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.