Tarte au Citron Recipe

You can use any pastry for this, but I use a quite floury short crust with no sugar as I think the lemon curd is sweet enough and the pastry can be rolled quite thin. The meringue on the top is also and it is just as delicious without. You can make one large tarte and service slices or mini ones. You will need to work out how much pastry and lemon meringue you need through trial and error!

Makes approx 10 x 10cm diameter tartes

For the pastry

200g flour 

90 g salted butter (or add a little salt)

Dash of cold water

Lemon Curd - see recipe here

Meringue (optional)

2 egg whites

100g caster sugar

Make the pastry by crumbing the flour and butter and then adding enough water to make it just come together. Don't kneed or work the pastry. Rest the pastry in the fridge for 30 mins (or more)

For this recipe you want quite a runny meringue. Beat the eggs until they are a bit stiff but not yet standing in peaks. Add half the sugar and beat a little more, again you don't want peaks just a creamy white mixture. Add the rest of th sugar and stir in with a spoon.

Divide the pastry in to 10 pieces and roll each one out to slightly larger than one of your tins. It should be very thin, 2mm perhaps and it should not crumble (if they do use slightly more water next time), you should be able to pick the pieces up and place them in the tin. Press the pastry well in to the tin and trim the excess.

Fill half full with lemon curd (a bit fuller if you aren't using meringue, the curd expands as it heats) and carefully spead a little meringue on top, it should be a thing layer just covering all the surface.

Cook at 160C until e top of the meringue is brown - of if not using the meringue until the curd is slightly set but still wobby - 20 to 30 mins.

If not using meringue top with a sprinkle of caster or icing sugar.

Cheese Soufflé Recipe

Serves 4 (or 2 really greedy people!)

50g butter

50g flour

300ml milk

Salt

3 tsp mustard

100g cheese (cheddar or something strong)

4 eggs, separated

15cm soufflé dish
Butter and grated Parmesan cheese to coat the dish.

Make a white sauce by heating the butter in a pan and stirring in the flour, then add the milk and continue to heat while stirring until the sauce thickens.
Leave to cool for a few moments.
Coat the inside of the dish with butter and then add some grated parmesan cheese. Tip it around so the cheese gets stuck in the butter all over the dish.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and stand in peaks.
Stir the salt, mustard and cheese in to the white sauce.
Stir some of the egg white mixture in to the white sauce, then pour the white sauce in to the egg whites and carefully mix - you don't want to knock out the air.
Pour the mixture in to the dish and cook at 180°C for approx 30 mins until brown on top. It should still be a bit wobbly.

Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

Serves 3 or 4

Enough bread to make two layers in your tin - if you are using thin sliced bread then enough for 3 layers

2 eggs

200ml cream

50ml milk

A handful of sultanas

A few drops of vanilla (optional)

Pinch of salt

Brown sugar to top

Mix the egg and cream together and stir in the salt.

Butter a 20cm square ceramic dish (or metal will do) 

Butter the slices of bread generously. Cut each in to quarters.

Create a layer of bread in your dish. Sprinkle sultanas over. Cover with another layer of bread (repeat if you are doing 3 layers).

Pour over the egg/cream (custard) mixture and squish all over the top with a fork to soak the bread.

Pour over the milk and squish a bit more, then sprinkle over the sugar.

Cook at 160C for about 20 mins or until hot through and the custard mix has thickened a bit. Don't overcook as you will curdle the custard.

Put under the grill for a few moments so the sugar goes crispy.

It got scoffed really fast!

Fruit Loaf Recipe

400g flour

2 tsp quick yeast

250ml water (more or less)

1 egg

1 tsp salt
200g sultanas
50g mixed peel
2 tsp mixed spice

Mix everything but the water in a bowl. Add enough water to create a soft dough. Kneed for 10 mins by hand (or less with a mixer).
Leave in the bowl to double in size (a few hours) then reshape and put in to a tin and allow to rise until doubled in size again.
Cook in a hot oven for 30 mins

Home Made Pasta (easy version)

My previous pasta recipe uses just the egg yolks. It is easier to use the whole eggs. I believe the pasta will be stronger with just yolks and you would be better using just the yolks if you are using less than the best eggs

Serves 2

2 eggs

Approx 350g pasta flour

Put the eggs in a bowl and add 300g of the flour and mix until the dough comes together (speed 2 on a kitchenaid with the flat beater!). It is probably quite wet - unless the eggs were tiny. Add more flour slowly kneeding or mixing as you do until you get a reasonably firm dough that is not overly sticky. It is hard to describe, but you don't want it to crumble as you roll it (too dry) or stick to itself and everything else (too wet). It is a good idea to do a few times by hand so you know what it should feel and look like.

When you have the correct consistancy you can change to a dough hook of you are using a mixer or kneed for 10 mins by hand.

When you finish the dough should spring back if you poke it.

Roll out with a rolling pin (hard work!) or with a pasta machine if you are lucky enough to have one.

But in to strips of whatever thickness you fancy...

Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

For the cake

225g self raising flour (or plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder)

150g butter

200g sugar

4 eggs

50ml milk

Zest of 2 lemons

Salt

For the drizzle

Juice of 2 lemons

80g caster sugar

Cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy

Add 2 eggs and beat a little bit more

Slowly add the flour, salt and the remaining eggs and milk stirring gently as you do.

Pour the mixture in to a buttered 1lb loaf tin and cook at 160C for about 40 mins until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave the cake in the tin and stab all over with a skewer. Mix together the lemon juice and caster sugar and spoon over the still warm cake. It should flow in to the little holes and as the cake cools make a sugary crust. 

Carrot Cake Recipe

50g walnuts

250g carrots

250g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

175g butter

175g brown sugar (cane sugar perhaps)

3 eggs

1 tsp salt (unless using salted butter in which case less)

1 tsp mixed spice (four spice)

1 tsp ginger

Zest of an orange, or some mixed peel chopped finely

8 inch round cake tin

Cream butter and sugar together

Mix the salt and spices with the flour

Add an egg to the butter/sugar mix and stir, add some flour then another egg, then a bit more flour, the remaining agg and then the remaining flour. Stir gently with each addition.

Add the nuts, zest/peel and carrot and stir in gently.

Put in to the cake tin and cook at about 180C for 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Ice with cream cheese icing

For the icing:
50g butter (softened - In winter I melt it in a pan on very low heat, don't let it get hot)
50g icing sugar
150g cream cheese.
Add orange zest if you fancy.

If you didn't melt the butter then stir it until really soft. Mix in the cream cheese. Mix in the icing sugar. Then spread over the top of the cake.