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Thursday 13 May 2010

Springtime Jamboree!

Made In The Shade

The past few weeks I've been excitedly getting ready for the first ever Made in the Shade, Edinburgh shindig coming up this weekend. It's the first time I've 'made for the shade' and I've been living up to my nom de plume to get new brooches, tablecloths and showercaps (!?!) ready for Saturday. Yikes!
There'll be lots to keep you entertained with a Made in the Shade Matinee Show by Piney Gir at 2pm, Auntie M's delightful cake lounge, Flora the Tombola, and some Country Crafting - as if 39 crafty sellers aint enough! Find a full list of shady vendees' on MITS's bountiful blog here.
I canny wait!!!

Friday 7 May 2010

thinking bad thoughts

I've taken my good old time to share this with you...

Well, the thought came to me one sublimely ordinary afternoon. There I was, making a wee cup of tea and a little 'something' to keep my pedal foot peddling and that presser-foot pressing (sweat-shop talk). I figured a couple of wee digestives with banana-on-top would be just the right kinda old-school treat. 

[CUE eerie strings] So, I took a McVitie's from the tin, un-peeled a banana and just as I reached for the butter dish, a terrible notion came over me. As if guided by some inner demon I opened the fridge door and drifted towards it's chilly glow. My hand reach out for the jar of Bonne Maman Confiture de Caramel!   [CUE duh duh duhh!]  I tried. I tried with all my strength to put it back. "No!" I said "Get tae Waitrose - I don't need you - I can live without you!" But I was in it's clutches - it had me and pretty soon, I had the double cream. And lo the lazy-girls-banoffee-travel-pie was born!!!























So easy it makes me wonder why anyone went to the effort of making an actual PIE pie at all? A couple of digestives spread with caramel (you don't need me to tell you how thick to spread it now do you?), a few slices of banana and a blanket of lightly whipped double cream. Ta. Da. On my first attempt, I just poured the cream on. That went everywhere. So, for purely technical reasons - I'd whip it a little.

To be honest, I hadn't thought much of the good mother's caramel goo until then. I actually bought it for the jar (I have an, aherm, collection). It's pants on toast (don't waste your time) but redeemed itself when I plastered it on some left over puff pastry, layered a thinly sliced apple, scattered on a handful of raisins, a dusting of cinnamon and laid a straggly lattice of pastry trimmings over the top. Oh and baked it. That was rather good.


The secret, I think is to add Bonne Maman Confiture de Caramel to something slightly sweet already (croissants, brioche mibby?) as although it is richly caramel-y it's actually not TOO sweet. I wonder what the French would do? Dear reader - I intend to find out!