Bye Bye Summer

You have been fleeting but I've eaten some pretty nice things along the way. Am now filling my freezer with foraged blackberries and homemade soup, ready for Autumn. We've already made soup twice and the log fire is on, but there is still the odd salad day. Am already getting frustrated with the lack of light now the nights are drawing in, but I'm going to a Food Photography Workshop next week so hoping to pick up some tips.

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Beetroot & Goats Cheese Tart

What is the difference between a savoury tart and a quiche? Something I am sure you will all ponder over for many hours...

This is a terribly simple recipe which not only looks impressive (purple food always does) but tastes brilliant too. If you cheat and buy pastry (I'm not telling anyone) then it is even easier.

I have discovered some wonderful goats cheese recently, from the excellently named Wobbly Bottom Farm, they do a range of goats and cow cheeses made from goats and cows on their own farm. My favourites are the soft flavoured goats cheeses, rolled in all manner of lovely things such as piri piri seasoning, black pepper or herbs. Yummy!
For my readers in Cambridge, they sometimes appear at local markets but the cheese is also stocked at the Cambridge Farmers Market outlet on the corner of Lensfield Road/Regent Street.

Beetroot & Goats Cheese Tart
makes one 28cm round tart

First of all either make your pastry, or roll out a sheet of bought shortcrust pastry. Oil or butter your tin, mine was non stick anyway but I have pastry paranoia so I greased it anyway. And then line your tart tin with your pastry. Leave about 1.5 inches overhanging, line with tin foil and fill with dry beans or rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes at gas mark 5 / 180c.

Whilst the pastry blind bakes make your filling.
For the filling you'll need:

3 small beetroots - peeled and grated
3 medium eggs
about 50g of parmesan, finely grated
50ml of milk
1 teaspoon of creamed horseradish
small handful of chopped parsley
seasoning
About 75g of soft crumbly goats cheese

Whisk your eggs in a bowl and then mix in your milk. Then add in the rest of the ingredients except the goats cheese and stir to combine.
Remove the pastry from the oven when it is light golden brown and nearly cooked all over (keep the oven on), remove the beans/rice and the foil. Whilst it is still fairly warm trim the excess pastry from the edge of the tin. Leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes before adding your filling in, hot pastry and cold eggs don't mix too well! Scatter the crumbled goats cheese over the top of the tart, or slice into rounds and place on top.

Return to the oven for 15- 20 minutes until the mixture has a slight wobble in the centre, but is cooked everywhere else. Cool for as long as you can bear before eating it!

P.S. I am sorry for the Instagrammed photos, normal properly taken photos will return some day, probably when the light levels are better.

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Apple & Maple Syrup Flapjacks

I have a slightly traumatic history when it comes to flapjacks. Ok maybe not traumatic, but unsuccessful certainly. Every time I've made them they've stuck hard to the pan, requiring a chisel to get them out and extra strong teeth to eat them. I think I even chucked a baking tin in the bin once because they stuck so hard.

The other thing about flapjacks and me is the time I worked for an oat seed company, every year at a big event we did there would be trays and trays of flapjacks to give away to visitors. Being as we had to be at the show at about 7am every day and there was little time for eating most of us survived on the flapjacks, and by day three I didn't want to see them ever again til the next year.

Anyway, a craving Mr. Giraffe had today and a rush of confidence in my baking skills lead me to make these. I used the recipe from The Pink Whisk (fancy iPad to view them is optional but useful when you are in the kitchen!) but subbed the golden syrup for maple syrup, plus I added another tablespoon of it in for extra flavour. As part of my extra flavouring a lovely local apple was grated into the mixture along with some cinnamon.

Apple & Maple Syrup Flapjacks
adapted from The Pink Whisk

160g butter
115g sugar
2 tbsp of maple syrup
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
240g of porridge oats
1 apple, grated

Preheat your oven to 160c fan / 180c / gas mark 4

Melt the sugar, butter and maple syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and add in the other ingredients and stir well.

Pour into a greased and lined brownie tin.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then cut into pieces. Then leave to cool in the tin before removing the pieces.

Ruth points out that the mix will look quite pale, and although you don't get the nice golden brown-ness, it does mean that the mix doesn't set rock hard in the pan like my past attempts! This way you'll get lovely soft flapjacks.

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German Apple Cake

I love apple cake, it is a very autumnal thing and being as it has felt autumnal for about 3 weeks now I think it is the perfect cake to be baking at the moment. I'll start off with a little disclaimer, I didn't bake this cake, Mr Giraffe did, but it was so yummy that it needed to be blogged about.

This recipe is from Honey & Jam - it is a very simple sponge with none of the usual spicing that most apple cakes have, the sponge is very buttery and light and the apples really stand out. The apples aren't peeled which works suprisingly well, especially if you have good quality apples.

I think we/I will be making this again soon!

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autumn colour

 

Some photos from my walk today, I love Autumn, it photographs so well.

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autumn collection continues

I do love a good mosaic!

More of my autumn jewellery, all in my Etsy shop, some on Folksy and Dawanda.

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Spiced One Bowl Brownies

I have encountered and made many brownie recipes, each one different from the next in technique and flavour. I like them with coffee, with nuts, even with bacon, but sometimes I want them to be quick and easy - because everyone needs brownies in a hurry sometimes.

These recipes require something which I don't normally ever use in baking - a microwave. The butter and chocolate is melted in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then the other ingredients stirred in one by one.

I've adapted the recipe to include some spices (something that feels very autumnal!) - ginger, cinnamon and smoked paprika - trust me the smoked paprika is good.

I much prefer very gooey brownies but my husband prefers his more like a moist cake - these are more of a cakey brownie with a lightly crisped top. If you like gooeyness then use about 50g less of the flour.

Spiced One Bowl Brownies
adapted from all recipes

NB  - I made this recipe again but with only 75g of flour and 25g cocoa powder, it gave a gooier brownie with a crisper top, good if you like them this way!

100g good quality dark chocolate (70%), broken in to pieces
70g butter
100g sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinamonn
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat your oven to 400f, 200c or gas mark 6

Put the butter and chocolate into a large microwavable bowl, microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Remove from the microwave and stir together til the chocolate is completely melted in with the butter.
Stir in sugar til combined.
Stir in your eggs one by one and then add in your vanilla.
Sift in your flour, baking powder and spices, fold in to combine.

Pour into a greased and lined, or non stick, square 9inch pan. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until just done - your knife should come out with a few crumbs when inserted - the great thing about brownies is that it isn't a disaster if they are underdone because it equals more gooeyness!

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Autumn collection begins

Well now look how much of a hard worker I have been lately!

I have been designing lots of new pieces with a nice Autumn twist - deep purples, ambers, rich reds, vintage metals and simple shapes all feature. And I've been playing with gemstones!

I have some Amethyst in my shop at the moment and I am hoping to introduce more gems very soon, watch this space!

My popular First Date Earrings are back in two colourways  - pink and purple and amber and pink. They are ever so sparkly!

My most favourite piece is the Opera Necklace, I spotted this filigree a while ago and couldn't resist it any longer, I am so glad I snapped it up. It is a one of a kind piece, I think the filigree is quite rare too, and ever so elegant.

All of these pieces are for sale in my Etsy shop, some will also be available in my folksy, dawanda and All Things Original shops.

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autumness

We are definitely in to the swing of Autumn now. I've lost count of the amount of squashes and pumpkins I've bought and consumed, we've been eating a lot more soup and the fire has been on!

I must get out and take some pictures of the lovely golden trees, before they are bare for the winter.

For now I've been thinking autumn on the jewellery front too..

This luxurious 'Fireside Necklace' is made from chunky sterling silver chain and beautiful crackled vintage glass and vintage resin beads. I love the glow that it has, it looks so delicate and warm when worn. In my Etsy shop

For those that know me a bit better (or follow me on twitter!) you may know that I am getting married soon, I will be sure to blog my outfit soon and the day once we are back from our honeymoon. Watch this space :)

xx

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Blackberry Season..

The blackberry bush at the end of the garden is looking lovely, we have had great year for them.

I've been seeing lots of blackberry eton mess recipes for a while and I thought I'd give it a try, but in a much more speedy way.

I sweetened some creme fraiche to taste with icing sugar, added in half the blackberries and mushed them up a bit. Then I broke up a couple of meringues (I buy ready made from the bakery section, they taste just as good without the hassle), spoon over the creme fraiche and the other half of the fresh blackberries - eat with a big spoon!

To make this even quicker you could even use ice cream. Marscarpone works well in place of creme fraiche too.

xx

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Autumn collection is here!

I have listed the first three pieces from my Autumn collection, you can find them in my Etsy shop.

Check back for new designs very soon. :)

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autumn preview no. 3

A necklace!

In wonderful autumnal amber with golden brass, I love the vibrancy of this lucite ring, the facets on it make it extra special and really show off the amber.

In my shop very soon, I hope to start listing in a week or so :)

Look out for more autumnal goodies soon.

Also, to make way for new things, I am running a very nice sale in my Etsy shop.
All sale earrings are only $10.

xx

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autumn preview - no. 2

More newness!

Well, now who doesn't like tortoiseshell when it looks like this?
Some great beads that I previously used in a different design, now perfect on oxidized silver hoops.

In my etsy shop in the next few weeks!

xx

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autumn preview - no.1

Glossy black cherry lucite nuggets suspended from golden brass chain, a perfect slice of Autumn!

These will be in my etsy shop in the next few weeks, I'll be previewing some more items in the run up too, so keep an eye on the blog!


Deepa
x

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all new

Happily I've recently had a creative spurt and I've been creating new things for the last week or so, which is brilliant as I had a funny little 'jewellers block' before that, which was very frustrating.

I'm really enjoying getting stuck into the autumn and winter seasons now, and its even better now that its looking a lot more seasonal outside.

First of all I have a new website, here.
I'm really pleased with how it has turned out, thank you to my other half for designing it - please have a look at his website, sensesstudios.

New pieces are in my Etsy shop, among my favourite are these Coal Earrings made with dark oxidized silver and soft grey lucite beads. I have recently received some beautiful new earring wires from Metamorph on Etsy and they look just great with my vintage beads, I love handmade findings.

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leaves under your feet...

This weekend I finally managed to begin work on some truly autumnal pieces, I received some beautiful beads last week, perfect for this time of year. My bead box is full of rusty ambers, deep purples, dark browns and delicate snowy pinks and whites.

I have been trying to concentrate more on matching sets, to make my jewellery look more co-ordinated and also to offer my customers more choice. My two newest items are practically edible! A beautiful Roasted Pumpkin necklace and earrings and Damson necklace and earrings set. See the stack widget below to see (click on the picture to move to the next photograph), or my etsy shop.

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I have also been happily carrying my newest handmade handbag by Florigander on Etsy. It too is autumnal, in a nice thick tweed fabric which is a repurposed skirt! As always it is big enough to fit all my things in, which I need!


I think it will be time to resume my search for a winter coat soon!

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handmade of the month - september

wow, is it really september already?

Its feeling distinctly autumnal here, and I am itching to light the first fire in our fireplace - although I feel it might still be a little too early.

I have found my pick for this month, these lovely gold disc earrings from Bloom Studios - I adore the simplicity of them and they have a nice warm feel which is great for this time of year.
I have also set my sights on this beautiful chocolate diamond ring (I've never heard of a chocolate diamond before!).

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