Toffeeeee Apples!

I’ve been meaning to make toffee apples for years but I’ve always been a little afraid of the boiling hot sugar element and shied away... This year I finally made them and realised that there’s nothing scary about them at all! I didn’t even get close to pouring 140°C molten sugar on myself, result! I would however advise against using bamboo sticks in them as I did manage to give myself a nasty splinter from them, yowzer! 

The recipe below is from BBC Good Food and it worked perfectly. I actually made a batch, coated the apples, let them set and repeated to get another crispy coating. I also used Cox’s apples for mine as they’re nice and small. 

The best way to make these is with a sugar thermometer as the mixture needs to get up to 140°C, you can do it without but I find it a little trickier. 

But yes easy and nicely autumnal. Make them!

Ingredients

12 Cox’s apples

400g golden caster sugar

1tsp vinegar

4tbsp golden syrup

Method

Place the apples in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.

Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 140C or 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.

Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. I would hear allow them to cool before repeating the process again.

Enjoy! x 

A British Bake Off Pie!

Like most I was obsessed with The Great British Bake Off this year, an X Factor but with cake, what’s not to love??? So you can imagine how happy I was to get my hands on the British Bake Off cookbook and I was not disappointed. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who has even the remotest interest in baking, it’s full of tutorials and recipes from the programme and I am in love with it. Tutorials and pretty pictures are all very well but of course I had to do a couple of checks just to make sure the recipes worked... :)

If you watched the programme you might remember that during pie week Holly made an insane looking potato pie? Now I’ve never really eaten a potato pie and I have to say that despite the thing looking delicious I was a little dubious...Potatoes wrapped in pastry? Now that’s a complex carbohydrate if ever I’ve heard one. You’ll be pleased to hear that I was able to put my reservations to one side in order to try it and oh am I ever glad I did! Potatoes, caramelised onions, stilton, gruyere, cheddar... Yes! Oh very yes!

Being a book about baking, the original recipe involves making your own pastry but I was short on time so bought the pastry...so I’ll write it up the way I did it! 

(I cannot recommend this pie highly enough, mine was finished by four people in one sitting! That could however say more about us than it does about the pie...)

Ingredients:

1 packet of puff pastry (I find pre-rolled stuff to be most excellent)

2 medium onions

30g butter

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1kg waxy/salad potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

100g stilton, crumbled

100g gruyere cheese, grated

140ml crème fraiche

60ml double cream

100g mature cheddar, grated

Freshly grated nutmeg

Black pepper

1 large deep pie dish

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.

Start by putting the onions in a frying pan with the butter, salt and sugar and fry on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15minutes or until lightly caramelised. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain carefully and set aside.

Combine the stilton and gruyere in a bowl. In another bowl mix together the crème fraiche, double cream and cheddar. 

Layer the filling in the pie dish, working from the outside of the dish into the middle to achieve a domed effect. For the first layer use one-quarter of the potato slices, one-third of the onions and one-third of the stilton mixture, seasoning with nutmeg and pepper. Then make two more layers, each using one quarter of the potato slices, one-third of the onions, one-third of the stilton mixture, half of the cream/cheddar mixture, and nutmeg and pepper to season. Top with the rest of the potato slices and season with nutmeg and pepper. Ensure that none of the cream mixture is visible from the top.

Apply an egg wash around the rim of the pie dish. If using pre-rolled pastry, un-roll it and place over the top of the pie. Or roll your pastry out and do the same. Trim the edges and use a fork to press them down. Brush the whole pie with egg wash. If you wish, cut a decorative shape for the pastry trimmings and stick to the pastry lid with egg wash; brush the shape with egg wash. Cut a good-sized cross into the top of the pastry lid to let steam escape during baking. (I may or may not have forgotten this important step and been forced jab wildly at the pie with a knife halfway through cooking...)

Set the pie dish on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 180°C/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve hot.

Enjoy! x

An Ode to Sweetcorn

I am obsessed with sweetcorn. This summer my obsession has grown tenfold. I have eaten it as much as humanly possible and will continue to do so until my friends and family decide to stage an intervention. Corn on the cob is amazing, tinned sweetcorn heated with some butter fantastic, but I thought I’d try something else with our humble yellow friend. I give you Sweetcorn Bake! 

Ok it’s an awful name but that’s what it is so I’m sticking with it! I have eaten this bake solidly through the summer with everything; chicken, pork, steak... (By everything I mean meat. I’m fairly certain you can eat it with other things, these other things just didn’t happen to fit in with my strictly carnivorous summer dining) It’s perfect as the ingredients can be chopped and changed depending on preference; I don’t think I’ve made it the same way twice. This version is a leetle spicy but feel free to omit the chillies completely if you wish (Lucy I’m talking to you here). So go forth and bake sweetcorn, it’s the future I tell you!

(I’ve grilled corn on the cob in this recipe but tinned sweetcorn works just as well and is twice as quick!)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn

1 red onion, finely chopped

3 green chillies, chopped

250g strong cheddar, grated

A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

5 tbsp Creme fraiche

1 tbsp butter

½ tbsp Olive Oil

Method

Preheat grill. Rub or spray olive oil onto sweetcorn and generously season with salt and pepper. Place under grill and cook until golden brown, approximately 5-10 minutes, then allow the corn to cool. Once cooled place the sweetcorn upright on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to remove all kernels, place to one side.

In a frying pan melt the butter over a medium-low heat until frothy. Then add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened. Next add the chillies, cook for a few minutes before adding the sweetcorn. Mix in 1/3 of the grated cheese and then turn off the heat.  Once the cheese has melted nicely stir in the coriander and crème fraiche.

Pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish, cover with remaining cheese and grill until golden and bubbly. 

Enjoy! x

Roast belly pork with apple, sour cherry and fennel chutney

I cut this recipe out from a magazine years ago (yes I’ve apparently been a food nerd for some time now), I made it the other day and it’s so delicious I felt the need to share. I know I know belly pork has become really over exposed in the last few years but it’s still one of my all time favourite cuts. When you cook it slowly you end up with beautifully sticky caramelised meat that falls apart topped with lovely crunchy crackling. Without trying to sound too preachy I will say that if you can’t or won’t buy free range pork at least make it British. You can then be sure the pigs aren’t kept in the inhumane sow pens used widely across Europe. Okay speech over here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

For the pork

2 x 750g pieces pork belly, skin scored

4 star anise

2tbsp fennel seeds

2tbsp paprika

3 dried bay leaves

3tbsp sea salt

For the chutney

40g sour cherries

40ml apple juice

500g Cox’s apples peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

1 red onion, sliced

50g fresh ginger, grated

1 red chilli, chopped

1tsp fennel seeds

1tsp coriander seeds

2 star anise

125g demerara sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Place the spices and salt for the meat into a blender, blitz until fairly fine and rub over the meat. 

Place all the chutney ingredients in a roasting tray, cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Once the time is up, remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. The chutney should become glossy and syrupy. Place to one side and leave to cool. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/gas mark 3.  Drizzle the skin with a little olive oil making sure to rub it into the scores. Place the pork belly, skin-side up on a rack in a roasting tin. Pour 100ml of water and 100ml of apple into the tin and cook for 3 hours. You can test if the pork is cooked by pushing a fork into the flesh, it should break away easily. 

Once cooked, crank the oven temperature up to 220°C/gas mark 7 and cook the pork for a further 15-20 minutes to crisp up the crackling. If the crackling is being stubborn place it under a hot grill to finish it off. Make sure to keep an eye on it though as it can easily burn.

Once cooked, carve the pork and serve it with the chutney and vegetables of your choice.

Enjoy! x

Sweets for my sweet

Happy (slightly belated) Birthday to Miss Shara! As tradition dictates I baked up a storm in place of a birthday present. I probably should go out and buy a proper gift but I think instead I’ll just continue to work under the assumption that she enjoys receiving massive bags full of cake!

So this year I baked raspberry and white chocolate blondies and milk chocolate peanut butter cookies.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies

For the Blondies I used a recipe by Picky Palate and oh it was delicious! I have to say that I’m normally not the biggest blondie fan (except Debbie Harry of course, she’s ace) as more often than not they’re too sweet and too dry. The addition of raspberries in these blondies however cuts through the sweetness and helps keep them moist. 

Ingredients

60g unsalted butter
180g white chocolate, chopped
110g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
115g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
120g white chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
170g fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and grease and line the inside of an 8x8 tin.

Melt the butter and 180g of white chocolate together in a heat proof bowl placed over barely simmering water, once melted place to one side.

Briefly mix the flour, baking powder, sugars, salt and remaining 120g white chocolate together with a fork. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream until well mixed. Add this mixture and the butter/white chocolate to the dry ingredients, mix until just combined.

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I used an Alice Medrich recipe as a base for these cookies from her wonderful book ‘Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy’. 

Ingredients 

170g plain flour

½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

100g unsalted butter, softened

50g dark brown sugar

60g granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300g chunky peanut butter

150g milk chocolate, chopped into large chunks

4tbsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C/gas mark 3 

Place flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix briefly with a fork. 

In a large bowl or electric mixer combine butter with sugars until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract, peanut butter and milk chocolate chunks and mix well until blended. Add the flour and stir until just combined. The mixture at this point will be short and crumbly. Stir slowly the mixture very slowly adding the milk a little at a time until the dough comes together. 

Roll mixture into walnut size balls and squish down with a fork. Make sure to leave about 2 inches between the cookies otherwise they’ll all meld together. 

Bake for around 15 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden. Don’t worry if they’re a little soft they will harden once out the oven. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack. 

Enjoy! x

What I’ve been up to

I haven’t been able to write a great deal lately as the lovely Babe Ruth managed to find me some temp work for a couple of weeks, thanks Baaaaabe! I’ve still been cooking and baking (contrary to popular belief, a girls GOT to eat) I just haven’t had the time to write it all down. So here’s a brief summary... (Please excuse all the phone pictures)

I made some coconut ice cream with mango sauce 

The delightful Carys went and had a birthday so a big ol’ meal was cooked in her honour

A salted caramel chocolate tart in place of a birthday cake? But of course! Did I eat more of this tart than is entirely necessary? No.... By no I mean yes. Yes in a big way. 

I made home-made crumpets.  If you’re anything like me (or Vicki for that matter) you’ll be thinking ‘home-made crumpets? You can’t make crumpets, you buy crumpets. Fool!’ I’ll be honest they were fairly stressful but that was more me being impatient and trying to flip them too early than the crumpets themselves. Not the food, never blame the food. 

I made some French toast with bacon, syrup and berries

And mushroom burgers. She may not be pretty but phwoar...

I’ve also eaten near to my body weight in grilled sweet corn

I even found a place where you can buy prawns by the shovelful??!!

I’ve also been clearing out and decorating my room which has lead to some fairly amusing finds...

Apparently the Brownies didn’t really rate my cooking

I appear to have shown an early *ahem* artistic streak

Oh and this happened. Getting locked in a bathroom is never particularly fun for a claustrophobic.

So that's pretty much what I've been up to lately. I have plenty of free time on my hands again now so recipes will start reappearing shortly!

Mini rhubarb meringue pies

These are based on this Delia Smith pie that I made for Easter Sunday this year.

Whilst the big pie was a success I thought I’d have a go at lightening the whole thing. These mini versions are perfect for summer as they’re so small and delicate. They can easily be served as a dessert canapé or a as part of a pudding. Or with tea in the afternoon, lunch, breakfast...? :)

I know what some of you are thinking; ‘Rhubarb meringue? Really Arwen? Really?’ (Jess I’m talking to you here) And yes really. I know lemon is more traditional but I think that’s all the more reason to branch out and change things up a bit. The rhubarb has more texture to it and the orange really gives the flavour a lift. As long as you have some form of electronic whisk for the meringues (I do not advise attempting to whisk them by hand, unless you are in fact Arnold Schwarzenegger circa 1970) these are a doddle to make. You can buy or make the pastry for the base and bought pastry makes the whole process even easier still. I’d definitely recommend that you try and make these, the sharp rhubarb contrasts perfectly with the crispy, sweet meringue and the buttery pastry base. 

Makes 24 in a mini muffin tin or 12 in a regular sized muffin tin

Ingredients:

500g sweet shortcrust pastry

Filling:

400g rhubarb, chopped (fresh or frozen)

Juice and zest of 3 oranges

100g caster sugar

4 tbsp water

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp corn flour

Meringue:

2 egg whites

115g caster sugar

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°c/gas mark 4

Begin by mixing 2tbsp of the orange juice with the corn flour until you have a smooth paste, set aside.

Place the remaining juice and zest in a saucepan along with the rhubarb, sugar and water. Put the hob on a medium to low heat stirring occasionally.

Whilst the rhubarb is cooking, lightly flour a surface and roll out your pastry. Cut the pastry either with a knife or pastry cutter and use to line the base of your pan. Cut squares of foil or baking paper to the same size as the holes in your tin and place them over the pastry. Fill with ceramic beads and blind bake for 15-20minutes.  Once cooked, remove the baking paper and beads and set the pastry cases aside, keeping them in the tin.

After about 10-15 minutes the rhubarb should have begun to break down, we want to get rid of any big lumps. If you are using frozen rhubarb this may take slightly longer. Once it has broken down add the corn flour and orange juice paste whilst whisking the mixture. After that has incorporated add the yolks one at a time also whilst whisking, the mixture should thicken. Take the rhubarb off the heat and set aside.

For the meringue use either a hand whisk or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition.  After all the sugar is incorporated you should have a fairly solid meringue mixture.

Fill the pastry cases to just below the top with the rhubarb mixture. Put the meringue in an icing bag with a nozzle fitted and pipe swirls onto the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the meringue has browned and hardened. 

Enjoy! x

Banoffee cupcakes!

I promise that I won't begin to dedicate the website to gooey centred cupcakes but these went down so well I have to share them! They're a banana sponge filled with dulce du leche, topped with whipped cream and chocolate digestive biscuit pieces.

These were commissioned by the lovely Westerby, giving me something to do so the unemployment doesn't drive me entirely insane! If anyone else is worried about my sanity please feel free to commission baked goods and keep me on the straight and narrow. I'm sure it’s only a matter of time before I'm found curled in a corner rocking back and forth wooden spoon in hand and a mixing bowl on my head... 

Anyway... Here's the recipe, I hope you like it! 

Makes 12 

 Ingredients:
 90g butter (room temperature)
110g soft brown sugar
1 egg + 1 extra egg yolk (beaten)
75g self-raising flour
75g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp allspice
2 over ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp sour crème or crème fraiche
Small tin of dulche du leche or caramel
300ml whipped cream
3 chocolate digestive biscuits

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°c/gas mark 4

 Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy; once combined add the egg slowly, beating well between each addition.  If the mixture curdles slightly, don’t worry, just beat on a high speed until it look a little more settled. 

Next mix in the flours, bicarbonate of soda and allspice; followed by the mashed banana and sour cream. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared cases and bake for 20 minutes.  Once cooked, leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. 

Whilst the cakes are cooking you can prepare the topping. Take your digestives and place them in a sandwich bag before smashing them to smithereens with a rolling pin or similar object. I realise smithereens isn’t particularly technical but I like the way it sounds, you want a fairly fine crumb.

Now the cakes are cool, take a small sharp knife and make a circular incision in the middle of the top of the cakes about an inch wide pointing the knife at an angle towards the centre of the cake. You are basically cutting out a portion of the top of the cake, so you can fill it with the caramel. Once you’ve completed the circle you can pull the centre out and you should have a little piece of cone-shaped sponge. Now cut the tips off all of these cones leaving just the top which will go on top of the cake after filled, to work as a plug. Fill the gap in the cake with the caramel and place the plug back on the top of the cakes.

Top the cakes with whipped cream and sprinkle on digestive pieces.

Enjoy! x