The main challenge was to make the super thin strudel pastry dough which is one of the only pastry doughs I've ever made which doesn't contain butter (practically diet food).
The trick is to stretch it out on a floured cloth and not to panic when you see holes appearing in the dough like a pair of old tights. Given the elasticity of the dough, it was actually easier to manipulate than I feared and I soon had my (somewhat laddered) sheet ready to fill.
The apple strudel recipe given looked delicious but in the spirit of adventure I decided to make a pistachio and rosewater frangipane to fill the pastry log. I started by soaking dried dates and apricots in a little rum and hot water to soften them. Once soft, I popped them in the blender to make a coarse puree.
To make the frangipane, I creamed butter, pistachios, egg, a little flour and a few drops of rosewater. Delicious.
I spread the fruit puree and the frangipane over the dough and used the cloth to make a rather uninspiring looking sausage:
Which I then shaped into an even less appetising looking horseshoe and baked for 30 minutes.
The strudel dough was crisp and flakey but it was definitely just a shell for the more flavoursome filling. I'm not sure whether the pastry turned out as it should have done - it was fine but it didn't really ring my cowbell! I was very happy with the filling though. The mixture of pistachios, dried fruit and rosewater was moist, fragrant and delicious. I would definitely try this filling in a tart, perhaps with figs as well...250g dried apricots/dried dates soaked in a little boiling water with rum if you please
- Grind the pistachios with half of the sugar in a food processor until they are in fine crumbs.
- In a food mixer (or with a wooden spoon) beat the butter until it is soft. Add the remaining sugar and cream until fluffy.
- Add the egg and mix it in well. Add the rosewater (you may want to add more to taste).
- Stir in the pistachios and flour until you have a chunky paste.
- Meanwhile puree your dried fruit.
- Spread the dried fruit paste onto the pastry and top with the pistachio frangipane.
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
On Sunday I cycled down to the farmers' market and bought my first bunch of 2009 asparagus - yay. There's something so heartening about those green spikes and the nearly summer sensation that they evoke. 
Together with the beautiful speckled eggs I picked up:
(free range chickens are clearly more creative), some leftover poached salmon and a little melted butter, it was the perfect Spring lunch.
In case you were wondering, the beautiful green plate is part of a 1940's dinner service that I got for a bargainous £20 at a local auction house. I love bargains.
I made these cushions a few weeks ago after having the cushion fillers languishing in my craft cupboard for the last few months. Embarrassingly after the rant above, I was finally inspired to make the covers after watching Kirsty Allsop's 
Check out some of my favourite creative blogs 
I often think that many a good cheesecake fails by having an insufficient crust to cheese ratio. Not for me this basic error:
I packed the chocolatey, almondy base into the tin and ended up with half the cheese mixture leftover (hello cheesecake number 5).
Similar to Baileys, but richer, creamier and definitely more alcoholic, it added the perfect kick. I also swirled some left over melted chocolate through the mixture. Yum. 
Using a water bath to cook cheesecake gives it the ideal 'cheesecake of your dreams' texture. Sadly I have often suffered from a soggy bottom when using this method. Jenny suggested using a disposable container rather than wrapping your loose bottomed tin in foil, but I decided to use a fixed bottom tin lined with cling film inside. The film doesn't melt, you can lift your cake easily and no wet bottoms. Yay!
This recipe was very successful. The filling was velvety, soft and rich and the almondy amaretti base changed the dynamic of the desert. It would be an ideal base for a coffee flavoured cheesecake. However, I think the recipe I'd used earlier in the week (based on a Nigel Slater recipe) produced a slightly better flavour and a lighter result so I think I'll keep it as my "go-to" recipe for now.
I love the design of the golden syrup cans. Unlike many brands, Tate and Lyle have kept their gorgeous green tins the same since their original design. Beautiful. I have been wan to through these in the recycling bin and they have been waiting for a new lease of life for some time. Bring in a couple of pots of supermarket herbs, bang a few drainage holes in the bottom and there you have it. Practical, pretty and beautifully green.
I think they make a lovely addition to the table - especially if flowers aren't in the budget at the moment...
Unfortunately any such vitality vanished once the dough went through the pasta machine. Less pasta, more saggy, green stockings:
What do you mean it doesn't look like the lasagne sheets you get in a packet?
Walking around the experience centre I had an uneasy feeling that I was cheating on my beloved newly refurbished kitchen. We've barely been together 6 months and there I was coveting the steam infused ovens and dishwashers with cutlery trays not baskets. Fickle. Of course I'd have had to sell my flat to be able to afford everything I'd have wanted for my kitchen which would rather have defeated the purpose. Once I get my "forever home" then I'll consider it.
One thing that I won't be saving up for is the kitchen counter BBQ. It's a lovely idea but surely the whole point of a BBQ is standing outside in the rain and cooking barely done sausages to give your family food poisoning, no? 
To be fair, it did produce great results:
Yum!
The beauty of these biscuits is that you can bend them, shape them, any way you want them. Think hearts, butterflies, pipes and baskets. Beautiful. I decided to craft biscuit baskets to hold a slightly-less-healthy-than-a-fruit-salad banoffee filling. Yum.
The tuiles were flavoured with vanilla sugar. Lucky girl that I am, I was given a jar of sugar packed with Madagascan vanilla (thanks N!) and it scented my tuiles to perfection.
The batter was a doddle to make and even the shaping wasn't as tricky as I feared. The most difficult thing was to spread the batter thinly enough so the biscuits ended up crispy rather than spongy.
and combined them with cream and crumbled meringue:
and homemade toffee sauce (I promise the bananas are still in there):
and a sprinkle of toasted pecans:
I would definitely make the tuiles again. I'd like to make narrow tubes dipped in chocolate and served as a petit-four. There's definitely scope for a savoury cone filled with avocado and prawns too...
