Hot Cross Buns

Its Good Friday and that means an excuse to eat Hot Cross Buns! This recipe is from the Great British Bake Off Easter Masterclass and it is really simple and easy to make!

Ingredients

For the buns

• 200ml/10fl oz milk
• 350g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
• 50g/2½oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 2 free-range egg, beaten
• 125g mixed dried fruit and peel
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice

For the cross

• 75g/2½oz plain flour
• 5tbsp water

For the glaze

• 100ml milk
• 50g caster sugar
•  

Method

1. Bring the milk to the boil and then remove from the heat and leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.
2. Place the flour, sugar, salt and yiest in a bowl.

 
3. Rub the butter into the flour mixture.
4. Add the  mixed peel and fruit.
5. Create a well and pour in milk and egg and mix together.
6. tip out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for five minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
   
   
    Watch technique
   2:35 mins
7. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for approximately one hour, or until doubled in size.
8. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces, and roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured surface. Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment, leaving enough space so that the buns just touch when they rise and expand. Set aside to prove for another hour.
9. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
10. For the cross, mix the flour with about five tablespoons of water in small bowl, adding the water one tablespoon at a time, so that you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.
11. Bake for 10-15 minuites on the middle shelf of the oven until golden-brown.
12. Gently heat the milk and sugar, once the sugar has dissolved boil for 1 min. Brush the buns with the glaze while warm.
    
 

 

 

 
Eat toasted with lots of butter :)

Fudge

Fudge always seemed like such a daunting thing to make because of the sizzilingly hot temperature and strain inducing amount of stirring required to make it, but actually it is really simple! I used to make it to take into school (shout out to the girls at Bedford High School) and it always went down a treat. This batch was made for my little brother to take into school but the recipe makes quite a lot of fudge so there is always a bit left over to much with coffee after dinner. Make sure you use a large pan and an even larger spoon and you will avoid burning yourself! ooo and don't try and taste it too early because you will burn your mouth/fingers no matter how tasty it looks!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of Water
• 4 oz (115g) Butter
• 1 1/4 lb (550g) Caster Sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup
• 6 fl oz (175 ml) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

How to Make:

1.  Butter an 18cm square tin.
2. In a BIG saucepan add the water, butter, caster sugar and golden syrup and stir until the butter has melted.

3. Add the condensed milk and bring to the boil.
4. Boil, stirring continuously until the mixture reaches 118 degrees C or 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Take pan off the hear and stir in vanilla extract.

6. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until a heavy trail is formed by the mixture when dropped from the spoon.
7. Pour into the prepared tin.
8. When the mixture is almost cool mark the fudge into squares with a sharp knife. Cut when completely cold.

(The recipe is from The Cook's Scrapbook.)

Cinnamon Buns

One of the many things that my flatmates at Uni have in common apart from a love of dancing, partying and Bibi's cupcakes is anything we can bake together so when Millie suggested making Cinnamon Buns just like her mum used to we jumped at the chance. Here is the recipe we used and a picture of the buns. Despite the time it takes to let the dough prove and the number of steps this recipe is relatively simple and the cinnamon butter which acts as the centre of the dough is really delicious!

For the dough

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 50g/1¾oz light brown sugar
• 15g/1oz fresh yeast or 1½ tsp dried yeast
• 75g/3oz butter, softened
• 200ml/7fl oz milk
• 2 free-range eggs
•  

For the filling

• 100g/3½oz light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g/3½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

For the syrup

• 50g/2oz icing sugar
• 1 tbsp water

Preparation method

1. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Crumble in the fresh yeast (or stir in the dried yeast). Rub the softened butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until there are no large lumps of butter. (It does not have to be as fine as breadcrumbs, as you would do with a crumble.)
2. Make a well in the flour mixture. Pour the milk into the well and crack in one egg. Bring the dough together with your hands or with a spatula. This is quite a soft, supple dough - if it feels a little wet and sticky, don't panic. Keep mixing and the flour will absorb the liquid.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cut a small piece off and stretch the dough as thin as you can – if you can see light shining through the dough and you can see the shadow of your fingers held behind the thinnest part, it is ready.
4. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for about 80-90 minutes.
5. In a small mixing bowl, beat the sugar and cinnamon into the softened butter with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
6. Lightly grease the base and sides of a deep roasting tin roughly 34x24cm/13x9in with butter and line with baking parchment.
7. When the dough has nearly doubled in size, tip it out of the bowl and knock the air out. Roll the dough into a rectangle, the thickness of a pound coin. The long side of the rectangle should be about 30cm/12in long.
8. Spread the cinnamon paste over the surface of the dough, ensuring the paste reaches all the edges.
9. Starting with a long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a sausage shape. Flour the work surface and lay the rolled dough on top of the flour before cutting into rolls into 12 equal slices.
10. Place the slices side by side, with the spiral facing up, into the lined roasting tin. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove again for about 45 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
12. When the buns have risen and feel springy to the touch, they are ready to bake. Beat the remaining egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl, and brush the tops of the buns with egg glaze. This will give the buns a shine and lovely colour.
13. Bake the buns at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Cook for a further 20 minutes.
14. While the buns are baking, make the syrup. Mix the sugar and water into a paste.
15. When the buns have finished baking, remove them from the oven and brush with the syrup.
 
 

 

Enjoy xx 

Vegetable Tarte Tatin

     So, because I am a student and have very little else to do with my time I was watching Michel Roux Jnr on his new Food and Drink programme (Mondays at 8.30 on BBC 2) and was inspired to make this recipe which is a bit of a variation on the Fennel and Onion tart he made.

Ingredients (for one) :

• 1 red onion
• 1/4 Aubergine
• 5 plum tomatoes
• ready made puff pastry
• dried chilli
• 20g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• splash of balsamic vinegar

How to make:

1. Drizzle the thickly sliced onion, aubergine and tomatoes in oil and season plus add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Bake for 20-30 mins at 180 degrees until soft.
2. Cut a circle of pastry big enough to cover the bottom of your oven proof pan/saucepan.
3. Place water and sugar in the same pan which you have measured the pastry for and put on a high heat (trying not to stir) until golden brown.
4. Place vegetables in the golden brown caramel mixture.
5. Cover with pastry, tucking in the sides and pierce the pastry all over.
6. Bake for 20-30 mins until the pastry is risen and golden brown.
7. Turn out of the pan and serve with salad.

The finished Tarte Tatin

Season veg before roasting

Place veg in the caramel

 

 

Enjoy xx



Spanish Venison Meatballs

Ingredients (per person):

• 3 meatballs
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 an onion
• Dried Chilli
• Paprika
• 3tbsp Tomato Paste

Method:

1. Finely chop onions and carrots.
2. Fry onions and carrots in oil until they begin to soften.
3. Add the meatballs and fry until the meatballs are sealed (their outsides will brown).
4. Add tomato paste and about 4tbsp water then season with chilli, salt, pepper and paprika.
5. Simmer the mixture for 10 mins adding more water when necessary so that the mixture doesn't dry out.
6. Serve with rocket, garlic mayonnaise and bread.

 Enjoy x

Potato Skins

     When we have baked potatoes for dinner there are always a few left over that no one eats. The perfect way to recycle these are to make an indulgent lunch of stuffed potato skins. Now this is in no way a low fat meal but once in a while everyone deserves a treat and they are so quick and easy to make! You can also feel a little bit good about them because making them yourself means that they are definitely lower in fat than those that you might buy at a supermarket or get from a pub. This is the kind of dish where you can put any ingredient that you want as a filling, but here is mine.

Ingredients:

• 4 already baked Jacket Potatoes
•  2 tbsp Cream Cheese
• 100g Cheddar Cheese
• Mixed Dried Herbs
• Chilli Flakes
• 2 Onions Chopped
• Salt and Pepper

How to Make:

• Scoop filling out of the potatoes and place in a bowl
• Drizzle oil over the potato skins and bake for 15 mins at 180 degrees Celsius
• Mash the potato insides with a fork then add the cream cheese, herbs, chilli flakes and salt and pepper to taste mixing together.
• Finally mix in 50g of the cheddar cheese.
• In a frying pan soften the onions.
• Place at the bottom of each potato skin a teaspoon of onion then fill with potato and cheese mixture and top with grated cheese.
• Cook for 15-20 mins at 180

Cook Onions until soft

Mix potato filling with Cream Cheese

Bake potato skins with oil

Place one teaspoon of onion in each case

Top with cheese

Enjoy xxx

Raspberry, Meringue and Blueberry Chocolate Brownies

     So it's a sunday and after a week of partying and drinking the girls in flat 11 at Haig are washing away the hangover blues with really decadent chocolate brownies which have A LOT of sugar in but are gorgeous!
     The recipe is from BBC Good Food and was written by Sarah Cook.

Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate , broken into chunks

100g milk chocolate , broken into chunks

250g pack salted butter

400g soft light brown sugar

4 large eggs

140g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

200g raspberries

 How to Make:

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees celscius and line a brownie tin with foil and butter.
2. Heat butter, sugar and chocolate together in a pan being careful not to burn the chocolate.
3. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled add the eggs slowly and mix thoroughly.
4. Sieve over flour and cocoa powder and stir in.
5. Scatter in Raspberries, Blueberries and crushed meringue.
6. Cook for 25-30 mins.
7. For added  sugar scatter over popping candy.

 

 

xxx

Duck Salad

Dear Foodies,
     Today's society favours a more hectic lifestyle and with it comes the need for food that can be made quickly and easily, a fact which is much milked by the celebrity chef's of today. While I think cookery is something that should be enjoyed sometimes life does get in the way and I am sure even the best chefs are forced to throw together a quick meal during the week. That said a quick meal is perhaps more reliant than others on really fantastic ingredients rather than the many processes which 'fancier' cookery demands. So here it is a quick and simple recipe which is tasty and perfect for a mid week meal.

Ingredients: (for 4 People)

• 4 Duck Legs
• Mixed Salad (rocket works particularly well with this)
• 4 Spring Onions
• 1 Cucumber
• Hoi Sin Sauce
• 1 Orange  
• Sesame Oil

How to Make:

• Mix 4 tbsp of Hoi Sin Sauce with the juice of the orange and 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• Rub this mixture into the duck legs and bake for 30 mins at 180 degrees/gas mark 4
• On each plate divide the mixed leaves, season and dress with olive oil
• Peel the cucumber into thin strips piling a handful onto each plate
• Slice the Spring onion into strips and place one spring onion onto each plate
• When the duck legs have cooled cut the meat from the bone and scatter across the salad
• Mix 2 tbsp of Hoi Sin sauce with 1 tsp Sesame oil and and drizzle over the duck and salad

Optional: We had some spare cherry tomatoes so I scattered them on top to add some vibrant colour to the dish.

coat duck in Hoi Sin mixture

Add cucumber and spring onion to the mixed leaves

Enjoy

 This dish is a healthier version of the duck and pancakes that you can get from every Chinese takeaway and therefore makes for a delightful treat.

Enjoy xx

Apple Jam Tartlets

     A family joke in our household is that as a boy my Dad won a Jam tart making competition in Battle, Sussex; however while he assures us it happened no one has ever seen him make a jam tart since. This legendary jam tart joins the mouthwatering curry which Dad also claims he used to make at University and therefore means he has ultimate cooking prowess which manifests itself today as a right to throw advice across the kitchen and criticise but never to cook.
     This is a recipe that links both the apple crisps and the spiced apple jam which I have already made on my blog. It is however also a way of making a jam tart a bit more interesting and perhaps a little more dinner party worthy.

Sweet Shortcrust pastry:

200g plain flour

1 tsp caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of ice cold water

1. Butter a mince pie/bun tray or 12 small tart tins.
2. Sieve flour and sugar into a food processor, add diced butter and whizz until the mixture is fine crumbs.
3. Add the water to the mixture until it comes together.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 20 mins.

  
The Tarts

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut circles big enough to fit your tins.
3. Place each circle in the tin and gently press into the corners.
4. Fill each tart with two dessert spoons of apple jam. 
5. Bake each tart for 15-20 mins.
6. Top with an apple crisp and serve.

Apple Crisps

     I recieved a cookery book for my birthday written by Gordon Ramsay. One of the simpler and less decadent recipes was this one for apple crisps. These can serve as a healhy snack or a delicious garnish to desserts. I used them as a garnish for my spiced apple jam tarts but made far too many so I had lots to snack on.

Ingredients:

• 500ml Water
• 250g Granulated Sugar
• 4-8 apples

How to Make:

• Heat the sugar gently in the water until it dissolves, bring to the boil and then turn off the heat.
• Core, peel and slice the apples
• Dip the apple slices in the sugar water and then place on a baking sheet covered in baking paper
• Place in the oven and bake for 3 hours at 80 degrees
• Once out of the oven the apple pieces should crispen leaving apple crisps

Sugar Water

Apple corer and peeler

Peeled and cored apple

Nice and crisp

Enjoy xx

Food from my first term at University

     It has been an unexcusably long time since I last blogged but at an attempt of an excuse I have started at St Andrews University reading English and I am lucky enough to have met some amazing friends already. While I haven't been blogging we have been eating with lots of lunches out and baking evenings So here are some pictures of our first terms culinary attempts:





Chocolate cake for Perdie's 18th Birthday

Handmade Pasta Shells

Gnocchi

Meditterenean Veg and Goats Cheese

Delicious Chocolate Macaroons made by the lovely Millie

Melanzane

Chocolate Brownie

Jam Tart



Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Buttercream Filling

xxx