Bake Off Bake Along: Week 8 - Treacle Rum Nicky Tart

Paul Hollywood's certainly pulling out all the stops this year on the mean bakes. Last week's 'forgotten bakes of the past' was certainly original but there just wasn't anything that cut the mustard for me. So in absolute protest, I made a mash up of the Cumberland rum nicky and a treacle tart. That is a treacle tart, complete with lashings of rum and a lattice topping. Ideal.

Whilst my lattice may not be exactly symmetrical or even formed of even pastry widths, I was pretty chuffed that I actually managed to make such a big tart without a soggy bottom! And even more so that I found an excuse to make a seasonal dessert for the family's Sunday dinner all in the name of GBBO. Even if I may have cheated a little. 

T R E A C L E    T A R T
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food, serves 8

2 packets ready rolled shortcrust pastry 

1 egg, beaten 

350g golden syrup

50ml dark rum

juice and zest of 2 lemons

1tsp ground nutmeg

150g fresh white breadcrumbs

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a tart tin.
• Line the tart tin with one roll of pastry, ensuring to gently press into each edge. Prick with a fork to stop from rising during baking. Place in the fridge to cool also whilst making the filling.
• To make the filling, gently melt the golden syrup over a low heat and remove. Add the rum, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg and breadcrumbs. Pour the filling into the prepared pastry tin and smooth over the top. Brush the top edges of the tart with the beaten egg ready for the lattice top.
• To make the lattice top, unroll the second roll of shortcrust pastry onto a well floured surface, or just within the baking paper its packaged in. Egg wash the top (do this first before making the lattice, otherwise it'll drip into your filling). Slice inch wide lengths of pastry, ensuring long enough to cover the width of the tart and weave into a lattice pattern over the mixture, egg wash side up. Press down to seal the edges and trim any surplus.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry becomes crisp and golden.
• Serve warm or cold, with your choice of ice cream, custard or cream. 

Bake Off Bake Along:

Week 1: lemon and raspberry loaf

Week 6: lemon pasteis de nata, egg custard tarts

Week 8: treacle rum nicky tart

---

Bake Off Bake Along: Week 6 - Lemon Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)

We'll just skim past the fact that we're on week 6 already and I have been having far too much fun on holiday and weekends away to have done any baking for the other weeks. After a fortnight in Portugal this summer, eating my body weight in pasteis de nata and sagres, I decided to give them a try myself.

That aside, pastry week is one of my least favourite weeks. Particularly as I don't think Paul would accept the use of shop bought pastry. And so, to keep the silver fox happy, I gave a rough puff a go all in the name of 'bake off bake along'. I used this recipe from the BBC for the pastry which was pretty simple to follow. I just struggled with re-rolling some offcuts to get extra tarts from. They lost their layers and ended up more like shortcrust. Otherwise, not too shabby I'd say.

P O R T U G E S E   L E M O N   C U S T A R D   T A R T S   ( P A S T E I S   D E   N A T A)
(Recipe adapted from Paul Hollywood, makes one dozen tarts)

300g rough puff pastry, recipe here or shop bought is fine too

375ml whole milk

zest of 2 lemons

45g plain flour

185ml water

375g caster sugar

7 large egg yolks

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a 12 hole tart / muffin tray.
2. Make the pastry or roll out a block of shop bought pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Use a 10cm cookie cutter to cut out a dozen discs and fill each of the tart holes gently pressing into each edge. Prick the base of each tart with a fork, cover with individual squares of baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes until the pastry starts to firm. Remove from the oven and set aside whilst you make the custard.
3. In a small pan, heat the milk, lemon zest and flour together whisking continuously for 2-3 minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
4. Pour the sugar and water into a separate pan and gently heat to melt the sugar. Once melted, increase the heat to boil until the syrup reaches 100-110 degrees.
5. Gradually whisk the syrup into the milk mixture. Add the egg yolks to a large mixing bowl and strain over the milk, whisking continuously. Cover the surface with a layer of cling film and leave to cool. 
6. Pour the custard into each of the custard cases, about two thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for up to 20 minutes. The pastry should be golden and the custard bubbly, firm and brown.

If you think your tarts are cooked but the pastry hasn't browned enough, dust with a little icing sugar and grill or blow torch the tops until golden. Sneaky trick. 

Bake Off Bake Along:

Week 1: lemon and raspberry loaf

Week 6: lemon pasteis de nata, egg custard tarts

Week 8: treacle rum nicky tart

---

Bake Off Bake Along: Week 5 - Cherry Bakewell Tart

Another week in the tent of dreams, and another bake that usually wouldn't phase me...but did. Its as if the baking Gods (i.e. Paul) knew I was using shop bought pastry and let me down. This week saw a patchwork of pastry and a leak. Pastry week was a flop.

A flop until I got some treats from the lovely Debenhams gang from their Tala range. My baking armoury is ready Paul, bring on botanical week! There's everything from icing nozzles to pastry making tools - star baker I'm coming for you.

But for now, I tried every which way to ensure that there were no soggy bottoms. With the blind bake, I pricked the base and loaded up with baking beans in a bid to dry out the pastry. My mistake was in chopping surplus pastry off before the blind bake rather than after, and it shrunk down the sides of the tin. I tried to patchwork in some new sides but it didn't work so much. Mary would have called in informal and Paul a mess. And ultimately it sprung a leak!

C H E R R Y   B A K E W E L L   T A R T
(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food, serves 8)

1 block of shop bought shortcrust pastry (sorry Mary and Paul!)

2-3tbsp morello cherry jam

125g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

125g ground almonds

1 egg, beaten

1tsp almond extract

50g flaked almonds

80g icing sugar, sifted

2tsp cold water

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a well floured surface until its the thickness of about a pound coin. Use the pastry to line an 8 inch tart tin. Prick with a fork to avoid any air bubbles, line with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes to dry out the base.
• Spread the base evenly with the cherry jam.
• Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Add the sugar, almonds, egg and almond extract and stir well. Pour into the pastry tin and cover with the flaked almonds.
• Bake for 35 minutes until golden and the frangipane is mostly firm.
• Make the icing with the icing sugar and water, pour into a piping bag before drizzling over the top of the tart once slightly cooled.

Thanks to the fab guys at Debenhams for sending over some Tala baking treats. Will certainly keep me going with bake off bake along! Check out their range here.

F O L L O W   M Y   B A K E   O F F   B A K E   A L O N G...

     

Week 1 - Jaffa Cakes
Week 2 - Iced Doughnut Biscuits
Week 3 - Chocolate Twist Babka
Week 4 - Giant Churros
Week 5 - Cherry Bakewell Tart
Week 6 - Brownie Bottomed Coffee Mousse Cake
Week 8 - Cherry, Marzipan and Cherry Cake

---

Bake Off Bake Along: Week 9 - Amaretto Millionaire's Chocolate Tart

I'm just going to put it out there, chocolate week is my week. I was so excited to be let loose with a chocolate tart. The possibilities really were endless: peanut butter, chocolate bakewell and a cheesecake tart were a few of the ideas I'd had.

After my pastry disaster in week 6 I almost chickened out and bought shop-made pastry. I had to give myself a little pep talk and went with the idea that if it fell apart then at least I'd have something to write about. 

The chocolate pastry wasn't so difficult to make after all, I used a Tom Kerridge recipe. I did roll it out too thin and it fell apart when trying to place it in the tin though. So instead I opted for the ultimate cheats method...whack a big lump of pastry in the middle of a tart tin and squidge it around the corners until it resembles a tart. To Kerridge's recipe, I added a base layer of salted caramel and a malteser and white chocolate drizzle topping. 

It may not be as visually impressive as a chocolate sculpture show-stopper but this is the most decadent dessert you can possibly make. 

For the best chocolate pastry, salted caramel and chocolate ganache, follow these tips:

• pastry can be made up to 3 days ahead and is the perfect opportunity to give it a good chill before rolling and shaping. Wrap well in clingfilm to keep dry. Once ready to use, leave out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until its soft enough to work with.
• alternatively, to freeze uncooked pastry, shape into a disc and wrap well. Store for up to one month in the freezer before leaving to thaw in the fridge for a day. Or to freeze an uncooked pastry tart that you've already shaped, freeze in the tin until firm enough to wrap.
• when rolling pastry and you've got some spare, flour your work surface with cocoa powder when making chocolate pastry.
• roll the pastry out to the thickness of a pound coin, rolling from the centre outwards and turning a quarter turn after each roll. This will ensure a nice even thickness and that the pastry doesn't stick to the work surface.
• use the rolling pin to gently drape the rolled pastry onto and lower onto the tart tin. Gently lift edges and ease into the corners with a rolled up ball of dough, you don't want to poke any holes with your nails.
• a good way to even out the top is to roll your rolling pin over the top of the tart tin to chop off any remaining pastry edges.
• chill for 30 minutes before blind baking. I like to be safe and prick the base of the tart with a fork a few times, then cover with cling film or baking paper and pour over some baking beans or uncooked rice. Yes, cling film can go in the oven!
• for the easiest guide to making salted caramel, Izy's guide has handy gifs.
• when making ganache I always think of Ashley's video, here.

And to see how I've gotten on with the rest of the challenges...

  

  

 

---

Bake Off Bake Along: Week 7 - Raised Gala Pie

I can't quite get my head round the fact that we're edging closer to the Great British Bake Off finals already. Baking one recipe a week is a challenge enough, let alone having to do 3 like the contestants do. There's no way I'd ever cope on the show.

Most of the last week has been spent deliberating what to bake for Victorian week. I don't like game, fondant icing and fiddly decorations leaving very little leeway for Mary and Paul's challenges. Hopefully no one will mind that I decided to make my own game-free hand raised pie. Its got pastry and meat so I should be ok, right?

My Grandad absolutely loves sausage meat pies so this, Gala pie was for him. Packed with pork mince, sausage meat, bacon and scattered with quails eggs.

For the filling I used the Hairy Bikers' recipe, adding far more sausage and bacon to fill a generous 2lb loaf tin. To ensure I was making Paul-approved pastry, I used his own recipe, here.

The pie itself was so dense it didn't quite cook all the way through, particularly the thick crust. To rescue it, it'll be wrapped in individual foil servings and warmed in the oven as it wasn't made to be eaten the same day. I should have taken it out the loaf tin half way through the bake to get some colour. I was chuffed at how well the quails eggs cooked though, well worth how fiddly they were to peel. 

And here's what I learnt:

• hot water crust pastry is relatively simple to make. Rather than hours of cooling and folding the key is to make a rough dough and to work into shape whilst still warm. If it starts to cool it will crumble so can be warmed again if needed over a pan of simmering water.
• supposedly you can also make hand-raised pies with the same pastry, where you don't use a tin or mould. When warm its quite slithery, so I wouldn't. Why else are there intricately detailed pie tins?
• as this type of pastry is quite fatty its good at holding juicy fillings making it ideal for pies. If you're particularly worried about a juicy filling or gravy in your pie, then brush the pastry with egg yolk before filling. The protein in the egg yolk will form a barrier against moisture.
• hot water crust pastry should be a rich brown colour once cooked, unlike mine. If you fancy making this one yourself then cook it for half the time in the tin to allow it its shape and to firm up. Then cook out of the tin on a baking tray to get some colour. Alternatively...
• this type of pastry doesn't need to be blind baked so ensure to use a tin that conducts heat effectively, i.e. something glass or black metal. I used a light coloured loaf tin which doesn't seem to hold heat too well.
• another way of avoiding a soggy bottom is to place the tin on a pre-heated pizza stone or heavy baking tray so allow extra heat into your pastry quicker. The trick is to get the pastry to crisp up quickly before the filling cooks.
• another lesson I've learnt is to allow some space between the filling and pastry lid to allow steam to escape which will help it to cook throughout. Use a pie funnel, cut slits on the top and don't pack any gaps full of bacon (like I did). 

For some tips and frangipane disasters, see how I did in previous weeks:

   

  

---

The Cookery School: Pastry

   On Monday, I attended a class at The Cookery School. This class was a beginners introduction to pastry and included puff, shortcrust and choux pastry.

   I would consider myself a pastry novice having never even attempted to make pastry at home. I was therefore very excited to learn some tips and tricks from the school's chefs, John and Lucy.

   The morning started with freshly baked lemon cakes and coffee to warm up and get to know everybody. We then gathered round and watched John demonstrate how to make choux pastry buns. Something that seemed a little daunting, but is surprisingly easy.

   During this demonstration, John passed around the pan of dough for everyone to get a feel of the correct consistency; a spoon should not stand up in the pan, it should sink. Once cooled, the buns were filled with freshly whipped cream and finished with a dusting of icing sugar. Alternatively, eclairs or profiteroles can be made with this.

   Next, we all took our places ready to be guided through the process of making shortcrust pastry. We had a choice of making apple pie, vegetable quiche or Cornish pasties. Most opted for a challenge and chose to make Cornish pasties, including myself.

   As the name suggests, shortcrust pastry is short, and this meant that I struggled forming the first of my pasties. It stuck to the work surface and crumbled over the steak filling. Getting the balance between a short dough and the amount of water used in the dough to help bind the pasties together is tricky. But, for my next pasties I just added a tiny drizzle of water and it made all the difference.

   Whilst the pasties were baking, we watched John demonstrate how to make puff pastry by making palmiers and cheese straws.

   Everyone dispersed onto their own tables to give the puff pastry a go. Puff pastry should have 6-8 folds and it is important that it is chilled between each to ensure that the butter remains firm. We all managed to squeeze 3 folds in before packing up our pastry dough to take home for baking.

   We then enjoyed all of the morning's bakes for lunch.

   I enjoyed the palmiers so much I used my dough to make some  more...

Palmiers
     225g plain flour
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     225g unsalted butter, chilled
     225ml cold water
     squeeze lemon juice

• Add the flour and salt into a large bowl. Squeeze a dash of lemon juice into the water and add the  flour. Mix and knead for a minute or two until a firm dough is formed.
• Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and chill for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat the butter on a floured work surface with a rolling pin until it forms a 1/2" deep rectangle.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and roll on a floured work surface until 3 times the length of the butter. Place the butter on the dough and wrap ensuring that the butter is fully encased.
• Roll into a long rectangle with the shorter ends towards you. Fold into 3. Repeat, rolling and folding into 3, wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 10-15 minutes.
• Roll and fold into 3. Repeat. Chill for 10-15 minutes. Continue until the dough has been rolled and folded a total of 6 times.
• Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Roll out the dough and sprinkle with a thin layer of golden caster sugar over the entire surface. Roll each end towards each other so that they meet in the middle. Squeeze gently together.
• Using a sharp knife, cut thin slices. On a floured palm, press down each slice to spread it before placing on a lined baking tray.
• Sprinkle with water and sugar and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and firm.

   I enjoyed the class and now feel confident to make my own pastry at home. I may even make a large batch to freeze down and keep for rainy days.

   The Cookery School can be found on Little Portland Street, just behind the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. They offer a range of courses and individual classes for all skills and interests. The classes like the pastry one I attended, are an ideal way to learn the techniques and ingredients used for anything from bread and baking, to tapas and Italian antipasti. Visit their website for more information www.cookeryschool.co.uk.

Grandad's Pie

A belated birthday sausage meat and onion pie for my Grandfather...

     This is my first attempt at a lattice crust, something that seemed quite daunting to start. I had visions of Paul Hollywood on last summer's Great British Bake Off demonstrating an 8 strand plaited loaf and panicked. I wouldn't say it's the tidiest of lattices, but, it worked! And practice makes perfect, right?

     The pie is filled with lots of sausage meat, onions, thyme and Dijon mustard. The thyme works so well with sausage and onions giving a hint of freshness. The Dijon gives the warmth that my mustard-fiend Grandfather loves.

I had enough pastry and sausage meat to make this pie and made 6 sausage rolls with the leftovers.

     2 packs of pre-rolled puff pastry
     3 onions, thinly sliced
     Few sprigs of fresh thyme
     1kg sausage meat
     2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Grease a 20cm pie dish and dust with plain flour (I didn't know if the flour was the right thing to do but this time I had Mary Berry's voice in my head telling me I didn't want a soggy bottom).

Fill the pie dish with the first sheet of puff pastry pressing gently into the edges. Trim excess from the top.

With the second sheet, cut equal width strips for the lattice.

Melt a knob of butter in a pan on medium heat and add the onions and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the onion and sausage meat together. Add the Dijon.

Spoon the sausage meat into the pie dish ensuring not to overfill.

Layer the pastry strips over the dish to form a lattice (Simply Recipes has a good tutorial).

With some of the excess pastry I used a star cutter to add a little decoration to the pie crust.

Bake for 40 minutes.