Apple & Blackberry Pie

It has been a good year for blackberries and over the past couple of weeks I have collected quite a stash from the hedgerows. You have to have nimble fingers to avoid the sharp pointy thorns with which the berries are guarded, but the odd prick and scratch is worth it to get your hands on these flavoursome berries.

I have frozen the majority of the blackberries, in readiness for the next time a berry dessert, cake or coulis is required, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to bake some into a delicious pie - an apple and blackberry pie! These two fruits are so quintessentially English and autumnal that even the words “apple and blackberry” bring a smile to me face. When paired together inside a pie the blackberries release their moody purple juice, staining the apple a beautiful purple colour, allowing the flavours to intermingle with delicious results.

You don’t need to be too precise about how you pile in the fruit or add the pastry top. I actually think the more higgledy-piggledy the better, as it means the pastry bakes into golden bumps and lumps as the fruit inside cooks and softens, giving it a very homely appeal. The way the juice and fruit tumbles out as you cut into it is so heart warming. I love it served warm with custard, but it also tastes good cold, when it’s become a little firmer and can be cut into nice thick slices.

Apple & Blackberry Pie
Ingredients
400g sweet shortcrust pastry
2 large cooking apples (Bramley)
225g blackberries
30g ground almonds or breadcrumbs
70g caster sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1 egg

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. Have an 8inch/20cm fluted tart tin ready on a baking tray.
Cut the pastry into two pieces, one piece larger than the other, around two-thirds and one-third. Wrap the smaller piece of the pastry in clingfilm and place in the fridge until required.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the larger piece of pasty to form a circle large enough to fit into the fluted tin. It should be about 4-5mm thick.
Line the tin with the pastry and press gently into the edges. Lay a large piece of clingfilm on top of the pastry and fill with baking beans or rice, to act as a weight. Gather up the clingfilm together to form a pouch.
Blind bake the pastry case for 15 minutes until beginning to go golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and gently take out the pouch of baking beans.
Crack the egg into a mug and lightly whisk to combine. Brush the partly cooked pasty case with the egg wash, all over the base and sides (save the egg wash for use again later). Return it to the oven for 8 minutes more to become golden. Then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, gently wash the blackberries to remove any dust and place them into a large bowl. Peel, quarter and core the apples and cut then into 3-4mm thick slices and add to the blackberries.
Mix the sugar and mixed spice together before sprinkling over the fruit. Use your hands to toss them all together, to evenly coat the fruit in the spiced sugar. It’s ok if some of the blackberries get squashed and ‘bleed’ their juices into the apple, I think it actually makes it more attractive.
Scatter the ground almonds or breadcrumbs over the base of the pastry case (this helps prevent the pastry from going too soggy from the fruits juices).
Pile the sugared fruit into the pastry case, it should rise into a mound above the rim of the tart as it will soften and sink down during cooking.
Remove the remaining pastry from the fridge and roll out into a large circle. Drape it over the top of the fruit and press it down onto the rim of the pastry base to seal. Use any offcuts to form little pasty shapes or decorations for the top.
Poke three small holes in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during cooking. Brush the whole thing with the leftover egg wash and scatter over an extra tablespoon of sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes at 200C before reducing the temperature to 180C and baking for 25-30 minutes more, until golden brown.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove it from the tin.
Serve hot or cold with cream, ice cream or custard (or all three!)
Serves 8-10

Peanut Butter & Cranberry Rice Krispie Squares

I have a great fondness for rice krispie squares. When I was little they always appeared at my birthday parties, either chocolate or the sticky chewy caramel ones. Recently I had promised to make a slice of some sort for an afternoon tea gathering with friends. I had all sorts of ideas running through my head but none of them felt right. I then hit upon the idea of rice krispie treats and knew this idea was bound to be popular with my friends.

As much as I love the traditional krispie treats, I wanted to give them a bit of a twist. Recently I have been seeing a lot of granola bar recipes featuring peanut butter and decided that this would be the perfect flavour to introduce to the krispies squares. I also decided to add some dried cranberries as I thought the sweet and tangy flavour of the cranberries would go well with the creamy, slightly salty peanut butter. A sort of take on a peanut butter and jelly/jam combination. The peanut butter gave the bars a golden colour, while the glossy red cranberries also helped brighten the appearance.

The squares came together in a matter of minutes and the peanut butter behaved very well in the mix, melting in nicely with the other ingredients. You want to melt everything over a low heat, as the peanut butter would start to thicken if you let it boil. No doubt tasty, but not that practical for coating the rice krispies with.

Not only are the krispie squares very quick to make, but they are also no bake and gluten free! (Do check the ingredients list on your rice krispies though – although most are gluten free). The bars were a hit with my friends. The creamy nutty flavour was quite subtle at first but it developed as you chewed and the occasional cranberry added a nice contrasting tanginess.

Peanut Butter & Cranberry Rice Krispie Squares
Ingredients
60g butter
60g golden syrup
100g smooth peanut butter
50g dried cranberries
100g rice krispies

Method
Line the base and sides of a 7inch/18cm square tin with clingfilm and set to one side.
Place the butter, golden syrup and peanut butter together in a pan. Stir the mixture over a low heat until the butter has melted and the peanut butter has become smooth and well combined. You do not want it to boil.
Stir in the cranberries and remove from the heat.
Pour in the rice krispies and quickly mix everything together with a folding motion, ensuring all the rice krispies get evenly coated.
Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Place another sheet of clingfilm on top and press down firmly to ensure the rice krispies are well compacted.
Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Remove the rice krispie square from the pan and slice into squares.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes 9 – 12 squares depending on how large you cut them.

Daring Bakers September 09 Challenge: Vol-Au-Vents with Homemade Puff Pastry

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

In order to make vols-au-vents you need puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée) and it was making our own puff pastry that was the main focus of this months challenge. Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough” family, along with Danish pastry dough and croissant dough. A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter, called the “beurrage” that is enclosed in dough, called the “détrempe.” This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly. A process known as “turning.” This turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. Unlike Danish or croissant dough, puff pastry contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise in its characteristic thin, crisp and flakey layers.

We were then instructed to make vols-au-vents with our puff pastry, which we were allowed to make the size and shape of our choosing. I decided to stick to circular vols-au-vents in two sizes. I made smaller ones which became raspberry and lime cream tarts and larger ones which were baked around a stuffed mushroom which I enjoyed for dinner.

The dough, although a little time consuming, was quite straightforward to make. It was rather fun attacking the large lump of butter with a rolling pin and beating it into a flat oblong before encasing it in the dough. It certainly helped release any pent up stress! Once rolled, cut and assembled I thought they looked rather like buttons, especially with their prick marks to prevent the bases from rising.

I was thrilled when the sides rose up straight, tall and turned beautifully golden. They were also very light and crisp with many buttery flakey layers that made a great freshly-baked-crispiness crunch as you bit into them. Once filled with a lime cream and topped with the last of this seasons raspberries they tasted divine and were much enjoyed by my family.

You are not meant to re-roll puff pastry as it disrupts all the perfectly aligned layers, but I couldn’t bear to throw my scarps away and so made a few cinnamon palmiers with the offcuts.

Thanks Steph for such a great challenge choice. Don’t forget to visit the blogroll to see other Daring Bakers vol-au-vents.

Vol-Au-Vents with Homemade Puff Pastry

This recipe makes about 1kg of puff pastry, but you can halve it quite easily.
Ingredients

500g plain flour

1 tsp salt (use less if making a sweet filling)

300ml ice cold water

455 g very cold unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten for glaze

Mixing the Dough
Put the flour and salt in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of clingfilm and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

Making the Turns
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich.
Brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter. You have completed one turn.
Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day.

Assembling and Baking
Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 3-6 mm thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.
Use cookie cutters to cut out circles of dough. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides.
Use a smaller cutter to remove the centre from half the circles, to leave you with a ring of pastry. Place a ring of pastry on top of each pastry round and dock the base with a fork (but not the ring).
Transfer them to a baking tray and lightly glaze them with a beaten egg, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise).
Once assembled, refrigerate vols-au-vents on the baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC, and continue baking until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more depending on their size.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature for cold fillings or leave warm for hot fillings.


For the Stuffed Mushrooms
2 portobello mushrooms
1 small red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp pesto

Heat the oven to 190C.
Slice the onion into strips and fry in the oil along with the thyme until just starting to soften. Add the vinegar and fry for 1 minute more before removing from the heat.
Arrange the onions in the base of an unbaked vol-au-vent case, which has been cut big enough to incorporate the mushroom (I used a saucer for a cutter).
Place the mushrooms on top of the onions, with the underside facing upwards.
In a small bowl, rub the pesto into the breadcrumbs and divide among the mushrooms, pressing it into the underside cavity.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry has risen around the mushrooms and turned golden brown and the mushroom is softened and juicy. Serve immediately.


For the Raspberry and Lime Filling
300ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lime
150g raspberries
Redcurrant or raspberry jam for glazing

Place the cream into a bowl. Finely grate the rind off the lime and add it to the bowl of cream along with the juice. Add the sugar and whip until soft peaks form. (This should be very quick as the limes acidity speeds up the process).
Spoon the cream into the cooled vol-au-vent cases and top with the raspberries.
Heat a little jam until runny and lightly brush over the top of the raspberries to glaze them.
Serves 6-8 dependant on size

The Cake Slice Septembers 09: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

This months Cake Slice cake is quite poignant as it marks the end of an era – the end of our year of baking from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes. Yes! I can hardly believe it but it has in fact been a whole year since the groups creation and we have baked and eaten our way through 12 delicious cakes from this book, meaning next month we will be baking from a brand new cookbook. We choose our cakes each month by voting, so as you can imagine all eyes were glued to the poll to see which cake would be selected as our last cake. This month there was one clear winner, a chocolate cake. It seems few people can resist the lure of a good chocolate cake and September’s cake choice was not only a chocolate cake, but a Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake that contains the surprise ingredient of mayonnaise!! Yes mayonnaise! It is used in place of butter or oil in the cake and results in a very moist and tender crumb.

The cake not only consists of three layers but also contains three hits of chocolate. One, is the gooey chocolate cake itself, two, is a generous layer of fudgy sour cream chocolate icing and three, is a creamy white chocolate mousse filling that is revealed on slicing, a great contrast to the dark cake and icing.

Wow this cake was amazing. As sponge contains mayonnaise and a fair quantity of strong coffee it makes the cake incredibly moist, with an intense chocolate flavour. I think the coffee helped enhance the rich smoky chocolate flavour and cake the cake its deep rich colour without obviously tasting of coffee. My siblings hate coffee and yet happily devoured the cake without detecting the coffee. The thick layer of icing was lovely and fudgy, while the creamy white chocolate mousse filling was wonderfully light and fluffy in contrast. This cake is definitely one for the chocoholics and one I am sure I’ll be making again.

This was the perfect indulgent cake for our last cake baked from the Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes book. You’ll have to wait until next month to see the first cake we bake from our newly selected cookbook! If you are a fellow cake baking fanatic and would like to become a member of our group for the upcoming year please email me at: (appleandspice [AT] hotmail.co.uk) and put ‘Cake Slice Member’ in the subject box. Places are limited so first come first served.

In the meantime don’t forget to check out the blogroll to see everyone else’s cakes.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
(Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne)
Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake
270g plain flour
65g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
65g unsweetened chocolate, chopped
225ml milk
280ml hot, strongly brewed coffee
2 eggs
225g mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
500g sugar (I only used 300g and it was perfectly sweet)

White chocolate mousse (below)
Sour cream chocolate icing (below)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9 inch round cake pans. Line the base of each pan with parchment.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Pour the hot coffee and milk over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth and leave to cool slightly.
In a mixer bowl, beat together the eggs, mayonnaise and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mocha liquid alternately in 2 or 3 additions, beating until smooth and well blended. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans. (It’s a runny mix and I found using a ladle helped divide it equally between the pans).
Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before un-molding onto a wire rack and carefully peeling off the paper. Leave to cool completely.


White Chocolate Mousse
115g white chocolate, chopped
225ml heavy cream
1 egg white
1 tbsp sugar

Method
Melt the white chocolate with 60ml cream in a double boiler. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and let the white chocolate cream cool to room temperature.
When it has cooled, beat the remaining 165ml cream until stiff peaks form. In a clean bowl whip the egg white with the sugar until fairly stiff peaks form.
Fold the beaten egg white into the white chocolate cream. Then fold in the whipped cream until blended. Be sure not to over mix.


Sour Cream Chocolate Icing
340g dark chocolate, chopped
100g unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
60ml whole milk room temperature
110ml sour cream, at room temperature

Method
Melt the chocolate with the butter and golden syrup in a double boiler over barley simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the milk and sour cream. Leave to cool until it becomes the thickness of mayonnaise, but be sure to use while still soft.


To Assemble
Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover the top evenly with half the white chocolate mousse, leaving a 1cm margin around the edge. Repeat with the second layer and the remaining mousse. Set the third layer on top and spread half the sour cream chocolate icing over the cake, allowing some to run down the sides. Use the remaining icing to cover the cake, smoothing it down the sides.
Decorate with a few white chocolate buttons or as desired. Refrigerate if not eaten within two hours.
Makes an 9inch triple layer cake

Melting Middle Chocolate Fondants

These puddings are the ultimate chocoholics chocolate pudding indulgence. A just baked, moist dark chocolate sponge that releases a hot, oozing, intense chocolate sauce centre when cut. A cloud of hot melted chocolate aroma hangs in the air, faintly mingled with the scent of toasted hazelnuts thanks to the addition of some hazelnut liqueur. It’s enough to make anyone swoon.

These are very indulgent puddings and would be perfect for an elegant dinner party or a special occasion. The gooey middle receiving cries of delight as it is released. In my case, there were some leftover egg yolks sitting in the fridge – good enough reason for me!
I have tried making these puddings before and have had trouble releasing them from their moulds without them collapsing or piercing the side of the sponge and so loosing some of the gooey centre. However, I think I have solved the problem by coating the inside of each mould with a little cocoa powder, which seemed to help release the fondants from the moulds very easily. I was so happy I went dancing round the kitchen. They don’t contain much flour, and although I haven’t tried it, I suspect this could easily be replaced with ground almonds to make the puddings gluten free.

Melting Middle Chocolate Fondants
(Recipe adapted from Delia Smith)
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate 70% cocoa
200g butter
4 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
110g caster sugar
60g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
20g extra butter and 4 tsp cocoa powder for dusting

Method
Break the chocolate into small pieces and cut the butter into cubes. Place them in a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water and leave to melt gradually. Do not let the water touch the base of the bowl. Once fully melted remove from the heat, stir in the Frangelico and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, melt the extra butter and use to generously grease the insides of 8 mini pudding/dariole moulds. Add ½ teaspoon of cocoa powder into each buttered mould and use your finger to spread it around the inside (it will form a thin paste). This will help it release cleanly from the mould once baked.
In a clean bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until the mixture has turned pale, thick and tripled in volume. It should leave a ribbon trail on the surface for a few seconds when the beaters are lifted out of the mix. This may take 5-8 minutes.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture around the outside edge of the whisked egg mixture. Use a large flexible spatula or metal spoon to gently fold the chocolate into the egg mix. Turn the bowl as you fold to try and keep as much air in the mix as possible.
Sift the flour over the surface of the mix and fold in as before until no flour streaks remain.
Divide the mix evenly between the pudding moulds, filling almost to the very top.
Place the puddings on a baking tray, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably 4 or more hours until required.
When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 200C or 180C fan. Place the pudding in the oven for 12 minutes only. They should rise a little out of their moulds a bit like mini soufflés and the tops should look flat and cooked.
Remove the puddings from the oven and leave to stand for 1 minute. Then use a small round bladed knife to release the puddings from the top edge of the mould, but there should be no need to run the knife all the way down inside.
Wear rubber gloves to give you a good drip and turn out the puddings onto a plate.
Serve and eat immediately. Take a spoonful and watch the delicious melting chocolate centre ooze out. Serve with cream if desired.
Makes/serves 8

Note: The puddings can also be frozen in their un-baked stage. When required, they should be baked for 14 minutes from frozen.

On another note, today is the start of National Cupcake Week here in the UK. Run from 14th – 19th September, National Cupcake Week is a fantastic week long extravaganza being organised by British Baker to celebrate the joys of cupcakes. Local shops and bakeries have been encouraged to participate in some way and everyone is encouraged to eat, buy or bake at least one cupcake this week. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Crab Apple Jelly

Last weekend my grandmother gave me a bag practically overflowing with crab apples that she grew in her garden. They are such unique little apples, waxy rose blush skins and the shape of an oversized rosehip. You can’t eat them raw, they must be cooked to taste nice. Whenever anyone mentions crab apples and first thing that springs to mind is crab apple jelly.

I had never made my own crab apple jelly before, but it was actually quite straightforward, if not a little time consuming. Well, not time consuming as in there is lots to do, but there are long periods of time where you have to leave the apples to their own devises. I loved watching the crab apple jelly develop through its different stages, it was quite amazing. You start with a dull brown mushy sludge of pith, skin and cores, not the most appetizing, but when this mixture is put into a jelly bag and the juices allowed to drip through, they come out a pretty pearly red colour and are beautifully crystal clear. It is truly amazing.

As the apples boil up, they release the most fantastic apple aroma, accompanied by another sweet fragrant smell that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, similar to elderflower. The resulting jelly shared this same intense apple, sweet fragranced flavour and aroma. Delicious with both sweet and savoury foods.

Crab Apple Jelly
Ingredients
3.5kg crab apples (skin and core still on)
4 pints water
450g granulated sugar per pint of juice
10-12 jam jars

Method
Wash the apples and cut them in half. Put the apples in a large saucepan along with the water (just enough to cover). Bring the water to the boil then reduce to a simmer.
Loosely cover with the lid and leave to simmer for 1hour 30 minutes. The apples should completely break down and turn to mush.
Remove from the heat and spoon the mixture into a jelly bag suspended over a large bowl or saucepan. (You can use a piece of muslin tied to an upturned chair if you don’t have a jelly bag).
Leave for an hour to allow all the clear juices from the apple mush to drip down. After an hour give it a gently squeeze to get any excess juice, but do not press to hard as you want the juice to remain clear and pulp free.
Wash and dry the jam jars. Place in a cold oven, with the lids alongside and turn the oven on to 120C. Allow to come to temperature and heat for at least 15 minutes or until the jam is ready to be bottled.
Meanwhile, use a jug to measure how many pints of juice you have collected and place it into a large saucepan. Add 450g sugar for every pint of juice you have.
Heat the liquid and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then bring to the boil and allow to bubble for 15-20 minutes.
Test for setting by placing a small spoonful of the jam onto a saucer and placing in the fridge for 3 minutes. Once cool, run your finger through the jam and if it ripples and leaves a clear path, then it is ready. If not, then allow to boil for a further 5 minutes before testing again.Once ready, remove the jam from the heat and the jars from the oven. Carefully ladle the hot jam into the hot jars and screw on the lids tightly. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the heat and to give you a good grip.Allow to cool at room temperature before storing in a cool dark place until required. The seal button in the lids will suddenly pop back down as the jam cools, as a sterile vacuum is created within the jar. They will give a loud ‘pop’ when this happens, so don’t be alarmed.Once open, store in the fridge.
Makes 10 – 12 jars

Courgette Ricotta & Pine Nut Tart

I have a courgette plant growing in my garden and throughout the summer it has been producing a small bounty of courgettes. Courgettes on their own can sometimes be bland, but when treated correctly and paired with other ingredients their juicy clean flavour gets to shine. In this instance they have been baked into a delicious puff pastry free form tart. Paired with ricotta, a little lemon, basil and a scattering of pine nuts it makes the perfect lunch time or light supper meal.

Lightly frying the courgette slices before assembling them into the tart is the secret to giving the courgettes some extra colour and flavour. All the ingredients complemented each other well. I might try adding a layer of pesto to the base next time, to enhance the pine nut and basil flavours further. The crisp flaky layers of the puff pastry (shop bought I’m afraid) provided the perfect base to the soft, soufflé like filling. Simple, fresh and elegant.

Courgette Ricotta & Pine Nut Tart
(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food)
Ingredients
250g puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
2 courgettes
250g ricotta cheese
2 eggs
Small handful fresh basil
25g grated parmesan
1 clove garlic
Zest of ½ lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Method
Slice the courgettes into rounds, about 4mm thick. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and fry the courgette slices on both slices, until they begin to soften and take on a little brown colour. Once cooked, set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Beat together the ricotta, half the parmesan and the eggs until well combined. Crush the garlic and roughly chop the basil. Add to the cheese mixture along with some freshly grated nutmeg, the lemon zest and some salt and pepper.
Roll out the pastry to form a rectangle, about 30cm x 20cm. Transfer it to a large baking tray.
Spread the cheese mixture over the top of the rolled pastry, leaving a 3cm border around the edge. (The cheese mix will be quite soft, but don’t worry).
Gently press the pastry border up and slightly over the edge of the cheese mixture to create a rim.
Lay the courgette slices over the top of the tart and scatter over the remaining parmesan cheese and the pine nuts.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry edge is puffed and golden and the filling firm.
Leave to cool slightly before serving. Also tastes great cold, cut into finger sized wedges.
Serves 6-8

Individual Summer Puddings

I adore summer pudding. There is just something about the soft berry soaked bread and intense, slightly sharp mix of summer fruits, oozing their dark fruity juices, that just makes me happy. We were having a family barbeque and I wanted to make a summer pudding for one of the desserts, but decided to tray and make mini ones instead of the traditional big-bowl pudding. The big ones look impressive, but once you cut that first slice the rest of the pudding sort of disintegrates. I wanted to try and create a pudding with a little finesse.

Hunting in the cupboards I found some small dariole moulds that were the perfect mini pudding shape and decided to use those to create mini summer puddings. I then got thinking that to line the moulds with bread, like you do for the big one, might result in a bread overload and not enough room for the fruit. Instead I decided to layer the fruit and bread inside the mould in alternating layers.

Normally I don’t touch white sliced bread, but for a traditional summer pudding, nothing works or tastes better. I cut out a base, middle and top bread circle, using the corresponding cookie cutters to fit the shape of the mould. I soaked each one in the fruit juices before adding a spoonful of fruit, middle bread layer, more fruit and a final layer of bread. After a short chill in the fridge, I ran a knife around the edge and inverted them onto a plate with my fingers crossed….and…hooray they came out perfectly!

They didn’t collapse, as I had feared they might, but stood tall, sitting in a little pool of their own vibrant juices. I liked how you could see the glossy fruit nestled between the bread layers. The puddings were succulent and full of fruity flavour, the perfect individual summer puddings.

Individual Summer Puddings

Ingredients
800g fresh of frozen summer fruits (I used a mix of raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, red currants, strawberries and a few small gooseberries)
100g caster sugar
4 tbsp water
½ loaf medium white sliced bread (400g)

Method
Destalk the strawberries and cut into pieces the same size as the raspberries. Halve the gooseberries and add all the fruit into a large saucepan along with the water.
Cook the fruit until they are soft and starting to turn pulpy around the edges, but they should remain intact, whole fruits.
Remove the fruit from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a clean bowl, leaving the juice behind.
Stir the sugar into the juices and boil for 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Taste the juice, it should still be a little sharp as the fruit will add sweetness, but add more sugar if its too sour for you (I like my fruit with a bit of zing to it)
Remove the juice from the heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, stamp out 3 rounds from the sliced bread to fit the moulds, you will probably need 3 slightly different sized circles for the base, middle and top. (make breadcrumbs with the offcuts).
Once the juice has cooled, dip the smallest base circles of bread into the syrup, scrape off the excess juices and press into the base of the moulds.
Spoon over a tablespoon of the lightly stewed fruits, followed by the middle bread layer after dipping it in the juices first. Another spoonful of fruit and finally the last bread layer.
Cover the moulds with clingfilm, top with a small plate or baking tray and place weights on top to press the layers together.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before running a small knife around the edge of the puddings and turn out onto plates. Give them a little shake but they should release easily.
Serve with cream and any leftover juice.
Makes 6 – 7 individual puddings

Daring Bakers Challenge August 09: Dobos Torte

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Dobos Torte is a five layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin caramel covered cake wedges. (Some tortes may have as many as 12 layers, but 5-6 is quite standard.) It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry, allowing everyone to use it freely.

In simplest terms Dobos Torte is five layers of whisked sponge, layered and covered with an enriched chocolate buttercream and topped with a sixth caramel topped cake layer, that has been cut into triangles and arranged in a fan design. It is this caramel fan which makes a Dobos Torte so unique and instantly recognisable.

Making the Dobos Torte was quite time consuming due to all the individual components, but it was also very enjoyable. I loved all the different techniques involved and seeing it all come together. I had also never made a poured caramel quite like this one before so the recipe was also a wonderful challenge. A recipe truly worthy of its Daring Bakers status.

The cake layers were very light and soft with a slight stickiness that reminded me of angel food cake. The hardest part was finding work surface space for them all to cool down on. Thankfully I did have three cooling racks on which to place them, all lined in a row. The chocolate buttercream took a little work but produced a gorgeous silky smooth and indulgent cream. I added some Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) to mine and it really took it to the next level, complementing the chocolate flavour so well.

My caramel layer went without a hitch, but you really must keep an eye on it while its boiling away. It stayed a clear sugar mixture for ages and then all of a sudden – whoosh – it became an amber caramel, so don’t ignore it! Once the caramel had set firm, I had fun slicing the excess off the edges. The crack and slice as the shards scattered everywhere, including the floor, was rather satisfying.

The finished cake tasted fabulous. Creamy chocolate and hazelnut cream, soft and squishy layers of sponge and finishing sweet crunch of caramel, just divine. My family and I ate most of it in one afternoon. I found the caramel topping a little hard to eat on the first day, but after a night in the fridge it had softened slightly, allowing you to take a forkful much more easily.

Thanks Angela and Lorraine for such a fantastic challenge choice! Click here to see a list of fellow Daring Bakers and their Tortes.

Dobos Torte
Sponge Cake Layers
6 eggs
160g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g plain flour
15g cornflour
Pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
110g dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp Frangelico (hazelnut liquor – my adaption)

Caramel Topping
200g caster sugar
180ml water
40ml lemon juice

Decoration
50g finely chopped hazelnuts (optional)
12-13 whole peeled hazelnuts

For the Sponge Layers
Position the oven racks into the top third of the oven and preheat to 200C.
Cut out six strips of greaseproof paper to fit a baking tray and draw a 9inch/22.5cm circle on each one. Turn the greaseproof paper over, so the drawn line is not going to come into contact with the food. Lay one sheet ready on a baking tray.
Separate the egg yolks and whites into two large bowls. Whisk the egg whites until foamy and then slowly add half the icing sugar (80g) beating well until a thick and shiny meringue is formed.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla and the other half of the icing sugar (80g) until thick, pale in colour and ribbons form when you lift the beaters above the batter. This should take about 3 minutes.
Add a third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and fold together gently using a metal spoon or a spatula. Then lightly fold in the remaining meringue.
Sift over the flour and cornflour in two batches, folding in gently, as before, until no flour streaks remain.
Spoon one-sixth of the batter onto one of the prepared greaseproof papers, spreading it out to fill the circle you drew on earlier. (I found 2 heaped tablespoons of batter was the right amount).
Place the circle of batter into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Prepare the next cake circle on a second baking tray while the first one bakes.
After 5 minutes the cake should be puffy and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool, leaving it attached to its base paper.
Place the second cake circle in the oven and prepare the third one in similar fashion. Continue until you have 6 baked cake circles.

For the Chocolate Buttercream
Half fill a saucepan with water and allow to come to a boil. Break the chocolate into small pieces and set aside. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl (not a plastic one as its going over the heat) until it has tripled in volume, turned pale, thick and creamy, around 3-5 minutes.
Place the bowl over the top of the boiling water in the saucepan, but don’t allow the bowl to touch the water. Continue to whisk for 3 minutes until the mixture has warmed and is starting to thicken.
Add the chocolate to the mix and whisk until melted and well combined. It should be shiny and sticky at this stage.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, beat the mixture and add the Frangelico if using. Continue mixing and add the soft butter in small chunks. It should start to stiffen, turn paler and become more creamy. Chill until required.

For the Caramel Top Layer
Use a shape serrated knife and the base of an 8inch/20cm cake tin to cut out rounds from your six cooled cake layers. Select the best one to be your top caramel covered layer and set the rest aside.
Cut your chosen top layer into 12 triangle portions and place on a baking tray lined with a well greased sheet of greaseproof paper or silicon mat. Reform the triangles to their original circle shape.
Oil a small metal knife or spatula and have it to hand.
Heat the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar has dissolved before bringing to a boil. Do not stir, but watch over it from now it. It will gradually turn a light brown before suddenly turning into an amber caramel colour. Immediately remove from the heat and carefully pour the hot caramel over the surface of the cut cake layer. Use the oiled knife to help you spread it out to the edges, but be quick as it starts to set after 20seconds.
Leave to cool and set hard before peeling off the paper, transferring to a chopping board and re-cutting the cake into its precut triangles. Use a long sharp knife and try to make each cut in one quick movement to prevent and layer from shattering where you don’t want it to. Slice the excess caramel off the outside too.

To Assemble the Cake
Place one of your five remaining the cake layers onto a serving plate and spread over 2 tablespoons of the chocolate buttercream. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
After the final cake layer, use most of the remaining buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons for decoration.
Put the remaining buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe 12 swirls around the edge of the cake and place one of the whole hazelnuts on top.
Place one of the caramel topped cake triangles at a slant, half resting on top of the hazelnut, with the point facing inwards. Repeat with the other triangles to create a fan design.
Press the chopped hazelnuts onto the outside of the cake if desired.
Makes one 8inch/20cm 5 layer cake. Serves 12