Melting Moments with Cream and Jam

I know, I've just posted something sweet. Nevertheless I do it again right now. There was a selection on my table of various posts to choose from, but since there is just one week left of March and I still wanted to do a real post for Bloggers Around the World - Great Britain. Browsing through my British Tea Time cookbook I came to the conclusion I should have a go at melting moments.

Just thinking further for a moment I wanted melting moments with cream and jam.

Ingredients:
150 g butter
80 g icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
150 g flour
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream with yet some more vanilla extract (or use some clotted cream, if you have)
Your favourite jam (I used strawberry jam with even more vanilla in it)

Method:
As you can see from the list above, it's all about vanilla. Hey, vanilla is absolutely gorgeous and when I have the chance to use it in something sweet, I go for it.
Now let us have a go at the dough for the melting moments. First of all we start by creaming the butter with the icing sugar and the vanilla extract. 
Then comes the egg and a bit more beating.
If you are in the mood you can add the pinch of salt and sift in the flour. If not, add the pinch of salt and chuck in the flour.
Mix everything well together so that you are able to make little balls of dough afterwards.
Have a baking tray with baking paper ready and heat up the oven to 180 °C.
Choose your right kind of size for the balls depending on how big you want your melting moments. I went for slightly larger balls as you normally would. Place them in distance on your tray and slightly flatten them with a fork.
Bake them for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, but not burned. Make sure you really have the right temperature. I mixed things a bit up, because I am not 100% familiar with my oven yet. So I baked them a while on 160 °C. In the end they needed a bit longer and not all looked nice.
Whatsoever, cool them on a wire rack before putting them together like sandwiches with your vanilla whipped cream and jam. Right now this moment, while writing this down, I think of how lovely it would have been to use some lovely Cornish clotted cream to put between the two halves ... maybe next time. Or just imagine it would be.

After then you can enjoy them with a nice cup of tea. So, when you are observant it's no big deal and you have some lovely melting moments with vanilla and cream.
On the other hand, though, when the time for strawberries has arrived in your neighbourhood you can go ahead and make your own strawberry jam as well. That would be something great. In the meantime then, you have to be satisfied with the best jam you can get.

French Toast with Sheep Milk Mousse and Balsamic Strawberry Jam

I survived another day. Things can be quite dangerous ... especially when you race down the road as a lightning with your bicycle. At least I knew there would have been people nearby for first aid. Luckily the car did see me coming and all this wasn't necessary.
The other day, though, something was necessary ... and that was to have French toast, but ... not to have it in a simple way. I wanted it to look a bit more than it actually was.

Finally I decided I wanted to support the bakery across the road ... or at least give it a try ... and got a loaf of white bread, not something of that pre-sliced stuff.
Accordingly a few days later, I used the bread to have some French toast. 
I went for two thick slices of the bread and removed the rind. So I had a few little snacks before starting with the French toast.
On the side I had a bowl ready, which received an egg, about 200 ml of milk, a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract ... all beaten nicely together.
On the stove top a pan was getting ready ... the use of butter is apparent.
Well, the slices of bread get properly soaked in the egg and milk mix before they get fried in the pan. Is there enough time to get something ready to go with for the French toast while it is getting fried in the pan?
Luckily, I had some sheep milk mousse in the fridge. For sure you won't have. Consequently I would advise a bit of vanilla ice cream or some mascarpone mixed with sugar and vanilla. 
What about something fruity or a sauce, too. There was some strawberry jam lingering in the fridge. That wouldn't do. So I put a few teaspoons of the jam into a small bowl and added a splash of balsamic vinegar. Off the bowl went into the microwave for a minute.

So, get your French toast onto a plate, add the ice cream, mousse or vanilla mascarpone, spoon over the balsamic strawberry jam and add some toasted nuts or almond slices for texture.
Well, I think the thicker slices of the bread and the added balsamic vinegar to the strawberry jam did really do a good job to lift this pudding. I enjoyed it very much. 
What do you think of it?

No matter what you decide, I think it's a delicious and dead easy dessert. That's the reason why I also enter it to Sarah's Dead Easy Desserts challenge at Maison Cupcake.

Have a go ...

... and while I'm at it, this post goes as well to Recipe of the Week Emily is doing at A Mummy Too ...