Monday, 2 December 2013

December 2nd- Homemade Presents, Part 1- Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd 

Here at Fox HQ we like to make some of our Christmas presents and we are always experimenting with new ideas. This is the first of four homemade gift guides.

As you may or may not know, we love anything edible that can be made in a jar. Jams, jellies, chutneys, the lot! We don't often turn our hand to sweet treats, but this recipe looked super simple and would make a lovely addition to a homemade hamper or as a little gift.
We've used a recipe from the latest Great British Bake Off Everyday book- it makes 1 honey pot sized jar. 

You'll need;

70g unsalted butter, diced
125g caster sugar
zest of 3 lemons
100ml lemon juice
2 medium, free range eggs, plus 2 yolks at room temperature 



Pop the butter, sugar and lemon zest and juice in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, but don't let the bowl touch the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Remove the bowl from the pan, and set aside. Beat the whole eggs with the yolks in a small bowl and strain it into the lemon mix. Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water and stir until the mixture becomes thick and opaque.

Don't be tempted to turn up the heat to quicken the process, you'll end up with scrambled eggs, yuck! 

The curd is ready when you can draw a clean finger through the spoon and leave a clear path.

Remove from the heat and place into a hot, sterilised jar. You'll notice as the curd cools, it thickens in texture. Put it in the fridge to cool down. We recommend keeping it in the fridge even after its cooled down.

Adorn the jar with whatever takes your fancy and there you have it! Perfect on toast, on top of ice-cream or inside homemade iced buns!

Alice x


Sunday, 1 December 2013

December 1st- Snowballs


Hello and welcome to the Fox&Fowweather Christmas advent!

I was brought up trundling around charity shops and car boots and have built up quite a sizable collection of vintage treasures. Last Christmas, while mooching around the local markets, me and my mama had the idea to set up Fox&Fowweather as a vintage trading business.

This year, we've
decided to share some of our favourite Christmas traditions and how to add a touch of vintage to your own celebrations!
To us, Christmas is all about food, drink and family and we hope that you'll be inspired by some of our posts to start your own vintage traditions. Enjoy!

Why not kick off the first of the month, with a drink popular in the 1970's; A Snowball!

You'll need;
A Tumbler Glass
Ice
Cocktail Sticks
Advocaat
Lemonade
Lime Cordial  
Maraschino Cherries

Pour 1 shot of advocaat over ice, add 1/2 a shot of lime cordial and fill with lemonade.
Pop your cherries on the top and serve! 





Cheers!
Alice x