Cherry Pie

 

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

In July we went to Garsons Farm in Esher and we picked some lovely cherries. I pitted them and then put them in the freezer, intending to make a cherry pie. Since it’s bank holiday weekend and the weather has been a bit miserable, I thought it was the perfect time to make my pie.

 

I already knew I was going to use my favourite sweet pastry recipe - pâte brisée – but I made a double batch so I could freeze some to use for another pie. I made the pastry the day before and kept it tightly covered in the fridge. Then I took it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before I needed to use it, to allow it to soften up to make it easier to roll out.

 

But it took me a little longer to find a recipe I liked for the filling. Nearly all of the recipes I found said to just mix the cherries with sugar, some cornflour and other flavourings and place straight onto the prepared raw pie crust. But I didn’t like this idea as I thought it might be too watery and make the pastry soggy.

 

Then I found a recipe on The Food Network website and the method of cooking the cherries first with the sugar and cornflour until the mixture was nice and thick seemed ideal. I didn’t have enough cherries, so I adapted the recipe quantities by reducing the amount of sugar and cornflour.

 

My filled pie before baking – the filling is thick and delicious!

 

 

Since I had less cherries than the recipe stated, I used a slighter smaller 7-inch metal pie dish.

 

My pie took longer than 50 minutes to bake – more like 70 minutes – as the pastry underneath was still a little bit underdone. But after 50 minutes the top looked really lovely and golden brown, so to stop it burning I covered the pie with some foil.

 

TASTE TEST:

This was the first time I’d ever made a cherry pie and I was pretty impressed. The recipe for the filling was incredibly easy and it worked a treat. I will definitely use this method for other fruit pies, as I have a stash of blackberries and blackcurrants in the freezer.

 

Everyone liked the pie, although Steve said the cherry flavour could have been stronger – but he thinks this is because he’s used to a very synthetic cherry taste from shop-bought products. I personally thought it tasted quite strongly of cherries!

 

Sadly I’ve not got any more cherries in the freezer, but I will try using Hartley's Fruit Filling Black Cherry which comes in tins, as I’ve read it’s very good.

 

The recipe below is how I made my pie – you can find the original recipe on the The Food Network website.

 

 

• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• Oven shelf: middle
• You will need: round 7-inch tin

 

Sweet Pastry Ingredients (makes enough for 2 pies):

• 500g plain flour
• 30g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 200g butter, chilled

 

Sweet Pastry Directions:

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Put the sugar, butter and eggs in the well and gently rub into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then press the dough together to form a ball of dough until it is smooth and pliable.
3. It’s a good idea to let you pastry rest before cooking. You can either roll the dough out on a lightly floured board until it is about 3mm thick and line your tins and then chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or stick the whole lot of dough in the fridge to use the next day.

 

Filling Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen cherries
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cornflour
• ½ Tablespoon butter, to dot
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

 

Filling Directions:

1. Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries release considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from the heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornflour together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well.
3. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornflour.

 

Assembly Directions:

1. Preheat the oven Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C.
2. Use your favourite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 7-inch pan.
3. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake for about 50-70 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Banana and Walnut Loaf

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’m not a fan of Gregg Wallace, but when I saw his recipe in the May issue of BBC Good Food magazine for Banana and Walnut Loaf I just had to try it as it looked so nice.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I used my silicone loaf tin (as there was no need to grease or line it) instead of a lined greased loaf tin.

 

I used 100g instead of 140g of caster sugar as I wanted to cut some calories and I thought it would be sweet enough with the 4 very ripe bananas.

 

I added some freshly grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon to the recipe as I like those spices in banana cake as I think they compliment the banana flavour. I was quite conservative in my measures and I couldn’t really taste the spices, so I would add maybe 1 tsp instead of ½ tsp of cinnamon, and ½ fresh nutmeg instead of ¼ of a whole seed.

 

Due to a slight ‘error’ in the recipe, I omitted the milk. It was listed in the ingredients, but it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the directions, so I missed adding it to the mixture. However, the cake batter looked perfectly alright when I poured it into the tin, so it was a good consistency without the milk.

 

I also changed the method very slightly so that more ingredients are added together and therefore less mixing is involved, resulting in a better textured cake. I’ve also added my own tips to the method. The original recipe should be posted on the BBC Good Food website next month and I will link to it then.

 

TASTE TEST:

Well I have to say this was the lightest, fluffiest banana cake I’ve ever tasted! I’m not sure how much difference the milk would have made, but I won’t even bother adding it next time because the cake was perfect as it is.

 

Steve and I ate it whilst it was still warm from the oven and it was delicious! Gregg Wallace suggested serving it with vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce, which sounds like a great dessert.

 

• Makes: 1 loaf that cuts into 8 slices
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf: middle
• You will need: a 2lb loaf tin, greased and lined with baking paper or a silicone loaf tin

 

Ingredients:

• 100g softened butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 225 plain flour, sieved
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ – ½ of freshly grated nutmeg seed
• ½ – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 50g walnuts, chopped (original recipe said 85g)
• 50ml milk (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. In a large bowl mix together the butter, sugar and egg with an electric handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Using a spatula gently fold in the flour and baking powder until they are half mixed in, then add the bananas, walnuts and milk (if using) and carry on gently folding in until all the ingredients are combined – do not overmix or the cake will be tough and heavy.
4. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and then bang the tin on your counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before removing from the loaf tin.
7. The loaf can now be wrapped tightly in cling film and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost and warm through before serving.

 

 

Tips For Perfect Cakes Use butter and eggs that are at room temperature to prevent your mixture curdling. If this happens, add a tablespoon of flour with the eggs and then continue. After you’ve added the flour don’t overmix as this will stretch the gluten and result in a tough cake. After you’ve filled your tin with the cake mixture, tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Profiteroles (Choux Pastry)

 

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

 

After watching the episode of Good Eats called ‘Choux Shine’ I decided to follow Alton Brown’s advice of using bread flour when making choux pastry. I didn’t use his recipe though, I just used bread flour instead of plain flour in a recipe I already had, because his recipe makes 48 profiteroles and I didn’t want that many. I’m not sure the bread flour makes a huge difference, but they did puff up in the oven and didn’t deflate when I took them out, which is the problem that some people have.

 

 

I’m not a huge fan of cream, so I filled them with ice cream instead. The chocolate sauce is really gorgeous and so easy to make. This quantity of sauce will be enough for 6-8 people, so I just put the remainder in the fridge where it can stay for 3 days.

 

I will try Alton’s recipe next time, as this recipe only makes 12 and they went down very well, so I’m sure that more will be needed for next time!

 

• Makes: 12 profiteroles
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C then reduce to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• You will need: a deep saucepan, a baking sheet lined with parchment or Magic Non-Stick Liner.

 

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY

• 25g butter
• 150ml water
• 50g plain or bread flour
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 egg, beaten

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

• 100g plain chocolate (I used Asda Value)
• 150ml double cream
• 2 Tablespoons golden syrup

FOR THE FILLING

• Vanilla ice cream (I used Carte D'Or)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C.
2. Sift the flour onto a piece of greaseproof paper.
3. Put the butter and water into a deep saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Bring to the boil.
4. Then add all the flour at once and quickly lift off the heat, beating hard with a wooden spoon until you get a smooth, thick paste that comes away from the sides of the saucepan (about 30-40 seconds). If necessary replace the pan over the heat and beat for a few minutes.
5. With the pan off the heat, add the egg yolk and beat really well until it is incorporated (it might seem like it has curdled and won’t mix in, but persevere!), then add the beaten egg a little at a time (you might not need it all) beating continuously. The mixture should be thick and shiny and be able to stand up on its own.
6. Place the choux pastry into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe blobs in a circular motion onto the lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C, then reduce to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C for 20 minutes, until they are golden brown and feel dry to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven, then use a skewer to poke a hole in the bottom of each one to allow the steam to escape and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Split the profiteroles in half, then sandwich the halves together with a generous teaspoon of vanilla ice cream.
10. To make the sauce: Place the chocolate, double cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan and gently heat until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy. Pour over the profiteroles.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• I recommend watching Alton’s ‘Choux Shine’ episode to get a really good idea of how to make choux pastry, as he shows you what the texture should be like. It’s also quite an amusing episode!
• Since my piping bag busted, I used a plastic food bag instead (like Alton suggests) and it worked really well.
• I made the pastry by hand, which was fine, but when I try Alton’s recipe I will use a mixer because it is a much bigger quantity and it will be easier to incorporate all those eggs!

‘Choux Shine’ episode Part 1

‘Choux Shine’ episode Part 2

 

Rachel Allen’s Irish Apple Cake

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’ve had this recipe on my blog for a long time (since August 2008) and according to my stat-counter, it is one of the most searched for recipes. I hadn’t made it for ages, so I thought it was about time I made it again and also updated the photo, because the old one was truly terrible and made the cake look really unappetising! To be honest, these photos aren’t that much better and don’t really do the cake justice!

 

This cake is really very good. It’s super crunchy on the outside, with a soft light sponge centre. Perfect with a cup of tea or equally delicious as a pudding drowned in custard.

 

 

I have made this both by hand and in the food processor. It is a sticky dough type cake, rather than a sponge batter, so I really recommend using a food processor, otherwise it’s a bit messy!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I make a few small changes to Rachel’s recipe. First of all, I only use 1 eating apple instead of 2 Bramley cooking apples. This is because I’m not a big fan of Bramley’s and also because we always have eating apples in the house that are past their best and this is a great way to use them up. Secondly, I use 1 Tablespoon of Demerara sugar on the top, instead of caster sugar, as I think it gives a crunchier topping.

 

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 40-50 minutes
• You will need: 20cm/8inch springform/loose-bottom cake tin, lightly greased and lined
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf position: middle

 

Ingredients:

• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 100g (3.5oz) cold butter, cubed
• 100g (3.5oz) caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 100ml (3.5 fl oz) milk
• 2 medium Bramley cooking apples (or 1 eating apple)
• 1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven and put a baking tray in the oven to heat.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, then rub in the butter with your fingers until the texture resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively whizz up in a food processor).
3. Mix in 100g of the sugar, the egg and enough of the milk to form a soft dough - you may not need it all.
4. Spread one half of the dough into the cake tin - it's quite sticky so this part is a bit messy!
5. Peel, core and chop up the apple into 2cm squared pieces and place on the dough in the tin.
6. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the cinnamon.
7. Gently spread the other half of the dough on top of the apples to cover them completely.
8. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake on the baking tray for 40-50 minutes (mine only took 40 minutes in a Gas oven) until golden and crunchy on the outside.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• Even if the recipe doesn’t say to do so, I always sift my flour and baking powder to introduce air for a lighter sponge.
• When greasing and lining your tin, make sure the disc of greaseproof is well stuck to the bottom, as it will make it much easier when you come to spread out half of the dough on the base. I am quite mean when I spread the first half of the dough, so that I know that I will have enough to cover all of the apple with the other half. I find the best utensil for this is a small plastic spatula.

Jam Roly Poly

 

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

 

After my moderate success with Simon Rimmer’s Jam Roly Poly, I was determined to try a different recipe in the hope that it could be much better. As if by fate, a recipe for this pudding appeared in the November 2009 issue of my BBC Good Food Magazine, so I had to try it.

 

It is a completely different recipe. First of all, the cooking method is in the oven with a tray of hot water at the bottom to help create a moist environment, whereas Simon’s recipe called for a steamer. Secondly, this recipe has no sugar or eggs and uses milk instead of water.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I had every faith in the Good Food recipe so I followed it almost exactly the first time I used it. It was a good recipe as I found the texture was much nicer than the steamed version as it was slightly crispy on the outside, but still soft inside. But then I added my own tweaks as I found it wasn’t sweet enough, so I added sugar to the dough. It also wasn’t as golden brown as the Good Food one, so I unwrapped it to expose the top for the last 15 minutes to allow it to get more crunchy.

 

I used greaseproof paper the first couple of times I made this recipe and it sticks like mad, so I used non-stick baking/parchment paper instead which has a coating on it and therefore the roly poly doesn’t stick.

 

So below is my adapted recipe:

• Serves: 6
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C

 

Ingredients:

• 50g salted butter, cold and cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing
• 250g self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling
• 50g vanilla sugar
• 25g normal white sugar
• 50g shredded suet (I used vegetable suet)
• 150ml milk, plus a drop more if needed
• 150g of strawberry jam
• custard, to serve

 

Directions:

1. Put a deep roasting tin onto the bottom shelf of the oven, and make sure that there's another shelf directly above it. Pull the roasting tin out on its shelf, fill two-thirds with boiling water from the kettle, then carefully slide it back in.
2. Heat oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
3. Tear off a large sheet of foil and non-stick baking paper (about 30 x 40cm). Sit the baking paper on top of the foil and butter it.
4. Tip the butter and flour into a large bowl and rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the vanilla sugar and white sugar and the suet. Then pour in the milk and work together with a metal spoon until you get a sticky dough. You may need a drop more milk, depending on your flour.
5. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, quickly pat together to smooth, then roll out to a square roughly 25 x 25cm. Spread the jam all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge. Pinch the jam-free edge into the dough where it meets, and pinch the ends roughly, too. Carefully lift onto the greased paper, join-side down (you might find a flat baking sheet helpful for this), loosely bring up the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal. The roly-poly will puff quite a bit during cooking so don't wrap it tightly. Lift the parcel directly onto the rack above the tin and cook for 1 hour, then unwrap to expose the top for the last 15 minutes.
6. Let the pudding sit for 5 mins before unwrapping, then carefully open the foil and paper, and thickly slice to serve.

Mini Bakewell Tarts

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I had about half the frangipane filling from my French Apple Tarts leftover, so I thought I’d experiment a little bit and try making these Bakewell Tarts. I have no idea what the traditional recipe is as there seems to be no consensus, but this is my version and I think it works well. The almond flavour is very mild, which suits me as I don’t really like almonds all that much, especially slivered almonds! But you could add those on top or you could add some almond essence to the filling mixture.

They were really easy to make and tasted delicious! Steve asked me to put some icing on his ones, so I just made up a simple glace icing and spread it over the top. I prefer them without icing as it’s a bit too sweet for me.
Unfortunately as this was an experiment I don’t have exact quantities to give you.

Rough Directions (!):

1. Roll out your Pâte Brisée/Sweet Shortcrust pastry to about 3mm thick, cut out circles and line shallow bun tins. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Blind bake for 10-15 minutes at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C until light golden brown.
3. Spread about 1 teaspoon of strawberry or raspberry jam over the bottom of each tart.
4. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the frangipane filling over the jam. I used mine straight from the fridge so it was quite solid, but it melts once it’s in the oven so don’t worry about spreading it too evenly.
5. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the filling has set – it should feel spongy when you press it with your finger.
6. Take them out of the tins and cool on a wire rack.

Pâte Brisée (Shortcrust Pastry)

This pastry is the French version of shortcrust pastry and it is suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes, such as French Apple Tarts or Quiche. It is a lovely flaky, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth pastry and the egg yolk gives a lovely rich taste. Once you have made this pastry you will never buy shop-bought again!
It is incredibly easy to make and it is actually quite a forgiving pastry, so it is easy to patch up any tears when lining your tins.

You can make this in the food processor, but I prefer to make it by hand as you get a better feel for how much water you need to add. I have given directions for both methods though.

• Makes: approx 345g of pastry
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C

Ingredients:

• 185g (6.5oz) plain flour
• 15g (½ oz) sugar (omit for savoury dishes)
• 90g (3.5oz) butter, cut roughly into pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• pinch of salt
• 1-3 Tablespoons of water

Directions By Hand:

1. Sift the flour onto a board or into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Put the sugar (if using), butter and egg yolk in the well and gently rub into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the water and bring the dough together gradually - don't try and force it together, just add a little more water. Knead very lightly until you have a smooth dough.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board until it is about 3mm thick, then line your tins. Prick the bases with a fork to prevent any funny air pockets forming.
5. CHILLING: it is important to chill your pastry before you bake it as it needs time to rest, because kneading the dough works the gluten in the flour and you want it to relax. I like to line my tins with the pastry first and then chill, but if you’re finding it difficult to roll your pastry then chill it for about 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling out. Your pastry will happily sit in the fridge overnight as long as it is well covered to prevent it from drying out. You can also freeze it.
6. BLIND BAKING: You should first bake your pastry without any filling so that it is practically cooked. You want the pastry to be light golden brown and you should be able to remove the cases from the tin to check the bottoms are brown too (but don’t remove them as you need to cook the filling!).
   If you’re making a large tart: place some greaseproof paper over the pastry, then fill the tin with an even layer of baking beans (or uncooked rice or dried lentils, which you can re-use but not eat!). Bake at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C for about 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans and greaseproof paper and bake for a further 5-10 minutes to dry out the base.
   If you’re making small tarts: then there isn’t any need to use baking beans, provided your pastry is well chilled first. Bake at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C for about 15 minutes.
7. You can now add your filling and continue baking as per the recipe.

Directions using Food Processor:

1. Place flour, sugar (if using) and butter in the food processor bowl. Using the pulse action, pulse for 30 seconds or until mixture is like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water; process a further 20 seconds until mixture forms a dough. Adding more water bit by bit if you need to.
3. Follow on from Step 4 in the above directions.

COOK’S NOTES:

• The secret to good pastry is to handle it as little as possible, so don’t try to mix the ingredients or knead the dough too much. Having cold hands is also a bonus as you don’t want all the fat in the dough to melt whilst you’re handling it.

French Apple Tarts

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

These tarts look really pretty and elegant and are tasty to boot! The filling is frangipane, but it doesn’t taste too strongly of almonds which is what puts me off things like Bakewell Tart.

These taste great on their own, but would be even better with some custard or home-made ice cream.

• Makes: 12 tarts
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• You will need: a 12 cup shallow bun tray

Ingredients for the pastry:

• 185g (6.5oz) plain flour
• 15g (½oz) sugar
• 90g (3.5oz) butter, cut roughly into pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• pinch of salt
• 1-3 Tablespoons of water

Ingredients for the filling:

• 90g (3.5oz) butter, softened
• 90g (3.5oz) sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 level Tablespoons flour
• 90g (3.5oz) ground almonds
• 2 small dessert/eating apples
• hot apricot jam to glaze

Directions for the pastry:

1. Sift the flour onto a board and make a well in the centre.
2. Put the sugar, butter and egg yolk in the well and gently mix in with the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the water and bring the dough together gradually - don't try and force it together, just add a little more water. Knead very lightly until you have a smooth dough.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board until it is about 3mm thick.
5. Using a cutter that is a little bigger than the holes in your bun tray, cut out 12 discs of pastry. Line your bun tray, prick the bases with a fork and chill for about 30 minutes.
6. Bake at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C for about 15 minutes until light golden brown and the cases can be removed from the tin (but don’t remove them as you need to cook the filling!).

Directions for the filling:

1. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, add the egg yolk and beat well.
2. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating well after each addition. Mix in the flour and ground almonds.
3. Put roughly a heaped teaspoon of the filling into each pastry case, but don’t overfill them.
4. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and remove the core. Cut them into very thin slices but keep them together. Press the apple slices down on the board to fan them out, but still keep them together. Carefully place a few slices of apple onto each tart and press down into the filling.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the apples are tender and the almond mixture has set.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
7. Brush the tops with hot apricot glaze.

COOK’S NOTES:

• Making individual tarts, you will have some pastry and filling leftover.
• If you wanted to make one large tart: you would need to blind bake the pastry using baking beans for about 20 minutes. After adding the filling and apples, bake the tart at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
• Choosing a cutter: my bun tins were 7cm in diameter, so I used a cutter that was 7.8cm in diameter, which was a perfect fit.
• Preparing in advance: you can make the pastry and the filling the night before and store covered in the fridge. Follow the pastry directions up to Step 5 but cover with cling film to stop it drying out. It is actually better for the pastry to be cooked from chilled (prevents it from shrinking), so you can pop the whole tray straight in the oven when you’re ready to cook.

Vanilla Ice Cream – using a Philips Delizia Ice Cream Maker

This is going to be an ice cream recipe and an ice cream machine review blog post!

For Sunday Lunch dessert I made French Apple Tarts, but I wanted to serve them with some nice ice cream. Steve’s Mum got a Philips Delizia Ice Cream Maker last year, but I’m the only one that has used it since she got it! I think it’s a very good machine for the price, so I thought I’d better give it another outing in the kitchen.

It’s from Lakeland and I’ve just read on their website some people are having problems with their disc leaking. Steve’s sister has the same machine and she had problems with her disc too, in that it wouldn’t freeze properly. I think she got a replacement quite easily though.

Well we’ve not had any problems with our machine, touch wood. It’s a nice compact machine, that is really easy to put together and easy to clean. At Tante Marie I used a Magimix Gelato Ice Cream Maker and it was a nightmare to clean, plus it was about 4 times the price!

There are 3 main components to the Philips machine:

1. The bowl
2. The lid (contains the motor) plus mixing paddle
3. The freezing disc

You keep the freezing disc wrapped in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you’ve made your ice cream mixture, then you unwrap the disc and place it into the bowl. Then you attach the mixing paddle onto the lid and then lock the lid into place on the bowl. Then you switch the machine on before pouring your ice cream mixture in through the hole in the lid. After about 30 minutes you have wonderfully churned ice cream that you can eat straight from the machine, or you can decant it into a container and chuck it in the freezer.

So using it is pretty straightforward and you don’t need to spend ages reading the well explained instructions. Cleaning the bowl, the freezing disc and the paddle is very easy in some hot soapy warm. Obviously you can’t do the same for the lid as it contains the motor, but this part doesn’t really get dirty if you’re careful when pouring in your ice cream mixture (use a jug). My only issue regarding cleaning, is the bowl is not made from one piece of plastic and there is a part at the bottom which traps water. I only really noticed it when I was packing it away and loads of water started dripping out. I have tried shaking it out but there is still some that remains, so I’ve stuck it next to the radiator to try and dry it out!

Overall, it is a good machine for the money as it is around £50, whereas a Magimix one will cost at least £200 and the results are just the same in my opinion. The quality of your ice cream will depend on the ingredients that you use. Steve’s sister makes her ice cream without eggs and it isn’t as good as when you make a proper custard based ice cream because there isn’t the necessary fat to stabilise it. The texture is therefore not as creamy and crystals form when it has been in the freezer.

So here is my recipe for ice cream:

• Makes: 1 pint
• You will need: a large bowl, a saucepan, a measuring jug

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 250ml milk (semi-skimmed is fine)
• 250ml double cream
• 100g white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and foamy.
2. Pour the milk into the saucepan and place over a medium heat and scald the milk (this means to bring it nearly to a boil, until you can see bubbles around the edge of the pan and little wisps of steam) stirring to prevent a skin forming.
3. Pour the milk onto the egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves (if you’re a bit worried about scrambling the eggs, temper the mixture first).
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently until the custard thickens, stirring constantly. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool (you can speed this up by placing in a bath of iced water).
5. When the mixture is cold, stir in the cream and vanilla extract, then it is ready to put into your ice cream machine. If you’re not using the mixture straight away, cover it with cling film to prevent a skin from forming.

COOK’S NOTES:

• The custard mixture will taste quite sweet and strongly of vanilla, but remember that once it has been churned and is frozen it won’t taste as sweet/strong.

Crème Brulee – second attempt!

MUNCH RATING 5/5

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
Steve requested I make him crème brulee for his birthday meal, but I only had whipping cream so I improvised the recipe I used before and it worked out even better than before! The texture was a lot smoother and the added bonus is whipping cream contains less fat (double cream is at least 48% fat, whereas whipping is at least 35%). Because the whipping cream was much runnier than double cream, I added more egg yolks and omitted the milk and I also put the mixture back in the pan to thicken slightly, like when making custard. I also didn’t bother using a baking sheet to cover them when baking in the oven as it seemed a pointless exercise. I also reduced the oven temperature to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C.

I’m pleased that I managed to sprinkle the sugar over the top and brulee it without making such a mess around the edges! I didn’t even need to wipe up the sugar around the edges before subjecting it to the blowtorch so I’m becoming a dab hand at this!

Steve did shout at me for changing the recipe when the first attempt was so good, but he let me off when I explained I didn’t have the right type of cream. Plus I’m pretty chuffed that I managed to pull off my improvisation and made the recipe better. After all, that’s what cooking is all about!

His only other complaint was that there wasn’t enough of it! Because I omitted the milk there was slightly less in each ramekin, but I thought a half-full ramekin of crème brulee was plenty, especially as it was to follow his favourite Thai Massaman curry which he always has second helpings of (this was for his birthday meal, but we were both so stuffed from birthday cake that we had the crème brulee the following evening). Anyway, I let him eat half of mine and he said 1.5 portions is just about the right amount! So I’m going to have to double up next time!

• Makes: 2
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: 2 ramekins, a small saucepan, a deep roasting tin (at least 7.5cm deep)

Ingredients:

• 200ml whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• 25g golden caster sugar, plus extra for the topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C. Sit two 175ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin at least 7.5cm deep (I used a loaf cake tin).
2. Pour the cream into a small pan with the vanilla extract and bring almost to the boil. As soon as you see bubbles appear round the edge, take the pan off the heat.
3. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for 1 minute with an electric hand whisk until paler in colour and a bit fluffy. Pour the hot cream onto the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a whisk as you do so. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring constantly until it has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat.
4. Set a fine sieve over a large wide jug or bowl and pour the hot mixture through to strain it. Using a slotted spoon, scoop off all the pale foam that is sitting on the top of the liquid (this will be several spoonfuls) and discard – Don’t skip this step! Give the mixture a stir.
5. Pour in enough hot water (from the tap is fine) into the roasting tin to come about 1.5cm up the sides of the ramekins. Pour the hot mixture into the ramekins.
6. Put them in the oven bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is softly set. To check, give the ramekins a jiggle and if the crème brulees are ready, they will wobble a bit like a jelly in the middle. Don't let them get too firm.
7. Lift the ramekins out of the roasting tin with oven gloves and set them on a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes only, then put in the fridge to cool completely (mine were set after about 3 hours). This can be done overnight without affecting the texture.
8. When ready to serve, wipe round the top edge of the dishes, sprinkle 1½ tsp of caster sugar over each ramekin and swirl the ramekin around the evenly distribute the sugar. Then use a blow torch to caramelise the sugar. Hold the flame just above the sugar and keep moving it round and round until caramelised. Serve when the brulee is firm (after about 5 minutes), or within an hour or two.

Simon Rimmer’s Jam Roly Poly

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

This might sound strange, but I don’t think I’ve ever had jam roly poly. I’ve definitely never used suet before, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I cooked it in my Tefal 4-in-1 and it was the first time I’ve used the steamer function. It worked brilliantly and I didn’t have to worry about it boiling dry as you can fill the bowl with loads of water.

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I had to halve Simon’s recipe as it served 6-8 people and I was only cooking for me and Steve, so even with half the amount we still had a lot leftover! So my jam roly poly was slightly smaller and I didn’t reduce the cooking time, so I think that’s why it came out a bit dry. Next time I will check it after 40 minutes. Another reason why it might have been dry was I didn’t use a double piece of parchment and the roly poly burst out a little bit. So it’s definitely worth using a double layer.

TASTE TEST:
I would also use more jam and a better quality one than the Tesco own brand we had in the fridge, as it was a bit bland.

It was easy to make but it's nowhere near as good as this other Jam Roly Poly recipe that I've tried.

The recipe below is half the quantity of Simon’s original recipe, which can be found here.

• Serves: 3-4
• You will need: a steamer

  
Ingredients:

• 113g (4oz) self-raising flour
• 57g (2oz) shredded suet (I used vegetable suet)
• 35g (1.25oz) caster sugar
• ½ egg, beaten
• 25ml (1 fl.oz) water
• 100g (3.5 oz) strawberry jam
• Hot ready-made custard, to serve

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, suet and sugar until well combined.
2. Add the beaten egg and stir until well combined.
3. Gradually add the water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together as a dough. (NB: You may not need all of the water. If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little more flour.)
4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to form a 20cm x 30cm rectangle. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
5. Spread the jam in an even layer all over the dough rectangle.
6. Starting from the narrower end of the rectangle, carefully roll the dough into a roulade, using your hands (use the baking parchment as a guide).
7. Cut the roll in half, then wrap each half tightly in a double piece of baking parchment. Twist the ends of each parcel to secure.
8. Place the roly-poly parcels into your steamer and steam for 40-50 minutes, or until completely cooked through (the jam roly-poly halves are cooked through
   when a skewer inserted into the centre of each comes out clean).
9. To serve, cut each jam roly-poly half into three or four slices. Place one slice onto each of six to eight serving plates. Drizzle over the hot custard.

Crème Brulee – first attempt!

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

This is the first time I’ve made a proper crème brulee. We made a Simple Fruit Brulee on my cooking course at Tante Marie, but this was basically just sweetened creme fraiche on top of fruit and then the burnt sugar on top, so unfortunately I didn’t actually learn very much from that recipe except how to use a blowtorch!

I got this recipe from the BBC Good Food website, but I have basically halved the quantity as I only wanted to make 2. I didn’t use a vanilla pod as they’re too expensive, so I’ve altered the method slightly as I used vanilla extract instead.

When they came out of the oven I was a bit worried I’d scrambled/curdled the eggs because the top wasn’t smooth. I think maybe the water I put into the bain marie was too hot, as it had just boiled in the kettle, so next time I will let the water cool down a bit before pouring it in or I’ll just use hot tap water. This recipe says you should cover the tin with a baking sheet, but I’m not convinced this is the best thing to do because of the risk of condensation, so next time I’ll try it without the sheet.


But surprisingly they did have a lovely texture and we both enjoyed them immensely! I used my new blow torch that I bought from Amazon and it’s brilliant! I should have cleaned up the sugar on the ramekins to make them look nicer, but I’m still very pleased with my first crème brulee effort! I also got my ramekins from Amazon.

I found the video tutorial on this website incredibly helpful: rouxbe

• Makes: 2
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: 2 ramekins, a small saucepan, a deep roasting tin (at least 7.5cm deep), a baking sheet (optional?)

Ingredients:

• 300ml double cream
• 40ml full-fat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large egg yolks
• 25g golden caster sugar, plus extra for the topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C. Sit two 175ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin at least 7.5cm deep (I used a loaf cake tin), one that will enable a baking tray to sit well above the ramekins when laid across the top of the tin.
2. Pour the cream into a small pan with the milk and the vanilla extract and bring almost to the boil. As soon as you see bubbles appear round the edge, take the pan off the heat.
3. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for 1 minute with an electric hand whisk until paler in colour and a bit fluffy. Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a wire whisk as you do so.
4. Set a fine sieve over a large wide jug or bowl and pour the hot mixture through to strain it. Using a big spoon, scoop off all the pale foam that is sitting on the top of the liquid (this will be several spoonfuls) and discard – Don’t skip this step! Give the mixture a stir.
5. Pour in enough hot water (from the tap is fine) into the roasting tin to come about 1.5cm up the sides of the ramekins. Pour the hot cream into the ramekins so you fill them up right to the top - it's easier to spoon in the last little bit. Put them in the oven and lay a baking sheet over the top of the tin so it sits well above the ramekins and completely covers them, but not the whole tin, leaving a small gap at one side to allow air to circulate. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is softly set. To check, gently sway the roasting tin and if the crème brulees are ready, they will wobble a bit like a jelly in the middle. Don't let them get too firm.
6. Lift the ramekins out of the roasting tin with oven gloves and set them on a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes only, then put in the fridge to cool completely (mine were set after about 3 hours). This can be done overnight without affecting the texture.
7. When ready to serve, wipe round the top edge of the dishes, sprinkle 1½ tsp of caster sugar over each ramekin and spread it out with the back of a spoon to completely cover. Spray with a little water using a fine spray (I didn’t do this and it was fine) to just dampen the sugar - then use a blow torch to caramelise it. Hold the flame just above the sugar and keep moving it round and round until caramelised. Serve when the brulee is firm, or within an hour or two. 

CHECK OUT MY SECOND ATTEMPT HERE!

Golden Syrup Sponge Cake

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This cake was loved by everyone and it has gone down really quickly! It was so nice when it was still warm from the oven! But even the next day it was lovely, just zapped in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Steve’s Mum said it was just as good as the Chewy Cocoa Brownie Cupcakes I make, which is high praise indeed as their one of her favourites!

It’s great to have with just a cup of tea, but Steve’s Mum had it with strawberries and cream! You could also drizzle some extra golden syrup on top and drown it in custard. Heaven!

• Makes: 24 squares
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C
• Oven shelf: upper-middle
• You will need: a saucepan, a large mixing bowl, a 32cm x 23cm x 2cm Swiss Roll tin

Ingredients:

• 200g (8oz) butter
• 200g (8oz) golden syrup
• 300g (10oz) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Butter and line the base of your Swiss Roll tin.
2. Gently melt the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan, stirring to combine. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C.
4. Sift the flour with the salt and stir in the sugar. Beat in the cooled syrup mixture.
5. Beat in the eggs and milk, then combine with the flour mixture until smooth.
6. Pour into the tin and level out.
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes until it has risen and is firm in the centre – test with a skewer and it should come out clean.
8. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
9. Allow to cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into 24 squares – then devour.

Best Ever Chocolate Brownies

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

These brownies are truly decadent! They are super fudgy and squidgy and most definitely calorific but they are worth treating yourself. When they come out of the oven they are still really runny and undercooked, so they’re best when they’ve been in the fridge overnight and they’ve set a bit more.

My brother took these into work and his colleagues LOVED them! 3 of them have asked me to bake them a batch each!

Steve’s Mum likes to eat these with strawberries and cream as a nice dessert.

• Makes: 16 squares
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf: top
• You will need: an 8-9 inch square tin, greased and lined with baking paper

Ingredients:

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Tesco value)
• 3 large eggs
• 275g caster sugar, golden if possible
• 85g plain flour (or ground almonds if you have a wheat intolerance)
• 40g cocoa
• 50g white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 50g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Put the butter and dark chocolate into a small bowl and place over a pan of hot water to melt. Allow to cool.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar for a few minutes using an electric hand mixer until pale, thick and mousse-like. This can take up to 5 minutes so be patient!
4. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
5. Sift the flour and cocoa into the combined mixtures and gently fold in. Stir in the chopped milk and white chocolate.
6. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the mixture no longer wobbles when the tin is gently shaken. The top should be dark and have a shiny crust.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before attempting to cut into squares.
8. Store in the fridge wrapped in foil for about a week, if it’s not eaten before then!

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

The crumble topping is more like the topping you have on an Apple Crisp, which is an American dessert. I used apples because we always have some apples sitting untouched in the fruit bowl and this is a perfect way to use up the ones that are starting to go a bit soft. I always prefer to use eating apples to cooking apples, as I think they’re naturally sweeter (and not so sharp so you don’t have to add so much sugar) and they keep their shape more, so you have something to bite into, rather than a spoonful of mush.

I went out into the garden and picked some blackberries that were overgrowing from next door’s garden. They’re bang in season now, so go out and look in a nearby hedgerow and you’ll probably spot some ripe for picking!

• Makes: 4 individual crumbles
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Cooking time: 20 minutes (or 30 mins if doing 1 large dish)

Ingredients for the filling:

• 2 eating apples (I used Gala), peeled, cored and cut into bite size pieces
• big handful of blackberries (as many as you can pick!)
• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar (depends how sweet you like it)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (this is optional but if you’re making these in advance then I’d use it to stop the apples going brown)

Ingredients for the topping:

• 50g rolled oats
• 100g ground almonds
• 150g melted unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• 100g soft brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Put the apples and blackberries in a small bowl and mix well with the sugar and lemon juice, if using.
3. Mix together all the topping ingredients together.
4. Distribute the fruit between 4 ramekins and then sprinkle over the topping, but don’t press it down too firmly.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

I bought this set of 4 ramekins from Amazon for £6.99. They are 3.5 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep, so the perfect size. They are blowtorch, dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. I plan to make crème brûlées in them next!

Apricot & almond Upside-Down pudding

MUNCH RATING: 2/5

Steve’s Mum bought a load of apricots from the market in Dorking and I knew that they wouldn’t get eaten unless they were put into a cake! So I found this recipe to use up all of the apricots and even though we weren’t too keen on the fruit as they were a bit sour, we loved the cake part! So next time I’ll use a different fruit as the sponge was lovely and light and was lovely with custard!

• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf: upper-middle
• You will need: 8 or 9 inch shallow loose bottomed tin, lightly greased

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoon clear honey
• 450g (1lb) apricots, peeled, halved and pitted*
• 110g (4oz) butter, softened (I used Stork)
• 125g (4½ oz) caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 110g (4oz) self raising flour
• 100g (3½ oz) ground almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Spread the honey over the base of the tin.
3. Arrange the apricot halves over the base of the tin cut side down.
4. Put the butter and sugar into a food processor and whizz together until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs with a tablespoon of flour and whizz to combine, then add the rest of the flour and the ground almonds.
6. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and spread it out to cover the fruit.
7. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the edges. Place a large plate on top of the tin, invert quickly and lift the tin away.

* The recipe didn’t specify the apricots should be peeled, but I just thought it would be nicer without the skins! I just treated them like tomatoes, by cutting a cross on the bottom of the fruit and pouring boiling water over them, then plunging them into cold water. The skins came off really easily.

Yorkshire Parkin

MUNCH RATING: 1/5

I’ve never eaten this before, so I had no idea what it would be like. Parkin is essentially a northern version of gingerbread, but it tends to be more moist and it improves and gets stickier if left for 24 hours after baking. I don’t know how authentic this BBC Good Food recipe is, as it’s quite different to other Parkin recipes I’ve got (this one has oats in it, but no egg).

It is definitely a sticky cake and it was nicer served warm with hot custard! I’m not sure I’d make this again because it has a funny smell, which I can’t really describe! But I like my cakes to smell enticing so this isn’t one of my favourites by a long shot!

• Makes: 16 squares
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 2/300°F/150°C
• You will need: 8 x 2½ inch square tin, greased and lined with baking paper 

Ingredients:

• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• 200g (7oz) caster sugar (I reduced to 150g and it was still sweet)
• 125g (4½ oz) porridge oats (I used Quaker)
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 200ml (7fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 110g (4oz) butter
• 2 Tablespoons preserved stem ginger, chopped (optional) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 2/300°F/150°C.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then mix in the sugar, oats, ginger and bicarbonate of soda.
3. In a small pan, gently bring the milk, butter and golden syrup to a boil until the butter has melted.
4. Beat the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the stem ginger if using.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Leave to cool, then cut into 16 squares.

Mini Chocolate Tarts

MUNCH RATING: 4 OUT OF 5

This is from Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends book and it uses half of the pastry batch made from using her Sweet Pastry recipe. You can make this as one big tart by blind baking a whole batch of the pastry and doubling the chocolate filling quantities. A big tart takes 17-20 minutes to bake.

• Makes: about 18 mini tarts
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• Oven shelf: middle
• You will need: 2 shallow bun/mince pie/mini bun trays 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 quantity Sweet Pastry

CHOCOLATE FILLING

• 75 g (2.5 oz) milk chocolate, chopped
• 75 g (2.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
• 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) cream
• 75 ml (2.5 fl oz) milk
• 1 egg, beaten 

Directions:

1. Roll the pastry very thinly, to about 2 mm thick (putting the pastry in between 2 sheets of cling film). *I found the easiest way to roll it thinly was to divide the pastry into 3 balls and then roll those out separately.
2. Cut into rounds to line the bases of the tins. *Use a cutter which is just slightly bigger than the holes of your tins.
3. Freeze the pastry (for about 1 hour) till frozen (this means you don't have to use baking beans). *I found that my pastry did rise in places, so next time I will try pricking the bases before baking.
4. Pop into a preheated oven at Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C and bake for about 8 minutes or until pale golden.
5. To make the chocolate filling: Heat the cream and milk to almost boiling point, then remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir to melt all the chocolate. Let cool slightly for a few minutes, then stir in the beaten eggs.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pastry shells. *I found the easiest way to do this was to put the mixture into a Pyrex jug and pour from that.
7. Cook the tarts for another 8 minutes or until they are just setting.
8. Take out of the oven and allow to sit in the tins for 10 minutes before taking out. *They might look quite undercooked but if you leave them for a couple of hours the filling will set more.
9. Dust with icing sugar and serve. *This is optional as I found them sweet enough as they were.

Rachel Allen’s Sweet Pastry

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This pastry is really easy to make, especially if you use a food processor, but you can also make it by hand.


Ingredients for the pastry (these quantities makes enough for two 8-inch tarts, so you can freeze one portion raw for another time):

• 250g (9oz) plain flour
• 125 (4.5oz) butter, diced and softened*
• 75g (3oz) caster sugar
• ½ – 1 egg, beaten

Directions for the pastry:

1. In the food processor place the flour, butter and sugar and whizz up for a few seconds.
2. Add half the beaten egg and continue whizzing. You might need to add a little more egg, but don’t add too much – it should just come together (I used a whole egg).
3. Tip the mixture onto a board* and with your hands flatten out the ball of dough till it is about 3 cm thick.
4. Wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Putting it on a metal baking tray will speed up the chilling process (it will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge, or it will freeze).

* My butter wasn’t very soft as I made this tart on the day that it heavily snowed so it was really cold in the house! I’m sure this is why the mixture didn’t come together into a ball in the processor (it stayed like breadcrumbs) so I had to bring it together on the board which took a few minutes.
 
To roll the pastry:

1. Take the pastry out of the fridge (and split into two portions if doing two tarts).
2. Place one portion of the pastry and place it between 2 sheets of cling film bigger than your tart tin.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll out a circle no thicker than ¼ cm.
4. Removing just the top layer of cling film, place the pastry upside down (cling film side facing up) in the clean tart tin.
5. Press the pastry into the edges, cling film still attached and, using your thumb, ‘cut’ the pastry on the edge of the tin.
6. Remove the cling film and pop the pastry in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking blind.

To bake blind:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C*
2. Line the pastry with greaseproof/parchment paper, leaving plenty to come up the sides.
3. Fill with baking beans, or dried pulses (I used a mixture of red lentils and rice).
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the pastry feels dry to the touch (you can prepare the filling whilst you’re waiting).
5. Remove the paper and beans. At this stage you can brush the base with a little left-over beaten egg (I didn’t do this as I didn’t have any left-over egg).
6. Return the pastry base to the oven for another 5 minutes.

COOK'S NOTES:

• I accidentally cooked the pastry at Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C as that is what I’d set the oven temperature to for my Blueberry Pear Crumble Topped Tart and it worked out fine.
• Pastry freezes perfectly when it's raw, so it's handy to have some in the freezer. If the pastry is completely frozen going into the oven, and is not in any way too wet, you can actually cook it without the paper and beans. But if the pastry is not frozen, or is too wet (i.e. with too much egg), it will fall down the sides of the tin while it is cooking.
• The reason for baking the pastry blind is to prevent the tart from getting a soggy base - so when making a tart with a 'custard' filling (as in eggs and milk or cream), it's essential. But for other tarts such as a Chocolate and Pear Tart, baking blind doesn't seem to be necessary.

Blueberry Pear Crumble Topped Tart

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is a hybrid of three different recipes as I didn’t have enough ground almonds to make the original recipe I wanted to make. So I had to be creative and I’m pleased to say it was a great success!

I made the sweet pastry from scratch using Rachel Allen’s recipe (click here for a link) and for my first time making pastry I’m really pleased that it came out lovely and crisp. It was really easy to make in the food processor.

• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• Oven shelf: middle
• You will need: an 8-inch tart tin

Ingredients:
FOR THE PASTRY

• You will need 1 portion of Rachel Allen’s sweet pastry, or roughly 250 g of shop bought sweet pastry, baked blind.

FOR THE FILLING

• 225 g (8 oz) blueberries, washed
• 50 g (1.75 oz) caster sugar
• 1 large ripe pear, cut into thin slices (I used Comice)

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING

• 25 g (1 oz) ground almonds
• 50 g (1.75 oz) self-raising flour
• 25 g (1 oz) caster sugar
• 50 g (1.75 oz) butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C.
2. Mix the blueberries with the sugar and set to one side.
3. Place all the crumble ingredients into a food processor and whizz up until you have a soft crumble.
4. Spread the blueberries out onto the cooked pastry base, then arrange the slices of pear on top.
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown.