Review: Berlin & Burgermeister

Over the weekend Boy and I spent a quick 24 hours in Berlin. There's so much more I feel we could've seen and would love to go back!

We both finished work late on Friday, leaving a measly 3 hour snooze before our friendly taxi whisked us along the M25 to Gatwick.

After a pit stop for breakfast we bundled onto the plane and took our seats. Flying over London just as daylight was breaking was a pretty impressive view. All those lights over the City looked like something straight from a movie.

We landed in Berlin just as snow started to fall and took a brisk walk to the train station half reading train timetables and half zipping up and tucking in every single layer of clothing possible.

First stop, the Fernsehturm in Alexanderplatz, Berlin's TV tower. Impressive 360 degree views from 368m up.

When we got back down to ground level we decided to start walking in the general direction of Kreuzberg for a lunch stop. Although we never seem to learn, the walk was much longer that it seemed on the map.

By this time we were ravenous and only one thing would do, Burgermeister. I'd heard great things about this little burger stand and after all the walking it was high time for some refuelling.

A small kiosk sheltered from the winter chill by its surrounding stickered fence, perched between a road and a U-bahn station. At first we did a couple of laps around to find the door, there was no way of seeing through all the stickers. Another couple must have taken pity on us and pointed to a small opening for us to push open.

Inside, a small kitchen and standing eating area and a few gas heaters dotted around. Full mostly of Berliner's, and very few tourists.

Boy and I ordered a cheeseburger, BBQ bacon burger and fries to share at the hatch, was presented with an order number and left to wiggle into a cosy (chilled) corner to wait for our food.

I'd say we waited around 10 minutes for our order, which isn't bad considering everything was cooked fresh from order.

Hand formed patties were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The brioche bun was perhaps my most favourite date. It may sound strange to say, but I've always found that brioche is always better outside of the UK. Grilled to perfection, a good balance between soft and grilled just enough to hold the integrity of the burger together.

Slightly warmed and content with burger lined stomachs, we took a short train ride back towards the centre of town to visit the next landmarks on our list.

Checkpoint Charlie was surreal and a bit strange that fragments of Berlin Wall were sold in a gift shop. Its strange to think of only how recently the wall between East and West had fallen and to have stepped over the cobbled border line.

Next, the Holocaust Memorial. 2711 columns form a maze-like memorial for the murdered Jews during the Holocaust. It was pretty moving to walk through the columns as they grew inside, think about those gas chambers.

Chilled and exhausted from our sightseeing, we stopped at a small restaurant local to our hotel for dinner. I ordered Bratwust with potatoes and Boy a Currywurst.

We stayed in Steigenberger am Kanzleramt, just round the corner from Berlin Hbf station. The hotel was gorgeous, ultra modern and possibly the best night sleep I've had in a hotel.

Unfortunately, it seemed a little remote and a long walk/train journey away from any other the restaurants I'd put on my list to try!

Recipe: Snickerdoodles

There’s a knack to baking and some things take a little longer to perfect. Brownies being the first thing that took a little practice (there’s a very specific level of chocolate fudginess required you know). But this time its biscuits. I have a fair few cookie recipes on my blog but other than custard creams I always struggle to make a biscuit that’s not cake-like. Countless attempts and variations of butter, chilling, rolling and cutting have all failed me. Usually embarrassed enough to stick to what I know and never attempt them again.

But then there’s Snickerdoodles. First attempt at baking, no problems at all. So when life gives you snickerdoodles eat the whole lot and worry about the rest later!

Snickerdoodles
(Recipe slightly adapted from Afternoon Tea with Bea, makes 24)

225g unsalted butter, softened
315g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
350g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt

sugar dipping:

2tbsp ground cinnamon
200g golden caster sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and gently beat after each. Mix in the vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on a slow speed until well incorporated. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 160 degrees and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl ready for dipping the cookies.

Roll small pieces of dough into neat balls, about golf ball size, slightly flatten and dip each into the cinnamon sugar. Space evenly onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some room for spreading between each.

Bake for 13-16 minutes until the edges are golden and the tops look dry. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Malted Milk Chocolate Cake

My earliest memory of birthday cakes was when I was very little and demanded a dog shaped cake. I also demanded that the whole entire head was mine and of course felt very, very sick after trying to eat all of that icing myself. I wasn't prepared to share...and not much has changed ever since!

Since then my brother and I tended to have those chocolate traybakes with sweets on top, cakes for sharing...

When receiving a few recipe books for Christmas, having a flick through and finding this I knew that it had to be the next birthday cake I made for someone else. Not only is it a great recipe, it's also not too difficult to transport on the train if needed!

My new recipe book, What to Bake & How to Bake It, is sure to be one of those books I'll always go back to for reference. The difference between many books and this is that each recipe is spread over a number of pages with a step-by-step photo guide. Very handy for things like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.

Malted Milk Chocolate Birthday Cake
(Recipe slightly adapted from What to Bake & How to Bake It)

N.b. this chocolate cake isn't like the usual recipe I use, its egg free, super moist and not too rich...that way the whole family will love it.

Cake:
140g unsalted butter, softened
350g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
2tbsp malted milk powder, such as Ovaltine/Horlicks
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
300g light soft brown sugar
300ml milk
150ml vegetable oil
1tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
200g dark chocolate, about 50% cocoa solids
120ml milk
25g cocoa powder
2tbsp malted milk powder
140g unsalted butter, softened
250g icing sugar
handful of sweets/chocolates to decorate

Heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 23 x 33cm traybake tin.

First, make the cake batter. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan and leave to cool slightly.

Into a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to stir through (this will do the same as sifting it into the bowl). Add the sugar and continue to whisk to break up any lumps. Whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla extract and melted butter before whisking into the dry ingredients. Start slowly at first until everything is incorporated and then give it a good beat with the whisk.

Pour into the prepared tin, smooth over and bake for 30 minutes. The cake should have risen and slightly shrunken at the sides. A skewer should come out clean when poked into the middle. Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack and leaving to cool fully.

Once the cake has cooled, begin to make the frosting. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring a few times until smooth. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming and gently bubbling, not boiling.

Into a large bowl, sift the cocoa powder and malted milk powder, gently stir in the hot milk to form a smooth paste. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Add the butter to the paste, sift in the icing sugar and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Fold in the melted cooled chocolate.

Pour half onto the cooled cake, smooth over with a palette knife before adding the rest and swirling around on top. The frosting will set after 30 mins or so.


This cake can be made up to 2 days in advance well wrapped and stored in a cool place.

Recipe: Sausage and Bean Lunchbox

As mentioned previously, I've taken some time out of my routine over the Christmas period. When returning to bake this weekend both recipes I made were pretty awful.

Never again will I cheat and melt chocolate in the microwave. I missed a tiny bit of foil and nearly blew up the kitchen with molten chocolate. Not an entirely bad thing you may be thinking, but I'm still wafting that burnt smell out of my flat.

Secondly, a recipe from a book I've had for some time promising healthier, natural treats. Not only did the biscuits require a whole expensive bottle of honey, they were tasteless and soft (and ugly!). Which reminds me, all recipes I've attempted from said book have been naff. I'm now going to recycle the book in the hope that it comes back in its next life as something more useful!

I had been tempted to throw the blogging towel in and join the circus. Except I'm not sure what I would do in the circus.

One recipe that I was pretty impressed with was Saturday night's dinner in which I threw everything in my fridge into one pot. Living on my own and working unsocial hours I spend some time each week making large meals that I can portion the leftovers off into the freezer for my lunchbox.

Admittedly this is quite a substantial lunch for a regular 9-5er, but you could add more vegetables than sausages. For me, this will be perfect to take to work this evening. I even got some nice new glass containers...just to make me feel more of a grownup.

Sausage and bean one-pot lunch
(Serves 4-6 depending on portion sizes)

6 sausages of your choice (I like the chunky Sainsbury's outdoor bred ones)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
2 celery sticks
a generous spoon of sumac/paprika or seasoning of your choice
2 peppers
2 tins chopped tomatoes
250ml vegetable stock
1 tin aduki beans/kidney beans or any other of your choice

serve with your choice of vegetables

To start, warm a large stock pot or pan with a knob of butter or drizzle of oil. Fry the sausages for a few minutes, turning to brown all the edges. Take out of the pan and set aside on a plate.

Cook the onions, garlic and spice in the same pan until the onions start to become soft and transparent. Whilst the onions are cooking, thinly slice the celery and peppers and add to the pan.

Add the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Turn down low to simmer and add the sausages. Drain your beans and add. Throw in a generous serving of salt and pepper and give everything a good stir to make sure all the sausages are covered.

Cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for 30 - 45 minutes.

To save on washing up, I used a fold out steamer to cook my vegetables in the last 10 minutes in the same pan.

Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days, or a few months in the freezer.

Still not quite a grown up with my lunch bag.

Recipe: Mackays Strawberry & Champagne Mousse Tart

For the past few weeks I've taken some time away from blogging. It all started with my annoyance at Google by changing some account settings and all the effort it took to get things back exactly the way they were. Then, the Winter sniffles came and, amongst other things, I found it increasingly more difficult to get back into my routine. 

It has been a novelty to me to be able to watch a whole episode of Game of Thrones without the need to rewind and rewatch as I'd previously been too engrossed in Bloglovin' or keeping up to date with my Twitter feed. 

It also got to the point where I didn't enjoy it much. Not even baking. And really what's the point of churning out posts that I'm not happy with?

So instead, I've been out for lots of nice meals, discovered new places and even met some blogger friends and chatted about life apart from blogging. 

My favourites include,

Meeting Flick and Frankie for dessert - and establishing that staying in is the new going out! Frankie's review of the evening had me giggling for ages. 

Drinking Butterbeer in the snow with Boy at Harry Potter film studios. We won't count how many times I've been over the years, all I care is that it snowed in Hogsmeade and I got a Gryffindor scarf.

Going to Waitrose Cookery School with my Mum and Grandmother for a Festive masterclass. Not only were the food and drinks incredible, everyone was so lovely, we all enjoyed ourselves so much. Even the brussel sprout haters were swayed!

Any blog posts that may have appeared have been scheduled from earlier bakes in the year. 

Including this little number. Perfect to make ahead if you've guests coming over of if you're popping over to a friends. I made this the day before serving and saved the pyrotechnics for the dinner table. Its a relatively straight forward tart, even more so if you buy a pre-made tart case from the supermarket (no one will know any different).

This recipe was made for Mackays as a way of showcasing my favourite of their preserves, strawberry and champagne. But I love it just as much on toast in the mornings, any day of the week.

Mackays Strawberry & Champagne Preserve Mousse Tart
(Makes a 22cm tart)

Sweet pastry tart:

375g plain flour, sifted + extra to dust
60g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, chopped

Strawberry mousse filling:

220g Mackays Strawberry and Champagne Preserve
150ml whipping cream
1 packet of powdered gelatine (or 4 sheets)

Strawberry glaze:

120g Mackays Strawberry and Champagne Preserve
1 tbsp water

Garnish:

200g fresh strawberries

To make the pastry tart, add the flour and sugar into a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Add 40 ml chilled water and process once more until the dough just comes together. Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the chilled pastry and line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill the tart for a further 20 minutes whilst you heat the oven to 1800c.

Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry case so any air is released whilst baking. Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes and leave to cool in the tin.

For the mousse filling, bloom the gelatin following the packet instructions and set aside.

Heat the jam in a small pan on a low heat until it starts to loosen, add the gelatin and quickly stir through before removing from the heat and leaving to cool on ice. Whip the cream and gently fold into the cool jam mix.

Fill the cooled pastry case with the mousse, using a palette knife or the back of a large spoon to smooth over the top.

Place in the fridge to set whilst you make the strawberry glaze. Heat the jam in a small pan on a low heat and stir in the water until the jam has loosened and is slightly warm.

To finish the mousse tart, decorate the top with sliced fresh strawberries. Pour over the still-warm glaze and leave to firm up at room temperature before returning to the fridge to set 30 minutes before serving. Or, if making the day before, leave it in the fridge until needed.

Happy New Year to you all, for the end of the week! May your 2015 be filled with peace, love and happiness.

Recipe: Marzipan Mince Pies

Not a recipe as such, because I'm sure we're all pretty au fait with how to make a mince pie. But I thought I'd share my favourite mince pies.

These were the perfect excuse to use up the leftover marzipan I had from my stollen wreath.

For these I used a regular 375g pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry, 1 jar of mincemeat and 100g marzipan. Roll out the marzipan, use a Christmas cutter to cut out the pie lids and place on top of the filled mince pies. Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

Happy Christmas!

Recipe: Stollen Wreath

A little bit of a twist to the traditional German stollen, this wreath is perfect to make in advance and store ready for the big day. Or alternatively enjoy in the run up...only 10 days to go!

Christmas Stollen Wreath

(Recipe adapted from Dan Lepard's Stollen in Short and Sweet)

375g strong white flour, plus extra for shaping

75g caster sugar

3/4 tsp fine salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cardamom (I didn't have any so just used all-spice instead)

50g ground almonds

2 tsp fast action yeast

200g dried mixed fruit (I used raisins, cherries, cranberries and mixed peel)

150ml milk

125g unsalted butter

1 medium egg, plus 2 yolks

2 tbsp dark rum (I used Amaretto instead)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

oil for kneading

250g marzipan

melted butter and icing sugar and dried cranberries to finish

In a large mixing bowl, combine 350g flour, sugar, salt, spices, almonds, yeast and dried fruit. In a small pan, whisk the milk and remaining 25g flour on a low heat and bring just to the boil. Spoon the paste into another bowl. Use the pan to gently melt the butter, cool a little and beat this into the milk with the egg, yolks, rum and zest. Stir into the flour to form a sticky dough.

Leave to rest for 10 minutes, lightly knead for a few minutes, then leave to rise for 2 hours back in the bowl. Knead once more and roll out on a floured work surface into a long rectangle shape. Roll the marzipan into an equally long sausage. Lay the marzipan onto one edge of the stollen and roll. Press down to seal and place into a well greased bundt tin with the seal side at the top (which will become the bottom when upturned after baking).

Cover the stollen in the tin with a clean tea towel and leave once more until it has risen by half. Heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake for 35 - 45 minutes, remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack or plate to cool. When still warm, brush a generous amount of melted butter over to seal and dust with icing sugar once cool. To finish, drizzle with some icing and top with dried cranberries. 

I've wrapped mine up in some wax paper and sealed in a large freezer bag to freeze ready for the big day. You could also make miniature stollen bites, just be sure to cook for less, 20 minutes should do.

Recipe: Ultimate Lindt Cookies

These cold, dark winter evenings have been pretty uninspiring. After countless attempts at photographing recipes with no joy, I gave up. Instead I've spent my spare time this week wrapped up on the sofa watching Netflix and working my way through a delivery of Lindt. It's a hard life!

After more truffles than I dare count, I decided it may be wise to share maybe just a few. To do so I've come up with the ultimate cookie recipe. Soft on the outside, perfectly gooey on the inside and packed full of chocolate.

These are so good, I've made a few batches to share and some to store away in the freezer. In true Nigella style, its always a good idea to have a log of cookie dough stowed away. You can bake it straight from frozen and slice off one or two cookies at a time. 

I've also boxed some up to give as gifts, albeit early ones. It won't be a surprise to my loved ones that this year's Christmas wrapping theme is chocolate! These mini Santa chocolates come in a pack of 5 and are perfect to use as gift tags or as table settings on the big day.

My absolute favourite Lindt are these Winter edition milk and white chocolate truffles. They're perfect for cookies as the white chocolate centre oozes out and looks great.

I also have one more trick...Lindt hot chocolate. Heat some milk in your favourite mug in the microwave, drop in 3-4 Lindt truffles and give it a good stir. Undoubtedly the best, most speedy hot chocolate you can make at home.

Chocolate Lindt cookies

Makes 12

200g unsalted butter, softened

300g caster sugar

1 egg

275g self raising flour

75g cocoa powder

100g chopped nuts/chocolate chips

12 Lindt truffles 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gently beat in the egg. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder, adding a splash of milk if needed to loosen the mix. Fold in chopped nuts or chocolate chips. 

Dollop the mix onto a large sheet of baking paper and use to roll and wrap into a sausage shape. Place in the fridge to firm for at least 30 minutes. (I prefer to whizz up the cookie mix the night before needed and leave to chill overnight).

Line two baking trays with baking parchment and divide the mixture into 12 equal sized balls. Squeeze a truffle into the centre of each and place evenly spaced onto the baking trays. Don't be tempted to flatten the cookie balls down, they'll drop whilst baking in the oven.

Place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. They will have flattened but will be floppy. Leave them for 20 - 30 minutes to firm after removing from the oven.

Feel free to experiment with your truffle flavours. My favourite of all the batches so far have been adding chopped hazelnuts to the cookies and dunking them in hot chocolate made with hazelnut milk.

And if you're going to do the Nigella-esque trick, wrap the cookie dough well, label up and freeze away. It should last up to 3 months, or alternatively a week in the fridge.

I also have the cutest chocolate Christmas decorations ready for my tree. No doubt I'll be joining in with the rest of Twitter and Instagram when it's up and showing everyone just how cute it is...if they don't get eaten first.

Thank you to Sally for kindly sending me these samples from Lindt. Please note, all enthusiasm for Lindt chocolate is my own...who can resist the Chocolate Santa's and Easter Bunnies?!

Recipe: Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Mackays Christmas Preserve

These gingerbread cookies are the most festive cookies, ever.

I make the dough a day in advance and leave it to chill in the fridge. You can either take a few chunks out a time to make fresh cookies as and when you need, freeze it for a later date...or just eat them all in one go.

I've tried this recipe with a few different jams and preserves, my favourites being Mackays Christmas preserve or cherry jam. Regular strawberry and raspberry would work equally well!

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Mackays Christmas Preserve

(Makes 3 dozen)

150g butter, softened

170g soft brown sugar

80g molasses

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 egg

450g plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1⁄2 tsp ground nutmeg

1⁄4 salt

60g Mackay’s Christmas Preserve

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the molasses, ginger and egg and mix well.

Sift in the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg and salt and stir until well incorporated.

Press the dough into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for 4 hours, or overnight.

Heat the oven to 1800c and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the tray with a 2-inch space between each cookie.

Press a thumbprint into the centre of each ball, about 1⁄2 inch deep.

Fill each with about 1⁄2 tsp Mackay’s Christmas Preserve.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

I was sent some gorgeous festive samples from Mackays in order to come up with some recipes. Feel free to use any jams...although this festive preserve is a sure winner!