a tart and a catch up

If I am honest the days in between are probably my favourites. Christmas is fun - chaotic, booze fuelled and a lot to juggle and I do really love it - but I love a leftover sandwich more. I hope you are all enjoying an elasticated waistband currently. In the run up to Christmas it all got a bit manic at my end so I forgot to tell you about The Kitchen Cafe, which was on the radio on Christmas Eve. Sorry all. If you want to listen to me talking about the big day, post the big day you can still catch up here. I did, however, think I would share the recipe for my dish on the programme with you (despite it no longer being Christmas) as it will still make for a lovely winter pud or Hogmanay dish. I am really enjoying all of us being home with our crap wifi, disastrous weather and general slow pace lifestyle so I haven't been cooking a huge amount but I will try and get back to you all with some Hogmanay thoughts and a wee look back at whats been a pretty quiet 2015, NOT! Enjoy the leftover chocolates, sherry and day time telly in the mean time.

Also - what I am listening to this month.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT TART

For the pastry:

100g cold unsalted butter

150g plain flour

45g cocoa

65g icing sugar

2 tsp cornflour

splash of whole milk

For the filling:

100g cooked and peeled chestnuts (the vacuum packed ones are best)

100g ground almonds

100g softened unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 - 3 large pears

50g dark chocolate chopped roughly

Preheat the oven to 170C. To make the pastry blitz all the in ingredients in a food processor adding the milk at the end to bring the dough together. Alternatively Rub the butter into the flour, cocoa, sugar and cornflour until it all comes together again adding the milk at the end to bind it. Cover and chill for 20 mins at least. During this time make the filling. Grate the cooked chestnuts using your finest grater and add them to a bowl with the almonds, butter and sugar. Mix well until you have a paste like batter then add the eggs baking powder and vanilla. Mix again until smooth. You can add a few tbsp of booze if you want at this stage. Finely slice your pears (skin on). To assemble, roll the chilled pastry out on a floured surface until roughly 3mm thick. Use it to line a 20cm fluted and loose bottomed tart tin. Press thoroughly into the sides then trim off any overhanging pastry. Place the filling into the tart and spread until smooth all over. Fan the pear slices over the top before finishing with the chopped chocolate around the edges. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chestnuts filling is cooked through (it will not longer be soggy to touch). Enjoy with a big dollop of dairy (or if you have any left over some brandy butter - I won't tell if you don't!) 

apples and quince

Not quite apples and pears (stairs for those not familiar with cockney slang) but apples and quince (make ya wince?? That one might not catch on) are a lovely winter combo. Slow cooked for extra sweetness, quince is something I can't help but get excited about every year. I have made two batches of membrillo already. I might even go for some jam next. But this recipe however is a lovely and versatile way of enjoying the lovely yellow fruits. Served with ice cream, on toast or even with muesli, it's an easy one to knock together ready for cold dark mornings. I like mine with porridge however and as a Scot I have some notes on our oat dish or choice. As a weenie we called it "poshie"and ate it every morning before school. Here how to do it.

Perfect porridge:

1. Big fat oats. Giant chunky rolled oats. No quick cook fluffy things. Nothing instant. The bigger the better.

2. Water. Always water. 1 mug oats to 2 mugs of water (will serve 2-3 hungry people). Water will make a less creamy porridge of course but once you get into the realms or milk or even double cream (I am disgusted too) you are talking pudding. Or really really luxurious breakfast. Traditionally it has always been made with water so maybe it's the old fashioned me talking but I reckon its a better flavour and far more usable. Plus it cooks in half the length of time than if you were to use dairy. If you insist I will settle of 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water. Nothing more.

3. Toast those oats! Place your oats in a dry pan before adding the liquid then allow to toast on a medium heat. Stir occasionally. You don't want too much colour but a little golden tint never hurt anyone. Once they are fragrant you can add the water.

4. Salt. Coarse sea salt preferably. Even if you are about to top your porridge with banana, maple syrup, berries, chocolate, apples, honey, agave or anything else sweet. Porridge is lifted dramatically with a pinch of salt.

5. Now you can go wild. I serve mine with a little cold milk (we used to make milk moats for our porridge castle which was always fun. Maybe a little yoghurt. And some fruit. And seeds. And nuts. And compote (see my recipe below). Blank canvas is definitely the term when it comes to porridge.

APPLE and QUINCE COMPOTE

350g quince, roughly cubed (approx 1 large quince or 2 small ones. There is no need to peel the fruit)

350g apple, roughly cubed (eating apples are best, and the pinker the better. Again no need to peel)

juice of half a lemon

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

2 tbsp apple juice

Place the quince in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Add the apples and cook for a further five minutes. Once all the fruit is cooked through drain off the water. Transfer into a food processor or using a stick blender, blitz the fruit until smooth. Sieve to remove any excess tough quince skin. Return the smooth puree back to the pan with the lemon juice, sugar and apple juice. Cook on a low heat for as long as you have, 30 mins to 1 hour. You may need to add more apple juice if it reduces to much. The longer you cook it the sweeter and pinker it will become. Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

pear, coffee and hazelnut: a cake on a whim

My standard Sunday begins as so. I will wake up a little later than planned and spend a horribly long time getting out of bed. I have got better at this however and can normally make it down the stairs before 10am. I am then greeted by Willow and her endless breakfast requests. This morning waffles were on the agenda. After a very slow feast and plenty tea I look at the list I have made for myself to do. Today I had grand plans of packing and organising and matriculating and all the other boring tasks that are involved when moving. I was going to sort my prints, begin the bake off scrapbook I have been threatening to do for the last month and then write up the six blog posts waiting in my drafts. I was then going to top this off with some accounting and general finicial sussing out. Needless to say not a single one of those things happened. Instead I spied to pears, knocked up a cake with a recipe I had never even dreamt of before and photographed it. I also made a million other things and snapped then here. Had it not been for the fact that this cake worked amazingly well for the first time, required next to no tweaking and made my mumma very happy I would have thought this had been a truly unproductive day. But no I made a tasty cake and the sun shone. Happy Sunday all!PS this happiness will slowly fade when I realise early tomorrow morning I still have my long list of things to do, sign my lease, get a haircut blah blah blah. Let me cheery for the remaining wee hours of the night.

PEAR, COFFEE AND HAZELNUT CAKE

250g softened unsalted butter

200g coconut sugar or dark muscavado

50g caster sugar

200g plain wholemeal flour

50g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

100g + 25g roughly chopped hazelnuts

3 tsp instant coffee + 3 tbsp boiling water (or three espresso shots of possible)

3 pears

3 tbsp apple juice

Grease and line a 9" cake tin and set aside. Preheat your oven to 180C.Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the flours, baking powder, eggs and 100g of the hazelnuts and set aside without mixing. Make the coffee and allow to cool slightly in a mug. Finely slice the pears - there is no need to peel them. Place the pears in a bowl with the apple juice to prevent them from browning. Add the cooled coffee to the cake mix and fold it all together until smooth. By mixing it later on (or as close to baking as possible) the baking powder won't activate to soon and you will have a lighter texture when baked. Pour into the lined tin. Working quickly layer the pear on top of the cake mix and sprinkle with the remaining nuts like this. Put into the oven immediately. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a thin knife comes out the centre clean. The majority of the pears will sink slightly into the cake but don't worry as this will provide a little moisture to the cake. Serve with some yoghurt or ice cream while still warm for a great pudding or enjoy once cool with a cup of tea or coffee.