Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte

I made this as the dessert for mine and my friends annual Christmas meal. Although we're always a bit too full for any dessert after our feast I couldn't resist making this for the occasion. We just had to wait a while for our main to go down before tucking in.

The torte uses amaretti biscuits for the base which bring a lovely almond flavour to the whole thing and makes it just that little bit more festive for this time of year. The addition of a few ordinary digestive biscuits just adds an extra crunch to the base, perfect against the rich, gooey filling.

When making the caramel, taste as you add the salt to make sure that the flavour comes through, but isn't too salty for your tastes. 

Ingredients: 

For the base:
50g butter, melted

200g amaretti biscuits, crushed

10 digestive biscuits, crushed
For the Caramel:
250g sugar
125g salted butter
100ml single cream
a pinch of sea salt flakes (to taste)
For the Chocolate Layer:
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
100g plain chocolate
75g unsalted butte

To make:

• Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C. 
• Mix the all of the crushed biscuits and the melted butter together in a large bowl.
• Press into your dish using a metal spoon, working it up the sides of the dish as well. (Use either a greased loose bottom flan dish, or a ceramic flan dish greased and lined on the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper.)

• Leave in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
• To make the caramel, dissolve the sugar in 5 tbsp water in a large pan. 
• Stir in the butter, raise the heat a little, and bubble, stirring occasionally until it turns a light toffee colour; this may take 20 minutes. 
• Turn off the heat and stir in half the cream. When the bubbles die down, stir in the rest of the cream and a pinch of sea salt flakes. 

• Leave to cool. 
• To make the chocolate layer, beat the sugar, egg and egg yolk together with an electric whisk until thick like custard. 
• Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium pan over a low heat.
• Pour into the egg mixture and beat until smooth and glossy. 

• Spread the caramel over the base of the tart. 
• Spoon the chocolate mixture over the top, spreading it evenly. 

• Bake for 12 minutes, then leave to cool in the tin.
• Remove form tin and dust with a little icing sugar before serving.

Party Food

A selection of nibbles and canapes to get through any holiday party. Also see my sausage rolls, also perfect for any occasion.

1. Cranberry and Brie Filo Parcels
2. Mini Tarts with 2 toppings - Mozzarella, Red Onion, Olive and Thyme + Parmesan, Smoked Pancetta and Sage
3. Honey and Mustard Glazed Mini Sausages

1. Cranberry and Brie Filo Parcels

Ingredients:
5oz/150g Brie (approx)
1 Small Jar Cranberry sauce
2oz/50g Melted butter or low fat butter
1 Pkt Filo pastry ( 6 sheets)

To Make:

• Pre-heat oven to 190°C.
• Lay three sheets of filo on top of each other and brush with a little melted butter.
• Cut into equal sized squares.
• Place approximately a teaspoonful of Brie in the middle of the pastry.
• Top with a little Cranberry sauce.
• Gently collect the corners of the pastry to join up to make a parcel.
• Press together at the neck to seal.
• Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. And then again with another three layers os pastry.
• Place the parcels onto a greased baking tray.
• Brush with the melted butter.

• Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

2. Mini Tarts

 - Mozzarella, Red Onion, Olive and Thyme (12)

Ingredients:
100g Puff Pastry
40g Mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 Red Onion, chopped finely
6 Pitted Black Olives
Thyme
Olive Oil
Seasoning


- Parmesan, Smoked Pancetta and Sage (12)


Ingredients:
100g Puff Pastry
2 tablespoons Parmesan, freshly grated
2 Slices Smoked Pancetta, each divided into 6 small pieces
12 Small Sage Leaves
Olives Oil
Seasoning

To Make:

• Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
• Begin by rolling out each pastry block on a lightly floured work surface to 23 x 18cm.
• Cut out 12 rounds with a fluted pastry cutter and arrange slightly apart on a baking tray. Prick each one twice with a fork.

For the mozzarella, red onion, olive and thyme tarts:

• Cut the sliced mozarella into 2.5cm squares and place one of these one top of each pastry disc.
• Toss the onion in olive oil and sprinkle a little on each square of cheese, followed by half an olive.
• Dip the thyme leaves in a little olive oil and place on top and season.

For the parmesan, smoked pancetta and sage tarts:

• Put 1/2 tsp of parmesan onto each pastry disc and spread out to the edges.
• Follow with a piece of pancetta on each.
• Dip the sage leaves in olive oil and pop on top and season.

• Bake all the tarts in pre-heated oven for 18minutes, until puffed and golden.
• Serve warm from the oven or just heated through.

3. Honey and Mustard Glazed Mini Sausages

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sunflower oil
48 cocktail sausages , separated if linked
3 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard

To Make:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. 
• Pour the oil into a large roasting tin and heat in the oven for 3-4 minutes. 
• Tip the sausages into the roasting tin and toss to lightly coat in the oil. 
• Roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
• Drain the sausages well on kitchen paper, then tip them into a clean roasting tin. 
• Blend the honey and mustard together in a small bowl, pour over the sausages and stir and shake them so they become coated. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, turning them over halfway. Serve hot or warm.

Sausage Rolls

One of my most favourite recipes and one of my most requested by my family, although I only ever crack out this one out at Christmas. However, I do usually end up making about 2 batches a week as they are so more-ish and are all eaten up very quick. 

Sage is one of my favourite herbs and the beautiful flavour comes through so well in this recipe, from the minute I chop up the leaves, the house smells like Christmas and a only gets better when these are popped in the oven! 

Christmas Sage

These are pretty easy to make as it's really only assembling, but the results are amazing and you'll be sure to make lots of people very happy. They're perfect for this time of year as party food/canapes, cosy days watching films by the fire, or when unexpected guests pop around and you need something that will please everyone. They can be made in advance and then frozen before cooking, or store well for a few days in an air tight container or tin.

Ingredients:
Pastry:
400g Ready-made All-butter Puff pastry
Filling:
450g good-quality pork sausagemeat 
1 medium onion, grated
4 tbsp fresh chopped sage
salt and pepper
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 egg beaten, to glaze

To Make:

• Pre-heat oven to 220°C.
• Mix the sausage meat, onion, sage and mixed herbs together and season. Set aside.

• Roll out the pastry on a well floured work surface to form a rectangle, approx 40 x 30cm.
• Cut this into three 40 x 10cm strips.
• Divide the sausagemeat into three.
• Flour your hands and place 1/3 of the sausagemeat evenly along one of the pastry strips.
• Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it as carefully as possible. 

• Ensure that that the seal is underneath and, using a sharp knife, cut into individual rolls.
• Place on a greased baking tray a little apart.
• Snip two V shapes on the top of each roll and brush with a little of the beaten egg.
• Repeat this with the remaining pastry and sausage meat.

• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove from baking trays and place on wire rack to cool.

Mincepies with Almond Pastry

Who hides in a bakery at Christmas? A Mince Spy.

To start off my festive baking, I decided to go for a classic recipe (and a classic bad xmas cracker joke) for you all to enjoy.

Unless you've got oodles of time, there's really no need to make your own mincemeat, just make sure you buy a good quality one and add a few extra ingredients to make it that bit more special.
Not making the mincemeat also gives you lots of time to make a really amazing sweet shortcrust pastry, with a subtle almond flavour that makes these mincepies oh so good.

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
350g mincemeat
(+ any extras you fancy!)
For the Pastry:
200g plain flour
40g golden caster sugar
75g ground almonds
125g unsalted butter, cubed
1 large free-range egg, beaten
milk, to glaze

To Make:

• Lightly butter a 12-hole pie tin. 
• Place the flour, sugar, almonds and butter in a food processor and process briefly until resembling breadcrumbs.
• Slowly add the egg through the feeder tube. (Or rub the butter into the dry ingredients by hand and stir in the egg.) 
• Bring the mixture together with your hands, wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour or so. 
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• While the pastry is chilling, prepare the mincemeat. You can make your own completely from scratch, or I used store bought but made it a bit more interesting by adding a splash of spiced rum and brandy and some chopped glace cherries and dried cranberries. Mix all together and set aside.

• Thinly roll out the pastry on a floured surface. 
• Cut out 12 circles with a fluted pastry cutter. 
• Press gently into each hole, then fill with the mincemeat. 
• Cut out another 12 slightly smaller discs and use to cover the mincemeat. 
• Press the edges together to seal. 
• Make a small slit in the top of each, then brush lightly with milk. 

• Bake the pies for 20 minutes until golden brown. 

• Remove to a wire rack and serve warm.

With any left over mincemeat a really quick alternative to traditional mincepies is to use a sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry, spread over the remaining mince meat in a thin layer, roll the pastry up and cut into slices (about 1-2 inches wide) and pop on a baking try and bake for 15-20 minutes! 

Individual Chicken and Chestnut Pies

The best thing about winter for me is Sunday lunch. On the whole, I without a doubt prefer Summertime, but the food that winter brings will always be my favourite. Yesterday it was time to make Pie.

I chose a classic chicken and mushroom filling, with the addition of some seasonal chestnuts as I love their sweet nuttiness. We made these in little individual pots and topped them off with puff pastry lids, but they can of course be made as one big pie.

I even had a special helper for the day, Jobeth, probably the biggest fan of pie I have ever met.

Ingredients:
650g chicken breast, sliced 
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
200g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
300g chestnuts, chopped
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
2 tsp English mustard powder
1 heaped tbsp creme fraiche
300ml chicken stock
fresh thyme
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 block of puff pastry, or 1 pre-rolled sheet
1 egg
(make about 4 individual pies or 1 large pie)

To Make:

• First of all make the filling, heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and leek and sweat until they are soft.
• Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the mushrooms and chestnuts and the tablespoon of flour.
• Add the mustard, creme fraiche and chicken stock and stir well.
• Finally, stir in the thyme, grated nutmeg and season to taste.
• Leave to simmer.

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
• Roll out your pastry and cut of lids for the pies, tracing around the circumference of the pot you will be using, leaving an extra 1cm border.

• Ladle the filling into your pots.
• Cover with pastry lids and crimp around the edges, tucking the pastry in to avoid the filling spilling out during cooking. (we over filled our pots just a little bit and had a few spills anyway).
• Snip air holes in the top of your lids and decorate as desired with left over pastry.

• Place all pies on a large baking try and cook in the preheated oven for about 20minutes.

We enjoyed ours with lots of greens and the best mash for a beautiful Sunday lunch.

To Make perfect mash - I recommend using a ricer to make it extra smooth and stir in a tablespoon of creme fraiche!

Jobeth's masterpiece

Crusty White Bread

Apologies for being a bit quiet again recently, been super busy and haven't had much time for the old bakin' and bloggin'. I do have lots of festive treats to come over the next few weeks and am soo excited to have some time off over Christmas and bake some of my favourite things for some of my favourite people!

Before starting my festive baking, last week, I managed to find some time to bake some more bread.

After the success of my first bread-making attempt, I thought I'd give it another go. This time I went for this delicious white bread that has the crispest crust and softest inside. It's delicious on its own and makes great toast too!

Ingredients:
3 cups strong white bread flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 sachet (7g) dry action yeast
1 1/2 cups water (room temperature)

To Make:

• In a large bowl mix flour, salt and yeast together. 
• Pour water into the bowl and mix until it's all incorporated.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until its doubled in size. (should take about 1 hour)
• Preheat oven to 200°C. 
• Flour your work surface really well and make sure you flour your hands really well too.
• With your floured hands gently remove the dough from the bowl, knead and roughly shape it into a ball. 
• Take the ball of dough and place it on a baking tray. 
• Leave once more to double in size.

• Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool.

Seedy Honey and Spelt Bread

I've always wanted to try my hand at baking my own bread but saw the whole thing as time consuming and a bit of a hassle. However, in my first attempt at making bread I was proved wrong. I loved the satisfaction of watching the dough rise and how simple this recipe was to follow, producing a lovely soft bread. The smell of freshly baked bread filling the house up isn't bad either. 
I think this one turned out pretty well and I can't wait to try out other bread recipes now!

Spelt flour gives bread a subtle nutty flavour and is also a good choice for people with gluten intolerance's.

I highly recommend eating this loaf warm, straight from the oven with butter and honey or lightly toasted with cheese and your favourite chutney or pickle. I'm looking forward to breakfast time and trying it slathered in peanut butter...it may just make 6am more bearable.

Please Note - Wholemeal and spelt flours absorb more water so if the dough feels slightly sticky at the beginning do not panic as the water will soon be absorbed. If there is too little water from the start your bread will be heavy and dry. 

Beautiful!

Ingredients:
600g Spelt Flour (I used a seeded mix but you can use white or wholemeal spelt)
7g sachet dry action yeast
2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
500mls (approx) warm water
2 teaspoons olive oil
Handful of sunflower seeds (or any other you prefer) 

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and flour a loaf tin. 
• By hand mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, make a well and pour in oil, honey and enough water to make a stiff dough. 

• Cover the dough with cling film and leave for about 1 hour in a warm place to allow the dough to double in size 
• Turn out onto a floured board and shape in to a smooth ball. 
• Place into the prepared loaf tin and leave again to double in size. 
• Sprinkle over mixed seeds. 

• Place in oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.