Cheesey Bites for Credit Crunch Munch

I had a bit of leftover puff pastry, you  know the scraps round the side that you have cut off your nice neat pie.  Sometimes I make little turnovers but there really wasn't enough, so I gathered up the bits and rolled them into a rectangle.  Sprinkled on some grated Mature Scottish Cheddar and rolled up from the long side.

I sliced the pastry roll up like a Chelsea Bun and placed them on the baking tray, ground over some black pepper and popped in the oven at 200C for a few minutes until they rose and turned golden and all the cheese had melted.  I guess they are a sort of savoury Palmier, whatever you call them, they were very tasty and would be perfect as canapes or even for children's parties.  You could also spread tomato puree or ketchup on the pastry before adding the cheese.  They certainly didn't last long!

This is my entry for October 2013 Credit Crunch Munch, the money saving blog event run by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All.  Had I not made these Cheesey Bites the pastry would have been thrown out and a little bit of grated cheese turned it into a sophisticated canape.  Nothing wasted here!

This month Credit Crunch Munch is being hosted by Utterly Scrummy.

Labels: canapes, cheese, Credit Crunch Munch, nibbles, puff pastry

posted by Janice @ 21:29 8 Comments

Beef Bourguignon Pie and a book review

Beef Bourguignon Pie

 This recipe comes from 'A Suitcase and a Spatula' by Tori Haschka, a Sydney-born food and travel writer, blogger at eatori.com and intrepid gourmet.

A Suitcase and a Spatula

A Suitcase and a Spatula is a quirky little book, a kind of hybrid travelogue cookbook.  At first glance, it seems a bit wordy, but the words are well written, amusing and informative and the recipes are very good.

The Introduction tells you  about Tori, her travel companion or 'co-pilot' and some of the places they visited. 

Off to a good start - Food for a sociable start to the day and when you crave breakfast for dinner 
Here are a few of the Breakfast treat,  starting in London with Mushrooms, Brown Butter and Parmesan on Toast, New York gives us Corn Popovers with Tomato Bacon Relish, in Paris a Raspberry Croissant Pudding is the delightful offering.  In Agadir,  warm and spicy Baked Moroccan Eggs brighten up the breakfast table and we finish up in Sydney with Latte Banana Bread, nuff said!  My favourite part of this chapter was the double pager called "How to get the best out of a breakfast buffet" what a brilliant idea and so many good tips to avoid gluttony but have your fill of the good stuff.

Summer - Feasts best eaten with sand between your toes
Living in Scotland, we don't often have the kind of weather that makes you want to eat light summer dishes, but on those days when the sun shines and the temperature gets above 16C (yes, really 20C is a heat wave!) I'm going to be trying out some of the following summery recipes:  Griddled Bread with Ricotta, Mint, Chilli and Lemon from Bondi, Sydney's iconic beach, Pork Burritos with Spicy Pineapple Salsa from Avoca Beach (that's in Australia, not Ireland) Sardines with Campari Peach and Fennel from Venice, Fava with Lamb Meatballs from Athens.  There is a lovely section on The South of France featuring Mussels, Fennel and Chickpeas in Pink Wine and Rose Jelly with Vanilla Cream - mmm how delicious.

Another fun section is the Minibar Cocktail Party - create a Citrus Gin Fizz, a Coffee martini or a Lazy Sangria, amongst others!   The chapter ends with Avocado Milkshake Popsicles displayed in stunning coloured glasses.

Winter - Feasts best eaten when hunkering down in front of a fire.
I would certainly eat Roast Apple and Pumpkin Soup with Maple Nut Crumble while hunkering down in front of a fire in the Blue Mountains and Tori has some sound advice for would be frontier-braving campers!

Another great section provides a Formula for Carpet Picnics, for those days when the weather doesn't allow you to eat outside, some simple combinations of local ingredients make for a great picnic no matter where you are.

More winter dishes include Slow Cooked Pork Ribs with Rhubarb Pickle from Brooklyn, Icelandic Hot Dogs and Pecorino, Pepper and Pig Cheek Pasta from Rome. I will definitely be making Koshary a  spicy rice, pasta and chickpea dish from Cairo.  Full details of the French Beef Bourguignon Pie below, another pie from San Francisco: Tomato Soup Pie!


The Sweet Stuff - Desserts for sharing, treats for snaking and things to call on when a grey day needs a lift
There are some nice recipes in this chapter, but I don't think it is as strong as the other chapters, I was drawn to the following recipes: Elderflower Almond Cake with Summer Berries from London Fields, Apricot Frangipane Puddings from Val D'Isere a perfect 'chalet girl' pud!

In 'A Tale of Two Christmases' we are given menus for a hot Christmas in Sydney and a cold Christmas in London.  I liked the look of the Christmas Pudding Semifreddo with Boozy Chocolate Sauce which I think would go down just as well in London as Sydney.

Pros
The presentation of some of the recipes as pages stuck in with tape appealed to me, and the photographs of the completed recipes were beautifully styled. There was also a theme of airmail and postcards which was effective. Each recipe comes with a few paragraphs to tell you about the author's travels and the dish featured. The narrative pieces, some of which I have already mentioned but there are more e.g. 'Plane Food', are a real treat. Great ideas for travellers written with gentle humour.

Cons
It is a rather eclectic mixture of recipes, which is inevitable given the travel theme.   There are still quite a lot of Australian themed recipes, but all the recipes use ingredients which should be fairly easily available.

Ease of use
Both imperial and metric measures are shown.  The instructions are clear and well laid out.  There is a photograph for all the main dishes, some simple recipes mentioned in the narrative pieces don't have photographs.


I chose to make the Beef Bourguignon Pie because it is the dish in the book which features Beaune, the delightful French town in the Burgundy area that I visited in March.

Hotel de Dieu - Beaune

Charcuterie - Beaune

Fromagerie - Beaune

Wine Tasting - Beaune

Janice in Beaune!

Tori tells us "one option is to serve the silken hunks of meat over mashed potato or white bean purée. Or you could do what every homesick Australian does when stranded in the middle of France, and ponder how it would taste under a cap of pastry."



Beef Bourguignon Pie (serves 4)
1kg/2 1/4lb beef shin or chuck steak, cubed
1 1/4 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
3tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 onions, diced
2 bay leaves
675ml/2 3/4 cups red wine (burgundy is classic)
2tbsp tomato purée/paste
1tsp sugar
2tbsp cassis or sherry (optional)
150g/5oz lardons/streaky bacon, cut into strips
200g/6 1/2oz button mushrooms, halved
375g/12 1/2 oz puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
4 ovenproof bowls or pudding containers

Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8. Dust the beef in the flour, salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a casserole dish over a high heat, and brown half the meat. Remove and add another tbsp of oil before browning the other half (try not to crowd the pan - you don't want the meat to stew.
Remove the meat and add 1tbsp olive oil to the pan. Sauté the carrots, garlic and onions until the onion is translucent.
Return the meat to the pan. Add the bay leaves and red wine. Scrape up the sediment on the bottom of the pan with a spoon to encourage it to join the stew. This is where the flavour is.
Simmer over low heat with the lid off for 2 hours or longer if you have it. An hour before serving add the tomato purée/paste and sugar. (If you feel inclined, add the cassis or sherry).
Just before serving, brown the lardons or streaky bacon in a frying pan. Add both to the beef stew, season with salt and pepper.



Divide the stew among 4 pie dishes. Divide the pastry into four, roll out on a floured surface and place on top of the pies. Seal around the edges of the dishes. Brush with beaten egg, make a cut in the centre and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden.



I don't have any little pie dishes so decided to bake the pastry separately and serve with the meat stew.

 Stunning dish, worthy of a restaurant (even though I say it myself) the Beef Bourguignon was rich and full of flavour and deconstructing the pie worked really well as the pastry was crisp, airy and light.


A Suitcase and a Spatula
Recipes and stories from around the world
AUTHOR Tori Haschka
PHOTOGRAPHER Isobel Wield
RRP £18.99
POPULAR ONLINE RETAILER £12.15
PUBLISHER  Ryland Peters and Small
SPECIFICATIONS 144pp
c. 100 colour photographs
ISBN 978-1-84975-349-4

Labels: A Suitcase and a Spatula, Beaune, Beef Bourguignon, beef. pie, cookery book review, Peters and Small, puff pastry, Ryland, Tori Haschka, travel

posted by Janice @ 13:00 3 Comments

Easy Mincemeat 'Sausage' Rolls!

Last week for the Booths Cheers party I was given a 'Secret Mission' to make mince pies with a twist.
Now, the box with the wine arrives on Tuesday and as I'm at work all day, I didn't get my mission instructions until I got home on Tuesday evening.  The party is on Wednesday night,  so not a lot of time to prepare.  I knew I had some ready rolled puff pastry sheets in the freezer and a jar of my 'Instant Chocolate Mincemeat' in the fridge.  I initially planned to make some mincemeat pinwheels but, flicking through 'How to Bake' by Paul Hollywood I noticed some sausage rolls...I wonder?




I took the pastry out of the freezer in the morning, so when I came in from work, I assembled my ingredients:
Ready rolled puff pastry - check
Approx 300g Instant chocolate mincemeat - check
2tbsp ground almonds - check
eggs (2) - check
grated zest of an orange - check
1 tbsp Croft Indulgence Finest Reserve Port from Booths - check

This isn't an exact recipe, put the mincemeat in a bowl, mix in one beaten egg. 1 tbsp port and 2 tbsp of ground almonds.  Divide the pastry in two lengthways, divide the mincemeat mixture between the two strips of pastry.  Beat the other egg and brush egg wash around the edges. Sprinkle the mincemeat with grated orange zest.

Labels: Booths Cheers, ground almonds, mince pies, mincemeat, orange, puff pastry

posted by Janice @ 21:58 10 Comments

Pear and Blackberry Frangipane Tart

It was a rather wet start on Sunday, but when it dried up after lunch, I went out and noticed that there were a lot of 'brambles' which were ripe.  I started to pick them, but once my hands were full, had to come back to the house for a bowl!

I put most of the blackberries in the freezer but decided to keep some back to make a dessert.

Pear and Blackberry Frangipane Tart

1 traybake tin  approx 30 x 23 x 4cm (12" x 9" x 1 ½")
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
3 tbsp raspberry jam
1 or 2 poached pears, quartered
100g blackberries (or a couple of handfuls)

for the Frangipane
55g butter
55g caster sugar
40g ground almonds
1 large egg
15g plain flour

1. Heat the oven to 180C/170C fan oven
2. Line the tin with the pastry and trim to fit
3. Spread the raspberry jam on the base of the pastry
4. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat together the frangipane ingredients
5. Add peached pears and sprinkle over the blackberries, push them down into the frangipane mix.
6. Bake at 170C for 20 minutes until risen and golden brown.

I served the tart warm with icecream, but you can also eat it cold.  If I was going to make this again I would make shortcrust pastry for the base as the puff pastry wasn't so good underneath especially when cold.


I had some company when I was out picking brambles, the horses in the next door field were very interested in what I was doing!

Labels: blackberries, dessert, frangipane, ground almonds, Pears, puff pastry, tart

posted by Janice @ 20:49 12 Comments

Tarte Tatin with Mermaid Bakeware

Not the greatest looking Tarte Tatin,  my nerve went on the caramel and I didn't let it cook for long enough to colour up properly.  It might not have had the full colour but it did have the sticky, sweet toffee apple taste.

I was inspired to make a Tarte Tatin because I was sent this Mermaid Hard Anodised Aluminium Tarte Tatin Tin to review, it's the perfect shape and size to make the famous upside down Apple Tart.  It's also extremely strong and hard wearing, I was able to put it on the stove top to make the caramel and  there was no buckling and no hot spots.  The Tarte Tatin dish retails for around £27 but is currently on sale on Amazon for £21.54

Tarte Tatin

8 eating apples
200g caster sugar
50g butter
375g all butter puff pastry (I used Tesco ready rolled)

1. Peel, core and halve the apples. Don't worry if they turn brown , it won't show in the finished tart.
2. Put the sugar in the base of the tin  with 50ml water, then melt the sugar slowly over a low heat, stirring.
3. Once the sugar has melted, turn up the heat and bubble for 5 minutes or so to give a golden  caramel.  You are looking for a rich reddy brown, but be careful it doesn't burn.
4. Take the caramel off the heat immediately and stir in the butter which will foam up.
5. Arrange the apple halves on top, cut side up, so they fill the pan, slice any left over apple pieces and fill in the gaps.

6. Put the pan back on a gentle heat and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let the apples cool completely.
7. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 7.  Roll out the pastry, then lay over the cooled apples in the pan.  Trim the pastry using the edge of the pan as a guide, then tuck it inside the edge around the apple, making sure they don't move.

8.  Bake for 30 minutes until dark golden and puffed.  Remove from the oven, stand for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the tart onto a serving plate.


I'll definitely be making another Tarte Tatin and try to get that dark mahogany coloured caramel.  The tin would also be excellent for other pies, whether upside down or right way up!

Many thanks to Ria, Sarah and Emma for sending me the bakeware to review, although I was supplied with the Tarte Tatin tin to review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Labels: apples, caramel, Mermaid Bakeware, puff pastry, Tarte Tatin

posted by Janice @ 20:06 9 Comments

Strawberry Tarts

It may  not look much like summer outside, but Strawberry Tarts are very much part of a British summer.  When I saw that 'Summer Berries' was the theme for the June Tea Time Treats challenge run by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked, I decided to have a go at making them myself.  As a bonus, strawberries are the 'One Ingredient' for the One Ingredient challenge run by Laura, How to Cook Good Food and her co-host Nazima, Working London Mummy who is hosting this month.

 Strawberry Tarts  (makes 8)

Labels: creme patissiere, puff pastry, strawberry, strawberry jam, strawberry tarts

posted by Janice @ 19:58 12 Comments

Mince Beef Pie - A Family Heritage

My Mum in the 1960's

Gran in the 1930's

Great Grandfather

Granny and Grandpa

and his dad, my grandfather, was a butcher with his own business.

It is so simple and so delicious and every now and again I trot out this recipe again, it never fails.



Bake at 200C for 40 minutes until golden brown.

I served my pie with mashed potatoes and red cabbage baked with apple and red wine vinegar.

Labels: Beef, family, mashed potato, Mince, Pie, puff pastry, red cabbage

posted by Janice @ 20:40 8 Comments

Ham and Parsley Puff Pie

Remember I kept back half the ham from my 'overspilling casserole'?  Well, I made it into a pie.




I served it with  roast potatoes, carrots dressed with butter and honey.  I probably should have used either the parsley or the mustard rather than both as the flavours were fighting each other.  Otherwise, it was very delicious.

Labels: ham, Pie, puff pastry, white sauce

posted by Janice @ 20:56 11 Comments

Minced Beef Wellington

If you would like to make the Minced Beef Wellington you can find the recipe HERE

Labels: Beef, Mince, mushrooms, puff pastry

posted by Janice @ 20:55 13 Comments

The mother of invention

Quite, quite delicious and not something  I would ever have considered if it were not that these ingredients were left over in the fridge!

Labels: blue cheese, puff pastry, risotto

posted by Janice @ 21:30 6 Comments

Minute Apple Tart

I was looking for a quick dessert for our dinner on Sunday.  I had some puff pastry in the freezer and some apples in the fruit bowl, so a quick search on the web found me this recipe for Minute Apple Tart.

Labels: apples, Cinnamon, puff pastry, tarts

posted by Janice @ 20:10 10 Comments