Monday, January 11

Home Visit



The best thing about my new job is that I don’t do it at weekends. On Friday night after the now familiar supper pantomime, I headed for the station and a train back home to Bristol.


My home contains my husband (The Director) and his film production company, I used to work there too and all through last week, apart from missing my husband, my books and clothes and my own kitchen, I have been dreadfully homesick for my former colleagues, Miss Whiplash, the Camera Boys and all the cake and gossip therein.

I arrived at midnight to find the house full of panic over an impending deadline - a couple of Camera Boys worked with The Director over the weekend to get file transfers completed and another stage of a film production delivered.

Whiplash is stuck in Scotland and has sent a message to say that it is so cold that there is no point in even trying to go out - she might as well stay there, in bed with a friend or two to keep her warm, until the thaw.

There have been changes in my absence, a new Camera Boy was taken on just before Christmas, these were the main reasons that he got the job;

a) We really liked his hair

b) He’s a very sharp dresser

c) He’s so skinny that he pretty much disappears when he turns sideways*

It turns out that Slim Boy makes decent tea and is also rather good at all the digital stuff that needs doing, but an additional bonus is that his sartorial elegance is having an effect on the other boys, some of whom are now experimenting with hair products and interesting hats, it seems they are now spending their days discussing the relative merits of various hair straighteners and having wax vs gel debates.

* fascinating to observe, but also, as the house is rather crowded these days, a body that doesn’t take up much space is quite handy.



Weekend Bake Off

To restore my equilibrium after a week at the Crazy White House I spent the weekend baking and gave myself a gold star for a spiced fig, nut and orange tart invention, I’m pretty sure that it’s the sort of thing that can tolerate variations, so here's what I did;

• get some packets/handfuls of soft dried figs snip off the stalks and put to soak in dark rum and the juice and fine zest of an orange.

next day

• line a standard sized quiche dish with pastry (I added a tablespoonful of sugar to a basic shortcrust recipe) leave in the fridge while you make the filling.

• purée or chop the marinated figs and blend with the rum/orange liquor

• get a big handful (or two) of roasted nuts, walnuts are good, I combined these with some almonds and hazels, chop them and add to the fig mix

• stir in 2 eggs, a couple of tablespoons of honey, a grating of lemon zest, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon each of nutmeg and ground cloves and a pinch of salt.

• taste the mixture and adjust for sweetness/spiciness/citricity, when you think it's lovely enough pour into the pastry-lined dish.

• cook in a moderate oven ( 180 degrees centigrade) for 30-40 mins. The top should start cracking but if you poke it, it should still be soft

• put tart to cool

• melt a bar of good dark chocolate with a tablespoon each of cream and butter and some more orange zest (if you fancy it) mix well and spread this on top of the tart.

• When you can wait no longer, eat tart.

25 comments:

  1. "sartorial elegance is having an effect on the other boys, some of whom who are now experimenting with hair products and interesting hats, it seems they are now spending their days discussing the relative merits of various hair straighteners and having wax vs gel debates."

    I am now concerned that somehow the Camera Boys were swapped with MJ's Houseboys!

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  2. good hair is an excellent reason to hire someone! i have longed for same my whole life but instead got the frizzy variety.

    if he has any tips, please pass them along.

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  3. Wow, I surprised that "a moderate oven" would accept such an obviously immoderate cake :-)

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  4. I bet your tart was eaten in a flash!

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  5. Your tart recipe is just plain evil. Can you post me a slice?

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  6. Tsk. But the tart never cools.
    Sx

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  7. i copied the recipe and i'm going to try it! sounds like something the MITM would adore! i cant wait to surprise him, sugar! thanks xoxoxox

    (by the by, any suggestions about hair products you can share?)

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  8. Does it um, like, travel well? Distances I mean, like between Bristol and London for example??? Yes I think you should try to see if the cake travels well... May I suggest freezing a slice for a good week and a half, then taking it to London - just to see if it keeps well in a fridge after thawing. Then a few days after - Why not a Sunday evening?...You could try it on an unsuspecting friend. i suggest, to check if the tart is really worthy to be called 'internationally delicious,' that you try it on a renowned globe trotter. Someone who was born in NZ, Naturalised Australian, Naturalised French and speaks a little Chinese... I could find such a person for you at a moment's notice!!

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  9. Hmm there are more Australians who now live in the UK who would travel vast distances for such gourmet fair. Sounds bloody great Mate.

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  10. I have a good feeling I shall be making a figgy orange tart next weekend for my discriminating houseguests, the Bellevillians.

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  11. Everything soaked in dark rum deserves a medal.

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  12. Thanks for the lo-cal special Lulu I'm going to blame my slimness on it.

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  13. xl - most of the boys are from the trailer load she sent over last year. I forgot to send them back.

    Mrs Weight - I think those ceramic straightening irons are getting a lot of use, but I think a tight hat has to be wedged on top to maintain straightness.

    Gadjo - My oven did gasp rather, especially as it had to take a couple of cakes at the same time

    Mrs Eyeball - correct, there is little tart left.

    Nursey - come over here and I'll make another one specially.

    Scarlet - The tart was a hot one right enough!

    Sav - Hope he likes it

    see my response to Mrs W about hair stuff, I just wash mine, then turn cartwheels until it dries.

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  14. Ange - I love the idea of being internationally recognised (is this person a Fraussie Wiwi?) I'll set up the trial.

    JoeyJoJoJOJOJO - come and join in the tasting trial

    Kat - The Bellevillians - how grand, they'll love it, set the figs to marinate as long as you like.

    Met Mum - When I'm soaked in dark rum I speak like a pirate

    Inky - eat the tart as a reward for jogging a couple of time round town.

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  15. Lulu, my own little hot tart - have you pointed your client to your blog? You should. Perhaps leave the web address in the baking tray.

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  16. Eros said, "I am now concerned that somehow the Camera Boys were swapped with MJ's Houseboys!"

    Lulu said, "most of the boys are from the trailer load she sent over last year. I forgot to send them back."

    You can keep them, Miss Lulu.

    I was always tripping over their shoes.

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  17. When you can no longer wait, eat tart. That's pretty much a prescription for life.

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  18. @ MJ

    "Eros said, "I am now concerned ..."

    Oh, mais non! xl said that!

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  19. @XL

    Once again Mistress MJ must apologize for confusing your name with Eros' name.

    Obviously you two are very different people and in fact I WAS thinking of you when I wrote that.

    However, for some reason, your names are interchangeable in my mind.

    *exits shame faced*

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  20. When you used to primarily write about bugs, I never got as hungry reading your blog like I do now.

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  21. It is rather funny the way not only snappy dressers will inspire the rest of the office to dress better, but that it works the other way--the slobs drag everyone down to comfy shoes, loose old clothes and far too little attention to hair and makeup!

    Cow rather dimly did not understand you have to actually live at these rich people's house. They must really be rich to afford live-in cooks. In fact they must be so rich they won't notice a few good bottles of burgundy and some expensive imported cheeses leaving with you for the train every Friday!

    (Cow still resenting the rich people and resorting to pilfering supplies to pay them back for their snottiness)

    (Cow done posting now, going out to buy rum and figs)

    Moo!

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  22. @MJ

    Actually, it's rather flattering to be mistaken for the hansom and dashing Eros!

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  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  24. Mr Emerson I will leave the address when I leave.

    MJ - men don't like being confused - it confuses them!

    Mr Red - When you can no longer wait, eat tart. That's my prescription for everything, including life.


    Wow - I never got as hungry reading your blog like I do now.
    Shuld I start talking about rotting roadkill again

    Mr Cow - I don't live with the rich people but I do stay in London during the week - that's a whole other set of blog posts!!

    I probably should start pinching things too pay them back for being strange, but I'm too tired to carry bottles of Burgundy home with me at the end of the day.


    xl it's rather flattering to be mistaken for the hansom and dashing Eros!

    you are taking this very well, don't you want to flounce around a bit?

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  25. Sounds darn good except for the nutmeg part. Who was the nut that first tried eating ground nutmeg? yech.

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