This is based on the Gordon Ramsay recipe. If you use a Kenwood Chef it really is very easy to do, and makes you wonder why anyone would buy pre-prepared pastry from the supermarket. Step 4 can be repeated twice more if you have the time which makes the pastry extra light.
Details
Makes 700g
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 250g strong plain flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 250g butter , at room temperature, but not soft
- about 80ml cold water
Method
- 1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Chop the butter into small chunks (about 1-2cm), add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely – or use a Kenwood with K attachment on speed 1. You need to see bits of butter.
- 2. Make a well in the bowl and pour in most of the cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed. If Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.
- 3. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth rectangle. Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 20 x 50cm. Keep edges straight and even. Don’t overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.
Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times the length. Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 mins before rolling to use.
I first tried this tarte tatin in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, and scoured the internet until I found the recipe. It is a fantastic desert for a dinner party, and can be prepared a day in advance, and as long as you follow the steps carefully is pretty easy to make. The star anise has a very distinctive taste, and younger diners may prefer it without. It is also delicious cold!
Details
Serves 8
Cooking/preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 8 pears
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g butter
- 2 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 500g block all-butter puff pastry
Method
- Core the pears, then peel as neatly as possible and halve. If you like, they can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge, uncovered, so that they dry out.
- Tip the sugar, butter, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon into an ovenproof frying pan, about 20cm wide, and place over a high heat until bubbling. Shake the pan and stir the buttery sauce until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee colour.
- Lay the pears in the pan, then cook in the sauce for 10-12 mins, tossing occasionally, until completely caramelised. Don’t worry about them burning – they won’t – but you want to caramelise them as much as possible. Splash in the brandy and let it flambé, then set the pears aside. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a plate slightly larger than the top of the pan, cut out a circle, then press the edges of the circle of pastry to thin them out.
- When the pears have cooled slightly, arrange them in the pan, cut side up, in a floral shape, with the pears around the edge pointing inwards. Rest the cinnamon stick on the top in the centre, with the cardamom pods scattered around. Drape the pastry over the pears, then tuck the edges down the pan sides and under the. Pierce the pastry a few times, then bake for 15 mins. If a lot of juice bubbles up the side of the pan, pour it off at this stage (see guide). Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and bake for 15 mins more until the pastry is golden. Leave the tart to stand for 10 mins, then invert it carefully onto a serving dish.
This Nigella Lawson banana bread is a real treat that’s very easy to make. It’s well worth taking the extra time to boil up the sultanas in rum (or bourbon or even brandy if you prefer) as it makes them deliciously plump and soft. Don’t worry about the alcohol – it all boils off.
I’ve made this with both very ripe (turning brown) bananas, and also with plain ripe ones. I think I prefer the latter, but both work well.
It freezes well, so my tip is to make two loaves at once and freeze the second one – the first probably won’t last long if you have kids in the house.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
Start to finish: 1 1/4 hours
Ingredients
100g sultanas
75ml dark rum
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g sugar
2 large eggs
4 bananas, mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Kit
2 x medium/large bowls
1 x wooden spoon
1 x medium bread tin
Method
- Put the sultanas in a small saucepan, pour over the rum and bring to the boil. If you have time leave for about an hour so the sultanas can absorb the liquid. Drain any excess.
- Preheat the oven to 170oC/gas mark 3. In one bowl, put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt and mix well.
- In a large bowl (or using a Kenwood Chef on speed 1 with the K attachment), mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into a loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1–1 1/4 hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool.
Bread is one of those culinary creations that is actually much easier than it might seem – as long as you don’t deviate from the recipe. At least to start with. Once you are confident that your bread will rise you can start having fun – but don’t take the stabilisers off for the first few loaves or you’re asking for trouble.
I have had a few brushes with bread making over the years, which always lead to failure of one kind or another (mainly that the dough would not rise). When I returned to bread making I kept going until I could reliably bake a perfect loaf and have compile a list of dos and don’ts so you don’t have to suffer the same pain.
- Use audible timer – stick to the timings EXACTLY (again – at least to start with)
- You need a warm place to let the bread rise – an airing cupboard is best
- Ideally a Kenwood Chef, KitchenAid or similar with a dough hook
- Use a “bread” flour – plain flour will not create tasty bread
- Do not leave out the sugar – it helps the yeast to make the dough rise
- Make sure your oven is accurately set to 220°C – if you have an older oven use an oven thermometer to check the oven temperature
Ingredients
- 150g white bread flour
- 300g wholemeal bread flour
- 1 teaspoons castor sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 7g sachet instant yeast
Method
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast with a spoon.
- Add 300 ml of tepid water (tap water is fine – should feel very slightly warm to the touch). If you have a food processor, mix on slow for 1 minute, ensuring all of the dry ingredients are absorbed by the growing ball of dough. Then speed up a little (to “1″ on the Kenwood) and leave to knead for a further four minutes. If you’re doing it by hand then turn the mixed ingredients onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. The trick is to get the consistency of the dough right. You can adjust the dough by adding water if it is too dry, and more flour if too wet. The dough should form a solid shape when picked up – if it oozes through your fingers it is much too wet! If it
- Thinly cover some cling-film covered in olive oil to prevent sticking to seal the mixing bowl. Then place the bowl in a warm place (such as an airing cupboard) for 1 hour. The dough should rise to about double it’s initial size.
- Now cover your hands in flour (to prevent sticking) and punch the dough down to its initial size – this is easily achieved by simply picking up the ball of dough in both hands and squeezing out the air. If the dough starts sticking to your hands cover them in flour again.
- Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and holding it in two hands, push down with your thumbs to create some tension on the outside of the ball. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Slash 3-4 times across the dough with a sharp knife. Now place the ball of dough either in a bread tin or on a lightly greased baking tray.
- Cover again in oiled cling-film (you can use the same sheet as before) and place back in the warm place for 30 minutes. At the same time turn your oven on to heat up at 220°C
- Remove the cling-film, lightly dust with flour and place in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes
- The loaf is cooked when the crust starts to turn a golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped