding will be donated to Puttinu Cares. Staff members who will be participating can either bring the baked goods on Friday 8th November or Saturday 9th November and leave them at the library. Also those who would like to be present on Sunday just let Ryan know so that the event can be planned accordingly.

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Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies This is one of the simplest baking recipes ever! And they taste incredible too! Also the recipes allows for different flavours to be added in the cookie dough. Instead of chocolate you might want to try different combinations and see which one you prefer.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 oven trays with baking paper.

Ingredients

180g butter, softened 1/3 cup caster sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together then beat in the Sweetened Condensed Milk.

1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

Add the flour then the dark and white chocolate chips, mix well.

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls.

250g Dark chocolate chips

Place on the prepared trays, allowing plenty of room for spreading, and press gently with a fork.

1/2 cup White chocolate chips

Bake in batches for 15 minutes until golden.

Caramel Fudge

Grease and line the base and two long sides of a 25cm x 7cm bar pan.

In a medium saucepan, stir the butter, sweetened condensed milk, golden syrup and sugar together over low heat until simmering; stir constantly for 10 minutes until it thickens slightly and becomes golden brown.

Remove from the heat, add the white chocolate chips, stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan and refrigerate until set. Using a hot knife cut into thin slices.

Ingredients

125g butter, chopped 395g can Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 tbsp golden syrup 1 cup (220g) brown sugar ž cup (110g) White chocolate chips

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Festive Macaroons

Beautiful macaroons are one of the current ‘sweet’ crazes. Make a batch, put them in a pretty box tied up with ribbon, and give them to a friend as a dazzling gift or you can have them all to yourself, prefect for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ingredients

125g/4½oz icing sugar 125g/4½oz ground almonds 90g/3½oz free-range egg whites 2 tbsp water 110g/4oz caster sugar food colouring (optional) desiccated coconut, for sprinkling (optional) 150ml/5fl oz double or whipped cream, whipped

Preheat the oven to 170/C/325F/Gas 5 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and 40g/1½oz egg whites together in a large bowl and mix to a paste.

Put the water and caster sugar in a small pan and heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil until the mixture starts to go syrupy and thickens.

Whisk the remaining 50g/2oz egg whites in a small bowl until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl, then pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. For coloured macaroons, add a few drops of food colouring. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste mixture and stir gently until the becomes stiff and shiny again.

Spoon into the piping bag. Pipe a little mixture under each corner of the baking paper to stop it sliding around. With the bag held vertically, pipe 4cm/1½in flat circles onto the lined tray, about 2cm/¾in apart, twisting the bag after each one.

The mixture should be quite loose to give a smooth finish.

The piping will leave a small ‘tip’ on each circle so, when they’re all piped, give the tray 2–3 slams on a flat surface to flatten them. At this stage, sprinkle with desiccated coconut if you want.

Leave to stand for 30 minutes to form a skin then bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes with the door slightly ajar until firm.

Remove from the oven, lift the paper off the baking tray and leave the macaroons to cool on the paper.

When cool, sandwich the macaroons together with whipped cream. They can be kept for a couple of days, if they hang around that long!

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Chocolate Mousse Tart with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust In this recipe you can use the chocolate chip recipe for a base. Just shape the cookie mixture into a tart shape or use a tart dish and bake like you would to make cookies.

Ingredients

225g (8 oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 55g (4 tbsp) butter 3 large eggs, separated (Note this recipe uses raw/slightly cooked eggs, ensure they are fresh and be aware of any risks) 55g (1/4 cup) caster/superfine sugar 375ml (about 1.5 cups) cold thickened/ heavy cream Extra chocolate chips to top In a large heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth. Return to the heat and add the yolks, 1 at a time, whisking after the addition of each. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks start to form.

Gradually add only half (1/8th cup) of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream until it becomes frothy. Add the remaining sugar (1/8th cup) and continue beating until it holds soft peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until no white specks appear. Using only half of the whipped cream, gradually fold in until smooth.

Spoon the mousse into the pre-baked tart shell and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate until well chilled, tart is best served after being chilled overnight.

To serve, spoon the remaining whipped cream on top and garnish with extra chocolate chips. Cut into wedges and serve. Leftover tart can be stored in an airtight container (even with the extra cream on top) in the fridge for up to two days.

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Apple And Cinnamon Malted Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup Malted Milk Powder 2 cups self raising flour 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup brown sugar 425g unsweetened pie apple 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3/4 cup water 90g polyunsaturated margarine, melted 1 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 200째C and Grease 12 cups of a muffin tin.

Sift together the Malted Milk Powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda, and cinnamon.

Add the sugar, apple and walnuts and mix well.

Combine the eggs, water, margarine and honey.

Make a well in the centre of the apple mixture, add the egg mixture, stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, bake for 25 minutes until golden. If desired, when cool, dust with sifted icing sugar.

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Mocha Mousse Sponge Roll

Ingredients

SPONGE: 3 eggs, separated 1/3 cup caster sugar 3/4 cup self raising flour, sifted 2 tbsp hot water MOUSSE: 2 tsp gelatine 1 tbsp boiling water 3 tsp instant coffee 300ml cream 180g chocolate chips, melted 2 tbsp Tia Maria liqueur

Sponge Preheat oven to 200째C and line a 25cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until dissolved. Beat in the egg yolks then fold in the flour and water.

Spoon evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 8-10 minutes. Turn out onto the baking paper, remove the lining from the base of the cake and carefully roll up the cake with the paper. Stand for 30 minutes until completely cool.

Mousse Whilst the sponge is cooling, dissolve the gelatine in water, add the instant coffee and cool slightly.

Beat the cream until thick, fold in the melted chocolate chips, gelatine and liqueur. Refrigerate until firm.

Carefully unroll the cake and discard the paper. Spread 3/4 of the mousse over the sponge then re-roll.

Spread the remaining mousse over the sponge and decorate as desired.

NOTE: Allow refrigeration time.

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Rainbow cake A stunning celebration cake of six or seven colourful layers and a buttercream icing - an impressive showstopper.

Ingredients

You'll need 3 x these ingredients for six sponges 125g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing 225g plain flour 150g golden caster sugar 3 medium eggs (very important to use the correct size) 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla extract edible food colouring - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, plus optional pink

For the icing 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 x 250g tubs cream cheese or mascarpone 350g icing sugar

Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.

Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth.

Working quickly, weigh the mixture into another bowl to work out the total weight, then weigh exactly half the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Pick 2 of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy with the colour – the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave! Scrape the different batters into the tins, trying to spread and smooth as much as possible – but try not to waste a drop of the batter – a rubber spatula will help you. Bake on the same oven shelf for 12 mins until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.

Wash the tins and bowls thoroughly, and start again, this time using another 2 colours. Unless you’re making the optional pink layer, repeat one more time to get 6 sponges, all of different colours. Leave them all to cool.

To make the icing, very briefly beat the vanilla and cream cheese or mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth.

Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful – the more you work it, the runnier it will get, increasing the chance of splitting.

Smear a little icing on your cake stand or plate – just a splodge to stick the first sponge. Start with the red, then spread with some icing right to the very edge. Repeat, sandwiching on top the orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple sponges. Spread the remaining icing thickly all over the sides and on top of the cake.

“Ask Us Something!”

Since this month we did not have any questions we are going to show you how to do a classic Black Forest Cake! A super rich cake with syrupy cherries, dollops of fresh cream filling and lashings of chocolate glaze.

Black Forest Cake

Ingredients

250g butter, softened 1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar 3 eggs ¾ cup (75g) Baking Cocoa 2 cups (300g) self-raising flour 1¾ cups (440mL) milk 50g (1/3 cup) Dark Melts 680g jar morello cherries, drained, reserving ½ cup (125mL) syrup Cream Filling: 600mL thickened cream ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla Chocolate Glaze: 1 1/3 cups (200g) Dark Melts ½ cup (125mL) thickened cream

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Grease and base line two 20cm round cake pans.

Using an electric mixer; beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the Baking Cocoa and flour; add half to the butter mixture with half the milk; mix well; repeat with remaining flour and milk.

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until cakes springs back when touched in the centre. Stand the cakes in pans for 10 minutes; turn out onto wire racks lined with baking paper to cool completely. Cut each cake in half horizontally.

Place the Dark Melts and reserved syrup in a small microwave proof bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 2 minutes or until melted. Set cherries aside.

To make cream filling: Use an electric mixer to beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form.

Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or serving plate; brush with chocolate syrup; spread with 1/3 of the cream; top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with remaining cake layers, syrup, cream and cherries. Refrigerate while making the glaze.

To make Chocolate Glaze: Place the Dark Melts and cream in a microwave proof bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 2 minutes; stir; continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.

Transport will be organised as follows.

We will have 3 pick up points from Valletta (in front of Phoenicia Hotel), Msida (University Campus) and Mosta (Near the Parish Church).

On the way to Paradise Bay Hotel we will go by coach.

On the way back from Paradise Bay Hotel we will have mini vans sorted by region that will take you to your home!

Those who will make use of transport will have to pay 25 Euro instead of 23 Euro (2 Euro for the transport, includes both ways) (Optional), Also for those interested, we have been offered special rates for anyone who would like to book a room and spend the night at the Hotel.

Remember the following day is going to be a public holiday.

A room on Bed and Breakfast will only cost 24.50 Euro per person. This is only optional and if we book 5 rooms we will also receive and extra discount of 10% on each room.

It is important to start letting me know who is coming and pay for the event. Are going to use transport and from which pick up point? And also inform me if you want to book a room or not?

The deadline for confirmations and payments is Friday 29th November, 2013.