Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms

Well, that's it, Bake Off is officially finished as we know it. What it's going to be like once it moves over to channel 4 & loses Mary, Mel & Sue is anyone's guess. 

I haven't managed to join in with the bakes as much as previous years for a number of reasons. I was on holiday for the first week so managed to get out of making jaffa cakes, although I may still try them at some point. Week 2 was biscuit week and I made Rhubarb & Custard Viennese Whirls. Week 3 was bread and I made a Cherry, Chocolate & Almond Bread Ring. Week 4 was batter, and I made these delicious Maple & Cajun Spiced Filled Yorkshire Puddings, inspired by an afternoon tea at Ma Pluckers in Soho. Week 5 was all about pastry and I made breakfast pastries in the form of Maple, Apple & Cinnamon Pinwheel Pastries . It all went to pot in October and I never baked anything for weeks 6-9, but I was determined that I would make something for the grand finale, whatever it may be.

Thankfully the final episode was kind to us, and I was spoilt for choice as to what to bake. In the end I decided to make a meringue crown, as I do love a pavlova.

My Great British pavlova was made up of 3 tiers of red white and blue meringue, filled with strawberries and cream and a touch of Pimms, all topped off with a gold replica (cough, cough) of Queen Victoria's crown.

I used 6 egg whites in total for the meringue (same recipe that I used here, but with increased quantities), and for the coloured layers I brushed some food colouring paste into the icing bags before filling them - I might have gone a bit overboard with the blue! I was inspired by Candice's meringue crown and piped my own over a silicone mould before spraying with edible gold spray.

I folded freeze dried strawberries into the cream for the bottom layer, orange zest in the middle layer, Pimms, mint and fresh strawberries in the top layer, more strawberries around the sides and popped the crown on top.

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

Seriously Good Strawberry & Lemon Cheesecake Spoonfuls

Do you ever fancy dessert but know that if you bake a pie or cake you're going to end up eating it all? Or you want to make a dessert for a dinner party but your cheesecake serving skills aren't up to scratch, and you end up slopping it onto the plate upside down. I can relate to both of these, which is why I like making individual desserts in jars or glasses, such as these quick and easy family desserts, lemon prosecco syllabubs or these shot glass trifles.

When I heard about the Heinz [Seriously] Good Spoonfuls competition it gave me the idea to create an individual serving of cheesecake on a spoon. The only catch is that the recipe would need to contain the new mayonnaise from Heinz, their [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise, made from free range eggs and containing no added colours, flavours, preservatives or artificial thickeners.

Not sold on the idea of mayonnaise in a cheesecake? Well, feast your eyes on these little beauties. A perfect mouthful, and nobody would guess the secret ingredient. Using mayonnaise in biscuits is a great shortcut as there's no need to wait for your butter to soften, and it mixes easily with your other ingredients.

Seriously Good Strawberry & Lemon Cheesecake Spoonfuls - makes 4

biscuit base
1 tbsp Heinz [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise
1 tbsp caster sugar
pinch of lemon zest
2 tbsp plain flour
4 dessert spoons

• add the ingredients to a small bowl
• mix together to form a ball of dough
• divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls
• place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper
• press the balls with your fingertips to form a disc approx 4-5cm in diameter 
• bake in a preheated 180C oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned
• whilst still warm and soft, press each biscuit onto your dessert spoons
• leave to cool

cheesecake topping
3 tbsp full fat cream cheese
1 tsp Heinz [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of lemon zest
sliced strawberries for decoration

• in a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and zest together in a bowl, until thick
• spoon or pipe onto the biscuit bases and top with a slice of strawberry

They really are [seriously] good!

If you think you have what it takes to create a [seriously] good spoonful, either sweet or savoury, you could be in with a chance of winning a fab prize!

More details and Terms and Conditions of the competition can be found here. Check out other entries by following the hashtag #heinzseriouslygood .

this post has been commissioned by Heinz

Reduced Sugar Lemon & Strawberry Cake

I haven't done much in the way of baking recently, mainly because I'm trying to cut out sugar as much as possible (which is a bit ironic really when I have a handmade marshmallow business), but when you have a handful of strawberries not looking their best, there's really only one thing to do with them, and that's throw them in a cake! 

I've reduced the sugar in this by over a third, but with the sweetness of the strawberries, and a sprinkling of sugar on the top, you really wouldn't notice.

Reduced Sugar Lemon & Strawberry Cake

175g butter or margarine (I use Stork for baking)

100g caster sugar

zest of one large lemon

tsp vanilla extract

3 medium eggs

175g self raising flour

85g ripe strawberries, sliced

• Set aside 1 tsp of caster sugar
• Beat the butter, remaining sugar and lemon zest together until pale & creamy
• Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
• Fold in the flour, until well combined
• Pour batter into a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin
• Scatter the sliced strawberries on the top of the batter and sprinkle on the reserved caster sugar
• Bake in a preheated 170C oven for approx 45-50 minutes, until golden brown on top and springy to the touch
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Serve warm or cold, on it's own or with a drizzle of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Pictured are gorgeous recycled cotton napkins and bamboo cutting board, received from A Slice of Green, the home of ethical products to help you live more sustainably.

Napkins £5.00 for a set of two

Bambu cutting board with coloured edging £16.00

Brtish Sandwich Week - Peanut Butter & Strawberry Bagel

If you weren't already aware, this week is British Sandwich Week (8th - 14th May 2016), the week where we celebrate the good old British food staple. The sandwich is one of the easiest meals to make & take with you, wherever you go. Pop your creation in a sandwich bag or wrap it in foil, and you're good to go.

To help celebrate sandwich week, Skippy Peanut Butter have invited me to develop a sandwich using one of my very favourite sandwich ingredients, peanut butter. Personally I love a peanut butter & apple or banana sandwich, but neither of these fruits are great eaten later once they've been sliced. However, juicy strawberries are a great alternative for packing in the kids lunchboxes, and although it may seem like an odd combination, lovers of the classic PB & J sandwich (peanut butter and jelly, or jam as we call it this side of the pond), will see where I'm coming from.

Instead of using sliced brown or white bread, I made the sandwich a little more exciting with the use of Tiger Bagels, but plain or cinnamon bagels would work just as well.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Bagel

Bagel
Skippy smooth or crunchy peanut butter
sliced strawberries

• slice the bagel in half and spread both cut sides generously with peanut butter
• lay slices of strawberry on one half of the bagel, and top with the other bagel half

My kids absolutely loved this, and the youngest would happily take it to school in his lunchbox.

This post has been commissioned by Skippy Peanut Butter

Strawberry & Banana Iced Lollies

I often go through phases of cooking and baking where I make the same thing over and over again, over a period of a few weeks. Recently it was flapjacks but at the moment it's iced lollies. 

Homemade lollies are great if you have kids, as it means you can add their favourite fruits and know exactly what's gone into them. It's also a great way to use up fruit that's perhaps past its best, that nobody wants to eat. Of course, you could just make a smoothie, but where's the fun in that. Just take it one step further and pour your smoothie into an ice lolly mould. It means that portions can be easily controlled, as well as preserving the fruit that little bit longer.

These are simply made by blending strawberries and bananas together. I had some strawberries in the freezer that I'd frozen when one of our allotment friends gave us two punnets a couple of weeks ago, and the bananas were looking a little ripe.

Strawberry & Banana Iced Lollies - makes approx 8 lollies

handful of fresh or frozen strawberries
1 banana

• add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
• pour into ice lolly moulds and place in the freezer for a few hours until frozen solid

Strawberry & Balsamic Tarts

Balsamic vinegar has a place in my kitchen on an almost daily basis. It stands next to its partner in crime, extra virgin olive oil, and they make the perfect pairing on my salads and roasted vegetables.

I've seen sweet recipes that use balsamic vinegar, particularly with strawberries, but I'd never tried it for myself. That was until I received two gorgeous looking bottles of Due Vittorie Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

This isn't just any run of the mill supermarket balsamic vinegar that I would usually buy to put on my salad, this is totally different, and is pure luxury. I decided that the best way to try it out would be in a dessert recipe.

Strawberry & Balsamic Tarts - makes 9

320g ready rolled puff pastry sheet
250g strawberries, hulled & sliced
1 tbsp caster sugar
Drizzle of good quality Balsamic, such as Due Vittorie Tradizionale
Creme Fraiche for serving

• Cut the pastry sheet into 9 equal rectangles
• Lay the strawberry slices onto each piece, leaving a border around the edge
• Sprinkle with caster sugar
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 20 mins, until golden brown & puffed up
• Drizzle with Balsamic and serve with creme fraiche

The combination of the sweet strawberries, creme fraiche and Balsamic was amazing, and it's a combination that has to be tried to be believed. The Due Vittorie Tradizionale is so smooth and so far away from the balsamic that I'm used to. It's a balsamic of the highest quality due to the 25 year aging process, and with it's £49.99 price tag it's one that's best saved for those special occasions.

More in my price range is the Due Vittorie Oro, priced at £9.99 for a 250ml bottle, which is only slightly more vinegary than the tradizionale, and to a balsamic novice like myself it tastes just as good. The more reasonably priced Oro is a great everyday balsamic that can be used as a salad dressing, with fruit and cheese, or as an alternative to soy sauce.

Both bottles are now available in Ocado, currently priced at £44.99 for the Tradizionale and £8.99 for the Oro

I was provided with the Due Vittorie Balsamic Vinegar for the purpose of review

Seasonal Recipes - Pimms Pavlovas

I do enjoy a glass (or jug) of Pimms in the garden in the summer, and last weekend I decided to use a drop or two of my Pimms to create a dessert. This is perfect to serve at a dinner party as they can be fully prepared in advance, as well as looking a little bit special, which will impress your friends.

They may not look that easy to make, but trust me, they are a lot easier than they look. As long as you have a food mixer or electric whisk they won't even take much effort.

Pimms Pavolvas by Helen Jessup on Scribd

For more seasonal recipes follow my Pinterest board

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake Sundae

After the success of my Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake at the weekend I decided to put together a quicker version, in individual portions (albeit very large portions) for a challenge by Mövenpick. The challenge is to create a Sundae using one or more ice creams from their range (available from Ocado), with a prize of a masterclass with The Langham's pastry chef and afternoon tea at The Palm Court.

I'm not normally a fan of Strawberry ice cream but this was not like any usual strawberry ice cream. Containing no artificial colours or flavours it is intensely creamy and tastes of real strawberries, rather than a strawberry flavour, and has pieces of real fruit, and lots of them. 

My sundae was made up of layers of crushed biscuits, lemon cheesecake filling, strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries.

    

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake Sundae - makes 2 sundaes

200g Full fat cream cheese

30g caster sugar + 1 tsp

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

200ml Double cream

handful of strawberries + 1 extra for decoration

2 Digestive biscuits, crushed

A few scoops of Mövenpick Strawberry ice cream

• Beat the cream cheese together with 30g caster sugar and the lemon zest and juice
• Beat the cream in a little at a time until well combined and smooth
• Mix the strawberries with 1 tsp caster sugar and mash gently with a fork (reserve a little of the syrup for drizzling over the finished sundae)
• Layer up the sundae as follows - biscuit crumbs, lemon mixture, crushed strawberries, lemon mixture, ice cream, lemon mixture, crushed strawberries, lemon mixture, ice cream, strawberry syrup, half a fresh strawberry

I was provided with supermarket vouchers towards the cost of my ingredients, along with sundae glasses and spoons

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake

I'm a huge fan of cheesecakes, so when we had friends over last weekend I made sure there was one on the menu. For main course we had pulled pork, coleslaw, home made bread rolls, salad and potato wedges - a nice simple meal that can be mostly prepared in advance, as who wants to spend a sunny Saturday evening in the kitchen when everyone is in the garden having fun. 

Thankfully I did prepare it all in advance as we went to a school festival/football tournament in the afternoon, had one too may ciders, and arrived home 2 minutes before our guests arrived!

I chose to make two other desserts - chocolate fudge cake and rhubarb crumble. The cheesecake and cake were both made the day before and the crumble was baked on the evening, after being prepared earlier in the day.

This strawberry and lemon cheesecake is perfect for Summer, especially with the abundance of fresh local strawberries - we seem to be getting through around three punnets per week at the moment! Cheesecake also has to be one of the easiest desserts to make that has a certain amount of wow factor, and the sharpness of the lemons makes this one of my favourite flavours.

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake

200g Digestive biscuits, crushed
50g Butter, melted
300g Full fat Philadelphia cream cheese
Juice & zest of 2 lemons
50g caster sugar
300ml Double cream

125g Strawberries for filling plus extra for decorating

• Mix the crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter together and press into the bottom of a greased/lined loose bottom or springform cake pan (the one I used was approx 20cm)
• Place in the fridge for at least an hour (or in the freezer whilst you make the filling if short on time)
• Beat the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest and the caster sugar together
• Stir in the cream a little at a time until it's well combined and smooth
• Pour half of the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base and smooth over
• Lay thin slices of strawberry over this layer and press gently down
• Pour over the remaining filling and smooth over
• Place in the fridge for a few hours or until needed
• Just before serving remove from the tin and decorate with strawberry halves

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the inside of the cheesecake as it was devoured too quickly!

Elizabeth Sponge with Lactofree #SayYestoSummer

Look at that beauty!

I love it when a sponge cake rises exactly as it should, and doesn't collapse the moment you take it out of the oven. My old oven is a bit temperamental and bakes more on one side than the other so it's always a risk turning the tin around part way through the baking process. Today was a good day though and my cake turned out perfectly.

I am working together with Lactofree through the Summer on their #SayYestoSummer campaign, and will be receiving products and ingredients to enable me to get to know the Lactofree range and share results of my baking with my readers.

As Wimbledon is currently taking place I was sent a Wimbledon inspired hamper of goodies, including the most gorgeous picnic blanket and cute fabric strawberries.

If you fancy trying this delicious cake you can find the recipe here, but first please go to the Lactofree Facebook page, where you can win a walking holiday to the Peak District complete with a picnic basket and blanket.

If you want to try out more yummy summer recipes go to the Lactofree #SayYestoSummer page. 

follow Lactofree on Twitter

Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns

Berries are a food typically associated with summer, even though they are readily available all year round these days. I always have a punnet of raspberries in my freezer ready to chill down a glass of wine or to add to a smoothie, but they are always better tasting in the summer, especially fresh from the fields on a pick your own farm.

I bet you didn't know that listening to certain sounds whilst eating your berries can alter the way that they taste. For example, if you listen to happy, summery sounds, people found that strawberries tasted 'fruitier'.

Seasonal Berries have put together a few soundscapes for us to put this research to the test.

 

Now, I'm not sure that these sounds made my strawberries taste any sweeter, but the tracks were really relaxing, especially the beach *drifts off into relaxing holiday mode*, so why don't you try it out for yourself - after you've made my Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns of course.

Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns - makes 12

For the dough
225ml milk
500g white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g caster sugar
50g butter, softened
7g yeast

For the filling
150g Lemon curd
300g strawberries, sliced
butter

For the icing
80g Lemon curd
50g Full fat cream cheese

• Add the dough ingredients into a food mixer & combine & knead until smooth & elastic
• Place in a greased bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to double in size for an hour or two
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle  
• Spread the lemon curd over the dough and scatter with strawberries
• Roll the dough up along the long side & press the end to seal
• Cut into 12 equal slices using a very sharp knife
• Lay the slices into a well buttered baking dish
• Cover with clingfilm & leave in a warm place for approx 1 hour, until doubled in size
• Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for approx 15-20 minutes until golden brown
• Beat the leon curd & cream cheese together until smooth
• Leave the buns to cool a little and spread the creamy lemon topping over the buns
• Serve warm or cold 

Sweet, sticky and very very moreish.

I was provided with some strawberries for the experiment