After several years of thinking that I really didn't like to cook or make food, I have discovered the joy of cooking. I love cook books (I got three for Christmas, to add to my at least 10 others) and I love watching people enjoy the food I have made. Although I always try to make yummy food, some is more impressive than others.
I made neeps and tatties to go with some canned haggis that Thomas bought. Neeps are they yellow things. They are rutabagas - also known as Swedish turnips (hence neeps) - with about 2 tbsp of butter. Tatties are simply mashed potatoes, but I used cream instead of milk, and more butter than usual because all the recipes for neeps and tatties that I could find said to use lots of butter. I cannot say that I care for haggis, but this stuff was better than any I have ever had before.
For New Year's Eve, I made a Yule Log. This is the second time I have made one of these.When I did it before, I used fudge icing and sprinkled it with Andes, because that is what I had on hand, but this year I made it as the recipe said. It is a chocolate sponge "jellyroll" although it is filled with chocolate butter-cream icing rather than jelly. Then the end is sliced off at a diagonal and attached to the side, then covered with more icing. It is decorated with meringue mushrooms and shelf-fungus and pistachio "moss". It not only looked really cool, it tasted amazing!
I made neeps and tatties to go with some canned haggis that Thomas bought. Neeps are they yellow things. They are rutabagas - also known as Swedish turnips (hence neeps) - with about 2 tbsp of butter. Tatties are simply mashed potatoes, but I used cream instead of milk, and more butter than usual because all the recipes for neeps and tatties that I could find said to use lots of butter. I cannot say that I care for haggis, but this stuff was better than any I have ever had before.
For New Year's Eve, I made a Yule Log. This is the second time I have made one of these.When I did it before, I used fudge icing and sprinkled it with Andes, because that is what I had on hand, but this year I made it as the recipe said. It is a chocolate sponge "jellyroll" although it is filled with chocolate butter-cream icing rather than jelly. Then the end is sliced off at a diagonal and attached to the side, then covered with more icing. It is decorated with meringue mushrooms and shelf-fungus and pistachio "moss". It not only looked really cool, it tasted amazing!
are those real mushrooms on the side, or did you use candy? it looks authentic and I bet it was yummy. =)
ReplyDeleteThey are a meringue mushrooms - eggwhites, cream of tarter, sugar - beaten until stiff, then baked for 1 1/2 hours and dried for 2 more hours. Thomas attached the caps to the stems with a little bit of icing.
ReplyDeleteThat log looks amazing!
ReplyDelete