Crave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Introduction (#ulink_82a9d1c0-59cb-57c3-be40-99317b21cbcf)

I have loved food for as long as I can remember. I was the child who looked forward to grocery shopping because I loved to see all the fresh fruits piled precariously in displays and to marvel at the number of intricately shaped pasta varieties in their colourful packets. Trailing slowly behind my mum, I’d wander through the aisles trying to sneak the new foods that I was curious to try into the trolley. I couldn’t (and still can’t) make it home with an intact baguette, as resisting the temptation to tear off the knobbly end and sink my teeth into the golden crust encasing the soft, chewy bread was beyond me. I’d spend Sunday afternoons thumbing through my mum’s Nigella collection, devouring the pages with my eyes and picking out recipes to try to persuade my parents to let me make.

I was the girl who always had a hot school dinner because I hated the mundane predictability of a packed lunch. Taking my plastic tray up to the hatch and choosing a meal that I felt like eating was an experience to which I would look forward with great anticipation. The food may not have been incredible, but I had the choice of what I ate, and I loved it. In restaurants, I’d always ask for a spare plate rather than a meal of my own so I could sample everyone else’s food at the table instead. I adored having a little taste of everything. I remember being sorely disappointed when I became too old for the empty-plate approach to be socially acceptable and had to order my own food. I couldn’t relate to fussy eaters, as the thought of not knowing how a new food sitting on my plate tasted was an alien concept to me. I’ve been fascinated by flavour and had a thirst to understand food for longer than I’ve been able to cook it.

My earliest memory of a craving (embarrassing as this is for a baker who valiantly aims to champion homemade cooking) is butterscotch Angel Delight. I was transfixed by the kitchen magic that occurred; how whisking a beige powder with cold milk would transform it into a thick, cloudy mass with an unnatural, gelatinous texture. My sister and I adored it, and the artificial buttery flavour evokes a certain nostalgia that I’ve struggled to replicate. We crave the things we love; the foods that make us happy. That’s how the idea for this book was born.

Crave is a book focused on my love affair with food; on glorifying ingredients in their purest form as well as showing how to combine flavours to create sensational bakes. Living in an age crammed full of dieting and healthy-eating cookbooks, I was desperate for a change, and I hope Crave offers just that. This is a book that should speak to that inner voice we all have which asks ‘What do I really feel like eating?’ It is aimed squarely at loving, appreciating and celebrating food for what it is, without an ounce of guilt for indulging the body and mind in what they desire. By no means am I suggesting that you throw healthy eating out of the window and base your diet on these recipes; I am fully supportive of eating a balanced, nutritious diet. However, I am also a firm believer in the importance of treating yourself every now and again. Food, especially baking, should be fun! This book is full of recipes that will satisfy your cravings on those self-indulgent days.

Cravings are a curious phenomenon. What starts as an insignificant little niggle at the back of your mind, gently hinting at the kind of food needed to hit the spot, can quickly grow into a compulsion that demands to be satisfied. The kind that drives you out of bed in the middle of the night to raid the fridge for a morsel of cheese, or causes you to sneak away from your desk in a desperate hunt for a square of chocolate to go with your coffee. This book is organised into chapters focused on eight of the most common cravings: Citrus, Fruit, Nut, Spice, Chocolate, Caramel, Cheese and Alcohol. Starting with recipes for refreshing citrus breakfasts to start the day with vigour, through ambrosial caramel delights to satisfy even the sweetest tooth, and ending with dark and devious ways to imbue delectable bakes with alcoholic tipples, there is something here to sate every appetite.

In the words of Virginia Woolf:

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’

Crave is everything I love about baking. I bake to please, to nurture, to comfort, to entertain and, most importantly, to enjoy, and I hope that radiates through these pages.

How to use this book (#ulink_7bef5f41-a369-57bb-95ae-3377160fb79e)

I bake with immediate consumption in mind. I’m an impatient baker, and I want to be rewarded for my toils as quickly as possible – whether that is with a super-quick bake or by sneaking a spoonful of hot gooey brownies fresh from the oven before they have had the chance to cool. The three categories of recipes represent the different amounts of time needed to create bakes to satisfy your cravings. You’ll notice the headers at the top of each recipe page.

These recipes take less than 20 minutes. They are go-to quick treats that can be rustled up in next to no time when you need something to hit the spot. You’ll find clever tips and shortcuts to help speed up your favourite bakes.

Taking less than an hour to create from start to finish, these include everything from amazingly quick cakes to biscuits and savoury snacks. These are the recipes that you can always sneak a bite from while they cool, if you can’t wait any longer.

These recipes take over an hour, allowing plenty of time for more lengthy baking processes, such as proving and rising, and for flavours to steep right into bakes. These are recipes that truly reward the patience you expend and will not disappoint you.

The key to fitting these recipes into the allotted time is preparation. Set out and measure all your ingredients before you begin so you don’t waste time scouring the kitchen for a missing item or get halfway through and realise you’ve run out of something vital. Do the same with your equipment, so that once you are in the swing of things, everything is within easy reach. Remember to preheat the oven before you start, too. I have timed and tested these recipes vigilantly to make sure they are achievable in the time specified. Some might take a little practice at first, but your go-to recipes will soon become second nature.

Some flavours are perfect partners and it’s a regular occurrence for me to find myself craving not one but two (or even more!) flavours and ingredients – dark chocolate and orange, warming spices and caramel, or savoury cheese with sweet fruit. I’ve flagged these classic combos with small icons on the recipe pages.

Equipment (#ulink_d63ba96f-1ebc-5b4a-82a5-28cbac051d90)

My kitchen is bursting at the seams with equipment, some that I use every single day and couldn’t bear to be without, and some that sits gathering dust for most of the year. This is a list of my essential kit, the things I use on a regular basis that aid my baking.

Electric mixers

Electric hand-held whisks and stand mixers are a godsend. They make cake making so much quicker, and are essential for tasks like whipping egg whites and making light buttercreams. Electric hand-held whisks are more affordable than stand mixers, but if you bake a lot, a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood kMix is a worthwhile investment: it will revolutionise the way you bake.

Wire cooling racks

Often overlooked, wire racks are really important in making sure whatever you’ve put time and effort into baking yields the very best results. Elevating a hot bake allows air to circulate and prevents condensation from forming, avoiding sogginess and helping the bake cool evenly and quickly.

Baking tins

Perhaps the most essential kit. They come in all shapes and sizes, so it can be daunting choosing which ones to invest in. The tins I regularly use and recommend purchasing are round 18cm and 20cm deep loose-bottomed tins, ideally three of each so you don’t have to bake in batches for a multilayered cake. A 20 × 20cm square tin, 450g loaf tin, 12-hole muffin tin, 24-hole mini muffin tin, pie dish and a 20 × 35cm traybake tin are also useful.

Baking trays and baking sheets

Although they are very similar, baking trays and sheets serve different purposes so I have both in my kitchen. Baking trays have a lip around the edge to prevent whatever you’re baking rolling off the edge (ideal for roasting nuts). Baking sheets are completely flat, so there is more surface area to bake cookies or biscuits.

Jars, bags and boxes

I always have an array of glass jars, presentation bags and cake boxes on hand so that anything I bake can be easily packaged as a gift. Jars need sterilising before you fill them. To do this, simply wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse with clean water then dry them completely in an oven preheated to 110°C/90°C fan/gas

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(this will take 5–10 minutes) before filling.

Food processors

These are handy for both sweet and savoury cooking. They cut the time it takes to chop nuts and create purées, and can even make pastry without you getting your hands dirty. Powerful processors are expensive, so for a more budget-friendly option, go for a mini food processor or stick blender with a chopping bowl attachment, which are perfect for blitzing small quantities of nuts, dough or praline for ‘instant’ recipes.

Ice-cream scoops

I use ice-cream scoops for so much more than scooping ice-cream. In fact, it is probably one of my most-used pieces of kitchen equipment. I have three sizes and they are ideal for making even-sized cupcakes, perfectly circular cookies and distributing batters between cake tins.

Palette knives

To get a beautiful, smooth finish on iced cakes, you will need a palette knife. I have a larger one for smoothing the edges of my cakes, and a mini offset knife for adding detail to the top of cakes.

Piping bags and nozzles

I use disposable piping bags as they’re so handy – you can snip off the end of the bags once filled, creating holes of various sizes without always needing to use a nozzle. Where I suggest a disposable bag, do use a reusable piping bag if you prefer. For icing cupcakes and large cakes, my favourite nozzles are open and closed stars, as they create a beautiful ruffled effect.

Baking parchment and baking sheet liners

I find lining tins time-consuming and a real chore, so I buy pre-cut circles of baking parchment the same sizes as my round tins. They reduce preparation time and are ideal for my ‘Instant’ and ‘Soon’ recipes. I cover baking sheets with a reusable non-stick baking liner to save the need to grease them.

Digital scales

Reliable, good-quality digital scales are a must. Baking is a science that requires accuracy to obtain good results, so inaccurate scales will limit you.

Measuring spoons

A common measurement people get wrong is teaspoon and tablespoon measures, as it is very easy to overestimate or underestimate spoon measures if you’re weighing by eye or using ordinary cutlery. Get hold of a cook’s measuring spoon set.

Ingredients (#ulink_7442bb6f-6236-5fef-a762-a954da7fdb54)

Fresh, good-quality ingredients raise an average bake to a great one and really make it sing. These are my top storecupboard ingredients which I make sure I always have in stock.

Eggs

The humble egg is the most versatile ingredient in baking. It can be used to bind mixtures, aerate puddings, thicken custards and set into firm structures like meringue. I use medium free-range eggs in my recipes unless otherwise stated. Fresh eggs yield the lightest, fluffiest bakes, so use your freshest eggs for making cake batters. Slightly older eggs will make brilliant meringues or macarons. Store your eggs at room temperature for baking – egg whites and yolks combine much more easily at room temperature and will disperse through batter more smoothly.