Look what I can make! (croissants & lime marmalade)

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Likewise, if I cook something impressive and I don't photograph it and put it on my blog, did it really happen? Basically, I'm just looking for an excuse to show off a few things I've made recently.

Croissants have been high on my list of "things-I-should-be-able-to-make-but-haven't-yet" for some time. I wanted to use the recipe from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" but the instructions do go on and on. Instead, I found this brilliant blog post which makes croissants according to Julia's book and provides really great photos of the whole process. I followed the instructions to the letter and I'm pretty proud of the results! My croissants are slightly tanned, but, when they get eaten as fast as these did, who notices what they look like? I'll definitely be making them again. (Even if you're not tempted to take up the challenge, check out the superb instructional blog post). (Note, the flour to use is strong white flour)  

In the first week of January the newspapers in London reported that sales of marmalade were at a low whilst sales in peanut butter and chocolate spread soared. A week later, the reports were that sales of pectin and oranges were up, as were internet searches of recipes for making marmalade. One reason for the increase may have been the recipe section of the Telegraph in early January, which ran this lime marmalade recipe. I have been wanting to make jam or marmalade for a while. Whilst I've never really liked traditional orange marmalades, I don't mind lime varieties. So lime marmalade it was. The Telegraph recipe by Nick Selby (the marmalade maker for Melrose and Morgan) is excellent and easy to follow for first time preserve makers like me. The marmalade is delicious with lashings of butter on, say, a home made croissant ...  

So now you've seen my pastry and marmalade making, it all officially exists. Phew.