"Spring Roll"

Now don't let the title of this recipe mislead you, it is in inverted comma's after all. This is not the kind of spring roll you might get at your local Chinese takeaway, but in stead my latest bake for the South Lancashire Clandestine Cake Club and a take on a recipe I found on the BBC website www.bbc.co.uk/recipes The original recipe is by Thane Prince and was aired on Saturday Kitchen. I have changed the recipe slightly, but in essence it is very similar.

Ingredients

For the meringue

4 eggs, whites only

225g/8oz caster sugar

25- 35g/1 to 1,5oz shredded coconut or almonds

1 punnet raspberries + 1 punnet of blueberries

For the lemon cream

300ml/1 pint double cream, chilled

2 lemons, juice and zest

3 tbsp clear honey

To decorate

icing sugar

mini eggs

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Line a baking sheet with non-stick silicone paper.
In a very clean bowl whisk the egg white until really stiff.
Now add the sugar one third at a time, whisking well between each batch.
Once the sugar has all been added continue to whisk until the mixture is very thick and glossy.
Spread over the prepared baking sheet, then sprinkle liberally with the coconut or almonds.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and at once turn on to a piece of greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel.
Carefully remove the backing paper.
Make the syllabub while the meringue is cooling. Mix the zest, juice and honey, stirring until the honey has dissolved.
Place this mixture with the chilled cream in a large bowl then whisk until floppy.
When the meringue is cool spread the lemon cream over leaving about 1 inch free from the edge, place the raspberries & blueberries on top and roll up. Chill until needed.
Just before serving dust with icing sugar and decorate as wished (I used micro chocolate eggs)

Below is a picture of all the cakes that we had at Thyme Deli in Horwich for our South Lancashire #ccc

Smoked haddock and taleggio tartlet

This recipe is inspired by watching "Entertaining with James" on the Good Food Channel. When I watched it I thought: that is going on the menu. With my almost complete collection of James's book I assumed I would have the recipe somewhere. After looking through them all and searching on the internet I realised I had to go with my memory & instinct as I couldn't find it anywhere. So here is my version of the dish.

Ingredients for 2 people

batch of shortcrust pastry
2 or 3 large salad or charlotte potatoes, parboiled
200 gr of natural smoked haddock
2 eggs
100 ml double cream
50 ml milk
100 gr taleggio or emmenthal cheese grated
chives
salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4
Place the smoked haddock in a pan with the cream & milk and bring to the boil. Switch of the heat and let the fish cool down in the mixture. This should cook it just enough. Once cool take it of the skin and flake into chunks. Make sure you keep the milk/cream mixture.
Grease 1 large or 2 small pastry cases. Roll out the pastry and place into the dish(es). Make a cartouche with some baking paper and place this on the pastry, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and baking beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 160C, gas 3.
Slice the parboiled potatoes and chop the chives.
Put half of the grated cheese in the pastry case(s), put a layer of potatoes on top of this and then the flaked smoked haddock over that.
Slightly beat the eggs and mix with the milk & cream, season and pour over the top filling the pastry cases.
Sprinkle with the chives and the rest of the cheese and place in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes until set  depending on whether you make 2 small or 1 large tartlet.
Turn the tartlet out on a plate and serve with a lightly dressed salad.

Steak & Black Pudding Rolls

I am always talking about food, so it is no surprise that when I was chatting to my friend Judith on-line that evening’s tea was discussed.

She said she was having steak stuffed with black pudding, so I asked her how she made that and this is my recollection of what she told me.



Ingredients:

Frying or rump steak

Black pudding

Onion

Mushrooms

Port

Butter

Salt & Pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 5

Bash the steak as flat as they will go.

Crumble up the black pudding and put in the middle of the steak.

Roll the steak up and hold together with some cocktail sticks or string.

Heat the butter in a frying pan, season the steak roll and brown the meat all around.

Transfer the steak rolls to a dish and put in the oven 10 minutes for medium rare and upto 30 minutes for well done, depending on how you like your steak.

In the same pan you have fried the steak, now add some more butter and sweat of the coarsely chopped onion and mushrooms. Add a dash of port, burn off the alcohol and let it reduce slightly before adding a cup of water. Let it reduce again to a sauce thickness and finish off by stirring in a couple of cubes of butter.

Serve with vegs and potatoes of your choice