Weekend Cat Blogging - get ready for some cuteness!

The car-kittens, as I call them, are now three weeks old and absolutely adorable. Four of them are already booked to new homes, which feels wonderful, and I hope we'll find worthy homes for the other two as well. We still have at least nine weeks to go, so it shouldn't be a problem! Not when they're as cute and lovable as this...

British Shorthairs are so plush and fluffy as kittens - really like tiny teddybears. Well, they stay that way, too, mostly. :)


Smokey Lamborghini, black smoke (for sale!)


Silver Lexus, silver classic tabby


Brown Land Rover, brown spotted tabby


Brown Lancia, brown spotted tabby (and the only girl!)


Black Lincoln, black (for sale!)


Black Lotus, black

The rest of the photos are on Flickr, here.

Watch out tomorrow - I have a really exciting giveaway for the first week of December!

Caramel Apple Crack

Not something I can cook, but something I really like: Starbucks' Apple Crack!

I don’t know if the Starbucks in China has this, because I was too busy slurping up all the real-bean coffee and then getting the jitters. I don’t know what’s in it, either. I asked Stick and he thinks maybe it’s sunshine and rainbows and highly addictive chemicals.

Note: This is not a paid advertisement, but if Starbucks would pay me I would totally advertise the Apple Crack. In fact, I’d even call it by its proper name.

Via Simpson’s Paradox » Blog Archive » Thanksgiving

Mario and Princess Peach

Another geeky gem from Cake Wrecks. What is it about the combination of sugar and gaming that makes these cakes so perfect?
Yes, it's a Mario wedding cake. (With a cake like this, I bet the bridesmaid dresses weren't too bad!) And here is the fondant duo that replaces the usual (LAME!) cake topper.

Go over to Cake Wrecks to see more amazing photos.

Daring Bakers: Caramel, again

This month, you'll encounter caramel cakes all over the blogosphere. All the daring bakers are taking on a recipe from Shuna Fish Lydon, for her signature caramel cake. Hosts this month is Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex from Blondie and Brownie, and Jenny from Foray into Food.

I opted for cupcakes, and baked half a batch since I realized a full batch would mean 24 cupcakes and what on earth would I do with those? I live with a caramel-hater, and Swedes in general are wary of overly sweet baked goods so I knew I'd have a pretty hard time getting someone to eat these. That's why I also made a tiny amount of frosting, which was still hysterically sweet and everyone but me scraped it right off.



Baking was straightforward. I did follow the instructions for mixing etc, but really didn't find that the dry-wet-dry method improved anything - I had to fold quite a bit at the end to get a uniform batter. The cupcakes rose nicely and turned out quite nice - but I really don't think they tasted like much. Just regular basic cupcakes, I suppose - on the dense side. I baked them for about 18-20 minutes in total.



What I *did* like about this was the caramel syrup. I cooked it a day ahead and let it sit in the fridge to firm up to golden, thick deliciousness. It was really, really good and I look forward to making another batch of that to drizzle onto desserts, stirring into coffee, and probably many other things. That was truly lovely, and really easy to make - it took me about fifteen minutes in total. And I never, ever do the "brush with wet pastry brush to get rid of sugar crustals" - I just push the sugar crystals down toward the end, and they melt perfectly well. Daring, that's me!

So, the caramel syrup recipe, I'll re-post that right here, with metric measurements. I did half a batch, but will probably make the full batch next time.



Caramel syrup
500 ml sugar
125 ml water
250 ml water for stopping the syrup

Mix sugar and water in a small but heavy saucepan with fairly high sides - I used my beloved Demeyere Sauteuse. Turn the heat up to high, and cook until this bubbles into a nice, dark, caramel color. Now, stand back as well as you can and pour the 250 ml of water into the pan to stop the caramelization. This WILL sputter, and be careful not to get hit with the very, very, very hot caramel.

After it calms down, cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring all the time, to reduce it slightly. It should feel sticky when you touch it between two fingers - try touching the back of the spoon, carefully.



You can find the recipe here, the blogroll here, and the discussion forums - open to everyone! - here.

Soy Sauce And Garum

I saw this today on Fussy

From Larousse Gastronomique

Soy Sauce

The
following is taken from a traditional Chinese recipe. Boil 2.5 kg (5
1/2 lb. 13 cups) soya beans in water until they are reduced to a puree.
Add 1 kg (2 1/4 lb. 9 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and knead well to
produce a thick dough. Leave in a cool dark place for 2 days, then hang
the container in a draught for a week. When a yellow mould appears on
the dough, place a jar containing 5 litres (8 1/2 pints, 5 1/2 quarts)
water and 1.5 kg (3 1/4 lb. 5 2/3 cups) salt in a sunny place. When the
water is warm to the touch, put the dough into the jar. Leave this
uncovered for a month, pounding the mixture vigorously every day with a
stick. The mixture will turn black as it ages.

Leave for 4-5
months without stirring or covering the jar, unless the weather is bad,
in which case the jar should be covered. Decant and store the sauce in
hermetically sealed bottles.

Who the hell thought this up,
is what I want to know. Who thought, Hmm, I need some salty black
delicious liquid to dip my dumplings in, maybe I'll just punch some
dough with a stick and then leave it out back until spring? Well,
whoever it was, whether individual or collective, I do thank you.
Because we're having sushi tonight.

I have to wonder if that's what garum would have been like.

Via Fussy

Thanksgiving 2008

Wow, is that a really tiny turkey? No, it's a simple roast chicken, of course. I decided to a tiny Thanksgiving dinner this year - not for the family for once since my parents are out of the country, but for a couple of friends instead. I made roast chicken, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts in cream with crispy bacon (more on that another day, because YUM!), Nigellas cornbread stuffing with orange and cranberries, my christmas-y orange salad, and some plain cream sauce.

Photos from a great lunch

Last week, I was invited to a lunch at F12, one of Stockholm's great restaurants. Or so I've heard - I'd never eaten there before. The host was Danish Meat Association, and we were treated to an entire menu with pork. Lovely stuff! We are promised to get the recipes shortly, and I really look forward to that.



When I do, this is what I'll be making first. It was a salad of celeriac and curly leaves, with a mayonnaisey dressing, marinated apples and crunchy candied walnuts. And, of course, crispy pork. Yummy!



This was nice too - slow-roasted porchetta, with fennel and apricots.



And this was neat - a tiny burger made from pig's cheeks, with a slice of fresh fig.

In addition, there were two courses that I didn't manage to take a photo of. First, an indiviudal bowl of cassoulet which was very yummy - the broth was really great and had sliced truffles in it. Second, thin lengths of pork tenderloin were wrapped in red chorizo, to imitate Danish "röd pölse", a red hotdog that's very famous. This was served with homemade ketchup and mustard.



And, though I hate to admit it, my favorite of all the dishes: dessert. This is a creme brulée with orange and cinnamon, and it was incredibly delicious.



Even the bread and butter were quite special - I loved the presentation.