Tag Archives: cheese

Beer, cheese and onion bread

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27

beer cheese and onion breadcityhippyfarmgirl

Bread is one of those amazing things, that quite often take anything you really throw at it. I’d read Joanna’s post on Cheese and Onion bread last week and it had wedged in my mind. I wanted in on that, and had grand visions of sumptuous burgers with lashings of sauce dripping down my chin and (probably quietly dripping down into my sleeve. ) Yep, I wanted in on that alright.

I didn’t have some of the ingredients that Joanna had used so I decided to throw what I did have in there and see what the results would be. Cheese, caramelised onions…hell, lets shove some beer in there too.

beer cheese and onion bread

Beer, Cheese and Onion Bread

(for Joanna’s original version please see here)

the sponge

200g sourdough starter

1 tsp dried yeast

330mls beer

150g flour

(mix together and leave over night)

Next day mix sponge and

600g flour

200mls water

wait for about 40 minutes and then add

150g grated cheese

4 tbls caramelised onions*

2 tsp salt

Mix again. For a wonderfully detailed example of what to do with your bread after it’s mixed see Joanna’s post here. Other wise do what you normally do in a bready fashion.

I baked mine at 230 for 10 minutes and then down to 210 for another 8 or so minutes, swapping shelves.

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The beer, cheese and caramelised onions give a lovely chewy, soft texture. Perfect for burgers or as pictured above, an easy sautéed mushroom and melted cheese lunch.

Voted 5 stars from Mr Chocolate.

* easy recipe for these to come.

songs to make cupcakes to

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22

Cupcakes were on the menu.

Nothing fancy, just simple little numbers to be eaten after dinner. Mr Chocolate’s parents were coming over. A special dinner to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday and to also celebrate the fact that he and Mr Chocolate’s mother had been in the country for 40 years.  I was thinking a pavlova with a few typical Australian flavours thrown in, however Mr Chocolate seemed to think vanilla cupcakes would be better. Needing a tiny excuse to make mascarpone, I agreed.

The boys were out, and I had myself a little mama time. Time to get the oven cranked and perhaps some music to.

What songs to make cupcakes to?…

I used the Strawberry Vanilla Cake recipe, and just changed it to mini cupcakes.

Now how to make your own mascarpone?

Thanks to my trusty The Real Food Companion book, I wanted to have a go at making it. Mascarpone is soft and mild Italian cheese. It’s usually quite expensive to buy, but well worth it to be used in desserts, such as Tiramisu or my birthday meringue cake last year. I also use it diligently instead of a butter frosting for cakes. I had tried to make it late last year, but wasn’t bowled over with the results. So I wanted to redeem myself. Now where was that mascarpone love?

Mascarpone

300mls cream

2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a pot bring the cream to a simmer, adding the lemon juice and cook for about 1 and half minutes. Allow the cream to cool completely in the pot, and then pour into a muslin lined strainer and leave for 1-2 days in the fridge. For this one I popped in a vanilla bean directly after I had turned the pot off and allowed the bean to infuse with the cream for about 15 minutes. I then gently squeezed the tiny vanilla specks out, and into the fridge the whole lot went for at least 24 hours.

Result, is a speckled mascarpone, with a lovely real vanilla flavour. Just cream, lemon juice and vanilla bean.

It came out thick, smelling lovely and tasted like mascarpone.  You have to plan a little a head of time but it beats buying it.

Quickly whisked it up a little, and then adding 1/2 cup of icing sugar to the mixture. Slap it on to the cupcakes and decorate with strawberries.

Optional Australian flag.

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…but the songs, what about the songs to make cupcakes to?…

Boy and Bear