Vegetarian Sweet & Savoury Mince Clanger

Another week of Bake Off is over, and last week there was only one bake that I wanted to make, and it definitely wasn't the Cumberland Rum Nicky or the Victorian Savoy Cake, as I knew that the kids wouldn't touch the Rum Nicky, and I had neither the time or the inclination to make the Savoy cake.

I knew that if I got the fillings in a Clanger right the kids would love them, as they love my pies and pasties, and I wouldn't be left having to eat them all. As I had some vegetarian mince in the freezer, and a couple of jars of home made mincemeat from two years ago in the cupboard, I knew that this could be the winning combination I needed, as everyone in the family loves both savoury mince and mince pies.

Instead of making the Clangers with suet pastry, as they're traditionally made, I decided to opt for my usual favourite pastry, which always turns out well, and works perfectly in pasties.

Well, what can I say. They turned out better than expected, and barely lasted any time at all once the husband and kids walked through the door on Friday. I used the pastry scraps to make a few mince pies, and they were also inhaled.

The pastry was light and crispy, yet substantial enough to hold the filling, and the size was just right, and with just the right amount of filling. I love making pies and pasties, and am now thinking of other sweet and savoury combinations that would work, and be perfect in a lunchbox or to take on a picnic or day out.

Maple, Apple & Cinnamon Pinwheel Pastries

Last week it was pastry week on Bake Off, and whilst I would love to try making a bakewell tart, I know the kids wouldn't eat it, and I would've ended up eating too much. There was no way I was going to attempt filo pastry, so that left Danish Pastries.

I didn't have enough time for the whole proper Danish pastry dough, so I made my favourite cream cheese pastry, which is very similar to puff pastry, but a lot less work. It worked really well with these pastries, and is great for savoury pies too. It's a lovely light pastry, and these pinwheels were light and crispy.

Apple & Cinnamon Pinwheel Pastries

pastry
150g full fat cream cheese, diced
150g cold butter, diced
250g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar

apple filling
3-4 tbps home made apple jam (made with 3 parts peeled apples and 2 parts jam sugar)
tsp cinnamon
caster sugar

icing
3 tbsp icing sugar
maple syrup
water

• Add all the pastry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
• Using a flat beater, mix all the ingredients together until combined and just starting to come together
• Press the pastry together, wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate for approx 1/2 an hour (do not be tempted to over work the pastry)
• Roll the dough out to the thickness of a one pound coin (I find it easier to roll between sheets of clingfilm instead of flouring the surface)
• cut squares from the dough, in your desired size - mine were approx 3" square as I wanted small pastries
• make 4 cuts on each square of pastry from the corners towards the centre, leaving a gap in the centre for the filling
• mix the jam with the cinnamon and spoon into the centre of each pastry
• fold in 4 of the corners to make a pinwheel
• return to the fridge for half an hour whilst the oven preheats to 200C
• place the pastries onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper
• sprinkle a little caster sugar over each pastry
• bake for approx 15 minutes, until golden and crispy
• once cool, drizzle with icing (I mixed icing sugar with a little water and a little maple syrup until it was drizzling consistency)

I am joining in with the Mummy Mishaps Great Bloggers Bake Off

Cheesy Chicken & Sweetcorn Slices

It's pastry week on The Great British Bake Off this week so I thought I would share these easy to make Cheesy Chicken & Sweetcorn Slices. I cheated a little here as I didn't make my own puff pastry, but store bought puff pastry is so convenient, and considering that home made puff pastry can take a whole day to make, it's definitely £1 well spent.

I served these up with some Actifry chips, which made a very fulfilling meal for the family. The recipe makes 4 good sized slices, but can easily be doubled up to make a few for now and a few for another day.

Cheesy Chicken & Sweetcorn Slices - makes 4

1 large skinless chicken breast, cooked

80g cooked & cooled potatoes

75g frozen sweetcorn, thawed

75g mature cheddar cheese, grated

pinch of dried herbs

twist of black pepper

500g puff pastry block

1 egg

• slice the chicken breast and potatoes into small pieces
• add to a bowl with the sweetcorn, cheese, herbs and pepper
• mix to combine all the ingredients
• roll the puff pastry block out into a rectangle until it measures approx 35cm x 30cm
• straighten up the sides of the pastry by cutting off any uneven edges
• cut into 4 equal pieces
• brush beaten egg around the edges of each sheet of pastry
• spoon some of the filling onto one side of each pastry sheet, leaving a gap around the edge
• fold the other side of the pastry over and press down on the edges to seal 
• using a fork, press gently around the sealed edges
• brush with beaten egg
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 25-30 minutes, until puffed up & golden brown

Raspberry & White Chocolate Tarts

Last weekend saw a brief break in the rain long enough to get up to allotment to do some weeding, and whilst up there Jack picked a few raspberries. Some of them were quite ripe, and after a quick wash they were a little on the mushy side. We could've eaten them with vanilla ice cream but as I had a pack of puff pastry nearing it's use by date I thought tarts would make a nice dessert.

Making these couldn't be simpler, as they require zero cooking skills or effort, although if you want to refine your baking skills and learn some new tricks of the trade, corporate cooking classes could work for you.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Tarts - makes 8

320g pack of ready rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp milk

approx 200g ripe raspberries

1 tbsp caster sugar
75g good quality white chocolate

• slice the pastry sheet into 8 equal pieces
• lay the pastry onto a large baking tray (or 2 smaller ones) lined with baking paper
• brush the pastry sheets with milk
• gently mash the raspberries with the back of a fork
• spoon the raspberries into the centre of each pastry sheet and spread over the sheet, leaving approx 2cm around the edge
• sprinkle the sugar over each sheet, including around the edge
• bake in a 200C oven for approx 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up
• allow to cool before drizzling with melted white chocolate

Double Cheese and Bacon Pie

This is a delicious pie/quiche/flan, call it what you will, which can be baked in advance and reheated, or eaten cold. If you're not confident in pastry making then store bought shortcrust pastry could be used, or even a savoury pastry case, which would save time.

My kids love this, and it was made as a midweek dinner from items that I have in my fridge and cupboards every week.

It looks a little rough around the edges, but go to any farm shop and they have similar pies, which they call rustic, so I'm going with that!

Double Cheese and Bacon Pie

pastry

100g cold salted butter

200g plain flour

splash of milk

filling

12 rashers streaky bacon

1 onion, chopped

handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

5 medium eggs

150ml single cream

black pepper

100g Greek cheese, such as Feta

75g mature cheddar cheese, grated

2 tomatoes, sliced

• rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs (you can do this in a food mixer or food processor)
• add a splash of milk, a little at a time, until the dough comes together
• roll pastry into a ball and wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge whilst the filling is prepared
• add the bacon rashers to a large frying pan and fry until crispy (you may need to do this in 2 batches)
• remove the rashers from the pan and lay on kitchen paper to soak up any excess fat
• pour the fat from the pan and add the chopped onion
• fry the onion for a few minutes until softened, and then add the parsley
• beat the eggs and cream together with a twist of black pepper
• set the filling aside whilst the pastry case is prepared
• roll the dough out on a floured surface until large enough to line your flan tin
• prick the base of the pastry and cover with baking paper and fill with baking beans
• bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes before removing the baking beans and paper
• bake for an additional 5 minutes before removing from the oven
• chop the bacon rashers up and scatter over the base of the pastry case
• top with the onions and parsley, and crumble over the Greek cheese
• top with the cheddar cheese, reserving a little for the top
• pour the egg and cream mixture into the pastry case
• lay the tomato slices on top and cover with the remaining cheese 
• turn the oven heat down to 170C and bake for around 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and firm in the centre

Serve warm or cold

Roast Pork & Stuffing Pasties

I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but I do make a darn good pasty. It doesn't seem to matter what the filling is as it's the pastry that makes it, and this is the easiest pastry to make. It's so flaky and light, and it reminds me of the crust of a decent Cornish pasty. 

Well, that's enough blowing of that trumpet for one day, and onto the recipe. I first came across a cream cheese pastry in a Martha Stewart cookery book, and adjusted the quantities as it was all in cup measurements. This is now my pastry of choice when it comes to making pasties and pies, although it does tend to shrink away from the edges in a pie, but is perfect for pasties. After a roast dinner we had some leftover roast pork, which I teamed with a few rashers of cooked bacon and a packet of stuffing, which I served with boiled potatoes, vegetables and gravy.  

Roast Pork & Stuffing Pasties - makes 4

filling 
85g pack of stuffing mix (I used sage & onion)
leftover roast pork, chopped
6 cooked bacon rashers, chopped

pastry
150g full fat cream cheese, diced
150g cold butter, diced
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (optional)
1 egg, beaten

• Make the stuffing up as per directions on the pack
• mix in the pork and bacon to combine (add a little extra water (or gravy if you have it) if it's too stiff) & set aside to cool
• Add all the pastry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
• Using a flat beater, mix all the ingredients together until combined and just starting to come together
• Press the pastry together, wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate for approx 1/2 an hour (do not be tempted to over work the pastry)
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
• Roll each piece of dough out into a circle, approx size of a tea plate
• Add quarter of the filling into the centre of the pastry circle
• Fold over one side of the dough onto the other
• Crimp the edges 
• Repeat for remaining pasties
• Brush the pasties with the beaten egg
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 25-30 minutes, until golden brown

Double Chocolate Cheesecake Croquembouche

The Great British Bake Off has been over for a while now but the Great Bloggers Bake Off currently has a showstopper challenge running. I didn't have a lot of time to make an extravagant bake so decided to make some profiteroles as I've made them lots of times before and they don't take very long, and aren't as complicated as they may look. I've called this a Croquembouche due to the shape of it, but I believe that a traditional Croquembouche is 'bound with threads of caramel'. As I didn't have much time I wasn't going to start making caramel so decided to cover them in milk chocolate ganache. If I was making them for a dinner party I would've gone with a dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled it all with flaked almonds, but as it was for the kids I used a sweeter creamy Belgian milk chocolate, and left off the nuts.

It's quite a fiddly business filling all the small choux buns, and in hindsight I should have made them a little larger, but it meant that they fitted into the cone well.

Not bad for a Monday night tea hey?

Profiteroles

140g Butter
300ml Water
200g Plain Flour
4 Eggs

• Preheat the oven to 200C
• Place the butter and water into a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted, bring to the boil.
• Remove from heat and stir the flour quickly in and beat well until the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball
• Leave to cool slightly then gradually beat in the eggs
• Leave to cool fully
• Spoon into a piping bad with a plain nozzle and pipe balls onto a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Bake for 20 minutes until crisp & golden
• Make a slit in the side of each, and pop back in the oven for 2-3 minutes
• Remove from oven & cool on a wire rack 

You will now need to make a mould to form the Croquembouche - I used a non stick silicone baking sheet, rolled it into a cone and placed it into a glass to hold it

Filling
200g milk chocolate, melted
200g cream cheese

Ganache 
150g milk chocolate
150g double cream

• Prepare the filling by beating the melted chocolate with the cream cheese
• Fill a piping bag with a pointed nozzle
• Squeeze some filling into each profiterole & set aside
• Add 50g of the chocolate and 50g double cream to a bowl
• Heat in short bursts in the microwave until warmed
• Beat together until smooth
• Dip the base of each profiterole into the ganache and then into the mould
• repeat with the remaining profiteroles until the mould is full, you have run out of profiteroles or your tower is as large as you want it
• Place in the fridge until completely set and then remove from the mould/silicone sheet
• Make the rest of the ganache by warming the cream and chocolate in short bursts in the microwave 
• Beat together until smooth & pour over the tower

 

Mini Lamb Keema Pasties

We've been eating quite a bit of Indian food recently, but one dish I've never tried making is Keema. To be honest, the only time I've heard of Keema is in a Keema Naan, as it's the husband's favourite naan bread. Keema is a dish made from minced lamb, which is cooked using different spices, with peas added towards the end of cooking. I've teamed up with Simply Beef & Lamb to show you how easy it is to cook, and share my recipe for serving it to my family.

I decided to cook up a double batch of Keema and use some of it for these tasty mini pasties, and put the rest in the freezer ready for a quick pasta dinner another day. My recipe for the Keema has been adapted slightly from the original recipe that can be found here. I chose not to add any fresh chillies as I felt it was spicy enough for the family as it was.

You could use puff or shortcrust pastry for these, but I opted to use my favourite cream cheese pastry, as it's not only really easy to make and roll out, but it's also really light and flaky. The pasties can be eaten as part of a main meal, or as a lunch or snack - or even taken in the school lunchbox.

Mini Lamb Keema Pasties - makes approx 15

Lamb Keema

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & chopped

1 tsp garlic & ginger paste

2 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp garam masala

450g lean lamb mince

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree

100g frozen peas

Pastry

250g plain flour

150g butter

150g full fat cream cheese

1 egg, beaten

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan
• Add the onion and fry for approx 10 minutes
• Add the garlic & ginger, cumin & garam masala and cook for 1-2 minutes
• Add the lamb and fry until mostly browned
• Add the tomatoes and puree
• Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and cook uncovered for approx 20-25 minutes, adding the peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, butter and cream cheese
• Mix on a low speed until it becomes like breadcrumbs and then starts to come together
• Squeeze together into a ball and wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes
• Roll the pastry out to approx 5mm thick and cut circles with a large round cutter or cut around a glass
• Brush beaten egg onto one half of the pastry disc and then a spoonful of Keema onto the other
• Fold one half of the pastry over the filling and press the edges together, and then crimp
• Lay the pasties onto a lined baking sheet and brush with beaten egg
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy

Serve with a light salad of sliced cucumber, sliced red onion and a dash of tamarind paste, along with a spoonful of yogurt

I was provided with ingredients to make the Keema

Chicken Korma Pie

If you ever fancied yourself as a bit of a piemaker then get your thinking cap on as Higgidy are on the search for their next pie, in their Higgidy Recipe Hunt.

I was sent a few goodies to help me create my own recipe to enter into the hunt, including my very own personalised rolling pin!

Since attending an Indian cookery course last week I've been a little addicted to making chicken korma, so I decided to make a chicken korma pie.

You can find the chicken korma recipe here (I used chicken breast) and my recipe for cream cheese pastry here, which I added a little turmeric to, to give it a great yellow colour. Instead of a pastry base I added approx 200g of cooked basmati rice to help soak up some of the excess sauce. Despite the shrunken pastry the pie was so good, and all the family loved it, and it tasted so much better than it looks. The pastry was lovely and light and crispy, and the offcuts were baked with a sprinkling of cumin seeds and salt and eaten with cheese & chutney!

It was a complete meal in a pie, however we enjoyed it accompanied by Naan breads, poppadoms and chutney.

Caramel Apple Choux Buns

What do you do when you have more apples than you can possibly eat and there's no more room in your freezer? You cook with them and make dessert, of course.

We have loads of apples at the moment - you may have noticed a few apple recipes this month - Toffee Apple Cinnamon Bun Rings, Toffee Apple Cobbler, German Apple Streusel Cake and Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Rolls, but you can never get fed up of eating apples if they're smothered in a caramel sauce, like these choux buns.

 

You can find the full recipe on Great British Chefs here.

This recipe was commissioned by Great British Chefs


entered into the Rix October draw