Updates

(Left: Snickerdoodles, Top-right: Victoria Sponge, Bottom-right: Chocolate walnut biscotti)

Recently I've been working on giving some of my favourite recipe posts a bit of a facelift.

Now I haven't done this for all of my old recipes, because that would take forever! But these three are some my favourite recipes and I've never been quite satisfied with the pictures that went with them.

Back when I started blogging, I used to take photos with my Nokia cell phone (I've since moved up to a DSLR camera). I think I uploaded them as they were because I used to be so excited to upload the recipe as soon as possible, and having the perfect photograph didn't matter as much, primarily because there was only so much I could do with my cell phone camera given my photography skills at the time.

I still get excited about new posts and enjoy blogging just as much, but now I'm a bit more mindful of the fact that my blog should 'look' good too. I still try not to let my perfectionism get in the way of uploading a recipe though.

There's a lot of room for improvement where my photography is concerned, but I'd hate to think somebody was deterred by the not-so-stunning photos that previously accompanied these posts, because these recipes are really quite good (if I do say so myself).

The updated recipes include:

Snickerdoodles
Chococlate Walnut Biscotti
Victoria Sponge Cake

Lemon Curd

Once you've mastered lemon curd (which is not hard to do at all), there are so many things you can do with it. Use it as a filling for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and trifles; as a topping for cheesecake or ice cream; to spread on pancakes, crepes, scones, or just plain toast

The first time I made lemon curd, I used this recipe from Joy of Baking and I haven't had reason to look for another.

I will say though that it requires patience because the curd is cooked gently and slowly. It takes at least 10 to 12 minutes before the curd starts to thicken, so don't panic if, five minutes in, your curd hasn't changed in consistency. Don't leave it alone either; you need to constantly whisk it so that no lumps form.

Having said that, the time put in is absolutely worth it when you have a jar of sunshine-yellow silky smooth lemon curd at the end of it.


Note:
Lemon curd keeps well for about one week stored in a clean airtight jar in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze it. I spoon the lemon curd into a Ziploc bag, squeeze the excess air out, and label it with the date it was made. I haven't kept mine frozen for more than two months, but various sources on the Internet tell me it will keep well in the freezer for up to a year.