All in One Shortcrust Pastry

This is the key to many recipes sweet or savoury. I keep a batch in the freezer all the time, but I am not adverse to buying ready made for those days when I'm in a hurry.

Makes approx 650-700g

Ingredients
400g Plain flour
200g Stork Block Margarine
5-6tbsp Cold Water


Method
Place all the ingredients in a food processor with the blade attachment, whizz until the ingredients come together, add a more water if needed. Tip onto a large sheet of cling film, wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. Gently knead before rolling out. The pastry will keep in the fridge for two days or freeze for up to three month.

Homemade No Churn Vanilla Ice-cream

I was at a party last week and our host had recently acquired chickens, so the conversation inevitably turned to what to do with all the eggs. Thinking about this when I got home and having extra eggs myself to use up,  I found this recipe. This is of course only half the solution, Pavlova is the other half!

Recipe complements of BBC Food

Makes 700mls

Ingredients
2tsp Vanilla extract
500ml Double or whipping cream
70g Sugar
3 Egg yolks

Method
Place the vanilla and cream in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl then slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture (I usually whisk the mixture with an electric mixer to increase the volume). Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-proof container and freeze for 4-5 hours, or until set. Serve.
Due to the absence of milk in this recipe, the ice cream does not crystallise in the freezer bowl. So there's no need to stir it. Ideal for anyone without an ice cream maker

Traditional American Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

This recipe comes with an urban myth: A woman in New York met a friend at a small coffee shop, where they ordered drinks and cookies. They liked the cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. The owner of the coffee shop said that she could have the recipe, but she would have to pay something for it. The woman agreed, and paid for the coffee, cookies and the recipe on her credit card. When she got her next credit card statement, she realised that she had been charged a massive $200 for the recipe. She was furious! She called the restaurant, which refused to refund the money, saying that it was a fair price for the recipe. The woman said that, for that price, she must have bought the copyright for the recipe and she would send it out worldwide. She passed the recipe on to everyone she knew, and asked them to do the same. So here it is; pass it on!

These are delicious, so much so, that I'm fairly sure my sister-in-law is addicted to them, you know who you are!!!!!

Makes 18 -20

Ingredients
100g Porridge Oats
125g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
50g Milk chocolate, grated
100g Butter, softened
100g Soft brown sugar
100g Caster sugar
1 Medium egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Vanilla
115g Chocolate Chips

Method
Preheat oven to 190°C and line two large baking trays with baking paper. Put the oats into a food processor or liquidiser and whizz to a fine powder , add flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt and whizz again to mix together, add grated chocolate (or break into chunks and whizz again) Put both sugars into a large bowl with the butter, cream them until light and fluffy. Beat the egg and vanilla into the creamed butter mixture.

Add chocolate chips and dry ingredients, mix well with a spoon until everything is mixed in and you have a dough. (The softer your butter is the softer your dough will be, therefore the bigger your cookies will spread out on the baking tray)

Use your hands to roll into balls the size of ping-pong balls and put them, 5cm apart, on to non stick baking paper on a baking tray, shown below.

Bake in the oven for about ten minutes. They should have a golden colour, but still look a little underdone (this is what makes the lovely chewy soft texture). If you like them crisp, keep them in a bit longer. Leave them on the tray for a couple of minutes to firm up, then use a fish slice to lift them onto a wire rack to cool.

My tip:
When the weather is a bit cooler the dough is a bit firmer so the cookies don't spread out as much (pictured below), you can gently press each uncooked cookie with a pallet knife to flatten them out if you wish before baking.

 

Egg Fried Rice Anyone Can Make

This is something that has eluded me for many years, I could never master fried rice that tasted and looked appealing. I buy the ready cooked rice because life's too short to cook and cool rice when you just want to get on with business of eating!

Serves 2 or (4 as a side)

Ingredients
250g Microwavable Long Grain rice or left over rice.
1 Medium egg, beaten
75g Cubed ham
100g Frozen peas
1/2 tsp Garlic paste or 1 clove of garlic crushed
1 Spring onion thinly sliced
1 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Stir fry oil
1 tbsp Sherry

Method
In a large non stick frying pan, scramble the egg until almost cooked. Take of the heat and set aside.
Heat the oil in the pan and fry off the ham and garlic for 1-2 minutes, add the cold rice (break up if vacuum pack) and the peas. Cook for a further 5 minutes until everything is warmed through.
Add the sherry, bring up to the boil, reduce the heat and add the soy and egg. Warm everything through and garish with the chopped spring onion. If you wish you can add cooked prawns and cooked chicken along with the rice for a more substantial meal.

Speedy Naan Pizza

This is quicker than Take Out because it's ready to eat in 30 minutes and so that I can call on it at anytime I keep the grated cheese, Naan bread, Passata and ham in the freezer until required.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Naan Bread
3 tbsp Passata (sieve tomatoes)
200g grated mozzarella
100g cubed ham
2 sliced mushrooms

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C degrees. Spread the Passata on the Naan Bread, sprinkle the grated cheese, ham and sliced mushrooms on top and place the pizzas onto a hot baking and bake until golden.
Serve with a green salad and garlic Mayonnaise for dipping the crust into.

Rice Pudding

This is one of those desserts that in my mind is worth making rather than buying in a can. My theory is this, give a man a can and he eats for one day but teach him how to make rice Pudding and he eats for a lifetime!

Serves 4

Ingredients
100g Pudding Rice
75g Sugar
600mls Full fat milk (or 400ml Can Coconut Milk plus 200ml full fat milk)
Vanilla Extract

Method
Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.

Place all the ingredients into a small milk saucepan or similar and bring up to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the pan, cook for about 1 hour.

Serve at room temperature with a splash of cream, fresh fruit, fresh grated nutmeg or chocolate chips.

Jumbo Oat Granola

I was somewhat put off by this recipe when I saw it first because it had so many different ingredients,but to my surprise my local German discounter stocked almost all of the ingredients (which lets be honest is much simpler than going from shop to find specialised ingredients). The honey acts as a preservative so this keeps for weeks at a time.

Makes 1.4kg

Ingredients
500g Jumbo rolled oats
125mls Sunflower Oil
200g Honey
100g Flaked almonds or chopped walnuts
100g chopped cashew nuts
50g Desiccated coconut
100g Pumpkin seeds
100g Sunflower Seeds
1 Tsp vanilla extract
200g - 300g Dried Fruit (Raisins, Pineapple, Sultanas, Apricots, Cranberries)

Method
Preheat the oven to 150C degrees. In a small saucepan (or using a microwave), heat the oil, honey and vanilla extract until warm. Put the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the dried fruit in a large bowl and mix well.

Add in the oil and honey mixture and stir well to ensure it evenly mixed. Spread out on a large baking trays and bake in the oven until golden brown (approx 30 minutes).

 

 

Stir in the oven every 5 minutes or so to brown evenly. Allow to cool fully and add the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

Quick Fix Apple Slice

 

This is a very handy store cupboard back up. I usually have a packet or two of Aldi's puff pastry in the freezer (which defrosts in a couple of hours) and an the apple that might have been passed over a few times suits this job perfectly.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pkt Ready Rolled puff pastry
2 Eating apples
40g Icing sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C degrees and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut the puff pastry into 10 x 15cm rectangles.




Using a fork prick the pastry leaving the edges to rise around the apple.





Thinly slice the eating apples allowing half an apple per person.




Lay the apple in the centre of each rectangle and dust with what seems like a inordinate amount of icing sugar.

Bake until golden making sure the apples are soft.





Serve with ice-cream, warm custard or pouring cream.

Prawn Cocktail Canapes

This is an ideal finger food for the summer or very easy party food, they look so impressive for very little effort.

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g Cooked prawns peeled
1 Head of gem lettuce
200g Mayonnaise
200g Tomato ketchup
Pinch of paprika

Method

Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup and the paprika to make the cocktail sauce. Set aside. Wash the baby gem Lettuce and dry. Using the lettuce as a cup fill with the prawns and top with the cocktail sauce and garish with a sprinkle of paprika.

Blueberry Muffins

I originally got this recipe from All Recipes and thought, sure why not, they might be nice, well they're a revelation, so soft inside but crunchy on top. These are brilliant muffins if you want one with your mid-morning coffee or even for breakfast. Simple enough for children to help make too. I sometimes double the batter mix to make 18 medium sized muffins.

Makes 8 large muffins 

190g Plain flour

150g Granulated sugar
3g Salt
9g Baking powder
80mls Vegetable oil
80mls Milk
1 Egg
145g Blueberries

Topping

100g Granulated sugar ( I like to use demerera sugar for extra crunch)
40g Plain flour
50g Butter Cubed
3g Cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/ Gas Mark 6. Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the combined wet ingredients. Fold together and add the blueberries. Make the topping by combining the ingredient with a fork and sprinkle on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I'm all for using electric mixers in baking but in this recipe it's best to do it by hand, stir no more than 50 times though!

Simple Cupcake Recipe

These are really something special, they're light and fluffy and so easy to make. It's one of those recipes that you just tip everything into a bowl and mix. 

Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

  

These flapjacks are ideal for lunches and for the weeks when you'll be too busy to bake more than once, because they will keep all week in an airtight container. My children love them and so do all their friends but also lovely with a cup of coffee.

Makes 48

Ingredients
450g Porridge oats
Pinch of salt
150g Plain Chocolate chips
300g Softened butter
70g Caster sugar
6tbsp or 90g Golden Syrup


Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a 32cm x 34cm baking tray with parchment paper. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer until combined. 

Spread the mixture into roasting tin and press it down firmly with a fork.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly in the tin and cut into squares (it's important to cut the flapjacks while they're still warm). 

These Flapjacks freeze beautifully but I find that they keep happily in an airtight tin for a week.