Apple & Apricot Jam Tart

Having a batch of pastry stashed away in the freezer meant that I was itching to bake another tart this week! I came across Mary Berry's French apple tart on Channel 4's website and decided to give it a try. Hailed as the Queen of Baking, surely her recipe was going to be a winner! Well it did not disappoint as the result was quite professional and our Sunday Lunch this weekend ended with high praise from my friends! Thank you Mary - you rock!

Ingredients:

Sweet pastry - rolled out & blind baked in loose bottomed tart tin/ Ready made pastry shell

Filling: 

3 Bramley apples peeled and roughly chopped

100g of butter

splash of water

6 tbs of Apricot Jam

125g of caster sugar

Top layer:

2-3 Bramley apples sliced thinly

Lemon Juice

1 tbs of Apricot jam heated to glaze

Sprinkle of caster sugar

To get the finished tart to look like the picture on line, I peeled and thinly sliced 3 Bramley apples and immersed them in water and lemon juice to stop them browning too quickly. I then lay them out on the tart tin to check I had enough to create the pretty fan effect at the end.

All the rest of the apples in the bag got peeled, cut into chunks and gently heated in a bit of water and about 100g of butter. When the apples were stewed down into a soft mulch I passed them through a sieve into a bowl with 6 tablespoons of Apricot jam and 125g of caster sugar. This was then mixed together and gently reduced over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. I had to be very careful at this stage because the hot lava of sweet and sour apples was very hot indeed & difficult to stir continuously while it was spitting! When it became a thick paste, I set it aside to cool.

I defrosted my already made sweet pastry the night before so on the day I just rolled it out as thin as I dared then placed it on a loose bottomed tart case. I then trimmed off the excess, pricked the base and then chilled in the fridge for 30min. Then the tart got covered in foil and I placed rice grains in it to blind bake at 190 degrees for 10 min. I then removed the foil and baked the pastry for another 5 minutes until biscuity & cooked. This was then set aside to cool a little as well.

Finally the apricot and apple puree got spooned into the case before I carefully arranged the slices of apple on top. I then sprinkled it with caster sugar and baked the tart for another 30 minutes - I switched the grill on at the end to get a bit of caramelisation on the edges of the apples. The final glaze was done using a bit of heated up apricot jam & lemon juice brushed over the apples with a pastry brush.

I served this cold [with a bit of cream] & it was delicious. Thank you Mary Berry - I shall be using this easy recipe again.. perhaps with a few more tweaks of my own next time. I'm sure a bit of cinnamon would work in the recipe as would, dare I say it, a bit more sugar! Oh dear I think I'm developing a sweet tooth. This won't do - back to healthy recipes next time!

Lemon Tart

It's time for a not-so-healthy recipe. I'm still trying to get the hang of baking because I want a decent list of classic desserts in my repertoire. This time I wanted to bake a tart from scratch. Who doesn't love a good tart? To enable this to happen I had to first go out and by a loose bottomed tart case and now there will be no stopping me. 

I searched high and low online for an easy recipe and found Gregg Wallace's recipe on the BBC Good food website. I lifted his recipe mainly because his pastry quantities result in double the dose and you basically freeze half of it for another day - 2 tarts with one stone & so on. Genius.

However I decided not to follow his instructions too closely as I don't have the patience or the time to rub flour and butter together till they look like breadcrumbs. It's too messy and takes too long! I saw Delia online advocating using a food processor for that stage of pastry making and if it's good enough for Delia then it's good enough for me! I also played it by ear when pulsing the processor and adding little bits of water at a time to get the pastry to bind into a ball and so I didn't follow his recipe exactly - a bit risky but the final result was a delicious lemon tart. The verdict from those who sampled it [i.e. my other half] was that the pastry could be thinner on the base and the filling could be more lemon rich but all in all, for my first attempt, I was pretty pleased with the result!

Pastry ingredients: [For 2 batches]

Plain Flour 500g [plus a bit to flour the work surface]
Icing sugar 140g [plus a bit to decorate at the end]
Unsalted butter 250g [cold and chopped into cubes]
Egg yolks x 4

Filling ingredients:

Juice of 4 [maybe 5] lemons
Lemon zest from 2 of the lemons
Caster sugar 140g
Double cream 150ml
Whole eggs x 5

Equipment:
Food processor
Weighing machine
Loose bottomed tart tin
Zester
Rolling pin

Method:
1. Put the flour and icing sugar and the cold cubes of butter in the food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolks one at a time and pulse each time
3. Add a splash of water at a time and keep pulsing until the whole lot come together in a lump of dough
4. Take it out onto a clean floured surface and flatten the dough with the palm of your [clean and washed] hands. Put half in some cling film and freeze for another day. Put the other half in cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
5. After 30min take the dough out of the fridge and use the rolling pin to flatten it to the thickness of a pound coin

[ I don't think I was brave enough to thin it out sufficiently - I was more worried about trying to transfer the rolled out dough onto the case! This I managed by lifting the pastry up on the rolling pin and then laying it over the case gently.]

6. Gently cover the tart case with the pastry and gently squish it in against the edges & base.
7. Trim off the excess and prick the base with a fork. Put the case back in the fridge for another 30min.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and place a large square of baking paper on the middle shelf of the oven [to catch any spills]

8. After 30min take the case out from the fridge, place a piece of foil on the pastry and pour in some rice/dried beans
9. Bake this for 10min at 160 degress C
10. Remove the foil - discard it and the contents
11. Put the case back in the oven for another 15 minutes to become biscuity

15. Make the filling by combining all the ingredients apart from the zest & gently stirring with a fork until it's all smooth. Pass the mixture through a sieve and then add the zest.

16. Put the filling mixture in a pouring jug and take it to the oven. Then pour into the tart case right to the top very carefully.
17. Bake for 30 min - till its just set but still has a little wobble.
18. Cool it completely before transferring out of the case and then sprinkle it with a little icing sugar. Et Voila! Tart-tastic.

I am definitely feeling more confident with pastry after this recipe and will be attempting an apple tart next time! Luckily there is a batch of pastry already in the freezer! Brilliant!

Veal Meatballs

I think the stigma attached to eating veal is slowly disappearing in the UK and some supermarkets are starting to stock various cuts. But it's still sometimes hard to find veal, unless you go to the butchers. If you want it delivered with your weekly online shop, Ocado is your best bet as they have veal mince, escalopes, chops and various other cuts.

British Rose Veal in the UK is not only ethical to eat but should be encouraged so that young male calves are consumed by the British public instead of people on the continent. The transport conditions and the feeding laws have changed for the better since 2006 so as to give these animals a fighting chance but if they are not in demand for their meat, they get slaughtered at a young age as they cannot produce milk or sold to veal eating nations in Europe.

Veal is a tender and delicious young beef and can be substituted in all beef recipes. Veal mince is used along with other mince in many Italian meat sauces and you can certainly use veal with any other type of mince [like pork/lamb] in this meatball recipe. My recipe uses pine nuts and raisins which gives the meatballs a really pleasing nutty texture and sweetness.

Meatball mix:

Veal mince
Handful of pine nuts
Handful of raisins
Chopped fresh parsley
Sprinkle of dried oregano
1 crushed clove of garlic
1 large red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
4/5 tbs of ground almonds to dry the mix and bind
1 whole egg to bind
Salt and black pepper

Mix and roll into balls then chill in the fridge for at least 30min while you get the tomato based sauce on the hob.

Sauce ingredients:

2 leeks finely chopped
2 celery sticks finely chopped
2/3 carrots finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 brown onions finely chopped
Thyme, Rosemary and Bay leaves

Chopped Tomatoes
2 pints of chicken stock
Tomato puree - 2/3 tbs
Chopped anchovy fillets x 2/3
salt, pepper and sugar

Fry the vegetables and herbs in olive oil for 30min on a very low heat with a pinch of salt.
Add the anchovies, tomato puree and fry for 2-3 minutes
Then add the stock and the chopped tomatoes and a tsp of sugar

Simmer the sauce for 45min

Add the meatballs into the sauce when it's thickened and the oils have risen to the top. Then simmer gently for 30min. Take the pot off the heat and gently stir the meatballs around. Cover and set aside to rest.

Garnish with parsley and then serve with a crisp green side salad, maybe some bread to mop up the sauce or serve on pasta. It's a big batch so a container load can be frozen.. I always like to have some extra balls in the fridge, in case of meatball emergencies.*

[*meatball emergency e.g when someone drops round for supper and there are only 4 meatballs left in the pasta dish .. you need extra meatballs & sauce or else there will be disappointment all round...This is classed as a middle class crisis]

Lamb & Aubergine Bake

Lamb and Aubergines are a marriage made in heaven. A good example of that can be seen in Mousakka, a Greek classic. I've created a healthy version here which tastes even better the next day. The vegetables are baked and the topping is butter and cheese free but still delicious.

Essentially the cooking process is in 3 stages. The 1st stage is to bake the vegetables. The 2nd stage involves making a good sauce with minced lamb. The final part is the white sauce to go on top and then the whole lot is layered up and baked in the oven. It sounds time consuming but you can be simmering the meat sauce while the vegetables bake and the white sauce can be whipped up just before baking the lot.

Ingredients:

Aubergines x 2 decent sized ones
Courgettes x 2 [optional]
Olive oil

2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
2 large tomatoes
2 medium sized brown onions peeled and diced
Herbs: anything to hand - dried oregano works really well; thyme and rosemary and parsley for garnishing the meat sauce.
Anchovy fillets - about 2/3 chopped up
Tomato puree - a couple of tbs
Salt and pepper
Lean Lamb Mince - defrosted/drained in colander
1 pint of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
cornflour
milk

1 tbs flour
Olive oil
Milk
Plain Yogurt [0% fat]
2 egg yolks

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Whilst it's heating up slice up the Aubergines, arrange in a roasting tray & brush with olive oil using a pastry brush or just your hands. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Slice up the courgettes if using and do the same. Bung them into the oven for 45min at 180 degrees C.

2. Fry the lamb mince in a little olive oil for 10-15 minutes. The supermarket packs usually have a lot of moisture and you have to wait for the water to evaporate before it will actually fry. Good quality stuff usually doesn't have a lot of water. Don't just let the meat go from pink to grey in the oil - really fry it to get dark reddish caramelised bits that catch in the pan. Scrape the lot into a colander and drain the fat. While the meat rests in the colander, start the sauce in the same pan.
3. Fry the chopped onions in olive oil then add the garlic, herbs and anchovies.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and puree
5. Add the meat back in along with 1 pint of chicken stock and 2 bay leaves, season well. Mix well and scrape all the goodness from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
6. Reduce this sauce slowly for about 45min until the oil rises to the top. To thicken if too watery, blend a tbs of cornflour with a tbs of cold milk and add this to the ragu. Remove the bay leaves.

7. Layer the aubergines and courgettes with the meat sauce in a deep dish.

 8. Combine 1 tbs of flour with 3 tbs of olive oil in a clean dry pan. Place over a very low heat to thicken like a roux.
9. Add cold milk in small increments and stir all the time to prevent lumps. Stop when you get a thick sauce. Take it off the heat & if it is lumpy - strain through a sieve.
10. Add cold plain yogurt - about 1/2 a cup or 3/4 tbs - do not season the white sauce
11. Add in 2 egg yolks and mix well
12. Pour the cold white sauce over the top of the layered dish
13. Place on the middle shelf of the oven at 180 degrees C for 45min or until the top is golden and set. Leave to cool and serve with cold crunchy lettuce leaves.

The white sauce was a bit of trial and error - I tried it with just cornflour and milk and yogurt but it was too runny. A roux with flour and olive oil works well and you don't need cheese. The egg yolks work to set and help colour the white sauce. As the meat sauce is so rich and seasoned well with anchovies and salt, there is no need for any seasoning in the white sauce. Garnish with parsley if you want.

This dish is low carb and high protein and a great alternative to lasagne as there is the layered meat effect with veg rather than heavy pasta. The aubergines are perfect in absorbing all the flavours like a sponge and as they are baked they are healthier than fried ones that soak in too much fat. Another way of cooking them without the use of too much fat is to steam them - I'll be trying that next time!

Beef & Barley

Well we're finally into Autumn and the chill factor has been cranked up. We had a fabulous summer and a bonus warm sunny start to October so there can be no complaining about the temperature change. It's time to get the winter clothes out. Dust down the coats and knee high boots and find those gloves and hats. I'm looking forward to the seasonal changes in colour, light and mood. Out comes the Le Creuset pots and favourite stew recipes. Doesn't everyone love to come in out of the cold to a hot steaming bowl of stew this time of year?

This particular one was borne out of whatever there was in the cupboard before the big weekly shop. Normally any stew would start with carrots, celery and onions. However I ran out of everything but onions so I decided to try this and it was awesome! Of course it took 3 hours to get the beef really tender so it's a recipe for a lazy Sunday if you are working unless you have a slow cooker that can be left on during the working day.

Ingredients:

2 packs of diced stewing beef - washed and drained, sprinkled with 1 tsp of flour, a pinch of salt and a good few grinds of black peppercorn

4/5 onions sliced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1/2 a red chilli in strips [optional]

5/6 anchovies chopped

3 tbs of tomato puree

Chicken stock 2 pints

1/2 a cup of pearl barley [ideally soaked for 30 min to an hour - drain and rinse after soaking]

Potatoes - [optional] peeled and chunks in roughly equal sizes

Parsley for garnish [optional]

Method:

1. Fry the onions in olive oil on a low heat for 30min until caramelised

2. Add the anchovies, chilli, crushed garlic and soften for a couple of minutes

3. Take the mixture out and fry the beef for a few minutes 

4. Add the puree and fry for a couple of minutes

5. Add the onions back in along with the stock & pearl barley, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pot

6. Cover and pop into the oven for 3 hours at 150 - 160 degrees C, checking now and again to make sure there is enough liquid [add water if it's drying out]

7. Add potatoes 30-40 min before cooking time is over if you are using them

8. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed then sprinkle with chopped parsley if you have some!

You can serve this with mash instead of putting the potatoes in with the stew. If that seems a little too carb heavy just go for some steamed green crunchy veg on the side.

Nutrition: Check out http://whfoods.org

Pearl Barley

This is a barley grain that has had the hull removed and polished - it is not considered as a whole grain but is thought to be just as good for you because it is high in fibre and high in protein. It has a sticky pasta like quality when cooked and a little goes a long way. Just a handful in a soup or stew will thicken and bulk out the meal. It's slippery consistency makes it ideal for getting an extra texture into a hearty broth. 

Barley is very good at looking after your guts and making you regular. The dietary fibre it provides keeps you fuller for longer, stabilises blood sugar levels and helps reduce cholesterol. It is high in beta glucans and niacin, a B vitamin which also protects against cardiovascular risk factors. So it's good for your heart as well as your bowels. It is thought to reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes and prevent gall stones. So overall a very good alternative grain to try out if you are bored with the usual lot!