Sweet Pastry

Sweet pastry isn't much different to the standard shortcrust pastry, although it utilises an egg to give a glossy and smoother texture and helps it to raise a small amount giving a lighter texture. You can use sweet pastry in a variety of ways, for tarts, tartllets or even for little parcels. Its also possible to make sweet dumplings out of if you so wish.

Makes a 400g mix (enough for one large tart with a bit leftover)

250g flour
125g butter or baking spread
80g sugar
1 egg
few drops vanilla essence

You can also add things to the pastry to complement your dish, such as cinnamon, cocoa powder, nutmeg etc. If adding syrups be sure to adjust the flour accordingly to texture.

Method:

Rub the flour and butter and sugar together into a breadcrumb texture then add the egg. Form into a uniform dough but do not overwork. If necessary chill the pastry wrapped in clingfilm for 20 mins before use. Otherwise use straightaway.

Dorset Apple Cake

Image courtesy of hellopro.co.uk

This recipe is similar in many respects to the apple & mincemeat crumble cake made the other day. Although this presents a lighter, and less stodgy form of a cake it is not without flavour, and captures the wonderful elements from Dorsets influence.

Its also incredibly moreish - so be on your guard when wanting seconds and thirds.

You will need:

This mix makes 2 24cm spring form tins worth, so divide by two to get one cake. If you're like me however youll make both, and freeze one.

Grease and line a baking tin
400g of Bramley apples, peeled, cored and diced soaked in lemon juice
450g of unsalted butter
2 lemons zested and juiced
450g of caster sugar
6 eggs
450g of self raising flour
5 teaspoons of baking powder
100g of ground almonds
Demerara sugar to cover the cake


Whisk together the sugar and butter till creamed

Beat in the lemon juice and its zest

Beat in eggs one at a time with a little flour with each egg

Fold in the remaining flour and baking powder

Drain the apple and stir into the mix

Spoon into tin and level out

Sprinkle the top with Demerara sugar

Bake for 1 hour at 160C. Check with a small knife. If the mix comes out clean - its done.

Serve with clotted cream and icing sugar

Mini starred mince pies

Last week I had leftover sweet pastry from making the classic plum tart, and the dutch apple tart, so as a result i decided to put it to good use. These little beggars always go down well, and are not too dissimilar from the apple and cranberry tarts i also made at the same time. They also freeze well, so can be pulled out a couple of hours before your visitors are expected. They're best when warm.

You will need:

Sweet pastry (about 100g worth - ideally use leftover sweet pastry from other projects)
Mincemeat
5cm cutter
star cutter of similar order
small muffin tray

Roll out the pastry till 1/8 in thick. Cut rounds with pastry cutter then layer into greased small muffin tray.
Spoon in mincemeat (1tsp). Cut out star shapes with star cutter and put on top of each. Bake in oven at 180C until star has gone golden brown.

Allow to cool a little and serve warm.

Apple & Mincemeat Crumble Cake

This cake reminds me in appearance, and taste (and in construction) of the favoured Dorset Apple Cake from my own recipe library. After much excitement decided to give this one a go and found i throughly enjoyed it. Its incredibly rich, but beware - its also incredibly moreish. I suppose in some ways it could be a refreshing alternative to the fables xmas cake, and would be a worthy dessert with some custard, or cinnamon and honey creme fraiche on boxing day or similar family oriented gathering.

In true "me" fashion we put half of this cake portioned into the freezer for later use, should visitors drop by.

Ingredients

4 firm apples , peeled, cored and cut into thumb-size pieces
3 tbsp golden caster sugar (or demerera)
1 tsp mixed spice

For the cake mix

250g softened salted butter
250.0g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla essence
5 large eggs
200g self-raising flour (or plain flour - but be sure to add a heaped tbsp of baking powder if using plain)
100g ground almonds
7 tbsp plain flour
6 tbsp mincemeat

The doing bit:

Add pears to a pan with 2tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water. Cook on a moderate heat until just tender, stirring occasionally.

Heat oven to 160C, grease and line cake tin (20cm).

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Beat together until uniform paste and pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then flour gradually.

Remove 90g of the batter and put into a small bowl. Add the 7tbsp plain flour and rub together into a crumble mix.

Spoon half of the cake mix into the lined tin, then add half of the apples and mincemeat. Reapeat with the other half, then top with crumble mix.

Bake for 90 mins approx, then cover the tin with foil and return to oven for a further 30 mins. Check with a small knife - if the knife comes out clean its ready to cool.

Cool throughly before portioning. Devour, with avarice.

Mulled Cranberry & Apple Tartlets

These little beauties were designed soley for using up some sweet pastry which was left over from the dutch apple tart. That said i managed to squeeze some 24 of these little beggars out of it. It was also a good means to use the apples that were lurking The recipe is very festive, extremely simple and goes very well with elevenses, after dinner or with afternoon tea. They'll have a shortlived home on the cakestand I think.

Ingredients

Sweet pastry (about 250g)
2 apples (braeburn)
handful of cranberries
glass of mulled wine
80g sugar

For the apple & cranberry mix

Peel and chop the apple into 1/2 cm cubes.

Place the mulled wine, sugar and cranberries in a pan and bring to the boil. reduce to a simmer and allow liquid to reduce until syrup consistency. Stir in the apple and allow to cool.

Roll out the pastry to 1/8 in thick and use a small pastry cutter to cut out your bases. add them t a small greased muffin tin and press. Add a teaspoon of apple / cranberry mix and bake in oven at 180C until done.

Devour

Dutch Apple Tart

Image courtesy of ifood.tv

Upon request for Kelvyn (and for the express benefit of Pip), I hereby present one of my favourite incarnations of apple pie - the Dutch apple tart. It presents a topped presentation approach to the apple pie, which differs from the usual apple pie that we all know and love - but do not be fooled - this recipe is just as (if not more) delicious, and can be presented and devoured in similar ways. Its pretty cheap to produce, and if you can come accross free apples *cough* then its even better. I do however reccomend you try eating this dish with cinnamon & cognac anglais, or butterscotch sauce. Normal custard varieties will suffice as an accompaniment, but these sauces will maximise your pleasure.

Hope this serves you well Kelv & Pip. It's delicious.

Ingredients (makes a medium sized apple tart in a flan dish)

250g sweet shortcrust pastry (or a prebought flan dish)
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cooking apples, peeled and sliced (or 6-8 eating apples)
shot of brandy
3 tbsp brown sugar
tbsp butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 180C

Roll out the sweet pastry and add to a greased flan dish. Blind bake the flan case and allow to cool and dry. Cut each apple in half vertically, then slice up the apples into even slies and layer on top of the flan case, overlapping as they go. You'll build a veritable mountain of apple slices, here - make sure they line the outside as evenly as the middle - the tip here is to work inwards. When all your apples are added, sprinkle with cinnamon , then put in the oven for about 20 mins, until apples begin to soften and colour. At this point leave the tart in the oven, and in a pan add the butter until metled then fold in the sugar until a uniform paste is reached. add the brandy and cook until alcohol has burned off (about 20 seconds). Pull out the tart and glaze with the sauce, then return to the oven for a further 10-15 mins until cooked. Pull out and allow to cool.

Portion and serve. If you need ot reheat each slice just sprinkle a littel sugar and a tsp of butter and return to oven until warm.

Amaretti

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Amaretti are probably one of my favourite of the festive biscuits, just because I adore amaretto, and all things almond flavoured. They are remarkably easy to make and if made just before the festive period you can give them away as gifts which will be gratefully recieved. With this in mind you may have to make a double or triple batch, as they may soon vanish after the tasting begins...

Theyre ideal as an after dinner coffee token, or with elevenses or afternoon tea. Or whenever you feel the craving...

Ingredients

340g/12oz ground almonds
340g/12oz caster sugar
4 eggs, whites only
30ml/1fl oz amaretto liquor
butter, for greasing

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
In a large bowl beat the egg whites until firm.I reccomend using a light whisk for this as youll gain more speed and also more activity and air for the whites.

Mix in the almonds and sugar gently one spoonful at a time, with about 30 seconds gentle beating in between.

Add the amaretto in a steady stream, still gently beating.

Place some greaseproof paper on a baking sheet lightly brushed with butter.

You can use a teaspoon to deploy the mixture in small amounts onto the tray, but i reccomend using a small nozled piping bag- youll get a more consistent finish.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool and devour.

Kirschentorte (The original black forest gateaux)

Kirschentorte is I suppose the original "black forest gateaux" its main flavours containing cherries, kirsch and chocolate. oddly enough im a big fan of both chocolate and cherries, so its probably why I love this torte so much.

I remember first making one of these for a fathers day menu a good few years back. The pic above is of that very same day. The kirschentorte itself isnt dificult to make but it does take a bit of time. That said once you get there and you see the finished behemoth cake you'll be more than fairly pleased with yourself.

You will need

(for the cake section)


6 Large Eggs
8 oz. Graulated Sugar
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
8 oz. Self raising flour
1 oz. Cocoa Powder

For the Cherry compote

12 fl oz. Water
12 oz. Granulated Sugar
8 oz. Dark or  Sour Cherries (pitted)
4 fl oz.Kirsch (Cherry Liqueur)

For the cream filling

250ml double or whipping cream
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence

Decoration:

8 oz grated dark chocolate
Extra cherries (optional)

Preparation:

(cake)
Preheat oven to 180C

Add eggs sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl and beat quickly until the volume has tripled. I would advise using a mixing machine or electric whisk or you may lose al feeling in your arm. While the eggs are beating, sift in the flour and the cocoa in 3 same sized amounts. It will take about 8-10 mins with an electric whisk.

When mixed seperate the mix into 3 equal sized amounts and cook each section seperately in a sprung cake tin. When you have three of these cooked allow to cool. These can be cooked a day in advance to save yourself some intensive labour.

For the cherry compote

Combine the water and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil gently stirring occasionally. Add the cherries to a heat proof bowl and pour over the syrup. When the mixture has cooled a little add the kirsch. Cover bowl with clingfilm and allow to cool throughly.

For the cream

Whip the cream adding the vanilla essence first and then add the sugar gradually until the sugar has been added and the mixture has formed stiff peaks

Assembly

Drain the cherries from the syrup (keeping both cherries and syrup). Take each cake section one for the bottom layer and the other two will perform middle and top. Brush the top of each cake section with the syrup and add a third of the cherries for each bit. Sprinkle about 2 oz of the grated chocolate to each layer and spread about a quarter of the whipped cream over the top. Add second layer, repeat, then for the third layer place third cake section on top to level. Ice sides of cake with remaining cream keeping a bit back for piping on top. Pipe top with rosettes and sprinkle remaining chocolate over the cake. Add optional extra cherries to each rosette if you wish.

Portion, and serve. And devour.

Brandy Snaps

Image courtesy of kinbaskitchen.com

This recipe for brandy snaps is a simple one. I've seen some complex ones in my time and often wonder why so much effort and complexity is applied to something so simple - they always taste the same. Granted some have a netter depth of flavour, but in the long run i dont think it matters an awful lot to the home cook. Even professionally, little things like brandy snaps are a "job on the side".

Surprisingly theres no brandy. Theres no means to say you cant add a tabslepoon or two to the mix, just be mindful of the wetness of it when using it. If you want the curled professional "tuile" appearance of these brandy snaps, by all means use a stencil for the paste. If you prefer the more rustic approach, by all means folow the directions below.

Be sure to treat yourself to a brandy whilst making these. It is after all a festive treat.

Ingredients (makes a very generous batch)

250g of Soft butter
250g of Golden syrup or Glucose
250g of Flour
250g of Sugar
Pinch of ground ginger

Melt together the butter, golden syrup and sugar
Blend in the flour bit by bit and ginger

Place a tablespoon full on a silicone mat and bake at 190 C for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. While still warm allow to cool further curled on a rolling pin for a tuile finish. Otherwise just leave flat. Its up to you. If youw ant to go the whole hog, while almost cool but still malleable, by all means roll and mould around a wooden spoon. For top notch presentation on service pipe cinnamon & honey creme fraiche or chantillly cream into them. Oh, and have a glass of brandy also. It would be rude not to.

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Cantucci

image courtesy of shutterstock.com

Cantucci are a wonderful type of biscotti that are good for a variety of occasions, such as elevenses, afternoon tea, to have with the occasional coffee, or as a dipping medium for other "dippy" desserts such as chocolate mousse, lemon posset or ice cream.

These are even more indulgent than regular biscotti, and so are even naughtier. They are however very well suited to this time of year and in particular the festive season, sue to their wonderful sweet indulgent flavours. That said they are enjoyed year round.

500g Sugar
4 Eggs
Vanilla essence
500g Plain flour
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
250g of flaked almonds or Hazelnuts
250g of dried fruit

Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy and form soft peaks

Add all the other ingredients

Form mixture into a large sausage

Place upon a silicone mat, and allow to prove for 20 minutes

Bake for 20 minutes at about 180C

Allow cooling before slicing into biscuits

Rebake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Devour.

Biscotti

Image courtesy of castbakery.com

Biscotti are wonderful little nibbles that provide a wonderful accompaniment to a variety of occasions, from elevenses, the casual beverage or afternoon tea. They also provide a good medium for many other dessert accompaniment such as lemon posset and similar "dippy" style desserts like ice cream, and chocolate mousse.

Theyre perfect this time of year, because they fit the profile along with many other sweet and naughty but nice treats that we all indulge in during the festive period.

You will need:

250g of flour
65g of coco powder
1 Teaspoon of baking powder
100g of chocolate buttons
150g of pistachio nuts

Blend the above into a mix

Then take...

100g of softened butter
225g of soft brown sugar
2 eggs beaten

Cream the butter and sugar

Add eggs slowly

Fold in the first mix to form dough

Rest for 20 minutes

Cook in a lined tin for 30 minutes at 180 degrees or until knife comes out clean

Allow to cool then slice into fingers when cold.

Most importantly enjoy!

Galia Melon Pearls in Pink Champagne Jelly

This dessert is often also used as a starter as it crosses those borders as many fruit dishes tend to do. That said it is a bit of a crowd pleaser and service wise it means preparing beforehand and then simply pulling out of the fridge. The recipe isn't set in stone, you can easily add other fruits that complement melon quite well, and you don't have to use galia melons either. You can use cantelope or honeydew if you wish, or a combination of them, for a variety of colours and textures.

More often than not this appeared on our xmas menus, basicaly because its one of those things that can be done in advance, and during service it was a case of getting it out of the chiller, and dressing up (which could be left to service & waiting on staff, whilst we tackled bigger fish that we had to fry - sometimes literally).


Makes about 6/7 so divide by two for family sized servings

Ingredients

700ml of warm stock syrup (heated water & sugar - would reccomend about 200g sugar)
150ml of 14% abv Pink Cava (or similar)
24 Gelatine leaves soaked
Mixed Melon balls ½ Cantaloupe and Galia if winter time use Rock melons. You can buy these frozen to cheat / save time. Bear in mind though that fresh melon tastes alot better.

Optional Garnish Ideas
Sprig of lavender per flute for garnish. You can use rosemary for an alternative or mix the two.
Orange / lemon / lime zest
Strawberries
Black / Maraschino cherries
Cranberries
Pomegranites
Raspberries
Blueberries
Hibiscus flowers

Lavender flowers can be used atop the flutes, as can twists of orange, lemon or lime. The fragrance sets the tone for the dish quite well also, in combination with strawberry roses or other garnishes it is quite a sensory treat.

Equipment:

Champagne flutes
Melon baller
Saucepan

Melt soaked gelatine into the syrup

Use melon baller to pearl melon flesh after de-seeding. Any left over melon flesh put to one side for fruit salads or fruit soups.

Place melon pearls into flutes along with the lavender sprig and any other garnishes you want set into the Jelly.

Add Cava to the gelatine mixture

Pour over the melons and leave to set for about 3 or 4 hours.

Serve.

Classic Plum Tart

Before and after glazing

This recipe is one I've been thinking about doing for a while - although my thoughts had oriented around a plum and rosemary tart, this is one that i think could be adapted to incorporate such an animal. That said, praise be to this dessert anyway as its startlingly good on its own, full of late autumn and winter promise.  With the added boon of finding some reduced plums in the supermarket yesterday, I am more than happy that this is an omen of good things.

No road to wonderfulness is easy however, and this recipe does take a bit of time. That said, it is more than well  worth the wait (and the weight, he chuckles). You wont be disappointed.


500g of sweet pastry
800g of plums halved and stones removed
A little icing sugar
2 tablespoons of apricot jam
1 tablespoon of brandy
Creme patisserie (see below)

Crème patissiere

2 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
40g of Corn flour
350ml of milk
1 vanilla pod split and scraped

Method

Blind bake the pastry case, and dry out (you can cheat and buy one, i wont tell)

Cream together the egg yolks and sugar then work in the corn flour

Bring milk and vanilla pod to the boil then allow to cool slightly

Pour the milk onto the eggs and whisk (using a bain marie)

Rinse out the pan return the custard to the heat and cook out gently stir all the time do not over cook and scramble, do not allow the mix to stick and burn

Spread crème patissiere onto the flan case

Roast the plum halves cup side upper most, sprinkle with icing sugar cook for 20 minutes

Arrange the plums on the tart

Heat up the apricot jam and brandy and glaze the plums

Xmas Pudding

Image provided courtesy of 99holidays.com

I have used this xmas pudding recipe several times, and although it may seem extensive and elaborate, every ingredient here has its place in the recipe. It works really well, and provided you make them well enough in advance the flavour will mature just how you need it to.

I apreciate it takes a while to make. but thats the general rule with xmas pudding. The longer it takes... the more flavour and enjoyment youll get out of it.

Ingredients:
Makes two medium puddings

225g of pitted and chopped prunes
225g of raisins
225g of sultanas
225g of dried apricots, chopped
110g of fresh whole-meal breadcrumb
1 medium Bramley apple peeled, cored and grated
1 orange juiced and zested
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of mace
½ teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of allspice
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom (shells discarded)
3 tablespoon of Walnut oil
4 tablespoon of apple juice
2 tablespoon of clear honey
4 eggs beaten
75ml of Brandy
75ml of whisky
150ml of  sherry
100g of marmalade

Preparation:

Put all the dried fruit with the whisky and marinade for 24 hours

Add to this the bread crumbs, nut oil, apple, orange juice and its zest and all the spices in a large bowl and mix thoroughly

Put apple juice, honey, eggs, brandy, sherry and marmalade into a blender and blitz till smooth liquid

Mix with the dry ingredients

Leave for 24 hours , cover in a cool place

Grease two 500ml pudding basin and a disc of grease proof paper on the base of the basins

Divide the mix between the two

Cover the top with grease proof top with a pleat to allow for expansion, tie off and cover with tin foil

Put in a sauce pan or steamer and cook for 5 hours check water levels regularly.

Allow to cool and leave in a cool dry place to mature. You can eat them right away, but best left for a month or two to mature to enjoy properly.

Upon service douse with whisky or brandy and ignite until flames have dispersed. Serve with brandy sauce or similar.

Tiramisu

Image courtesy of godine.co.uk

This Tiramisu recipe is not too dissimilar from alot of  cheesecake recipes I have encountered before, but i make no pretence - it is VERY indulgent. The following recipe is meant for a standard cake tin size, so if you are going to make larger ones then by all means adjust the recipe accordingly.

This recipe is going to take a bit of time, so give it plenty of love. You wont be disappointed with the time spent..

For the sponge base: (you'll need three of these)

(makes 1)

75g self raising flour

1 egg

75g caster sugar

75g butter

Cream butter & sugar, then add the egg. Add the flour (sieved) bit by bit. baked at 180C until when pierced with a knife, the knife comes out clean. When the sponge bases are made, soak them in coffee for an hour or so.

For the mix:

4 Egg yolks

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 table spoons of Vanilla sugar

1 kilo of marscarpone cheese

1 espresso sized cup of strong mocha coffee

2 teaspoons of coffee liquor (tia maria / kahlua)

Cocoa powder

Preparation:

Sabyon the sugars and egg yolks till thick

Add the coffee and the liquor

Beat in the Marscarpone cheese

To make the gateau spread on alternative layers of thin sponge soaked in coffee (within a flan ring or similar)

Finish with a dusting of cocoa powder

leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. 

Enjoy.

Long Island Cheesecake

This is one of the more indulgent baked cheesecake recipes I have encountered before now, and is notorious for the amount of eggs and cheese it uses. For that reason alone, it intruiged me when i first encountered it. Having tried it for myself I fell in love with it, and have adored it ever since. This recipe is meant for a large cake ring (10 in diameter). If you find you want to make a smaller version, by all means half the recipe volumes.

This is a standard mix, but I have found you can add whatever you like, be it having a berry theme, or a citrus one. use your imagination. Adding fruit to the base before adding the cheesecake mix can give impressive results. Go mad.


For the sponge base:

100g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
100g butter
2 eggs
Vanilla Essence

Cream butter & sugar until mix turns white
Add eggs one by one, and beta until uniform
Add tsp vanilla essence
sieve flour and fold in bit by bit.

Place in a 10 in cake ring and backe at 180C until cooked. Usually you can test this by piercing with a knife, when the knife comes out clean, its ready.

For the cheesecake mix:

750g of cream cheese full fat
225g of caster sugar
12 eggs
270ml of double cream
4 lemons, juiced and zested

Beat all the ingredients together

Place on a sponge base

Cook at 180 degrees till golden brown, for about 30 minutes (longer may be required).

Allow to cool, then devour. You wont be disappointed :)

Chocolate "Nemesis" Torte

Image courtesy of ITV food

Definitely one not for the fainthearted - calling all chocolate lovers out there....

This is probably one of the more ultimate of chocolate desserts, comprising enough dark chocolate to cause offence, and a luxurious sweetness that demands to be loved. Its a beautiful recipe, and the origins of this recipe cannot be revealed (lest i be shot down in flames from the catering community). Ill say this, it was a dessert from the secure confines of a well known French chef. And that's more than I'm willing to divulge...

Ingredients

1 sweet pastry case blind baked (1.5 in deep x 10 in reccommended)

405g of dark chocolate
345g of caster sugar
270g of butter
6 eggs
150ml of water

Preparation


Cream eggs with 1/3 of the sugar

Boil the water add to this the remaining sugar, heat till the sugar is dissolved

Add the chocolate stir till chocolate is melted

Add butter and blend

Cool then add to the egg mix

Pour into a pastry case and bake at 140 degrees for 1 hour then turn the oven off then leave for another hour

Allow to cool, then devour.

Chocolate Mousse

Image courtesy of the bbc food website :)

For all chocolate lovers out there, here is one of my favourite chocolate mousse recipes that for me has stood the test of time. It includes a nutty element such as hazelnut and amaretto to further enhance the sweetness of the chocolate. It also makes it infinitely more luxurious.

Posted here at the request of Sam Fisher (hugs) for a hassle free chocolate mousse recipe.

In my humble opinion chocolate mousses is usually a hassle free dessert anyway, however there are a few things to bear in mind - the most important of which being that you must wait until the chocolate is cool before you add it to the mix, otherwise any work you have done to fluff up eggs and cream will be rendered useless.

Ingredients


125g of Dark chocolate
20g of hazelnut paste or nutella
25ml amarretto
2 eggs
40g of caster sugar
250ml double cream

Method:

Melt the chocolate with half the cream and the hazelnut paste

Once melted add the amaretto, allow to cool

Whisk the sugar and eggs till they are pale and have doubled in volume

Whisk cream till it forms a soft peak

Once chocolate mix is cool pour into the egg mix and fold

Fold in the cream

Pour into mould allow to set in a fridge for at least three hours before service.

Enjoy.

Butterscotch Sauce

Image courtesy of foodalution.com

Perfect accompaniment to so many desserts (and sometimes parsnips) butterscotch is a wonderful sauce that is simple to make. This recipe uses cup measurements just for proportion, depending on the volumes you wish to make.

Ingredients
1/2 cup tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup of dark brown sugar
¾ cup heavy whipping or double cream

Heat up the butter in a pan (but not a high heat), gently until melted and beginning to bubble.
Fold in the sugar gradually allowing to melt before adding more. stir continuously.
When the butter and sugar have folded together, add the cream in the same fashion bit by bit until uniform in texture.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Image provided courtesy of the baking pan.com

This is the original (and best) sticky toffee pudding recipe that i came across during my time in the catering industry. NOT at all to be confused with treacle sponge and other variants (which are more than often passed off as sticky toffee pudding), this recipe uses dates and their wonderful caramel-esque flavour to provide our stickiness and toffeeness. Its not for the fainthearted.

When putting this together for the first time, much like me you'll think "this will never work". Trust me it does. And I promise you one thing.... you'll never confuse sticky toffee pudding and treacle sponge desserts ever again.

Ingredients:

12oz dates
1 pint water
1 earl grey teabag
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
4oz butter
12 oz caster sugar
4 eggs
12 oz self raising flour.

Preparation:


Boil the dates in the water, with tea bag
Once boiled for 5 minutes, add the bicarbonate of soda and remove from the heat, Remove tea bag.
Cream the butter and sugar
Add eggs gradually
Add flour and fold in
Remove the tea bags from the water and add the dates and the water to the mix
Mix together

Bake in loaf tins (you should get about 2 out of this mix.) at about 160 degrees C or thereabouts. To test if done pierce with a sharp knife. When the knife comes out clean, its ready.

Serve with butterscotch and ice cream. Enjoy eternally.

Welsh cakes

This delightful little nibble is eaten all over Wales - and is considered a delicacy. It is however impossible to resist one once you have tried one -these are wonderful at any time, although arguably best at elevenses or with afternoon tea.

Welshcakes purchased from Cardiff Market

During the trip to Cardiff, I came across "fabulous welshcakes", a quaint shop in Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay selling a variety of welshcakes, including my favourite "Sour cherry and dark chocolate" which was positively divine. Others included "traditional" (see following recipe), and cinnamon. All of which I will bet were beautiful. The shop also sells a cornucopia of patisserie and teatime oddments, many of which i was tempted to buy. Congratulations on a wonderful shop.

The following recipe comes genuinely from a Welsh source, and having tried various welsh cakes during my birthday trip to Cardiff, I can vouch that both this recipe and welsh cakes are a beautiful thing.

Ingredients:


8oz SR Flour
4oz Sugar
4oz Butter (Preferably welsh). You can use margarine if required though.
2 Eggs
4oz Sultanas

Preparation:

Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.

Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.

You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle, although a heavy bottomed frying pan will do the job. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning.

Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool, and then sandwich them together with jam.

Scones

Image courtesy of The Guardian.

Scones are a wonderful accompaniment usually taken with afternoon tea, or elevenses. A British favourite scones are an umbrella term for a number of baked items, usually no bigger than a muffin or similar. Here is a standard recipe that never fails me, for regular scones. Feel free to add a handful of fruit, be it blueberries, chopped raspberries, cranberries, raisins, sultanas, currants. Adding the zest of half a lemon or orange will also give this recipe an uplifting beat.


Ingredients

225g/8oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter
25g/1oz caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten

The do-ing bit :)

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.

Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.

Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.

Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.

Chocolate & Pear Tart

Going to a fireworks party wouldn't be complete without a little sweetness. This I concluded as I pondered the weekends events, and having set in motion some pear wine for the festive period, the leftover pears seemed to provide a wonderful element for a dessert for a hearty palate.

So I decided that the classic chocolate & pear tart would be perfect. Everyone likes chocolate after all. There were also other feelgood benefits attached to this ideal. My rabbit has developed a new found love for pear peel and cores, and the cat has been guarding the oven in the hope of liberating some of this wonderful dessert.

An approving bunny :)

Happy in the knowledge that everyone is kept content from its production, im sharing with you this simple but wonderful recipe.

You will need:


125g ground almonds
- 1 Blind baked sweet pastry case
• 2 large free-range or organic eggs
• 125g butter, softened
• 95g caster sugar
• 185g dark chocolate, melted
• 3 conference pears, peeled, cored and quartered

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Roll out the pastry until ½cm thick and use it to line a 24cm tart tin. Leave in the freezer to rest for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you can.

Bake the pastry blind for around 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove, set aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

Mix your almonds, eggs, butter and sugar together and stir in the melted chocolate while it’s still warm. Pour the mixture evenly into the pastry case and then press the pears into the chocolate and almond mixture.

Bake the tart for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the chocolate and almond mixture is firm. Serve warm with crème fraîche, ice cream or double cream on its own. Personally i like cinnamon and honey creme fraiche, but thats me.

Et Voila!