Friday, June 18, 2010

MELTING MOMENTS - COOKIES TRÈS BRITISH

In order to continue promoting England (the land of my ancestors - I'm 1/2 English) and it's British culinary patrimony that is so dear to me, I made the decision to talk about a little cookie that occupies a special place in my heart...

My aim is to make you discover the traditional English cuisine through my childhood memories and make the skeptic folks who think that English food is horrid see this country's specialities under a different light - free from received ideas or preconceived negative misconceptions influenced by a global misunderstanding (sometimes close to propaganda) of the British gastronomy that have been blurring the vision of too many people until now. At least not everybody thinks that England has the worst food ever and thanks to many talented cooks such as Gordon Ramsay, Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein, Heston Blumenthal - to name a few - the British culinary tradition is being seen in a better way. That makes me happy.

Since a very early age, I have been very lucky to have been exposed to ver y good English homemade food thanks to my grandparents and my mother. Every year when I visited my grandparents, I was fortunate to eat extremely well. The meals were a festival of wonderful dishes that delighted me to the highest point.

Not only did I discover awesome dishes at my grandparents' place, but I was also spoilt by their friends who were members of the
Women's Institute and baked like cr azy for the market which took place every Friday in the Belper Masonic Hall. Not to forget that we went out every week to eat some of the finest foods in the region: Fish & Chips from one of England's best chippy (George's Tradition); real Bakewell Puddings from Bakewell in Derbyshire (Bakewell Pudding Parlour & Bakewell Pudding Shop); Pork Pies, Black Puddings, ham and sausages from Jerry Howarth on King street; healthy and natural potato chips from organic foodstores; gorgeous chocolates from Thorntons; Iced Buns, Chelsea Buns, Beef Pasties from the local bakeries; dreamlike cakes, scones, cookie bars in tearooms; B aked Potatoes, Mixed Grill, Steak & Kidney Pie in pubs etc...

I always loved sitting at the kitchen table and watching my grandmother cook or bake. She took cooking very seriously and didn't want people messing around the kitchen. Although my grandmother didn't like me to touch her pans, I nonetheless found a way to get close to the workplace and stove. Looking wasn't enough and having a kid that wanted to touch everything made her mad!

Sometimes though, after insisting repeatedly that she bake with me, my grandmother graced me with her presence while I baked treats. It is to be said that she isn't a big fan of giving baking or cooking lessons, but she nonetheless accepted to show me a few tricks. Standing next to her and making goodies together felt so good. It was the only time that I could bond with her and feel some kind of closeness (until now my grandmother hasn't told me that she loves me, hugged me or made any compliment). It is for that reason I c herish those rare moments that I shared with her and which made me feel important to her eyes...

A book my grandmother used all the time (my mother has it and I am also the happy owner of that book which was offered to me by my grandparents) was the Bo-Ro best-selling booklet. It was first published in 1923 and it is still available. This little jewel is chock-a-block-full of traditional English recipes that even the novice baker can f ollow. A real goldmine. As a matterof fact, the recipe I am presenting today is highly inspired by it.

The cookies I clearly remember making with my grandmother are oldies but goodies known under the promising name of "Melting Moments". Those easy to make (a great cookie to make with kids), simple, yet delicious vanilla shortbread-like cookies carry their name very well as they literally melt in the mouth and are absolutely heavenly. The dessicated coconut (or fine oats) used to roll the cookies in give them an extra layer of flavor and yumminess. Pure bliss in the old-fashoioned way!


~ Melting Moments ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010 and inspired by Be-Ro.

Ingredients:
105g (3 1/2 oz) Unsalted butter
75g (2 1/2 oz) Castor sugar
1/2 Medium egg
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Pinch Sea salt
150g (5 oz) All-purpose flour, sieved
1 Tsp Baking powder
Dessicated coconut
Dried cranberries

Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 180° C (350° F).
2. Cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy and light in texture.
3. Beat the egg together with the vanilla extract and salt.
4. Add to butter mixture and beat until well incorporated.
5. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix well until totally incorporated.
6. Shape the pastry into walnut-sized balls and toss in the dessicated coconut.
7. Place the cookies on the baking tray (covered with baking paper) and flatten slightly.
8. Press slightly a piece of cranberry into on each cookie.
9. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden in color.
10. Cool on a rack.

Remarks:
You can also roll the cookies in fine oats and place a piece of glacé cheery on the cookies (the original recipe uses no cranberries).
The original recipe contains 65g (2 1/2 oz) margarine and 40g (1 1/2 oz) lard. I chose to replace both with butter.
Keep the cookies for up to 5 days in an airtight cookie box.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with coffee and tea at any time of the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Melting Moments ~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010 et inspirée par Be-Ro.

Ingrédients:
105g Beurre non-salé
75g Sucre cristallisé
1/2 Oeuf (moyen)
1 CC d'Extrait naturel de vanille
1 Pincée de Sel de mer
150g de Farine blanche, tamisée
1 CC de Poudre à lever
Noix de coco rapée
Cranberries séchées


Method:
1. Préchauffer le four à 180° C (350° F).
2. Battre le beurre en pommade avec le sucre.
3. Battre l'oeuf avec la vanille et le sel.
4. Ajouter ce mélange au beurre en pommade et bien battre afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène.
5. Mélanger la farine avec la poudre à lever et ajouter au mélange beurre/sucre/oeuf/vanille. Bien incorporer.
6. Former des petites boules de la taille d'une noix avec la pâte et les rouler dans la noix de coco afin de les recouvrir entièrement.
7. Mettre les boules sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé et applatir légèrement.
8. Poser (en pressant légèrement) un morceau de cranberry sur chaque cookie.
9. Cuire pendant 10 à 15 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que les cookies soient dorés.
10. Laisser refroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Vous pouvez aussi rouler ces cookies dans du son d'avoine et les décorer avec un petit morceau de cerise glacée (la recette originale ne contient pas de cranberries).
La recette originale contient 65g de margarine et 40g de saindoux. J'ai choisi de les remplacer par du beurre.
Conserver les cookies pas plus de 5 jours dans une boîte à biscuits.

Idées de présentation:
Servir les Melting Moments à n'importe quelle heure de la journée avec une bonne tasse de café ou de thé.

81 comments:

  1. So yummy cookies and I happen to have all the ingredients. A bientôt!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely cookies deserve a special place in our heart. I think a lot of British food are delicious, people just not well informed. They think the food is bland.

    You just give me an idea what to cook next.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your pictures are just fantastic, love the pairing of flowers/cookies.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rosa, beauty, beauty cookies and pictures, I love all! huggs, gloria

    ReplyDelete
  5. Des biscuits qui se prêtent bien à l'heure du lunch!

    Bon vendredi chère Rosa:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What beautiful memories you have growing up! You know what people say about English food.. that it's bland and not very good.. What are your thoughts about that? My boss recently went to London and discovered AMAZING food. What is it that makes people think this way??

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cookies au charme très british (I didn't realise you were half british :-p) et surtout de magnifiques fleurs qui je l'avoue me séduisent, bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  8. J'ai une passion pour l'Angleterre, où je retourne sous peu. J'ai hâaaaaaaaaate!
    bon we à toi

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a nice post. And really wonderful you have this book form your grandparents, not that many people have that.
    Beautiful and delicous cookie.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful and delicious cookies! I love the coconut and the cranberry!

    ReplyDelete
  11. je connais ces biscuits et pour les faire souvent je confirme qu'ils sont sublimes

    ReplyDelete
  12. NAD'S BAKERY: That makes me mad! It is so not true.... Like everywhere, there are good cooks and bad ones. If you fall on a bad cook then, of course, the food will be horrid ;-)! Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The cookies look and sound delicious, but I have to say I am incredibly impressed by your flower photos. They are really beautiful and the colors are outstanding! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. These look gorgeous! I do love British food, scones with clotted cream & jam, cornish pasties...yum yum

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your shortbread cookies sound wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have to say I have always eaten very well in England; the last trip to London and Derbyshire had the best lamb ever; even supermarkets have really good products (way better than similar stores in the US); I love these melting cookies; they are rich, sure, but also classic and timeless. Perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What sweet memories of your grandma...these cookies look crumbly and wonderful. xo

    ReplyDelete
  18. I don't need convincing. It looks delicious! Funny-- I just did a post about some time I spent in London. Hurray Brits!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I can nearly taste them haven't had them for years. What lovely memories you have Rosa.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My grandmother was a great cook and baker. She would make these pink frosted molasses cookies just for me, it made me feel so special! Good food brings out such good memories. I am so glad you posted this recipe, I just got some sanding sugar and was looking for a recipe to make with my daughter. This is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your melting moments melt my butta!

    ReplyDelete
  22. your cookies melt me!!!!

    look fantastic both cookies and flower ^^

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wonderful food memories you have. Thanks for sharing them with us, along with your special cookie.

    Yum!

    Paz

    ReplyDelete
  24. These sound wonderful. I love cookies like this. I love hearing about your memories of your grandmother. It is food like this that is the most special. I am glad you finally got to spend time baking with her. It is funny how some people cannot show their emotions, but we still know they love us just the same:)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Das sind glückhafte Momente, wenn Du bei einer solchen Grossmutter backen lernen durftest. Schönes Wochenende !

    ReplyDelete
  26. These are classics! Perfect with a cup of tea!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love the way you've set the cookies next to the flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  28. cocnut cranberyyy... yummmmm!!! sooo pretty cookies :D

    ReplyDelete
  29. How nice to discover English food through your childhood memories! And Melting Moments, what a beautiful name. They look delicious. Have a good weekend Rosa!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Breathtaking post.
    Elegant and so professional.
    Another winner ♥

    ReplyDelete
  31. Rosa...I'm torn about choosing which I have appreciated more on this post: the gorgeous flower pics which I'd want to pick right off the screen...or those scrumptious cookies which would go great with my morning coffee?
    Hmmm...such difficult decisions;o)
    Great post and thanks for the recipe.
    Have a great weekend, Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  32. I love melting moments.I don't like the cream that comes with it though. These look nice and dreamy.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Magnifique!Magnifique!!!!!!!!

    Je pique quelques cookies et je me laisse bercer par les images..

    Bo week~end xx

    ReplyDelete
  34. At one time Britain was known for overcooked veggies and meats. They have come a long way Rosa. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello ....

    THe clicks are truly mind blowing... My fav is the beautiful rose one. The cookies look very tempting. Coconut being my fav will try it soon....

    ReplyDelete
  36. vouloir réhabiliter la cuisine anglaise est une excellente idée.....Les Français sont persuadés que rien n'est comestible là haut !

    ReplyDelete
  37. They look delicious Rosa and pictures are beautiful! :)
    I must admit that now in 5th month I crave English breakfast like never before... Can't wait to make tomorrow morning eggs, baked beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms...

    Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  38. verO de delimOOn7:58 PM, June 19, 2010

    Ces cookies sont très ... sexy !
    Si, si, c'est l'effet qu'ils me font !
    ;-)
    verO

    ReplyDelete
  39. This is a beautiful dish and a wonderful tribute to British cuisine! I hope you share more about British cuisine with us, Rosa!

    ReplyDelete
  40. It's the butter that makes these dreamy and, of course...made with love!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Fantastic meeting moment - I'm melted with these cookies and what wonderful British chefs you've mentioned!
    Awesome colorful pics, as always :)

    Have a great weekend,

    Gera

    ReplyDelete
  42. Rosa, I have that little book, too! Well, not the actual book, a photocopy. My mother has the original. It's the red/maroon covered one in the link you provided. How amazing that you have the same. :)

    My family is English, and they migrated to Australia with my sister just before I was born. I have lots of lovely fond memories of the food from England, too. That's obviously all I grew up with!

    I love your spin on this classic biscuit. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  43. This is the cookies that warm everybody's heart :) I'm impressed with the Bo-Ro cook book :D

    ReplyDelete
  44. These shortbread cookies are really simple! A box of shortbread cookies goes for $12USD in my city and they have preservatives. Making fresh cookies is so much better!

    ReplyDelete
  45. I love this kind of stories and memories and I'm a little jealous because I wasn't so close with my grandma and she wasn't a good cook so we didn't have such great moments in the kitchen together...
    I was thinking about make this these days...I like the idea to cover them with coconut...

    ReplyDelete
  46. These photos are amazing of course, the post is dear to my heart because you mention things and places that I also grew up with, although I haven't tried George's for the fish and chips and will try to get around to that next month. I love these biscuits and the way that you're promoting British food; I hate the way that some people who've never even been to the UK think all there is is jelly and ice cream.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Je cuisine très souvent anglais. J'ai de très bon souvenirs de goûts anglais et c'est toujours un plaisir que de les reproduire maintenant devant mes fourneaux. Tes biscuits sont divins ;. et très joliment photographiés !
    Bisous
    Hélène

    ReplyDelete
  48. C'est un joli nom. Ce n'est pas moi qui vais te dire le contraire , les anglais sont doués et créatifs en cuisine.
    Bises

    ReplyDelete
  49. Looks so amazing, wonderful clicks with all lovely flowers, loved the melting moments with the flavour of dessicated coconut.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hey Rosa

    How r u... Love the new look of your blog... The cookies are really tempting ..need to bake them soon....

    ReplyDelete
  51. ils me vont bien tes cookies je t'en prends un !! Pierre

    ReplyDelete
  52. it's so great to be able to get in touch with your roots and then express yourself through the food. The cookies look like a great everyday treat! and the pics are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  53. What a sweet post. I wish I had baking memories with my grandmothers. The cookies look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Of course I love British food, and these look fabulous! I have made these before and know how addictive they can be. Delish!

    ReplyDelete
  55. sensational, rosa! i love the delicate coconut and gorgeous cranberry jewel. bravo. :)

    ReplyDelete
  56. J'adore les photos! Ils ont l'air délicieux!

    ReplyDelete
  57. What gorgeous cookies Rosa! And I am very jealous of your beautiful flowers, especially as we have hit winter here.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Wonderful memories of England and beautiful cookies!

    ReplyDelete
  59. coconut and cranberry, two beautiful flavors combined, love the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Excellente idee, friend Rosa, je sens que je vais adorer cette serie! Trop bien :)

    ReplyDelete
  61. THese cookies look delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  62. There was a recipe similar to this with lemon and lime, and the cookies sounded amazing. Thanks for sharing another version.

    ReplyDelete
  63. these look so good, love the floral photography too :O)

    ReplyDelete
  64. I will be BFF if I get a jar of those cookies. They look divine. Great photography too.

    ReplyDelete
  65. What a beautiful tribute to the women in your family, Rosa. I am especially delighted to hear about the cookbook which is being passed down each generation. Priceless.

    I have heard of Melting Moments before but I had no idea they were so fragile looking. Yours look delectably delicious:)

    Thank you so much for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  66. I love those cookies. My grandmother always had them around the house when we would visit.

    ReplyDelete
  67. These look so good! I love your photography :)

    ReplyDelete
  68. rhhhhaaaaa c'est drôle, j'ai comme une envie de petits biscuits secs !!!!
    je sais je sais, pour certains, biscuit sec rime avec étouffe chrétien, mais pas pour moi, j'adore ca et mes enfants aussi !!!
    c'est toujours pour nous un bonheur de grignoter des petits biscuits au gouter ou au petit déjeuner.

    bises à toi et bon mercredi gourmand
    virginie

    ReplyDelete
  69. How our childhood influences the way we love food ;-)these are divine looking cookies and from the pictures I can understand how beautiful they would be. Love that gemlike cranberry.

    ReplyDelete
  70. What cute little cookies! I love the cranberry on top, though I think I'd be tempted to use chopped up maraschino cherries! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  71. I'd nibble on these all day long. I bet the texture is just wonderful, crispy and perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  72. I have very fond memories of these. My mum used to make them for us at weekends, rolled in oats with a glace cherry in the middle. Yum

    ReplyDelete
  73. Fantastic job Rosa-they look delicious! :)

    ReplyDelete
  74. They look gorgeous and so delicious!!
    Love,
    Lia.

    ReplyDelete
  75. a delicate sweet bite, lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  76. These cookies look darling :)

    ReplyDelete
  77. What an absolutely yummy sounding cookie. Thanks for sharing a special treat from your childhood. They look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  78. I have also been a fan of English foods and many of the dishes you named! I recently found out I have a lot of English ancestry as well - and now I know why this cuisine has always had a special place in my heart too!

    ReplyDelete