Incouragable

This weeks TWD challenge was the reason to check the local cooking supply stores.  I try to avoid them (especially the trade ones, so much temptation).  But, I had the realisation that frequent (weekly) cakes in the house will involve shopping of another kind (clothes in a much bigger size) if portions didn’t shrink.   So, you see I had to go, and in fact I was rather restrained.  

 

• The cake tin 18 cm , not 6 inch but close enough (a chance to go looking again ha! ha!).  ($14.40)   
• A rather large whisk that I have read about being useful when making sponges, for the final incorporation of flour ($13.22)
• A replacement plastic spatula (good for encouraging things out of pans when you don’t want to scratch them) the old one was worked to death. ($2.56)
• Another icing bag (Does anyone else have them go missing?) ($11.19)
• A pastry scraper with ridges. ($1.81)

I know cooking stuff is more expensive up here.   I saw things that Matt brought back from the US for 3 times the price.  However, I love it up here.   So I am not about to relocate to find cheaper bake ware!

 

Cake Boards NT style

One of the things Darwin doesn’t have is a cake decorating shop.  There are a couple of catering supply stores, a House franchise with a back corner with some cake tins and cookie cutters, and a Spotlight that has a small range of the Wilton gear.  They also sell rather huge tall cake tins that state they are not water tight on the label.  And, they have silver cake boards that are wooden (I think) and rather expensive.

Given a dozen eggs (free range and local) are $5.50 and a kilo of flour is $2-3 plus.  I need to use my cooking budget wisely.

When I moved to the Northern Territory years ago I was told a local joke.  

“What does a Territorian call a 7 course meal?”

“A meat pie and a six pack”.

This turns out to be only partly true!  I must stop now before my local Slow Food Convivium lynches me…

If I can’t buy cake boards then I must make them.  

There are only 2 boxes that regularly come into the house.  Beer and Nappies (Patrick’s child care stopped accepting cloth nappies, so disposables get used there) .  I cannot quite bring myself to use the nappy box so that leaves me with a rather plebian material.  However, it does the job and it is recycling in action.

I use the cake tin as my guide and draw around the pan.  

Then I just cut it out.  

After that I get some aluminium foil and cut out something a bit larger.  Nip around the edges so you don’t get lumpy bits.   

Finally, I cover it with bit of plastic wrap (I get cross when I bite into a bit of foil).  Fold underneath as neatly as possible.

Most of the time, after covering it this way you can keep the cardboard and just re-cover it for next time.  Like my baking paper I keep the cake board tucked inside the pan, just waiting for me.

Here is a picture of it in action.

 

Embarrassment of Riches

My very good husband recently had a work trip to the United States.  He had a grueling schedule and really doesn’t love shopping anyway so we came to what I think was a workable solution.  

Frustratingly, there are many very attractive baking items that companies just won’t send overseas. They will however send them to a hotel address in the U.S.  So I went online shopping (after confirming with the lovely staff of the hotel they were happy to gather all the parcels) to my hearts content.

This worked on a variety of levels.  I got exactly what I wanted, and my wonderful husband got to look like an absolute hero for limited effort. 

I did choose mostly light things that just are not available where I live.  Perhaps they are in cake supply stores ‘down south’ but for instance silicone canelés pans just don’t get stocked here.  I tried for months to get an angel food cake pan ordered in with no luck and was thrilled when I spotted one in Sydney on holidays.

So what did I get? (this is where the embarrassment of riches thing kicks in)

• silicone canelés pan
• silicone pyramid pan
• silicone brioche molds
• silicon madelaine pans (regular and mini)
• 12 pack of gel food colouring
• 3 pack of citrus oils
• pastry bag
• rolling pin rings
• cake lifters
• pasta extruder set for the kitchen aid
• pannetone papers
• fluer de sicila essence
• geometric cookie cutter set

I purposely left books off the list as Amazon is kind enough to ship those overseas.  However, I decided to ask for Baking from my home to yours (so I could join the Tuesdays with Dorie collective) and Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day.  (I have made the sticky buns (found here) and angels were heard weeping in the corner!)  Good husband saw the muffins book and threw that in the bag as well.

So what use have I made of this?  So far I have been playing with madeleines.  I will save deep and thoughtful comment until they are chosen in the Tuesdays with Dorie challenge.  However, brown the butter….