Strawberry Tarts for Ever

I posted a photo of a Strawberry Tart on the Facebook page the other day, and some poor, deprived lady asked, 'What is that?'.

Probably American. (It's no fun saying that unless it's in that accent. You know the one ... )

"What is THAT?"

That, m'dear is a Strawberry Tart. That is yumminess on a plate; deliciousness in a tart.

That is also the easiest thing ever to make. And this is how I make them. 

I use the 6-2-6-2 recipe for my tarts. It's not really pastry, but I love it for all sweet tarts. I've shared it before in this post, and also in this post, where I make Apple Tart with it. Oh, and in that second post, the Wee Guy is still a Wee Guy! Waaah!

Okay, back to the Strawberry Tarts.  

Roll out the pastry, and cut out rounds.

I make different sizes: this is a medium tart, 

and these are smaller, bite-size ones.

The pie weights are great placed inside these little truffle papers - so handy then to lift them out once their job is done.

When I take the weights out, I normally give them another few minutes in the oven, just to dry the bottoms off.

The proper filling would be cream of some description, but I don't like 'real' cream, so this squeegy cream does the trick perfectly for me. It's also very handy!

Chuck a strawberry on top. You may, alternatively, place a suitably sized strawberry with great care in the centre of the squirted cream.

Either way, it's then time to pour over what makes what would be an okay-tart into a tart of deliciousness.

Strawberry tart jelly is yumminess in a bottle.

Just one word of warning. When you make these tarts, don't - whatever you do - let the Fire Brigade lads know they're around...

Some of these fellas would devour the plateful

(mentioning no names, of course, Alex ;) )

Pavlova Recipe

I was asked to post the recipe for the pavlova in yesterday's blog post.

Yes, this one. And so here's a re-post of a previous blog, giving my pavlova recipe. Like everything I make, it's dead simple...

The other night, we had a bit of surprise get-together in my sister's house for my brother's wife's 40th.

Get it?

Anyhoo, I was making some mini pavlovas for our surprise get-together, and even though I didn't have my camera and the camera I was using didn't have proper working batteries, I still thought I'd give you the pleasure of my poorly taken photos of the mini meringues, and if this isn't a cracker of a run-on sentence, I don't know what is.

Here are my ingredients: eggs, caster sugar, cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence.

When the egg whites are stiff, I add the cornflour-vinegar-vanilla mix.

After this the caster sugar is added, one spoonful at a time, whilst whisking continually.

Dollop the mix onto baking paper, 

and use the back of the spoon to make a well in the centre.

They are then ready to pop into the oven.

It's best to make pavlova in the evening, and when they are ready in the oven, turn off the oven, but leave the oven door closed. 

Leave the pavlovas in overnight, but if you make them on a Saturday night to have for your Sunday dinner, please make sure that no one puts the oven on in the morning in preparation for the Sunday roast, before removing the pavlovas.

Why am I warning you of this? 

... Yep, you guessed it. Been there, done that.

For the filling, because I'm not a great fan of cream, I mix whipping/double cream with strawberry yoghurt (or whichever flavour you prefer). If you mix yoghurt and cream in the same amount, it whisks well.

(A mixture of raspberry and peach flavoured yoghurts with the cream is lovely.)

Pavlova

3 egg whites

7 oz caster sugar

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 150 C.

Mix cornfour, essence and vinegar in a cup. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until firm and fluffy. Add cornflour, essence and vinegar mixture. Add sugar slowly - tablespoonful at a time. Continue beating until mixture is stiff and shiny.

Place in the oven. After initial 15 mins, turn oven down to 75C. Leave in oven for additional 45 mins, and then turn oven off, but leave door closed for as long as possible, preferably overnight.

These amounts were doubled in the batch I was making in the photos.

So, go make and let me know how it goes.

Fruit Loaf

I mentioned the other day on Facebook that I was making some Fruit Loaves. A fellow Facebooker asked for the recipe I used, and so here goes.

I normally double the recipe, because the loaves freeze so well. It's also one of the Builder's favourites in his 'piece box' - good ol' Scottish term, that! - and the more I can make together, the handier my joyous piece-box-filling life is.

The original recipe, which I'll give, makes two 2lb loaves. I've found that the mix slightly overfills the tins, giving the bottom of my oven a lovely sprinkling of burnt cake mix. I do try and avoid incidences that force me to clean the oven whenever I can, and not being of that efficient breed of women who remember to line the bottom of the oven with a lining to pick up the cake debris, I have been forced to find a way of stopping the overflow.

After all, who on earth wants to be doing oven cleaning?

And so, by making double, I find I have the ideal amount for three 2lb tins and two 1lb tins.

Did y'all get that? (3 x 2) + (2 x 1)

That make it simpler?

Here is the recipe as found in the Free Church cookbook. 

Ingredients:

2 cups raisins                            6 oz (175g) butter/marg
2 cups sultanas                          1 lb (450g) plain flour
2 cups water                              2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cups sugar                              1 tsp ginger
2 eggs, well beaten                    1 tsp cinnamon
                                                  1 tsp mixed spice

Method:

1. Put raisins, sultanas, sugar and water in a pan. Bring to the boil, simmer for 2-3 mins and allow to cool.
2. Add beaten eggs to cooled mixture and stir well.
3. Rub butter into flour and add dry ingredients.
4. Add 'moist' ingredients to 'dry' mixture and mix well.
5. Spoon mixture into 2 greased and base-lined 2 lb loaf tins.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven 180°C/350°F* for 1 – 1¼ hours.

* Everyone gets to know their own oven, but I have found 160°C works best for me.

The butter has been rubbed into the flour. Here is the recipe doubled - two bowls, two pans.

And, as I was saying, this amount of cake mix makes 3 of the 2 lb loaves, and 2 of the 1 lb ones.

Spread liberally with copious amounts of butter.

Girdle Scones

I thought of making Sconaichean Greideil (Girdle Scones, to the non-Gaelic speakers. And Griddle Scones, to the poor, deprived non-Scots among you) the other day because I had milk that was going off. 


Well, actually, it had gone off, but I don't want to gross you city folks out. And I don't want to food police on my back either.


The 'off' milk reminded me of the older lady who lived next door to us when I was growing up. (I do, of course, us the phrase 'growing up' in the loosest possible sense of the phrase: it simply means adding more months and years to a person's young life.) And the milk didn't, in and of itself, remind me of  my next door neighbour. Rather, it reminded me that every time I walked into her kitchen - or so it seems in my memory - she was making girdle scones and the milk she used was milk that had gone off. Bainne goirt.


Anyway. Scones.


8 oz ( 225g) Self Raising flour
pinch of salt
2 oz (50g) caster sugar
2 oz (50g) butter
1 egg, beaten
3-4 tblsp (45-60ml) milk.


Now, I have made a couple of batches of scones, and used two different recipes, but this is the one I used yesterday.


Before you begin the baking, preheat the griddle. Low and slow is my motto here. Low heat, longer time.

Mix flour and salt. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, and add the sugar.

Mix (I did the mixing with a fork) the beaten egg and milk into the flour mixture to form a dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface,

and pat into a round shape.

Cut into quarters, 

and cook on the griddle

until browned on both sides.

Then enjoy one with loads of melting butter.

And maybe another with butter and cheddar cheese.

And maybe another with Raspberry jam.

Of course, these are alternative suggestions. I'm not suggesting you try all these three combinations.

Dearie me! Of course I wouldn't suggest that, but if you were to try them all, accompanied by lots of hot tea, I reckon you would love it.

And remember, I'm just sayin'. Not suggesting.... just sayin'.

Mini Pavlovas

The other night, we had a bit of surprise get-together in my sister's house for my brother's wife's 40th.

Get it?

Anyhoo, I was making some mini pavlovas for our surprise get-together, and even though I didn't have my camera and the camera I was using didn't have proper working batteries, I still thought I'd give you the pleasure of my poorly taken photos of the mini meringues, and if this isn't a cracker of a run-on sentence, I don't know what is.

Here are my ingredients: eggs, caster sugar, cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence.

When the egg whites are stiff, I add the cornflour-vinegar-vanilla mix.

After this the caster sugar is added, one spoonful at a time, whilst whisking continually.

Dollop the mix onto baking paper, 

and use the back of the spoon to make a well in the centre.

They are then ready to pop into the oven.

It's best to make pavlova in the evening, and when they are ready in the oven, turn off the oven, but leave the oven door closed. 

Leave the pavlovas in overnight, but if you make them on a Saturday night to have for your Sunday dinner, please make sure that no one puts the oven on in the morning for the Sunday roast, before removing the pavlovas.

Why am I warning you of this? 

... Yep, you guessed it. Been there, done that.

For the filling, because I'm not a great fan of cream, I mix whipping/double cream with strawberry yoghurt (or whichever flavour you prefer). If you mix yoghurt and cream in the same amount, it whisks well.

(A mixture of raspberry and peach flavoured yoghurts with the cream is lovely. Lubberly jubberly)

Pavlova

3 egg whites

7 oz caster sugar

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 150 C.

Mix cornfour, essence and vinegar in a cup. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until firm and fluffy. Add cornflour, essence and vinegar mixture. Add sugar slowly - tablespoonful at a time. Continue beating until mixture is stiff and shiny.

Place in the oven. After initial 15 mins, turn oven down to 75C. Leave in oven for additional 45 mins, and then turn oven off, but leave door closed for as long as possible, preferably overnight.

(I doubled this recipe. Sadly, I don't have photos of the finished pavlovas with the whisked cream/yoghurt and chopped strawberries on top. Oh, camera, how I miss thee.)

Velcom to Vittenberg ... and a Mish-mash

Dearie me, life is busy. Where have I been?

I have been to Wittenburg.

Can y'all think why? More to follow...

You remember Jackson?

You remember - the grouse-retriever-for-Royalty?

Well, this is what he has been reduced to.

The guys were lifting potatoes today again. This time, the wind wasn't so strong, but the rain didn't stopped all day.

Mud, mud, mud. It's so much part of my life, I simply cannot imagine any other way of living.

Here's one of Katie's pizzas from the other night. This was it just before cheese was added.

The first time Katie made pizza from scratch, it was nice, but I really could only think of one thing: 

Why would anyone go to all this trouble when I could go to the freezer and stick one in the oven?

The second time she made them, I realised they are much yummier than any shop-bought ones.

And the whole job becomes less time-consuming every time she practices it.

You remember my day in town, the crane, and dinky toys?

This is now the view of my sister's back garden, taken from the bottom of 'the hole'.  

If you look right in the middle of the photo, you are able to see the top of the washing line pole. Just to give you an idea of the height of the rubble pile.

Today, I made these Raspberry Muffins.

The photo is from Cooking for Seven's blog, and is only one of countless wonderful photos and recipes on this site.

These muffins are de-lic-ious. The streusel on top is so yummy. It reminded me of Laurie's coffee cake. You know the cake that's got coffee in its name but not in itself. I like to drink coffee, but I don't like coffee in anything, so I was mighty relieved when Laurie's coffee cake was coffee in name only.

Am I making any sense?

As well as the Raspberry Muffins, I made oatcakes and some fruit loaves today.

Then my cousin and her family came to visit.

Then my pal and her family came to visit. 

I'm so glad my house was immaculately tidy when they all came. 

Yeah, well, anyway....

While I was baking today, I listened to the sermon Why Have I Found Grace? I love that title. I love the sentiment behind the question.

I'm so glad we've been able to have a wee yarn just now. I feel like I've not seen y'all for ages. I hope y'all have a wonderful Lord's Day.

Laurie's Coffee Cake

For all my non-American friends.....


Coffee cake does not have coffee in it. It's called Coffee Cake because you have it with coffee.


The first time we were in the US, we sat round a table for brunch. After our other 'eats', a coffee cake was taken out onto the table.


'There you go, have some coffee cake.'


Coffee cake?! Eeek. Neither the Builder nor myself like coffee cake (cake with coffee in it). And so, we look at each other. Yes, our eyes meet across the table.... and we think, 'Oh boy, we can't even fob the cake off on our kids, cos they don't like coffee flavour either'.


I catch his eye, and silently ask, 'Are you going to be a loving and sacrificial and take a piece?'


He replies. 'There you go, Anne. You take that piece. I'm kinda full myself.'


Someone remind me again why I married this guy.


But who had the last laugh?!


Once I began to eat this cake, I realised that whatever it was, it had no coffee in it.


Fast forward two years and Laurie comes into the kitchen one Saturday and says she's going to bake a coffee cake.


Of course, our memories of that coffee cake have disappeared, so....  how do we tell her we don't like coffee cake?


'Cinnamon Coffee Cake', she says.


Oh, we love the cinnamon part. But does she have to put coffee in it?


Well, all you Americans know that a cinnamon coffee cake is a cinnamon cake you eat with coffee. It is not a cake in which there is cinnamon and coffee.


Here's the recipe:


Streusel topping
11/2 cups soft brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 tblsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened but not melted


Combine ingredients with a fork and set aside.


11/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
3 cups plain flour


In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light.


Then beat in the eggs and continue to mix until mixture no longer appears curdled.


Stir in salt and baking powder.


Then alternatively add flour and milk. (Add some more milk if the batter is too thick.)


Spread half the cake batter in a greased 9 x 13 inch cake pan.


Sprinkle with half the streusel topping. Repeat layers once more.


Bake at 170C for about an hour.


I'm sorry I don't have any photos of this cake, but no kidding, this baby disappears in this house so quickly - often before it's cooled down properly.


It came to the stage that poor Laurie thought she really couldn't arrive at our house without one of "Laurie's Cakes"! Never again will it be known as coffee cake in this house. Nor even as Cinnamon cake.


It is delicious, and it is called Laurie's Cake. 


Seeing as I don't have any photos of the cake, I'll leave you with a photo of what I have out my window right now.

(Three more sleeps until DR is home. I'm rejoicing. He, er.... well, let's leave that one, shall we...)