Chelsea Buns! :)

Hello again folks, I have been fairly busy recently so while I have a nice peaceful hour to myself, I thought I would share with you the foolproof method in which to create the softest Chelsea Buns packed full of wonderfully plump fruit (in this case dried cranberries, raisins and dried chopped apricots). I love the the sharpness the dried cranberries give to these buns, although I do use sweetened cranberries can taste like the flesh of a lemon.. The apricots bring a lovely fresh taste and help to liven up you’re tastebuds and give the buns a oomph of flavour. When you do eventually take a look at the ingredients list for these buns, at first sight you may think it’s never ending but that gives you no permission to not create them. You are most likely to have everything in your pantry of store-cupboard. Here you are simply creating a basic bread dough but instead of water, milk is substituted and a lot more butter is added for smooth silkiness. This very soft dough, you could say has the feeling of scone dough due to the ratio of butter : milk : flour. Now enough of cooking chemistry and onto food itself, I have a few new yummy discoveries to tell you about. The first is a dried berry known as Goldenberries, these are the dried berries of the Physalis plant. They have a slight raspberry flavour and I do warn you, they are extremely bitter, but scrummy all the least. My second foodie discovery is in the form of solid blocks of chocolate sold by a company only in Thailand, but they ship it over. It comes in a variety of flavours and textures and is a real palette challenge. I have lost the bookmark for the site just now but in my next post I will share the link. And to my surprise the chocolate and shipping is not that expensive at all. I don’t want to drone on all night long so I will begin with the Chelsea Buns and get them on your table with unlimited cups of fine Whittards tea! For those of you that do not what Whittards is, It’s a very fine tea and coffee boutique with multiple shops across the UK but originates from Chelsea, hence why I am serving these buns with Whittards tea aha!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Bun Dough :

500g strong white bread flour.

7g fast action dried yeast

1tsp salt

40g unsalted butter.

300ml tepid (body temp) whole full-fat milk.

1 egg.

veg oil for greasing.

For the Filling:

100g raisins or sultanas.

100g dried cranberries.

100g chopped dried apricots.

25g unsalted butter.

75g light soft brown sugar.

2 tsp ground cinnamon.

1 orange, zest only.

For the Icing/Glaze:

200g icing sugar.

1 heaped tbsp orange marmalade or apricot jam.

1 orange, zest only.

2 tbsp water.

METHOD: ( I do this in the order of Ingredients, just to let you know).
In a large bowl combine the flour and salt together. Then make a well in the centre and tip in the dried yeast.

On a low heat put a saucepan with the milk and butter in and heat gently until the butter has completely melted, set aside for 5 minutes to cool (yeast can die if in contact with too hot a liquid). Pour the milk and butter into the bowl and add the egg and mix together until you achieve a very soft (scone-like dough).

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic and had collected up all of the excess flour from the surface, do note this dough is prone to sticking to keep the surface and dough itself fairly coated in light flour.

Once kneaded pop into an oiled bowl and leave to prove (double in size) for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

While proving whip up the filling by melting the butter.

Then make the glaze by melting the jam in a small pan with a tiny splash of water.

For the icing mix the 2 tbsp water, zest, and icing sugar together in a bowl until thick and glossy.

When doubled inside, the dough should be knocked back ( punch it to remove the air pockets). now roll the dough out to a rough rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Liberally brush with all of the melted butter, then sprinkle over the sugar and dust over the cinnamon. Followed by the fruits and zest of 1 orange.

Now carefully roll the dough into a Swiss roll shape and cut into 10 swirls/slices, using a sharp knife.

Oil a baking tray and put the 10 swirls on the tray 1cm apart so they join together during cooking. Pop a sheet of cling-film over and leave to rest for 30 mins to double in size again.

Preheat the oven to Gas 5/190c. Put the buns in a cook for 20-25 minutes but check after 15. If browning too much, cover them with foil and continue baking.

Take the buns out of the oven and brush with the glaze then transfer the now joined up buns together onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely, then drizzle over the orange scented icing!

Simple and Fun! Merci beaucoup readers, Enjoy and until next time,

Au revoir,

Ryan!

 

 

Chelsea Buns!

Hello everyone I thought I would share a little picture of my homemade Chelsea Buns from Paul Hollywood, I will try to post the recipe asap for you. Perhaps tomorrow!

Flourless Chocolate Brownies…

Hello again folks, I hope we are all keeping well. This week seems to have gone by incredibly slow, probably due to the fact that I have had so much music theory, homework and practice to commit to! Although I went to town after school finished for a coffee which was lovely and sparked an idea in the back of my mind to go home and make some brownies.. Well you could say express brownies and goodness knows why I am addicted to them, maybe due to the wonderful chocolate kick they bring to your tastebuds. Also I must admit that I am not one for elbow grease and to me and yourselves happiness, brownie mixtures require no more than a quick stir and off they pop into the oven (no endless mixing as a Victoria Sponge would require). So I thought since I have been posting recipes that require some skill recently, I thought that brownies would be great for the novice baker.. Honestly These are absolutely spectacular in flavour terms and are a breeze to make! I do like a contrast in textures when I cook so I have added walnuts here but feel free to omit them or change them to another nut of choice (hazelnuts and pine nuts (surprisingly) work very well). Also the addition of some dried cranberries would work well here. As you have read in the title of this post these brownies are flourless, which means they rely on ground almonds as they base and structure, the ground almonds create a lovely dense, chewy texture which brownies are so famous for and as Nigella says ‘I would rather receive  a batch of brownies for a birthday cake than cake’ and I do believe her in some ways.. These brownies are very much for pudding, but they do transport surprisingly well.  I don’t feel as though  I need to say anything else before we start in the kitchen apart from, the following : Don’t panic, the mixture is supposed to be quite runny so don’t feel insecure, they are supposed to be guilt free and easy aha!

INGREDIENTS:

• 225 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa please..)
• 225 grams butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 3 large eggs (beaten)
• 150 grams ground almonds
• 100 grams chopped walnuts

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.

Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little

Beat the eggs into the pan along with the ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Turn into a 24cm square baking tin or, most sensibly, use a foil one.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, by which time the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey. Once cool, cut carefully, four down, four across, into 16 squidgy,soft sumptuous squares…

Merci Beaucoup, until next time folks enjoy brownie baking 🙂

Ryan..

Basil Ice-Cream!..

Hello fellow readers, how have we been?, good I hope. I would firstly like to apologize for the delay between posts, there has just been so much do, with these s3 exams suddenly popping up so studying is going to soon take over blogging in about a weeks time. Anyway, last night I promised you something summery and vibrant, and so I thought what is more summery than ice-cream. I love the somewhat savoury flavour this ice-cream has but don’t worry it is completely sweet. I love this after something strong like a curry or a heavy pie, it just lends this very light, clean taste to the palette and helps to overcome any hot spices you may have encountered in you’re main course. Although, you do not have to have this specifically after a main course, I love it at any time in the day (well after 12), I’m not that eccentric towards having a dessert for breakfast although the idea doesn’t sound bad at all… I came up with this recipe as a sort of spur of the moment type thing, when I had a huge bunch of basil leftover from a basil pesto I had whipped to have with some pasta for lunch, which hits the spot anytime! I am a truly huge fan of basil and if you are perhaps reading and wondering hmm.. I don’t particularly like basil that much, then don’t panic as I love the flexibility with food, substitute the basil with mint or this may sound totally crazy and unusual,but a few sprigs of rosemary ( I specify a few as it can begin to taste like soap). I love the woody taste of rosemary and to have that in an ice-cream is just wonderful.

And to you’re surprise it is actually very simple to create an ice-cream, okay so for this ice-cream you have to make a custard base but if that seems like drastic measures for you, then in a few days I will post a recipe for Nigella’s One Step No-Churn Coffee Ice-Cream, which once again can adapt the flavours of. To be totally honest with you, making an ice-cream with a custard base isn’t actually that daunting and I know in a lot of my posts I have to warn some people about ‘difficult’ cooking skills, but I taught myself how to cook and if things go wrong I don’t care, I don’t even tell anyone it went wrong. I just forget about it, plus there is absolutely no point dwelling on the matter, it went wrong, and therefore you can make it right the next I promise. I do believe people in the wider world have put down their pots and pans due to the fear of cooking. Cooking is not a fear, it is a magical culinary adventure right there in you’re kitchen. It opens windows of opportunity and allows freedom of creativity, in my mind I couldn’t ask for anything better, so this leads us onto the magical methodical invention that is ice-cream….

INGREDIENTS:

300ml single cream.

300ml double cream, (this is very creamy and smooth and voluptuous).

125g caster sugar (not golden).

3 egg yolks (organic preferably).

1tsp vanilla extract or 1 pod split , seeds removed and pod intact.

50g fresh basil leaves or mint…

2 kiwi fruit ( for colour, you don’t taste them at all, although if allergic to kiwis, then 1 large ripe pear will do just fine).

METHOD:

Heat the single cream gently! In a saucepan. whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar and blitz the basil leaves and whisk them in to, then pour the hot cream, very, very slowly onto the yolk and sugar mix, do this carefully to avoid the eggs seizing. whisk until combined, then place back in the saucepan.

Put the vanilla extract into the pan or if using a vanilla pod add the seeds and pod. Cook over a very low heat for around 10-15 minutes. Stirring often till it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Now turn off the heat and leave to cool aside.

Remove the pod if using, and then pour the custard base into a freezer-proof container and place in the deep freeze for 3 hours or until slushy.

Puree the flesh of the two kiwis or pear (if using) and then lightly whisk the semi-frozen ice-cream to break any ice crystals. Then lightly whip the double cream (till very soft peaks) and combine the cream, kiwi or pear with the basic ice cream and then pop back into the deep freeze for a further 2 hours. Whisk again then chill until firm.. Enjoy!

Merci Beaucoup! Until next time,

Ryan!

 

Little Post Update..

Hello folks, just to let you know that I am just home from a six hour orchestral rehearsal today so I am as you have probably guessed, exhausted.. So to let my evening end well I am going to make some tea cut some cake and read my book, with complete satisfaction. Tomorrow I promise to bring you something fresh and vibrant to your tastebuds so until then have a great evening and see you tomorrow!

Au revoir,

Ryan!

Spruced-Up Vanilla Cake! Nigella…

Hello again folks, I hope you are all doing just fine. I am writing this post today at 5:30 GMT due to the deprivation of sleep I have had tonight, probably due to the fact that I have been glued to the new book my dear friend has given me, called Looking for Alaska, written by the astounding and breathtaking author John Green. Let’s just say that for spoiler reasons I won’t explain the book to you, but will leave that little mental note at the back of your head to make a purchase at some point of life. What an evening tonight, My mum and dad have decided to swerve off on a little venture/trip for my dad’s birthday today so Happy Birthday Dad aha! So I have had to sleep in this bed in my grandads house which looks like it has just left the Hollywood set for the retake of the most recent Alfred Hitchcock movie. Well, that is a bit harsh, but the bed has seen better days indeed. So in order to keep me going for a very long day ahead, I thought I would start this morning with an invigorating spell of writing and reading (a lot!). There is an incredibly eery atmosphere outside just now while I write this, as if there is something watching or hanging over (probably that bed calling me back aha…). Well from the lurking and intriguing world of atmospheres, I thought I would swiftly onto the subject of food and in the form of fantastic pistachio and almond fudge which I created (more like substituted) last night in a desperate urge for something chocolatey. And to my pleasant surprise the delightfully smooth and strong flavour of the fudge was great. I simply applied the same ingredients and method as I had shared with you previously in my last post and unpretentiously substituted the pistachios with almonds which gave a more dense crunch and slight graininess to the fudge which I just love. Just with any baking masterpiece you create, always try and balance taste with texture. I have a smooth palette and so anything from a good-old fashioned rice pudding to a velvety smooth sauce veloute will make my taste-buds buzz around with excitement. But I do think that you need to balance out smoothness with a subtle hint of a crunch!

Now let me introduce to you, a cake like no other, It’s not going to blow you’re socks off with the uttermost excitement but it will enlighten you’re life and others with the buttery satisfaction that is the smell and taste of a cake made within your household..  I believe that every kitchen has it’s trademarks and quality’s and one thing I will say is that you do not require a chef standard setup to create wonderful bakes and glorious heaps of food fit for kings! This vanilla cake is something you would imagine sitting on a cake stand of a homely Italian bakery/deli, and is super, super easy to make.. And to be completely honest with you, if Nigella can bake these cakes to goddess perfection then you damn, well can to. I love this plain (but heavenly) cake served along with a good old cup of coffee, to capture all of those wonderful vanilla tones. So without anymore further a view, here is Nigella’s spruced-up vanilla cake…

INGREDIENTS:

• 225g soft unsalted butter, with a little extra aside for greasing.
• 300g caster sugar.
• 6 eggs. (preferably Italian if you can get a hold of some, the yolk colour is fantastic).
• 350g plain flour.
• 1/2 tsp bicarb (this cake does not rise much a bit like the olive oil chocolate cake).
• 250ml natural bio-yoghurt.
• 4 tsp very good quality vanilla extract.
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar, to taste of course…

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas 4 and pop a baking tray into the oven to heat up. Grease a Bundt tin liberally with butter.

In a bowl, mix the bicarb and flour together. Mix the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl (electric mixer for ease, why cause stress or tension when cooking) until light and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time with a spoonful of flour for every addition of egg, and then carefully fold in the rest of the flour along with the yogurt and vanilla until combined nicely.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level it out using a spatula, then place then tin on top of the preheated baking tray and pop in the oven for 45-60 mins (quite flexible timing depending on your oven).

Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve with the breath of the oven still present in the cake and dusted with icing sugar..

Merci beaucoup, until next time….

Ryan!

 

 

Mini Venison (Or Beef) Wellingtons Tribute To Rachel Khoo!

Hello folks, how are we all on the fine and glorious day, well I tell you mine wasn’t all that glorious. A general hardworking school day infact and quite tiring, but after you recreate these fabulous wellingtons courtesy of Rachel, you will begin to see that life is not all that bad at all, and is infact utterly spectacular. These past few days, I have been mastering the art of the chocolate pistachio fudge that I previously posted and to my upmost astonishment, I succeeded in my challenge and I have created the perfect batch. I tell you now, baking is like that, even though many chefs have been cooking for years, they still encounter many problems and have to recreate and perfect the art of  a certain dish.. So when your creations don’t work out first time then carry on repeating it until you accomplish culinary home-cooking perfection! Trust me you will, and if this makes you feel any better, it took me 24 attempts to achieve the tastiest white loaf.. So the moral of the story is never give up trying..!

This Is a glorious, retake on the classic beef wellington although you could substitute beef here instead of venison. I thought It would be a nicer idea to create little parcel so you feel more interactive with the food and that you get a lot more of that delicious flaky buttery (all-butter please) pastry. I love the red onion filling here instead of the traditional duxel (mushroom, brandy) reduction, but it can be quite grainy and I love the silky smoothness that you can achieve by simply substituting the mushrooms with red onions and Armagnac ( a very pungent, robust form of brandy), that compliments the subtle, but intriguingly complex flavours of venison. Oh I know that I and Rachel are not spending hours and hours crippling our backs in the kitchen rolling and folding butter puff pastry, but seriously, not even top class Patisseries in Paris bake there own puff. So spread the word and join the revolution and get down to the supermarket and purchase some and please as I said before, pay that extra bit more for all butter, you will see the difference straight away, in terms of colour and texture. Although if you are up for the challenge of making your own butter puff then go ahead, but  you are going to be treading on murky waters if patience is not a virtue…. Oh one last thing, I am wondering if someone can tell me if you can purchase unsweetened condensed milk? I require it for a diabetic friend in need of a good bake! So do comment if you know a supplier! Cracking on with the Wellingtons now, put that ambient kitchen music on and begin to enter the world of French Home Cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

4 venison or  beef steaks around 175g each, ask your butcher to weigh them for you!

Salt (preferably Maldon flakes) and freshly ground black pepper (for the best aroma).

3 large red onions, finely sliced ( the processor is useful here for ease)… Not that I portray myself as an entirely paresseux cook!

30g butter. (good-quality unsalted!)

Pinch of sugar and salt.

2 tbsp of Armagnac or Cognac which I love with meat also!

500g Puff Pastry (ALL-BUTTER) fresh from the local supermarket aha! with not a word of shame insight…

3tbsp Good Dijon or English Mustard (after all it is your preference….)

1 egg mixed with 3 tbsp water for eggwash…  (to make that effortless pastry shine with gratitude!

METHOD:

1. Place a large frying pan over the highest possible heat. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. When the pan is smoking hot, put in the steaks and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan over a medium heat, gently cook the onions with the butter, sugar and salt for 20 minutes until caramelized, burnished and soft. Add the Armagnac or Cognac and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the onions become drier.
3. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before blending to a smooth paste in a food processor. Refrigerate for about an hour until cold, I don’t like to freeze pastry to cool it quicker…
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Between two sheets of baking paper, roll out the pastry to 1/2 cm thick. For each piece of steak cut two pastry rectangles slightly larger than the steak.
5. Brush each piece of steak with mustard on both sides, then place in the middle of a piece of pastry.
6. Top the steak with a good tablespoon of the onion mix. Brush eggwash around the pastry edges and cover with another piece of pastry. Press the edges to seal the parcel, then trim the excess pastry to leave a 1cm border and crimp with a fork. Repeat for the remaining three steaks.
7. Cut a little cross ( X ) in the top of each parcel and brush the pastry with eggwash. Place the parcels on the lined tray and bake for 12-15 minutes for medium-rare ( just how I like them although adjust the time slightly higher for well done and less for rare). Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Et Voila 4 perfect Wellingtons to please even the most hard to please guests of family members,

Merci and I would like to dedicate this post to Rachel Khoo for the time she has put aside in her busy life to answer my cooking queries..

Ryan!

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge!

Hello Folks, How are we all doing, well I hope. In my house there’s a sort of overhanging gloom just now especially over me as the school holiday finishes tomorrow and it’s back to Physics first period Monday morning. Hoo-ray, the joys of presenting an essay on the benefits of the electromagnetic spectrum and to my surprise, finding information on microwaves was extremely difficult on Google. It seems that after reading all about the seven types of main category non-ionizing and ionizing radiation waves, I have came to the abrupt conclusion that maybe life in a cardboard box is necessary for me aha! Well not quite, were would I be without a kitchen, but the point of this is that you should not believe everything you read on Google. Oh my there were some very strange comments on radiation I must admit, things like ‘If you stand less than 3 ft away from you’re microwave oven, you are prone to receiving a high dosage of potentially lethal radiation’. Well I can rest assure you that microwave ovens only produce non-ionizing radiation (radiation that cannot penetrate into cells) and are therefore completely safe as long as you use them correctly. Anyway enough of Physics and onto the sweet (I do mean sweet) subject of chocolate pistachio fudge. Now this is not an ordinary type of fudge, in terms of texture its is very similar, but in terms of the method, well you could say it follows no traditional method at all, but the end product is still fabulously silky smooth and voluptuous in texture. You really can’t call this a recipe and I quote Nigella says this herself.. It is simply opening a can and a few other bits and bobs and combining in a pan, although if you love the solace of stirring then this is a recipe for you! Then transferred to a foil tray (for ease) left to set in the fridge and then cut into small cubes, what could be easier… I love this fudge not just for it’s ease but if your are just learning to bake, go for it, you can’t really go wrong with it. So off we go!

INGREDIENTS: (Well a small amount at that aha!)

350g good-quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids, please, for the most excellent flavour and also, it will not loose flavour when heated like milk chocolate).

397g sweetened condensed milk (about 1 can, and oh this explains why no sugar is used aha!). I use Nestle.

30g unsalted butter. (provides that luscious smoothness).

pinch of salt (salty/sweet contrast – Love it!).

150g pistachios, unsalted, shelled. (luxurious creamy texture from these and makes them look fab when cut!).

METHOD:

Begin by placing the chocolate, butter, salt, and condensed milk into a large, heavy based (stops burning) pan and place over a low heat. Stir until melted and combined nicely.

Place the nuts into a food processor (boring option) Oh please get the rolling pin and freezer bag out and do it Nigella style.. relieves stress and is incredibly useful! Anyway bash or process until large and small pieces or pistachio rubble are achieved.

Now add the nuts to the chocolate mixture and still until combined.

Pour the mix into a foil or metal tray (square) and smooth the top using a wet palette knife.

Set in the fridge for around 2 hours or until set in your eyes.

Score a chessboard pattern onto the fudge to create little squares. I do it 8×8 lines so you end up with 64 pieces of fudge. Don’t panic for a second if you get less.

Now remove from the tin and cut down the lines properly until you get the 64 pieces of fudge.

Keep cool in the fridge until ready to eat (freezes very well too). Eat cool from the fridge to avoid melting..

Thank you for reading, until next time folks,

Ryan!

 

 

 

Nids De Tartiflette! (Cheese And Potato Nests)

Hello again everyone, I hope we are all okay and happy, well I can guarantee you will be after you read this post and create this dish. Oh my it is good… Well this is not the sort of dish you would serve up at a dinner party, my oh my, the guests would look at you in disgrace. The look of them are not very aesthetically pleasing and the overall strength of the ingredients used would deter guests from ever returning again aha.. okay I admit it’s not that bad but keep this dish for dear friends and yourself, well i do usually whiz them up when I’m feeling peckish and the contents of the fridge are disparing. They consist of potatoes, smoked lardons, and cheese. Now this is not just some ordinary mature cheddar, here I am talking about the most amazing French cheeses around: Reblochon… Ah this cheese is super strong and originates from the Swiss Alps and has a very (very) pungent smell, apart from that the taste is something out of this world. You will be required to go to a cheesemonger for this cheese, any excuse for a visit and a few nibbles aha! Or if you are unlucky and your cheesemonger does not stock Reblochon, then a good mature Comte is absolutely fine, but don’t tell the French! Tartiflette, if you are wondering is the name the Reblochon cheese makers gave to these little nests (well it should be a gratin, but hey these are better, well at least I tell myself that..) yes, the cheese makers created this delicious winter classic but when served in these little mounds and served with a simple green salad it instantly brings thoughts of spring to mind.

Okay don’t worry I am not going to blether about this smelly cheese all night long, so I thought i would move onto a more sweet and subtle topic, in terms of the most beautiful macaroons you have ever tasted before, not even homemade beats these.. I am talking about the one and only Laudree Paris Macaroons. Oh my are the taste of the many combinations incredibly exhilarating. Whenever you get the small chance to sumptuously endeavor one of these, then take it with pleasure, as you are soon to be in for a treat…

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp soft Butter (as always unsalted).
• 500g Waxy potatoes e.g. Charlotte.
• 1 Onion, finely chopped.
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped (for ease I use a garlic press not need to peel).
• 1 Bay leaf.
• 200g Lardons (smoked is good here). Or cubetti de pancetta is fine.
• 100ml Dry white wine (only use wine you would drink, and if you prefer chicken stock then by all means use that.
• 250g Reblochon Cheese or Mature Comte works well also..

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to Gas 4 / 180c, and brush a 6 hole muffin tin with the soft butter. You could make one large tartiflette in a round pie dish.

Peel the potatoes and slice with the Julienne ( match-stick ) blade on a mandolin or cut by hand.

Put the onion, garlic, bay leaf and lardons into a large non-stick frying pan and cook until the lardons are golden-brown. Add the wine and reduce down thoroughly until only a couple of tablespoons of liquid remain. Remove the bay leaf.

Stir in the potatoes and add the cheese, then take off the heat and spoon into the moulds or large dish (if using) and pop in the oven for around 15 mins until golden-brown and the kitchen smells of the aroma that is Reblochon!

Enjoy hot with a simple green salad for a warm spring evenings supper, C’est Fantastique!

Merci beacoup, et jusqu’a la prochaine fois…

Ryan!

 

Parmesan Shortbreads!

Hello folks, I hope you are all well and healthy. First of all I have a confession to make, I do recall saying at the start of my two week break for the holiday that I would try my best to start posting fairly regular to try and make the most of my writing flair. But I have failed to succeed in that category but I hope these little shortbreads will do the trick and patch up my missing posts. So strictly speaking these aren’t really traditional shortbreads but the addition of the parmesan really helps to boost the flavour stakes and make them the perfect canape to serve at any warm and welcoming dinner party. The great thing about these shortbreads is there is no combining the fat (pure butter) and flour together first, all you do is switch on the food processor and hey presto! You have a perfect dough ready to be wrapped up in clingfilm and put in the fridge until ready to slice into disc’s ( roll into a sausage then wrap ) before popping in the oven 30 min before the guests arrive so they are perfectly fresh when eaten. This dough will keep chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days, leading to even more ease!  What I would say is this , the dough does not freeze well at all, it becomes a crumbly mess and falls to pieces in the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

150g plain flour.

75g good-quality parmesan. Or for a sweet option caster sugar!

100g good unsalted butter softened.

1 egg yolk.

4 ingredients that when partnered up, make the most heavenly crumbly, smooth shortbread ever!

METHOD:

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl with wooden spoon or processor and whiz together until a clump of golden dough comes about.

Turn the golden dough out onto a work surface, and knead lightly for 30 seconds to bring the rest of it together, then divide into 2 equal pieces and roll them each out into long sausage shapes.

Wrap these in clingfilm and put in the fridge for around 15 – 30 mins to firm up and then slice into discs around the width of a pound coin.

Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4. Put the slices of shortbread onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a pale golden colour is on the edges.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool (if possible) before eating/serving!

Merci, Until next time,

Ryan!