Meringues from Meg River's Home Baking

 When Meg River's young children called for a sweet treat she was reluctant to give them commercial bakes made with artificial flavours, preservatives and colours. So she started to bake her own wholesome cakes, traybakes and cookies using good-quality ingredients. Word spread about just how good these treats were and her friends started to place orders. When she got her first order for a cake to ship to Africa she decided to turn her hobby into a mail-order business and Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery was born.

  

Try this recipe for gorgeous Meg Rivers meringues

 

Crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle, meringues are so versatile. Their sweet simplicity of flavour combines particularly well with fresh fruit. Make them into nests and top with whipped cream and berries for a delicious dessert, or sandwich shells together for a tasty teatime treat.

3 egg whites

1⁄2 teaspoon white vinegar

1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract

180g/1 cup caster/

superfine sugar

to serve

600 ml/21⁄2 cups whipping cream

30 g/3 tablespoons caster/superfine sugar

fresh fruit of choice

2 baking sheets lined with non-stick baking parchment

Makes about 20

Preheat oven to 110˚C (225˚F) Gas 1⁄4. 

Put the egg whites, vinegar and vanilla into a large, clean, grease-free bowl and whisk on high speed with an electric hand whisk until it has doubled in volume and stiff peaks are formed. Add about a third of the sugar and beat on high speed for 5 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved. Repeat this process, adding the sugar a third at a time and beating for 5 minutes between each addition. The mixture should become stiff.

Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets to form mounds of the desired size. Make a dip in each one with the spoon to form a nest shape. Bake the meringues in the preheated oven for about 60–80 minutes or until they sound crispy and hollow when tapped underneath. Turn off the oven and leave them to cool in the oven with the door ajar for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve, whip the cream and sugar with an electric hand whisk until soft peaks are formed. Serve the meringue nests topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit of your choice.

The meringues will keep for 14 days in an airtight container, or can be frozen for up to 2 months.

This recipe is from Meg Rivers Home Baking by Julian Day, photography by Steve Painter, published by Ryland Peters & Small £16.99 or $24.99 in the USA

Meg Rivers Home Baking by Julian Day, photography by Steve Painter, published by Ryland Peters & Small £16.99 or $24.99 in the USA

Spring Event - Selina Lake's Book Party and Homespun Market

Hanbury Hall,
22a Hanbury Street
Spitalfields
London
E1 6QR

Interiors stylist, Selina Lake will be hosting a very special Book Party and Homespun Market on Friday 13th April, 2pm - 8pm in the heart of London's creative Spitalfields.

The one-off event is to celebrate the launch of Selina's new book, Homespun Style, a celebration of the unique, handmade and customized in interior design.

Selina will be joined by 20 designers, makers and crafters, many of whom are featured in Homespun Style, to create a unique and eclectic market. You'll be able to buy many of the items that appear in the book as well as a wide selection of lovely vintage and handcrafted items for your home.

Come along and enjoy a complementary glass of fizz and some delicious homemade cakes.

You can RSVP via Twitter @selinalake, through the event's Facebook page, or by emailing Selina: stylist@selinalake.co.uk

To find out more please visit the Facebook page for the event.

Our Five Favorite Moments of 2011

As RPS & CICO Books embark on a new year and get ready to launch an exciting new season of books, our team in the New York office wanted to look back and share their personal highlights from 2011.

Lynda, Director - Special Markets:
My favorite part of the year was making Emmanuel Hadjiandreou’s award winning Marzipan Stollen recipe from How to Make Bread. My grandfather’s side of the family had a bakery in Germany and making Stollen has been a life long Christmas tradition. It was fun to make this recipe to share alongside the recipe that my family has been making for decades.

Kris, Gift Rep Manager-Special Markets:
I had the great pleasure of meeting Geraldine James, the author of Creative Walls, on December 2nd at her hotel here in NYC. She was able to show us advanced pictures of her upcoming book Creative Display and give us a little more insight into the book and how it was created. If only we all had the chance to sit and talk with each author. Geraldine was not only inspiring but also a wonderful conversationalist. I am hoping to see her again at the upcoming Atlanta Gift Show in January.

Sandra, Sales Coordinator:
My favorite moment was seeing Christmas Cooking With Kids at Crate & Barrel facing out, front and center in their cooking display. They had it surrounded with other colorful festive Christmas items and it looked great!



J.J., Publicity:
One of the highlights of the year for me was meeting author Robert O’Byrne, fashion and art guru, when he stopped by the New York office to sign copies of his book The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman. As I had hoped, he was both impeccably dressed, sporting his signature bow tie and spectacles, and a true gentleman.


Donna, Sales Administrator:
Familiar with the jingle- “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets”?….well Making Cupcakes With Lola has gotten some well deserved attention, and now adding a great stationery line, I think Lola is well on her way to getting whatever she wants…..go Lola!

Holiday Gift Ideas from RPS & CICO Books

With the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to suggest a few of the new books from RPS and CICO Books that would make lovely presents for friends and family.

For the Home Décor Enthusiast:

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces, $35.00

Rachel Ashwell created a style of interior design that is accessible and comfortable while still being stylish and, well, chic. In her new book, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces, Ashwell shares her inspirations and her humor, celebrates the charm of the old and battered, and demonstrates time and again how her interiors transcend fashionable trends, extending a calming, personal welcome to all. I think that anyone decorating will appreciate her celebration of the “perfectly imperfect.” I will be giving a copy to my mom, who decorated our entire house according to the doctrine of Shabby Chic.

For the Everyday Cook:

The Italian Country Table, $24.95

The Italian Country Table is a must-have for anyone’s cookbook library. The book is filled with authentic recipes that have been collected from all over Italy and adapted for the home cook. The recipes range from starters like Tuna Carpaccio and Tuscan Bean Soup to pastas like Lasagna al Forno and Gnocchi with Rocket Pesto. There are also plenty of rich and hearty meat and poultry dishes to try including Pork Loin Roasted with Rosemary and Garlic, Beefsteak with Arugula, and Devilled Grilled Chicken. Yum!

For the Man in Your Life:

The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman, $14.95

Robert O’Byrne’s The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman is an invaluable gift for both the seasoned dresser and fashion-challenged alike. It is chalked full of helpful tips on how to dress your best and accompanied by charming illustrations and interesting tidbits on fashion history. Every man should have this on his dresser.

For the Crafter:

Wild & Wonderful Origami, $19.95

I recommend Wild & Wonderful Origami for people of all ages that enjoy getting crafty. This book offers 35 creative projects and 50 colorful pieces of origami paper that will teach you how to make everything from zebras and monkeys to dolphins and sea turtles. With designs of varying skill levels, both parents and children can construct the origami creatures together during the holiday season.

For the Jet-Setter:

My Travel Notes, $19.95

Travel Notes Journal is the perfect companion for travelers during the holiday season or for those planning trips for the coming year. There are enough pages to record a whole year of adventures as well as space to store the contact details of people you meet, note the places you stayed and jot down recommended places to visit, plus blank pages for doodling on long journeys. It also includes a fold-out map of the world and time zones, plus specially designed checklists and information to help plan your trip.

For the Baker:

How to Make Bread, $27.95

How to Make Bread has already become an instant classic for the baking community. Bakers are raving about the recipes developed by author Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, Gordon Ramsay’s former head baker. The book outlines the basic steps to making delicious bread and allows the reader to build off of that foundation with more complex recipes that include sourdoughs, flavored yeasted breads, and pastries. In all, there are more than 60 easy-to-follow recipes housed in a beautiful package that any baker would be thrilled to have in his or her kitchen shelf.

Happy holidays!

J.J. Seaman

US Publicity

Ryland Peters & Small – CICO Books

Perfect for Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Soup with honey & sage

Photograph Peter Cassidy

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the chill of winter setting in, we wanted to share this delicious recipe from Home-grown Harvest for you to enjoy with family and friends during the holiday season.

Pumpkin and sage are a wonderful combination and make a rich, comforting soup. Instead of fried sage leaves to garnish, you could also try sprinkling over a few toasted pumpkin seeds before serving. This recipe uses vegetable stock, but you could base it on chicken stock, too.

pumpkin soup with honey & sage

75 g unsalted butter
1 small–medium onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 kg pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded, peeled
and cut into cubes
2 heaped tablespoons clear honey
3 sprigs of fresh sage, plus extra crisp-fried leaves (optional), to serve
750 ml vegetable stock
75 ml double cream
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
serves 4–6

Gently melt the butter in a large lidded saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the onion, carrot and garlic, stir, cover and cook over low heat for about 4–5 minutes. Add the cubed pumpkin, honey and sage, stir, replace the lid and continue to cook very gently for about 10 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly, then remove the sage and strain the soup, retaining the liquid. Put half the cooked vegetables in a food processor with just enough of the reserved cooking liquid to blend into a smooth purée.
Transfer to a clean saucepan and repeat with the remaining vegetables, adding the purée to the first batch. Whizz the remaining liquid in the food processor to pick up the last bits of purée and add that too. Bring the soup slowly to the boil, then stir in the cream without boiling further. Season to taste with lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon), salt (about a teaspoon) and pepper.
Serve with an extra swirl of cream or scatter some crisp-fried sage leaves on top and serve with wholemeal or multigrain bread.

Home-grown Harvest, Ryland Peters & Small, $27.95 / £19.99

Making Cupcakes with Lola

Lola's is London's most fashionable cupcake bakery. Victoria Jossel, Romy Lewis and their team of bakers and decorators have been making fresh batches of sophisticated, handcrafted cupcakes every day since the end of 2006. Now you can re-create a some Lola magic in your kitchen with these simple recipes. To celebrate National Baking Week we are sharing this recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Cupcakes from Making Cupcakes with Lola.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Cupcakes

This was created to spice up any Halloween or thanksgiving party! It is a very moist cake, full of aromatic spices, and topped with a heavenly cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Ingredients

75 g/2⁄3 cup shelled pecans, plus 12 to top

190 g/11⁄2 cups plain all-purpose flour
11⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust
3⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon bicarbonate of/baking soda
a pinch of salt
100 g/61⁄2 tablespoons butter, cubed and soft
60 g/1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
60 g/1⁄4 cup (caster) sugar
1⁄2 vanilla pod/bean
2 eggs
175 g/3⁄4 cup canned pumpkin purée
60 ml/1⁄4 cup sour cream

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting
140 g/91⁄2 tablespoons butter, cubed and soft
225 g/12⁄3 cups icing/ confectioners’ sugar
210 g/1 scant cup cream cheese
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases
Makes 12

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/ Gas 4.
To toast the pecans, set a frying pan over medium–high heat to warm up. Add the pecans to the warm pan and toast, stirring frequently, for about 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Put the cooled, toasted pecans in a food processor and grind to a powder. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of/baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Put the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Using a small, sharp knife, slit the vanilla pod/bean down its length and scrape the seeds out into the mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
Finally, fold in the pumpkin purée, sour cream and ground pecans.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling down, make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Put the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Sift in the sugar and beat on medium speed for 3–5 minutes until well mixed. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Finally, add the cream cheese, ground cinnamon and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula, or spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large, plain nozzle/tip and pipe it on top of the cupcakes. Top with a pecan and dust with ground cinnamon.

Making Cupcakes with Lola, Victoria Jossel & Romy Lewis of Lola's, photography by Kate Whitaker, published by Ryland Peters & Small

Talking Tea with Bea Vo

Since opening its doors in 2008, London hotspot Bea’s of Bloomsbury has delighted its patrons with an enchanting atmosphere and bounty of beautiful pastries. Now the secrets to creating Bea’s most delicious confections are revealed in new cookbook Tea with Bea. Acclaimed American pastry chef, Bea Vo, chatted with us about her love of teatime and how she translated that into her new cookbook.

(Find Bea's recipe for Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes at the end of the interview!)

As an American, what inspired you to hop the pond and take on the very English tradition of teatime baking with Bea’s of Bloomsbury?

I first visited London and then had a massive crush on a French chef I met (go figure). I was also in love with the vibrancy of the city, and how so many people from so many different backgrounds were able to connect. That and English strawberries--I literally wait for strawberry season so I can stuff myself silly.

As for teatime baking, being able to relax after a hard day's work with some cake, some friends, and tea to wash it down with, why shouldn't everyone give it a try? Less expensive than a therapy session I say.

Baking is a very precise and scientific undertaking that can easily go wrong. Any advise for beginning bakers?

Baking is precise and scientific but once you learn the basics, the rules come naturally. It's like playing a piano--you have chords, you have left hand and right hand, and there are all these rules, but once you really understand the rules, you can put out a good tune consistently. Baking is the same, but I feel people try to play it by ear more times than not. I hope the book helps correct that.

As you write, “Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world (except for water.)” What makes tea special?

I think tea is the ultimate portable drink—all you need is hot water (and not even that!) I think the breadth of the British Empire has helped make tea into what it is, and you wouldn't find a nation that is more in love with tea than the Brits.

How did you go about choosing the recipes for your cookbook?

Very simply, these are the same treats that we serve in our shop! And people are surprised they are the actual recipes, as I suppose some other places tend to doctor the recipes to preserve their secrets. But baking has traditionally always been a collaborative effort, with women trading treasured recipes back and forth--I think that should continue.

What was your biggest challenge while writing the book?

The biggest challenge was writing the book in between working at the shops, opening our St. Paul's location in London and consulting on our Bloomsbury's concept in Abu Dhabi. The concept 'day off' is a foreign one to me. Plus as I'm an American but have lived in London for so many years, I tend to spell certain words in either the British or American way depending on my mood-- a nightmare for my editor Celine Hughes!

Tea with Bea includes vegan and gluten-free recipes. Was it important to you that the book be accessible to a wide audience?

I think that the point of desserts is to provide a moment of happiness for people, and just because someone might have certain food restrictions doesn't mean they shouldn't get to enjoy our desserts as well. However, what we've made very very clear, is that these recipes are great, and just happen to be vegan or gluten-free. I think it's silly to eat a mediocre cake just because it fits your diet.

What’s next for you?

Well we're busy expanding here in London and abroad, but the second book is in the works. As the shop's been a chef's collective for years now and we've always changed our menu seasonally, we have an encyclopedia of recipes still unpublished.

Tea with Bea, $24.95, Ryland Peters & Small, September 2011

Photography by Kate Whitaker

Interview by J.J. Seaman

Bea's Recipe for Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes!

Having an Austrian chef for a husband means two things: you must love Lebkuchen and you must love beer. These cupcakes fulfil both desires. If you like ginger, you will love this cake. The Guinness stout adds earthiness to the cake and also reacts with the baking soda to make a beautiful soft and moist crumb. It works well as both a cake and cupcake, and if you’re feeling particularly playful, the best decorations are mini gingerbread men sprinkles.

250 ml/1 cup Guinness stout

250 g/3⁄4 cup black treacle/molasses

11⁄2 teaspoons bicarbonate of/baking soda

280 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 eggs

100 g/1⁄2 cup caster/superfine sugar

100 g/1⁄2 cup dark brown soft sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

200 ml/3⁄4 cup sunflower oil

chopped crystallized ginger, to decorate

golden cream cheese icing

225 g/1 cup cream cheese

60 g/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

175 g/11⁄2 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons golden syrup

muffin trays, lined with about 24 large cupcake cases

piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle/tip

makes 24

Preheat the oven to 170˚C (340˚F) Gas 5.

Put the Guinness and treacle in a tall saucepan (the next step will cause the mixture to bubble up violently and potentially overflow, so choose a very tall pan) and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of/baking soda. Let stand until completely cool.

Put the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves in a bowl and stir until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, both sugars and the grated fresh ginger. Gradually add the oil. Add the stout syrup and stir thoroughly.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, filling them four-fifths of the way up (the mixture will not rise that much).

Bake in the preheated oven for 25–35 minutes until they feel springy to the touch. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let cool on a wire rack.

To make the golden cream cheese icing, put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until combined and glossy. Add the icing/confectioners’ sugar and beat until fluffy. Fold in the vanilla extract and golden syrup.

Fill the prepared piping bag with the icing and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top with a couple of pieces of crystallized ginger, to decorate.

Variation: to make into a layer cake instead of cupcakes, spoon the mixture into 2 x 20-cm/8-inch pans or 1 x 25-cm/10-inch pan and bake at 160˚C (315˚F) Gas 4 for 45–55 minutes (for the small pans) or 1 hour 15 minutes (for the large pan).