Slow-cooker baked beans for cyclists

Follow these steps for easy, tasty baked beans:

Soak 250gr small haricot beans in cold water overnight.   In the morning, drain the beans, and add fresh cold water.  Boil rapidly for an hour or so on the stove top. 

Turn on slow-cooker and add:

1 chopped medium onion
1 small smoked ham hock (optional - add a spoonful of vegetable oil instead)
1-2 tsp ground mustard
1-2 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp ground cloves

1-2 Tbs dark brown Muscovado sugar 
a dollop of treacle 
1Tbs tomato paste/puree or ketchup 

Add beans.  Cover with water. 

Go for a long bike ride. 

Come home.  Remove skin and bone from ham hock.  Add chopped hotdogs (optional). 

Serve with mash. 

A la recherche des recettes perdues...*

I thought I'd lost my recipe for madeleines. I found one, and made it, but it wasn't the same (and some things in the recipe are just wrong!). Then I found the one I've used before, which I particularly like for the method, as much as the ingredients.  Will blog my version here to avoid future crises...

113 grams butter

130 grams all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (not totally sure this is needed...)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

130 grams golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the butter (I use the microwave).

Mix flour and baking powder in a small bowl.  

Beat eggs and sugar with electric beaters in a bigger bowl until light-coloured and fluffy.   Add vanilla.

Mix some of the batter with the melted butter.  

Then FOLD some of the the flour mixture and some of the butter/batter mixture into the main batter mixture, alternating 2 or 3 times until it's all combined. 

Then cover and chill the batter for 1 hour or overnight. See how thick and bubbly it is? 

Butter and flour madeleine tins (ideally 2x12 larger tins).  Chill in fridge. 

Pre-heat oven to 190C 

Use two spoons to scoop batter into tins.

 


Bake 8-10 minutes, or until firm to touch and golden-coloured.

Gently turn out of pan (you may need a palette knife or firm spatula), then dust with icing sugar.

Eat immediately, while still warm. 

*Blogpost title credits to my Uncle Stuart.