06.27.09
Posted in British, Cuisines, Dessert, Dips & Spreads, Foodblog Events, Fruits, Pies & Tarts at 12:55 am by julie
The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England. This was a fun one for me because I’d heard of bakewell tarts, but never seen or tasted one. They turn out to be surprisingly easy to make, and scrumptious with tea—go figure!
Although there are a variety of ways to make a bakewell tart, our recipe was composed of a rich shortbread crust topped with layers of jam and frangipane, a moist almond filling. We were allowed the option of using either store-bought or homemade jam, and since it is strawberry season AND right around Father’s Day and our 10th wedding anniversary, I made fresh strawberry jam for Jeremy, his favorite.
Now, I’ve done jams a few times in the past and it is not my forte. I tend to get paranoid that it hasn’t cooked long enough, thereby far overcooking it and ending up with fruit candy that won’t come out of the jars. This time I carried home 4 pints of gorgeous Oregon strawberries a mile home from the market, and promptly dumped every last one of them out on my front porch as I tried to dig my key out of my pocket. An inauspicious start, to say the least. Since my berries were now all bruised and dirty, the clock was really ticking. I immediately rinsed them all off individually and used them right away, since bruised and/or wet berries will spoil in the blink of an eye. Considering my previous track record, I decided to try my hand at freezer jam, which apparently uses an ungodly amount of sugar and gives the berries a kind of artificial citric acid tang. It was totally easy to do, but I think it didn’t really show off the natural flavor of the fruit, and it set up pretty soft. I followed the instructions exactly, but my berries were quite juicy, so I wonder if that affected the outcome. In the end, I really think I just need to come to terms with traditional jamming and keep practicing.
The next day, with 5 pints of sort-of set strawberry freezer jam at the ready, I proceeded with my tart. I did my crust in the food processor, and it came together in no time. After giving it a short stint in the fridge, I rolled out my crust and got it into the tart pan with a little help from plenty of bench flour and a jumperoo to keep the baby from making a break for the dog’s water bowl every 10 seconds. Then we made frangipane to the tune of “Oh Susannah” and “London Bridge is Falling Down” while the crust set up in the freezer for 15 minutes. Quick smears of jam and almond filling, and the tart went into the oven for half an hour.
It came out darker than I expected, which may be because 200 degrees Celsius is actually 392F, not the 400F that the recipe indicated. Guess I should have looked up the exact conversion. I got it out in time, but I wouldn’t call this frangipane “tanned”.
We gave it a few minutes to cool and set, and then dove into it with dollops of vanilla whipped cream. It was absolutely delicious; all three of us loved it, and it only lasted us about two days. I think I see many more bakewell tarts in our future! In the meantime, be sure to check out all the daring tarts at the blogroll.
I am a member of the Theta Class of Daring Bakers, inducted in July 2007. Below is a list of previous challenges:
Strawberry Mirror Cake – July 2007
Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart – August 2007
Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns – September 2007
Bostini Cream Pies – October 2007
Tender Potato Bread – November 2007
Traditional Buche de Noel – December 2007
Lemon Meringue Pie – January 2008
French Bread – February 2008
Perfect Party Cake – March 2008
Opéra Cake – May 2008
Danish Braid – June 2008
Filbert Gateau – July 2008
Chocolate Éclairs – August 2008
Lavash Crackers and Dip – September 2008
French Yule Log – December 2008
Tuiles – January 2009
Chocolate Valentino and Ice Cream – February 2009
Lasagne of Emilia-Romana – March 2009
Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake – April 2009
Apple Strudel – May 2009
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12.01.07
Posted in British, Cuisines, Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 2:36 pm by julie
The weekend before Thanksgiving, when we went to Whole Foods to buy a turkey and pumpkins and Brussels sprouts and such, we stopped by the meat counter to pick up an item or two for meals before the big feast. Naturally, while I was considering quick cooking items like ground meat and veal scalloppine, Jeremy the perpetual lamb fiend pointed out the leg and shoulder roasts. I wasn’t about to cook a big roast three days before Thanksgiving, and counter-offered with lamb stew. Eventually, we settled on getting a shoulder roast to make shepherd’s pie.
Even though shepherd’s pie is frequently made from leftover lamb roasts or stews, we decided to make it fresh, thanks to Gordon Ramsay. (The previous week’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares showed Gordon making his own “family recipe” for shepherd’s pie as the new signature dish of a failing restaurant.) So I ended up tracking down a Gordon Ramsay recipe for shepherd’s pie to use myself.
Of course, for over a week, the plan was put aside, because Jeremy came down with stomach flu and was barely to eat anything but chicken noodle soup for several days before Thanksgiving. The lamb shoulder went in the freezer and stayed there until our leftovers dwindled a week later.
This recipe turned out to be a rather time-consuming one, but that was my fault in part, because I decided to mince the lamb by hand, instead of using my grinder. It was a fatty cut of meat, and there was quite a bit of additional chopping, sauteeing, reducing, mashing and mincing. I was at least able to use up the last of the leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving as a portion of the topping. All in all, it was at least two hours in the making, and while certainly a tasty shepherd’s pie, I have to admit I like the ones I make from leftovers just as well. Of course that would mean doing a braise or roast the day before, so it was going to be a bit of a project either way.
Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie
2 lbs (900 g) lean ground or minced lamb
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T tomato paste
Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 C red wine
1 ¼ C chicken stock
2 lbs boiled potatoes
2 ounces butter
Olive oil or milk, if needed
Parmesan, for grating
2 egg yolks
Fresh ground white pepper
Salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince, then the garlic. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce becomes thick and glossy. Check for seasoning.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer, then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan and seasoning with salt and white pepper.
Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, pile the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, and spread out gently, starting from the middle and working your way to the edges. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season; fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Place in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown in color. Serve with pan-roasted carrots.
Source: Slightly adapted from Gordon Ramsay.
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07.21.07
Posted in British, Cuisines, Uncategorized at 8:27 am by julie
Since the last Harry Potter book arrives at our house today, maybe I should make something British for breakfast… While I’m at it, check out these Harry Potter recipes.
The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!
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Said Ravenclaw, "We’ll teach those whose intelligence is surest."
Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron’s affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine’s editor).
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Update: I decided to make some scones from Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess
for breakfast. They came out pretty well, although as I was making them, it hit me that they were really just the equivalent of baking powder biscuits made with homemade baking powder. And sure enough, that’s pretty much what they tasted like. I couldn’t figure out why Nigella said they look like they have cellulite, though.
I topped half of my scones with cacao nib sugar and half with cinnamon sugar. Since we didn’t have any clotted cream, we ate ours with butter, jam, honey, and Nutella.
Lily’s Scones
3 1/3 C AP flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 C cold unsalted butter, diced
2 T shortening, in teaspooned lumps
1 1/3 C milk
1 large egg, beaten, for egg-wash
Preheat oven to 425F.
Sift the flour, salt, soda, and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Rub in the fats till the mixture goes like damp sand. Add the milk all at once, mix briefly—briefly being the operative word—and then turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly to form a dough.
Roll out to about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thickness. Dip a 2 1/3-inch crinkle-edged round cutter into some flour, then stamp out at least 10 scones. You get 12 in all from this, but may need to reroll for the last 2. Place on a greased baking sheet very close together—the idea is that they bulge and stick together on cooking—then brush the tops with the egg wash. Put in the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until risen and golden.
Always eat freshly baked, preferably still warm from the oven, with clotted cream and jam, or my favorite, Thunder and Lightning, which is clotted cream and molasses.
Source: How to Be a Domestic Goddess, by Nigella Lawson.
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