Plum Clafoutis

It has been eight months since I wrote in my blog but now I am back and keener than ever! By no means have I been avoiding the kitchen in these eight months, however. I am happy to say (as there would be something seriously wrong if I had 'gone off' cooking!) that I am still brimming with culinary passion :)

This afternoon I made my first ever clafoutis, making some use of our glut of garden plums. The recipe I used is from Michel Roux's Pastry book and thus has a pastry crust (much to my surprise, as a clafoutis neophyte!). I was extremely pleased with the way my pate briseée turned out (it is delicate, flaky and beautifully short even on the base - I was also pleasantly surprised to find it relatively easy to work with) and the baked custard element of the clafoutis was utterly delicious, flavoured generously with vanilla and a splash of brandy. However, all of that was slightly overpowered by the wince-worthy tartness of our homegrown plums :/ I think that if I had used the traditional cherry or another, sweeter soft fruit (such as peach, pear or apricot) it would have been a real star, so I would still thoroughly recommend this recipe :)

full recipe coming soon...

Lemon Squares

Do you like lemon curd? I love lemon curd. However, it has to be as sharp and zesty as possible, otherwise you end up with a clacky mouthful of buttery egg. 

These squares are utterly delicious. Their dainty size and citrussy freshness makes them ideal for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up but the butter-rich shortbread base and the set-but-still-squidgy lemon curd layer makes them incredibly moreish.

I must admit, I was a little disheartened when I removed them from the oven - the lemon custard had baked set and was reminiscent of an omelette, with air bubbles and sporadic brown freckles over the surface. All it took was for me to slice the traybake into squares, to reveal the creamy middle layer, and I knew it was going to be good. And that is what renders these squares eye-wideningly scrumptious.

N.B. - when storing these, make sure you separate the layers with some greaseproof paper because if the shortbread base of one square comes into contact with the sticky topping of another, you end up with soggy bottomed squares - a sorry waste!

Lemon Squares (makes 30 pieces)

from Cakes & Slices - Murdoch Books

125g (4 1/2 oz) butter, softened 

75g (2 1/2 oz) caster sugar

155g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour, sifted

4 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

250g (9oz) caster sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice (I used a fair bit more to make them really zingy!)

1 tso grated lemon zest

30g (1oz) plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4). Lightly grease a 8x12 inch rectangular shallow baking tin and line the base with baking parchment, leaving the paper to hang over the long sides.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon until roughly combined. Press into the tin. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and firm. Leave to cool in the tin. 

Beat the eggs and sugar for two minutes, or until light and fluffy. 

Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Sift together the flour and baking powder and gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

Pour onto the base. Bake for about 25 minutes (mine didn't take this long) or until just firm and slightly golden. Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar just before serving, if desired.

N.B. - this full recipe will make around 30 squares, contrary to what my photograph shows - I halved the quantity, put it into a smaller square tin and it yielded 16 pieces, so do not be confused!

Mince Pies

It is Christmas Eve and it is beautiful outside. The sky is a fresh blue and and every tree, hedge and plant pot is sparkling with frost. It is also bitingly cold.

Inside my kitchen, however, the rich aroma of dried fruit and cinnamon is lingering enticingly and the residual heat from the oven acts as a welcoming blanket when you step through the door. 

Mince pies on Christmas Eve, with Nat King Cole's mellow voice melting out of the CD player, all tied up with a steaming mug of tea, is in my opinion, utter perfection. 
That is, if I look past the fact that I have always found pastry a challenge and a niggle. Despite my best efforts to remain calm, collected and thick-skinned, I tend to crack and whine and throw my hands in the air, determined that it there is no point in continuing. 

That happened today. I am ashamed to say the festive spirit escaped me momentarily. But fear not, it is back and jollier than ever!  With a bit of familial encouragement and a dab or two of icy cold water, I managed to defy the tenacious fiddly-ness of the pastry and create some beautiful little pies. 

I must admit, I did not entirely make my own mincemeat. It is one of those things that always tastes so fine when it is shop-bought that there seems little to criticise about using supermarket jars rather than stewing up a homemade batch. I did, however, jazz up my jar of Classic Mincemeat to further enhance its festive flavour. Fresh cranberries, grated apple, a spoonful of coarse-cut marmalade and a sprinkling of ground almonds to soak up any excess juice, turning it into something altogether more dreamy, velvety, Christmassy...

This recipe is taken from the December 2010 issue of my favourite magazine - Delicious. 

Mince  Pies (makes 12-15 pies)

250g mincemeat (plus any extras you may wish to throw in - cranberries, grated apple, marmalade, orange rind, mixed peel, glacé cherries, chopped nuts, ground almonds, extra spices...)

175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tbsp icing sugar

small pinch salt

45g chilled butter, cut into pieces

45g chilled lard or white vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

ground almonds (or crushed shortbread or similar - enough to line the bottom of each pastry cup to avoid the bottoms of your pies becoming soggy with excess liquid)

Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl, add the butter and vegetable fat and work it together lightly, using your fingertips, until it resembles breadcrumbs (it is a good idea to run your hands under some very cold water before starting, so that the fat does not melt from the heat of your hands). 

Then stir in 2-4 tablespoons of very cold water using a round bladed knife until the mixture just comes together. Knead it lightly with your hands until you have a smooth(-ish!) ball.

Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/ 375 degrees F/fan 170 degrees C/gas mark 5.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and cut out 24 x 7cm rounds. Keep going until you have used up as much of the pastry as you can, remembering to cut out lids (either plain rounds or little stars or lovehearts, like I did).

Line a patty tin with your pastry circles, sprinkle some ground almonds (or equivalent) onto the bottom of each and fill with a tablespoon of mincemeat. Top with your pastry lids. Brush with a little beaten egg/milk and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust lightly with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Enjoy...perhaps warm with some rum butter...or crème fraiche...or simply as they are...Merry Christmas :)