Baking

January 21, 2013 Baking

Chorizo and Fennel Seed Sausage Rolls

You may have realised, by now, that I’m catching up on all the recipes I intended to cook in December! A combination of gas leaks, children’s flu etc, has somewhat disrupted my schedule. One thing I really wanted to cook for my annual quiz night were Andy Bates’ chorizo and fennel seed sausage rolls…

Andy is an amazing advocate of street food, and travels the world exploring the tastiest. Whilst he is an extremely competent chef, often it’s just about great flavour combinations that are accessible to the home cook. I came across this recipe on one of the Food Networks Christmas roundups. They struck me as ideal party food, and much nicer than the usual sausage rolls. The chorizo mini-sausages have been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks now, so it seemed like an appropriate time to get on with them. Frankly they couldn’t be simpler, but this isn’t about complicated food, but simple, quick, scrumminess!

Ingredients:
200g mini cooking Chorizo
1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry, cut in half lengthways
Egg yolk
1 tbsp fennel seeds (I used caraway)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel the mini chorizos and roll them in your hands to make a sausage shape.
Lay the mini chorizo lengthways along each piece of pastry. Roll and fold the pastry over the chorizo brushing the inside with egg yolk to help seal.
Using a fork seal the edges and trim any excess pastry, Cut the sausage rolls into individual rolls and place on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper. At this point you can transfer to a freezer-safe container, lined with greaseproof paper to cook from frozen later. Please note, cooking times will increase when cooking from frozen and you may need to lower your oven temperature slightly.
Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with fennel seeds.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Notes:

I really would chop your chorizo before you shape it. Firstly this will give you a better and more even sausage shape. Chopping the meat finely would also allow you to get a cleaner cut – I had to saw mine a little…
And this is one of those pastry recipes where it is important to cut the pastry cleanly, as this gives you more rise and layers in your pastry. But don’t swamp the pastry in egg wash, as this will inhibit those layers, so stay away from the edges, and cut cleanly.
If you’re looking at this, I’d highly recommend you check out the pic of Paul Ainsworth’s black pudding variant, which we had at his dinner with Alyn Williams. I think it looks ridiculously good, though by the time I got to it, I’d given up meat… Hubby said it was amazing though!

Make sure you seal the sides of the pastry well

Now don’t you want one of these with a glass of something?

This is Paul’s black pudding pastry – apparently divine!

You can find more of Andy’s recipes in his new book >

January 13, 2013 Baking

Pecan and Salted Caramel Brownies

Just lately I’ve been craving Gower Cottage’s chocolate brownies, but my secret stash in the freezer was sorely depleted over Christmas! However serendipity has struck again, as I spotted Ed Kimber‘s brownie recipe in my in-box this morning. There’s definitely something about salted caramel… It’s my favourite filling in Laduree Macaron’s, my favourite combination in chocolate bars, there’s something about the salty sweetness that becomes utterly addictive!

It was a given then that I’d have to try these, but I thought I’d adapt the brownie recipe for the Thermomix, to see how they’d turn out. You can find the original recipe on Ed’s site.

Salted Caramel Filling
175g caster sugar
150ml double cream
10g unsalted butter
large pinch of flaked sea salt OR
1/2 jar of Bonne Maman Confiture de Caramel

Fudge Brownies
180g plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder (preferably Green and Blacks, which uses the ‘Dutch’ process)
1/4 tsp salt
300g dark chocolate, around 65-75% cocoa solids
150g unsalted butter
220g light brown sugar
150g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g pecans, chopped (optional extra, half inside the brownie, half on top)

Method

I’m not going to make caramel today, and instead I’m using the jar – okay, stop shouting at me – I’m baking with the 4 year old and I don’t like making caramel when he’s climbing up the counters! If you want more information on the cooking temperatures for caramel, please have a look at my fudge post…
For the brownies preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease a 9×9 inch pan and line with a strip of parchment. Leave a ‘handle’ over the pan’s edge to ease removal. [The Lakeland foiled parchment is perfect for this!]
Pulse the butter and chocolate in the Thermomix bowl for 5 seconds / Speed 5, and scrape down the bowl.
Melt the butter and chocolate together for 4 mins / Speed 1 / 70° C
Add the eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar and mix for 10 seconds / Speed 3
Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix for 10 seconds / Speed 4. Scrape down the bowl (inevitably some of the flour will have been thrown up), and repeat for a further 10 seconds.
Pour half of the mixture into your prepared tin, and then pour the caramel over the batter, leaving a 1 1/2 cm border. Scatter the chopped pecans over the caramel if using… [I like the combination of pecans and salted chocolate, and I wanted some additional texture in the brownie.] Pour the remaining batter over the caramel mixture to cover it. Ed does this by piping it over, otherwise when you spread the second layer of batter you inevitably push the caramel out to the edge, where it can boil over the batter. Until I’ve perfected a cheats way, I suggest you pipe too…
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer (just) comes out cleanly (you don’t want them overdone). Don’t forget, the caramel will be scalding hot, so allow the brownies to cool fully before cutting into squares.

Alternatives:

Scatter chocolate chips in on top of the caramel, and again over the surface before baking
If like me you have thousands of blood oranges in your kitchen – don’t waste the skin and oils – zest the oranges into the batter before using them.
You can use chopped salted Brindisa’s salted almonds – quite a grownup taste, but absolutely amazing. Pulse them for the briefest of moments in the thermo and set aside, before melting the chocolate and butter
If you’re a complete salt addict, you can use salted butter, but in that case, please remember to take the salt out of the other ingredients.

A couple of little brownie tips:

If you’ve managed not to scoff the lot straight away, you can revive your brownies for around 20 seconds in the microwave; and
A great little tip I spotted on the lovely Azelia’s blog, if you have any type of cake which hasn’t quite cooked through, you can finish them off for a few seconds in the microwave… As Azelia points out in her recent doughnut post, the microwave cooks from the inside out… Clever eh?

Now fend off your children and friends with a rolling pin…

Melting the chocolate and butter together

This is the batter once mixing is completed – it’s quite a thick batter

Spoon the caramel over the batter, and scatter with pecans

Cover with the remaining batter and bake

Yummy! And I like the pecans in it!

December 30, 2012 Baking

Thermomix Sauces: Béarnaise

There are conventionally five mother sauces, of which hollandaise is the probably the richest, with it’s combination of egg yolks and melted butter. I’m not always massively fond of hollandaise, as it often lacks flavour beyond the butter. However I absolutely adore a number of variations, especially blood orange hollandaise (Maltaise sauce), beurre blanc, and most particularly béarnaise sauce, with its fragrant addition of tarragon.

Béarnaise is generally made by reducing down a number of key ingredients common to Hollandaise (shallots, white wine vinegar, and tarragon stalks). However most restaurants make much better Béarnaise than we can at home, because they have the time to increase the intensity over a longer period of time. Where we’re reducing down those three key ingredients, most chefs I know actually use their own reduction which is made in batches in advance, and it often includes their own home-made tarragon vinegar – this really ups the flavour of the reduction.

With that in mind, I made some tarragon vinegar a couple of weeks ago, simply by heating some white wine vinegar and storing in a dark place with several sprigs of tarragon in the jar. After a couple of weeks, strain the liquid, and insert some nice new sprigs of tarragon.

A second consideration for me in developing this recipe is that I’m determined to make it in my Thermomix, as this is precisely what it’s so good at making!

One of my favourite chefs gave me his reduction recipe for beurre blanc, and this forms the basis of my Bearnaise recipe.

Reduction for Buerre Blanc, Béarnaise and Hollandaise
1 bottle of decent white wine (750ml)
500ml tarragon vinegar
1 bunches of tarragon stalks
1/2 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
Peppercorns
7 sliced shallots

When you’re ready to make the relevant sauce, use approximately 200g of the reduction for six servings.

Thermomix Béarnaise Sauce
200g of the reduction
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
400 g butter
5 egg yolks

Preparation

Put the shallot reduction into the Thermo and pulse for a few seconds
Insert the butterfly and add remaining ingredients.
Process at 80C, speed 3 for 6 minutes.
Press through a fine sieve and serve.

You can keep the sauce at 60oC for over an hour on speed 2/3.

I prefer my Béarnaise a little acidic – if you prefer a more buttery version, just keep adding butter until you reach a suitable flavour – and don’t forget to season the sauce!

November 23, 2012 Baking

Creme Patisserie [Thermomix]

Whenever people ask me what I make in my Thermomix, the first thing that springs to mind is flawless, effortless creme patisserie. It’s just ridiculously easy in a Thermo, and rather time consuming when made in the conventional way. Once you have creme patisserie, you can make perfect fruit tarts, glorious soufflés and immaculate pain au raisin!

Ingredients:

300ml full fat milk
60g unrefined caster sugar
30g unsalted good quality butter
30g plain flour
3 free range egg yolks
the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
pinch of salt

Method:

Put all the ingredients into the Thermomix bowl and cook for 7 minutes at 90C, speed 4.
Give it a quick whizz at the end to ensure it’s smooth, then pour into a bowl and cover with cling film until it’s cool. There’s also a pistachio creme patisserie on my PK Pistachio Souffle recipe.
Yes – that’s it! Keep it in your fridge until you require it.

Oh. And if you’re stupid enough to stick in a block of quite cool butter, do put the lid on properly and start the machine quite slowly.

November 11, 2012 Baking

Marco Pierre White’s Raspberry Soufflé

My favourite souffé recipe, I found this again when I moved the blog onto this site – I’d posted this for Gemma, from the Independent. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to eat at Mirabelle, the now deceased restaurant run by Marco Pierre White, you’ll know this dish. I’ve had many, many variations of it, but none are as good as this, which was published in the Mirabelle cookbook.

Frozen raspberries are actually better than fresh for the pureé (or coulis) which is used as the base of this soufflé. They contain more moisture than fresh, and are much cheaper.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

50g unsalted butter
220g caster sugar
16 fresh raspberries
100ml Framboise (raspberry eau de vie)
12 egg whites
200ml raspberry reduction (see basic recipes on page 54)

To serve: 1 quantity raspberry pureé, made with 300g raspberries and 100g caster sugar, blended and sieved.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and thoroughly grease four soufflé dishes 7.5cm/3in in diameter and 6.25cm/212in deep with half the butter. Place in the fridge until the butter sets hard, then butter again just before pouring in the soufflé mixture. Sprinkle with 20g of the caster sugar to coat, tipping out any excess. [See my comments on lining the dish]
Marinate the fresh raspberries in the Framboise until ready to use.
Put the egg whites into the bowl of your mixer and begin to beat. When they start to take shape, start adding the remaining sugar, a quarter at a time. When thoroughly mixed in, add another quarter and so on. [You can check whether the sugar has fully dissolved by rubbing a tiny bit between you fingers – if it’s still grainy – it hasn’t fully dissolved]
Put the raspberry reduction (the soufflé base) in a round bowl and whisk in a third of the beaten egg white; this loosens the base. Fold in the remaining egg white carefully.
Half fill the soufflé dishes with the mixture, then place three drained, marinated raspberries in the centre. Fill to the top with the mixture, then scrape off evenly with a palette knife. Run your finger around the edge to push the mixture away from the sides. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes. [Running your fingernail around the edge should create a lip, which allows the soufflé a clean lift from the dish]
To serve, place the dish on a plate with a raspberry on top, and some of the pre-prepared raspberry puree, or coulis, on the side.

You can make a blackberry soufflé the same way, using creme de cassis for the reduction and marination. Use a little less water, as blackberries contain more water than raspberries. Bake the soufflé for 7-8 minutes instead of 10.

November 3, 2012 Baking

Basic Measurements

I’ve culled these measurements from sites all over the web, but if you click on the header it will take you to the originating site :0)

Approximate Conversions from Volume to Weight
1 large egg = 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) = 2 ounces = 55 grams
1 large egg = 1/4 cup egg substitute liquid *
1 large egg white = 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce = 30 grams
2 large egg whites = 2 1/2 to 3 cups stiffly beaten
1 large egg yolk = 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons = 2/3 ounces = 25 grams
1 large egg yolk = 2 tablespoons egg substitute liquid
1 dozen large eggs = 2 1/3 cups = 660 grams
1 dozen large egg whites = 1 1/2 cups = 360 grams
1 dozen large egg yolks = 7/8 cup = 300 grams
1 cup eggs = 4 to 5 large eggs
1 cup egg yolks = 11 to 12 large egg yolks
1 cup egg whites = 7 to 8 large egg whites
1 kilogram eggs (1,000 grams) = 18 large eggs
1 kilogram egg whites (1,000 grams) = 33 large egg whites
1 kilogram egg yolks (1,000 grams) = 40 large egg yolks

Sugar Temperatures:

Stage	Type	Celsius	Fahrenheit
Thread	Syrup	110°C to 112°C	230°F to 234°F
Soft ball	Fudge	112°C to 116°C	234°F to 240°F
Firm ball	Caramel	118°C to 120°C	242°F to 248°F
Hard ball	Nougat	121°C to 130°C	250°F to 268°F
Soft crack	Butterscotch	132°C to 143°C	270°F to 290°F
Hard crack	Toffee	146°C to 154°C	300°F to 310°F

From Recipes4Living:

Liquid Measure
	1/5 tsp				1 ml
	1/4 tsp	1 dash	3 drops
	1 tsp				5 ml
1 tbsp	3 tsp		1/16 cup	1/2 fl oz	15 ml
2 tbsp	6 tsp		1/8 cup	1 oz	30 ml
4 tbsp	12 tsp		1/4 cup	2 fl oz
5 1/3 tbsp			1/3 cup
8 tbsp	24 tsp	1/4 pt	1/2 cup	4 fl oz	118 ml
16 tbsp	48 tsp	1/2 pt	1 cup	8 fl oz	237 ml
32 tbsp		1 pt	2 cups	16 fl oz	473 ml
64 tbsp	1 qt	2 pts	4 cups	32 fl oz	946 ml (.95 liters)
1 gal	4 qts	8 pts	16 cups	128 fl oz	3.8 liters

Dry Measure
	1/8 tsp		1 pinch
1 tbsp	3 tsp		1/16 cup	1/2 fl oz	14 grams
2 tbsp	6 tsp		1/8 cup	1 fl oz	28 grams
4 tbsp	12 tsp		1/4 cup	2 fl oz	57 grams
8 tbsp	24 tsp		1/2 cup	4 oz	113 grams	1 stick butter
16 tbsp	48 tsp		1 cup	8 oz	227 grams	1/2 lb
32 tbsp		1 pt	2 cups	16 oz	454 grams	1 lb
	1 qt	2 pts	4 cups	32 oz	907 grams	2 lbs
2 gal	8 qts	16 pts	1 peck
8 gal			4 pecks	1 bushel

Making Conversions
ounces to grams:	multiply ounce figure by 28.3 to get number of grams
grams to ounces:	multiply gram figure by .0353 to get number of ounces
pounds to grams:	multiply pound figure by 453.59 to get number of grams
pounds to kilograms:	multiply pounds by 0.45 to get number of kilograms
ounces to milliliters:	multiply ounce figure by 30 to get number of milliliters
cups to liters:	multiply cup figure by 0.24 to get number of liters

Some Common Weights		Egg Substitute
1 cup sifted flour	5 oz	1 large egg	2 oz = 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp
1 cup sugar	8 oz	1 egg yolk	1 tbsp + 1 tsp
1 cup brown sugar	6 oz	1 egg white	2 tbsp +2 tsp
1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar	4.5 oz

Temperature
Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius: subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit amount, multiply by 5 then divide by 9		Converting Celsius to Fahrenheit: multiply the Celsius amount by 9, divide by 5, then add 32
Fahrenheit	Celsius	Fahrenheit	Celsius
-10	-23 (freezer temp)	275	135
0	18	300	149
32	0 (water freezes)	325	162
50	10	350	177
68	20 (room temp)	375	190
100	38	400	204
150	66	425	218
205	96 (water simmers)	450	232
212	100 (water boils)	475	246
225	110	500	260 (broiling)
250	120

Fresh Yeast Conversion

Fresh yeast, also called baker’s yeast, cake yeast or compressed yeast is my preferred type of yeast when making bread. It should be kept in the fridge and lasts up to 4 weeks. Fresh yeast has no artificial additives. Although not widely available in Australian shops, it is possible to find it in some delis and bakeries.

To buy fresh yeast look for a nice creamy colour without any dark or dried out spots. It should smell pleasantly and crumble easily. Greyish yeast that is stretchy and gummy is past the required freshness and might produce unsatisfactory loaf. If in doubt, mix a small amount of yeast in some warm water with a tablespoon of flour. If it rises, it means it’s still active.

Dry yeast on the other hand can be kept for up to 2 years. This is especially handy if you don’t bake with yeast very often. However, dry yeast usually contains additive sorbitan monostearate (E491).

COMMON YEAST PACKAGING

In recipes requiring yeast, different yeast types and amounts can be stated. That can be very confusing. Also, depending on the origin of the recipe the amount can be stated as a cube or a cake of yeast. Here are the most common yeast packaging sizes:

Dry yeast in small packs has most universal weight. One packet, one sachet or one envelope weighs7 grams (0.25 oz or 2 teaspoons). 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of dry yeast equals 3.5 grams

Fresh yeast packaging differs significantly. In Australia it’s commonly produced in 1 kg blocks and then cut up into prepackaged small chunks or sold at the counter according to the customer’s requirements. US cake of fresh yeast is packed in 0.6 oz or 17 grams. If a recipe of Europeanorigin asks for a cube of fresh yeast, the required weight is 42 grams or 1.5 oz or 2.5 US cake portions.

FRESH YEAST TO DRY YEAST CONVERSION AND VICE VERSA

The packaging types, sizes and measuring systems aren’t the only thing needing conversions. If you only have dry yeast and the recipe calls for fresh yeast, what do you do? Fresh yeast to dry yeast conversion and other way round is an easier one. Very often I read in different recipes suggestion to half or double the amount to change the type of yeast. That would result in too much of dry yeast of too little of fresh and longer proving time.

The rule of thumb is dividing or multiplying by 3:

from fresh yeast to dry – divide amount by 3, eg. instead of 30 grams of fresh yeast use 10 grams of dry
from dry yeast to fresh – multiply by 3, meaning 7 grams or dry yeast becomes 21 grams of fresh.

Another easy way to remember yeast conversion is:

10g of fresh yeast = 1 teaspoon of dry yeast

10 : 3 = 3.33 g

As you can see above, this is close to 3.5 g – the average weight of one level teaspoon of dry yeast. Teaspoon volume varies depending on the manufacturer and the shape. However, a few grams more or less of yeast won’t make a huge difference in your recipe.

Note:

The amount of dry yeast in recipes and on the packaging instruction is often exaggerated. As a result the dough rises too quickly and has a yeasty taste. Reduce the amount of yeast and allow the dough a bit of extra time if necessary.

Happy baking!

May 13, 2012 Baking

Heston Blumenthal’s Lemon Tart [Thermomix]

Without doubt the best lemon tart I’ve had, light, just set and vibrant with citrus flavours.

I’ve actually made this recipe several times now, and have gradually refined the process so that now the 11yo actually makes it on her own! The first time I ignored all of the instructions about sticking it into the freezer, and I paid the price. Firstly the dough was far too soft to handle, and broke as I was transferring it to the case. Secondly it went golden far too quickly, and lastly it absolutely fell apart when I mis-handled the tin. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly, use an oven thermometer, your digital thermometer, and if you have one, your laser thermometer too!

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
300g plain flour
150g unsalted butter
½ tsp salt
120g icing sugar
3 large egg yolks
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 egg for the egg wash

Method:

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, butter and salt on low speed until it becomes a sand like texture (approximately 2-3 minutes). [Actually, I did this by hand]
In the meantime, in a tall container blitz together the icing sugar and egg yolks with a hand blender.
Add the vanilla seeds and lemon zest to the egg yolk mixture and then add to the bowl in the mixer and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined and a very soft dough has formed (approximately 3-5 minutes).
Mould the dough into a flat rectangle and wrap it in clingfilm before placing in the fridge for at least 1 hour. [Did mine overnight, was pretty firm when I rolled it out]
Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2mm, using two stacked 2 pence coins as guides, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Line a 26cm tart tin (2.5cm deep) with the pastry making sure to press it into the edges and leaving the pastry hanging over the edge.
Take a sheet of baking paper and scrunch it up several times to eliminate any sharp edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Place the baking paper on top and add enough coins (or baking beans) to fill the casing ¼ of the way up. Place in the preheated oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked. [Be careful with the coins – once nearly put a watch battery in the oven which someone had dumped in the coin pot – check them!]
In the meantime, mix some of the leftover dough with an egg using a hand blender.
After 20 minutes, remove the baking paper and coins and, using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the tart with the dough and egg mixture. This ‘liquid pastry’ will ensure that any holes will be sealed. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 120ºC/gas mark ½. Place the baked pastry case in the oven to warm up.

[If you’re in a massive hurry, you can use this pastry, it comes in a pre-cut disc and is the best commercial pastry I’ve found to date. This is what the 11yo uses when we’re in a hurry, and it’s pre-rolled to a very suitable thickness]

For the filling:

Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons

300ml double cream

390g white caster sugar

9 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

Method:

Put all the filling ingredients into the thermomix and cook for 10 minutes, speed five, at 60ºC – keep a close eye on the temperature, you want to stop it at 60º – do not rely on the thermomix, check it with a digital thermometer! At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.
Slide the oven rack out a bit, then pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven. Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in, and bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes or until the temperature of the filling reaches 70ºC. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. [Now. You’re supposed to check the temperature with a thermometer – DO NOT TEST THE TEMPERATURE AT THE EDGE OF THE TART! It’s cooked further than the rest of it, and will mark your custard! I’ve now made this tart several times and I actually now test it with a laser thermometer, basing the reading on the centre of the tart – you can also use the ‘wobble test’ – there should still be a noticeable wobble in the centre.]
Just before serving, trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard.

Notes:

The tart had the perfect amount of wobble, and stood upright, but it was still a little too loose for me, in terms of mouth feel. Unless you’re going to practice it before you make it for something big, do take it a little beyond 70ºC if you want to make sure it’s more firmly set. Also, Heston says to trim the pastry just before you serve? No, think that’s a bad idea… Firstly, I ended up with little crumbs on my tart, not matter how I held it, because the pastry is so brittle. Secondly, I managed to break a chunk off mine at the last minute, which then meant that I was unwilling to really trim it up to the fluted edge for fear of a repeat… Also, the pastry was still too thick… I rolled it much thinner after that.