Sorry I didn't write for a while again… but I'm not in a good mood lately, my computer was in the service as well and I feel I'm in a middle of nowhere with my life again… so there is nothing I could write about. But maybe I haven't got any reader at all so I write this for myself as usual… but the hell cares. At least I practice English… I tried to start my manicure business beside my office job, but not easy to find that much customer at the beginning, although it's good to earn some extra cash at last… and the fucking office job is at the end again. This is the time of the annual contract renewing [or how they say]. But the funny in it that they never inform me afore that I can stay or not, so it's a surprise job! hahaa… hahaaa funny people enjoy to play with others' life… The only things what give me some happiness today are Haribos [instead of Ben&Jerry] and Kurt Vile… gummy sugar to me is like a clean vodka = punchy… and Kurt Vile to me is like… well, just Kurt Vile… the hairy guy with the guitar and nice songs
Instead of other people I have no problem with my own birthdays. At least every year when I just dare to moan over my age, something happens what brings me down to Earth and teach me not to complain over my years, be happy with it… I also started the moaning this year when that Verona bus tragedy woke me up again. Poor kids…
This year I didn't want to go to a restaurant to celebrate, instead I cooked at home. I made leek-mushroom soup, duckleg and simple fruit cake.
Where I got this menu idea from? Not from head this time. I recently finished the first book of the Game of Thrones. I enjoyed it very much, although I really dislike the TV adaptation. Probably that's why I read the books just now. I watched the first season a couple of years ago and I didn't enjoy it at all. Maybe because I found the storyline too chaotic, there are too many characters and so on. So was a bit hard to follow and I ended to watch it. I'm not really into adaptations anyway, I more into books, I more enjoy the writers original thoughts and of course I more like to use my own fantasy. There are only four adaptations I ever really liked/enjoyed: LOTR, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock series, David Suchet's Poirot series and Harry Potter, although Harry Potter too is far far FAR more better and valuable in book. Anyway I always say, first the book then the adaptation. Until this time there was only one book I disliked but liked the adaptation and that is the Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Now one of my favourite movie.
So I skipped out reading the G.o.T till now because the TV adaptation was a dissapointment to me before. Maybe after I read out all the books I'll try again the series. Maybe.
The book is ok. I really enjoyed it, although not much original idea. I mean since – the big hit – Tolkien's works [and his fellow writers] there were/are many many fantasy writers with similar "worlds" and plots, so hard to find out something really original for sure. But I rather read the 2000000th fantasy or sci-fi novel then the 9000000000000000th trendy romantic-horror/teen-horror/sado-maso romance craps… What this Martin writer did well and why I enjoy his books is that he mixed the good-old Tolkien-style with the Medieval European history -what was just as complex and bloody as this book serie… ~Huhh soo much violence in it for sure… not even a boring page… Hahahha [Well yes there is nothing better source of inspiration than the history itself. It would be good if we learn from it too at last… but that's another thing] Anyway. I bought the ebook version of the G.o.T. recipe book by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer. [The Kindle version is only available on the American Amazon site if someone wants to buy it.] I like literary cookbooks and recipes. But this book is far more better. I like how the writers made a huge collective work from ancient Medieval to Renaissance cookery books and mixed the found recipes with Mr. Martin's ideas. [This two women made the Tolkien recipe book as well but I cannot find it anywhere in ebook :(((] So I can highly recommend this book; not only for G.o.T. fans but anyone who interested in historical culinary.
About the fruit cake.
In the book [and this recipe book] there are various fruit pies. Now I thought I make Hungarian fruit cake. Much easier to make it to me than dealing with a real British pie. Actually I hate kneading.
We Hungarians very into fruits, although we rearly eat it as it is, we more prefer into foods, what is not always the best choice I know. We have various fruit desserts. Our fruit cake is not the same as the British or American kind, but more close to the French fruit tarts. We make it from fresh or at least preserved fruits not from dried fruits and the pastry is a kind of sponge-cake. Beside this there is vanilla or other flavoured pudding on the cake and gelatine on the top. I usually skip out gelatine. I'm not really into jelly things, except Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and some Haribo gummies Hahaha
About the pudding, Hungarians usually use the Dr Oetker instant pudding powder… [instead of everything if you ask me] I really don't like it. I dislike almost every instant things with full of preservatives and other craps… so I made homemade pudding. I think not difficult to make it at all, much healthier and has real vanilla taste instead of some poor aroma. So I changed one or two smaller things on the original Hungarian fruit cake recipe.
2 1/2 full tbsp flour [rice flour doesn't work, must be wheat/all purpose flour or I use a special gluten-free "flour" mixture]
5 dl cold milk [rice milk doesn't good this time, I use lactose-free]
2 egg yolks
1/3-1/2 Bourbon vanilla bean
4 tbsp cane sugar or 3 tbsp granulated birch sugar
onto the top
fruit of your choice [the best for this cake: strawberry, raspberry, cherry, kiwi, banana, pineapple]
gelatine [optional]
Method to make it
For the sponge cake compine the eggs, the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the butter, the lemon zest and the water in a bigger bowl. Stir it to smooth.
We have a special baking pan for these kind of cakes, but you just use your own pie pan; but its diameter need to be 26 cm and the heigh about 4-5 cm. Grease and flour out the pan very thoroughly.
Preheat the oven, but not too hot. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake it for about 15 minutes on low high. Use a fork to check if the cake is ready.
Cool out the pan completely, then carefully take out the cake and place it onto a big plate. This will be a little bit hard but if the pan is cool enough it can be much helpful.
Now the pudding. I more or less do it on the same way as I make Bechamel sauce [White sauce]. The main point is in the continuous medium speed stirring.
First scrape the vanilla bean.
Separate egg whites and egg yolks. For the pudding you only need the yolks.
In a medium cooking pot melt the butter on low heat. Do everything on low heat and use a hand-whisker for the continuous stirring!
Add the flour, stir it for 1/2 a minute with the butter. Add the milk, the vanilla and the egg yolks. Stir the whole well. Don't worry, the flour will be completely smooth with the milk when the whole boiled up. Just be patient and keep swimming stirring! :)
For me it usually takes 7-9 minutes to get a pudding texture. I think it depents on the stove.
If its ready add the sugar. If it not to sweet for your taste, add some more.
Spread the pudding onto the top of the cake.
As for the fruit, I chose pineapple this time. I poured a little rum extract onto it. There are basic matchings if you want your fruit a little bit fancier, so pineapple-rum, apricot-cinnamon, apple-cinnamon and so on...
Place the fruits one by one on your cake; in a certain pattern if you want.
You can add a thin layer of gelatine on the top but I skipped it. It's a rich cake anyway.
Enjoy it!/Jó étvágyat!
The full menu was:
Medieval-style leek-mushroom beef soup [but without meat]
The speciality of this soup was in the spices I used. I never tried beef soup with ginger, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg before! God it was great...
Then Fried Duck Leg in Citrus Sauce
The spices I used for the duck were cardamom, white pepper and ginger. The awesome sauce contained fresh orange and lemon juice, little butter, lemongrass, honey and cane sugar. ~Yummmmmmmmmm
Mint tea time :)
One of the character from the book [Catelyn] prefers Mint tea. This was not a big thing due to I drink mint tea or brew about twice a week anyway. It's good for one of my health problem... But I'm never bored with it. I didn't follow the recipe this time, I made on my own way. I make my mint tea from dried Peppermint leaves and dried Fürtös menta. [Fürtös menta is the Horse mint, but we use not only its leaves but its flower as well, so this gives a unique taste to the tea] I made syrup also from this two herbs.
The End.
❀✿❁
What about my presents for myself?
I vowed a couple of years ago that from now on - if I can - I will surprise myself something I never had the money or just always wanted to try out [due to my youth was mostly boring and unhappy] or what just makes me happy in the current moment... There was my tattoo, then the ArtRage painting softver, then the graphic tablet, then it came a H&M coupon and so on…
Last year was the skateboard and what a great buy I made. Despite the everyday two or three blue-green colors on my legs and arms I enjoy it as hell. Better then a bicycle for sure. But the best part in a skateboard that is close to the ground so I can step from it anytime I suddenly scare of the speed… Haha That doesn't mean I'm rolling on a turtle speed but sometimes I just that careful that the board suddenly stops Hahhhahahahahahhahaaa I'm the lame of skateboarders I know. Maybe if I do this since my teenhood and I can learn from a professional instead of a youtube video I wouldcertainlydo it better…
