rhubarb mincemeat

Rhubarb Mincemeat

A
800g rhubarb, peeled and chopped
4tsp cinnamon
550g brown sugar
2tsp vanilla extract

B
600g sultanas

C
500g  nibbed almonds


Place ingredients A in a large pot, bring to the boil and then reduce the temperature to low.

Allow to simmer 25 minutes (uncovered) stirring occasionally until rhubarb is very soft.

Then remove from heat and stir in  the nuts.

Allow to cool before placing on the pastry.

Dust with cinnamon and icing sugar

A note on eggs

Size:
Sometimes in this blog I give weights in grams for eggs. Large, medium or small eggs of course have different weights so  giving the weight in grams allows for more accurate results especially when  using eggs from your own hens-which can be a range of sizes.

On average a egg weighing 60g, roughly 30g will be white, 20g yolk and 10g shell.


Freshness:
I should have mentioned this in relation to meringue, but freshness can be your enemy when making meringues. Older egg white produces better results.  So if you have your own hens and despite following the clean, dry, soap free bowl and no fat.yolk in the white rules,  find that your whites are flat, it could be  that your eggs are too fresh-better to use some a few days old.

Storing and Temperature:

• If you have whites left over after using the yolks but have no immediate use for them, down throw them away-you can freeze them in a container with allows for plenty of room between the surface and lid because the whites will rise up a little (you'll see what I mean).  Defrost before use in the fridge overnight.
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• Whites and whole eggs also give better results when used a room temperature. 
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• Store your eggs upside down (pointy side down) in the fridge and you'll find they'll keep fresher longer.
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• A raw egg that is placed in water should stay on its side-this indicates freshness.  An egg that floats is gone or going off (depending on the buoyancy).

Macarons

Macarons have a reputation for being difficult but follow the steps below and you'll see that If you can make meringue and your piping skills aren't too bad you shouldn't have much difficulty

A
160g egg white (about 5 large eggs)
330g sugar

B
500g almonds ground
500g icing sugar

C
150g egg white

Colour of choice (powder preferable)


Method
Sieve ingredients B three times (for a smooth finish)

Make an Italian Meringue with A

When A and B methods are ready, whisk C (the whites) until stiff (but not grainy)


Fold A into B then finish with C, add any colour, sieve it first if it is powder.

Prepare trays with greaseproof/ silpats

Pipe into round or long or hearts.

Leave sit for 30 mins

Cook at about 160 fan for 25 mins approx.

Remove from tray (return to oven if some seem too wet inside) and fill with ganache or marzipan filling (see below)

Marzipan Filling (I do this by eye and never weigh)

Mix marzipan with jam of choice by eye (I never weigh this) mix til smooth and soft in a mixer  fitted with a paddle

Mincepies and mincemeat

See almond pastry recipe:
Make Almond Pastry recipe (you might want to half it) and place in frigde


Apple and Cranberry mincemeat
A
800g apple, peeled, cored and chopped
4tsp cinnamon
350g brown sugar
 zest and juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

B
350g cranberries (you can use frozen)
350g sultanas

C
300ml rum (optional)

D
100g dried apricots, chopped
500g  nibbed almonds


Place ingredients A in a large pot, bring to the boil and then reduce the temperature to low.
Cover the pot with a lid (or tray if you don't have a lid) and simmer on low for 10 minutes, until apples are soft.

Add ingredients B.
Bring to the boil again stirring all the time and add the rum.

Reduce the heat to low and allow simmer 25 minutes (uncovered) stirring occasionally.

Then remove from heat and stir in the apricots and the nuts.

Allow to cool before placing on the pastry.


Assembly

Butter and line the pie tin ( the top of the tray tin too) (you can place some strips of greaseproof across the base and up over the side if to help get the mince pies out after they are cooked)  place pastry circles in the tin and scoop in the mince pie filling.  Egg wash the edges and top with another circle of pastry, egg wash the top.  Refrigerate for about 40 minutes before baking at 170C for about 25 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Almond Pastry

300g butter,at room temp
187g icing sugar
2 eggs
 vanilla extract or zest of 1 lemon
65g ground almonds
500g flour

Hand method

• mix the flour, sugar, extract/zest and almonds into a bowl
• Rub in the butter until resembles fine bread crumbs
• Add the eggs and knead smooth.  Don't over knead. wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 45mins

Mixer method

• fit mixer with paddle attatchment
• Add the butter, zest/extract and sugar and mix on medium speed til smooth (scrape paddle and bowl occassionaly-with machine off of course!)
• Gradually add the eggs.
• Stop the mixer and add half the flour, mix on low speed to combine then stop again add remaining flour and mix on low 'til combined.  Don't over mix.  Cover and Refrigerate as above

Lemon Curd
This lemon curd does not require gelatine usually, but when used for a lemon meringue filling it gives a better result

240ml lemon juice
9 eggs
 170g butter
2 leaf gelatin or 1 x 7gsachet  (see post on gelatine)
255g sugar

• Prepare the gelatine
• Whisk the eggs briefly til homogeneous
•  bring the lemon juice, butter and sugar to boil
• Pour half the juice mix over the eggs and whisk
• Return to the pot on low heat
• continue whisking until thick
• Add the gelatine
• Remove from the pot and allow to cool

Italian Meringue
100g egg white
200g caster sugar

See Buttercream instructions on how to make this

 Assembly

• Butter and flour your pie tin.  (I placed some large strips of grease proof across the base and up over the sides-this helps remove the pie from tins without removeable bases)
• Dust a table lightly with flour and dust pastry with flour
• roll pastry to desired thickness and size and roll on to the pin (see Quiche for more information on rolling pastry) and mould into the tin.  Prick the base all over with a fork
• Freeze for  a couple of hours (about 2)
• Then preheat oven to 170C fan.  Remove pie from freezer and line with grease proof and fill with baking beans (or raw rice or dried peas)  (you can also use cling film instead of grease proof, but it must be catering grade otherwise it may melt in the oven)
• Cook 20minutes, then remove the beans and paper, brush the base with some beaten yolk and return to the oven for 5minutes or so.
• Remove from oven and allow cool

• Fill with the cooled curd, top with meringue
• Dust the meringue with sieved icing sugar and brown with a torch or hot grill.oven if desired

Lemon Meringue Pie topped with macarons

Raspberry Lemon Meringue:

spread raspberry jam on the cooked pastry base.  Place raspberries around edge of tart.

Gelatine

Leaf or powder?

Both leaf and powder gelatine have the same setting properties, however the method of use is different.  You may hear the word bloom in connection with gelatine, this is simply the setting or gelling strength, the higher the bloom the stronger the gelling strength.

Leaf Gelatine 
Types:
Among professional brands there are gold, silver and bronze gelatine leaves. The difference is the thickness of the leaf and so the weights are different, bronze being the thickest weighs, the most and gold the least (2g).  But most brands that you get in a supermarket will weigh about 3g per leaf (if you have a digital scales  you can weigh the leaf for better accuracy). 


Prep:
To use leaf gelatine you must first soften it in cold water.  The basic rule here is at least 5 times its weight in cold water.  Separate the leaves into the water and ensure the whole of the leaves are covered

When the gelatine is softened (after about 15 mins), remove from the water and squeeze out any excess water.

Heat and use:
The gelatine leaf can be added directly to a warm ingredient (see lemon curd recipe) or heated very gently in a microwave for a few seconds or in a warm pot (not over a direct heat).  DO NOT BOIL! Gelatine heats quickly and boiling it will affect its setting ability.

Powdered Gelatine:
Simply follow the manufacturers instructions.

Substituting Leaf gelatine for Powdered Gelatine:
Simply replace the weight of powdered gelatine you need for the same weight in leaf and follow the prep, heat and use stages given above.




Substituting Powdered Gelatine for Leaf gelatine :
 On average (although not always-see 'Types' above) a gelatine leaf will weigh 3g.  Multiply the number of leaves you need by three and that (roughly) is how much powder gelatine you need. If you have a recipe that calls for 5 leaves gelatine, then that is 15g powdered gelatine (using standard brand).

Now you now how much powder gelatine to use, how much water should you soak it in? 

Well  gelatine holds about 10g/ml  of water per sheet  so for example a recipe that calls for 5 sheets of gelatine use 15g of gelatine powder and 50ml of water.


Then simply heat as detailed above in 'Heat and Use'


Note:
Certain fruits, especially those we would consider exotic have an enzyme that prevents the setting of gelatine.  To avoid this you must boil any fruit juice first to reduce this enzyme activity before adding gelatine.  And avoid adding such fruit as kiwi to your jellys!

chocolate sauce

this chocolate sauce is handy because it stays liquid at room temperature, any lower and it will set a bit.  Do keep refrigerated though when not using it.  Warm it in the microwave for few seconds to reheat.

• 325g water
• 140g sugar
• 60g honey
• 55g cocoa
• 225g melted chocolate

• Make a syrup with the water, sugar and honey.
• Put the cocoa in a large bowl, slowly add some the warm syrup to the cocoa while whisking, next whisk in some of the melted chocolate.  Continue in this manner.
• If you get lumps in the mixture, blitz with a blender or failing that, sieve.

Cake tin and cooking times rough guide for christmas cake

Size in inches            Total cooking times estimate
4                                       2hours
5                                       2 1/2hours
6                                       3hours
7                                       3 1/2 hours
8                                       4 hours
9                                        4 1/2 hours
10                                       5 hours

This is for recipe and oven temperatures given below

Christmas cake

This is a light fruit cake.  You can make it your own by substituting ingredients for example if you don't like cherries add golden sultanas or soak fruit in lemon or orange juice.

This recipe makes 1 x 9inch deep filled cake, adjust measurements and cooking times as necessary

A.
1350g sultanas
100g cherries
100g mixed peel
160g prune juice (or orange juice)

B.
450g butter
8 eggs
450g soft brown sugar
2 table spoons honey

C.
450g self raising flour
2 heaped teaspoons spice of choice (eg cinnamon and nutmeg)
100g ground almonds
200g nibbed almonds

Method:

• Prepare tins by lining with grease proof and if you have it double line with brown paper (the grease proof on the inside) this helps prevent burning of the outer edges.
• Preheat oven to 200C
• Soak ingredients A in the prune juice overnight, mix well.
• Cream ingredients B-the butter, sugar and honey, add eggs gradually ( use some of the flour if the mixture starts cracking)
• Stir in ingredients C into the butter mixture, then follow by the soaked fruit of which any excess juice has been drained. 
• Spoon into the prepared tins, leaving a little dip in the centre (to allow for the cake rising)
• Put in the oven at 200C for 25 minutes after which reduce the oven temperature to 140C and cover with a double sheet of brown paper or a silpat (to prevent the top colouring too much) and cook for 2 hours
• After cook a further two hours at 120C (with brown paper still on top)
• Remove from oven and allow cool totally,brush with apricot jam and cover with marzipan, decorate with roll out icing or royal icing.

Santa face Christmas cake-one of two designs I made this year

Christmas cake design 2. marzipan fruit

I made these marzipan fruit with three supermarket liquid colours blue  (blue mixed with yellow is green), yellow and red.  The 'stalks' are  whole cloves cloves.  Use a small paint brush reserved for pastry work for painting on extra effects.  Add lemon extract to the lemon and orange extract to the orange if desired.

Chocolate Mousse Cake (white chocolate and dark chocolate mousse)

For this cake you will need to make a parfait base to which is added cream and chocolate, you can whisk the cream in advance and leave in the fridge and the chocolate you can melt while the parfait is thickening in the mixer.

The sponge base is given here, follow the instructions as per sponge given on this blog

This recipe is enough for two 12 inch cake, it is difficult to make less as this would require using a hand held whisk and this is time consuming.  If you have mousse over, it can be frozen or used as a dessert on its own.


Sponge:
12 eggs
200g self raising flour
50g cocoa
335g sugar

• whisk eggs and sugar to ribbon stage
• fold in the cocoa and flour
• Pour into prepared tins
• cook at 170C for approx 25 mins

Parfait base:

• 150g yolks
• 250ml syrup (150g sugar, 100ml water)

• Whisk the yolks in electric mixer at high speed
• meanwhile bring to the boil the sugar and water

• Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium low 
• Allow any bubbles to subside in the syrup mixture and then begin to Pour down the side of the bowl (do not allow the syrup to hit the whisk-see Italian Meringue on this blog for more information)

Parfait base

Once all the syrup is poured, increase the speed to maximum until the eggs are thick and  creamy.  Divide mixture into 225g and 125g

Dark Chocolate Mousse

• 225g parfait base
• 500g dark chocolate
• 750ml cream, whipped

White Chocolate mousse

• 125g parfait base
• 500g white chocolate
• 600ml cream, whipped

Note:
It is important not to over whisk the cream or you'll get lumps in the mousse
If your chocolate is very hot you'll need to whisk in a little cream into it first before you start mixing it with the parfait or you risk the mixture becoming lumpy (this is especially true of the white chocolate) but on the other hand-add too much cream to the chocolate and it'll solidify so add only a little if your chocolate is very warm or else wait for it to cool.

cream consistency

• Fold the chocolate into the parfait base, then fold in the whipped cream (pictured below).

• Scoop into piping bags

Assembly:

• Slice the sponges in 3 using a serrated knife.
• Line a cake ring with acetate or parchment
• place one layer on the bottom and top with chocolate mousse

chocolate mousse on top of sponge base

• Place a layer of cake on top
• Top with the white mousse
• Place a layer of cake on top
• Refrigerate for few hours or freeze

Decoration

Cover with Ganache or Chocolate decoration

finished cake  covered with ganche and decorated with chocolate work, gold leaf and macarons

Covering with Ganache

Place cake on cake rack over a clean tray or clean parchment

Warm the ganache gently in the microwave, stopping the microwave and stirring every 20 seconds or so until liquid ( don't over heat)

Pour the ganache over the cake and smooth surface with plate knife or the back of a large bread knife in one fluid movement to ensure the sides are covered.

Place in the fridge for a few minutes to set the ganache then remove from the rack and place on plate or cake board.

Decorate  as desired 

The ganache under the rack can be gathered up and reused.

Posts to Come

I haven't posted since September for so many reasons-been away, camera phone broke, lack of time etc.  but I have made many desserts since then, and I will post them eventually, not will all have photos unfortunately and some will be without photos for a little while (I borrowed a camera and haven't yet put the pictures on my computer).

Anyway, I'll be posting in the next few weeks (or so)

Pumpkin cheese cake
Gingerbread
Chocolate Cheesecake
Christmas Cake
Macarons
Lemon Meringue pie
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Chocolate Work
Chocolate Sauce
Mincepies and mincemeat