Lorraine Pascale's Oreo Brownies

These Brownies are sooo good!! Okay so I thought that some spoil me baking was required and sure why not have a Brownie Bonanza!! I tell you the hardship of food blogging knows no limits (cheeky!!)
My last post was the fudgy and perfect Donal Skehan Super Brownies, which are amazing. To be perfectly honest, these are both really good recipes to have in your repertoire, however I feel they are slightly different animals.
Donal's brownies are what I call an everyday recipe, *sigh* if only! Easy to make using mostly store cupboard ingredients, whereas Lorraine's recipe takes a bit more preparation, skill and effort. Totally worth it if you are out to impress, their (extremely) gooey texture will melt any heart.

Lorraine Pascale's Last Minute Mince Pies

 

It's six sleeps to Christmas and I'm playing catch up!! Last week I caught the dreaded flu, yuck! It was pretty awful, I spent days on end with a fever, too weak to walk and then to top it all off I got a chest infection!! 

So to say that my Christmas plans were put on hold is a understatement. I had huge plans for baking, blogging, card writing and shopping, alas all stopped! Now thanks to a large vat of antibiotics and plenty of rest I am recovering and back on track(ish).

If like me you are either out of time or just want really tasty and quick mince pies then this a post you might enjoy. I watched  Lorraine Pascale make these rather special star mince pies on her Last Minute Christmas Show last year, these are perfect for entertaining and are ready in a jiffy. The job will be even quicker if you buy sheets of ready rolled puff pastry (which I did), I'm planning on making plenty of batches of these this year......Enjoy!

Lorraine Pascale's Pain D'Epi Bread Recipe

Okay I have to admit that when I find a recipe that makes a seemingly difficult and time consuming recipe look easy, then I'm hooked, this is one of these very recipes.
I am not an expert when it come to yeast bakery, in fact, I regard myself as somewhat as a learner. I think that anyone who helps me on that journey is to be praised! I know that Lorraine has her critics and that bread making should be a long drawn out process, but I'm not there yet, I'm still grappling with how to knead the dough or how warm the water should be, so for now this is our Pain D'Epi recipe and a regular guest at our table. Perhaps when I'm much more experience, I will share my findings, the recipes that are closer to the original (long drawn out) method and those important hints and tips! For now enjoy experimenting and learning how to bake with that (complex) ingredient, yeast.

Recipe complements of Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy

Yield 1 loaf

Ingredients
275g Strong white flour
2tsp Dried yeast
1tsp Sea salt, plus extra for the top
175ml Warm water
1tbsp Olive oil, plus extra for greasing

Method
Put the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and yeast into a large bowl. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add enough water until the dough just comes together. Stir in the olive oil.

Flour your work surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Lorraine has a very distinct method of kneading bread, she rolls the dough away from herself with the heel of her right hand, draws is back, using the palm of her right hand. She then repeats this using her left hand leaving a distinctive V shape on the floured surface!)

Form the dough into a tight ball so the top is really nice and taut. Place it onto a floured baking sheet and form it into a long and thin baguette shape, thinner than usual as it will expand while it rises.

Cover the tray with lightly oiled cling film so it is airtight but not too tight so the dough has room to expand. Put in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. I usually leave mine on a chair near the oven. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Uncover the bread and sprinkle on some flour. Put the bread with the shortest edge facing you (or lengthwise) and, starting at the end furthest away from you, hold a pair of scissors so they are parallel to the bread, then tilt them so they are at a 45-degree angle. Make a large cut 10cm away from the top of the dough, almost as if you were going to snip that bit off but it will still be attached, then take that piece and move it to the left. Make another snip about 10cm down from the bottom of the last one and move that piece to the right. Keep on doing this until you reach the end of the bread.

Sprinkle the top with flour and salt.

Spray some water (I usually place 4-5 ice cubes into the oven) to create a steamy atmosphere. Put the dough into the oven. Bake until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom, about 25 minutes.

Lorraine Pascale's Peanut Butter Squares

Lorraine Pascale is one of my favourite chef's, I really enjoyed watching her recent show on BBC One, Fast, Fresh and Easy Food series. This is a no bake recipe, which involves very little effort, my kind of recipe! Apart from melting chocolate, which lets face it is not an unpleasant job, is easy enough for children to make.
Lorraine says: I was recipe testing some millionaire’s shortbread and found I did not have enough of the correct ingredients. A family-sized pot of crunchy peanut butter sat almost full at the back of my cupboard, providing me with some nutty inspiration for these peanut butter squares.

Recipe compliments of BBC food.

Makes 16 (or more in may case!!)

Ingredients
150g Butter
200g Dark chocolate or milk chocolate (or a mixture of both)
250g Digestive biscuits
200g Soft light brown sugar
300g  Crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method
Line a 20cm/8in square tin with baking parchment, leaving some excess paper hanging over the edges (this makes it easier to lift out once set). Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat. I use a silicone square baking tin, very handy.

Snap the chocolate into squares and throw into a small bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each addition or sit the bowl over a pan over simmering water. Make sure that the bottom of the pan does not touch the water or the chocolate may ‘seize’ and go really grainy and stiff.

Blitz the digestive biscuits and brown sugar in a blender or food processor to give fine crumbs.

Tip them into the melted butter. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix together so everything is well combined.

Tip the mixture into the lined tin and press it down really hard with the back of the spoon. It needs to be really compact and tight.

Then pour over the melted chocolate, tilting the tin back and forth a bit so that the whole thing is evenly covered. Pop in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up (or the fridge for an hour). Once the chocolate is set, remove it from the freezer (or fridge). Lift it out of the tin with the help of the baking parchment.

Remove the paper and then use a sharp knife to divide it into 16 squares and serve (I let it almost come to room temperature before cutting)

To store: I tweeted Lorraine (@lorrainepascale), asking her how to store these little delights, she kindly replied "chill, then pull out of fridge 15mins or so before you need them so they aren't too hard "

Almost Glam Mac and Cheese!!

What is not to like about macaroni pasta smothered in an elegant cheese sauce with a crispy topping, pure heaven! Lorraine Pascale made this on her Baking Made Easy show that aired on BBC 2, where I spent most of my time in front of the television, scribbling down the recipes furiously (most of which have made it to this blog!!) all the while planning the next day's meal, which would often be a replica of the show. I enjoy her recipes immensely and most of you do too, judging by the popularity of her Oven Baked Scotch Eggs recipe. This is a slightly altered version of her Glam Mac and Cheese, perhaps less glamorous but just as tasty!!

Serves 4 

Ingredients
340g Macaroni
80g Pancetta, diced
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
3 Spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (I used mushrooms instead)
100g Breadcrumbs
Handful chopped fresh parsley

For the cheese sauce
40g Butter
40g Plain flour
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp English mustard powder
200ml Milk
285ml Double cream
200g Dolcelatte or gorgonzola cheese ( I used mild cheddar cheese instead)
115g Parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/40º0F/Gas 6. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water, for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked. (It needs to be just undercooked as the pasta will be cooked again in the oven.) Drain, return to the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a medium frying pan over a gentle heat until it just starts to brown and crisp up, then add the thyme leaves and spring onions and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat and add its contents to the pasta. For the sauce, put the butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard in a small pan set over a medium heat and cook until the butter has melted.

Mix the milk and cream together in a jug and add a little to the flour and butter in the pan, stirring well. Keep adding the milk mixture, bit by bit, stirring well each time. (This will prevent the sauce from going lumpy. The temptation is to put all the milk in at once only to find you are left with clumps of flour floating on the surface. Should this happen, take the pan off the heat and whisk it like crazy. This normally does the trick to eliminate all the lumps! Make sure you get the spoon into the ‘corners’ of the pan as stray mounds of flour often lurk there.) Once all the milk has been added, turn up the heat and boil for a minute or two.

The sauce will thicken considerably, then remove the pan from the heat. Add two-thirds of the dolcelatte (or gorgonzola/cheddar in this case) and parmesan to the sauce while it is still hot and stir together until well combined. It may be a bit lumpy, but that is fine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the pasta mixture and stir everything together. Spoon the mixture into a shallow casserole dish or four individual large ramekins.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the topping is golden-brown. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Lorraine Pascale's Apple, Blackberry and Cinnamon Chutney

A home-made jar of chutney is the perfect autumn fare, the trees are brimming with ripe sun kissed apples and the hedgerows are overgrown with ripe blackberries.
 

The children and I went blackberry picking, after walking through the fields and along the hedgerows we gathered the juiciest and fattest blackberries. 

 

I supplemented our stash with a couple of home-grown blackberries and hay presto we had enough for a batch of chutney.

Lorraine Pascale's Oven Baked Scotch Eggs

This was hard to resist when Lorraine Pascale made these recently on her cookery show. I've never tasted scotch eggs before so I was in for a rare treat. They can be eaten hot or cold and they're ideal for lunch boxes. Don't be put off about the number of bowls and the order they go in, if you set it up correctly from the start it's a doddle after that. Remember, dry before wet, the flour sticks the sausagemeat and the beaten egg sticks the breadcrumbs.

Makes 4

Ingredients
4 Eggs, hard boiled for 5 mins
25g Plain flour, seasoned
5 Jumbo Sausages, skin removed
1 Egg, lightly beaten
80g Stuffing mix  (I used Oakland Sage and Onion, Tesco 79c)

Method
Shell the eggs, set aside. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6 and line a small baking tray with parchment paper. A production line starting from right to left is needed to do this job efficiently.

Have each ingredient in a bowl, starting with the shelled eggs, plain flour, 5 sausages, chopping board with clingfilm, bowl of beaten egg, bowl of stuffing mix and the prepared baking tray. I suggest having a "dry" hand and a "wet" hand so that you aren't left with a congealed mess on your hands after each egg!

Starting with your "dry" hand roll the egg in the plain flour. Flatten the one and a bit sausages between two pieces of clingfilm, use the heel of your hand, flatten until it's about 10cm in diameter. Unfold the clingfilm and place the floured egg in centre, bring the sausage meat up around the egg using the clingfilm to coax it into place. Twist the clingfilm to get an even egg like shape. Unwrap, fill in any gaps and dip into the beaten egg mixture with your "wet" hand.

Roll the scotch egg until it is fully coated with egg (the egg is the glue that binds the breadcrumbs). With your "dry" hand roll the egg in the stuffing mix and lay your finished scotch egg onto the baking sheet. Do this with all your eggs.

Give them a light brushing or spray of oil and then place in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Lorraine Pascale's Boeuf Wellington Petits

This is Lorraine Pascale's Mini Beef Wellingtons but with a French name for a dinner party menu and I translated it correctly, I think! I love this main meal because I usually prepare the beef the day before I need it and then bake them at my leisure. I didn't use the mushrooms called for in the recipe instead I used the ordinary closed cup mushrooms and it all tasted divine also I used ready rolled puff  pastry too! How about trying this menu...

French Themed Dinner Party for Four Menu

Starter of your Choice

Main Course

Boeuf Wellington Petits

Gratin Dauphinoise

Steamed Green Vegetable of your choice

Dessert

Moelleux au Chocolat

Recipe from Lorraine Pascale Home Cooking Made Easy

Serves 4

Ingredients
500g Packet ready-made puff pastry
plain flour, for dusting
20g Dried porcini mushrooms or large morels
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 180g Slices beef fillet
4 Small shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
Knob of butter
500g Mushrooms, finely chopped
Generous dash medium sweet sherry (optional)
Large handful fresh thyme leaves
1 Free-range egg, lightly beaten
300ml Double cream

Method
Roll the puff pastry out on a floured work surface to a 5mm/¼in thickness. Trim the pastry into a 36cm/14in square. Then cut into four smaller squares and place onto two baking trays. Chill in the fridge for five minutes.

Rinse the dried mushrooms in cold water, then put them into a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Season the beef well all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry for one minute on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Place the shallots into the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add the butter and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Meanwhile, drain the dried mushrooms and finely chop, then add them to the pan with the glug of sherry, if using. Increase the heat and cook until most of the sherry has evaporated. Add the thyme, cook for one minute, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Remove the pastry from the fridge and place a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture into the middle of each piece of pastry; spread it out to the same size as the beef steak.

Top with the steak and brush the edges with the beaten egg. Draw up the corners and edges of the pastry so they meet and overlap slightly in the middle.

Turn it right-side up and shape it round the sides a little with your hands. If the pastry is soft, chill it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up. Slash the tops of the Wellingtons with a knife and brush them all over with the remaining beaten egg.

Bake for 12-14 minutes (for medium-rare), or until cooked to your liking. Five minutes before the Wellingtons are ready, reheat the remaining mushroom mixture. When it is hot, add the double cream and cook on a high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, season, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid to keep warm.

Serve the Wellingtons with a spoonful of the sauce

Lorraine Pascale's Chocolate Cheesecake

 

I saw this recipe on BBC 2 Monday evening last, Lorraine Pascale, Home Cooking Made Easy. It is a no cook recipe that anyone could replicate at home, even with only minimal baking experience. Some points to note on the recipe, I halved the quantity (there is only four of use here and oh the temptation) and I used a 16cm diameter tin. I have found in the past that full fat cream cheese hold it's shape better and sets quicker than the low fat option. I used milk chocolate throughout, next time I'll use the milk and plain combination for more of a chocolate punch. This is a smooth and silky cheesecake that looks very impressive.

Serves 8

Ingredients
400g Packet chocolate digestives, crushed to fine crumbs
75g Butter, melted and cooled slightly
800g Cream cheese
Icing sugar, to taste
400g Milk chocolate (35% cocoa solids), or you can use a mixture of 300g milk chocolate and 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
1 tsp Vegetable oil
100g White chocolate

Method
Mix the crushed biscuits and butter together in a bowl with the back of a wooden spoon until well combined. Spoon the mixture into a 23cm/9in springform tin and press down very hard all the way around the base until flat and even.

Mix the cream cheese and icing sugar together in a bowl.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Pour a quarter of the chocolate into a jug, stir in the oil, then set aside and keep warm. (The chocolate can also be reheated in the microwave for 20 seconds if it cools down.)

Place a large dollop of the cream cheese mixture into the bowl of remaining chocolate and stir until well combined.

Keep adding the mixture, one dollop at a time, and mixing it vigorously until the chocolate mixture becomes smooth and silky and you have added all of the cream cheese. Pour the mixture onto the biscuit base and use the back of a large spoon to smooth the top, pressing down so that no gaps remain.

Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for 20 minutes, or until the chocolate top begins to firm. The cheesecake can also be placed into the freezer for 10 minutes to set. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and make sure the jug of milk chocolate is nice and runny.

Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and pour the milk chocolate on top, spreading it out as you go until the top is completely covered. (For a smooth finish, pick up the cheesecake and tilt it back and forth, letting the chocolate run over and cover the cream cheese filling.) I usually drizzle with the melted white chocolate and allow to set.

This is Lorraine's method for decorating the cheesecake: Drizzle white chocolate lines across the top about 2cm/¾in apart. The neatest way to do this is by putting the chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a very small nozzle. Place the cheesecake so the lines are running towards you, then take a cocktail stick and drag it from left to right, making lines from left to right 2cm/¾in apart to form a grid. Drag the cocktail stick once again from right to left between the toothpick lines that you have just made. You will need to do this quite quickly so the chocolate lines are still runny.


Leave the cheesecake in a cool place to set for about two hours.

Run a hot sharp knife around the inside of the tin and carefully remove the cake. Serve in wedges with a drizzle of single cream.