Pear and Almond Cake

Pears! 

Okay so as a chef you would normally stay clear of the foods you are allergic too but sometimes you have to just get on with it to do something nice for a loved one.  My mother really likes pears and I wasn’t going to be seeing her for a while, so I wanted to bake her a nice pear cake.  I can be pretty demanding when it comes to food and I have been known to ban things in the house such as the exposed flesh of pears, watermelon and melon because even the smell can make me throw up.  So with a bandana over my mouth I got to work making this cake.  I was told it was fantastic.  I tasted the almond element which was really beautiful, this could easily be an Almond Cake and decorated with almonds instead of pears.  Nonetheless the end result was a joy to those who ate it and lovely sight for those who didn’t.

This recipe was taken from Good Housekeeping (October, 2012).

Ingredients:

225g unsalted soft butter, 250g caster sugar, 3 medium eggs (lightly beaten), 125g self raising flour, almond essence, 75g ground almonds. 2 medium pears, 2 tbsps demerara sugar.

Method:

1. Beat the butter and the sugar into a large bowl until creamy.
2. Add the eggs beating well after each addition.
3. Add a few drops of the almond essence.
4. Sift in the flour.
5. Add the ground almonds and mix everything together well.
6. Pour the mix into a prepared cake tin.
7. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
8. Bake the cake for 20 minutes.
9. While the cake is baking peel and slice the pears.
10. After 20 minutes place the pears onto the cake and sprinkle the demerara sugar on top.
11. Bake for 55 minutes.
12.  When the skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the centre cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Custard Pudding

Custard 

I love making my own custard now so never again will I be using custard powder to make custard.  Instead I will use it to create  unique recipes.  It’s strange how I have never ever made good custard from custard powder.  Mine was always too lumpy and never sweet enough.  Either way the powder will never taste as good as the real thing and if you miss the bright orange colour you can always use colouring gel.

Ingredients:

125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 egg, 200ml milk, 150g custard powder, 50g self raising flour, 1 tsp vanilla essence,

Method:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Beat the eggs in.
3. Pour in the milk and custard powder.
4. Sift in the flour and stir until the mixture becomes thick.
5. Add a the vanilla essence.
6. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
7. Prepare a 22 inch cake tin and pour the mixture into it.
8. Bake the pudding cake for an hour.
9. Let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Saffy’s Serving Ideas:

1. A mixture of berries.
2. Hot mango slices.
3. Fruit Yoghurt.

Apricot Cake Cups

Sharing is Caring 

Usually when I make cakes they disappear quite quickly so I thought it would be really nice to pack cake into small ramekins to save.  My mother wanted me to get rid of these dried apricots, so I thought it would be lovely to carry out this idea with apricot cake.  I decorated the tops with a cute daisy sugared flower and just fell in love with the idea.  It is a basic sponge cake mixture but I livened it up with beautiful apricots and an apricot glaze.

Ingredients:

125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 125g self raising flour, 100g dried apricots, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 5 ml skimmed milk, 1 tbsp apricot jam, 5ml water, 5g icing sugar.

Method:

1. Beat the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually beat in the eggs well after each addition.
3. Sift in the flour.
4. Fold in the apricots.
5. Add the vanilla essence.
6. Add the skimmed milk.
7. Beat everything together well.
8. Pour the mixture into a pre prepared cake tin.
9. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.
10. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
11. In the meantime heat the jam, icing sugar and water in a pan.
12. When heated through pour over the cake and let it soak into the sponge.
13. When cool enough to handle serve a few slices.
14.  Crumble up the extra cake and pack into ramekins and decorate with a sugared flower.  This can be done with the whole cake.  If so get creative the the crust placement and flavours.  The textures when packed really taste great.

Poppy Seed Cutesies

Savoury Biscuits

I wanted to make my mummy lovely biscuits to eat with her cheese and chutney.  Perfect buttery biscuits that are guilty free treats.  I found a simple cracker recipe that would be perfect for a cheeseboard.  They are really easy to make so you can rustle some up before an afternoon with close friends.

This recipe was adapted from Good Housekeeping Magazine (December 2012).

Ingredients:

100g self raising flour, 25g chilled cubed butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 spoon poppy seeds.

Method:

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the butter, salt and poppy seeds.
3. Use your hands to mix the ingredients into fine crumbs.
4. Add 2 tbsps cold water and form into biscuit shapes. Cute and small.
5. Place the crackers on baking parchment on an oven tray.
6. Bake for 13 minutes at 180 degrees C.
7. Leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Fried Porridge Balls

Extra Crispy

Restless and frustrated in bed I found myself banging the walls and screaming down the floorboards telling the other people in the apartment to shut up.  When you are really really down food can comfort you.  End of.  This one is for all the girls who are dieting but feel like shit in the morning and want a carb blow out before they face the world.  Breakfast is the most wonderful thing in the world.  It is a gift  and something that should be embraced.  Skipping breakfast will make you angry.  Okay, angrier.  So for the carb blow out after a massive argument with your man, feeling frustrated, feeling ugly, mentally weak.  This is a sexy snack/ breakfast for you super women.  Extra Crispy when you don’t give a f**k.

Ingredients:

100g porridge, 2 tsps mixed spice, 3 tbsps honey, 25g butter, 1 tbsp marmalade, 75g flour, 1 egg, 50ml sunflower oil.

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl mix in the porridge with the mix spice.
2. On a low heat melt the butter in two tbsps of honey and the marmalade.
3. Mix the runny mixture into the porridge.
4. In an oven proof dish or baking tin bake the porridge mix for 25 minutes at 160 degrees C.
5. Cool the oats until warm enough to handle.
6. Put the oat mix back into the mixing bowl then add the last tbsp of honey.
7. Form the mix into balls and place on a cool tray or plate.
8. Place the flour in a small bowl.
9. Beat the egg into another small bowl.
10. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
11. Roll the balls into the flour, then dip into the egg wash and then roll back into the flour before frying.
12. Fry the balls for 2 minutes on a high heat constantly turning.
13. Repeat this process in batches until you have used up the porridge mix.

Birdspeed’s Serving Ideas:

1. Your favourite jam.
2. Yoghurt.

Garlic Sauce

Exam Night

It was the night before the exams and I was so excited! I couldn’t wait for it to be over! Dance exams can last up to 6 hours so I had to make sure my tiny little body had some energy for the big day.   I wanted to make a yummy home made sauce to go with my pasta and I recently read an article about the benefits of garlic, so I thought it would be really nice to practice my sauce making with a garlic sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

25g butter, 25g plain flour, 50 ml skimmed milk, 5 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped).

Method:

1. Stir the butter and flour in a saucepan on a low heat.
2. Slowly pour in the milk

Serving Ideas:

1. Salmon steak.
2. Roasted chicken and rosemary.
3. Spinach tortelloni

Grape & Peach Upside Down Cake

Feeling Bright 

I had finished my choreography for my dance final and I wanted to make a cake that symbolised achievement and new beginnings.  This cake was really beautiful.  I was having a beautiful day.  I was looking forward to the end of the semester so my excitement really came out in the design of the cake.  I blended grapes for the actual sponge and used a peach syrup caramel for the topping.  The cake was so sweet and juicy I described it as the flower of my January kitchen.

Ingredients:

200g grapes, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 can sliced peaches and the syrup, 1 spoon apricot jam, 45g light brown sugar, 125g plain flour, 125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs.

Method:

1. Blend half the grapes with the lemon juice and set aside.
2. Half the rest of the grapes.
3. In a saucepan heat the syrup from the peaches with the brown sugar and the jam.
4. When the sugar has dissolved add the peach slices and grapes.
5. After 5 minutes on a medium heat set the mixture aside to cool slightly.
6. In a mixing bowl beat the caster sugar with the butter.
7. Beat in the eggs.
8. Sift in the flour.
9. Pour in the blended grapes and fold until everything is mixed together.
10. Arrange the grapes and peaches in the saucepan at the bottom of a cake tin and then gently pour a little syrup over the top.
11. Pour on the cake mix over the top of the fruit.
12. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C for 45 minutes.

Cheese & Pickle Bread

BRING ITTTTT!!!!!!

I do not usually make fresh bread in my student accommodation, but I felt like showing off and blowing some steam.  I was craving a cheese and pickle sandwich so I thought of this wicked idea! A cheese and pickle bread.  A pickled centre with cheese flavoured wholemeal bread.  It was an experiment… but I think the risk paid off.  It wasn’t the perfect loaf, but it tasted great and flaunted a lot of potential.

Ingredients:

400g strong wholemeal flour, 2 tsps salt, 2 tsps soft brown sugar,  2 x 7g satchets yeast, 200g strong mature cheddar (grated and reduced fat), 4 tbsps Branston pickle.

Method:

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle in the salt.
3. Sprinkle in the sugar.
4. Add the yeast.
5. Add the cheese.
6.  Mix well.
7. Make a well in the centre of the dough and pour in about 14 fl oz of tepid water.  Add a little at a time so the dough does not become too sticky.
8. On a flat surface knead the dough for 15 minutes until it is an elastic texture.
9. Place the dough back into a bowl and cover the bowl with oiled cling film over the top.
10. Leave in a warm place to rise for at least an hour.
11. Knead for 10 more minutes.
12. Separate into two dough balls.
13. Spread one dough into a prepared loaf tin.
14. Spread the Branston pickle on top and layer with the other chunk of dough.
15. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and bake for 35 minutes.

Home-made Plum Jam and Plum Crumble

Home – Made

I cannot quite remember what the film was called but it was about a woman who gave up her high flying city life to set up her own jam making business in the country.  Although it was a terrible film it was actually quite inspiring and made me think that there is nothing wrong with taking a completely different direction from the route you first hoped to take.  I really want a career in food someday, but those dreams will have to wait because I have quite a bit of work still left to complete.  It was one of those rainy miserable windy days when I made this jam.  I did not want lectures, I did not want to deal with annoying people but I had no choice.  To cheer myself up even more I made a crumble with the jam.  It tasted wonderful, especially with home made custard.

Ingredients:

1kg peeled plums, 1/2 kg caster sugar, 100ml water, 100ml lemon juice, 1 sachet pectin, 50g butter, 2 tbsps cinnamon, 100g porridge oats, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tbsp honey.

Method:

1. To make the jam put 1/2 the plums in a large pot.
2. Add the water, lemon juice and sugar.
3. Bring to the boil and continuously stir.
4. Stir in the pectin.
5. Pour in jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling bath if you want to keep the jam for later, otherwise just put the saucepan aside.
6. In a mixing bowl pour in the oats and cube the butter.
7. Mix up the butter and the oats.
8. Add the spices.
9. Put half the plums into another saucepan and add honey.
10. Cook and stir for 8 minutes.
11. Pour the plums into an oven proof dish and cover with a few spoons of jam.
12. Spread and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top.
13. Bake at 160 degrees C for 30 minutes until golden brown on the top.

Chicken Pie Gone Crackers

What the Chubble?

So I’m watching Come Dine with Me and I get dared to reinvent what I consider to be one of the worst recipes ever made.  Chicken soup baked with crisps.  “What the chubble is dis?” I said , I just couldn’t believe the sheer foolishness of the invention.  I re made the damn pie as best as I could.  It tastes acceptable and it works.  But never ever ever ever do I want to see something so horrendous again. Cheese on bread!  Some people crackers for trute! 

This recipe was adapted from Come Dine with Me  Season 28 Ep 6.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 chicken breasts, 2 tbsps garlic powder, 1 tbsp beetroot powder, 1 onion (chopped finely), 2 tsps tapioca, lemon juice, 1 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsps Chinese 5 spice, 1  can heinz chicken soup, 2 cups sweetcorn, 3 tsps rosemary, 3 tsps oregano, 3 tsps ground ginger, 100g ginger nuts, 150g cheese thins, 1 tbsp sesame seeds. YES!!!!!!!! GINGER NUTS AND CHEESE THINS! JUST TRUST ME! MY VERSION IS MUCH BETTER AND  QUITE FRANKLY HAS MORE SUBSTANCE! STUPSE!

Method:

1. Begin frying the chicken in the sunflower oil.
2. Add the garlic powder, beetroot powder and onion.
3. After 2 minutes add the tapioca, lemon juice and cornflour.
4. After the chicken has thickened add the Chinese spice and sugar.
5. When the chicken has cooked through set aside.
6. In a saucepan heat up 1/2 the soup and sweetcorn together.
7. Add the rosemary, oregano and ginger to the soup.
8. When this has been heated through set aside.
9. In a large mixing bowl mash up the ginger nuts and cheese thins.
10. Pour half of the chicken soup into the bowl and mix everything together.
11. In an oven proof dish layer the chicken.
12. Then pour on the soup.
13. Spread the biscuit soup mixture on top and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
14. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees C.
15. The top should be browned slightly and bubbling hot.  Leave to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.