Custard Slices: GBBO Comic Relief Challenge Three

So far in my self-inflicted challenge to re-create the Technical Bakes from the Comic Relief GBBO episodes, I have attempted Chocolate Eclairs, and Bakewell Tart, with some reasonable successes. I'm not going to lie - I got a little bit cocky. So I decided that the third challenge to face would be the Custard Slices. For this, I am using Paul Hollywood's recipe from the BBC Food site.

I dutifully purchased the required ingredients, and tonight set about reading the recipe and preparing to conquer the Custard Slice. Then I realised two things. Firstly, I have never made rough puff pastry before in my life... and secondly, I have never made patisserie crème, nor have I ever successfully mastered custard from scratch. Needless to say, my confidence was immediately shot. 

None-the-less, I bravely opened the packet of flour, and started sifting. As with the previous challenges, I will copy the recipe and instructions below, with some photos of the process. These are my main notes from the recipe.

Making the rough puff pastry was surprisingly straight-forward, the instructions were clear - the key I figured out was to handle it as little as possible. I only used about two thirds of the water stated in the recipe until the pastry came together, so stopped adding it then. The rolling, folding and resting sequence is quite time consuming, in fact this recipe is one for a leisurely afternoon or evening bake, as there are lots of steps for mixing, cooling, assembling, and quite a few breaks in between. (It does give you plenty of time to clean up and wash up in between stages though).

I was quite pleased with my pastry, although both sheets did puff up more on one side than the other, and the bottom sheet flaked quite a bit when I transferred it to the tin. 

The patisserie crème was the bit that I was most daunted by, and I think I cooked it a touch too long as I had to work really hard to get it through the sieve at the end but other than that I managed to follow the recipe fairly uneventfully. 

I assembled the pastry and patisserie crème, and finally spread the icing over the top layer. As both my sheets of pastry were a bit bumpy, I turned the top sheet over so that the flat bottom side was facing upwards (I'm all for using illusion to hide mistakes!). I drew on the lines of melted chocolate, and pulled a cocktail stick through to create the 'feathered' effect, and voilà! By no means perfect, but I was happy with the first attempt, and most importantly they tasted great! Home-made is always better than shop-bought! 

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The Recipe: taken from the BBC Food website

Ingredients

For the rough puff pastry

• 225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp salt
• 200g/7oz butter, chilled and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
• 140-160ml/5-5½fl oz water

For the crème pâtissière

• 500ml/18fl oz milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split down the middle and seeds scraped out
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 4 free-range eggs, yolks only
• 40g/1½oz cornflour
• 40g/1½oz butter

For the icing

• 200g/7oz icing sugar
• 5 tsp water
• 50g/2oz dark chocolate, melted

Preparation method

1. In a large bowl mix the flour and salt together. Rub in a third of the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then roughly rub in the remaining butter, leaving large lumps.
   
   
   

   

   
   
2. Add the water a little at a time until the pastry just binds together (you may not need all the water).
   
   
   

   

   
   
3. Tip the pastry out onto a floured work surface. Roll into a narrow rectangle about 2.5cm/1in thick.
   
   
   

   

   
   
4. With the pastry vertically in front of you fold the bottom third of the pastry up onto the middle third then the top third down onto the other thirds. This is called a turn.
   
   
   

   

   
   
5. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes
   
   
   

   

   
   
6. Take out of fridge and with a rolling pin roll out again into a narrow rectangle and repeat the turn as before.
   
   
   

   

   
   

   
7. Chill again and repeat the rolling and turning once more, so a total of three times. Wrap the pastry in cling film and return to the fridge to rest.
8. While the pastry is resting, make the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk into a pan and add the split vanilla pod and its seeds. Bring the milk mixture to the boil, then remove from the heat.
   
   
   

   

   
   
9. Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour together in a large bowl.
   
   
   

    

   
   
10. Pour out a little of the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk in the rest of the hot milk until well-combined, then return to the pan.
11. Cook the mixture over a gentle heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes thick. It will just come to the boil.
12. Remove from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Add the butter and stir until melted and thoroughly combined.
    
    
    

    

    
    
13. Leave to cool, cover with clingfilm and then chill before using.
14. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
15. Divide the pastry into two equal pieces and roll out both pieces to 20cm/8in square and 5mm/¼in thick. Then place each pastry sheet onto the lined baking trays, and chill for 10-15 minutes.
    
    
    

    
16. Bake the pastry sheets for 10-15 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp. Set aside to cool.
    
    
    

    

    
    
17. While the pastry bakes, line a deep 23cm/9in square baking tray with foil with plenty of extra foil at the sides. The extra foil allows you to lift out the assembled slices.
    
    
    

    

    
    
18. Place one pastry sheet in bottom of the lined baking tray. (Reserve the prettiest piece for the top.)
    
    
    

    

    
    
19. Spread the crème pâtissière evenly onto the pastry in the baking tray before placing other piece of pastry, on top. Refrigerate while making the icing.
    
    
    

    

    
    
20. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in cold water until thoroughly combined and set aside.
21. Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle, and set aside to firm up slightly.
22. Take the custard slice from the fridge and spread the icing over the top layer of pastry.
    
    
    

    

    
    
23. Using the piping bag, draw ten parallel lines along the top of the icing in one direction. Using a tooth pick, pull parallel lines about 2.5cm/1in across the melted chocolate and icing in alternating directions to create a feathered effect.
    
    
    

    
24. Place the slice back into the fridge to set.
25. Cut the finished vanilla slice into eight pieces.
    
    

    

    
    
26. Using the foil carefully lift the portioned vanilla slices out of the tray and place onto a serving platter.
    
    

    

    
    

Turkish Delight Cupcakes

Turkish Delight Cupcakes, with Turkish Diamond Toppers

This recipe has been at the back of my mind for a little while. I made hampers for my relatives at Christmas, and made homemade Turkish Delight for the first time, and it go me thinking about recreating the tasts of classic sweets in a cake form. I decided to try a rose flavoured sponge, with a chocolate frosting, and topped off with a few pieces of Turkish Delight.

 

Turkish Delight Cupcakes

These cupcakes went down really well with Gary, who happily munched through is samples. I think if I made them again I might use a dark chocolate ganache rather than a buttercream for the frosting, but that's just personal preference (plus the buttercream is a lot less time consuming).

 

I did make the Turkish Delight myself, however you can be excused for buying it! I also used it as an opportunity to test drive my new diamond mould from Baked by Me, and I really liked the effect of the formed diamonds for my cupcake toppers. I tried not to lose the effect of the diamonds by covering the Turkish Delight in clouds of icing sugar, so used a mixture of icing sugar and edible pink glitter to cover them, and dusted all of the excess off. They were lovely and sparkly, although the photos don't do justice to this.

 

 

 

 

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The Recipe:

 

For the rose water sponge, (makes approx 12 large cupcakes)

3 large eggs
175g butter
175g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon rose water
175g self raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
a few drops of red food colouring

for the chocolate buttercream

150g butter
200g icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

24 Turkish delight pieces to top

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake cases, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl, along with the rose water and a few drops of red food colour - enough to make the batter a light pink colour. Beat until smooth.

 

3. Add the flour, and fold into the mixture until fully combined. Add the milk, and mix to loosen the batter to a dropping consistency.

 

4. Divide into the cupcake cases, and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes - the sponge is done when it springs back when pressed carefully. Remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

 

5. Meanwhile soften the butter for the buttercream in a bowl. Add half the icing sugar and mix well. Add the remaining icing sugar and the cocoa powder, and again mix until fully combined. Adding the icing sugar in two stages just helps prevent a sugar cloud if you are mixing everything by hand like me!

 

6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe the buttercream over in whatever fashion you chose - buttercream roses would be a nice touch here in keeping with the rose water flavouring of the sponge!

 

7. Finally, adorn the cupcakes with your Turkish delight, and serve!

Coconut and Mango Cheesecake

Coconut and Mango Cheesecake

Every few months a group of girl-friends get together for a night of good food, good wine, and good girly chatter. We assemble from the far flung corners of the country, and rotate which house we gather at, and each hostess attempts to theme the evening to a particular cuisine. To date we have tackled classic French dishes, rustic Italian, spicy Mexican, Spanish tapas, American and Irish feasts to name but a few. This weekend it was Tara's turn to host, and she truly raised the bar with a Caribbean banquet. We were served Caribbean Roast Fish, Jamaican Rice and Beans, and Coconut and Tomato Spicy Chicken, with a fresh Mango Salad. All of the linked recipes are really worth a try. 

I had spoken with Tara before the night, and asked if there was anything she wanted me to bring (and by bring, yes I do mean bake). She requested a Coconut and Mango Cheesecake. I searched and searched for a recipe, but couldn't find anything anywhere, so I set about creating my own. I have to say I was really pleased with how this dessert came out, and I really wanted to share this recipe with you all. The gingernut base has a real kick, which is offset by a super smooth creamy cheesecake filling, with just a hint of coconut. The cheesecake is only slightly sweetened so it has a fresh taste, and you can have a nice big slice, and the whole thing is topped off with a fruity mango and lemon coulis. 

Ingredients:

For the Gingernut base;

• 250 grams gingernut biscuits
• 100 grams unsalted butter

For the Coconut Cheesecake

• 600 grams soft cream cheese
• 150 ml thick double cream
• 150 ml coconut milk
• 200 grams condensed milk
• 1 tsp coconut essence

For the Mango Coulis:

• 250 grams tinned mango (when drained)
• 1 tbsp syrup from the tinned mango
• 3 cubes of lemon jelly

Start by lightly greasing an 8 inch spring-form tin.

To make the gingernut base, gently heat the butter in a saucepan until melted, but do not allow to start to boil. Set to one side. Crush the gingernut biscuits as fine as possible. I use a small blender to crumb the biscuits as that way you get an even and fine crumb, however if you don't have one you can use a rolling pin. 

Mix the biscuit crumbs and the melted butter together, and combine fully. Transfer to the tin, and press down evenly. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. 

Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake filling. Put the cream cheese into a large bowl, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the condensed milk and coconut milk, and beat again until fully combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until stiff. Add to the cream cheese mixture and fold through completely. 

Transfer to the tin, and smooth over, making sure that the mixture is pressed all the way to the sides, and smooth and even on top. Return the tin to the fridge to allow the cheesecake to start to set. 

To make the mango topping, open the tinned mangos, and place the mango in a clean blender, making sure to retain the syrup in the tin. Purée the mangos, and then transfer to a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of the syrup from the mango tin, and heat gently. Add the jelly cubes to the heated mango, and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool completely. 

When the mango mixture is cooled, pour over the cheesecake, spread evenly, and return to the fridge. Chill overnight to allow all the layers to fully set. 

To serve, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake, loosening it from the tin, before releasing the catch and removing the tin. Serve, and enjoy! 

Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart - Great Comic Relief Bake Off Challenge No. 2

Earlier this week I blogged my intention to work through the technical challenges from the Great Comic Relief Bake Off, and shared the results of my first attempt at Chocolate Eclairs - post here

Today's challenge comes from Episode Two, and it is a great British classic - the Bakewell Tart. This challenge uses Mary Berry's recipe - found on the BBC Food website here. I'm not tackling these in the order of episodes particularly, in fact my only rule is to follow the recipe to the letter - a personal challenge for me as I have a natural urge to meddle with things! As we have spent the weekend visiting the in-laws, I decided to make a Bakewell Tart to take with us, as I apparently am unable to stop myself from arriving on people's doorsteps with hampers of baked goods, like some wannabe Bree van der Kamp (of Desperate Housewife fame), not that anyone has complained to date!

The Bakewell Tart was particularly important for me to get right, as I grew up twenty minutes down the road from Bakewell, and spent a huge portion of my childhood there playing in the park, feeding the ducks by the river, and sampling the local delicacy. I really felt I had to do this one justice for the 9 year old me.

I found this recipe really easy to follow, and everything came together really nicely. The only issue I encountered was that my flan dish is slightly larger than the 8 inches specified in the recipe, and because of that I had a little excess pastry case as the filling didn't come as far up the dish as it should have. But I'm being overly critical at that, the tart tasted delicious! I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe, and it's definitely going to become a firm favourite in our house!

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THE RECIPE (taken from BBC Food)

For the shortcrust pastry

• 175g/6oz plain flour
• 75g/2½oz chilled butter
• 2-3 tbsp cold water

For the filling

• 1 tbsp raspberry jam
• 125g/4½oz butter
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• 125g/4½oz ground almonds
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds

For the icing

• 80g/2¾oz icing sugar
• 2½ tsp cold water

Preparation method

1. To make the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water, mixing to form a soft dough.
   
   
   Watch technique0:46 mins
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a 20cm/8in flan tin. Leave in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
   
   

   

   
   
   
   Watch technique0:32 mins
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (180C fan).
   
   
4. Line the pastry case with foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for about 15 minutes, then remove the beans and foil and cook for a further five minutes to dry out the base.
   
   
   Watch technique1:23 mins
5. For the filing, spread the base of the flan generously with raspberry jam.
   
   

   

   
   
   
6. Melt the butter in a pan, take off the heat and then stir in the sugar. Add ground almonds, egg and almond extract. Pour into the flan tin and sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   
7. Bake for about 35 minutes. If the almonds seem to be browning too quickly, cover the tart loosely with foil to prevent them burning.
   
   

   

   
   
8. Meanwhile, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in cold water and transfer to a piping bag.
   
   
9. Once you have removed the tart from the oven, pipe the icing over the top, giving an informal zig zag effect.
   
   

   

I am entering this bake into this month's Tea Time Treats, hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked, and run this month by Kate. The theme is 'Puddings' and I can't think of a better entry than this classic!