Blog

Category: Dessert

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 200ml Milk
• 60ml Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1600g Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 45g Sugar
• 3 tbs Peanut Butter

Instructions:

Mix milk, oil and egg together. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture. Stir well until all ingredients are combined evenly.

Spread some batter onto the pan. Spread a thin layer of batter to the side of the pan. Cover the pan for 30-60 seconds until small air bubbles appear.

Add butter, cream corn, crushed peanuts and sugar onto the pancake. Fold the pancake into half once the bottom surface is browned.

Cut into wedges and best eaten when it is warm.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 8 cloves chopped Garlic
• 3 tbsp Caster Sugar
• 2 tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes
• Bunch Basil Leaves
• 2 tubs Mascarpone
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 85g Parmesan
• 2 sliced Mozzarella
• 1kg Spinach
• 100g Parmesan
• 3 tubs Ricotta
• pinch Nutmeg
• 400g Cannellini Beans

Instructions:

First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 175g Butter
• 175g Caster Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 250g Self-raising Flour
• 3 tbs Milk
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• To Glaze Mixed Peel

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease an 18cm/7in round cake tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
Sift the flour and gently fold in, with enough milk to give a mixture that falls slowly from the spoon. Fold in the lemon zest.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and lightly level the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To serve, decorate the cake with the candied peel.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Mexican

Ingredients:

• 400g Chickpeas
• 1 tblsp Olive Oil
• pinch Paprika
• 2 small cut chunks Tomatoes
• 1 finely sliced Red Onions
• 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Avocado
• Juice of 1 Lime
• Chopped Lime
• 100g Sour Cream
• 2 tsp Harissa Spice
• 4 Corn Tortillas
• to serve Coriander

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with foil. Drain the chickpeas, pat dry and tip onto the prepared baking tray. Add the oil and paprika, toss to coat, then roast for 20-25 mins until browned and crisp, shaking halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, put the tomatoes and onion in a small bowl with the vinegar and set aside to pickle. Put the avocado in another bowl and mash with a fork, leaving some larger chunks. Stir in the lime juice and season well. Mix the soured cream with the harissa and set aside until ready to serve.

Heat a griddle pan until nearly smoking. Add the tortillas , one at a time, charring each side until hot with griddle lines.

Put everything on the table and build the fajitas : spread a little of the harissa cream over the tortilla, top with roasted chickpeas, guacamole, pickled salsa and coriander, if you like. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over.

Category: Dessert

Area: Croatian

Ingredients:

• 450g Flour
• 55g Caster Sugar
• 2 parts Yeast
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 6 oz Milk
• 2 Beaten Eggs
• 30g Butter
• 140g Walnuts
• 85g Butter
• 85g Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• To Glaze Milk
• To Glaze Icing Sugar

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients for the dough together and knead well. Cover the dough and put to rise until doubled in size which should take about 2 hours. Knock back the dough and knead lightly.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces; roll each piece into an oblong about 12 inches by 8 inches. Mix the filling ingredients together and divide between the dough, spreading over each piece. Roll up the oblongs as tightly as possible to give two 12 inch sausages. Place these side by side, touching each other, on a greased baking sheet. Cover and leave to rise for about 40 minutes. Heat oven to 200ºC (425ºF). Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Bread should sound hollow when the base is tapped.

Remove from oven and brush the hot bread top with milk. Sift with a generous covering of icing sugar.

Category: Chicken

Area: Thai

Ingredients:

• 6oz/180g rice stick noodles
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup Chicken
• 1 Egg
• 4 cups Chinese broccoli

Instructions:

Mix Sauce in small bowl.
Mince garlic into wok with oil. Place over high heat, when hot, add chicken and Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is light golden.
Push to the side of the wok, crack egg in and scramble. Don't worry if it sticks to the bottom of the wok – it will char and which adds authentic flavour.
Add noodles, Chinese broccoli leaves and sauce. Gently mix together until the noodles are stained dark and leaves are wilted. Serve immediately!

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 250g Butter
• 350g Plain Flour
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 25g Butter
• 200g Currants
• 50g Mixed Peel
• 100g Muscovado Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Allspice
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 beaten Eggs
• spinkling Sugar

Instructions:

To make the pastry, dice the butter and put it in the freezer to go really hard. Tip flour into the bowl of a food processor with half the butter and pulse to the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour in the lemon juice and 100ml iced water, and pulse to a dough. Tip in the rest of the butter and pulse a few times until the dough is heavily flecked with butter. It is important that you don’t overdo this as the flecks of butter are what makes the pastry flaky.
On a floured surface roll the pastry out to a neat rectangle about 20 x 30cm. Fold the two ends of the pastry into the middle (See picture 1), then fold in half (pic 2). Roll the pastry out again and refold the same way 3 more times resting the pastry for at least 15 mins each time between roll and fold, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins before using.
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Take it off the heat and stir in all the other ingredients until completely mixed, then set aside.
To make the cakes, roll the pastry out until it’s just a little thicker than a £1 coin and cut out 8 rounds about 12cm across. Re-roll the trimming if needed. Place a good heaped tablespoon of mixture in the middle of each round, brush the edges of the rounds with water, then gather the pastry around the filling and squeeze it together (pic 3). Flip them over so the smooth top is upwards and pat them into a smooth round. Flatten each round with a rolling pin to an oval until the fruit just starts to poke through, then place on a baking tray. Cut 2 little slits in each Eccles cakes, brush generously with egg white and sprinkle with the sugar (pic 4).
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Bake the Eccles cakes for 15-20 mins until just past golden brown and sticky. Leave to cool on a rack and enjoy while still warm or cold with a cup of tea. If you prefer, Eccles cakes also go really well served with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese such as Lancashire or cheddar.

Category: Dessert

Area: Greek

Ingredients:

• 100g Digestive Biscuits
• 85g Almonds
• 85g Butter
• 250ml Greek Yogurt
• 750g Mascarpone
• 2 Eggs
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 250ml Honey
• To serve Fruit Mix

Instructions:

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Crush the biscuits and most of the almonds inside a plastic food bag using a rolling pin. Mix with the butter, then press into the bottom of a deep, oval, 23cm dish (or something similar in size – a roasting tin, baking dish or cake tin will work). Bake for 10 mins until crisp.

Stir or mash together the yogurt and mascarpone, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the lemon and orange zests, then stir in most of the honey, reserving about 3 tbsp. Spread over the biscuit base, cover loosely with foil and cook for 1 hr. Remove the foil and cook for 15 mins more until lightly golden and the top is firm with just the slightest wobble in the middle. Leave to cool. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To serve, scatter with almonds, drizzle over the remaining honey, and hand around fresh fruit to go with it.

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 320g Puff Pastry
• 4 tbs Dark Brown Soft Sugar
• 3 Braeburn Apples
• 4 tbs Red Wine Jelly
• 100ml Creme Fraiche
• 1 tbs Icing Sugar
• 3 Cardamom

Instructions:

To make the red wine jelly, put the red wine, jam sugar, star anise, clove, cinnamon stick, allspice, split vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan. Stir together, then heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Turn up the heat and boil for 20 mins until reduced and syrupy. Strain into a small, sterilised jam jar and leave to cool completely. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 10 mins, then unroll. Heat the grill to high and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut out 2 x 13cm circles of pastry, using a plate as a guide, and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle each circle with 1 tbsp sugar and grill for 5 mins to caramelise, watching carefully so that the sugar doesn’t burn. Remove from the grill. Can be done a few hours ahead, and left, covered, out of the fridge.

Peel, quarter and core the apples, cut into 2mm-thin slices and arrange on top of the pastry. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar and pop in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is cooked through and golden, and the apples are softened. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Warm 3 tbsp of the red wine jelly in a small pan over a low heat with 1 tsp water to make it a little more runny, then brush over the top of the tarts.

Tip the crème fraîche into a bowl, sift over the icing sugar and cardamom, and mix together. Carefully lift the warm tarts onto serving plates and serve with the cardamom crème fraîche.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 225g Medjool dates
• 175ml Boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 85g butter
• 140g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 100ml milk
• 1 scoop ice cream
• 175g muscovado sugar
• 50g butter
• 225ml double cream
• 1 tbsp black treacle

Instructions:

Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill).
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.