Hey! Good lookin’!

[emma_p]

Pip, what a day! Did Squeak approve?

Liv helped me makes triple ginger skillet cake. Perfect stormy weather pudding. Liv and I had it with vanilla ice cream and the boys had custard.

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[Pippedydeadeye]

That sounds amazing Emma.

[Estrella]

I’ll take a brownie and a wodge of the ginger cake with custard please

[Morganna]

That pudding looks delicious. I could just eat a slice of that.

I've dug out my ancient Bero books, and have been making puddings recently. It's partly to test my new oven, and get to know how the temperature works, but also because we've developed a taste for them now I've started :)).

One of the books is from 1949 (my grandmother's) and has instructions for baking in a coal oven with a footnote about how to adapt the recipes if you have a newfangled gas one. There are little homilies throughout about how ladies should teach their daughters to bake cakes and scones for Daddy's tea, so that when the great day comes and they become housewives themselves their mothers can be proud. That and the over-reliance on lard are eye openers :)). The very latest Bero book is disappointing, I found. They've modernised it all, and replaced a lot of old favourites with more fashionable ones. Nigella has cornered that market, so there is still room for a book with foolproof scones and jam tarts (minus the lard).

[Pippedydeadeye]

Bero coffee kisses are the best.

[bramblerose]

I love my little Bero book (more like a pamphlet)

[Morganna]

Bero coffee kisses are the best.

They are Mocha Kisses in the new one ;)

[Epponnee Rae]

I’ve either not cooked Much lately or missed taking photos or it’s all been non-photogenic. But today I had a go at the Anna Jones brown butter cookies from her new book, and I also made some miso aubergine to go with my leftover rice bowl (and I could happily eat both halves with some plain rice and be very satisfied, it’s THAT good).

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[Derek Nimmo]

That miso aubergine looks perfect Ep Can you share the recipe?

[Estrella]

It looks and sounds delicious, Epp!

[emma_p]

Looks so good, Epp! Have you got the US or UK version of the book?

[Epponnee Rae]

I’ve got the UK version, e_p, as I got it for Christmas. It’s only the second thing I’ve made from it I think, I need to give more things a go.

Here’s the aubergine recipe Del (I got it from M.illy T.aylor on IG):
Split and deeply score the aub flesh
Brush with neutral oil and roast 15 mins at 190C (fan)
Make sauce of the following:
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp sake
1 tsp soy
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white miso paste
Brush sauce onto part roasted aubergines and roast again at least 15 mins or until desired doneness. Top with spring onion, sesame etc. It’s on the sweeter side so I expect one could meddle with the ratios a bit if you wanted it to be more savoury or whatever.

[emma_p]

I made a similar miso aubergine dish and it was a bit sweet for me too. I would have preferred it more umami.

[Derek Nimmo]

Brilliant, thank you - I will adjust accordingly (more miso, all the miso).

[Morganna]

The recipe I use is similar but a bit different (photo results upthread)

Score the aubergines in a diamond pattern and fry cut side down (I use the George). Mix 2 tsp miso, 6 tsp soy sauce, 4 tsp peanut butter, 3 tsp water, 2 tsp vegetable oil and 5 tsp of maple syrup (although I used date syrup last time I made them and it was lovely). When the aubergines are golden, spread them with the sauce, and bake in a moderate oven until cooked and soft. To serve, brush with leftover sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

The above quantities cover two whole aubergines (ie 4 halves).

[Mountain Goat]

It's a classic recipe that gets played with a lot, sometimes well, sometimes in horrific ways. :)) It should be quite sweet (I would use mirin, sake and sugar with the miso) - as well as reducing the sugar, you can balance by using a less sweet miso, so mugi (barley) or hatcho (red I think) rather than white miso, which is the sweetest. I've used maple syrup instead of sugar in a few things using (not-white) miso as I think it goes really well so I approve of this. I also sometimes add a little ginger (not remotely traditional, my personal choice) which I think balances it interestingly. I would not add sesame oil as it tastes like cod liver oil under heat.

I also recommend, if you can be arsed and if you are not vegan, whisking in an egg yolk. It makes it glossy and rich. Oh but I'm seeing no mention of reducing the sauce first? Not sure if egg would work if you're not reducing the sauce ingredients in a pan first. I've never tried just mixing them cold and brushing on so not sure how much other difference it makes.

So I would put similar amounts of sake, mirin, sugar and water in a pan with a good dollop of miso, bring to a simmer, let reduce for a couple of minutes until thick (then possibly whisk in an egg yolk and/or add some grated ginger or ginger juice). Meanwhile, cut the aubergines in half, score, take a little bit off the curve on the bottom so they sit right, and bung in a medium oven until soft. Then when you're ready to serve, brush thickly with the sauce and put under a hot grill for a few minutes until it bubbles like cheese on toast. Chives, sesame seeds, spring onions, whatever you have on top.

It's clearly a bit more faff than just mixing and brushing on and I really don't know if it makes a difference or not.

[Derek Nimmo]

This is all good information, and I'm up for some experimentation - mixing and reducing first sounds like a plan, as I've never managed to get as good-as-restaurant-results just by brushing on.

[Mountain Goat]

I'd be interested to hear if it makes any discernible difference.

[Epponnee Rae]

Amazing tips there goat! I had never made it before and I’m not sure I would do the extra faff of reducing a sauce etc. as I quite liked that it was a fairly hands off recipe. I didn’t notice a discernible off taste with the sesame oil but I’d forgotten that tip about making the aubs lie flat def doing that next time. And I wouldn’t add peanut butter to mine, but that’s because I’m allergic :)

[wendy james]

Weekend breakfast

Oats soaked in warm milk, baked apples with cinammon and a citrus salad (I used red grapefruit and mint).