Baking for Beginners: Orange and Polenta Biscuits

Miss Cay and I were lucky enough to be sent on a Eurostar press trip to Brussels this weekend courtesy of Little Break. After learning about chocolate (more about that later) we spent a couple of hours getting lost in the city. And Miss Cay and I stumbled across a shop that can only be described as a biscuit pick 'n' mix. Buy your tin, fill it with biscuits, pay for your stuff. Aces. And all sorts of different kinds of biscuits too!


There were some orange ones that reminded me of some biscuits Domestic Slut Jess makes so I badgered her for the recipe. They're yummy, fresh and perfect with the fizzy stuff. The recipes was initial from that nice-looking chap Jamie Oliver guy, but Jess has adapted it a little.

Makes around 25 biscuits according to Jamie. Loads more than that according to Jess.

You'll need:

• 170g / 6oz butter
• 170g / 6oz sugar
• 255g / 9oz polenta
• 100g / 33/4oz plain flour
• zest 2-3 oranges, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs

Make it!

Rub the butter, sugar, polenta and flour together before mixing in the orange zest and the eggs. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for an hour until slightly firm (I didn't do this once and it was fine). Place a large square of greaseproof paper on a baking tray and spoon small teaspoons of the mixture in lines 5cm / 2in apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 190C / 375F / gas 5 for around 5 - 6 minutes (I think a bit longer) until the outside edges of your biscuits are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating (but they are good warm too).

Cocktail Hour: Harvey Wallbanger

If you're a bit bored of vodka and orange, the Harvey Wallbanger might just be the answer. named after a surfer on Manhattan Beach, this cocktail is perfect for long lazy summer nights. And, it's pretty easy to make too. Let's face it, in the middle of summer you don't want to spend longer making your drink than you will drinking it.

You'll need these things:

• 25ml vodka
• 2tsp Galliano
• 100ml orange juice
• Ice cubes
• Slice of orange

You'll need to do these things:

Put the half the ice, orange juice and vodka into a cocktail shaker and shake everything up. Strain into a long glass over the rest of the ice. Top up with the Galliano (it should rest on top of the drink) and garnish with a piece of orange. Best enjoyed somewhere near a beach.

Flickr image from JapanBlack's photostream.

Cocktail Hour: Tequila Sunrise

My dad used to drink Tequila Sunrises every now and again, and they're actually pretty tasty. Although, as I found out many times as a bratty teenager, they're not as easy to make as you'd think. Once you've put everything in a glass, you can't add to it to make it taste better. If it doesn't taste right when it's done, it's all over. So watch that Grenadine when you add it - it's the easiest bit to get wrong.

You'll need these things:

• 35ml Tequila
• 100ml Orange Juice
• 10ml Grenadine

You'll need to do these things:

Mix the tequila and orange juice in a glass. Pour in the Grenadine slowly and watch it make a pretty sunny colour as it sinks to the bottom.

Flickr image from lu_lu's photostream.

Paint Palette: Summery Orange

As much as I love orange, it's really difficult to decorate with. Because once you've started, you end up moving into that whole Morrocan red, orange and yellow theme. And that's great, but it can be a little bit 'over-done'. My tip for making orange look fresh? Use it to brighten up blues, or to really contrast against purple and green. That way it should carry you through summer to autumn.


This Clarissa Hulse cushion is £60 from Heals. Don't limit it to the living room, use them to soften up your kitchen or dining room.



Want to make eating ice cream more fun? Then why not get yourself some of these bright spoons from Graham & Green. They're £5.95.



Love these home-inspired mugs. They're just one of the many many many things I want to buy from Hidden Art Shop.

See, orange isn't so difficult after all, is it?

Cocktail Hour: Mimosa

So called because of their lovely yellow colour which mimics the mimosa tree, the mimosa is a vastly under-rated drink (I blame its popular friend the bellini for stealing the limelight) so, in the name of summer, it's about time we revived this yummy bright happy cocktail.

You'll need these things:

• Dash of orange curacao (not the blue stuff, that'll look stupid)
  
• 25ml orange juice
• Champagne

And you'll need to do these things:

Pour the orange juice into a champagne flute, then add the curacao. Then top up with champagne. See? Just as yummy as a bellini, but a much prettier colour.

Flickr image from qwrrty's photostream.