Balsamic onion focaccia

Today I decided to bake some bread that didn't involve the breadmaker.  I'm a big fan of onions, so decided to go for a balsamic onion focaccia - perfect for dipping in olive oil and vinegar.

The focaccia recipe is from the Mary Berry baking bible, using semolina as well as strong bread flour.  The onions are cooked slowly, with balsamic vinegar added a few minutes before the end of the cooking time.

First proving -

The cooked onions -

Put together and ready for second proving -

25 minutes after the second proving -

Madeleines

I've wanted to make madeleines for a while, but have never done so because of the need for a special tin.  One of the baking magazines that is available at the moment was selling with a silicon madeleine mould, so I bought it to give it a try.

I have used Mary Berry's recipe, slightly adapted to use orange zest rather than lemon zest.

Week 26 dinner menu

Monday - Freezer surprise
Tuesday - Honey and mustard pork with roasted new potatoes and salad
Wednesday - Meatballs, mash and apple sauce
Thursday - Omelette and salad
Friday - Steak and chips
Saturday - Stir fried chicken and noodles with dim sum
Sunday - Roast duck, rosti potatoes and creamed cabbage with bacon

Week 25 dinner menu

Monday - Chicken chasseur and potatoes
Tuesday - Freezer surprise
Wednesday - Pasta salad
Thursday - Lasagne, garlic bread and salad
Friday - Ginger and spring onion chicken, rice noodles, spring rolls and chinese dumplings
Saturday - BBQ (if weather good) or steak and chips
Sunday - Rack of lamb, new potatoes, red wine jus

Week 24 dinner menu

Monday - Prawn and pea risotto with scallops
Tuesday - Chilli with a jacket potato and salad
Wednesday - Chicken curry (pasta salad for Bart)
Thursday - Toad in the hole, mash and veg
Friday - Ras el hanout chicken
Saturday - Roast chicken and salad
Sunday - 5 spice pork with fried rice and dim sum

Coffee and walnut traybake

Baking sunday again, so today was a cake from Mary Berry's Baking bible.  I decided on a traybake because the regualr version required sandwich tins, which I don't have any of.

This cake is extremely light, and very tasty.  I can definitely see myself making it again.

Week 23 dinner menu

Monday - beef stew and dumplings
Tuesday - Buttered fish with linguine
Wednesday - Chicken curry and rice (Rice salad for my husband)
Thursday - Lasagne and salad
Friday - Chicken chilli men and dim sum
Saturday - Selection of Tapas
Sunday - Hachee with mustard mash and carrots, bitterkoekjesvla