Know Your Flours

If your taking up baking as a new hobby for the new year this little guide to flour may help you along the way.

Plain Flour: Multi purpose mostly used for pastries, scones and cupcakes

Cream Flour: Also Multi purpose but contains a a low level of raising agents which I don't think many people know and use it in baking products that don't require any raising agents such as pastry and when baking blind a pastry tart it'll puff up too much and probably break.The manufacturers made this flour for the home cook to lend a hand in consistency, personally I don't like cream flour and never use it.

Strong Flour: Strong flour is made with harder wheat's to add strength to a bake,
perfect for use in Breads, Choux Pastry, Pizza Dough, Pasta, flat breads and Scones if you want them extra tall and uniform.

Whole Wheat: Whole Wheat flour is the whole wheat ground either fine or course or extra course its a natural flour and contains a lot of fibre.
Uses are, Irish Brown Soda bread, Digestive biscuits, Cheese crackers Whole wheat pasta and Whole wheat pastry.

Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemon Curd Icing

Some People dismiss Madeira cake as being quit plain and boring and they are probably right when it comes to shop bought Madeira. You can't deny that a freshly home baked Madeira cake is buttery, light and comforting.

So getting a plain one right is worth it as the possibilities for derivatives are endless and here's mine.

The recipe makes a 2lb loaf tin and 12 cupcakes half the recipe if you want to make less.

Pre-heat oven 160 oc

Here's a few tips when cooking a Madeira style cake: 

Make sure your butter and eggs are all at room temperature so it will all combine easily.

Add your eggs one by one if it looks like its going to split add a little of the weighed flour after each egg and this should fix the problem.

Always stir the end of your mixing bowl by hand as some of the cake batter may not be fully mixed at the bottom.

Line and grease the cake tin well and remember if it doesn't work out this time just start over its all the fun of learning.

Try not to open the oven door until the cake has a brownish skin on top as the cake might flop before this if the oven cools rapidly by opening the door.

With the cake batter that is left over, spoon in to a lined cupcake tin and freeze they will cook perfect from frozen.

Ingredients:

500 g soft butter 

500 g caster sugar 

8 eggs 

500 g plain flour 

2 tps baking powder 

Zest of  4 lemons (Keep juice for later )

Method:

Cream butter and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl, hand blender or with a wooden spoon by hand

When light and fluffy start adding the eggs one by one 

When eggs are all incorporated 

Sieve in the flour and baking powder stir well 

Finally add the the lemon zest 

Spoon in to a lined and greased tin 3/4 way up to give it room to rise and bake at 160 oc for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

Leave in the tin for a few minutes then turn out on to a wire rack until ready to slice and ice.

Lemon Curd 

So I suggest you make this while the cake is in the oven or even the day before and it needs to be cool before making the icing.

This recipe is for more than what you need for cake but if your going to spend the time making it you might as well make a jar. I love it on freshly baked scones with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

150 g butter  

6 eggs 

150 g sugar 

250 ml lemon juice use the juice left over from the cake but you may need to add more according to the size lemons and how juicy they are.

Method:

Melt butter in a sauce pan then add all the other ingredients.

Stir until it thickens on a low heat, don't be tempted to turn the heat up high to speed up the process or you might end up with lemon scrambled eggs. 

Cool before jarring will keep for a week in the fridge so if you don't have a jar just use a plastic sealed box. 

Lemon Curd Icing

Ingredients:

1 Tub of Philly Cream Cheese 

4 tablespoons lemon curd 

Method: 

Beat the 2 ingredients together until light and creamy.

Icing for the top of the cake 

200 g Icing sugar 

splash of water just to make a paste 

Zest of 1 lemon 

To assemble the Cake

Cut the cake with a sharp serrated knife across the width by placing one hand on top of the cake and the other hand moving the knife so you get nice even cuts.

When you have your 3 slices of cake.

Use the bottom one first add some of the curd icing spread across evenly with a palette knife then add the next layer and repeat.

when the lip is on top pour the white icing over the top and decorate with grated lemon zest.

Hope you enjoy making and eating the cake I did ! 

Don x

Spiced Apple and Mince Meat Puff Pie

Comforting, delicious and perfect for using up any left over mince meat.
I never use shop bought pastry unless its puff pastry. Lets face who has time to make that from scratch.
Obviously if you do by all means use it.

Ingredients:

4-5 bramley apples peeled and chopped
200-300g mince meat.
1tsp mixed spice
4 tablespoon caster sugar
1 packet of puff pastry fresh or frozen
1 beaten egg for glazing.
Apricot glaze to finish the pie when cooked.

Pre-heat oven to 170oc

Method:

Mix the apples, mince meat , spice and sugar in a bowl
On a flat surface roll out the pastry then cut in half down the middle.
Place one half on a flat baking tray and spoon the apple mix in to the middle and spread out.
Leave a border around the edge for the lid to go on.
Egg wash the border.
Place the other sheet of pastry in top
Crimp the edges together with your fingers or just use a fork.
Score the lid with the back of a knife to decorate.
Egg wash lid.
Cook in a medium hot oven until golden brown.
Serve with warm custard or semi whipped cream.
This tart will keep for 2-3 days perfectly

How to cook a turkey

Serves 12

Pre heat oven to 170oc / gas 4

10-12lb - 4-5kg turkey

1/2ld of soft butter

Few sprigs of sage chopped

8 rashers

Salt and pepper

Oil


Mix the butter and sage together.

Smear the butter over the breast and legs of the turkey.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the legs with rashers.

Stuff with stuffing of your choice. You will need about 1 kg / 2lbs for a turkey of this size. If using a smaller turkey just half recipe.

Place breast side down on to prepared baking tray / turkey tray.

Lightly cover turkey with some oil and rub in.

Cover with foil for the first half of cooking.

Be sure to baste the turkey regularly during cooking to avoid drying out.

Cook for 15 minutes per 1/2 kilo - 1lb

And then a extra 20 minutes.

Always leave to rest before carving. To let the meat relax and the juice to run out to add to your gravy.


Serve on a giant platter garnished with fresh herbs and extra stuffing.

How cook and glaze a ham

Soak the ham over night
The next day discard the water the ham has been soaking in.
Place ham in a large pot and fill with water or I like to use coke, until the ham is well covered.
Add cloves, cinnamon stick and orange zest to add more festive flavour.
Bring to the boil slowly.
If a white froth comes to the surface skim off with a ladle and add more water or coke.
Simmer then until cooked.
I recommend 50 minutes per kg or 25 minutes per pound.
When cooked fully the skin should peel off easily.

To glaze the ham

Peel off the rind, score the fat with a knife and stud each section with a few cloves.
Pre-heat oven to 220-250oc / gas 9
For a basic glaze use
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 whole grain mustard
1/2 maple syrup
Mix well.
Place ham on a baking tray
Pour mixture on top of the ham
Put into hot oven for 20 minutes basting regularly in that time.

Left of ham is great for making, croquettes , eggs benedicts, frittatas , ham puff pastry pies , croque mansoiur ( toasted ham and cheese sambo done on a griddle pan ) ham and pea soup and ham and mushroom pasta sauces the list goes on and on.

Raspberry Sauce

Serve with ice cream or served on the side of any creamy dessert or chocolate cakes such and brownies.

Ingredients:

450g raspberries
100 icing sugar
Squeeze of lime juice optional

Method:

Whizz all ingredients in food processor or hand blender
Pass through a fine sieve
Decant in to a jug or serving bowl.
Will keep in fridge for a good few days.

Add more icing sugar if tastes too sharp.

Festive Eggnog Latte

This beautiful coffee is delightful end to Christmas dinner. That's if you have room!

Makes 2

1 and 1/2 cup full fat milk

2 egg yolks

4 teaspoons of sugar

2 tablespoon of rum

2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey

Pinch of nutmeg

4 tablespoons of the best ground coffee you can afford.

Heat 1/2 cup of milk in a saucepan don't boil.

Combine the sugar and egg yolks together with a whisk.

Add the heated milk, and the remaining milk ,rum and whiskey.

Place back in to the pot as if to make a custard stir slowly be sure not to over heat.
When it coats the back of a wooden spoon it's ready.

To make the coffee add 2 tablespoons of coffee into each tall glass. And add enough water to make espresso.
Top with the warm eggnog and finish with grated nutmeg.
Yum yum.