Pumpkin Pie

I tried pumpkin pie when I was on honeymoon in New York and really loved it so I thought it was time to give it a whirl in the kitchen.
With its sweet and spicy flavour it is just right for this time of year. Its not too hard to make and the results are yummilicious.
So a couple of things. Firstly, if you do make your own pastry I prefer to use icing sugar because it gives a smoother finish than caster but, feel free to use caster if you want. Secondly, the pumpkin puree. In America they sell it in cans which seem to be fairly easy to buy but over here in good old England it’s a little harder to find. After going into 3 different supermarkets I finally found it at Waitrose. You can make your own by baking a pumpkin and whizzing it up in a food processor.
There are two stages, the sweet pastry and then the filling. If you do not want to attempt the pastry just buy a 9 inch pastry case instead.


Ingredients:

Sweet Pastry:

225g plain flour
110g butter salted cubed
90g icing sugar
1 large egg
Splash of milk

Pumpkin filling:

75g soft dark brown sugar
425g pumpkin puree (one can)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
275 ml double cream
2 large eggs and one extra egg yolk

Equipment:

Food processor
9 inch flan tin with a loose bottom
Baking beans


To make the pastry sieve the flour and icing sugar into the food processor. Then add the cubed butter and on a low setting let it whiz until it becomes a crumb texture. If you do not have a food processor use your finger tips.
Next add the egg and milk and give it another whiz till it binds. Make sure you stop as soon as it comes together. Then empty it onto a floured surface and give it just a couple of kneads to make it into a ball. Wrap it in some Clingfilm and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to cool.

Place your flan tin bottom on your surface and sprinkle a little flour on it. Put your ball of dough in the middle of the base and start to roll out. Roll it so it is about an inch and a half outside the base of the tin bottom. Then pull it in around the edge and place the bottom back in the tin. Fold the dough back out so it covers the edges of the tin and gently push it into the grooves. Using a fork poke the base about 6 or so times, cover and put back in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Now to blind bake. Preheat the oven to gas 5/190°C and then cover you pastry case with greaseproof paper. Put your baking beans into it and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes till the sides start to brown. Then take the beans off and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes so the base browns a little. Take it out of the oven and gently cut off any extra pastry around the edges.

Next job is the filling. Whisk your eggs in a bowl and put to the side. Then pour the cream and all the spices and sugar into a pan over a gentle heat. Whisk it so all the ingredients are incorporated. Gradually pour your cream mixture in the eggs but make sure you whisk it continually so as not to get any lumps. Once fully mixed add your pumpkin puree, again whisking so it is well combined.

Lastly, pour your filling into your pastry case and bake for about 35-40 minutes on gas 5/190°C . There should be a slight wobble in the middle when done.
If you notice there is a crack in the top which means I overcooked mine by about 5 minutes. Ideally there should not be any cracks...If only I had remembered to put an alarm on and stopped watching the T.V. Ho hum.

Allow to cool and then take out of the tin. Serve with a bit of cream or as Mr P has informed me, it would go well with ice cream if we had any.

Panettone

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine as Sir Cliff once said. He failed to mention Panettone. Silly Cliff.
I made some for the first time and its rather nice but I did manage to deactivate the yeast, so there wasn't much rising going on but you win some and lose some.

Ingredients:

1x 7g sachet fast action yeast
400g strong white flour
75g caster sugar
2 large eggs and 2 extra yolks
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one orange
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
175g unsalted softened butter
75g sultanas
50 candied peel
50g dark chocolate finely chopped
40g unsalted butter to finish

Equipment:

1x 15cm deep cake tin lined with greaseproof paper.
(I didn't have the correct size tin so I did it in two batches in a small loaf tin)


Firstly, mix the yeast with 125g of the flour and sugar then make a well in the centre. Beat the whole eggs with the water and pour into the well.

Using your hand give it a mix until you have a smooth batter, and then leave for an hour in a warm area until the batter is bubbly. It is potentially here where I didnt leave it for long enough for the yeast to work properly.

Next, stir the egg yolks, vanilla and zests into the batter. Gradually stir 175g of the flour and the salt so you end up with a sticky dough. Salt can deactivate the yeast as well so again this is where my issue may have occurred as well. Add the softened butter and work it in by squeezing the dough through your fingers. Do this till there are no streaks.

Once fully combined you need to turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and kneed for 10 minutes so you have a soft stretchy but not sticky dough. Add the remaining flour while kneading and you may find you need a little less or a little more. Feel free to pop on a bit of music to wile away the time.

After 10 minutes pop the dough in a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave it to rise for 2-2.5 hours in a warm place but not in direct sunlight. After this time uncover and punch the dough down and leave again for another 1-1.5 hours to rise again.
While the dough is rising combine the sultanas, candied peel and choc in a bowl with a little bit of flour so they do not stick together. I split the batch into two so one batch had just the fruit and the other fruit and chocolate.
Next line your cake tin/loaf tin/ so it is ready. Make sure the greaseproof paper is about 5cm or so higher than the tin.

Once this time is up you punch the dough down again and then roll it onto a floured worktop. Gently place the fruit/chocolate mix so it is evenly distributed. Turn it into a ball (cake tin) or a roll in my case and put it in the loaf tin. Make a cross on top of the dough then cover and leave for an hour to rise.

Preheat the oven to gas 6 and melt 25g of butter. Then just before putting the Panettone in, brush the top with the melted butter, put a 15g knob of it in the middle (15g for cake tin or two 7.5g knobs on each of the loaves).
Put it in the oven and after 10 minutes brush it again with the melted butter and reduce to gas 4. Leave it in the oven for about 40 minutes (or about 30 minutes for each loaf). When a skewer comes out clean it is done.

When done pop on a rack to cool and take it out of the tin after 10 minutes. Make sure it is completely cool before slicing.

Then eat! Give it a toast and spread with butter. Nom nom nom.

Recipe taken from the Great British Bake Off How to Bake Book.

Mulled Cider

Just a quick post here courtesy of that Jamie Oliver fella. We fancied a bit of mulled cider and his recipe is quick and tastes yums. Really easy to do so here we go.

The ingredients:

2 litres good cider
6 cloves
2 star anise
¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod, halved
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 2 clementines
Juice and seeds from 1 pomegranate
3 tablespoons of caster sugar, to taste

It gives about 8-10 servings depending on the size of your glass.

I forgot to add the cinnamon to the photo so do forgive me.

All you have to do is pour your cider into a large pan and let it heat through. Then pop all your ingredients in, let it get to the boil, and then turn to simmer for another 15 minutes or so. I found leaving it longer helped it to infuse the flavours more.

Once done serve warm. Sieve it or leave the bits in, its up to you!

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

So, it was Mr. P's birthday earlier this month and one of his treats was a visit to Dinner at The Mandarin Oriental by Heston Blumenthal.

If you have not heard of Dinner then the best way to describe it is a menu of dishes from ye olden days. Each dish has the date it originated and the back of the menu lists the sources from whence they came. Great for the food buffs out there.

It is safe to say that it was a flipping delightful bit of grub and the whole experience of the restaurant was great. The staff were attentive without being intrusive and with a sense of humour so no stuffiness that can come with some restaurants. If I was to be picky then I would say the interior of the dinning room was mildly underwhelming and I wasn't keen on the jelly mould light fittings. However, the huge windows give you a nice view onto Hyde Park and you are also able to see into the kitchen which for me was exciting to watch.

Now onto the food. We could have picked pretty much any item off the menu but finally decided on what is now the restaurants two most popular dishes. Meat Fruit (c.1500) Mandarin, Chicken Liver Parfait and Grilled Bread and Mr. P had the Rice and Flesh (c.1390) Saffron, Calf Tail and Red Wine.

The parfait was beautifully creamy and the hint of mandarin from the 'skin' added a delicate flavour which complimented the richness of the dish. The bread, warm and crunchy went with the parfait like a dream.

The Rice and Flesh of which I had a nibble was delicious. A rich risotto where the rice was cooked so it just had bite. The delicate saffron made it probably the best risotto Mr.P has ever had I am informed.

Main course time and I went for the Spiced Pigeon (c.1780) Ale and Artichokes and shared mashed potato.
Wowzers people, wowzers. The pigeon cooked in a water bath was pink throughout and just so perfect in taste and texture it was unbelievable. The ale sauce and artichokes gave a gentle bitterness to accompany the sweet pigeon. The mash potato was smooth and more like a puree but just so delightful in every way.

Mr. P's pick was Black Foot Pork Chop (c.1860) Spelt & Robert Sauce. I didn't try this dish as I don't eat pork but this is what the other half had to say about it. They cooked it so it still had pinkness and although pork can sometimes be a little bland, this was succulent. It had a sweet smokey sauce that went really well.

Finally onto desserts and the two that we got were Baked Lemon Suet Pudding (c.1630) Lemon Caramel and Jersey Cream and the Tipsy Cake (c.1810) Spit Roast Pineapple. When arriving you are informed that if you want the tipsy cake you need to order it when you do your starter and main as it takes 40 minutes. This is a dish we have heard a lot about and it was a done deal that this would be a pick.
The pineapple had a crispy outside and was gloriously sweet. The cake had a sort of donut texture but was still light and fluffy.

The Lemon pudding was probably the best dessert I have ever had. You crack open the crunchy case for a lemon caramel to ooze out. A sharp loveliness of lemon and the jersey cream just helps balance the dish.

Once all was done with desserts and we asked for the bill a complimentary petit four graced our table.
An Earl Grey Ganache with a Caraway biscuit. To be honest, I am not that big on chocolate desserts and found it a little rich but Mr.P seemed more than happy to polish off what I could not.

So all in all not a bad bit of lunch...or should that be dinner. Would I go back? If I was paid a trifle more I would indeed but then pigs might fly so it shall not be anytime soon. This was a one off treat for the old man and I had a cracking time as well.

Price for two, 3 courses plus one glass of wine each and service was approx £150.

Food 10/10
Ambience 8/10
Service 10/10
Overall 9/10

Mince Pies

In case you hadn't noticed its getting ever closer to Christmas. Now for some reason I can't help but enjoy being a bit of a grinch this time of the year but that doesnt stop me from enjoying a nosh on a mince pie or ten. So, my first baking post shall be dedicated to the traditional mince pie.

The ingredients you will need:

Mincemeat

450 g Bramley apples chopped small
225 g shredded suet (feel free to use the vegetarian one if you prefer)
350 g raisins
225 g sultanas
225 g currants
225 g chopped candied peel
350 g soft dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice 2 oranges
grated zest and juice 2 lemons
4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons brandy
Some ingredients call for putting chopped almonds in but I personally do not like nuts in my food.

This recipe make 3lbs so you have plenty to store away.

Short crust pastry

3½ oz (95 g) lard
3 oz (75 g) butter
12 oz (350 g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
a little milk
a pinch salt
Sugar to sprinkle

Equipment needed:

Pastry cutters
Muffin/fairy cake tin
Maybe a glass of vino to help things a long.

Makes about 18 depending on how thin your pastry is rolled.


Starting with the mincemeat you will need to begin a day or so earlier.

Simply put all the ingredients a part from the brandy into a bowl and mix well. Then you will need to cover it and leave it overnight or for 12 hours.
After this time, it needs to go in the oven on a very low light, gas one/140 degrees for 3 hours.
Take it out of the oven and leave to cool remembering to mix it from time to time to help mix the fat as it hardens. Once completely cooled you can add the brandy. Feel free to add more of less depending on your love of the stuff.

Finally, put it into sterilised jars. (To sterilise the jars, just wash them, then place them in boiling water for 5 minutes and allow to drip dry) The mixture should be kept in a cool dark cupboard and can last a couple of years.

For the pastry, sift the four and salt and then put it into a food processor with the lard and butter. Switch it on and stop when it becomes a crumbly mixture. If you do not have a food processor use your fingers to crumble the mixture so it looks like this:

Then add 3 tablespoons of water to help it combine. You may need a little extra if you find it is not forming a ball. Once you have done this put it in a bowl, cover and place it in the fridge for about half an hour.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and start to roll it out thinly (put a bit of flour on your board or rolling pin to help if it sticks). Using your pastry cutters do your mince pie bases, place them into your tin. Fill with the mincemeat and then add your pie tops. You can add a round top or if you wish, cut out a shape to place on top. I have used a star cutter.
Finally, brush the tops with milk and I like to then sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. If you use a round top do be sure to poke a hole in it to allow air to escape.

Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes on gas mark 6/220 degrees.

Once cooked leave them to cool before taking them out of the tin as they are quite crumbly and the heat will make them fall a part.

It is at this point you take a mince pie and a glass (large) of port and relax......

Inspiration taken from Delia Smith with some aspects of the recipe changed.

My First Post

Well then look at that, I have started a food blog. I can tell you are jolly excited, me too.

I enjoy cooking (especially baking) and want to keep a little record of them for fun so here you shall see some of my attempts at doing so. I may also talk about some of the restaurants that I go to with Mr P.

So, to the few that may actually read this and to the millions that have no idea it exists...LETS GET COOKING!