Looks as good as it tastes

Grandma Abson’s recipes have always had fantastic feedback about their taste, texture and simplicity but capturing all that in a simple photo has proved more of a challenge for me than baking her recipes.

I only have one photo of Grandma with a cake and that's the one on her 90th birthday but, since starting to write Grandma Abson’s blog, I’ve amassed a wealth of photos of her wonderful baking at talks and events to celebrate her legacy.

I’ve also learnt some tips and tricks about what works and what doesn’t in food photography by seeing what professional photographers do and looking at food photos in magazines, cookbooks and websites. 

I'm trying to make Grandma’s baking look just as inviting as the taste. My early attempts didn’t do justice to her recipes but I’d like to think that, although I’m not a photographic genius, I’ve made some progress. 

Most of all, the advent of the smart phone camera has made it much more accessible for me. Developments in cameras show see how far camera technology has come. So, here are my 5 ideas for perfect Food-tography:

Make the food look tempting 

You don’t need to use the tricks of the professional food stylists but it’s worth cutting into a Paradise Cake so it looks as if you are inviting the viewer to take a slice.

Balance the shot 

Arrange the ingredients for Parkin so you are showing what’s needed. Move the items around the board to draw the eye to a different angle.

Check the lighting 

Try to use natural light and not flash unless necessary. Create the right ambiance for these Flakemeal Biscuits so it’s not too harsh or dull.

Crop the first attempt 

Focus down on a key element of these Yorkshire Puddings.

Check the camera tools 

Check out the tools to edit your photos. They can turn an acceptable photo into an exceptional one with the Easter chicks loving this Simnel Cake.

Grandma would have found it amazing to see photos of her mouth-watering recipes. Just as we can’t resist the aromas and tastes of home baking straight out of the oven, make sure it looks as good it tastes! Have you got more camera tips to snap that taste?

A safe pair of hands

Grandma Abson was never too explicit about baking temperatures. Her recipes ranged from ‘cool, slow, fast, warm, moderate, fairly hot, hot' to 'very hot’. Those early years cooking on Yorkshire ranges had equipped her with that mysterious knowledge of what was just the right heat for whatever she was baking.

Shortbread Biscuits

Victoria Sandwich 

Yorkshire Puddings  

Much of her expertise in baking was based on what she thought was common sense, making sure the oven was heated up and getting the ingredients to room temperature before mixing. 

Modern ovens have temperature controls so we can preheat them and know when to put in our bakes. Oven mitts and gloves provide essential protection for our hands to take hot things in and out.

Back in Grandma’s early days as a below stairs cook for  her employer, Mrs. Hick and her family, Grandma had been told to put her hand in the oven to check the temperature. Thankfully, we don’t do have to do this now. Although Grandma never said she hurt her hands, the chances of a serious burn must have been high. So wear oven gloves or mitts at all times to protect your hands from burns.

Grandma worked with coal, gas and electric ovens during her life and was always keen to keep the oven clean. Fortunately, we don’t have to ‘black lead’ now but we do need to keep our ovens and microwaves clean as grease is a major source of fire in the home and half of all house fires start in the kitchen. Electrical Safety First has more tips and advice. 

Take care and follow these simple rules to stay safe in the kitchen. Grandma wouldn’t want us to take safety in the kitchen for granted. It’s a piece of cake! 

Have you got a tip or a story to share for a safe pair of hands? 

Dutch Apple Pie is the pick of the crop

This has to be one of the best Apple Pie recipes I’ve ever tasted - in fact it’s the pick of the crop! It’s even better using the Dutch Speculaas spice mix from The Speculaas Spice Company.

For the pastry base

8oz/225g Shortcrust pastry 

For the filling

3 large Bramley apples 

(or 2 Bramley + 2 Braeburn apples)

Zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 tsps Speculaas Spice

For the topping

3 oz/75g butter

4oz/110g plain flour

2oz/50g demerara sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Pre heat the oven to 180C (Fan 160c)/Mark 4/350F. Line a 9 inch/23 cm flan or pie dish with the pastry and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Chop the peeled apples into slices and chunks, place in a pan on the hob and add the lemon zest and juice. Simmer for 3-5 minutes and allow to cool. Mix in the speculaas spice mix. Pour the filling into the flan case. Prepare the topping; in a bowl rub the butter into the flour, add the sugar and cinnamon and mix until coarsely crumbled. Spread this mixture on top of the apple filling. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the top of the pie is golden brown. Serve with crème fraiche, cream or ice cream.

You can make small Dutch Apple Pie tartlets in the same way. Cut circles (approx 4-5 inch/10-12 cm) of shortcrust pastry. Place in a deep bun tin.  Add 1-3 tbsps of the filling and 1 tbsp of the topping. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meryl says : Bramley apples on their own will make a soft filling as in a British Apple Pie. Using a hard dessert apple such as Braeburn will add crisp chunks of apple.  Eva, a Dutch friend, tells me that 
using a mixture of soft and hard apples will fit well with the Dutch tradition. What's your favourite apple dessert?

Ginger up the shortbread

 

Ginger and Orange Shortbread biscuits

I’m a great fan of ginger in baking so enjoy baking Grandma’s traditional recipes with this distinctive spice. Dotted with ginger pieces, Grandma’s shortbread biscuits work well. I’ve added orange zest and citrus peel to complement the ginger taste. 

What you need 

150g/5oz butter

225g/8oz plain flour

75g/3oz sugar

Zest of an orange

50g/2oz mixed peel

2 tsps powdered ginger

50g/2oz stem ginger or ginger pieces (& more for decoration)

1 yolk of egg

Rub the butter into the flour and add the sugar, orange zest, mixed peel, ginger and stem ginger. Then add the egg yolk and work into the flour as quickly as possible, making a dry dough. The mixture must be kept dry. Roll out thinly and cut into rounds. Top with more ginger pieces as a decoration before baking. Bake for 25 minutes in a slow oven. (300F, Mark 2, 150C)

Enjoy Shortbread biscuits with...

 lavender

glace cherries

ginger

Let me know if you have another type of Shortbread. 

Carrot Cake stands proud

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake has been around since medieval days but became popular during the 1940s when food was rationed and everyone grew carrots in their gardens to 'Dig for Victory'. So because there were gluts of carrots, the Ministry of Food distributed recipe leaflets showing how to use them in cakes and puddings.  Carrot Cake has a ‘healthy’ cake tag and appears in the top ranks of favourite traditional tea time treats. Here's Grandma's recipe for a perfect one.

What you need to bake

6oz/175g self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4oz/110g butter

4oz/110g soft brown sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

4oz /110g carrots grated

1 tbsp honey

grated zest and juice of ½ orange

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Mark 4. Grease and line a 7inch/18cms cake tin. Sift the baking powder and cinnamon into the flour. Add the grated carrot and mix well. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the eggs gradually. Fold in the flour mixture together with the carrots, honey, orange zest and juice.  Place the mixture in the cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes approximately. Leave to cool then turn out onto a cooling rack.

For the topping

4oz/110g icing sugar

2oz/50g butter

zest and juice of ½ orange

walnuts

Beat the icing sugar and butter together then add the orange zest and juice. Cover the top of the cake with the mixture and arrange the walnuts on top.  Or top with a glace icing or cream cheese instead if you prefer.

Meryl says : Carrot Cake is a moist cake and keeps well for a few days in an airtight container. Could a small slice of this be one of our 5 day a day?😋

Abernethy biscuits and a quick digestion fix

 Abernethy biscuits

Looking through some old recipe books which Sheila from Eckington kindly sent me, I found a recipe for the famous Abernethy biscuits. They were named after Dr John Abernethy, an 18th century Scottish doctor who baked biscuits with caraway seeds. These were thought to be good for digestion. They are really an early 'digestive' biscuit and are still popular today in Scotland. I’ve suggested an oven temperature to the original recipe. 

 Abernethy biscuits

8ozs/225g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

3ozs/75g butter

3ozs/75g sugar

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 egg (beaten)

1 tbsp milk

Pre heat the oven to 375F/190C/Mark 5 Sift the flour and baking powder into a basin. Rub in the butter.  Add the sugar and caraway seeds and moisten with the beaten egg and milk until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured board and roll out thinly. Cut into rounds. Place on a greased baking tray and prick each one with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven.

Meryl says : Whether they fix your digestion or not, these biscuits are very tasty. They'll keep for a week in an airtight tin – that’s unless they are snapped up with a morning coffee or afternoon tea treat! What do you think?

French Rhubarb Flan isn’t just rhubarb, rhubarb!

French Rhubarb Flan 

The annual Rhubarb Festival in Wakefield in February marks the appearance of forced rhubarb. I love the tender sweetness of the young rhubarb, grown in dark sheds in the Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire. It makes delicious rhubarb crumbles and tartes to savour. Looking through an old recipe book, I came across French Rhubarb Flan. It looks impressive but is easy to bake.

 French Rhubarb Flan

250g/9oz Rhubarb

1 tbsp Demerara sugar

175g/6oz shortcrust pastry

50g/2oz butter

50g/2oz (golden) caster sugar

2 eggs – yolks and whites separated

1 tbsp milk

50g/2oz plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

25g/1oz ground almonds

½ tsp ground ginger

50g/2oz (white) caster sugar

Pre heat the oven to 325F, Mark 3, 160C, 140C Fan.

Prepare the Rhubarb

Wash and cut the rhubarb into 2cms/1 inch chunks. Place on a baking tray and sprinkle the sugar over them. Then cook the pieces in the oven for about 15 minutes until tender but so they still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Line a 21 cm/8 inch flan dish with the pastry, wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Filling

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the yolks of eggs and mix with the milk. Then mix the flour, ground almonds, ginger and baking powder together. Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing well. Place the cooked rhubarb pieces in the flan dish over the pastry and then spoon the mixture over the rhubarb. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven to add the meringue topping.

Prepare the meringue topping

Whisk the whites of the eggs in a bowl until stiff. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue to whisk. Spoon the meringue on the top of the tart and make a pattern of swirls. Cook in a slow oven for about 20-25 minutes until the meringue is slightly brown.

Meryl says : Serve hot or cold with crème fraiche, yoghurt, ice cream or custard. It will keep well for a couple of days. What your favourite Rhubarb recipe? 

Goin’ Courting Cake

Courting Cake

This recipe came from Edith, who was a member of a group in Barnsley where I did a talk about Grandma's baking. ‘Courting’ in the North of England means ‘dating’ or ‘going out’ with a partner. 

Courting Cake is a traditional cake given as a gift to your ‘intended’ or ‘betrothed’ or whoever you had ‘got your eye on’ as a potential partner! The texture of the cake is denser than a Victoria Sandwich but lighter than Shortbread. It's usually filled and topped with lightly bruised strawberries but I’m hoping the baker’s heart doesn’t get bruised along the way!

Courting Cake

6oz/175g butter

6oz/75g caster sugar

2 large eggs (beaten)

8oz/225g plain flour

1½ tsps baking powder

pinch bicarbonate of soda

Milk to mix

Grease and line 2 x 8 inch (21 cm) sandwich tins with baking paper.  Pre heat the oven to 180C (Fan 160c)/Mark 4/350F. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and add the beaten eggs gradually. Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until well baked. Allow to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.

For the decoration

8oz/225g strawberries

Double or whipping cream or butter cream

Icing sugar

Whip the cream or prepare the Butter cream and spread on one cake. Slice the strawberries and put on top of the cream, reserving some for decorating the top of the cake. Put the remaining cake on top. Either dredge the top with icing sugar or cover with cream or butter cream and decorate with the reserved strawberries.

Meryl says : It’s a good way to use those luscious strawberries which we get all year round now in the markets and grocery stores and makes a gorgeous cake or dessert for Valentine’s Day. What will you bake for your Valentine? Tempt them with biscuits?

Valentine Shortbread Biscuits

Valentine Gingerbread Biscuits

Warm up with Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding

I’ve just made this year’s batch of Marmalade with the new crop of Seville Oranges and I can’t wait to start baking all my favourite marmalade recipes. Here’s Grandma recipe for Marmalade Bread and Butter pudding which will warm us up as well as reminds us of the beautiful area of Spain where the super Seville Oranges come from.

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

50g/2oz butter

8 slices slightly stale (e.g. 1 day old) bread

150g/6oz Marmalade

50g/2oz sultanas

2 tsp cinnamon

Zest of 1 orange  

350ml/12fl oz milk

50ml/2fl oz double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 (large) eggs

50g/2oz caster sugar

Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/ Gas 4. Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter. Spread butter and marmalade on each slice with. Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the dish, then add half the sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and orange zest, then add another layer of bread, sultanas and cinnamon. Warm the milk and cream with the vanilla extract gently in a pan over a low heat. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the sugar. Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well. Pour this over the bread layers and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Meryl says :  Don’t let the milk and cream mixture  boil - just heat gently until warm before you add it to the eggs and sugar. Serve with crème fraiche, cream or ice cream as you wish. Delicious start to the New Year!

Here’s how to make Marmalade

and bake Grandma’s popular 

Marmalade Spice Cake

Marmalade Flapjack 

Clementine and Ginger Cake 

All with a kick of ginger to enhance the taste. Let me know which you like best.