Tomato and Bacon Scrolls

Ingredients:
300 gr Self Raising Flour
1 Table Spoon Sugar
50gr Butter
180 ml Milk
Some Pesto (enough to spread on the base)
120gr Mozzarella
210gr Bacon (chopped)
Some Chives (chopped)

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2) Sift together the flour and sugar
3) Rub in the butter, add the milk and mix until a sticky dough forms
4) Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread some pesto over it
5) Sprinkle chives, cheese and bacon over the pesto
6) Roll from the long edge and cut into about 12 slices

Bake for about 25 mins

Sour Cream and Cherry Pie/Crumble

Ingredients:


For the base: (MAKES 2!!!)
200gr Butter
310 gr Plain Flour
115g Sugar
100gr dark chocolate (grated)
2 egg yolks


-  This makes 2 big bases, handy if you want to freeze one (up to 3 months) or use as a topper etc.
I darne't change the proportions incase the result gets degraded


1) To make the dough, put all the ingredients in a bowl, except the egg yolks, cut into the mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.


2) Add the yolks and 2 tablespoons of water and mix until the dough forms (Don't over process)
Chill the dough for at least 20 mins (preferably overnight)




For the filling:


2 cups pitted sour cherries
3/4 cup sugar
2 table spoon flour
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 tea spoon vanilla
1/8 tea spoon salt
1 teaspoon citric acid if you have it - gives some punch to the flavour


For the crumble topping:
1 tea spoon cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter


1) Mix sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and salt together. Beat until smooth. 


2) Add cherries and put in pie crust. Bake 15 minutes in hot oven (425 to 450 degrees). Lower oven temperature down to 325 degrees and bake 30 minutes.


3:  Combine cinnamon, flour, sugar, and butter; sprinkle on top of pie and bake 20 minutes longer at 325 degrees.

Deliriously Delicious Doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups of Plain Flour (possibly a little more)
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Oil
5 teaspoons Yeast
2 teaspoons Vanilla flavouring
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Potato !!!

Method:

1: Heat 1 cup of milk in a microwave until luke warm
2: Sprinkle over the yeast and add a pinch of sugar

Leave this to stand for about 5 mins until frothy - I ended up using a pinch of baking soda as mine didn't froth for ages!!!

3: Stab the potato and cook in a microwave for about 4 mins, until soft
4: Remove skin and then mash - this should leave you with about half a cup of mashed potato

5: Sift together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl
6: Add the oil and vanilla and cut it into the mixture along with the mashed potato
7: Gradually stir in the milk/yeast mix until the mixture forms a dough
(You'll know its ready when it no longer clings to the bowl)
I had to add about another quater cup of flour, but this will vary with the humidity and temperature of the room etc

8: Flour a work surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic
9: cover and set aside for about 15 mins

10: Heat about an inch of oil in a pan. Ideally you want to set this off at a high heat and reduce it when the oil boils.

11: Roll out the dough to about 1 Inch thickness

EITHER

cut using a flowered glass or doughnut cutter
12: Gently place your new formed rings into the oil, browning on both sides
13: Once cooked, place on a sheet of kitchen towel to drain and drizzle with a glaze of your choice

OR

Cut with a cookie cutter or flowered glass and place a chunk of chocolate in the centre of each circle
Form a ball and deep fry

Bolognese Pizza! (quorn)

Ingredients:

Base
650gr Plain Flour
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Sugar
7gr Dried Yeast
20ml Olive oil
1/2 Teaspoon of Basil, 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano and a small squirt of garlic puree
400ml Warm Water

Method:

1: Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together in a bowl (again, I usually sift at least twice to mix all ingredients together)
2: Add the Basil, Oregano and a small squirt of garlic puree
3: Add the oil and the warm water and cut into the flour
4: Knead the dough until smooth and elastic
5: Cover and let it rise for an hour, Knock down and let rise for another hour
Divide in half, roll out into a circle and
6 Bake for about 10 mins at about 160degrees

Topping:

I kind of improvise this bit.

1 Bag Spinach
2 onions
Quorn mince - usually about 150grams ish
1 pack of Mozzarella
Garlic puree
Red Pesto
Tomato Puree
Basil, Rosemary, Mint, Oregano


Method:

1: Place some butter in a pan
2: Chop the onions, add to the butter and cook them gently with the herbs

I use rough proportions for the herbs with Mint being the least, then rosemary, then basil and Oregano being the most. No more than a teaspoon of Oregano.

3: Wilt the spinach in the pan and add some garlic puree and about 2 teaspoons of red pesto
I tend to add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of marmite, depending on the freshness of the herbs..sometimes the depth and balance of the flavour calls for it.

4: Add the Quorn mince and any more pesto or herbs if need be.

5: Cover the pizza bases with tomato puree then the mince and spinace mixture
sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for about 20 mins at 160degrees or until golden

Chocolate Orange Madeira Cake

Ingredients:


180gr Butter - salted
185gr Sugar - Pref soft brown
3 Eggs
165gr Self Raising Flour
100gr Dark Chocolate - Grated
Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
dash of vanilla essence


Method:

Preheat Oven to 160 Degrees C

1: Beat the butter and sugar together with the lemon juice and a dash of vanilla essence
2: Crack each egg into a cup and beat - add each egg to the sugar
3: Add the zest and grated chocolate and beat the whole mixture until pale and fluffy
4: Fold in the flour until its barely mixed and spoon into a cake tin
Bake for 1 hour

Note:
Again, I always recommend sifting flour from a good height and beating eggs individually so that there is as much air into the mix as possible
I recommend salted butter, depth of flavour is always better.

Chocoholics Brownies - Seriously, be warned!

Ingredients:

200gr  Dark Chocolate - Broken into chunks
175gr Butter - Chopped
2 Eggs
230gr Soft Brown Sugar
40gr Cocoa
125gr Plain Flour
100gr Chocolate type 1 - chopped
100gr Chocolate type 2 - chopped
* I found an awesome selection at Aldi, 100grams of Stracciatella Chocolate (White chocolate with dark chocolate nibs in) and 100gr Coffee chocolate or milk chocolate. Coffee tends to enhance chocolate flavours but isn't to everyones taste

Method:
preheat the oven to 160 Degrees C

1: Melt the 200gr Dark chocolate with the butter in a bowl suspended in a saucepan of hot water - stir until melted and remove from the heat
2: Put the sugar in another bowl with a drop of vanilla essence
3: Crack an egg into bowl/cup and beat, add the other egg and beat some more
4: Whisk the eggs into the sugar until pale and fluffy
5: Fold the egg/sugar mix into the chocolate, add type 1 chocolate and mix
6: Sift the flour and cocoa powder together with a pinch of salt
7: Sift the flour mix into the chocolate, add type 2 chocolate and fold the mix til just about mixed
8: Pour the mix into a tin and bake for 25-30 mins or so

These are intense but moreish -be warned:

Note: I always suggest cracking each egg into a cup or some receptacle first. For one thing, it shows you the condition of the egg (if there's been a little separation etc). It also allows you to fish out any shell if need be and to add more air to the mix.

Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:
      Pastry:
185gr Plain Flour
100gr Butter (Chilled and cubed)
2 Teaspoons grated Orange Zest
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
3 Tablespoons Icy water

     Filling:
40gr Crushed digestive biscuits OR Amaretti
60gr Plain flour
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
90gr Brown Sugar
500gr Blueberries
3 Pears
1 Apple or 1/2 a Tin of Apples
Pinch of nutmeg and Vanilla essence

1: Cut the pears in a bowl with the apples, add some vanilla essence and nutmeg and blend until smooth

2: Sift the flour (twice) into a large bowl add a pinch of salt and the Orange Zest
3: Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs
4: Add the sugar and a splash (less than 1/2 teaspoon) of cinnamon
5: Make a well and slowly add the water, cutting into the mix until it comes together as beads
6: Press together into a ball, cover with cling film and chill for 20 mins

Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees C

7: Crush the digestives with some vanilla essence
8: Combine with the flour, cinnamon and 1 1/2 Tablespoon of the sugar
9: Roll out the pastry and place in the dish
10: Cover the dough with the biscuit mix, add the blueberries and cover with the apple and pear puree
11: Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and
Bake for 30mins until brown

Note: With the apple puree on top, this wont win any beauty pageants - however the pear and nutmeg combo will win over pretty much everyone!