GIBO Maryanne Cooking Up A Storm In Arnotts

Maryanne Dalton a finalist on the Great Irish Bake Off will be in Arnotts on Saturday 23rd April from 12pm – 4pm showcasing some of her tasty treats using the Kenwood Chef Sense. Maryanne will be on hand to show you how to make delicious bakes and answer any questions you have about the Kenwood Chef Sense and of course cooking.

In 2013 she was encouraged to enter, and was a finalist on the Great Irish Bake Off. At the moment Maryanne juggles food writing and teaching, cake decorating and lecturing Chemistry in Maynooth University. While she describes herself as more of a “cook” than a “baker” she is first and foremost a teacher. Having met and chatted with many Bake-Off watchers in the supermarket baking isle, Maryanne realised that while most people are happy enough to muddle through cooking a family meal, baking is an area where people need a little more advice, explaination and encouragement to get themselves confident enough to make a go of it. As a scientist by profession, Maryanne’s understanding of food is at a molecular level, but her style of writing manages to explain the key baking concepts in very simple terms and marries proper, old fashioned, home baking with novel insights, hints and tips to help people create their own family memories at home!

She is currently working on a new style of baking book to take the mystery and (fear!!) out of baking for everyone aged 2 to 102!   You can follow her on www.facebook.com/MaryannesKitchen or on Twitter @daltonmaryanne.

Here is a little teaser of what she will be making on Saturday:

Classic shortbread is a simple 1:2:3 ratio of ingredients. So for every 1oz of caster sugar, you use 2oz butter and 3 oz of flour. To make your shortbread a little more crumbly and biscuity I like to use 2oz plain flour and 1oz of cornflour. This ratio applies to weights in ounces or grams. So, 100g sugar, 200g butter and 300g flour.

Ingredients

• 50g Caster Sugar
• 100g Soft Butter
• 100g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Fit the K-beater (paddle) attachment to the bowl of your Kenwood Chef Sense and add the butter and sugar.
2. Beat together until creamy and add your vanilla.
3. Stop the mixer and add the plain and corn flours and mix again until the mixture comes together.
4. Transfer to a 8” round tin and press the mixture evenly around the tin using the back of a spoon.
5. Dock (prick) the mixture with a fork and plae into a cool oven at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes until pale and golden.
6. Allow to cool and set in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling tray.

 

Alternatives:

Use the finely grated zest of half a lemon instead of vanilla extract.

To make individual biscuits, chill the dough and then roll out between two sheets of baking parchment. Then use a cutter to cut out desired shapes and bake for 10-12 minutes depending on size. Decorate accordingly with melted chocolate or sweets.