NEW Essensual Baking Soirées

Forgive my absence but I have been a little distracted with a new string to my bow! I'm so excited to present:

Essensual Baking Soirées

Perfect for hen parties and girly gatherings giving you a night that you are not likely to forget in a hurry. Lots of giggles and top baking tips and an insight into the wondrous world of aphrodisiacs. I will teach you the art of seductive baking using my aphrodisiac larder in a fun 2hour hands on soirée. Be they fact or fiction aphrodisiacs make eyes sparkle and set a certain oo la la in the air.

Minimum group size is 10 and prices are according to travel and numbers. I can come to your home or arrange a venue in the hen party capital, Brighton.

For further information email: artist@sharonelizabeth.co.nz

WARNING: Contains natural aphrodisiacs that may be beneficial to you love life!

"Thanks so much for the demonstration,

it was superb and everyone loved it" 

Victoria Gibbons,The Brighton Ballroom

April Thus Far!

I want to blog about so many things. April has been an eventful month so far and we are only on the 17th! So I'm going to attempt to do a collective blog about things that I am just dying to talk about.

1 Peggy Lee - or in fact Erna Ferry, who pays tribute to Peggy Lee in her fantastic show called 'Things are Swingin' which we saw on the opening night of the Tauranga Jazz Festival. You can tell she has really researched Peggy's life and at times you get the feeling that Erna actually knew her as she talks of her with such fondness and sings every song with such love in her heart. Thank you Erna. I love what I heard and I'm going to find some more Peggy Lee music. Touching on a previous blog "Music While You Bake," I get the feeling Peggy will be a new addition to the list. Other festival highlights for me: Tauranga Big Band, Brett's New Internationals, meeting Nathan Haines, Nigel Gavin and Richard Adams - the last two's new CD "Recent Works" is stunning.

2 Jazz at the Movies - our own contribution to the Jazz Festival was a blast. Paul was commissoned to write a new score for some rare New Zealand silent movies dating back as far as 1925. The film footage was provided by the New Zealand Film Archive. The Paul Lewis Picturehouse band consisted of myself doing vocals and percussion, Kate Candy - violin, Lynda Wing - piano, Chris Williamson -guitar and banjo and Bryan Holden on double bass. It was such a privilege to be part of a unique project and gave me enormous musical satifaction. Paul's music was of course brilliant and we can't wait to do it all over again!

3 Biscotti - thanks to Kate Candy in our merry little band who made biscotti to munch on in our intervals, I have become quite addicted. I've never bothered to make them before and now I'm experimenting with all sorts of interesting ingredients. Results to be posted soon!

4 Retro Cottage - we have had a heavenly summer in our little 1930s weatherboard cottage. It is filled with a collection of 1950-60s furniture, kitsch and general madness. Retro Cottage has allowed me to indulge my love for retro style and op shop (charity shop) shopping! I'm really enjoying collecting vintage cookbooks and love the social history that is reflected in them such as: "Men are always difficult to find presents for but, since most have a predilection for pickles and chutneys in some form or another, this selection gives you a chance to break from the rather more traditional socks, tie and book syndrome" - ("101 Presents to Cook" 1973.)

5 Star treatment - I've had to change into opera gowns in public toilets, I have had to spend intervals in wine cellars, I have had to trot through paddocks in my high heels, I have arrived at a venue and not even been offered a glass of water, I have had to share a portacabin with 15 other artists with only one mirror between us and I have had my knickers stolen from my changing room, but sometimes I get this:




Thank you to Mieke Fookes, entertainments director, for treating us all so well at a magical night at Vison Forest Lake retirement village in Hamilton, where we performed "Around the World in 80 Minutes."

6 Grieving for flat whites in advance - volcanic ash permitting, we fly back to the UK on the 3rd of May. While sipping my smooth, rich flat white in Grindz Cafe on Friday I felt a wave of grief waft over me, knowing I am heading back to a country "where coffee is like a chemical experiment."

7 Forget-Me-Not CD Launch - Saturday the 24th April. We are launching our first cabaret CD at another Tauranga top cafe, Alimento, 1st Ave, Tauranga. We open the doors at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8.00pm. Alimento will be serving coffee and counterfood and a bar is available. Tickets just $15 which can be purchased on the door. I will be performing songs from the CD in the first half and then by popular demand will be performing some Sharon Elizabeth favourites.

We are really proud of our CD. It's a real little cutie, just Paul and me. I sing some classic 1920-30s popular songs and Paul Lewis cabaret numbers. To hear a sample click the You Tube link.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=Rk2A5kAgx3s

Well that's all for now. Now for a cup of tea and a slice of brownie (made from another vintage book!)

A Yo-Yo Melting Moment Moment.

I love eating Melting Moments. It is the combination of oodles of butter, icing sugar and cornflour in the biscuit dough that creates a light, mouth dissolving treat, hence the name. They are my comfort food when I’m out for a flat white and I’m confronted with a counter full of cakes that frighten me with their lack of interest. With most of my baking focus being on cakes, I am ashamed to say that I had never attempted to make these iconic New Zealand biscuits. Also they are only part of my recent culinary history as I grew up in England. I turned to a Kiwi baker, Alexa Johnston, author of “Ladies, a Plate,” for a recipe. In her sequel “A Second Helping – More from Ladies, a Plate” I found what I was looking for. Alexa’s books are full of iconic New Zealand baking recipes; she has done all the legwork for me. Thumbing through the book you can see the hours of research with recipes predominately from New Zealand cookbooks that go as far back as the 20s, and recipes gleaned by and gifted to Alexa on the way.
To begin with, we get a little social history on my beloved Melting Moment and I learn that by simply switching the cornflour for custard powder it becomes a Yo-Yo! I got sidetracked and decided that because I love custard my Melting Moments should in fact be Yo-Yos!
The recipe was easy to use and I was thrilled with my biscuits except for the filling, which ended up a little runny. When I sandwiched 2 biscuits together as directed, the tops kept sliding off and the filling slightly dribbled out of the sides, not giving that perfect finish I desired. Funnily enough my baker’s instinct told me it was too runny but I wanted to be a good girl and follow the recipe exactly. This is a great discipline for me! I tried the filling recipe twice and concluded my tablespoon aint’ as big as Mrs Merrie’s of Pahiatua, the original contributor of this recipe in 1946. It needed more icing sugar. That’s the thing with old recipes, a tablespoon probably was some huge tarnished nickel plated spoon used to serve the veggies on a Sunday - not like our accurate measuring spoons of today. Or perhaps she has a very different idea of a “heaped” tablespoon, one requiring nerves of steel with icing sugar balanced precariously to such a dramatic height that you daren’t breathe.
I had fun in my kitchen this morning. Although I only ended up with 8½ finished biscuits when the intended amount was about 18 - (I instinctively made them the size they are in NZ cafés) - and my filling was a little soft, I really enjoyed using “A Second Helping.” It is a gorgeous book with a no-nonsense but loving approach. All the photographs are expertly taken by Alexa and as I am a fan of vintage kitchenware and paraphernalia this book is heaven; I not only drool over the baking but also all the pretty linen, plates and biscuit tins used as props. Well talking of second helpings, my daughter is on her second Yo-Yo .... I’d best get a cup of tea and enjoy one for myself before they are all gone!

http://www.ladiesaplate.co.nz/

Garters!

Touching on my last blog and the curiosities to be found in pockets and bags of avid Art Deco collectors, here we have some original, divinely cute and whimsical garters.

I was rather excited to see these and hold them in my hands, especially as a friend in the UK had sent me a newspaper cutting of similar garters that were being exhibited in London last year as part of a 1920s-30s lingerie display.

Their owner Inger, a "Sydney Flapper,"
does not wear them (the elasticity has gone!!!) but has found a supplier of some very pretty and practical replicas.

I have seen pictures of garters with a face opening like a watch front to reveal rouge to be used on the face and knees. So ingenious! Gets me wondering what would the modern gal want in her garter?????

Following is a link for replica garters- http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30921800&ref=sr_gallery_6&&ga_search_query=flapper&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&includes[]=tags

“A Not-Too- Serious celebration of the Art Deco Style” it says on the posters.

In fact I found it a VERY serious business indeed!!!!!!

We’ve just returned from sunny Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, after performing my one-woman show “Forget-Me-Not” in the annual Napier Art Deco Weekend.
For anyone who hasn’t experienced a Napier Art Deco Festival I suggest you book your accommodation right now for 2011. The city bursts at the seams with everything Art Deco and visitors from far and wide make this annual pilgrimage to soak up the atmosphere and play at being flappers and dappers of the day. People collect and sew all year round to wear the correct outfits for the correct events, which extend to couples and families being totally colour co-ordinated with each other for the entire week-end. Phew! Dressing up is all part of the fun when people can take on another persona and enjoy being a character in their very own show.
Festival-goers are dressed to jaw dropping quality, in some cases even down to the correct underwear, and that’s because a high percentage of these clothes are the real thing. In some cases the garments being worn are as old as 80 years plus! To a lover of vintage clothes this is one mighty fine feast for the eyes. It’s not just the few that are making the extra effort but a huge proportion are going to extraordinary lengths to wear the correct clothes and accessories, including the odd vintage Rolls Royce to transport them in!
For someone like me who performs as a character from the period, it gives me a unique chance to indulge Forget-Me-Not in the sights, sounds, feel and even smells of the period. As with any club, you get to socialise with others who are passionate about the period, with fans of Deco proudly revealing their latest finds. Handbags open to reveal genuine compacts, garters, cigarette holders, purses, hip flasks and of course jewels darling! Under hats you will find freshly finger -waved hair or sharply cut bobs, and in our case, Pauly now has vintage glasses with prescription lenses so that he doesn’t feel out of place with modern specs. I think there is something very special about being able to wear and use genuine items in this context, and I swear people carry themselves differently wearing period clothes, whether they are genuine or not. Like elegant movie stars, people drift from soiree to soiree, and rather charmingly the men even behave with chivalry!

Here are just a few pics of a fabulous weekend.

Ingredients - eggs, sugar, flour, butter and one Mario Lanza!

Mario Lanza has become an essential ingredient in my baking. I pop on my pinny and rev up the mixer with his “Because You’re Mine” caressing my ears while I croon around the kitchen lost in the spirit of the 1950s. Mario does it for me every time. I’m sure the eggs and sugar fluff up better, the flour feels softer and the butter gleams in the kitchen spotlights with extra lustre because he is with me. Mario puts me in a mellow mood, the Hollywood orchestrations that encase his beautiful hearty tenor voice sparkle with such glitz and schmaltzy romance that I find I’m lost in a world where he is singing only to me... and my cake!

Who or what do you listen to in the kitchen while you bake?

The Singing Cakemaker’s Top Ten List for Successful Cake Baking

To a novice baker this could all look a bit daunting! Hold my hand and allow me to take some of the stress out of baking by sharing with you what I have learnt over the years. These are tips I have learnt from baking as a career and for pleasure. I am passionate about cake! The act of baking and the sharing of my cakes is one of my greatest joys and a joy I would like to inspire in others.

1 USE GOOD QUALITY INGREDIENTS.
Tasty ingredients make tastier cakes, simple! You must also always check that your ingredients are not out of date. Spices can age and lose their pungency if kept in the sun or in your larder for too long. Bicarbonate of Soda and Baking Powder both lose their effectiveness if they are out of date.
To test Baking powder mix 1 tsp of baking powder with ½ cup of hot water.
To Test Bicarbonate of Soda mix ¼ tsp of bicarbonate of soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar.
Both should fizz. If they don’t, you need a trip to the supermarket!
Test that your eggs are fit for baking by placing in a jug of cold water. If the egg floats it is off!
Never forget the essential ingredient – love! Cakes made with love and music would have to taste better don’t you think!

2 INGREDIENTS SHOULD BE ROOM TEMPERATURE.
Refrigerated products bring the temperature of the cake batter down so that when it enters the oven it slows down the chemical reaction process and can lead to uneven rising. If you are using ingredients normally kept in the fridge, just get them out an hour beforehand. I never refrigerate my eggs.

3 WHEN PREPARING YOUR CAKE HAVE A CLEAN AND ORGANIZED WORKTOP.
If you work in chaos you may end up forgetting to add ingredients or miss out important stages. Assemble all your ingredients and equipment and have your recipe in a good position for regular checking. A recipe stand is a great help.
On the point of hygiene: for obvious reasons you need a clean worktop. Always thoroughly clean it after using raw ingredients before you use it for icing the cake. You should never cross contaminate.

4 PREPARATIONS.
Prepare your tin, adjust oven shelves, preheat oven and prepare any ingredients that call for chopping, mashing, warming etc. Good preparation will mean you can follow the method without having to leave the cake mix halfway through any of its stages. Also you don’t want the cake mix sitting in the tin too long as the raising agents start to activate on contact with liquid.
It is very important to adjust the shelves before you put your cake in the oven. If you do it when the oven is hot there is a risk of getting burnt and the oven temperature will drop. The oven needs to be the correct temperature as specified in the recipe.

5 KNOW YOUR OVEN.
In my gas oven there is a huge difference in quality of bake between the 3rd shelf from the bottom and the 4th shelf, middle top. My cupcakes on the 4th shelf rise too quickly causing peaks and cracks because the oven is hotter at this position. In an electric oven you can often have bake or fan bake, which will affect the temperature, so you will need to adjust it accordingly. A good cookbook writer will include a guide to coordinate your oven with theirs. You need to become friends with your oven and regular baking will help you find the best positions for the best bake. If you consistently get bad results I suggest you check the oven with an oven thermometer to check its thermostat is working ok.

6 ACCURATE MEASURES AND CORRECT INGREDIENTS.
I don’t want to frighten you but baking is a chemical process and very scientific. If ingredients are not accurate or are substituted for ingredients not stated in the recipe you can get yourself into baking trouble. If you are a novice baker follow exactly what is written and you can’t go wrong, assuming it was a good recipe in the first place! You can’t become an experienced baker in one day so you hope whoever wrote the book is a skilled baker and has done all the hard work for you.
Digital scales are the best for measuring ingredients accurately. I am still a fan of the trusty cup measure as not everyone one has fancy scales. In my book I will use both as I don’t want to exclude anyone from the joys of baking. When using cup measures or teaspoons they should always be flattened off unless the recipe calls for something different.
Egg size is also important and usually books state which size eggs were used. I always use free range size 7 AKA medium.
A common mistake is using wrong flours. Label your flour containers clearly and never substitute plain flour for self raising or vice versa. Self raising flour already has raising agents in it and if you add more raising agents you will have an overload and a cake volcano!
Weigh ingredients in order and in advance and I guarantee you will not leave anything out.
Lastly, working in a commercial bakery for 6 years the slogan was - check, check and double check!

7 CORRECT METHODS.
As in point 6, follow the correct method. Your recipe has been written by someone who understands how to bake! It is helpful to have an understanding of general cooking terms - creaming, whipping, simmering, blanching etc. Again most good cookbooks will include this.
The biggest mistake is to not sieve ingredients. Bicarbonate of soda for instance can tend to stay in rock hard lumps if not sieved. I had the dreadful experience of eating a piece of chocolate cake which had a lump of bicarbonate of soda in it. It was one of the foulest things I have ever tasted and really knocked the shine off a chocolate cake experience! Sieving also evenly distributes your ingredients and helps to incorporate air into the flour. Never be tempted not to sieve!

8 DON’T OPEN OVEN DOOR UNNECESSARILY.
Opening the oven door part way through the baking process can cause the cake to collapse. I’m also rather fussy about kitchen doors that open to the outside being shut on cold days. In a cold kitchen the oven has to work harder.

9 USE A CAKE TIMER.
Not rocket science here. We all get busy and can forget what’s in the oven. Set a timer and follow the recipe. Again this is an example of knowing your oven. Mine generally works within a minute or two. And I recommend you always use the shortest cooking time first. Your recipe should give you a guide to tell you what you are looking for when the cake is baked. Well risen, golden, comes away from the tin etc. Only test how is recommended. With some very delicate cakes you cannot test with a cake tester as the cake might collapse! In my experience most cakes can be tested with a cake tester; my favourite tool for testing is a bamboo kebab stick. If you feel the cake needs a little longer, cook in small increments of 3-5mins. I bake a lot and I have a bakers 6th sense and I always trust my nose!

10 REMOVING FROM THE TIN.
You’ve baked your cake, it’s perfect, you could cry with joy and then you take it out of the tin and it snaps in half! Again follow the instructions. Different cakes have different needs once baked.

Enjoy your cake baking and even if it doesn’t come out exactly as you plan.... keep trying, practice makes perfect!