International baking is something I haven’t done since Moscow ‘98. I was afraid that this entry would end up being entitled "Pride Cometh Before A Fall". Baking skills don't necessarily translate from continent to continent. It is said to be a science (though I don’t understand it very well) and when it comes to ingredients, the types, quality, and substitutions you encounter can make a “world” of difference in determining success and failure.
As I started my first cake I was hyper-sensitive to all of these factors, dreading utter failure at every turn. Right off, my new electric handmixer let me know that this was not going to be an easy task. (I have named it Humpty Dumpty because it’s roundness makes it prone to having “a great fall” each time I set it on end. How did this mixer make it to the market?) The ordinary sugar here is also quite coarse, like raw sugar. Now I realize that I should have purchased “caster sugar”, but the fact that the coarser was from Mazabuka (one of my early destinations) swayed me. I made a substitution of extra margarine instead of Crisco, because I couldn’t find it here (not necessarily a bad thing). The “Pam S
pray” for the pan was an experience. Instead of spraying the pan nicely, it creates an oily cloud that you try to catch in your pan while also trying not to inhale. The thrifty girl that I am, I just go outside now to spray my pans rather than throw the can out. I was glad at the time that it was semi-near Valentines’ Day, since the only pan in the house was a large heart. With decent-looking batter in the pan, the first hurtle was cleared.I am very happy that the oven works. It’s small, but it does the job! (However, that doesn’t include the range. I quickly learned that the burners only have one setting despite what the dials say – Super Hot!) FYI, 350 degrees Fahrenheit is about 180 degrees Celcius. As you can see, the cake baked nicely and despite the pan-greasing debacle, came out of the pan without a problem.
Again, there were the small matters of icing the cake using a steak knife and putting it on a cookie sheet, but in the end it was a success. My colleagues pronounced it "quite lovely".
Again, there were the small matters of icing the cake using a steak knife and putting it on a cookie sheet, but in the end it was a success. My colleagues pronounced it "quite lovely".Since that baking adventure a few weeks ago, I have managed to do some more baking and cooking with mixed results. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins can be quite an undertaking when you don’t have canned pumpkin (I had to start with it straight from the vine) or chocolate chips, but the results are almost worth the work. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are much easier (though again, M&M instead of chips). Spaghetti sauce can be a little arduous when you have to suspend the pot 5 inches over a very hot range to keep it from burning. And corn on the cob here just isn’t like back home, no matter how much yummy stuff you rub on it.
I didn’t think to bring a cookbook with me, so I have been limited to jotting down recipes from the web during my lunch break. I would love for you to email me some of your favorites and report back to you on how they turned out “African Style”.
I didn’t think to bring a cookbook with me, so I have been limited to jotting down recipes from the web during my lunch break. I would love for you to email me some of your favorites and report back to you on how they turned out “African Style”.
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