3 SIMPLE RECIPES TO FALL IN LOVE WITH BAKING (AGAIN)
FEBRUARY 2ND, 2022
Illustrated by: Margherita Ginocchio.
At this time of the year, when one sees more darkness than light — and for the Netherlands, more rain than sunshine — Sunday afternoons can feel endless and heavy. Sure, when in a state of nostalgia, observing the rain slithering down the windows can be quite calming. But I try to avoid falling down this melancholic rabbit hole every weekend because it is rather time-consuming. As such, I have developed my own personal remedy for melancholia: baking.
As a kid, baking meant experimenting. I felt like a deranged scientist, and the kitchen was my lab. What made it fun was not the end product but the process itself. Growing up, I became fond of culinary reality TV shows, particularly Le Meilleur Pâtissier — the francophone version of The Great British Bake Off.
However, with time, I realised that this show gave me too many examples of spectacularly complicated recipes I would never attempt to bake myself. Post-lockdown me (however many it has been by now) has changed in this way. Owning an actual oven has certainly helped, but apart from that, my baking equipment is still quite poor.
What changed is my relationship with the process of baking; it has become lighthearted.
One can find a lot of comfort in the act of making simple pastries. Not only because it requires so little thinking but also through the pleasure of tasting one’s own creation. Although I believe that the joy of cooking is very much related to the pleasure of sharing food with others, I am convinced that it can be fulfilling in itself.
Depending on my mood, energy levels or cravings, I rotate different recipes. But I realised that three pastries always reappear. They all require little effort, little utensils, and can have thousands of different tastes by altering a few ingredients: dark chocolate muffins, chocolate chip cookies and a simple apple crumble.
CHOCOLATE MUFFINS — FOR WHEN YOUR HEART IS IN NEED
The number of recipes for dark chocolate muffins is infinite. Made from chocolate tablets or chocolate power, no matter what you have on your shelves, you should be able to make some muffins. If you require extra sweet comfort, white chocolate or caramel filling is all you’ll ever need.
And for those who get sick of the taste of chocolate, you can easily add some whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or even some English custard sauce — the delicious crème anglaise.
Finally, if you are craving cake, try a chocolate mug cake recipe. Not even a minute in the microwave, and you will be able to enjoy a warm fluffy cakes if straight out of the oven
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES — THE VERY BASICS
Cookies always meant chocolate chip cookies to me. A funny twist of language is that plain cookies in English is ‘biscuits’ in French. The term ‘chocolate chip cookies’ makes it sound like there is only one way to make those cookies. Like there is only one single recipe.
And chocolate chip cookies have so much to offer. The options are endless, so you need to choose the recipe wisely, from crispy to gooey to chewy. With more or less intensity in chocolate, they can be eaten straight out of the oven with a spoon, or hours later, still fresh but cold.
APPLE CRUMBLE — MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE
I still remember getting caught by my older sister, eating raw crumble hidden behind my bed — what a scene! Beyond my love for the taste itself, this pastry is a good way to eat apples in winter when it is almost the only fruit of the season. Like chocolate muffins, apple crumble goes well with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème anglaise.
What’s more, the mix of fruit can also be adapted to personal favourites. Some good choices are raspberry-apple crumble (a solid combo) or my beloved apple-rhubarb crumble.
Easily learned and easily altered to your preference, these three pastries can be a delight to enjoy just for yourself. Keep this in mind if you are bored or feeling gloomy on a lonely Sunday afternoon.
