The Baking Medic

So I’ve taken an insanely long hiatus from blogging — my last post was November ’09! Those of you who know me personally will be well aware of the fact that this doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking! In fact, I’ve been baking more than ever. Just living in the far north can have it’s draw backs — sun setting at 3.30pm in the winter, for example.  So when daylight hours are limited to less than ten a day, it can be difficult to get a good photo! And that was the main deterrent from blogging. There was just not enough light!

But the flip side of the coin is that Scottish summer days are long.  The summer solstice was last Monday and truly it was still light at midnight! So, I suppose I now have lost the “there’s no light” excuse.

» Read the rest of this entry «

So I’m very much behind on my posting again.  That’s not to say I haven’t been baking! Indeed, I feel like Ive been baking more than ever.  Perhaps it’s in procrastination – I’ve got a midterm this afternoon! *gulp* Go figure that I choose the morning of the midterm to post and not anytime in the past two weeks.

This post will be a quicky.   Just some pictures to let you know that I haven’t given up on this blog. :) If you want the recipe, just give me an email and I’ll be happy to send it too you! » Read the rest of this entry «

I believe the last time I was posting about fudge I warned that there may be more fudge recipes in the future. And today I’m making good on that threat with my Chocolate Rock Fudge.

My younger brother works at Bulk Barn, one my my favourite stores in the world. It is a great way to cut down on excess waste caused by overpackaging, as all of the food sold in the store sits in giant vats. You grab a bag, scoop out how much you want, then they weight it at the check out counter. As a result, it’s a bakers heaven: you buy as much as you want for  very reasonable prices. On top of that, they also stock multiple types of flour and sugar, a large array of spices, bountiful supplies of baking chocolate, and o the candy aisle. When I was younger, I used to go to Bulk Barn just to buy some candy! » Read the rest of this entry «

I said I was a bit behind on my posting, so here’s a quick post to help myself do a little catching up, while tiding you over until the next recipe post.

See the fudginess of these beauties?

These, my friends, are cake truffles.  Recently, in my quest for perfect flat layers and level surfaces, I had shaved off the slightly rounded dome on the top of my Black Magic Cake.  So, I was left with two gloriously level layers but also some “cake scraps”.  Apart from feeding the cake scraps to my father (he was happy to ‘dispose’ of them for me! ^.^), I could turn those odd bits of cake into something different but equally delicious.

Cake truffles are very simply made: you take your left over scraps of cake and mush them up with your leftover icing.  Then, the gooey mass of heaven is scooped up and shaped into small balls.  Chill the truffles-to-be before rolling them in chocolate or another coating of your choice. Let the chocolate set and be prepared to guard them with your life — they’re that good! » Read the rest of this entry «

So, I’m back from the cottage and what do I do? Cook up another batch of fudge of course!

Yet another fudge recipe, and sadly I can’t promise this will be the last. This recipe is different again than the other three, and gets top marks for it’s taste, texture, and ease of preparation. I wanted to try this one because it looked very easy to make, didn’t require cream (of which I am out), and I had just enough icing sugar.  It also looked easy to “mint-ify” as I wanted chocolate mint fudge, not just chocolate fudge. » Read the rest of this entry «

I am one lucky girl. Every summer, with two exceptions, I have been coming to northern Manitoba with my family. We have a cottage on Clearwater Lake, about 20 minutes out from the town of The Pas.

It is so beautiful here, in more ways than one. Firstly, the natural beauty is stunning. The waters of the lake are breath taking in their clarity — you can see the bottom of the lake from the middle of the bay! At night, you can catch a glimpse of the northern lights or track the fiery journey of a shooting star against the black, black sky. It’s quiet and peaceful and once a friend from London commented on the amazing (to her) fact that you could see an uninterrupted horizon in a 360 direction, without the smear of a jet stream across the sky’s even surface. » Read the rest of this entry «

Fudge. Even the name sounds decadent. It’s rich, it’s creamy, and it’s sweet enough to send any kid swinging from the rafters. It’s also one of my favourite confections of all time.

I find it very interesting to see how fudge has evolved, or at least our methods of preparing it. Some recipes take hours to make, as you painstakingly dissolve the sugar and cream, boil it to the soft ball stage, then let it cool, before giving it a thorough beating. This past week, I attempted no less than three different fudge recipes, each one slightly different and with varying results. » Read the rest of this entry «