Pains aux raisins

The weather forecast was a bit iffy today, and it was raining when we got up, so it seemed like an opportunity for indoor activities. I had a hankering to make pains aux raisins, so I made sure I had all the ingredients yesterday. It was a time-consuming process, not so much in hands-on time but in chilling the dough between turns and then leaving them to rise at fairly cool room temperature.

I eventually pulled them out of the oven at about 3:30. They look the part, but unfortunately while I protected the tops with foil when they started getting too brown, I forgot the tendency of this oven to overheat from the bottom, so the undersides were somewhat burnt :( So annoying when it takes so many hours to do, and everything else about them was looking good. They didn't leak butter, the crème pâtissière filling was perfect, and the unburnt parts taste great.

I used the waiting time to make some spiced squash soup with the butternut squash Gracia gave us. We had steak and chips for lunch, courtesy of S buying steak on the way home from his pilates class. Neither of us has a great appetite this evening ... S has had his tooth out and been instructed not to eat anything till the anaesthetic wears off, and when he does only cold food. And I have succumbed to the cold S had last week, and am sniffling and sneezing while dosed up on Day Nurse. It will be squash soup for me, and gazpacho for S!