Effort and reward to beat the blues

I do hate this time of year. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way but I'm not exactly sure what it is that gets me down. Could it be cycling to and from work in the dark and/or wet and/or cold? Or is it that all my pre-Christmas projects and activities are over and I haven't yet found the enthusiasm to get going with a non-Christmas project, (and it would be wrong to start making Christmas decorations in January - wouldn't it?). I've cleared out the cupboards and sent piles of stuff to the charity shop and recycling centre. I've even planned the spring planting scheme for the garden but can't put any of it into action for at least another 2-3 months.

Let's face it, I'm bored but have too much energy to spend too much time watching films or reading books. So, this weekend having already been to the cinema, finished one book, begun another, done the laundry and cleaned the house I turned my attention to things that I've been meaning to do but haven't.

The first thing was to finish making the set of placemats and coasters that I'd started making back in November. They were taking me ages and I'd shelved the project when I realised I needed a more festive alternative for Christmas. So, yesterday afternoon the needle felting kit was unearthed and I set about making the final 2 placemats and 3 coasters that would ensure I had a set of 8 of each.

I tweaked my technique, using four needles together in a holder rather than the more precise but oh-so-slightly tedious single needle. The result is a slightly thicker end product but I decided they would probably flatten with use and, since people tend to focus on their own placemat rather than the one being used by the person sat next to them, who would really notice? And that's assuming my guests even study them in the first place!

However, I felt just a teeny bit better once I'd completed the set and could properly admire my handiwork. After all, a rainbow is guaranteed to brighten up even the dreariest of days!

The completed set

The second project was one I'd been intending to make since October but had, so far, failed to find a good enough excuse. I normally don't bake unless I am expecting visitors, going somewhere or have volunteered to make the cake for Craft Club. However, I decided that a dull weekend in January could be the only excuse I needed to bake some biscuits. Besides, these weren't just any biscuits. These were from a recipe I'd brought back from Italy last October and had been eager, if a little nervous, to try out.

Whilst in Italy I'd seen this style of biscuits in my friends' local deli and they looked delicious. However, they were made with wheat flour so I was unable to try them. However, the foodie magazine from my friends' local supermarket featured a recipe for a gluten-free version which I'd photographed in order to bring home.

The main problem with the recipe is that it's in Italian and I don't speak Italian. However, with the help of Google Translate and previous experience of biscuit-making I felt I had enough of an idea of what to do to give it a go. I found all the ingredients in either the larger branch of my regular supermarket or my very good local health food shop and so was ready to begin.

Let's say, it wasn't quite plain sailing but I think I got there in the end. Here's my version of the recipe for Chestnut Flour and Cherry Jam Biscuits.

Into a large mixing bowl place 130g chestnut flour (sieved), 50g buckwheat flour (sieved), 50g ground hazelnuts, 40g caster sugar, 5g baking powder and mix well. Then, using a food processor or electric hand whisk, gradually add 4 tablespoons vegetable oil until you have the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Still using your mixer, gradually add enough milk until the mixture had formed a dough. The recipe states this to be 100ml but I found this to be far too much. You can use soya milk or almond milk rather than regular milk in order to make the biscuits vegan and if you can't find ground hazelnuts, just grind up 50g blanched hazelnuts in a mini food processor until they are as finely chopped as they can be.

Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge whilst you pre-heat your oven to 170C or gas 3. Use this time to find some suitable cookie cutters.  You need one about 6-7cm diameter and another about 4cm diameter.

After about 15-20 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out between two sheets of cling film (standard practice for dough made without wheat since it's really sticky, even if you haven't added too much milk!). It needs to be about 4mm thick.

As you can see from the photo above, the biscuits are sandwiched together with jam so you need to make sure you don't end up with too many bases and not enough tops. I therefore constructed each biscuit as I went. Using the larger cookie cutter, cut out a biscuit and place it on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Place a teaspoon of cherry jam in the centre and then cut out a second biscuit shape but before sticking it on top of the jam use the smaller cutter to cut a hole out of the centre. I found the perfect consistency of dough enabled it to stay in the cookie cutter to be transferred to the tray. This also enabled the second layer to be lined up on top of the first with relative ease. Keep going until you have used up all your dough, dipping the cookie cutters in buckwheat flour at regular intervals to stop everything getting too sticky.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

The verdict? A dense and nutty biscuit with a hit of jammy sweetness and a real challenge to make (foreign language, sticky dough, fiddly lining up of tops and bases...need I go on?). However, I now feel that I deserve to curl up with a cup of tea and my new book. Oh and with a chestnut and cherry biscuit, of course!