Perfect Shortbread

I have long followed Felicity Cloake's How to Make the Perfect... series of articles in The Guardian online. However, it was only this recipe (so far) that got me to go into the kitchen to actually try it out. You see, despite my love for her series, I have never actually bothered to try her recipes.

What got me into the kitchen was the fact that this recipe was so simple. Also, considering I bake almost every week, I always, always have all the ingredients for shortbread in the pantry, except this time... so I had to substitute the ground rice with semolina which turned out very well. Very well indeed. It yielded a crunchy, crumbly, buttery and utterly delicious biscuit.

PERFECT SHORTBREAD

Adapted from Felicity Cloake

115g Salted Butter, at room temperature
55g Raw Sugar
1/2 teaspoon natural Vanilla Essence
130g Plain Flour
40g fine Semolina
A pinch of Sea Salt
More Raw Sugar to finish

1. Preheat the oven to 140 Celsius. Line a 19cm tart tin with baking paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the Butter and Sugar with a wooden spoon until well-mixed. About 2 minutes.
3. Mix through the Vanilla Essence. 
4. Fold in Flour, Semolina and Salt gently until well-combined. 
5. Transfer dough into the tart tin, pat down gently, leaving about half an inch space between the dough and the rim.
6. Bake for about an hour and a half or until the shortbread is cooked through but not browned. Check the shortbread at the hour mark to judge the additional cooking time.
7. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on more Sugar, cut into wedges with a sharp knife and let it cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

R.I.P. Miss Burrow

We are so sad to see you go. You and your little friends have given us all so much pleasure and delight. 

Miss Burrow and her friend Turkey.

The perfect Christmas comes wrapped in blue

If I had a magic wand, I would rewind time to Christmas...

If I had a magic wand, I would rewind time to Christmas. This is the problem with the season. You wait all year for it and in the blink of an eye, it passes you by so quickly it catches you by surprise. It's the same story, every year, when you're left trying to hold on to the 25th on the 26th. 

I've always believed that the year truly begins in February, or at least when Chinese New Year rears its head. Then, it's really time (if you haven't already... like me) to put away, yes put away the Christmas tree, heave a great sigh and inevitably get on with the new year.

If you're wondering... my Christmas tree is still up (of course, it is). 

I have also quite cleverly squirreled away some Marks & Spencers Luxury Mincemeat and a boiled Fruit Cake for some post-post-Christmas parties which all of us who secretly cannot believe a new year has started will willingly throw and attend.     

Before I leave you to wonder what madness it is for someone to go on and on about Christmas in January, here are some photos of the goodies I baked... for the season (of course!). 

Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!

Oh hello Gingerbread Man...

Oh no, look what you've done. You tried to run away so I was forced to eat your leg!

Fondant-iced Shortbread Biscuits

Homemade Mince Pies

Stained-glass Biscuits

Pineapple Jam Tarts

Priene. Picture-book of ruins.

Priene. What does one say about this Greek ruin? Well... it's really a lot of ruin! If you have been to one you will understand. There are enormous bits of antiquity lying all over the place in a haphazard manner. All you can do is look in awe upon them, drink it all in with your eyes and then try to imagine what it may have looked like in its glory days.

Once upon a time, this city was also a port, just like Ephesus and just like that famed city this one is now so far away the sea that it is difficult to comprehend the fact. The city is set high up on a mountain and the view of the flat plains below is magnificent. I felt like I was in a picture-book of ruins.

Climb, climb, climb... all the way to the mountain top

At the top, the escarpment of Mycale draws your gaze first

Tear your eyes away slowly and feast upon the valley below

Feast some more

The Temple of Athena

Ruins

Look at the view again!

Ruins

Prickly flower-like plants at the edge

Pretty bit of ruin

Super prickly flower

I told you there were lots of ruin lying all over the place

And so you have some more ruin

And more for good measure

Breaking away from the ruins to look at a pine cone

The Theatre and its magnificent stone seats

Where does this path lead?

I wonder what building these arches adorned? 

Ah the fertile land below...

Lonesome half-arch

There was a pomegranate tree somewhere around here

Bye-bye Priene... for now

Selcuk. Break your fast like a princess.

The Agora

We were to visit Mary's house in the hills near Ephesus and stopped off for my second Turkish breakfast! Unfortunately, there are no photos of the first breakfast as despite the fact that it was a deliciously lavish affair as I had a tummy ache which stopped me from eating all of it, though I thoroughly enjoyed THIS breakfast!

The first breakfast was in Izmir at a place called Sir Winston's Tea House. The second was a little restaurant in Seljuk called Agora. 

Tomatoes, cucumber, olives, a chunk of cheese, an equally large chunk of butter and cold sliced sausage

Lots of freshly baked bread

Crumbled goat's cheese topped with blackberry preserves; and divine clotted cream and honey

Baked eggs

All washed down with copious amounts of Cay

After eating so much, we went for a teeny little walk around the restaurant. This is what we saw on the walk. 

Can you guess what tree this is? 

Oranges... they were orange trees and they lined the street next to the restaurant

A crane's nest and an interesting mosque roof with bottles stuck into it to draw natural light into the inside

And then there was the Ugur Mumcu (a Turkish investigative journalist assassinated in 1993) memorial 

Can you read it? 

I am a follower of Ataturk

I am a republican

I am a secularist

I am an anti-imperialist

I stand for the independence of Turkey

I am a libertarian

I am an advocate of human rights

I am against terrorism

I am an enemy of fanatics, thieves, opportunists and exploiters

Then shoot me, tear me into pieces

Every piece of my body will bring into existence

New ones who will even outdo me

Ave Maria. Mater Dei.

After breakfast in Selcuk, we headed up into the hills near Ephesus to visit Mary's house. It is believed that Mary was brought to this house by the Apostle John. 

Mary welcoming visitors to her house

Mary's house

Spring water for cleansing

Thousands of prayers line the wall

Sun peeping through the tree with squirrels

Darling little squirrels... can you see them?

As you drive to and fro Mary's house, you will pass this statue of her. She looks out onto the valley below and is quite a magnificent sight to behold. 

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.

Benedicta tu in mulieribus,

et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,

ora pro nobis peccatoribus,

nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Mary looking out over the valley

This is part of the valley Mary's looks out onto. Spot the ruins 

More of the valley

Cottage nestled in the hill

Pretty roadside flower... well I think it's a flower