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Spelt Pastry Pecan Pie

28 Apr

Jack had the ‘big dogs’, as we like to call them, over from America for a meeting a couple of weeks ago. The meeting took place on a Monday so I decided to put my Sunday afternoon and a bag of Sharpham Park spelt flour to good use and bake a pecan pie.

Pecan pie, however fun to make and delicious to eat, is very time consuming. This pie took the best part of the afternoon to bake but it was definitely worth the effort.

This recipe is by Annie Bell and is part of Sharpham Park’s Great British Spelt Recipes, a recipe collection created by Sharpham Park (Mulberry founder Roger Saul’s spelt food range) in partnership with Bowel Cancer UK.

I wasn’t there to see the big dogs tuck in but I’m told they absolutely loved it, particularly the spelt pastry and the lemony filling.

Spelt Pastry Pecan Pie

Ingredients

Pastry
230 g spelt flour
70 g golden caster sugar
130 g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 medium egg, separated
milk

Filling
200 g pecan nuts
juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
300 g golden syrup
3 medium eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
300 ml double cream
pinch of sea salt
icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

Place the flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor and give it a quick burst at high speed to reduce it to a crumb-like consistency. Add the egg yolk and then with the motor running trickle in just enough milk for the dough to cling together in lumps, a teaspoon or two should do it. Bring the pastry together into a ball using your hands, then pat into a flattened patty. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180 C fan oven/200 C electric oven. Lightly dust a worksurface with spelt flour, knead the pastry until it is pliable and thinly roll out. Line the base and sides of a 23 cm tart tin 4-6 cm deep by slipping the base of the tin under the rolled out pastry and then into the tin, don’t worry if you end up partly pressing it into the tart tin. Trim the edges by running a rolling pin across the top, and reserve the trimmings. Line the case with foil and baking beans (any dried pulse will do), securing the sides to the tin, place on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, paint the case with the egg white and patch any cracks with the trimmings, and cook for another 10 minutes until the case is evenly golden. Again if any cracks have appeared patch these.

Turn the oven down to 150 C fan oven/170 C electric oven. Thinly slice two thirds of the nuts. Whisk the lemon zest and juice into the syrup in a large bowl, and then the eggs and egg yolks, and finally the cream. Fold in the sliced nuts and salt. Pour the mixture into the precooked tart case and arrange the pecan halves flat-side down over the surface, discarding any broken ones. Bake for 60 minutes until lightly golden and puffy at the edges, if you move the tart around it should wobble without showing any signs of being liquid. Remove and leave the tart to cool for a couple of hours, then chill it for another couple of hours. Cover with clingfilm and remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving if keeping for longer than this.

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Lemon and Rosemary Drizzle Cake Recipe

24 Mar

“You ran from Webmley?!”, exclaimed the friendly apron clad woman. Yes, we replied, seeing full well that she thought we were crackers. We had risen at 8.30am on a Saturday morning and ran through the windy sleet and snow to view a couple of marble tops that were listed on eBay not too far from where we live. Jack had forced me into my running gear and I plodded along the street behind him feeling a serious bout of misery coming on. It’s late March and barely above freezing. We had planned to frolick with friends this weekend but the weather is putting a stop to our will to venture out of our comfort zone.

We arrived home and I was thoroughly miserable. We cooked a delicious breakfast of eggs poached in tomatoes, which brightened up my mood slightly but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a magical video by Nigel Slater that my day really started to kick into gear. I watched Nigel, sat on the floor with my back against the radiator, mouth open, and felt my spirits rise as I watched him work his magic and turn it into a lemon and thyme drizzle cake. He quite rightly exclaimed that he doesn’t feel right if there is no home baked cake in his house and I knew right then that this is what I would be doing with my day.

Unfortunately there was no thyme available in our local supermarket so we decided to substitute it with rosemary. We weren’t sure whether it would work but we at least knew that we liked the lemon and rosemary combination with savoury dishes that we have cooked before.

This cake turned out perfectly and I got the thumbs up from everyone in the house – one person even exclaimed that I could enter it into any competition and win! As well as substituting the thyme for rosemary, I also boiled the lemon syrup for much longer than the recipe stated. It was accidental – I forgot about it as it was bubbling away but I’m so glad that I did because it gave the top of the cake the most delicious crunch.

I think I have found my new staple bake.

Lemon and rosemary drizzle loaf cake recipe

Ingredients

200g/7oz butter – I used the new Clover block of butter
200g/7oz golden caster sugar
100g/3½oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g/3½oz ground almonds
4 free-range eggs
1 lemon, zest only
1 tsp rosemary leaves, chopped

For the syrup

4 tbsp sugar
2 large lemons, juice only
½ tsp rosemary leaves, chopped

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.

1. Cream the butter with the sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder then mix with the almonds.

2. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating them in thoroughly each time.

3. Grate the zest from the lemon and mix it with the rosemary and stir into the cake mixture.

4. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder and almonds.

5. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes.

6. For the syrup, dissolve the sugar in the juice of the lemons over a moderate heat and stir in the rosemary. Boil for 10 minutes until it becomes a thick syrup. As the cake comes from the oven, spike the surface with a skewer and spoon over the syrup.

Nigel Slater recommends serving with thick yoghurt. I can wholeheartedly agree with this.

Enjoy!

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Mini gluten free lemon and polenta cakes

20 Jan

Judging by my Instagram and Facebook feeds, it looks like most of London has been out playing in the snow this weekend. Not me. I opted to observe the snowfall through the kitchen window whilst writing, planning furnishings for the flat, baking and cooking – and I loved every minute of watching the winter wonderland that is the back garden.

I found this recipe online but tweaked it slightly as I didn’t have enough ingredients to make a whole batch. I also added more lemon rind and juice because I love my cakes lemony. The bonus of this recipe is that it is also suitable for people with an intolerance to gluten.

Mini lemon and pistachio cakes
Serves 9

Ingredients

Cake
100g ground almonds
50g desiccated coconut
125g course ground polenta
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
115g unsalted butter
65g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs
Rind of two lemons
Juice of one lemon

Icing
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
125g golden icing sugar
1 tbsp water
Handful of pistachios

Method

Pre heat the oven to 170 c and grease a muffin tin

1. Mix almonds, coconut, polenta and baking soda in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale.
3. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar, one egg at a time and mix thoroughly. Add lemon juice.
4. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture and pour into a greased muffin tin. Place in pre heated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. While the cakes are in the oven, add the sugar, water and lemon to a pan and heat on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Coarsely chop the pistachios.
6. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Drizzle the icing sugar on top and sprinkle a few crushed pistachio nuts on top.
7. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

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Valrhona White and Lindt Chilli Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

19 Jan

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe on here! I haven’t done much baking of late and all cooking has been the usual recipes. I am on a mission to change that in 2013, though.

I was recently asked if I would like to review a muffin tin from George Wilkinson Bakeware. I have a few muffin tins so nearly said no but stopped when I noticed that the tin in question was covered with GlideX, which eliminates the need for muffin cases. I don’t love muffin cases so I thought I would give it a go.

I put it to the test literally a couple of hours after it landed on my doormat. I had a couple a bars of chocolate lying around so decided to put them to good use and make white and chilli chocolate chip muffins.

I sprinkled some orange peel on top of half of them to add a bit of variation and I have to say, they turned out very nicely!

White and Chilli Chocolate Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

300g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g cold unsalted butter cubed
80g golden caster sugar
100g Lindt chilli dark chocolate
50g white chocolate (I used Valrhona)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional – shaving of 1 orange

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 c / 400 f / gas mark

1. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the chocolate chips.

2. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, milk and vanilla extract together and once mixed, pour into the dry mixture and mix thoroughly.

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, scatter orange peel on top and bake for 15-20 minutes or golden.

4. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Verdict on the tin – The cakes didn’t slide out of the tin as easily as advertised. I had to give them a little nudge with a plastic spoon but they were very well formed once out. I prefer the look of cakes that do not have a cupcake case on them and I’m looking forward to making another batch – perhaps next time something savoury.

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Christmas leftovers – zesty mincemeat cakes

3 Jan

It’s official, the Christmas period is over. How sad.

But if like me you have various Christmassy left overs and still want the joy of eating delicious spiced cakes, I have the perfect recipe for you, courtesy of Lucas Hollweg from Sunday Times Style.

This recipe was published before Christmas and I tried it as an alternative to mince pies. I am never disappointed with cakes that are baked using ground almonds and mixed with delicious mincemeat and Christmassy spices, this recipe is a winner. The original recipe included an orange cream and mincemeat topping but I swapped this for a dusting of icing sugar and grated orange peel and incorporated more mincemeat into the cake batter. I also adjusted the baking time – mine were in the oven for 25 minutes.

Ingredients

Makes 12

175g butter, plus extra for greasing
250g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
150g ground almonds
60g plain flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 medium egg whites
12 tbsp best-quality mincemeat
Thin shreds of orange zest, for decoration

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180C and grease a nonstick 12-hole muffin tin with butter

1. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat until it bubbles and froths, then put to one side. Put the icing sugar, almonds, flour, lemon zest and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together well. Stir in the egg whites, then beat vigorously for about 10 seconds. Pour on the melted butter and beat until everything is thoroughly combined.

2. Fold in 12 tbsp of the mincemeat, then divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes. Put the tin in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check whether the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, they are done. If there is batter stuck to the skewer, stick them back in the oven for a while longer.

3. Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, dust with icing sugar and lightly place orange zest on top. Enjoy!

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Lemon olive oil cake recipe

22 Nov

Olive oil cake. What’s all that about then? Well, let me tell you.

I first came across cake baked with olive oil at Towpath in Dalston last year. Towpath, if you are wondering, is a delightful little café on the canal in Dalston, run by writer Lori De Mori and photographer Jason Lowe.

I wasn’t brave enough at the time to try it, despite reading that it was very delicious. But ever since that day I have been contemplating baking a cake with olive oil, rather than butter. I’ve baked with vegetable oil before and been impressed with the results, but it was only when I was in touch with the lovely team at Nudo that I finally bit the bullet.

I was sent a tin of Nudo Extra Virgin olive oil with lemons to try, which I decided I would use to bake a lemon loaf cake. Good choice. I found this recipe on Completely Delicious and substituted the lemons and extra virgin olive oil for my nifty little tin of Nudo.

The whipped egg whites made the cake unbelievably light, while the olive oil kept in the moisture and gave it a fantastic lemon flavour. I wouldn’t have been able to tell that there was no lemon zest involved if I had bought a slice from a café.

I didn’t bother with lemon icing as I don’t like icing but instead I dusted it with icing sugar. A lemon drizzle would have been nice but it’s definitely not needed. Maybe next time.

This cake is definitely best served with a cup of tea. Try it!

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Makes 1 loaf cake

Ingredients

180ml Nudo Extra Virgin olive oil with lemons
150g plain flour
5 egg yolks
4 egg whites
170g golden caster sugar
Icing sugar to dust

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Greast a loaf pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper.

1. Beat the egg yolks and 110g sugar together at a high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the speed and slowly add the olive oil. Add the flour and fold in gently with a wooden spoon or spatula
2. In a separate bowl (or transfer the batter to another bowl and wash the bowl if using a stand mixer), add the egg whites and beat on a high speed until thick and foamy. Slowly add the remaining 60g of sugar and beat to soft peaks.
3. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
4. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

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Ottolenghi caramel and macadamia cheesecake recipe

17 Nov

A few years ago I found myself exploring an area of London that I had never been before. It was a far cry from the areas that I had been spending so much of my time during university. As I was casually meandering down Upper Street in Islington, I stopped dead in my tracks when I caught glimpse of the biggest meringues I had ever seen out of the corner of my eye. Now, even though I don’t really care much for meringues, what was beyond the mountain of giant white rock like meringues flecked with luscious red raspberry was utterly appealing. I stepped inside, amongst the hustle and bustle and gawped at the array of freshly baked cakes that lay in front of me for a good ten minutes before I decided on which one I wanted to take away with me. I’m not very good at making decisions at the best of times so present me with a huge range of delicious looking cakes and we have a problem.

Stood on a cake stand was a baked cheesecake with a muddle of caramelized macadamia nuts on top. It was the most rustic looking cake out of the bunch – the rest had been so perfectly created and each one stood in uniform like a bunch of neat soldiers on parade. I took it away in a box and shortly after the first bite declared it the best cake I had ever eaten. The café in question is, of course, Ottolenghi in Islington. Co owner and chef Yotam Ottolenghi is, in my eyes, a genius. After going on and on to my friend about the cake, she took note and bought me his first cookbook for my birthday a couple of years ago. The first thing I did was flick through the back pages to see if the cheesecake recipe was featured. And it was. I was so happy. But despite having the book for so long, I had never attempted baking it, until last weekend when I had friends around for a dinner party. It was the perfect opportunity.

You need a lot of time and patience with this cake as there are a few different stages. I would recommend setting a few hours aside at the weekend. I couldn’t believe how well it turned out, particularly as I’ve had a couple of caramel disasters in my time. Another bonus is that it keeps in the fridge for three days afterwards (if you can make it last that long). I urge you to bake this cake. The lucky people who get to eat it will love you forever.

Caramel and macadamia cheesecake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the cheesecake
400g good quality ricotta cheese, at room temperature
(if it seems too watery, hang it in muslin overnight to drain)
200g good quality cream cheese, at room temperature
120g caster sugar
2/3 vanilla pod
4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
60ml soured cream
Icing sugar for dusting

For the base
160g dry biscuits
(I used HobNobs, but you can use any digestive biscuits)
40g unsalted butter, melted

For the nut topping
150g macadamia nuts
90g caster sugar

For the caramel sauce
65g unsalted butter
160g caster sugar
100ml whipping (or double) cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 140ºC/Gas Mark 1. Lightly grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.

To make the base, whiz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or put them in a plastic bag and bash with a mallet or rolling pin). Mix with the melted butter to a wet, sandy consistency. Transfer to the lined tin and flatten with the back of a tablespoon to create a level base.

To make the cake batter, put the sugar and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Slit the vanilla pod lengthways in half and, using a sharp knife, scrape the seeds out into the bowl. Whisk by hand, or more easily with an electric mixer, until smooth. Gradually add the eggs and soured cream, whisking until smooth. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and place in the oven. Bake for about 60 minutes, until set; a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with a slightly wet crumb attached. Leave to cool at room temperature, then remove the side of the tin. Transfer the cake to a cake board or plate – but you can serve from the tin base if that proves tricky. Now chill the cake for at least a couple of hours.

To prepare the nut topping, scatter the nuts over a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 140ºC/Gas Mark 1 for about 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the sugar in a saucepan with a very thick base (it is important that the layer of sugar is not more than 3mm high in the pan, so choose a large one). Heat the sugar gently until it turns into a golden-brown caramel. Do not stir it at any stage. Don’t worry if some small bits of sugar don’t totally dissolve. Carefully add the toasted nuts and mix gently with a wooden spoon. When most of the nuts are coated in caramel, pour them on to the lined tray and leave to set. Break bits off and chop them very roughly with a large knife. It’s nice to leave some of the nuts just halved or even whole.

To make the sauce, put the butter and sugar in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir constantly over a medium heat with a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth, dark caramel. The butter and sugar will look as if they have split. Don’t worry; just keep on stirring. Once the desired colour is reached, carefully add the cream while stirring vigourously. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

To finish the cake, dust the edges and sides with plenty of icing sugar. Spoon the sauce in the centre, allowing it to spill over a little. Scatter lots of caramelised nuts on top. The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

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Bill Granger’s coconut bread

28 Sep

Anyone that knows me will be fully aware that brunch is my favourite meal of the day. Why wouldn’t it be – it’s an excuse to eat sweet, sugary, cakey goodness for breakfast. So when I saw Bill Granger’s recent brunch spread in The Times Magazine, I got all excited and put the Coconut Bread recipe STRAIGHT to the test. The results were fabulous, utterly fabulous!

Ingredients

2 eggs
300ml full fat milk
1 vanilla pod
310g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
230g golden caster sugar
150g desiccated coconut
75g unsalted butter, melted
Butter and icing sugar, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, add the sugar and coconut, and stir to combine. 3. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is just smooth, being careful not to overmix.
4. Pour into a greased and floured 21 x 10cm (8¼ x 4in) loaf tin and bake for 1 hour, or until the bread is cooked when tested with a skewer.
5. Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to cool further on a wire rack. Serve in thick slices, toasted, buttered and dusted with icing sugar.

ENJOY!!!

This recipe is from Bill Granger’s latest book ‘Best of Bill’, which is published by Murdoch Books.

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Melt in mouth meringue recipe

11 Aug

If you have read my blog in the last few months, you will know that I have three gorgeous chickens on my roof who provide me with fresh and delicious eggs daily.

Since only two of us in the house eat eggs, we sometimes get a bit of a glut, as you can see.

Eggs

So we’re forever having to come up with ways to use more than just one or two eggs at a time. Someone suggested I make meringue but I wasn’t keen on the idea at first – I would rather tuck into a big slab of cake or a delicious brownie than a light and fluffy meringue. Then again, I had never made them before so decided to give them a go.

As our eggs are very small, I would recommend using Bantam eggs. If you are using hens eggs, use two less than I have stated. I was so pleased with how they turned out – they have a beautiful golden colour due to the fact that I used unrefined golden caster sugar and unrefined golden icing sugar.

Eat them with fresh and cream berries, or be naughty and sandwich two together with Nutella (that’s what my boyfriend did!)

Ingredients

4 bantam eggs, separated and at room temperature (you can either discard the yolk or add them as extra to scrambled eggs)
75g unrefined golden caster sugar
75g unrefined golden icing sugar

Method – Pre-heat the oven to 100degrees Celsius

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
2. Place the egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk on a medium speed until soft peaks form
3. Turn the speed up and gradually add the cater sugar, bit by bit
4. Sift the icing sugar in bit by bit and fold in gently with a spatula or large metal spoon
5. Spoon onto the baking sheet in equal portions and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes
6. Enjoy how you wish!

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Lime friand recipe

31 May

I have two sources of inspiration for this recipe. The first is 15 year old Conor McLean who beat me to win Britain’s Best Dish. He made a fantastic vanilla friand dessert and during the process, I realised that I had never made one. The second inspiration is The Flavour Thesaurus by Nikki Segnit. This book gave me the idea for my dessert on Britain’s Best Dish. I love it. Literally weeks before it was released, I was wishing that I could have a book that would tell me what flavours go together. Then, voila, it appeared.

The complete idea for my dessert was lime friand with lemon and ginger sorbet, candied ginger and a tuille biscuit. In reality, making such a dish for two people isn’t really worth it but its an idea that i’ll hold onto for future dinner parties!

I started making the elements of the dessert about a month ago. First was the candied ginger, then the lemon and ginger sorbet. I never got around to making the friand, much to my boyfriends annoyance – he has asked me at least twice a week over the last month where his friand is. I couldn’t make any more excuses so I set to work in the kitchen and I’m so glad to say that it was easier and took less time than expected. It was one of the best things I have baked in a long time!

Unfortunately, I didn’t store the candied ginger in a good enough air tight container so I had to throw it away and I didn’t make the tuille biscuit. But, the friand and sorbet dessert was a delicious end to dinner.

Lime Friand

Lime friand

Ingredients (Makes 6)

2 egg whites
60g butter, melted
65g ground almond
40g icing sugar
20g plain flour
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp lime juice
6 blanched almonds

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees and grease a small cupcake pan

1. Whisk the egg whites until slightly stiff and foamy
2. Add melted butter and ground almonds
Sift the icing sugar and flour into the bowl, add the lime juice and zest and mix until just combined
3. Pour the mixture into the moulds and place an almond on the top of each cake
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top has browned. Make sure that a skewer comes out clean when inserted

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