Snow days

This post is late - from a couple of weeks ago when Oxford was covered in snow. Most of us seemed to be hiding at home, schools were closed, and those of us who could make it into work were wishing we didn't live walking distance away. What was a girl to do, stay home baking?




Or bake, breakfast and then head out into the cold rugged up with hats, gloves and scarves for snowballs.




Cinnamon Buns

Many thanks to A. who lovingly translated this recipe for me from German. I then made a few additions or citrus and sultanas.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

1 packet of instant yeast
120ml Water, lukewarm
120ml Milk, luke warm
60g Margarine (plus some for spreading)
60g Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp Salt
480g Flour
zest of one lemon or orange

For the Filling:
2 Tsp Cinnamon
40g Sugar (Brown)
60g butter
2 handfuls sultanas
(you can also add handfuls of finely chopped apple or nuts such as walnuts)

For the Icing
120g Powdered Sugar
A few drops of vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Milk


Dough:

Work together all the ingredients into a nice, smooth dough, which should come away easily from the bowl. Then put it in a warm place and let it double in size. (this will take about an hour).

Filling:

Roll out the dough (about 76cm x 46cm). Spread margarine over all of it and sprinkle with the Cinnamon-Sugar mixture.

Roll up the dough from the wider side, and then cut the roll into pieces, about every 4cm. Put the pieces next to each other in a greased Springform. At this point you can if you like leave the dough overnight to bake in the morning in which case cover it with a cloth and leave in a fairly cool room or it will over-rise. Heat the oven and bake at 175°C for about 25-30mins.

Mix together the ingredients for the icing and drizzle it over the hot cake.

Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad

This is a lovely way of using up the masses of beetroot that are making it into my veg box at the moment. The sweet beetroot with the sharp goats cheese is great, and really wakens up the taste buds in the dead of winter.

4 or so beetroot
handful of parsley
goats cheese

Boil the beetroot with their skins on in salted water until just tender. Let them cool a little and then peel them and slice thinly. Drizzle a little olive oil over them, chop the parsley roughly, scatter it and the crumbled goats cheese over the beetroot, and season with a little salt and black pepper.

Valentines Day

is fast approaching...

If I was in Paris I would like to wake up to something from Boulangerie Veronique Mauclerc



and a walk around Parc des Buttes Chaumont



Then I think I'd really have to go here



for a little bit of bit of cake and people watching.

Or even better to Gerard Mulot



Which would leave on the right side of the river for a stroll around the beautiful gardens at the Musee Rodin




And home to a bottle of something chilled and bubbly from here



But I'm not in Paris...

So I'll settle for something like this



Or a walk through the Botanical Gardens and down by the river