Bread and Butter Pudding with Challah

I made some Challah the other day, which is a Jewish bread a little like brioche and I love it. As there were two of us and one large bread I decided to use half of it on a bread and butter pudding which is really quick to make.

Ingredients:

5 slices of brioche or challah
50g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
3 medium egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
80-100g sultanas (I ended up chucking a load in because I like them)
300ml semi-skimmed milk
300ml single cream
50g butter

Equipment:

26cm pie dish

Serves 6 (or 2 greedy people over 2 days)

Here is the challah I made, my plaiting did not go too well but for a first, I think it could have been worse.

First pour half the sultanas into the pie dish and then butter both sides of the bread.

Arrange the slices into the dish and sprinkle the rest of the sultanas on top.

Put the milk, cream, eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds from the pod into a large bowl and mix all together, and then pour over the bread.

Quick change of pie dish as I used the wrong one....and it should look like this:

Push the bread into the custard to make sure it is soaked through, then leave the dish on the side for half and an hour.

When ready, preheat your oven to 150°C or gas mark 2 and pop in for 30 minutes or until the custard has set. If you find the custard has set before browning, put under the grill for a couple of minutes for colour.

Eat while warm and serve with some cream or ice cream. Both of which we forgot to buy more of....

Portuguese Custard Tarts

Portuguese custard tarts = morish nomness. I did not do my own puff pastry (slaps hand), because I did not have the time but I do want to try it!
I decided to make six little tarts and one big one as my muffin tin only holds six. I was a little impatient so reuse the same tin so also used a six inch loose bottom sandwich tin as well.

Ingredients:

500g puff pastry
50ml full-fat milk
2 tbsp cornflour
250ml double cream
300ml crème fraîche
135g granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cinnamon stick
Zest of 1 lemon
8 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment:

Whisk
Muffin tin

Makes about 26

First, preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C and prepare your muffin tin with a light coat of vegetable oil/butter. Next, roll out the pastry onto a slightly floured surface so it is thin, about the thickness of a pound coin. Remember the pastry will puff up so it should not be rolled too thick.
Cut out circles to fill your muffin tin and place the pastry in. It does not need to be really neat because they look more homely when a little rough around the edges.
Now prick the bottom with a fork a few times and pop the tray into the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up.

Once the pastry has firmed pop it in the oven for 10 or so minutes until its starts to puff up and brown a little. When they come out, you will need to pat them back down a bit to make room for the filling. Now turn the oven up to gas mark 8/230°C.

Over a medium heat put the cream, crème fraîche, salt, sugar, zest and cinnamon stick in a pan. Allow it to heat through so the sugar dissolves, don't let it boil.

Once done slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking. It is important to keep whisking so you do not get scrambled eggs. When all in, pour back into the pan over a medium heat (do not let it boil) and keep stirring. After a few minutes it should start to thicken at which point take it off the heat.

Now pour the custard into the pastry cases and put back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops have browned a little. I probably could have been a little braver and left them in for a few more minutes to brown more than I did.

When done take out the oven and leave on the side for 10 minutes. Then take them out the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Once cool stuff your face.

Apple and Honey Cake

It is Rosh Hashanah in my world, or more precisely the Jewish world at the moment, which is the Jewish new year. It is customary to eat apple dipped in honey to symbolise a sweet new year so, in the spirit of apples, honey, and generally wanting to eat cake, I made an apple and honey cake.
I slightly changed an american recipe I found on the internet and it uses the cup as a measurement.

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup honey
3 cups chopped apple, I used golden delicious
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
2 tsp cane sugar/brown sugar (which ever you have to hand for sprinkling)

Equipment:

8 inch cake tin (with high sides)
Food mixer/electric whisk/wooden spoon

First preheat your oven to 175°C/gas mark 4 and then prepare your cake tin by lining it. I used a silicon paper base and then lightly coated the sides in veg oil. Your tin should have highish sides because the baking soda makes it rise high in comparison to what you pour in the tin.

Next, put the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder into a large bowl and set aside.

Then into your food mixer or another bowl, put the sugar, honey, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Mix it gently for 30 seconds or so to allow the ingredients to combine. Then put one egg in at a time, and mix fully between each addition.

Pour the wet batter into the dry, gently mix and when done, fold in the chopped apple.

You can now pour the batter into the cake tin and sprinkle with the cane sugar.
Put the tin in the oven on the middle shelf for approximately an hour, mine took just over this time. When a cocktail stick comes out clean it is ready.
Once baked, leave on the side for 5 minutes to cool a little and then remove from the tin onto a cooling rack.

I found this cake to be really moist and scrumptious. It is a comforting sweet bit of goodness which is easy to make.

So, Happy New Year with a bit of cake. Or as I should say, Shanah Tovah!

Madeleines

Madeleine's. Ever since watching Rachel Khoo's cooking show I have wanted to bake them, and have at last got round to it. I have used her recipe however, I missed out the section on making my own lemon curd but feel free to make your own.
I am pleased to say it went well!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
130g caster sugar
200g plain flour
10g baking powder
20g honey
Zest of one lemon
60ml milk
200g melted and cooled butter
A small pack of raspberries
150g lemon curd

Equipment:

Madeleine tin
Piping bag

Makes 24

Firstly, beat the eggs and sugar together until it turns pale.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and lemon zest.

Then stir the honey and milk with the melted butter in another bowl, and pour into the egg. Give it a gentle mix till combined:

Next, fold the dry ingredients into the wet in two batches. It should like like this when done:

Cover the mixture and leave in the fridge for either a few hours or overnight. I used the batter after three hours which was long enough for it to firm up. I also did a smaller batch the following day to see if there was a difference and to be honest, I did not find one.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C. Then prepare your tin by coating a thin layer of butter and dust with flour.
Next, put a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into each shell and then push a raspberry into the batter. The batter does expand a lot so do not over fill.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes and then turn the oven off for one minute. Then, turn the oven back on to 160°C and bake again for 5 minutes. Once done, take out and transfer to a cooling rack.

When cool enough to handle pipe the lemon curd into the raspberry. Once finished dust with a little icing sugar and serve straight away.

Mr P and I really enjoyed these with a cup of tea. I found the recipe not too complicated and the result a delicate little sponge. They taste far better while still a little warm.

Chocolate Cakes with Spiced Syrup

I do not tend to make many chocolate recipes but, I felt like it was time to have a little choc goodness on here.
I found this recipe online at the website Chocolate Week and if you are in need of a chocolate fix, then this is where it is at, as the kids say. Don't they?

Ingredients:

Cake:

115g self-raising flour

65g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

185g unsalted butter cut into cubes

225g light brown muscavado sugar

85ml double cream

2 medium eggs

85ml water

Syrup:

200g golden caster sugar

200ml water

1 cinnamon stick cut in half

Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Equipment:

Muffin tin

Muffin cases

Makes 8

First, preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4 and then place your muffin cases into your muffin tin.

Next, put the flour, cocoa, salt and butter into a large mixing bowl and rub it between your fingers till it becomes like breadcrumbs. Now, I found that the ratio of dry ingredients to butter meant that it ended up being a paste. I could not get any where near a breadcrumb consistency. Either way, if you get a breadcrumb or a paste, it did not seem to matter.

When you have finished rubbing, add the sugar and mix till combined.

Now fill a jug with 85ml water,  and add the cream and eggs to it. Give it a whisk and pour into the chocolate paste/breadcrumbs. Give it a good mix till everything is incorporated and then pour evenly into your muffin cases.

Put in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until done. Here I found I needed a little longer, about 25ish minutes. This is quite possibly because my oven is what one may call, rubbish, and is why having an oven thermometer is a good idea.
You can test them with a cocktail stick or, if you press gently on the top, the sponge should spring back. If it leaves a print, then it is not cooked through. 

While you are waiting for the cakes to cook you need to make the spiced syrup. Simply put the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and nutmeg into a pan. Bring it to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.After this time leave for another 15 minutes so it can infuse further. When ready to use, sieve it.

After you have taken the cakes out, leave them on the side to cool a little. Then, while still warm, make some tiny holes with a cocktail stick, and pour the syrup into the cakes.

I found these little cakes to be very rich and moorish. The spiced syrup did not come through for me, maybe I did not infuse for long enough, or I did not pour enough into the cakes. I imagine it should add a nice little kick to the luscious chocolate but you cannot win them all. I think next time I will just put ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg into the mixture itself rather than into a syrup. Even so, they were gorgeous and very dessert like. You can have them warm, with a bit of ice cream or cream, or as little cakes when cooled.
This is certainly a recipe for the chocolate lovers out their! 

Hawksmoor, Seven Dials Covent Garden

Steak steak steak, I love steak, steak is great. So when myself and Mr P met our friends Mr G and Miss F, we decided to give Hawksmoor a try. I had read that it was meant to serve one of the best steaks in London and that kind of claim needs to be put to the test.

So first things first. When we got there the feel of the place was warm and welcoming with an interior of brick, dark wood and metal kinda thing. It felt like a restaurant that was accessible and not snooty.

The staff were friendly but not overbearing, although a minor gripe was that we waited a little while to order. However, we were not in any hurry so it did not really matter too much.
Drinks first and we asked for a jug of tap water, which in some places can still feel a tad uncomfortable but they happily brought us one, and refilled during the meal without even asking, which was nice. We then ordered a bottle of the House White Le Lesc Blanc between three of us and Mr P got a Meantime Lager. The wine menu certainly had some pricey wines on there, the cheapest being £18 for a bottle that I could see.

We decided to go straight for the main course and after a little deliberation, Mr P and Mr G shared a T-Bone steak with Stilton Hollandaise, Miss F ordered a D-Rump with Peppercorn Gravy, and I ordered a Rib-eye with Bone Marrow Gravy, which is my favourite cut. I was a little tempted to share a Porterhouse but the only ones left were large and thus pricey. For the sides, we shared creamed spinach, roast field mushrooms, macaroni and cheese, beef dripping chips and triple cooked chips.

Again, there was a little wait while our stomachs grumbled but nothing too terrible that it ruined our night.
Once the food came, oh good lordy lord. My steak looked amazing as did everyone else's. The sides were not too big but just enough to sit nicely against what was the main show. The Rib Eye was so perfectly cooked it cut through with ease. Cooked medium rare it was so succulent and juicy, it was the cliche of melt in your mouth, and the Bone Marrow Gravy, well that was a revelation. As Mr G put it, it was the essence of beef. It was the first time I had ever tried bone marrow gravy and it was truly awesome.
Of the sides, although they were nice, I did not think they were as good as they possible should have been. The triple cooked chips were a bit drab and not as special as I was expecting, and the spinach could have done with a touch more seasoning. A couple of special mentions though. The mushrooms were perfectly strong on flavour and seasoned well, and the Tomato Sauce had a great depth to it that I do not find with the everyday tomato sauce. It gave a beautiful accompaniment to the lack luster chips.

Once all that steak was done with there was a little more room for desserts and I got the Eton Mess. I did not want anything too heavy and this was light, with the right amount of sweetness cut through with the cream. It was the best Eton mess I have ever had.

Mr P had a sticky toffee pudding sundae, which had the pudding running through it and at the bottom a warm sauce which he enjoyed.

Miss F had the Salted and Chocolate Caramel Tart which if I recall she enjoyed, but thought it was a bit odd with the contrasting salty sweet.

Mr G went for chocolate truffles with a glass of port. I cannot recall which Port but I had a cheeky sip and can inform you it was jolly nice. Mr G said the truffles were an intense hit of chocolate of which there were three, but just the right amount.

Overall we had a great meal and the steaks were just what you would want from them. Hawksmoor is not where you go for a cheap night out but if you can splash out for a treat, I would certainly recommend it. Main courses/desserts and alcohol for four people came to £220.

Ambience:10
Food:8.5
Service:8
Value for money:7
Overall:8.5

Blueberry and Lemon Friands

I had not heard of Friands until I did my baking course and they were a revelation, because although they can be compared to muffins, they have a lighter feel. This is because they are made with egg white.
I took this recipe from Leiths school of food and wine.

Ingredients:

220g icing sugar
60g plain flour
170g ground amlonds
Zest of 2 lemons
6 medium egg whites
220g melted unsalted butter
170g blueberries

Equipment:

Electric whisk/stand a lone mixer
Muffin cases
Muffin tin
Large metal spoon

Makes 12

First, preheat the oven to gas 4/180°C and then line your muffin tin with muffin cases.
Now put the icing sugar, flour, ground almonds and lemon zest in a bowl.

Melt your butter and then mix it in with the dry ingredients to get a paste.

Now whisk your egg whites till they have a medium stiff peak and carefully fold them in to the mix till all is combined. If the mixture ends up too runny it means you have not be gentle enough and taken some of the air out of the egg whites. Fun fact for you there. I possible was not as gentle as I could have been thus mine was a tad runnier than I would have liked.

Now pour your batter into the muffin cases and place a few blueberries on top.

Pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they have risen, and are firm to touch. When done take them out and leave on a cooling rack.

This recipe is quick, easy and tasty with a result that is light and moist. Now do something awesome and make some as well.