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

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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

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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

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Chicory, Bacon & Comté Cheese Tart

Comté is a new addition to the cheese drawer in my fridge. I'm not entirely sure where its been all my life but in a bid to make up for lost time I set out to make something to showcase its brilliantly nutty flavour. I hear its particularly brilliant for fondue, but I'm waiting for the Swiss Queen, Flick to show me that. 

Depending on where the farms milk is from, how long and where its aged, comté can have such a diverse taste. Anything from nutty, creamy or more sharp and fruity. That's what makes it so perfect to melt, grate, shave or bake. Any which way you want it! When comté sent me some samples and asked me to come up with a recipe for Mother's Day I was excited for the challenge. 

This tart balances the natural crisp bitterness of chicory with the smooth buttery comté. Packed with crispy bacon, lashings of mustard and thyme. Serve with some buttery potatoes and a crisp green salad with some Sancerre because its practically Spring now. Perfect for a weekend catchup with my Mum.

C H I C O R Y,   B A C O N   &   C O M T E   C H E E S E   T A R T
(makes one 9 inch tart)

1 pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry

2 tbsp butter

250g chicory, about 2-3 heads

100g bacon

3 eggs

240ml double cream

1tsp mustard, english or dijon

1tsp fresh thyme leaves

pinch of salt

1/4tsp freshly ground nutmeg

150g grated comté cheese, grated

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and lay the shortcrust pastry into the tart dish, using a ball of dough to gently push into the edges. Use a knife to trim any excess from the top.
• Chop the chicory into quarter inch slices and remove the core whilst melting the butter in a griddle pan. Cook the chicory for 5 minutes until tender. Remove from the pan.
• Roughly chop the bacon and cook the bacon in the same griddle pan until golden and crisp.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, double cream, mustard, thyme, salt and nutmeg.
• In the prepared tart dish, layer the chicory, bacon and comté before pouring over the egg mix.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes until the crust has turned golden. The centre of the tart will look a little wobbly but this will firm as the tart cools.
• Leave for 20 minutes before removing from the tart dish to serve.

This post is in collaboration with Comté who sent me some samples to try as part of their #MothersDayTheComteWay campaign.

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Recipe: Caramel and Pecan Tart

I have a love hate relationship with pastry. I love eating it, but I don't necessarily enjoy making it. Fool-proof biscuit bases are my bag. Crush some biscuits, stir in butter and squidge into a tin. Easy as pie tart. 

This caramel tart is made with a Digestive biscuit base and topped with a generous swirl of chocolate and a few pecans. I'm already planning different variations including cookie bases and marshmallow fillings. 

I'm almost certain I love biscuits more than cake. Even more so in the form of biscuit tart bases.

C A R A M E L   A N D   P E C A N   T A R T
(recipe from McVitie's, serves 8)

For the base:

200g digestive biscuits

75g unsalted butter

For the filling:

150g unsalted butter

150g light muscovado sugar

200g condensed milk

100g plain chocolate

50g pecans

1. Blitz or smash the biscuits in a sandwich bag until finely ground. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the biscuits.
2. Use the back of a spoon to press down the biscuit mix into the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin.
3. Chill for 30 minutes to set.
4. To make the filling, gently melt the butter and sugar until dissolved. Add the condensed milk and stir continuously whilst bringing to the boil. 
5. Continue to stir for 2-3 minutes until the filling is golden and bubbling. Pour the caramel into the prepared biscuit base and leave to set in the fridge for an hour.
6. Top with pecans and swirls of melted chocolate.

Ensure you slice from chilled to get that perfect cut. Serve with boozy cream or ice cream.

Thank you to the McVitie's team for sending me the ingredients for this post.  

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Hogwart's Halloween Feast: Treacle Tarts, Pumpkin Pasties & Butterbeer Cupcakes

"By the time Hallowe'en arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Hallowe'en feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Rubeus Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumours that Albus Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

There's no use hiding just how much I love Harry Potter. I've queued up at midnight for book editions to be released, had DVD marathons and visited the Leavesden Studios umpteen times. And if you're not a Harry Potter fan, chances are you won't be reading this and will never know how to make the best pumpkin pasties of your life.

But, guys, Harry Potter is for life, not just Halloween. 

So in order to preserve these recipes from the Hogwart's Halloween feast, Flick and I hopped on the Floo Network for supplies in Diagon Alley (via Flick's kitchen) and here they are...

In absence of Hagrid's pumpkins and a troupe of dancing skeletons, Flick did her best to keep me entertained with cups of tea, some singing and some regular dancing. She's multi-talented you know.

TREACLE TART

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"When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding...As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families."

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Treacle Tart
(recipe adapted from BBC Good Food, makes 4 individual tarts, or 1 medium tart)

115g plain flour

55g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 egg

45g breadcrumbs

225g golden syrup

pinch of ground ginger

zest of 1/2 a lemon and 1tbsp of lemon juice

1. Rub together the butter and flour in a large bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the egg and knead on a lightly floured work surface until the dough is smooth.
3. Roll out to about the thickness of a pound coin and place into tart tins. Use a small ball of leftover dough to press into the edges of the tart tin. Prick the base with a fork and leave to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 190 degrees, cover the tarts with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 10-15 minutes. The tart should be light and just starting to turn golden.
5. For the treacle filling, mix all ingredients together. Pour into the pastry tarts and bake for 20 minutes.

PUMPKIN PASTIES

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"Anything from the cart, dearies?"

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 

Pumpkin Pasties
(makes 16)

390g pumpkin flesh, grated

200g gruyere, grated

1tbsp freshly chopped sage

1tbsp freshly chopped parsley

2 cloves garlic, grated

dash of cream

one pack of puff pastry

1 egg yolk, beaten

1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin flesh, 150g cheese, herbs, garlic, cream and generously season. Leave to one side.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to about the thickness of a pound coin. Use a round pastry cutter to cut each pasty. Pull out each of the pastry rounds so that they look more pumpkin shaped.
3. Lay half the pumpkins onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving a little room between each.
4. Spoon the pumpkin mix onto the middle of each pastry pumpkin leaving space round the edges to brush with beaten egg yolk.
5. Place the pumpkin tops on, score three lines from top to bottom of each of the pumpkins to help them take their shape. Place a pumpkin seed on top for the stalk.
6. Sprinkle on the remaining 50g of grated gruyere and bake in the oven until golden, 15-20 minutes.

BUTTERBEER & PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

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"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, its a bit cold, isn't it?"

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

Butterbeer & pumpkin cupcakes
(makes a dozen)

Spiced pumpkin cupcakes:

225g pumpkin flesh, grated

1tbsp root ginger, peeled and grated

40ml buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g unsalted butter, softened

210g caster sugar

250g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases. In a stand mixer, or with a handheld whisk, mix together the pumpkin, ginger, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, butter and sugar until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices (no need to sift these).
3. Continue to slowly beat the pumpkin mix and add in the flour mix in stages, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
4. Divide between the cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack whilst you make the buttercream.

Butterbeer buttercream:

140g salted butter, softened

280g icing sugar, sifted

splash of full fat milk or cream

1tsp vanilla bean paste (the stronger the better)

1tsp caramel flavouring (better still, butter flavouring if you can find it)

few drops of orange colouring

1. In a stand mixer or hand whisk, beat the butter and icing sugar slowly together until smooth. If needed, add a splash of milk or cream to loosen.
2. Continue to beat in the flavouring and colouring until fully incorporated.

Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with smashed pretzels, butterscotch and any other treats you fancy. A drizzle of caramel would be great too!


And if that's not quite enough for a feast, then check out some more ideas on my Pinterest board...

Follow Sophie Loves Food's board harry potter on Pinterest.

"Mischief managed."

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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...

  

  

 

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Recipe: Mackays Strawberry & Champagne Mousse Tart

For the past few weeks I've taken some time away from blogging. It all started with my annoyance at Google by changing some account settings and all the effort it took to get things back exactly the way they were. Then, the Winter sniffles came and, amongst other things, I found it increasingly more difficult to get back into my routine. 

It has been a novelty to me to be able to watch a whole episode of Game of Thrones without the need to rewind and rewatch as I'd previously been too engrossed in Bloglovin' or keeping up to date with my Twitter feed. 

It also got to the point where I didn't enjoy it much. Not even baking. And really what's the point of churning out posts that I'm not happy with?

So instead, I've been out for lots of nice meals, discovered new places and even met some blogger friends and chatted about life apart from blogging. 

My favourites include,

Meeting Flick and Frankie for dessert - and establishing that staying in is the new going out! Frankie's review of the evening had me giggling for ages. 

Drinking Butterbeer in the snow with Boy at Harry Potter film studios. We won't count how many times I've been over the years, all I care is that it snowed in Hogsmeade and I got a Gryffindor scarf.

Going to Waitrose Cookery School with my Mum and Grandmother for a Festive masterclass. Not only were the food and drinks incredible, everyone was so lovely, we all enjoyed ourselves so much. Even the brussel sprout haters were swayed!

Any blog posts that may have appeared have been scheduled from earlier bakes in the year. 

Including this little number. Perfect to make ahead if you've guests coming over of if you're popping over to a friends. I made this the day before serving and saved the pyrotechnics for the dinner table. Its a relatively straight forward tart, even more so if you buy a pre-made tart case from the supermarket (no one will know any different).

This recipe was made for Mackays as a way of showcasing my favourite of their preserves, strawberry and champagne. But I love it just as much on toast in the mornings, any day of the week.

Mackays Strawberry & Champagne Preserve Mousse Tart
(Makes a 22cm tart)

Sweet pastry tart:

375g plain flour, sifted + extra to dust
60g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, chopped

Strawberry mousse filling:

220g Mackays Strawberry and Champagne Preserve
150ml whipping cream
1 packet of powdered gelatine (or 4 sheets)

Strawberry glaze:

120g Mackays Strawberry and Champagne Preserve
1 tbsp water

Garnish:

200g fresh strawberries

To make the pastry tart, add the flour and sugar into a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Add 40 ml chilled water and process once more until the dough just comes together. Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the chilled pastry and line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill the tart for a further 20 minutes whilst you heat the oven to 1800c.

Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry case so any air is released whilst baking. Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes and leave to cool in the tin.

For the mousse filling, bloom the gelatin following the packet instructions and set aside.

Heat the jam in a small pan on a low heat until it starts to loosen, add the gelatin and quickly stir through before removing from the heat and leaving to cool on ice. Whip the cream and gently fold into the cool jam mix.

Fill the cooled pastry case with the mousse, using a palette knife or the back of a large spoon to smooth over the top.

Place in the fridge to set whilst you make the strawberry glaze. Heat the jam in a small pan on a low heat and stir in the water until the jam has loosened and is slightly warm.

To finish the mousse tart, decorate the top with sliced fresh strawberries. Pour over the still-warm glaze and leave to firm up at room temperature before returning to the fridge to set 30 minutes before serving. Or, if making the day before, leave it in the fridge until needed.

Happy New Year to you all, for the end of the week! May your 2015 be filled with peace, love and happiness.