Month: August 2012

Autumn book contest – The Little Paris Kitchen

If there ever was a twee cooking show, it was The Little Paris Kitchen earlier this year on BBC2. French classics with mixed with Rachel Khoo’s own modern twists. Instant TV classic, I think.

And, as with every self-respecting cookery programme, there’s the book to go with it.

Here’s what A. Burnes had to say about the book:

The recipes are excellent. They are all relatively simple, the ingredients are realistic (none of them either ridiculously expensive or too difficult to find), and there is always some edge to them that gives even the most familiar dishes an unusual touch.

That’s exactly what I loved about the show; if Khoo was able to cook these dishes in her tiny kitchen, I can give them a good try in mine. They were clever, yet there was nothing intimidating about them.

So, how does this work? How can you get one? We’re giving away a copy of the book to one lucky Crofton Kitchen subscriber. If you have subscribed to the mailing list, you’re already in the draw. If you haven’t yet, just fill in your email below. The draw will take place on 28th September 2012.

Take part in the competition.



Obviously, if you really really can’t wait to get the book, you can get it here on Amazon.

Small print: We can only send the book within the UK If you’re not in the UK and win, you can always ask it to be sent to a friend.

Korvapuusti

Korvapuusti is made with a traditional ‘pulla’ dough. Pulla is a Finnish sweet bread style dessert flavoured with cardamom. Similar to English Hot Cross Bun.

You can use this recipe for making many different kinds of pulla. I’ve struggled finding coarse cardamom in the UK where normally it’s sold in the pod. It’s very laborious to peal and grind them as you’ll need something like a tablespoon of it. If you live in London, you can always visit The Finnish Church in Rotherhithe and buy some from their Finnish food store.

Korvapuusti

Ingredients

  • 50 cl milk
  • 1 egg
  • 170 g sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cardamom
  • 20 g dry yeast
  • 1000 g plain flour
  • 200 g butter

Ingredients, filling and topping

  • 100 g very soft butter
  • 85 g sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • sugar crystals

Method, pulla dough

  1. Add yeast to milk that is slightly warm to touch
  2. Mix in the egg, sugar, salt, cardamom, some of the flour and butter.
  3. Keep mixing while adding rest of the flour. Mix till smooth and stretchy.
  4. Prove the dough in a warm place till it’s doubled in size, about 45 minutes
  5. Kneed the dough to remove air bubbles

Method

  1. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular on your work surface. 40×70 cm is a good size.
  2. Spread it with butter and then sprinkle it with a mix of sugar and cinnamon. Don’t be too tight here, if you feel like it needs a bit more sugar and cinnamon, go for it
  3. Now make a roll out of it, a bit like a Swiss-roll, starting from the long edge. You should end up with a roll that is about 70 cm long. Make sure the seam is in the bottom
  4. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll into little pyramids (see 16 seconds in in the time lapse video below)
  5. Place the korvapuusti’s on a paper baking tray with the pointy side up and press them down with your finger. Korva is ear in Finnish, this is where they get their name from.
  6. Prove under a tea towel for 40 minutes
  7. Brush them with the egg and sprinkle some sugar crystals on top
  8. Bake at 225°C for 10-15 minutes
  9. Enjoy while still hot with a glass of cold milk

Preparation time: 30 minute(s) plus proving time

Cooking time: 12 minutes(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4