Pancakes with caramelised pears and chocolate (recipe)

17 January, 2013 By 9 Comments

Pancakes with chocolate and caramelised pears

This is an amazing way to get one of our five a day – me

Here in the UK, February 12th is Pancake Day, so I thought I’d share with you this recipe that was sent over by Lyle’s Golden Syrup. It serves 4 and is very sweet, buttery and filling, so certainly not for every day, but you can feel a little less guilty knowing you’ve at least had a good portion of fruit…

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

  • 100g plain flour
  • Pinch salt (if desired)
  • 2 free range eggs
  • 300ml whole milk
  • Sunflower oil for frying

For the pears:

  • 2 large pears
  • Large knob of butter
  • 3tbsp golden syrup

For the topping:

  • 25g dark chocolate
  • Crème fraîche (optional)

Instructions

  1. Put the flour, salt and eggs into a bowl with a dash of the milk and beat until you have a smooth paste.
  2. Gradually add the rest of the milk, beating all the time to avoid lumps.
  3. Leave to stand for five minutes to thicken slightly.
  4. Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan and pour a ladleful of the batter into the pan, swirling for a thin layer.
  5. Cook on a moderate heat until the edges turn brown.  Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and then flip the pancake.  Cook for 30 seconds and then turn out onto a plate.
  6. Repeat to make 8 pancakes, placing a small piece of parchment between each pancake and put in a very low oven to keep warm.
  7. Peel and slice the pears into eighths.
  8. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and heat until bubbling, then tip in the pears and fry until browned, turning occasionally.
  9. When the pears are brown, drizzle over golden syrup and heat until bubbling. If you leave too long and it over thickens, add a few drops of water and stir.
  10. Serve the pancakes filled with the pears and drizzled with the chocolate.
  11. Add a dollop of crème fraîche if desired. It would also be amazing with vanilla icecream for an extremely decadent dish.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I was sent this recipe and a bottle of Lyle’s Golden Syrup for the purposes of this piece. No payment was received for this post. All posts are 100% honest.

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Milk chocolate shortbread fudge recipe

27 December, 2012 By 3 Comments

Shortbread chocolate fudge

It’s melt in the mouth – Mark

A little while back, Fiona aka London Unattached posted a brlliant basic fudge recipe, and I adapted it to make white chocolate fudge. Weeks later, Mammasaurus pimped my recipe to make milk choc fudge with Crunchies and Maltesers (which looks amazing, by the way), and today, as if in a game of food blogger ping pong, I am bravely batting the ball back out today with this recipe for milk chocolate shortbread fudge.

This recipe is perfect for using up the glut of chocolate and shortbread we all tend to have in the house after Christmas.

Here’s what to do:

Ingredients

  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 350g caster sugar
  • 300ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped (we used Galaxy)
  • About 12 shortbread biscuits
  • A big non-stick tin

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a large baking tray and set aside
  2. Roughly break up the biscuits into 1/2-1 inch pieces and set aside
  3. In a very large pan, gently melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved – don’t let it burn
  4. Add the milk and stir well
  5. Turn up the heat so it boils, stirring all the time – it will froth a lot
  6. Keep boiling while stirring intermittently
  7. When the frothing subsides, with the heat still high, it’ll start to thicken
  8. Keep boiling and stirring until it’s darkened a little and has thickened at least enough to coat the back of a spoon – go as thick as you can without it feeling like it’s going to caramelise
  9. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes
  10. Tip in the chocolate and beat until well combined
  11. Stir in the biscuit pieces and then immediately pour into the tin and spread out as best you can
  12. Leave to cool, then chill for a few hours either wrapped in clingfilm or in an airtight container (to keep out other fridge flavours) until firm enough to cut up and eat

Enjoy!

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Taste testing gorgeous handcrafted Swiss chocolate Christmas novelties from Bettys

23 November, 2012 By 2 Comments

Can I have a bear? – JD, 5

It’s not often a lovely family business offers to send me handcrafted chocolates, and these are particularly special.

The family behind Bettys has been handcrafting cakes, biscuits, breads and artisan chocolates at their North Yorkshire craft bakery since 1919, and recently unveiled their new Christmas range, which includes these very special children’s chocolate novelties.

Pictured are miniature chocolate teddy bears (£4.95), white chocolate Snowy Owls (£3.75) and a solid chocolate Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with gold detail and extremely tasty caramel filled white chocolate parcels (£15.95). The range also includes chocolate penguins (£5.25), stunning chocolate baubles (£4.50) and a milk chocolate house decorated with hand-piped white chocolate detail (£17.95).

Everything is made from smooth, creamy Swiss chocolate – the smaller items would make wonderful stocking fillers, while the larger items would look fab as part of a table centerpiece. And wouldn’t it be great to support an independent family firm this Christmas?

Check out the whole Christmas range on the Bettys website. It really is lovely – and delicious too.

Disclosure: we were sent the chocolates shown for the purposes of this review. No payment was received for this post. All posts are 100% honest.

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Apple cinnamon turnovers (recipe)

14 October, 2012 By 3 Comments

Apple envelopes! – JD, 4

When we made a pair of apple puff pastry tarts last week, I have to confess we made far too much apple mix. And since we had a ready rolled puff pastry square still left in the pack, we decided to make these super simple puff pastry apple turnovers.

Here’s what to do:

Ingredients

  • 1 red, crisp apple
  • 25g muscovado light brown unrefined cane sugar
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 sheet of puffy pastry (1/2 a ready roll pack)
  • 1 medium free range egg
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Core the apples, halve and then slice thinly (just a couple of mm ideally), hen chop roughly
  2. Toss in the lemon juice, muscovado sugar and cinnamon until well combined
  3. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry and slice lengthways, then three times width ways to create six equal rectangles
  4. Place a little of the apple mix into the middle of each section of pastry and folder over to create triangles
  5. Pinch along the edges to seal
  6. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the granulated sugar
  7. Bake on a non-stick tray at 220C (200C fan assisted) for 20-25 minutes until well browned and puffed up
  8. Cool then dust with icing sugar before serving

Perfect for packing up in a container and taking with you for a quick snack during weekend adventures – or even bonfire night!

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Quick puff pastry apple tart recipe

10 October, 2012 By 6 Comments

Oh, now I HAVE to go and buy ice cream, what a shame – me

I’ve been baking a lot recently. With Miss J unwell it’s incredibly therapeutic to hit the kitchen and make something quick and yummy. I just need to watch my waistline so I’ve been giving many of my creations away to friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues.

This recipe for puff pastry apple tart is easy, makes two and is just perfect for serving in the afternoon with a generous pot of tea.

Ingredients

  • 2 red, crisp apples
  • 50g muscovado light brown unrefined cane sugar
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 sheet of puffy pastry (1/2 a ready roll pack)

Instructions

  1. Core the apples, halve and then slice thinly (just a couple of mm ideally)
  2. Toss in the lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon until well combined
  3. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry and slice lengthways to give two thin pieces
  4. For each piece of pastry, line the slices up along the length, overlapping as in the picture above
  5. Bake side by side at 220C (200C fan assisted) for 20-25 minutes until well cooked and puffed up all around the edges
  6. Cool then dust with icing sugar before serving

It’s tasty warm with custard, ice cream, or cold with a cup of tea. How will you eat yours?

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50/50 scones – perfect recipe for afternoon tea

18 September, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Will there be any left when I get home? – Mark

These wholesome, sweet, bready scones are perfect for afternoon tea. Their name comes from the flour balance, which is 50% white and 50% strong wholemeal.

This recipe makes 20 scones.

Ingredients

  • 210g strong wholemeal bread flour
  • 210g self-raising four
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 80g unsalted butter, chilled
  • 220ml milk
  • 1 large free range egg, to glaze

Instructions

  1. Preheat the over to 220C (200 fan assisted)
  2. In a large bowl stir together the flours and baking powder
  3. Cube the butter and rub into the flour until you have even crumbs
  4. Stir in the sugar, then slowly add the milk, mixing to get a dough
  5. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll to 1cm thick
  6. Cut out circles with a medium-size biscuit cutter
  7. Place on a non stick baking sheet at least 1 inch apart
  8. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned

Serve with cream, jam and a good pot of tea.

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Lemon, vanilla and chocolate fairy cakes (recipe)

3 January, 2012 By 14 Comments

Can I pipe the icing straight into my mouth? – JD, 4

JD and I are making the most of our last few days at home before he goes back to pre-school and I go back to work part-time.

Today we had some family come to visit, meaning there would be five adults and three children squeezed into our tiny living room. In preparation we made 36 rather fabulous fairy cakes.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

  • 150g caster sugar
  • 150g golden sugar
  • 260g margarine
  • 1.5 tbsp milk
  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • Additional ingredients for the vanilla sponge:
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla flavouring
  • Additional ingredients for the lemon sponge:
    • 1/2 tsp of lemon essence
  • Additional ingredients for the chocolate sponge:
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla flavouring
    • 1 heaped tbsp of drinking chocolate powder

For the icing:

  • 525g icing sugar
  • 75g margarine
  • 40ml milk
  • Additional ingredients for the vanilla icing:
    • 3 bags of Milky Bar white chocolate buttons, melted
    • Hundred and thousands sprinkles (the round kind)
  • Additional ingredients for the lemon icing:
  • Additional ingredients for the chocolate icing:
    • 3 bags of Cadbury’s milk chocolate buttons, melted
    • Chocolate sprinkles

Equipment

  • Multi-coloured cupcake cases (we used Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases - spotty for vanilla, yellow for lemon, red for chocolate)
  • A cupcake tray
  • Whisk (ideally an electric one)
  • Piping bag and nozzle

Recipe

Make the basic sponge:

  • Set oven to Gas Mark 4
  • Cream the spread and sugar together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon (or in a blender)
  • Beat the eggs, then stir them in
  • Sift in the flour and stir in with a metal spoon
  • Stir in the milk slowly to loosen (you may need less depending on how watery your margarine is)

Flavour the three sponges:

  • Divide the mixture into three separate bowls
  • To the vanilla sponge bowl, stir in the vanilla flavouring
  • To the lemon sponge, stir in the lemon essence
  • To the chocolate sponge, stir in the vanilla flavouring and sift in drinking chocolate powder
  • If you have three cupcake trays and a big oven you can fill all the cases and set them all to cook now, otherwise cook one lot at a time.
  • Bake each tray for 15 mins
  • Cool completely on a wire rack before icing

Make the basic icing:

  • Mix the margarine, icing sugar and half the milk together with a fork
  • Beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy
  • Add more milk if still powdery, but you want it to be very stiff

Flavour the three icings:

  • Divide the icing mixture into three bowls
  • To the vanilla icing, stir in the vanilla flavouring
  • To the lemon icing, add the yellow colouring and lemon flavouring, then beat in the melted white chocolate
  • To the chocolate icing, stir in the vanilla flavouring, then beat in the melted white chocolate (you may need a little more milk to loosen this one)
  • When the sponges are cool, ice them however you like – we piped the lemon as one big blob and flattened, and did the other two more delicately

Finish up with the sprinkles quickly before the icing dries out, leave for 10 mins to set, then eat!

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