The Crazy Kitchen: February 2013

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Thursday 28 February 2013

Nutella French Toast

Sometimes you just need to feed a craving, and feed it quickly. This is a good one for that. I saw the idea in Good Food, where the sandwiches were cut into pretty heart shapes, but that would ultimately cause waste, and French toast is not for wasting, it's for eating.


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Nutella French Toast - makes 3 sandwiches

1 Egg
75ml Milk (I used hazelnut milk)
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 slices of Brioche
Nutella
butter for frying


  • Beat the egg, milk, sugar & cinnamon together & pour into a large shallow dish
  • Spread 3 of the slices of Brioche with Nutella & make 3 sandwiches by placing the other slices on top
  • Lay the sandwiches into the egg mixture and turn them over after 1 minute and leave to soak up the liquid
  • Heat the butter in a frying pan & fry the sandwiches for 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown


Serve sprinkled with icing sugar and more Nutella mixed with a little hot water to make a sauce, along with a blob of cream, creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt.


Alternatively pop the brioche slices into your Dualit toaster and spread with generous amounts of Nutella!




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Wednesday 27 February 2013

Chocolate Fridge Cake

After having a Facebook discussion about fridge cake this morning I had the urge to make some. I raided the kitchen cupboards, threw a few ingredients together and came up with this little beauty.


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Chocolate Fridge Cake

250g Chocolate (I used a mixture of dark and milk chocolate)
50g Butter or Margarine
50g Glace Cherries
40g Raisins
40g Cranberries
50g Apricots, chopped
40g Pecans, halved
125g Cadbury Chocolate fingers, broken into pieces


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  • Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl in the microwave on short bursts 
  • Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mix well
  • Pour into a small loaf tin or cake tin lined with greaseproof paper
  • Refrigerate for a couple of hours before sprinkling with icing sugar and slicing 
You can pretty much add whatever ingredients you like, marshmallows and meringues work really well, as do ginger nuts and digestives.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Jumbo Mediterranean Sausage Pasty

Last week my attention was drawn to a blogging challenge and, as I'm always up for a challenge, I thought I should give it a go.

The challenge is to come up with a simple recipe that could be taught to adults with learning difficulties to enable them to lead more independent lives. The cookery courses are run by a charity called SWALLOW'S and they're looking for suitable recipes to include in their new cookbook. You can read more about it on Banger's & Mash here.

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This recipe does have a few ingredients and may not look that simple on the surface, but trust me, it is very easy and doesn't create much washing up either, as well as giving quite an impressive result without much effort.


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Jumbo Mediterranean Sausage Pasty - serves 4-6

50ml Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced
5 good quality sausages, each cut into 6 pieces
1 red pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
fresh herbs (I used thyme)
4 mushrooms, sliced
150g baby plum tomatoes, halved
50g olives, halved
200g Feta cheese, cubed
1 Jus-rol puff pastry sheet (320g)
1 egg, beaten
  • Preheat the oven to 200 C
  • Add the oil, garlic, sausages, pepper, onion, herbs & mushrooms to a roasting pan and toss to coat everything in oil.
  • Roast for 15 minutes before adding the tomatoes and roast for a further 10 minutes
  • Stir in the olives and Feta cheese
  • Spoon the mixture onto one half of the pastry sheet, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge (If there is too much filling just serve the extra with cooked pasta)
  • Brush the edges with beaten egg, fold over and seal with a fork

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  • Brush with beaten egg
  • Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown


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Serve hot or cold






Thursday 21 February 2013

Beany Turkey & Chorizo Meatballs

Baked beans are a staple food in this house, the kids love them and they form part of the husband's speciality tea, which he makes from time to time - egg on beans on cheese on ham on toast.

As soon as we received a couple of cans of the new Branston Baked Beans range Jack was was first to clap eyes on and bagsy the Beans with 2 large Lincolnshire sausages.


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Rather than serve the Beans with Spicy Chorizo the same way I decided to experiment with them...

Beany Turkey & Chorizo Meatballs - serves 4 (approx 24 meatballs)

Meatballs
1/2 can Branston baked beans & Chorizo
200g Turkey breast mince
2 slices of wholemeal bread

Sauce
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-2 Peppers, sliced (I used frozen mixed peppers)
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 can Branston baked beans & Chorizo
Can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Harissa paste
  • Mash the baked beans and chorizo (1/2 can)
  • Mix in the turkey mince
  • Blend the bread into crumbs, or break into very small pieces and mix into the mince & beans
  • Form into meatballs the size of large marbles
  • Bake in a 200 C oven for 15 minutes, until cooked all the way through
  • Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion gently for a few minutes
  • Add the peppers and mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes
  • Add the remaining beans & chorizo, tomatoes and harissa
  • Simmer for approx 15-20 minutes until the sauce is thick and rich
  • Toss in the meatballs and heat them through
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Serve with rice or cous cous for a very tasty and extremely frugal family meal - less than £1 per serving.

or in a bun, sloppy joe style

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The beans are sold in Sainsbury's stores, priced at £1.29 for beans & sausages and £1.09 for beans & chorizo or beans & chilli

I was sent the baked beans for the purpose of this review

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Meat Free Cottage Pie

With the latest horse meat scandal, there has been no better time to eat more meat free meals, it definitely saves money and is no less tasty.

I bought a pack of dried soya mince, and used only 50g in the dish which works out at only 25p - that's not per portion, that's for the whole amount. You mix it 1 part soya mince to 3 parts boiling water and then use it in place of regular mince. It doesn't have a lot of flavour on it's own but soaks up the flavours of the rest of the dish if cooked for long enough. My Mum always used to add baked beans to a cottage pie, which not only gives it a sweeter taste but also makes it stretch further, making this a very frugal family meal.

Everyone loved this cottage pie, and all plates were cleared, including that of Hanna's friend who came for tea. I don't like offering 'different' food when friend's come round but it was a last minute invite and thankfully she liked it.

Meat Free Cottage Pie

1 Cup dried Soya Mince (approx 50g)
3 Cups Boiling water
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 onion
3 carrots, peeled & diced
1/2 medium butternut squash (approx 300g), peeled & diced
1 heaped tsp Marmite
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce*
1 tbsp HP Sauce (brown)
1 can Baked beans
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (I used Thyme)
1kg white potatoes, peeled & halved
25g butter
100ml milk
herbs & salt & pepper to taste
  • Pour the boiling water onto the soya mince & leave for 5 minutes
  • Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof stovetop/casserole pan
  • Add the onion, place the lid on & cook for approx 3 minutes
  • Stir in the carrots, squash, marmite & worcestershire sauce, replace the lid and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add the soya mince along with the liquid and the HP sauce
  • Place the lid on & simmer for approx 20 minutes
  • Stir in the baked beans and fresh herbs, simmer for approx 5 minutes uncovered until the sauce thickens
* If you want to make this vegetarian then use double the amount of marmite & omit the worcestershire sauce
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  • Meanwhile boil the potatoes until tender
  • Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, herbs, salt & pepper
  • Top the pie with the mash and rough up with a fork
  • Bake in a 180C oven for 20-30 minutes until browned & crispy

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Tuesday 19 February 2013

Fridge Bottom Soup

'Fridge Bottom' was a concept that I heard from Mum In The Madhouse, who makes a delicious looking fridge bottom curry. Fridge bottom soup is, as the name suggests, made using the vegetables left in the bottom of the fridge at the end of the week. I used to work in a restaurant and tomorrow's soup was always made from yesterday's vegetables and salad, and was always delicious.

The soup always has a different flavour depending on which vegetables are left. Butternut squash usually appears in there, along with carrots and onions. I've also used sprouts, cabbage, parsnips as well as the odd tomato and wilting rocket.

Combined with garlic and chicken or vegetable stock I cook in the slow cooker for a few hours and then blend until smooth. It makes a great after school meal on a Friday, as well as lunch on Saturday, served with home-made bread or pitta bread.

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Monday 18 February 2013

Harissa Potato Cakes

I was looking for ways to use up some more of the Harissa paste that I bought for the Harissa & Vegetable Cobbler and spotted some coriander potato cakes in Good Food magazine, which I adapted slightly.

Harissa Potato Cakes - makes approx 10 

500g White potatoes, peeled 
2 tbsp Harissa paste handful of fresh coriander, chopped 
2 Eggs, separated 
Zest of 1 lemon 
50g Mature Cheddar cheese 
8 Cream crackers (approx), crushed 
Oil for frying 


  • Boil the potatoes until soft, drain 
  • Mash the potatoes with the coriander, egg yolks, lemon zest and cheese 
  • Form into cakes 
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  • Whisk the egg whites until just foamy 
  • Dip the cakes into the egg white and then the cream crackers 
  • Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the potato cakes in batches for a couple of minutes on each side until brown & crispy
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Serve with Greek yoghurt, salad and pitta bread. 


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I made home-made pitta bread using a simple recipe found here


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Baked Mini Doughnuts with Nutella Sauce

Recently I bought a Wilton mini doughnut pan but keep forgetting to buy the buttermilk to make them. I had some left over from making buttermilk pancakes and gave them a whirl. I put too much batter in the pan first time around which resulted in them being quite large & not having a hole. I learnt from my mistake and the second batch were much more doughnut like.

I used the recipe on the back of the packaging, which I have changed from cup measurements for ease. You don't really need a doughnut pan to make these, a mini ,muffin pan would work. I also used my cake pop maker to make some doughnut balls.


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Baked Mini Doughnuts with Nutella Sauce

170g Self Raising Flour
90g Caster Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Baking powder
100ml Buttermilk
1 Egg
25g Butter, melted

Sugar & Cinnamon for coating
Nutella & boiling water for sauce

  • Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl
  • Lightly beat the buttermilk, egg & melted butter
  • Stir wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined
  • Spoon into the doughnut pan until half filled
  • Bake in a 220C oven for 4 minutes until springy to touch
  • Turn out and toss in sugar & cinnamon
  • Mix the Nutella with a little boiling water water until it's sauce consistency
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over-sized doughnuts & doughnut balls

I bought my Wilton pan from Amazon for only £8.57 with free shipping!

Sunday 17 February 2013

Buttermilk Pancakes - OXO Good Grips Review

I love gadgets in the kitchen and OXO Good Grips are always a welcome addition to my kitchen. I was sent a pancake making set but unfortunately it wasn't here in time for pancake day last week, however, in my opinion, pancakes are definitely not just for pancake day.


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The silicone balloon whisk is great for whisking in smaller containers, such as jugs, as it's flexible and fits easily into the sides. The stainless steel bowl has a non slip base which helps when beating. as well as looking good with its white plastic exterior.


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The best gadget has to be the silicone pancake turner, with thin flexible edges and larger than most spatulas, perfect for flipping pancakes, eggs and burgers. 


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The favourite pancakes in this house are by far American pancakes and last week I tried out a great recipe from Belleau kitchen. At the time I didn't have any buttermilk but this time tried them with the buttermilk as per the recipe and they were so much better - lovely and thick, but light, just as buttermilk pancakes should be.


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Served the American way, with crispy bacon and maple syrup.

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I was sent the utensils for the purpose of this review

Thursday 14 February 2013

Harissa & Vegetable Cobbler

I'm loving having Good Food Magazine on my ipad, not only is it very portable but it means I can search for recipes that I've seen without having to flick through pages and pages. One of the recipes that caught my eye was in the budget cooking edition for tomato & harissa stew with cheddar dumplings. I'm always looking for ways to save money on the weekly shop and making more veggie recipes is definitely helping.


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I amended the recipe by adding a few more ingredients (vegetables from the bottom of the fridge) and using my recipe for cheesy scones for the top (leaving out the chilli) instead of the dumplings.

Vegetable & Harissa Cobbler

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 heaped tbsp of Harissa paste
1 Can of chopped tomatoes
1 Can of water
1 Can of chickpeas, drained
1 Large Courgette, chopped
1 Red pepper, de-seeded & chopped
2 Large Chestnut Mushrooms
1 Knorr Herb Stock Pot
75g Red Lentils
1 Egg, beaten


  • Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole pan and fry the onion gently for 3 minutes
  • Add the celery, harissa paste, tomatoes, water, chickpeas, courgette, pepper, mushrooms & stock pot and bring to the boil
  • Place the lid on and bake in a 180 C oven for 1 hour
  • Stir in the lentils and return to the oven (lid on) for 10 minutes
  • Make up the scone mixture and cut circles out
  • Place the scones on top of the stew, brush with beaten egg and bake (no lid) for a further 15 minutes until golden brown






Wednesday 13 February 2013

Sweet Valentine Puffs

We don't 'do' Valentines Day in our house* but what a good excuse to make heart shaped puffs. I posted a recipe for some savoury ones last week as well as some heart shaped shortbread ice-cream sandwiches, but these little morsels of loveliness are a must, and so easy.


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All you need is a pack of puff pastry, or the ready rolled to make it even easier, and your choice of fillings.


I made chocolate orange and banana and caramel. The chocolate orange was a spoonful of chocolate spread and a spoonful of tangy orange marmalade (the Asda fine cut marmalade actually tastes just like Jaffa cakes). For the banana puffs I chopped some banana and drizzled some caramel sauce over.

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I cut the top heart slightly larger than the bottom to make sure there was plenty of room for filling, brushed beaten egg around the edge, sealed with a fork and then brushed with more beaten egg and baked in an 180 C oven for approx 10 minutes.


Simple.



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With the scraps this time I layered them on top of one another, rolled them flat & covered with sliced banana and chocolate spread mixed with caramel sauce & baked in the oven.....just delicious (apparently!)

*well I didn't think we did Valentines Day, until I was presented with this tonight...

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I've linked this recipe up to Nazima & Laura's One Ingredient challenge, which for February is banana's,

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Tuesday 12 February 2013

Kale & Mint Risotto

I made a large batch of Kale pesto which was great with pasta and added a lovely flavour to our chops. It's really versatile and great to have in the fridge to make simple and quick family meals, and I used it again in a Risotto. I tend to use Basmati rice as I like the flavour as well as it having a lower GI (Glycemic Index) than risotto or short grain rice, which is important now that the husband is diabetic.


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Kale & Mint Risotto


1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp Olive oil
250g Basmati rice
4tbsp Kale & Mint Pesto
1 Can of Chickpeas, drained
1 Litre of vegetable stock
200g Cooked chicken breast
100g Frozen Peas
100g Grana Padano, grated
Handful of fresh mint, chopped

  • Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat
  • Add the onion and sweat for 3 minutes
  • Stir in the rice and pesto and some of the stock
  • Place the lid on and simmer gently
  • Add the chickpeas, and more liquid as the rice begins to absorb it until it has all been added and the rice is tender
  • Stir in the cooked chicken and frozen peas and heat through
  • Stir in the fresh mint and Grana Padano just before serving

Monday 11 February 2013

Belleau Pancakes

So, apparently it's pancake day tomorrow, which I didn't realise until earlier today. Thankfully I made caramel sauce yesterday and I'm all stocked up on all the necessary items - maple syrup, lemons, strawberries, cherries, Nutella, squirty cream and not forgetting eggs.

I saw a tweet earlier from Dom at Belleau Kitchen with his recipe for American style pancakes and, even though I've got a recipe of my own that I use regularly, I thought I would give them a go.

They were good, in fact they were very good, and were really light with lots of little air pockets in them. I admit that I didn't have any buttermilk so used all semi skimmed milk, I will be stocking up on Buttermilk for next time though.

I stacked them up layered with banana and caramel sauce and sliced into wedges, like a cake, to serve - I'm sure each of the children would've quite easily eaten a stack to themselves though.

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You can find the recipe for Dom's pancakes here.

Home-made Salted Caramel Sauce

With it being pancake day tomorrow you might be looking for something tasty to top your pancakes with, whether you make American Style pancakes or the more traditional crepe style. Here is a simple caramel sauce that goes particularly well with bananas. You can add more or less salt according to your taste - I was making this for my children so only added a pinch.

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It can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Salted Caramel Sauce

425g Caster Sugar
100ml Water
25g Butter
284ml Double Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Sea Salt

  • Add the sugar and water to a pan over a medium heat
  • Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a gentle simmer
  • Simmer until the sugar mixture has turned a light caramel colour *
  • Remove from the heat, stir in the butter until melted
  • Stir in the cream, vanilla and salt until combined


The sauce thickens once cooled completely.


* be patient and don't be tempted to boil rapidly or you may end up with a pan of crystals *cough*, apparently. If you do then remove from the heat and add a small amount of water and start again.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Kale & Mint Pesto

In a recent edition of Good Food magazine I spotted a recipe for Kale pesto. It looked so fresh & tasty that I wanted to give it a go. Pine nuts are so expensive so I substituted them for walnuts, and also added some extra ingredients of my own. 

Kale & Mint Pesto

200g Kale
2 Garlic Cloves
Juice of 1 lemon & 1 lime
Fistful of fresh Mint
250ml Extra Virgin olive oil
100g Walnuts
100g Frozen peas
100g Grana Padano cheese, grated

  • Whizz all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor - you may have to do it in batches
It makes quite a large quantity but can be stored for a few days in the fridge, ready to have tasty pasta in a hurry. I stirred it into spaghetti and added some extra peas & Grana Padano and some crispy bacon pieces on the top


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I also used it to flavour chops 

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Friday 8 February 2013

Chocolate Orange Frozen Yoghurt Pots

I've never tried Greek Gods yoghurts before so when I was asked if I would like to try some samples I was happy to give it a go. They come in 4 varieties, Honey, Honey & Strawberry, Honey & Vanilla and Honey & Clementine, all in whopping 680g tubs. We all like yoghurt straight out of the pot but I wanted to try something a little different with these too. They are very delicately flavoured and although we could taste the fruit flavours we couldn't pick up the honey.

I used the Honey & Strawberry in my Ice Cream Sandwiches and the strawberry flavour was subtle and not at all overpowering. They were such a success I decided to make another batch of the 'ice cream' using the Honey & Clementine flavour this time.


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Chocolate Orange Frozen Yoghurt Pots - makes 8


175g Condensed Milk
120g Double Cream
200g Greek Gods Honey & Clementine
60g (approx) grated dark chocolate


  • Whisk the condensed milk, double cream & yoghurt together until thick
  • Spoon a teaspoon of grated chocolate into the cavities of a silicone muffin pan
  • Spoon a tablespoon of the creamy mixture on top, repeat
  • Smooth the tops over and freeze until set
  • Turn out onto a plate & serve with orange slices

These were lovely, the orange flavour complimented the dark chocolate perfectly.



I was supplied with vouchers to enable me to buy Greek Gods yoghurts


Thursday 7 February 2013

Strawberry Ice Cream Shortbread Sandwich

If you're a big romantic and looking for a way to impress your loved one this Valentines Day then these are perfect as an afternoon treat, for after dinner or even a naughty breakfast. You can make them in advance and assemble them just before you need them.


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Strawberry Ice Cream Shortbread Sandwich

200g Condensed milk
200g Greek Gods Honey & Strawberry yoghurt
150g Double cream
1 batch of shortbread dough ( I used my sugar free shortbread recipe)
Strawberry Jam (I used home-made Sugar free but you can use store bought)

  • Whisk the condensed milk, yoghurt and cream until thick
  • Pour into a baking tin, lined with baking paper, to approx 1cm thick - I used a 12x9" pan
  • Freeze for 1.5-2 hours, until set but still soft enough to cut easily
  • Make the shortbread dough as per the recipe 
  • Cut out hearts with a cookie cutter and bake for 10-12 mins
  • Cut hearts out of the ice cream with the same size cutter and replace in the freezer until needed
  • Once the shortbread is cooled spread the reverse side with jam
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  • Sandwich an ice cream heart between 2 shortbread hearts
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  • Dust with icing sugar

I was supplied with vouchers to enable me to buy Greek Gods yoghurts

Sugar Free Shortbread

These are tasty little treats suitable for diabetics or those trying to cut down on sugar - we just won't mention the butter.

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Sugar Free Shortbread

120g softened butter
60g Total Sweet (sugar alternative)
180g Plain Flour

  • Cream the butter & Total Sweet together
  • Mix in the flour until it comes together
  • Roll out onto a floured until approx 4-5mm thick
  • Using cookie cutters cut biscuits from the dough & place on a greased baking tray
  • Place in the freezer for approx 10 minutes
  • Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 10-12 minutes
  • Cool on a wire rack

I was sent some Total Sweet to try out in my baking 

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Roasted Red Pepper & Prawn Spaghetti

Even though I'm not a fan of fish or seafood I'm a good wife and Mum and do occasionally make something a little fishy to satisfy their desires.

This meal is quick and easy, especially if you prepare the roasted pepper sauce beforehand.

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Roasted Red Pepper & Prawn Spaghetti - serves 3/4

120g Red Peppers (I used seedless baby peppers & removed the stalk after roasting)
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 red onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Coriander paste
2 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tbsp water
300g Fresh Spaghetti
240g Cooked & peeled King prawns

  • Place the peppers, garlic cloves and onion in a roasting pan & drizzle with the olive oil
  • Roast in a 200 C oven for 20-25 minutes
  • Squeeze the garlic from the skin and blend to a paste along with the peppers, onion, coriander paste, extra virgin olive oil and water

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  •  Put a pan of water to boil for the spaghetti
  • When the water has come to a boil place the spaghetti in and boil for 4 minutes
  • In the meantime heat the sauce gently in a wok or shallow pan
  • Add the prawns and heat through
  • Stir in the drained pasta and coat with the sauce


You may wish to add chilli to the sauce, either in the form of fresh chillies which can be roasted along with the peppers, a chilli paste or chilli flakes. 

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Monday 4 February 2013

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

Since the husband was diagnosed as a diabetic at the end of last year I've made him a few sugar free treats. I've recently discovered a great sugar substitute, Totally Sweet, which never had an after taste when I used it to make Raspberry muffins so I thought I'd give it a go in jam, so the husband would have something to put on his sugar free rice pudding, when I eventually get around to making some.


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Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

200g Strawberries
200g Total Sweet (sugar alternative)

  • Heat the strawberries & Total Sweet in a large pan until the Total Sweet has dissolved
  • Turn up the heat & boil for around 30 minutes until the jam has reduced down & reached setting point*
  • Pour into a sterilised jar and keep in the fridge until needed
* you can check that the jam has reached setting point by placing a plate in the freezer for approx 10 minutes and the spooning a small amount of the jam onto the plate. After a few seconds if the jam is still liquid then it needs boiling for longer - if it's a thick & sticky jam consistency then it's ready.



I was sent some Total Sweet to use in my baking and recipes

Chicken & Sweetcorn Heart Puffs

Puff pastry is an amazing thing, it can make a simple filling into a thing of beauty. I've never attempted to make puff pastry although I have been tempted. The closest I've got is making pain au chocolat and although quite simple, it was a bit of a faff. With that in mind it's much easier to spend a pound on a pack of ready made puff pastry and use your time making a lovely filling.

This filling didn't take much time though, if you have leftover roast chicken you can make these pies in minutes.


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Chicken & Sweetcorn Heart Puffs - Makes 6

230g Cooked Chicken breast
75g Sweetcorn
100g Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary (or your preferred herb)
pinch of ground Black Pepper
500g Jus Roll Light Puff Pastry
1 Egg, beaten
  • Cut the chicken into bitesized pieces and mix with the sweetcorn, cream cheese, rosemary and black pepper.
  • Roll the pastry out to approx 3mm thick and cut 12 heart shapes - I used an 11cm heart cutter
  • If you need to cut additional hearts don't roll the pastry into a ball as it won't puff up when it's cooked, just press the pieces together and roll over with the rolling pin before cutting.
  • Lay 6 of the hearts onto a greased baking tray and brush with the beaten egg.
  • Spoon filling onto the pastry, leaving a gap around the edge
  • Place a second heart on top of the filling
  • Press the edges together and seal with a fork
  • Brush the pies with the beaten egg
  • Beat in a 200 C oven for approx 15 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up
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Don't throw your pastry scraps away, make them into some yummy snacks.

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