Crumbs on the Table -- stories about food

Cinnamon rolls, twists and wreaths: one recipe, four shapes

December 18, 2018 Leave a Comment

Breakfast for us kids on Christmas morning was always cinnamon rolls: the soft, billowy kind with a simple filling of brown sugar and cinnamon and a sugary glaze, sometimes flavoured with orange, sometimes ‘regular’. We would eat from the outside, unwinding the layers bit by bit until the gloriously soft, sweet centre was left, saving the best for last.

Sometimes they were made from scratch, and sometimes they were the novelty kind from the supermarket, packaged in a cardboard tube designed to be smacked on the edge of the counter to open (what fun!), and then peeled one by one onto the baking tray. I still recall the smell: yeast, cinnamon and something chemical. For us youngsters it seemed the height of luxury to have this hi-tech alternative to homemade (and wiser Mom didn’t mind as she was a tad busy with everything else). We smile at those canned cinnamon rolls now in the same way we do at pop tarts and old hairstyles, with nostalgic respect for our former selves, but relief we’ve moved on. [Read More…]

Toscakaka: Scandinavian caramelised almond cake

December 15, 2018 Leave a Comment

This is a cake beyond the ordinary. I encountered Toscakaka (Tosca cake) years ago in Norway, where it is well-loved throughout the year. I associate it mostly with Christmas, however, as the best I had there was baked by a lovely woman named Elsa, who worked in the office of the student accommodation where I stayed. Elsa came to be a friend, and invited me to her home at Christmas time where she served a delicious Bergen fisksuppe and this memorable cake. The house smelled of caramel and toasted almond, and I remember the rapture of my first crunch through that sensational topcoat into the tender sponge.

I also had a favourite café in Bergen that had picture-windows overlooking the harbour, where I would sit with my notebook and a cup of coffee, and invariably a slice of this cake. I remember one magical winter afternoon there, dark as night, when snowflakes filled those windows with mesmerising whirls of sparkle and a tea light on the table charmed me with its gently dancing light.

That was the year I learned to appreciate winter. The Norwegians know how to make the dark days cosy, with a philosophical outlook, generosity with candles (lit the moment the light fades) and lovely things to eat. This was koselig — what the Swedes and Danes call hygge — and it taught me to love a season I had always wished away.
I encountered this wonderful recipe for Toscakaka years later through Emma Gardner, who bakes it from Signe Johansen’s recipe. Making it always brings a bit of Norsk koselig into the house. Emma recounts the praises sung for this cake by family and friends she’s shared it with, and those descriptions remind me of my encounter with it at Elsa’s: it looks like it’s going to be really good, but how good it is still takes one by surprise.

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Umbrian chickpea and pasta soup

November 1, 2018 2 Comments

We learned to make this deliciously flavoured and hearty soup in Perugia, Umbria from two companionable ladies who have been making it for many years, and eating it for longer. Of all the local dishes we learned to make with Nonie and Tita, this is the one I’ve made several times since, with the Umbrian-grown chickpeas we brought home with us while stocks lasted, and latterly with ones imported from elsewhere. It’s a keeper: simple to make, nutritious and economical, filling without being too caloric, extremely satisfying and interesting — it tastes even better the day after it’s made (and freezes well, too). It exactly suits my requirements at the moment, making a reluctant entry into winter a little easier to bear.

Using the cooking liquid from the chickpeas as the basis of the broth adds so much flavour, and makes one appreciate how good chickpeas (‘ceci’ in Italian) can be when they are grown well and get the attention they deserve in the kitchen. Dried chickpeas are the tastiest, but you do need to think ahead and give them a night (or day) to soak and then boil until tender before you can make this soup. As a speedy alternative you can use tinned, or for better flavour at a price, jarred chickpeas.

It’s the generous addition of rosemary, in company with garlic, bay leaf, a little chilli pepper, and an excellent olive oil, that elevates this soup from a bland bean soup to something to look forward to. As with much of the best Italian food, it relies on a few excellent ingredients, the cultural knowledge of what flavours enhance each other, and what cooking methods will bring out their best. We learned several tips and techniques from our hosts, and were astonished at the flavours they managed to extract from these few basic ingredients. [Read More…]

Apple butter and ginger cake

October 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

For an island that’s grown an enormous variety of apples with pride and distinction for centuries, I don’t understand why apple butter isn’t better known in Britain. A quintessential taste of autumn, this silky, sweet/tart apple-spread is taken for granted in my home country, or at least in those apple-growing regions of it where I’ve lived. It’s a blessing of the season appreciated chiefly as a topping for warm toast, well-suited to cheering up cold winter mornings and gloomy afternoons. For some fans, my mother and me included, it satisfies a nostalgic craving that jams, honey or marmalade, good as they are, just can’t satisfy when the mood strikes. It’s equally irresistible by the stolen spoonful, and exquisite with ginger cake (‘gingerbread’ to my fellow Yanks).

Homemade, it’s one of those simplest of things that tastes so good for the very reason that it is simple, capturing the best of a fruit that has its own complexity. Sweetened with unrefined Muscovado sugar, the autumnal flavours amplified with a dusky hint of cinnamon and a bright squeeze of lemon, it’s made with these four straightforward ingredients. The name might mislead you as there’s no butter in it, but one taste will explain all: its mouthfeel – smooth, thick and sticky – is absolutely seductive, a butter made of fruit.

Making apple butter is one of the most delightful kitchen jobs, not least because it makes the house smell of the best things about autumn. It’s easy to make from any kind of apple, and in fact a variety is nice: I used our own Dr Kidd’s Orange Pippins, a lovely eater, and our gardener-friend Kim’s green, sharp Granny Smiths. Making apple butter is a brilliant way to preserve a harvest when there’s a glut, especially if you (like me) have fruits that aren’t perfect and need carving to be useable. It’s quick to knock up a small batch, not nearly as fiddly to make as jam, but lasting just as long as jam when it’s properly sealed in sterilised jars. Eating apple butter freshly made is a great seasonal treat, however, and if you manage not to eat it all at once, it does last about a month in the fridge.

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Chili time: and that means enchiladas

September 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

After our long, hot summer, a sudden cold snap a week or so ago came as an unwelcome surprise and inspired me to make the first comforting pot of chili in a while. Now that summer has re-asserted itself, however briefly before autumn takes over, I have a plan… Some of that chili, delicious in itself by the bowlful, came out of the freezer today to make a fine dish of Tex-Mex enchiladas — one of my family’s very favourite dishes anytime of year, especially with fresh ‘fixings’ on the side. Corn tortillas are rolled up with the meaty chili, a handful of grated cheese and chopped onion, and topped with more chili and cheese to bake until melted and scrumptious.

My version of Texas chili is inspired by my Mom (who uses ground beef) and my Uncle Dean (who often uses venison), and I still have their wonderful recipes, written in their own hands. I’ve been making it regularly to great reviews for about 40 years, tinkering with it just enough during that time to adapt to a few changes in ingredients, especially the variety of chili peppers now available in Britian. I’ve settled on this version for some years now, and think it’s pretty special: smokey, with layers of flavour, and a bit of a chili buzz, but not so hot that heat is all you get.

Making it is quick work and fills the house with gorgeous smells. It’s versatile, economical, tastes even better the next day, and freezes brilliantly. It also makes a great filling for tacos, so one humble pot offers at least three winning menu possibilities. [Read More…]

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