Sourdough Bread and Starter

Sourdough Bread

When I started getting back into bread baking several months ago now, one thing I really wanted to try making was sourdough bread. While it is probably more common in the US than in the UK, there does seem to be a growing interest here, due to the increase of US cooking shows on our TVs.

I think that the name, sourdough, is also quite misleading. I have spoken to people who have not tried it because they are expecting the bread to have a sour taste. I would describe it as having a more 'bread-like' taste and a very slight tang. There is a slightly deeper flavour as it is a more fermented than usual bread, so if like me, you are a bread fan, then waste no time in getting your hands on a starter. It is fantastic with soup, and it makes the most unbelievably tasty toast.

Unlike bread that is made using cultured yeast, sourdough bread takes a lot longer to prove than you are used to. It takes me about a day and half to make my bread, but in the time, my actual involvement is very little.


How to grow your own sourdough starter

Having a sourdough starter in your life is much like having a pet. We have actually named ours Heston. You have to keep him in the right conditions and feed him, or he will die.

The hardest bit is getting your starter started, but once its going, it is much easier to look after. There are many variations of method on the web if you care to look, but this is the method I prefer. You could also ask around your friends, because if someone has a starter already, that would make your life much easier.

Equipment you need:
* a clean large glass jar or jug (I use an old pickled gherkin jar)
* bottled water - not tap water
* organic rye flour

Day 1
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add 100g rye flour and 140g bottled water. Mix thoroughly into a paste. Cover with towel, and leave away from direct heat (radiators etc) at room temp (20c/21c) for 24hrs

Day 2
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You may not see much activity at this stage. Discard half the starter and add in 100g rye flour and 140g water. Cover and leave at room temp for another 24hrs

Day 3, 4 & 5
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You should see some activity now, and have maybe a fresh beer-like yeasty smell. There should be bubbles in the mixture which is caused by the wild yeast population eating the flour.Now that your yeast population is growing you now need to feed twice a day at evenly spaced intervals - roughly every 12 hrs.

For each feed - keep 100g of starter, and discard the rest. Add 100g of rye flour and 140g water, cover and leave.

Day 6
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By now you should have quite an active starter. It should have a slightly acidic smell. If at any point it smells 'off' and offensive, discard and start again as something nasty has gotten in. If you get a slight layer of off-coloured liquid on top, that is 'hooch'. Essentially its alcohol produced by the yeast. Pour it off or stir back in - either is good.

Your starter should be stable enough to use now and store in the fridge, which means it is much less maintenance.

Baking with your starter.

There are many recipes out there for sourdough bread if you do some searching online,  but this is the recipe/routine I have developed which works best for me.

Sat AM
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Fed starter

I take my starter out of the fridge, and place 1 large tablespoon into a clean glass bowl, and discard the rest. Instead of chucking it in the bin, you can use it to make pancakes or waffles for breakfast.

Add 100g of rye flour & 140g bottled water. Cover with tea towel and leave to double in size - approx 5-6 hrs depending on room temp. When it is risen, spongy and bubbly, it's now called a 'fed starter'.


Sat PM
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Take 200g of 'fed starter' and place in a large mixing bowl. There should be a small amount left of fed starter which can be popped back into your large jar with 100g rye flour and 140g bottled water. Stir, then place the lid on loosely, not tightened, and leave in the fridge until next week.

Add to the 200g of starter - 500g strong white or wholemeal bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 240ml bottled water (and I also add on a squirt of honey to feed the yeast but not enough to make the bread taste sweet, but this is completely optional).

Mix until combined, and then knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic for 8-10 mins. If the mixture seems too sloppy, add a smidge more flour before turning out to knead, but beware the more flour you add the denser and heavier your bread will be, and a wet dough will tighten up as you knead and produce a much better crumb.

Once kneaded, place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, then place in the fridge overnight.

Sun AM
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Your dough should have doubled in size by now. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock all the air out, then half the mixture. Shape into smooth rectangles and place gently in to 2 x greased and floured 2lb loaf tins.

Dust the top with more flour, and make a shallow slash cut along the top in the middle, from about half inch from each end.

Cover both loaves with a clean tea towel and leave at room temp for about 5-6 hours at least, longer if it is cold, until it has doubled in size again.

Sun PM
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Bake in middle of oven at gas mark 5/375f/190c for 30 mins, then turn out onto a baking tray, upside down. Place back in over for a further 10 mins, then cool on a cooling rack.


Once cooled, I tend to place one loaf in a freezer bag and freeze. The bread will keep fresh for several days, but it is definitely at its best eaten within 2 or 3 days.

About Sourdough bread

Sourdough bread, unlike bread made from cultured yeast, is slightly better for you because the lengthier rising times actually breaks down a lot of the proteins(gluten) making it more digestible for humans. Good if you have a sensitivity to wheat gluten.

Like all other fermentation processes, the bacteria present in the sourdough starter eat the starch and sugars present in the grain. This results in a lowering of the starch or carbohydrate content of the bread, which is helpful for keeping blood sugar levels regulated. It also increases some of the vitamin and mineral content of the grain.

The increase in lactic acid, what gives it that light tang, actually works as a natural preservative, and prevents mold growth.

Finally, the bacteria present in the sourdough help to activate phytase, an enzyme that breaks down an anti-nutrient present in all grains, beans, and seeds called phytic acid. This may seem minor, but phytic acid is known to strip your body of minerals and can be hard on your digestion.

Your starter will live quite happily in the fridge for a week. You will notice it rises after about 3 or 4 days then starts to drop a little by the 7th day as the yeast population has peaked. I would advise feeding once a week, even if not baking with it, to keep the yeast and bacteria population strong, but it can go up to two weeks at a push. It's not unknown for sourdough enthusiasts to take their starter with them on holiday.

If you want to bake more than once a week, you can always take your starter out of the fridge after about 3 or 4 days. Alternatively, you can store it at room temp but you will have to bake with it and feed it every day.

Have a play, do some reading on the web, but don't be too put off - everyone seems to handle things slightly differently but the basic rules are the same.

Cinnamon Rolls

For a long time, I didn't think I liked cinnamon.

Growing up in a household that used very little in the way of herbs and spices in cooking, I wasn't too familiar with it. My introduction to cinnamon came in the form of some horrendous boiled sweets a friend brought back from the US. I hated them, and so I though I hated cinnamon.

It is a spice that I have since grown to love however, but in moderation. I still don't like it if people are too heavy handed with it. Other than in apple pie, my favourite use of cinnamon is in the cinnamon roll. The beautiful soft enriched dough with the hint of cinnamon is a great breakfast treat, especially if it is oozing with a delicious cream cheese frosting, or maple syrup glaze. As it is quite sweet, you can just brush it with a little melted butter.



Dough Ingredients:

• 180ml milk, warmed (110f/43c)
• 7g instant yeast
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 560g plain flour
• 70g corn flour
• 115g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 170g  softened unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (easier to do this while cold)

Filling Ingredients:

• 200g light brown sugar
• 1½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method:

1.      Line a 13"(33cm) by 9"(23cm) baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil and set aside.

2.      Add warm milk into mixing bowl, stir in yeast and allow to bloom.

3.      In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornflour, sugar and salt.

4.      Once the yeast has bloomed, dump the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl.

5.      With mixer on low and using a dough hook, slowly add in the beaten eggs until dough comes together.

6.      Increase speed to medium, and add the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated.

7.      Either turn out and knead by hand or continue to mix until the dough is smooth and comes away from the bowl (approx. 8-10 mins).

8.      Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film, and place somewhere warmish until its doubled in size(about 1½-2 hours)

9.      In the meantime, prepare your filling. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt into a small bowl.

10.  Once the dough is fully risen, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knock the air out of the dough, then roll our into a rectangle about 16"(40cm) wide by 12" (30cm).

11.  Pour the melted butter over the dough and spread with your finger tips. Sprinkle over the sugar mix and spread with your fingertips.

12.  Starting at the edge nearest to you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch to seal seam.

13.  Cut into 12 even sized rolls. Transfer rolls into prepared foil-lined pan. Cover with cling film and leave to rise again until doubled in size. This can be done overnight in a fridge so that they are ready to bake for breakfast.

14.  When ready to bake, discard cling film and place in an oven pre-heated to Gas 4/180c/350f for 35 to 40 minutes.

15.  When done, allow to cool in the pan for a moment. At this point, you can ice or glaze them if you want. When ready to serve, use the excess foil to lift from the pan.

TIP: Cinnamon rolls freeze very well once cooked (unfrosted). You can freeze them  in bulk or individually, then once thawed, warm for a few minutes in the oven before frosting, or you could just stuff your face with them  straight away.

Also, for an interesting twist, why not try throwing a handful or two of mixed dried fruit along with your sugar and cinnamon filling.

Pumpkin Pie

Sadly, due to the inclement weather this year, my squash patch was pretty much a wash out. The incessant rain caused mold on the broad leaves, and any budding squash was soon munched on by the army of slugs and snails that invaded my garden this year.

I was devastated, my grand plans of producing enough pumpkin and squash puree to last me through many soups and pies were dashed. However, a delightful friend from the US happened to mention that she used canned pumpkin. All was not lost, I thought.


Canned pumpkin however, is not a staple item of the British supermarket. The internet came to my rescue, and several cans were ordered and delivered. The most famous brand is of course Libby's, which is actually a puree of Dickinson's Select, something more akin to a squash than an actual pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin tends to be a little too stringy or fibrous to give a truly smooth finish.

I am not sure why it is but, Butternut aside, fresh squash is largely ignored in our supermarkets. It is a delicious and nutritious ingredient and I love cooking with it, and wish more people did. Many people I have spoken to have also never tried a pumpkin pie. The British as a whole seem to have trouble accepting the idea of a vegetable based dessert.

The dish is quite sweet because of the condensed milk, so I reduced the sugar from the original recipe. Next time, I might switch the sugar for Maple Syrup which will add a taste of New England to this autumn classic.

Ingredients:

• 40g caster sugar 
• 40g light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces)340g condensed milk
• Pastry for one 9” pie tin 

Method:

1. Prepare shortcrust pastry, or buy ready made.
2. Line a greased 9" pie tin, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes
3. Cover with greaseproof paper, and fill with baking beans.
4. Bake blind at gas mark 6/200c/400f for 15 mins then remove the paper and beans
5. Brush with a little beaten egg, and place the pastry shell back in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until golden.

6. Mix sugar, salt, and spices in small bowl, and set aside.
7. Beat eggs in large bowl, then add pumpkin puree and spice mixture.
8. Gradually stir in condensed milk.
9. Pour into pie shell
10. Bake at Gas Mark 4/180c/350f for 40-50 minutes, until firm but there should still be a slight wobble in the middle.
11. Leave to cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before turning out and serving with a dollop of whipped cream.

Blood Fudge

Kinda looks like stewing steak doesn't it?

Recently, a delightful author known as Joseph D'Lacey made a plea on twitter for someone to make him some 'blood fudge' to give away to attendees of the launch of his new book, Blood Fugue, at Blackwell's Charing Cross on Friday (16th Nov).

I will admit, my curiosity was piqued. I have made plenty of fudge before, but the idea of creating some that was meant to look like blood intrigued me. I offered to do this, and he gratefully accepted. His brief was that it should be marbled. I thought 'yep, I can do that'. I offered the suggestion of the addition of sour cherries, to represent coagulated blood. The blood thirsty author was delighted with the idea, but then he threw a small spanner into my works. He added that it needed to be vegan. Vegan fudge? Does such a thing exist? Apparently, yes it does.

Taking a basic fudge recipe, I substituted cream for soya milk (I choose chocolate flavour to give extra taste and colour), and the butter for soya margarine. Despite much head scratching, I could not figure out a way to create the marble effect using vegan ingredients.

First attempt was quite brittle, much like a fudge made with milk. It was tasty, but had a little too much of a snap for my liking. I decided to try again, this time adding a little extra margarine to increase the fat content as I felt that this would add the creamy texture and softness I was looking for.

Success! I sent a sample batch to my client, and he loved it. YAY!

For those interested, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 700g caster sugar
• 600ml soya milk (I used chocolate but you can use plain)
• 140g soya margarine
• kosher red food colouring gel (any brand like Wilton is fine)
• 75g sour cherries, lightly chopped
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 Method: 

1. Line a 7" square tin with cling film
2. Place milk, sugar, and margarine in a large heavy bottomed pan (preferably a preserving pan as the mixture will bloom to more than twice the size)
3. Over a medium heat, stir the mixture until all the sugar and margarine has dissolved.
4. Turn the heat up, and continue stirring until the temperature reaches about 240F/115C on a candy thermometer (which can take about 20 mins or so), or it has reached the soft ball stage.
   Soft ball stage is when a small amount of mixture is dropped into ice water and it can be squeezed into a soft ball.
5. Take off the heat and add the colouring, flavouring and the cherries. 
6. Beat firmly until the fudge just begins to lose its glossiness, then pour quickly into the tin. 
7. Level out with a metal spatula, or back of a spoon. DO NOT TOUCH WITH YOUR HANDS.
8. Score the surface into squares, then leave to cool for a couple of hours.
9. Once cooled, turn out and break along the score marks. 

This will keep in an airtight container for two weeks.

Halloween party food

Here are a few ideas for some savoury Halloween party fare.

Bloody Eyeball Soup

1. Take some cherry tomatoes, cut in half and scoop out the seeds
2. Place a mozzarella pearl into each shell then make a small incision
3. Take a basil leaf and roll into a tight cigar shape
4. cut a slice of the basil leaf and press into the incision in the mozzarella
5. Warm up some tomato soup, and serve with two 'eyeballs' floating on top

Witches Fingers

1. Make a batch of the soft pretzel recipe I used here. 
2. Instead of forming them into the common pretzel shape, form them into small sausages, slightly longer then your longest finger
3. Boil in water and bicarbonate of soda, then place on a baking tray.
4. Using a knife, make some knuckle indentations at the one third and two third mark
5. pinch the 'fingers' a little above and below each knuckle to give that gnarly and bony finger effect. 
6. Brush with an egg wash, and sprinkle with rock salt if you like
7. Press an almond into the end to be the fingernail
8. Bake in a hot oven, Gas 8/230c/450f for 10 minutes or until golden brown

Slimy Worms in a Bun

1. Take a packet of cold hot dogs.
2. Cut length ways, then cut each length again so you have 4 long strips
3. Drop into boiling salted water for about 3 mins
4. Drain the place into a bowl and coat generously with barbecue sauce
5. Serve the 'slimy worms' in a nice kaiser roll or any roll of your choice.

Gravestone Wedges

1. Cut cleaned sweet potatoes into wedges leaving the skin on
2. drizzle over some olive oil
3. Sprinkle in some salt, cumin, paprika and black pepper (or whatever mix of spices you prefer)
4. Rub the oil and spice mix over the edges ensuring that they are all coated
5. lay them out on a baking tray and cook at 200C/gas 7 for 40 mins, or longer if needed to make them crispy

Mini Mummy pizzas 

1. Take one packet of English Muffins and cut each muffin in half. These will form the base of your mini pizzas
2. Smooth a layer of tomato purée over the top of each muffin
3. Take some slices of mature cheddar and cut into strips about 2cm wide
4. Lay them over the muffin pizzas to look like bandages
5. Cut two slices from a pepperoni (or an olive for vegetarian version) and place as eyes
6. Bake in an oven at Gas 5/190c/375f for about 10 mins or until the cheese is bubbling and golden

 Mummy Sausages

1. Take one packet of pork chipolata sausages
2. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry, and using a pastry wheel cut into thin strips about 1cm wide
3. Lightly wet one side of the pastry to help it stick
4. Wrap each sausage in one or two strips of pastry leaving a small space about two thirds up for eyes
5. Bake in the oven at Gas 6/200c/400f for 15 to 17 mins
6. Once cooked, place on a cooling rack then put two small dots of mustard for eyes

Halloween Cakes, Cookies and Cupcakes

Eyeball Cookies

These are just iced sugar cookies, using my recipe from here.

I used a cookie cutter shaped as a rugby ball/American football. After the royal icing set, I popped a rice paper topper on top. If you have the time, you could also wait until the icing has set and is fully dry, then paint your eyeball on using a fine paint brush and food colouring.





Creepy Cupcakes

I made a dozen red velvet cupcakes to start with. Red velvet is essentially a moist chocolate sponge with a generous dose of red colouring. 

Ingredients:

• 60g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 eggs
• 125ml buttermilk
• red food colouring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 125g plain flour
• 1 dessertspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. 
2. Line a muffin tins with 12 paper cases.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy. 
4. Mix together the eggs, buttermilk, red food colouring and vanilla. 
5. Add to the sugar mixture a little at a time.
6. Sift together the bicarb, flour and cocoa powder. Stir in the salt, then add into the mixture. If using a machine, do this but until just until blended. Don't over beat or you will beat out all the air you incorporated.
7. Bake for 20-25 until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, or an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin set over a wire rack. 
8. When fully cooled, scoop out a little of the top and put in a teaspoon of raspberry jam.
9. Top with buttercream and decorate with edible glitter

Halloween Cake 
For this cake, I used a rich Victoria sponge recipe, times by 1.5 so I can make 3 layers.

Ingredients:

• 6 large free range eggs
• 335g self-raising flour
• 335g caster sugar
• 335g butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• black food colouring
• purple food colouring
• green food colouring

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale.
2. beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and add to the cake mixture a little at a time
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together then gently fold into the mixture
4. separate the mixture into 3 portions, and add the cocoa powder to one portion along with some black colouring.
5. to a second portion, add some green colouring
6. to the final portion, add some purple colouring
7. Bake the cakes at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 20-25 mins
8. Once cooled, sandwich each layer with buttercream, and then coat a thin layer over the outside
9. Allow this outside layer to set and harden a little before covering the cake with orange coloured fondant. 
10. Using a small amount of black coloured icing, pipe a design around the side

Soft Pretzels

Some time ago, I decided to make some pretzels. As soon as they were out of the oven, and I mean they were still surface-of-the-sun hot, my husband and brother descended on them. Within moments, all that remained were a couple of sheepish faces and a few leftover crumbs.

To be fair, these are best when warm, so be prepared to fight people off as they come out of the oven.

The glossy finish is due to boiling them in a water and bicarbonate of soda, then egg-washing before baking.  Commercial bakers use a food-grade sodium hydroxide, but sadly I cannot get hold of that in small quantities, so baking soda will have to do.


Ingredients:

• 250ml warm water or milk (or half milk half water)
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp cooking salt
• 440g strong white bread flour
• 5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg

Method:

1. Pour warm water in a mixing bowl
2. Stir in the yeast and sugar and leave for a few minutes to bloom
3. add in the salt and flour
4. Once mixed, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place in a bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to double in size, about an hour.
6. Turn out onto floured surface and divide into 4,6,8 pieces depending how big you want your pretzels. This mixture will make 4 large pretzels.
7. roll each portion into a long rope, then form into a pretzel shape (see here for tips on folding a pretzel).
8. when you have all your pretzels formed, boil 1½ litres of water with 5 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
9. add each pretzel individually and boil for 1 min on each side the place on a lined baking sheet
10. once your pretzels are all boiled, brush with an egg-wash and then sprinkle with rock salt or sesame seeds
11. bake in hot oven Gas 8/230c/450f for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown

You can eat these just as they are or try serving them with a spicy tomato or barbecue dip.

Candy Corn Cookies

I am gearing up for Halloween, and my Halloween themed baking starts off with some Candy Corn Cookies.

For these, I have used my basic Sugar Cookie recipe. I also added a squirt of honey to try and replicate the flavour of candy corn.

Ensure that you use gel or paste food colouring, and not the liquid, otherwise your dough will be too wet. Be generous with the colouring as it will fade a little when cooked.

I meant to add sanding sugar before I baked them, but in my haste, I forgot.

Ingredients:

• 375g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 225g sugar
• 1 large free-range egg
• 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
• yellow food colouring gel
• orange food colouring gel

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy
2. Mix the vanilla essence into the egg & add to the butter mixture a little at a time (throw in a handful of the flour to stop the egg and butter separating).
3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder then add into to the mixture
4. Separate the dough into 3 equal portions.
5. Colour one portion yellow, and a second portion orange (you can use red plus yellow if you don't have orange).
6. Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film. 
7. Press the plain uncoloured portion of dough into a flat layer
8. Slightly dampen the surface with a little water on your fingers to make it tacky, then press the orange dough into a flat layer.
9. Repeat with the yellow layer.
10. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate in the tin for at least 4 hours
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F  / 176°C / Gas Mark 4
12. Unwrap the dough and cut a slice about 1cm thick along the length. Lay the slice flat on a lightly floured surface and make zig zag cuts to form triangle cookies. Some will have a white tip, some will have a yellow tip, but that's okay.
13. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just starting to colour.
14. Leave on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to fully cool.

Turkey and Pancetta Pie

I had a few ingredients I needed to use up, and so decided to make a Turkey and Pancetta pie. You can always use chicken instead of turkey, or bacon instead of pancetta for this. The rest of the ingredients are all standard store cupboard stuff, apart from maybe the mascarpone - which is one of the ingredients I wanted to use up.

A simple light shortcrust pastry, and you are well on your way to a tasty supper.


Ingredients:

• 30g butter
• 3 Turkey escalopes (or chicken breasts) diced (approx 420g)
• 130g pancetta cubes ( or diced bacon)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250ml chicken stock
• 100ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2 dessert spoon mascarpone (optional)
• 2 tsp fresh chopped tarragon ( or 1 tsp dried)
• Enough short crust pastry for a base and lid

Method:

1. Melt butter and add a dash of olive oil
2. Add the pancetta and let it simmer for a minute or two to allow the fat to render
3. Add the turkey breast and stir until browned
4. Take out the turkey and pancetta with a slotted spoon and put aside
5. Add in the diced onion and simmer for a few minutes until softened
6. Add in the crushed garlic and stir through
7. Sprinkle over 2 level tablespoons of plain flour
8. Stir through and allow the flour to cook out for a minute or two
9. Slowly add the stock a bit at a time, stirring well to remove any lumps
10. Then add the milk
11. Now add in the mascarpone if using (you can switch this for a bit of cream if you want)
12. Add in the tarragon
13. Finally add in the turkey and pancetta then allow to cool slightly while you prepare the pastry
14. Roll out the pastry and line the greased tart tin. Trim off any excess leaving it a little proud of the edges to allow for a little shrinkage
15. Prick the pastry bottom, then cover with greaseproof and fill with baking beans
16. Bake at gas mark 4 for 10 minutes
17. Take out the beans, brush with some beaten egg, and put back in oven for 5 minutes to seal the base
18. Place the filling into the base, and cover with more rolled out pastry. Seal the edges, and brush with more beaten egg. Place a couple of slits to allow steam to escape
19. Bake in the oven at gas mark 5 for 30 minutes. Check after 20 mins as you may need to put a circle of greaseproof paper around the edges to prevent burning.
20. Eat immediately with some lovely green veg & creamy mash, or chill once cooled and eat cold - it is just as nice.
 

TIP:
Once cooled, it can be frozen. Reheat only once it is fully defrosted. Try freezing it in portion sizes - that way you don't have to defrost the whole pie!

Servings	8
Calories per serving	582

Chocolate Explosion birthday cake

Some time ago, I saw an image of a birthday cake (I can't remember where now sadly) and I have been longing for an excuse to re-create it in my own style. The cake basically was decorated with chocolate bars, but in a way that it looked like they were exploding from the cake.

A friend of mine was attending a dinner party I was going to and as it was also her birthday, I brought along this cake as a surprise!

It was a rich chocolate Victoria sponge in three layers, sandwiched and topped with buttercream. Then, surrounded with Matchmakers ( but you could use chocolate scrolls or cigarellos for this), surrounded by a ring of Maltesers, and topped with an explosion of chocolate bars.



Ingredients:

Cake

• 340g plain flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• 340g caster sugar
• 340g butter
• 6 free-range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• a dash of milk
• 2 boxes of Nestle's Matchmakers (I used orange flavoured) or chocolate cigarellos
• 1 large packet of Maltesers
• A selection of chocolate bars including a Curly Wurly, Twix, Flake, Milky Way and a handful of Thornton's Continental.

Buttercream

• 200g butter
• 400g icing sugar
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• dash of milk

Method: 

• Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/176°C
• Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy
• Beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and add to the butter/sugar a little at a time, ensuring it is fully incorporated between each addition.
• Sift the cocoa powder with the flour then carefully fold in
• If the mixture seems a little stiff, add a dash of milk.
• Distribute the mixture between 3 7" cake tins that have been greased and lined.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Allow to cool fully before attempting to decorate.
• As your cakes cool, make the butter-cream by mixing the butter with the icing sugar
• Add a dash of milk until the required consistency is achieved.
• Sandwich the cakes with a thin layer of the vanilla buttercream.
• Add the cocoa powder to the remaining buttercream.  Put a quarter of the remaining mixture in a piping bag, or bottle.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake in chocolate buttercream.
• The stick Matchmakers, or cigarellos all around the outside of the cake.
• Using the reserved buttercream, pipe little stars around the bottom and press in a ring of Maltesers.
• Do the same around the inside of the Matchmakers on top of the cake.
• Starting with the longest chocolate bar, the Curly Wurly, place this into the centre of the cake.
• Working with progressively shorter bars, work your way to the outside, then finally scatter with Thorntons continental
• Crumble a Flake into the gaps
• Finally, tie a ribbon around the centre to prevent any of your Matchmakers from falling off.

Present your cake with some indoor sparklers or candles

Servings	16
Calories per serving	840

Apologies!

Apologies to anyone wondering what has happened to posts on this blog.

I have still been baking, and gardening, but for some reason these never quite made it onto the blog. I aim to try and catch up with some of the things I have recently made - including a rather spectacular chocolate cake!

Unicorn Poo

Yes, that's right - Unicorn Poo.

I have a couple of nephews that are visiting for the weekend, and so to amuse them, and myself, I have decided to make some brightly coloured biscuits, in the shape of poo.  The Unicorn Poo starts life as a basic Sugar Cookie Recipe, and with a liberal dose of food colouring, edible glitter, they magically form themselves into this rare treat.

If this doesn't win me some kind of Best Auntie award, I will want to know why.


Ingredients:

• 1 batch of Sugar Cookie Dough
• Food colouring of at least 4 colours
• Lustre dust, edible glitter

 Method:

1. Prepare sugar cookie dough as normal, then place on a lightly floured surface.
2. Divide into four, or however many colours you are using.
3. Take one portion of dough and add colouring, and knead in thoroughly
4. Repeat for the other portions until you have one of each colour
5. Take half of one colour, and roll it out into long thinnish rope
6. Take half of the next colour, and repeat to a rope of equal length
7. Once you have done this for all four colours, lay them next to each other.
8. Cut the ribbon of dough into 8 pieces

9. Take each piece, and holding one end press them together and gently roll the strands so that they twist together. 
10. Roll the twist a little until the different strands are stuck together, but not enough that they blend
11. Twist this into a wheel, mounding some on top so it looks like a poo. Don't be afraid to pile it high as it will spread when it cooks.
12. Place on a baking tray that has been buttered or lined.
13. Repeat for remaining pieces, then place in fridge to chill for an hour
14. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350°F  / 176°C / Gas Mark 4
15. Allow to cool for a moment before transferring to a cooling rack.
16. Once fully cooled, brush with lustre dust and sprinkle with edible glitter - if you can get rainbow coloured glitter, even better - unfortunately, I didnt have any.

TIP:

•  I use gel colourant as this doesn't alter the consistency of the dough.It is also quite strong, and best to apply to your dough with a cocktail stick or wooden skewer dipped into the gel, then into the dough. However, you are after a strong colour.
• ENSURE that your glitter says it is food edible. Just using glitter that says it is non-toxic is not necessarily edible.

Toffee Apple Crumble Pie

I have several batches of toffee apple pie filling in the freezer, and I took one out yesterday and couldn't make my mind up whether to make a pie, or a crumble. As I had some left over pastry, I decided to go for a pie ... that was until I realised I only had enough dough for a base.

All was not lost, when I realised I could have the best of both worlds, and made a crumble topping.

Toffee and apple are made for each other, and this easy to make filling can be made with any cooking or dessert apple, and can even be made in huge batches and then frozen in portion sizes for later use.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 125g butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 4 tbsp water
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 700g apples, peeled and diced

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan
2. Stir in the flour to form a paste
3. Add the water and sugar and stir well in
4. Bring to the boil, until the mixture starts to turn golden caramel brown
5. Reduce heat, and add the apples.
6. Simmer for a few minutes until apples start to soften.

If freezing, put mixture into freezer bags once cooled, then place into freezer. Allow to fully defrost before using in a pie or crumble.

Crumble Topping:

• 150g plain flour
• 100g sugar
• 100g butter

1. cut the cold butter into cubes
2. place in a bowl with the sugar and flour
3. rub together with finger tips until a fine crumb is formed.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4  / 350F / 180C
2. Line a 9" tart tin with sweetcrust pastry, and blind bake for 15 minutes
3. Remove baking beans, and brush with a beaten egg, then put back in the oven for 5 minutes
4. Place the apple filling in the pastry base
5. Sprinkle to crumble topping evenly over the top, but not over the edge of the pastry
6. Bake in oven for 40 minutes

TIP: You may need to cover the edges of the pie crust with a circle of greaseproof to prevent burning for the last 10 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, cream, or custard.

Beef Goulash (Gulyas)

I am not really a fan of anything with a spicy (chilli) heat to it, but I do like things with a lot of flavour, and the following recipe does not disappoint!

Even the large quantity of Paprika in this traditional Hungarian dish has it's punch toned down by a lovely creamy dollop of sour cream.

My husband has been pestering me to make Gulyas ever since he saw The Hairy Bikers make some on their Bakeation tour around Europe.I paired this dish with a couple of the sourdough rolls I made this afternoon, to mop up all those tasty juices.


Ingredients:

• 1kg stewing steak
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 tsp smoky Paprika
• 2 tbsp caraway seeds, crushed
• 60g tomato paste
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 litres beef stock
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• dollop of sour cream

Method:

1. Trim the meat of any excess fat, and cut into bite size pieces.
2. Mix the flour with the salt and pepper, and toss in the beef
3. Heat the oil, and brow the beef in small batches, then put aside.
4. In a large pot, heat more oil, and add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and red pepper
5. Cook for about 10 minutes or until they start to soften
6. add the beef, paprika, caraway seeds, tomato paste, bay leaves and stock
7. Cover the pan, and simmer for 1½ hours
8. Add the potato and simmer for a further half hour
9. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream

 This is quite a lot of liquid, and much like a soup. If you prefer a thicker stew type consistency, leave the pot uncovered for the first hour and half.

Maine Shrimp Casserole

Okay, so I had to make this with Atlantic prawns, as bizarrely, Maine shrimp isn't available in downtown Nottingham,so technically I suppose it isnt a Maine Shrimp Casserole, but the recipe is from Maine. Does that count?

Maine shrimp are usually caught in the Spring, and unlike the more familiar grey, they are a rosy pink-red when raw. We also pay about twice the price in our supermarkets than the fortunate residents of Maine. Another reason for me to envy them.

There are variations of this recipe I have seen on the web, some including making a flavoured roux, then topping with breadcrumbs, but I really like this recipe because it is creamy and cheesy and oh-so-tasty.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bread, buttered and cubed (you can leave off the butter if you are watching the calories)
• 200g mature cheddar, grated (low fat is fine)
• 400g cooked prawns
• 1 pint of milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• a little salt
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add your cubed bread, prawns, and cheese, and salt.
2. Stir gently until well mixed
3. Tip into a buttered oven proof dish
4. Mix the egg and milk together, then add the paprika (if using)
5. Slowy pour the milk mixture over the bread and prawns
6. Press lightly with the back of a spoon
7. Bake in an over at 325 F / Gas Mark 3 for 1 hour

This recipe will feed 4 on its own, but would go further as an accompaniment to steak, or a juicy burger.
 

Servings	4
Calories per serving	604

Apple Galette with Toffee Sauce

A galette in French cuisine means flat, round or freeform crusty cakes. This simple, but effective dessert, utilizes that marvelous stuff known as puff pastry, that can make many a dessert or savoury treat look special.

If you are feeling particularly creative then go ahead and make your own puff pastry. I however, decided to use the ready made stuff. It really does make this dessert much simpler. You can compensate by making your own toffee sauce, like I did, or again you can pick up some ready made sauce.

You can use any dessert apple but I used Pink Lady, because it is firm, sweet and juicy. I chose to leave the skin on as the beautiful pink red skin looked pretty, but you can peel your apples too if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 225g ready made puff pastry
• 2-3 firm apples, halved and cored.
• 1 egg, beaten
• 40g caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6
2. Draw yourself an apple template, slightly larger than the apples you are using, on some greaseproof paper and cut out.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut around the template until you have all the apple shapes cut out. You should be able to make at least 8
4. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside
5. Take a half an apple, and slice if very thinly.
6. Starting at the outsides, lay the slices moving inwards.
7. Use smaller slices or trim some down for the centre.
8. Brush with egg, then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar.
9. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and top is crunchy and golden brown

Serve with toffee sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

 For the toffee sauce:

1. Put 50g of caster sugar in a pan with 1 tablespoon of water.
2. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves
3. Turn the heat up and boil until it goes golden and begins to caramelise. Swirl the pan to prevent burning but do not stir - this will form sugar crystals and make your sauce gritty.
4. Once it starts to caramelise, take it off the heat and whisk in a 140ml double cream until smooth.

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

These decadent little treats involve a bit of effort, but believe me, it is totally worth it.

Not only is it a delicious chocolate chip cookie bar, but the addition of sweet sticky caramel with a hint of saltiness, makes this everything you could crave from a sweet treat.

They are rich, and gooey, and that hint of salt gets me every time. The cookie dough is made extra delicious with the use of brown butter. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will have heard me banging on about the delights of brown butter.

Ingredients:

• 300g Plain flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 200g cooled brown butter 
• 180g light brown sugar
• 110g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g choc chips
• 280g caramels (if you can get Tootsie rolls, these are perfect for this)
• 3 tablespoons double cream
• sea salt

 Method:

1.  Melt the butter in a thick pan over low heat. Once melted, turn up heat slightly and stir constantly until butter turns rich chestnut brown. Take off heat immediately, add to mixing bowl and allow to cool.
2. Preheat over to 325 F / 163 C / Gas Mark 4
3. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in a separate bowl and set to one side.
4. Whisk the egg, yolk and vanilla extract together.
5. Once butter has cooled, add in both sugars and mix thoroughly.
6. Beat in the egg mixture a little at a time, fully combining between each addition.
7. Slowly add in the flour mixture, then the chocolate chips.
8. Press half the cookie dough into the bottom of a small deep tray
9. Over a very low heat, melt the caramels in a pan, stirring to prevent burning. Once fully melted and soft, take off the heat and carefully mix in the double cream. 
10. Pour the hot caramel over the cookie dough in the pan.
11. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
12. Using the palms of your hands, press small balls of the remaining dough and layer over the caramel. Use the last of the dough plug any gaps.
13. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the edges are starting to colour
14. Allow to cool in tray before turning out and cutting into squares

Makes about 24-30 bars depending how big you cut them.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Back in February 2011, Maine lawmakers were poised to make the "whoopie pie" the official state dessert - even though some claim the chocolate cake/cookie sandwich filled with white fluffy filling was actually invented in Pennsylvania.

In the end, they plumped for the far healthier option of the Wild Blueberry Pie as the state dessert, as blueberries represent a major industry there. Instead, the Whoopie Pie was awarded the booby prize of state snack.

Whatever its provenance, it certainly is a tasty treat. A delicious mixture of cookie and cake, sandwiched together with creamy vanilla filling, and it is growing in popularity. It's the new cupcake.

Ingredients:

• 230g Plain flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 170g butter,softened
• 150g sugar
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60ml buttermilk
• 120ml coffee or lukewarm water

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F / 170 C / Gas mark 4
2. Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy
3. Sift the flour and cocoa together in a separate bowl and put to one side
4. Beat the egg and vanilla extract together, then add to the butter & sugar a little at a time, blending well in between each addition
5. Mix the coffee/water and buttermilk together
6. Beat the a third of the buttermilk/water mixture into the butter/sugar 
7. Now beat in a third of the flour/cocoa mix
8. Repeat this alternating between the buttermilk and flour until all are fully combined.
9. Spoon small teaspoon sized dollops of the mixture onto lined baking sheet, and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
10. Once fully cooled, sandwich together with a vanilla cream, or for a more authentic filling, use Fluff, the marshmallow crème that can be bought online or from many department stores.

Makes about 12 sandwiched cookies.

Chicken and Butternut Stew

The weather has taken a colder turn again this week, and the ground has been covered in frost all day. What better way is there to finish the day than a nice warming stew.

This chicken stew is made extra special by the addition of warming cumin, that adds a mouthwatering fragrance to the dish.

If you want something to soak up all that delicious gravy, you could do a lot worse than some Cornbread Muffins.


Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 fresh chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 25g butter
• 3 small red onions, cut into 8
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 butternut squash peeled, deseeded, and chopped into 1" cubes
• 4 large tomatoes, cut into 8
• 500ml stock
• 3 strips of lemon zest
• handful of chopped parsley

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large pot
2. Brown all sides of the chicken pieces, then set aside
3. Reduce the heat, add the butter, and fry the onions till soft
4. Stir in the garlic, and cumin and cook for a further 2 minutes
5. Add the squash and cook for 5 minutes
6. Stir in the stock, then add the tomatoes and lemon zest and seasoning
7. Finally, submerge the pieces of chicken
8. Put on the lid, and simmer for 1 hour.
9. Stir in some chopped parsley, and serve.

Servings	4
Calories per serving	535

Cornbread Muffins

I have had a bag of cornmeal in the cupboard for a bit, as I had intended to make some Johnny Cakes. Still intend on doing, but not got around to it yet.

This afternoon, I was making a Chicken Stew, and wanted to make something to accompany it, and I have always wanted to have a go at cornbread.

However, I wanted to make individual ones. With an addition of finely diced onion, grated cheddar and some fresh sweetcorn, they were extra yummy.

One mistake I did make though - I used Muffin papers. The mixture doesnt really pull away from the paper too well. If made in a well greased non-stick muffin tray, you should not need the papers.


Ingredients:

• 85g Butter, melted, with a little extra for frying
• 1 sweetcorn cob, kernels cut off
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 140g cornmeal
• 140g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 50g grated cheddar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 284ml buttermilk
• 100ml milk

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400 F / 200 C / Gas mark 6
2. Melt the butter, and brush a little on the inside of a 12 hole muffin pan
3. Fry the onions and corn in a little butter until the onion is soft and translucent.
4. Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cheese together in large bowl.
5. Add in the fried onion and corn.
6. Beat together the milk, eggs and buttermilk, then pour over the dried ingredients and onion.
7. Stir until all is evenly combined.
8. Divide between the muffin holes
9. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until gold brown

Servings	12
Calories per serving	189

Zebra Biscuits

With some Amazon vouchers from a generous family member, I decided to use it as an opportunity to snag a couple of new baking books. I had recently seen an advert for the celebrity Great British Bake-Off, I remembered that I had been meaning to pick up their books for a while ... so I did.

Both books are crammed with many tasty treats, but the first one I wanted to try as soon as I saw it was zebra biscuits, a combination of dark chocolate and white chocolate biscuit. What could be better?


Ingredients:

• 50g Dark Chocolate
• 50g White Chocolate
• 125g Butter, softened
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, then put to one side to cool a little. The do the same for the dark chocolate.
2. Beat the softened butter until it starts to turn pale, then add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Mix the egg and vanilla essence, then add a little at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well in between each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
5. Add this a little at a time, again mixing well between each addition, to the butter mixture. 
6. Stop mixing as soon as the dough forms, and divide it into two. Put half into a separate bowl
7. Stir (or knead) the dark chocolate into half of the dough.
8. Do the same with other half and the white chocolate

9. Form one of the pieces of dough into a brick shape in between two pieces of cling film
10. Using a rolling pin (I also used my hands) form the mixture into a 15x20cm rectangle. Fold the cling film around it, place it on a tray and chill for an hour.
11. Do the same for the other piece of dough.
12. To form the biscuits, peel one side of cling film off each piece, then carefully lay the dark dough on top of the white dough, and press together gently.
13. Using a sharp knife, trim and neaten the rectangle so that it forms a perfect 15x20cm rectangle.

14. Then, cut into three 5cm wide strips. Lay the edge strip over the middle strip, then repeat with the other edge piece. Wrap up your stripped brick, and chill for another 20 minutes.
15. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C / Gas mark 4
16. Cut from one end in 5mm slices. Place a little apart on a lined baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to colour.
17. Leave to cool for about three or four minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack, or they will fall apart.

Servings	30
Calories per serving	93 kcal