My quirky quiche!

My April British Bake Off Challenge is yet another thing I've never made before, but that I love to eat - quiche!

I will admit that I cheated a little because I was short on time and bought pastry - Paul and Mary would not approve!  It was very nice - but it was a bit dry, so I would reccommend making your own if you have time.  Also, I've adapted this recipe from the British Bake Off cook book.

First, I rolled my pastry out Mary style - she always says to put the bottom of your flan dish down, then roll pastry out about 4cm past the bottom, then gently fold pastry into the middle and drop the bottom back into the flan dish.  Then fold the edges back out, and press into the curves of the tin.  Prick the base and leave to chill for 20 mins.

Next, line the pastry base with baking parchment and fill with baking beans.  Preheat the oven to 180C and bake blind for 10-15 mins.  Then take the parchment and baking beans away and brush the pastry with some egg.  Bake for another 5 mins, then leave to cool.

While its cooling, make the filling:

Ingredients

• 250g baby spinach
• 200g new potatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 250ml double cream
• 25g grated parmesan
• a few chunks of feta (amount is personal choice)
• a few cherry tomatoes (halved)
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Wash and drain the spinach, then cook in a steamer until wilted.
2. Cook the new potatoes for 10 mins (I did them underneath the spinach to save space)
3. Chop the spinach finely and slice the potatoes into slices.
4. Whisk the eggs, then whisk in the double cream and parmesan.  Season with a little salt and pepper, and add the spinach.
5. Spread the potato slices on the bootom of the pastry and pour over the spinach/cream mixture.
6. Dot halves of cherry tomato and chunks of feta around the quiche to your taste.
7. Bake on a baking tray for 35-40 mins until golden brown and yummy (Watch out - it will leak EVERYWHERE!)









8. Cut a massive slice and enjoy with your choice of accompanying carbs and salad - you could make potato wedges, nice crusty bread or some lovely couscous :)

A Great British Bake Off Disaster

I love baking. I bake at least once a week. So all my friends (and fans!) encouraged me to apply for British Bake Off 2012. So I downloaded the application form... It's about 12 pages long! And my only real baking experience is cakes and biscuits. I had never made pastry before. I had never made bread before. I had never made patisserie before. I had a long way to go.

So this year, I've decided to give myself a different Bake Off Challenge every month, in addition to my general baking. I tried Paul Hollywood bread and it was amazing, so this month I thought I'd try pastry.

I decided to make a chocolate ganache tart - yum!

I made Mary Berry's sweet pastry (from her tarte au citron recipe) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarte_au_citron_94480

Disaster Number 1

Everything was going to plan - my pastry was lovely and thin (I know Paul and Mary don't like it thick!), It was perfectly shaped to my flan tin, and my blind bake was perfect. then I popped it back into the oven to finish off - because I definitely did NOT want a 'soggy bottom'! Unfortunately, I don't know how, the sides of my pastry burnt! They tasted delicious, but they were unsalvageable presentation wise.

So I had a bit of a tantrum, then decided to just trim the edges off before filling the case.

Disaster Number 2

Then I made the chocolate ganache. I love chocolate ganache, it is SO easy to make.

I followed the Green and Black's cookbook recipe:

• Break 275g of 60-70% dark chocolate into a bowl.
• Heat 250ml double cream in a saucepan.
• Once boiled, pour over the chocolate and stir gently (The residual heat will melt the chocolate)
• Once melted, add 50 g butter and stir.

Next disaster - and this never happens to me! - the chocolate split and went all oil slicky. I managed to salvage it by using a hand blender, which saved it (I don't know why, it just does!)

Disaster Number 3

My third and final disaster - I used 85% chocolate because I thought it would make it richer. It didn't it was just horribly bitter :( So I added plenty of icing sugar to my mixture which made it much sweeter!

I poured it into the case and left it to set.

So, long story short, after three major disasters, and a lot of experimenting and salvaging, I ended up with a delicious chocolate tart. But blimey it was stressful!

Mother's Day - sugar free trifle

For Mother's Day this year, my mother informed me that she would love it if I would cook her a 3 course meal. My answer was that I would much rather take her out for dinner - but mother (as mothers always do) won the discussion.

For starters, I made my (now famous) Paul Hollywood bread with bruschetta and Camembert. For main, I made veggie toad in the hole with roast potatoes, sweet potato mash, and the rest of the trimmings. Lastly - and much more interestingly in my opinion - pudding!

My mum is intolerant to refined sugar, I first made a sugar free trifle. It was ridiculously easy! First I made a refined sugar and fat free sponge. I recently bought tate and lyle fruit sugar and I wanted to try it out - it was brilliant I definitely recommend it! It's much sweeter, so you hardly need to use any at all! I got the recipe from this site: http://www.jamandclottedcream.co.uk/2012/01/fat-free-and-reduced-sugar-sponge-cake.html but I halved the amount of sugar.

Then I layered the sponge with low fat greek yoghurt and sugarfree jelly. I then topped it with a layer of custard - it was delicious!

Paul Hollywood Bread!

As many of you know, I am an avid Bake Off fan. My mum very kindly got me the Bake Off book for Chrimbo, and I have decided to set myself a different baking challenge every week, either Bread, Cakes, Biscuits, Patisserie, Pastry or Showstoppers!

My challenge this week was to make Paul Hollywood's White Bread.

I used the recipe from the Bake Off book, but you can also view it on the BBC site here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_crusty_83536

It worked really well! The only issues I had were:

1. The dough over rose from my bowl! So I need to get a massive bowl to do the proving in, as a normal large bowl proved too small.
2. I tried experimenting and making bread rolls from the same dough mix, but they burnt ever so slightly on the bottom and they were a bit doughy - I think they need a lower temperature.
3. The dough hooks on my mixer did hardly anything, I had to get it out eventually and knead by hand. They are good for starting a loaf off, but to knead it to the 'elastic stage' you really need to do it by hand.

Overall, it was much easier than I thought, and it was delicious! It takes a long time, because of the proving process, but you can leave it on a sunny windowsill to rise and then go off to do some shopping or watch telly lol!

It was so yummy, I had some everyday for my lunch! Will definitely be doing it again!

Please post a comment if you would like to set a challenge for me. My self set challenges are going to be:

• A quiche
• A baked cheesecake
• A chocolate celebration cake (for my brothers bday)

Have a go at Paul's bread and let me know if you have any bread making tips! :)

First Birthday Party!

It was my neighbour's little girls 1st birthday party last weekend!

So I made her a gingerbread heart cake :)

(Recipe from Woman's Weekly 'Muffins and Breads')

Ingredients

350g golden syrup

250ml water

65g brown sugar

250g butter

525g plain flour

1 tsp bicarb

1tsp nutmeg

1tsp cinnamon

1tbsp ground ginger

Method

1. melt golden syrup, water, sugar and butter in large saucepan. Bring to boil, then cool to room temperature.

2. sift the dry ingredients into the melted mixture into batches and stir to combine.

3. Pour mixture into heart shaped silicone tin and bake in moderate oven (I did 175C fan) for 1 and 1/4 hours.

I also made vanilla butter icing to spread on the top. 60g butter, 320g icing sugar, 1 vanilla pod

It was DELICIOUS, it disappeared very quickly!

Flapjack Frenzy!

I had a bit of a flapjack craving! I've tried to make them healthy (ish) by adding lots of fruit and seeds. (If you want something a bit naughtier, just leave the fruit and seeds out)

I got both the basic recipes from 'Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids' by Amanda Grant - she has LOADS of brilliant healthy (ish) recipes like muesli cookies, sultana traybake and garlic crisps! :)

Apple and Sultana Flapjacks

Ingredients

• 80g light soft brown sugar
• 180g butter
• 150g golden syrup
• 300g porridge oats
• 3 small apples
• 5 handfuls of sultanas

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Heat butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan until dissolved.
3. Take pan off heat and add oats and fruit. Mix well.
4. Tip into a lined tin (1 used a 19cm tin) and smooth.
5. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 5 mins
7. Cut into 8/12/16 pieces (depends how greedy/virtuous you are feeling!)
8. Leave to cool in the tin

Cranberry and Seed Flapjack - v. virtuous

Ingredients

• 100ml sunflower oil
• 30g soft light brown sugar
• 150 ml golden syrup
• 250g oats
• 100g seeds (I uses sunflower and pumpkin)
• 60g dried fruit (I used cranberry but you can use anything)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Heat oil, sugar and syrup in a saucepan until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour into greased and lined tin ( I used 20cm tin)
5. Bake for 15-18 mins until golden.
6. Leave to cool for 10 mins and cut into 16 pieces.
7. Leave to cool in tin

Christmas!

I went OVERBOARD for Christmas!

Cherry Blondies for my brother, Rocky Road billionnaire's shortbread for my dad and my first ever Christmas Cake.

I adapted the cherry blondies and the rocky road billionnaire's from 'Baking Magic' by Kate Shirazi. I would defo recommend it, its brilliant!

CHERRY BLONDIES

• 110g unsalted butter
• 250g white chocolate
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g plain flour
• 100g milk choc chips
• 100g grams cranberries and glace cherries (chopped) - my addition

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.
2. Melt butter and half the white chocolate. When melted, remove from heat and add the rest of the white choc. Keep stirring and the residual heat will melt the rest.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Add the choc and butter mix, the vanilla and the flour and beat thoroughly but quickly.
4. add choc chips and fruit and stir until evenly mixed
5. Pour into tin and smooth top. Bake for 30 mins until golden and squidgy.
6. Cool in tin then cut into squares.

ROCKY ROAD BILLIONAIRES

For the Shortbread

• 250g unsalted butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 125g cornflour

For the Caramel

• I cheated and used a tin of dulce de leche!

For the topping

• 350g milk choc
• 100g chopped nuts
• 100g glace cherries and cranberries
• 100g mini marshmellows

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a 28 x 20cm tin
2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
3. Stir in the flour and cornflour and combine
4. Press mixture into tin, squishing to the edges and smoothing
5. Prick with fork and bake for 20 mins until golden.
6. When cool, pour dulce de leche over the top and smooth
7. Melt the choc and pour over caramel and smooth
8. Sprinkle nuts, fruit and marshmellows over top

CHRISTMAS CAKE

I used the recipe from here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/christmascake_2359