Christmas Cake - Herman The German, Travels Down Under to New Zealand, Just in Time for Christmas

Herman Meets Busy Girl
About 2 months ago, I was given by my Grandson Joseph a plastic container full of a Starter Dough. He was given it by my daughter Katie and so it started to spread around the family

Herman is the gift that keeps on giving. Once you receive Herman, you transfer him to a larger bowl, give him a good stir and continue to look after him and feed him.

After 9 days, you give him his final feed, then you split Herman into four portions
Use one for making your cake,
Save one for the next time and give away the other two.
(I actually used 3 portions, made Bread, Banana and Coconut Cake
Plus This Delicious Christmas Cake).
Day 10. Cook
Anyone can make this... it is so so simple, moist delicious, and we have nearly finished it already. A great success.
“Sigh” that means, I will have to make another one, oh dear

Your giver also hands you instructions and the recipe to make the original cake, which is like an apple strudel.
Very yummy.
But, Stop,  there is more... if you go onto the Herman The German Website,  click here
there is a plethora of recipes. People all around the world have got excited about turning Herman into new delights. Including all sorts of cakes, muffins and bread
Plus 'How to Start Your Own Herman'

I was asked to devise a Christmas Cake.
Decades ago my friend Jeannie, found a recipe for the aptly named “Busy Girls Christmas Cake”.
It’s a Throw everything, all in together, cake, just like Herman.

So Why not blend the two.
Looking through other people attempts at different cakes on the Herman Website,
For the proportions, I decided to remove 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar and replace them with my portion of Herman
(If you want to make the cake, sans Herman, replace the flour and the egg)
Simple
Wet ingredients, dry ingredients and fruit
Mix together
Easy Peasy
Preheat oven to 160C/325F
Line a 23 cm tin with baking paper

900 gms/2lbs ready mixed fruit
60gms/2 oz blanched almonds optional
950 mls/2 pints boiling water
225 gms/8 oz butter cut into small pieces
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp BP
1 tsp mixed spice
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cinnamon
1 tsp almond essence
¼ cup Brandy or Rum

In a large bowl place the fruit and almonds.
Pour over boiling water, cover with
a large plate and leave to stand for 15 mins.

Strain off the water and cut butter into fruit.

Place portion of Herman into a big bowl
In another bowl beat eggs, white and brown sugar together. until soft and creamy.

Add to Your Portion of Herman

Sift Flour, Baking Powder and Spices together.  
Stir butter and fruit mixture until well mixed.
Stir in almond essence.
Add the Herman, eggs and sugar blend
Lastly fold in sifted dry ingredients.  

Place mixture into prepared tin (well lined.)

 Bake at 160C/325F  for 1 3/4 hours.

After one hour if you feel you need to, cover cake with sheet of brown paper.
When it is finished check with a skewer or toothpick
Hopefully after the 1 ¾ hours the skewer will come out clean
You may have to cook for another 10 minutes
When cold, prick with a skewer an inch apart all over the cake.

Sprinkle brandy/rum over and wrap tightly in plastic

I wanted to have a taste test after only 5 days, I had Girls coming for lunch
It was lovely but if you can wait...give it at least a week before decorating.

I’m not fond of the Almond Icing, Royal Icing Combo
I went for the Apricot Jam Glaze and Glace Fruit and Nut Decor

½ cup Apricot Jam melted
Your choice of Glace Fruits
I went for Red and Green Cherries, Slivered Almonds and Mixed Peel
Go mad it’s Christmas after all

It has been tested on Real People and Given the Thumbs Up
It is not a dark cake but so full of flavour.

Looks like I will be baking it again on Friday, I’ll try and make it last ,closer to Christmas
But then again... maybe I can make another

Herman the German Friendship Cake - Also makes Good Bread

I have been cooking Herman The German Friendship Cake for about 6 weeks now

It is a starter mix that you stir and feed for 10 days
To make the Starter Mix if you are having to start from scratch
Go to the website click hereThen split in 4

Cook with one
Keep one for yourself and give away the others
Originally, my daughter Katie gave a portion to Grandson Joseph
He, then, gave one to me
First we made the original cake,which has apples and raisins

Tried one with Crunchie bars, not much success with that
So No photographs of that

Made a Raspberry and Chocolate one, This was very popular

But this time,. I am using 2 portions
I am making Bread AND a Banana and Coconut version that I found on The Website

The Bread was posted by Cheryl
Unfortunately, I left it in the oven too long and the rolls were overcooked
I went back to bed as it was quite early and waited for the timer to go off
Stupid!

Anyway I had one for breakfast and it was very tasty.
Smothered it with Avocado and topped with tomato.

The bread is sweeter than I would normally make, not as sweet as Brioche but nevertheless
I will be definitely be making this again.
It is perfectly fine to have with Savoury

Next time I will keep an eye on the Oven
I think maybe 15 minutes would do it
We will have some for lunch with soup
The rest I will turn into breadcrumbs for the freezer

Actually...They were fine at lunch, in fact excellent with Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Pity I have to wait another 10 days before I cam make it again
There recipes on the website click here to get all of the info
Also you will get "The How To Grow Herman"
Great for children to be involved
And now for the Bread
I decided to make Bread Rolls

This is taken from the Website as I said, posted by Cheryl
I also took Cheryl's advice and let it rise over night
Right Cheryl, this is from you

To prevent Herman Bread tasting too sweet, you need to make an adjustment on “Day 9”.
Normally you would add his last feed of 1 cup flour, 1 cup (8oz) sugar and 1 cup milk, and then divide into 4 portions.
But for bread, you need to add the flour and milk only, then divide into 4 portions, then add the sugar individually.  For any cake and friend portions add 2oz sugar, but for the bread portions add just ½ oz.  Then on “Day 10” bake or pass to friends as normal.
The Recipe
    •    500g (1 lb 2 oz) Strong Flour (White or Wholemeal)
    •    1 Teaspoon salt
    •    240ml (8 fl oz) Tepid Water
    •    1 Portion Herman
Tip:-   To get the perfect temperature water use 160 ml (⅔) cold tap water and 80 ml (⅓) freshly boiled water.
Method
    1.    Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
    2.    Mix the water with Herman and pour into the flour well.
    3.    Gradually work the ingredients together to make a soft dough.  Add a little more water if it seems too dry, or add a little more flour if it seems to sticky.
    4.    Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
    5.    Put the dough in a large clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 3 to 8 hours until doubled in size

    6.    Knock back, then shape into a ball and place in a large loaf tin, or divide into 12 and shape into balls for rolls. 

Cover and leave to rise for 2 to 6 hours.

    7.    Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220ºC / Gas Mark 7, for 35 minutes for a loaf or 20 minutes for rolls.  When cooked the bottom should sound hollow when tapped.
A good idea:  Do steps 1 to 5 after lunch, Step 6 before you go to bed, step 7 first thing in the morning, and amaze the family with freshly baked bread for breakfast!
Thank you Cheryl
Unfortunately a little overdone

But an excellent Crumb
Reminiscent of Ciabatta

So I will make this again
This is a Rustic Bread, well worth it
Now for the Cake

This is mix all in together cake but I like to break it up a bit
The recipe was posted by Rachel Norris

Banana and Coconut Cake
1 helping of Herman
1 cup sugar   - 225 g
2 cups SR flour -300 g
½ tsp salt
⅔ cup desiccated coconut
2 mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp baking soda
2 tabs boiling milk
⅔ cup cooking oil 160ml
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 175C I use fan oven

Put flour and salt through a sieve into a big bowl
Add sugar, nutmeg and coconut


Meanwhile in a small bowl
Beat eggs, vanilla, add oil
add Mashed bananas 
Add to Herman
Pour into dry ingredients

Add baking soda to boiling milk
and Add to the bowl

Mix till combined
Pour into prepared 23 cm tin
Bake in oven for about 45 minutes
You will probably find it needs another 10-15 minutes

Test with a skewer if it comes out wet
Put back in till skewer comes out clean
It does take longer than you would expect

Cool a little in the tin then turn out onto rack
and cool

I iced it with
Orange and lemon icing
160gms Icing sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Add zest of an orange
And enough lemon juice to make a fairly stiff icing

Very nice for Afternoon Tea
It is Bread Baking Day #62
I thought this would be a good post for this event

Quick and Tasty Prawn and Tomato Pasta - Pantry and Fridge Dish

I need to have a herb garden here in our deck. Then this delicious dish, would look prettier.

Nevertheless I haven't and I didn't want to go to the shops.
I always have tinned tomatoes, dried pasta in the pantry
Plus frozen prawns in the freezer
Just add some garlic, lemon and good olive oil and you have an excellent dish
This prawn dish is good enough to serve to guests.

A friend, Chef Brent Matches, gave me a tip to get a really good quick tomato sauce.
Add a slosh of vinegar at the end
Use a good vinegar, I really like Cider or Rice Wine Vinegars, they have a touch of sweetness which lifts the tomatoes
 This also makes a great base for pizza and will keep well in the fridge for at least a week or so.

I used Fettucine, but use any Pasta that takes your fancy or more to the point, whatever you have in the pantry
Anything to soak up the fabulous sauce

Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
1 tin crushed tomatoes
 Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Slosh of vinegar (white wine, cider or rice wine)

On a medium heat add olive oil and garlic
Just cook for about 2 minutes to get the garlic going, (Oooh that divine aroma)
Add the tin of Tomatoes, rinse out the tin with a little water, no waste please
Season with Salt, Pepper and Sugar
Simmer for about 10 minutes, longer if you have time but not really necessary
Add Vinegar

Set aside till needed
Refrigerate, if needed later

Prawns
This is my favourite way of cooking prawns
Inspired by Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessa
Prawns cooked this way are now on our Christmas Menu
Requested by the Grand Children

They are so cheap these days, already cleaned and with just a tail on
A great standby in your freezer
The packet I buy, has approx 100 prawns per kilo
Amount per person... that's up to you
I reckon for this Pasta Dish about 8-10 per person

Frozen Prawns
Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
Garlic peeled and crushed
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Thaw Prawns
Throw into a ceramic dish
Add Olive Oil. Lemon Zest, Garlic Salt and Pepper
Let marinate for at least 10 minutes
Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 210C

Roast Prawns for 4 minutes
Remove and pop into a dish with all of the juices
Add Lemon Juice

So while all of this is happneing
Put a large pot of Salted water on to boil

Add Fettucine Pasta... 100 gms per person

Cook till al dente (around 8-9 minutes
Drain

Combine Tomato Sauce, Pasta and Prawns
Serve

As I said at the beginning, some cut up fresh herbs, would have been nice
Basil or parsley I think

Devour

Best Homemade French Bread - Thank you Terry Thompson-Signs of many more good lunches this Summer

 It is a beautiful day, here in Auckland
November 4th, Summer is nearly here
What a good time for lunch on the deck
Sign, of many good days, to come this Summer

Using what I had in the house, I cut up some, Tomatoes, Avocados, brought out some left over Prawn and Egg Salad
Made this French Styled Bread
It's really good
Listening to Jimmy Buffet
Perfect lunch.

Just served with a Cheeky Pete's Shed Sauvignon Pink
Wow what a find that is
Anyway I thought I should re-post this recipe, I first posted it in 2008
Many things have happened since then
Bit I digress

A while ago my good friend Diana gave me baguette tins. I have tried many recipes and have had success, but this is the closest I have got to bought French Bread.

I love this cookbook from Terry Thompson. It’s called “Cajun Creole Cooking”
She is so informative and instructive just like The Divine Marcella. I also include here as truly inspirational Elizabeth David and Mrs Julia Child...anyway
I read Terry's book frequently for inspiration and it seems the page was always falling open on this recipe French Bread New Orleans Style.
It seemed so simple anyone could make it. And it is so!

It is designed for the food processor and what more can I say.
Actual work time is only minutes but there is the usual resting time for the rising.
So I started this at 8am and it was ready at 11.30 for our lunch.
I turned my share into this yummy BLT.
The flavour of this bread is fabulous. A great crispy crust and beautiful crumb.
Fantastic flavour.
All explained in the quote from Terry’s Book below.

“A scientific discovery my good friend Shirley Corriher led to the addition of flavoured vinegars to the French Bread recipe. When testing breads prepared according to the age-old, long, slow rising French method, it was discovered that the dough became acidic during the extended and numerous risings. Her conclusion was simply to add acid at the beginning of the bread making process. The resulting loaves had both the aroma and the taste of the slightly soured and yeasty breads of Europe, without the long rising! Try this method with your favourite bread recipe, using as your guide one teaspoon of fruit-flavoured vinegar to every three cups of flour. Don’t be tempted to add more vinegar; excess acid could destroy the gluten in the flour.”

I am so excited about this bread. It should be great on the boat.
Have to take the food processor on board.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water hand hot 45C
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 pkt dry yeast (8gms)
About 3cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or any other mild fruit flavoured vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze
20 gms cup butter melted with 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a 2 cup measuring cup combine water and sugar.
Sprinkle in yeast; stir till blended
Leave till foamy 5-10 minutes
In a food processor with steel blade blend 3 cups flour, salt and vinegar
Add dissolved yeast mix all at once
Process 3-4 seconds to combine.
The dough should be wet and sticky with a slight degree of body
If it is too soupy add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, processing between each addition until a wet sticky dough is formed.

Process no more than 15 seconds to knead dough.
Pour oil into a large bowl and oil your fingers
Take dough from processor and pull of (with oiled hands) any dough stuck to blade and bowl.
Form dough into a rough ball.
Turn dough over several times to completely coat with oil.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise till double in size. (approx 1- 1 1/2 hours)
Lightly oil your tins
Knock the dough down and pinch it into shape and pull to fit the tin.
Brush dough with butter and salt glaze.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap again

Let rise till double in bulk
Pre-heat oven to 205C
When loaves are ready take plastic wrap off
Brush again gently with butter and salt mixture.
Into pre-heated oven

It should take around 20 - 25 minutes to bake.
Cook completely on cooling racks.

This made 3 baguettes.
Crisp crunchy crust and look at the crumb
Just like a bought one.