The After Christmas Shock and January Blues

Happy 2013 Everyone! I hope you all had a fab New Year! 2012 was a truly exceptional year for me (and the rest of Great Britain. See the Olympics last year? That was us. *Cool shades on* Just saying.)
Sadly its that time of year again. The hype after Christmas is going down. Resolution's are getting us down. Going back to work is getting us down.

BUT NOT ME! I'VE GOT A NEW JOB! WOO! 
So January, do your worst!

What I'm hearing lately is all about diets.  
In my opinion. Diets are bad. You'd only get me on a diet if it was a dessert diet.
But if that's what you want to achieve then by all means go for it and I wish you the best of luck.
In fact, your'e more likely to lose weight if you start your diet during Spring months like March. As during the colder months like January, you still crave warm comforting food rather then diet food. Remember though no matter what shape you are, everyone is beautiful. 
I'm sick of hearing about stupid bloody diets. So enough of diets and onto some yummy foods.

My first pastry class of 2013 was based on my second assessment which will be next week which is so scary. But it has to be done and so I thought that I would put these recipes up. There ridiculously easy and simply tasty. 

These biscuits come up so lovely and soft. There easy to make and the flavour isn't overpowering. 

From the top, hazelnut biscuits, plain cupcakes and Jammie Dodgers made by me in pastry class

Recipe: Hazelnut Biscuits

•       115g butter, room temperature
•        75g icing sugar, sieved (plus extra for dusting)
•        115g Plain flour, sieved
•        75g Ground hazelnuts
•        1 egg yolk
•        Hazelnuts to decorate

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Scraper
•        Bowlx2
•        Mixer
•        Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
•        Knife

    1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

    2. Beat in the flour, ground hazelnuts and egg yolk until evenly mixed.

    3. Roll into a sausage shape. Cut the sausage in half and then quarters. Then cut the quarters into 3 shapes.

    4. Place on tray. Bake for 10 minutes, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4

Sable (sab-lay) is French for sand. Not really for the texture but for the colour of the raw dough. Once again this recipe is easy and may look familiar. They bare a resemblance to Jammie Dodgers, which are sweet jam filled biscuits. But I always say, home-made is way better.

Jammie Dodgers packet from
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammie_Dodgers

From the bottom: Jammie Dodgers aka Sable biscuits, Plain cupcakes and Hazel biscuits

Recipe: Sable Biscuits aka Home-made Jammie Dodgers. 

•        250g plain flour, sieved
•        200g butter, room temperature cut into cubes
•        100g icing sugar
•        Pinch of salt
•        2 egg yolks
•        Raspberry jam

Equipment:

•        Bowl
•        Baking tray lined with silicone paper
•        Various cutters
•        Rolling pin
•        Knife

    1. Place dry ingredients into bowl. Using fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

    2. Make a well in the centre and mix until the dough forms. Turn out onto a light floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm.

    3. Cut with various cutters so that you have a base and a top like a sandwich, and place on a baking tray.

    4. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4.

    5. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled spread jam on bases with a knife and place another biscuit on top. 

   

   If you'd like the basic cupcake recipe go to here.

   Bake on! and Happy New Year

   Penny 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

With Christmas coming just around the corner, many people are getting their baking sheets ready for Yuletide baking and forgetting the savoury treats for those that don't have a sweet tooth. 

Recently I was 'told off' for not making savoury dishes. So, luckily in my pastry class we ended up making short pastry which can be used in both sweet and savoury tarts.

This recipe is super easy and is so tasty. The custard filling can be made with onions, peppers, or whatever vegetable you like! Also if you like a little heat, try some cajun seasoning or chopping up a little chilli and mixing it into the custard (but don't go nuts with the chilli!). 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

Recipe: Short Pastry

•        200g Soft Flour (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Marg/Butter (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Lard
•        50 ml water
•        Pinch of salt

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Wooden Spoon
•        Bowl
•        Measuring Jug
•        7 inch ring
•        Baking sheet
•        Rolling pin
•        Pastry brush
•        Ruler
•        Knife
• Baking beans
• Silicone paper

1.    Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

2.    Make a well and pour in water.

3.    Mix ingredients to a smooth paste.

4.    Rest in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

5.    Warm the dough a little by rolling out the dough to 3-4 mm thick.

6.    Butter and flour the ring and tray. Don't use the silicone paper at this stage. Got that? NO PAPER!

7.    With finger push around the edges of the ring. Use a piece of dough to push it in even further.

8.    Trim the dough so that there is a little edge around the tart and let it rest in fridge for 10 minutes. You dont want to trim the tart so you have a neat edge yet. This type of pastry has a reputation of shrinking whilst cooking.  

9.    After resting put in oven at 160c/ 325f/ Gas Mark 3 for 15 mins with silicone paper and baking beans in. If the pastry is still soft it's underdone, so take the paper and beans out and let it cook for a further 5 mins in oven. It shouls be pale but dry. The dryer the better.
10. Trim the tart of any excess pastry, so that it has a nice neat edge. Do this as soon as the tart comes out of the oven because its easier to cut and cut with a serrated knife as it makes the job tons easier. 
11. Make the custard filling (see below) and fill the tart until it's almost full. Cook for 15 mins or until the top is slightly golden. When the tart comes out of the oven it should wobble a little but not liquidy or super stiff. It will set as it comes to room temperature. Thats it! Enjoy hot or cold. :D

Recipe: Savoury Custard

•        225g Milk
•        11/2 Eggs
•        100g Cheese
•        Half of a tomato
•        Pinch of salt
•        Pinch of pepper
•        Pinch of paprika

Equipment:

•        Measuring Jug
•        Fork
•        Grater
• Knife
• Chopping board

1.    Whisk the egg and milk together.
2.    Add the seasonings and mix again.
3.Chop the vegetables and grate the cheese
4.    Put the cheese and tomato into the short paste case
5.    Pour on the milk mix when near the oven to avoid spillage.

Bake On!
Penny 

My First Pastry Class: Dutch Apple Pie and Fruit Tartlets/Barquettes

I went to my first ever pastry class and I have a brand new lesson to add to the The Rules of Baking: Dont Panic!!! Let me explain the situation. 
15 people wanting to weigh up the ingredients between 4 sets of scales. So I did weigh out my ingredients out incorrectly, but luckily this was corrected swiftly. 

It was chaotic. As you can imagine but we all managed. 
Also, since we were all so keen to see how all our pastry was doing, the oven kept getting opened and closed. This lead to a couple of peoples pastries being uncooked, including my barquettes and tartlets. 
Once again in The Rules of Baking, no matter how badly you want to open that oven DON'T!! You let out the heat and can make cake's sink or make pastry under cook. 
Lesson 1 was concerned with basic sweet pastry, apple filling and french pastry cream. 

(Please note that next time I'm going to take loads of pictures but didn't get the chance too as it was an unfamiliar kitchen)

My Dutch Apple Pie and Fresh Fruit barquettes and tartlets

A traditional Dutch Apple Pie (Appeltaart) is often decorated with a lattice and flavoured with cinnamon and lemon juice. This is the recipe that I have used. You can serve it with ice cream , custard or cream. However in the U.S.A, a Dutch Apple is served with a streusel topping.  

An example of a dutch apple pie picture from Food Gawker:
http://foodgawker.com/post/2010/03/14/54134/ 

A barquette is a small boat shaped pastry which can be filled with a variety of sweet or savoury ingredients. 

An example of a barquette picture from Auckland Catering website
 http://www.edencatering.co.nz/page.aspx?pageid=392

Pastry cream is a type of custard that comes from France and is also known as crème pâtissière. It  is a combination of milk or cream, sugar, egg yolks, a type of starch like flour and flavouring such as vanilla, lemon or chocolate. 

Recipe: Sweet Pastry 

• 240g flour (Plus extra for greasing)
• 130g unsalted butter (Plus extra for greasing)
• 60g caster sugar
• 50g egg/1 egg 
• A few drops of vanilla essence
• Lemon zestA pinch of salt 
• (plus the fruit for the tarts/barquettes such as strawberries and kiwi's)

Equipment: 

• Mixing bowl  
• Wooden spoon or Scraper  
• Sieve
• Metal 7 inch ring
• 3 x Round models
• 3 x Barquette models
• Silicone paper
• 2 x small baking trays
• Knife

1.     Cream the sugar and butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
2.     Season with the lemon zest. Add the pinch of salt to add bite. 
3.     Pour vanilla into the cap and add a few drops to the mixture.
4.     Sieve the flour into the bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture.
5.     Work the butter into the mix using your hands until it looks like breadcrumbs.
6.     Add the egg and bring the mixture together. The amount of eggs will depend on how much moisture there is in the mixture. If you need to add more egg, break one into a little bowl and break down with a fork. 
7.     The mixture should feel wet and sticky. Knead it into a ball using your hands.
8.     The mix should be put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
9.     When the mixture has been chilled enough. Cut into 3 equal sections. 
10.     Place silicone paper onto the baking trays and butter and flour the molds and 7 inch ring. Roll out 1/3 of the pastry to fit a 7 inch ring, around 3 mm thickness. Cover the metal ring and dent around the edges.
11.     Add the apple filling to the pie base (see the recipe below) to the 7 inch case.
12.     To make the lattice, roll out 3mm thickness on a floured surface and measure the dough so it fits over the 7 inch case. 
13.     Cut into 8, 1cm strips. To make it easier to move place on baking parchment. 
14.     Assemble the lattice and flip onto the flan. Cut the silicone paper into a circle and blind bake in the oven on 200-220c for about 40 minutes. 
15.     Assemble the tarts/barquettes as above but fill with the pastry cream (see the recipe below) instead of the apple filling. Decorate with fresh fruit.

My barquettes and tartlets filled with pastry cream and decorated with fresh kiwi, strawberry, plum and grapes.

Recipe: Apple filling

• 400g cooking apples
• 100g sugar
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 50g sultanas 
• Lemon zest/juice

Equipment: 

• Peeler/sharp knife
• Waste bowl 
• Pan
• Wooden spoon

1.    Peel, core, wash and slice apples.

2.    Place into the sauce pan with the sugar.

3.    Partly cook the apples, add the cinnamon and lemon zest/juice

4.    Add the sultanas, mix and leave the apple mix to cool

My Dutch Apple Pie filled with the above recipe's apple filling.

Recipe: Pastry Cream (using French custard powder)

• 500ml of milk
• 75g sugar 
• 48g French custard powder
• 100g/2 eggs
• 25g butter

Equipment: 

• Peeler/sharp knife 
• Waste bowl 
• Pan
• Wooden spoon

1.     Heat the milk slightly but not so it’s boiling.
2.     Whisk the egg, sugar, and custard powder.
3.     Add a little milk to the custard mix a little at a time. 
4.     Stir until thick.When thick, mix in the butter.  
5.     Cover with cling film if needed.  
6.     For the tarts/barquettes fill with custard and decorate with fresh fruit.

I hope you find this recipe as much fun as I did. 
Bake On!
Penny 

The Basic Equipment List or "Where do I even start?!"

Very often people are put off baking because:'I have no idea what I need, where do I start!?'
So here's my list of basic's to get you started:

• Scales- This is the single most important piece of equipment that will ever use. Don't attempt to bake without a set of scales. Digital scales can weight out ingredients in Metric, Imperial and liquids. Personally I own a set of digital scales because its accurate and very easy to use.
• Measuring Spoons- A set of spoons including a 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, teaspoon, tablespoon and a dessert spoons. They come in great quirky designs but make sure they have all the correct measurements. 
• Transparent Measuring Jug- Make sure that it is heatproof, pyrex is good. It's helpful if the jug shows both metric and imperial measures. 
• Mixing Bowls- In a range of different sizes for mixing ingredients and for storing ingredients before use.
• Mixing Utensils- I'm talking about the classic wooden spoon, however I was told my Nana, (My baking knowledge hub) to use a metal spoon when folding egg whites into a mixture as it doesn't flatten them as much as a wooden spoon. Also having a rubber spatula is a brilliant as  it scraps the cake batter away from the sides of bowls. Other mixing utensils include a whisk or an electric hand whisk which I often use to help speed up the batter. 
• Rolling Pin- Very often I've been making biscuits/cookies and I need to roll out my dough and there's nothing more frustrating then having to squish your dough with your hands.
• Sieve- Many recipes will call for 'sieving the flour into a bowl'. Without a sieve your batter will be lumpy and gross. 
• Free Standing Mixer- This piece of equipment is such a time saver and it can be used to beat, whisk, whip and knead allsorts of mixtures.
• Baking Trays and Tins- Cheap tins don't the job, you run the risk of warping and buying all new tins again. Invest in high quality tins and baking trays which will last. Remember to read a recipe to make sure you've the right sized tray/tin. 

With this list you can't really go wrong. These are the real basic's that you'll need to start baking. Without them baking is going to be struggle.

Bake On!

Penny