GBBO 2016 Week 10 - Chocolate, Plum and Amaretto Tarts

This week was the final of the Great British Bake Off! The showstopper was insane, with the bakers having to make 49 bakes. One of these were fruit tartlets, which  I decided to have a go at. As we're in the midst of autumn, it seemed wrong to do a summer fruit tart so instead I gave the tart more seasonal flavours with roasted plums topping a chocolate and amaretto custard, encased in a ginger pastry.
YUM are the only words I can use to describe this tart. 
This recipe makes four tartlets, but the recipe is easily doubled if you have enough tartlet tins.
Also, if you have left over pastry, it freezes brilliantly (raw) - just leave it to fully defrost prior to using.
You will need individual 10cm fluted tartlet tins with removable bases.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 125g (1 cup) plain flour
• 30g (2 tbsp) icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 60g (1/4 cup) butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp water

For the custard:

• 2 egg yolks
• 250ml (1 cup) milk
• 70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar (or brown sugar for a more caramel hit)
• 3 tsp cornflour
• 3 tsp plain flour
• 30g (2 tbsp) dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 40ml (2 & 1/2 tbsp) amaretto

For the plums:

• 2-3 plums, destoned and sliced
• 50g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey

To finish:

• 10g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Prepare the pastry. Into a large bowl sieve the plain flour, icing sugar, salt, ginger and cinnamon.

2. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Be patient at this point and make sure no large clumps of butter remain.

3. Add the egg yolk and water. Bring the dough together with your hands. Knead lightly into a ball.

4. Roll the dough out between two layers of clingfilm, until it is around the thickness of a pound coin (2-3mm). Cut into circles around 14cm in diameter (big enough to line the base and sides of a tartlet tin), and place into the tins. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Preheat your oven to 180c (160c fan)/350f/gas mark 4.

6. Place greaseproof paper in the base of each tart tin and fill with baking beans. Bake the tarts for 10 minutes.

7. Carefully remove the paper and beans (the beans will be very hot!), and return the tarts to the oven for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

8. Make the custard. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium sized saucepan.

9. Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and plain flour until smooth. Once the milk is bubbling, slowly pour the milk onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

10. Return to the pan, and cook on a low heat (stirring constantly) until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (this will only take a few minutes). Take off the heat and add the chocolate and amaretto. Stir until the chocolate has melted.

11. Fill the tartlet tins with the custard and set aside to cool. Place in the fridge to set fully (for at least 30 minutes).

12. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and add the plum slices. Sprinkle on the brown sugar and honey and bake for 5-7 minutes, until a little caramel has formed and the plums have cooked through. Set aside to cool.

13. To assemble place the roasted plum slices onto each tart. Grate the remaining dark chocolate over the tarts.

14. Enjoy!

Halloween Game Pie

Here's just a quick post as to a way to make your main meal halloween themed! A while ago I made a game pie, and decided to add some extra decorations/make a few improvements to the recipe. I also added in some pumpkin to the filling to give a real halloween vibe. Venison and duck are both amazing at the moment, but you could use something like chicken instead :)
I've only made a pie lid for this pie, as I had many issues with soggy bottoms. If you would like a base, just double the recipe for the pastry, and use half to cover the base and sides of the pie dish.
I also used a large 24cm pie dish, but a 23cm springform cake tin would work well too.

Makes one large pie - enough for around 8 servings 

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 350g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2.5cm chunks
• 200g carrots, peeled and chopped into 2.5cm chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 250g mushrooms, chopped
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1kg venison, duck (or chicken if you want to cut down on costs!)
• 100g dried chopped apricots
• 100g mixed chopped nuts (I used a combination of peanuts, walnuts and almonds)
• 100g 0% fat greek yoghurt
• 100g black treacle
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Schwartz Moroccan spice blend

For the hot water crust pastry:

• 55g butter
• 65g lard
• 1 tsp salt
• 265g plain flour
• 55g strong white bread flour
• 135ml boiling water
• 1 egg, beaten

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the spices for 1 minute. Add the meat, and fry for 3-4 minutes – this browns off the meat.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add the chopped vegetables, apricots, nuts and meat. Stir in the treacle and yoghurt, and season. Set aside whilst you make the pastry.

4. For the pastry, place the butter, lard, salt and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally until the butter and lard have melted and the mixture is bubbling. 

5. Sieve together the plain and strong bread flour. Once the lard and butter have melted, make a well in the centre of the flours, and pour in the fat mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon at first, and then use your hands to make a smooth dough.

6. Once cool enough to handle, roll out two thirds of your pastry to about 5mm thick. This will be the pie lid.

7. Add the filling to the pie. Place the rolled out pie lid over the filling, and press the edges down with a fork (to help prevent leakage). 

8. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into a large pumpkin. Cut out the face, then place the pumpkin onto the pie lid. You can use any excess pastry to make a fancy rim around the pie if you like.

9. Brush the beaten egg over the pumpkin - this will make it stand out against the pie background. Bake for 1 hour. Check the pie, and cover with foil if it is browning too much. Use a meat thermometer to check that the game pie has cooked – it should be around 74c. 

10. Enjoy the pie warm or cold.

GBBO 2016 Week 9 - Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Palmiers

For the signature round of the semi final of GBBO, it was all about palmiers. I've had an issue making puff pastry for a while, and was determined to crack it! This recipe worked amazingly, and wasn't too time consuming. I filled the palmiers with soft cheese, sundried tomatoes and olives, and they are flavour-full! 
This batch made 12 palmiers, but the recipe is easily doubled or quadrupled.

Makes 12

Ingredients:

• 125g (1 cup) strong white bread flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 15g (1 tbsp) melted butter
• 100g (1/2 cup) cold butter
• 55ml (1/4 cup) ice cold water
• 50g (3 tbsp) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), finely chopped
• 50g (3 tbsp) olives, finely chopped
• 75g (1/3 cup) soft cheese
• 1 egg, beaten

Method:

1. Make the puff pastry. In a mixing bowl sift in the flour, and add the salt. Pour in the melted butter and water, then bring the dough together into a firm ball. Cover in cling film and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2. Roll the chilled butter between two sheets of cling film into a 9cm square. Cover and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

3. Roll the dough out to a 13cm square. Place the butter in the centre of the square, and fold the dough over the butter, so that the butter is completely encased. Pinch the dough together to ensure no butter leaks out.

4. Roll the dough out to a rectangle, about the width of a pound coin (2-3mm). Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third up (like a leaflet). Wrap in clingfilm and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. This counts as the first turn.

5. With the seam created by the first turn towards you, roll the dough out to the rectangle again (about 15cm x 12cm). Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third up  (the seam will now be horizontal to you). Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. This is the second turn.

6. Repeat the rolling and turning process three more times. Chill the dough until ready to use.

7. Preheat your oven to 210c (190c fan)/410f/gas mark 7. Line the base of two baking trays with baking parchment.

8. Roll the dough out to the thickness of a pound coin. Spread over the cream cheese, and cover with the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Roll one long end towards the centre (until it is halfway), then roll the opposite side in to the centre. You will end up with what looks like two Swiss rolls next to each other. Cover and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

9. Trim off the ends of the palmiers, then slice the dough into 1cm pieces. Transfer the baking trays, and brush on some egg wash.

10. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the palmiers over, and bake for a further 8-10 minutes, until crispy and a light brown colour. Leave to cool.

11. Enjoy!