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Welcome to my blog- A place of food, cakes and bakes! Just a fun-loving student who loves to bake!

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Apple and Raspberry Meringue Pie with Sweetcrust pastry

Isn't this weather gorgeous?! With weather like this I think there's nothing better than fruity dessert to satisfy the taste buds- and this one is certainly full of flavour. It's a recipe from my favourite cookbook-Jo Wheatley A Passion for Baking- and as always Jo didn't let me down. Whilst looking back at some older posts I realised that my bakes weren't very adventurous with flavour so I've made a vow to start branching out with more flavoursome bakes, hopefully this is more interesting. I also love making meringue so this was my perfect summer bake!



For the the pastry you'll need:
225g Plain Flour, plus extra for rolling out
100g Unsalted butter or margarine
25g Icing Sugar
Pinch of Sat
1 egg yolk (reserve egg white for later)
3-4 tbsp Milk

If you have a food processor, put the flour, butter (diced), sugar and salt into the bowl and whizz with the pulse button until you have a breadcrumbs consistency. If like me you don't have a food processor, putt he flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Before hand, freeze your butter/ margarine and then grate it into the bowl and use the "rubbing in" method to create a breadcrumbs consistency. Freezing the butter helps to keep the the butter/margarine from melting too quickly whilst using your hands. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp of milk and whizz/mix until the dough comes together. You may need more milk if mixing by hand. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and work briefly into a ball. Chill in the fridge for approx. 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5. Roll our your pastry into a disc with a thickness of about 2mm. I used a 21cm tart tin but this recipe is for a 23cm one. Line the tart tin carefully, being sure to push the pastry into all the corners. Trim off any excess. Prick the base several times. Screw up some baking parchment to line the pastry tin and fill with baking beans. (Screwing up the parchment helps the beans to sit easier.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until pale golden. Reduce the oven to 170oC/ Gas Mark, remove the beans and parchment and bake for further 5 minutes. 

For the filling:
3 Medium-Large Bramley Cooking Apples, peeled and sliced
30g Butter or Margarine
185g Caster Sugar
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Cornflour
2 Eggs, separated
Egg white from Pastry
200-300g Raspberries

Meanwhile, add the apples, butter, 60g of the caster sugar and lemon juice and zest to a saucepan. Cook teh apples until they have become soft and puréed. Stir frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Add the cornflour to the apple along with the two egg yolks. I found that there was a lot liquid with my apples so had to add a bit more cornflour. Beat until smooth and combined.


Spoon the apple into the pastry case and place the raspberries evenly on top. 




For the meringue, whisk the 3 egg whites in a clean, oil-free bowl until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 125g Caster Sugar, whisking well between each addition. The meringue should be stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue on top of the apple and raspberries. 


Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how cooked you liked your meringue. I cooked it for 15 minutes but the meringue was very soft. I would be inclined to cook it for longer at a lower temperature to get a crunchy outside and chewy middle. Make sure you leave the pie to cool and then chill in the fridge before serving. I was too hasty when eating mine, so the filling hadn't set properly! 


I'm entering this into Tea Time Treats held by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked with this month's host being Karen at Lavender and Lovage. This months theme is fresh fruit! 

Happy Baking! 
x

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Wednesday 3 July 2013

Rhubarb and Orange Custard Tart

I'm back! Things have been a little busy over the last 3 months what with exams and leaver's preparations so I apologize for being so quiet. I can assure you I'll make up for it! Since my last post in March, I have completed my GCSE's (finally!) after two years of near constant exams. My friends and I added up that we've spent about 30 hours in our exam hall. Think of all the baking you could do instead! I have also been to see my idol Olly Murs at the O2 as my birthday present from December. He was absolutely amazing and didn't fail to disappoint! Another show has been and gone as well- The Mikado, where I spent most of the week in a kimono and a very itchy wig! Spring also seems to be very popular for birthdays so it has been nice to celebrate leaving school with parties, our leaver's prom and yearbook!


This is a very tasty dessert which I made a while ago after lusting to make it for what seemed liked ages! It's from my trusty Baking Recipe Collection by Sainsbury's. 

You will need:
A batch of Shortcrust Dessert pastry
Flour, for dusting
400g Rhubarb
80g Granulated Sugar
30g Unsalted Butter, at room temeprature
3 tbsp Caster Sugar
3 tbsp Ground Almonds
Zest of 1 Small Orange
2 Large Eggs
75ml Double Cream
icing sugar, to dust

Roll out the pastry onto a floured surface and use to line an (approx.) 24cm tart tin. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160oC/gas mark 3. 

Wash and trim the rhubarb and cut to equal lengths of approx. 3 cm.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven, until tender and just holding its shape. Leave to cool completely and straining the juices for later use.

Increase the oven to 200oC/gas mark 6. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake blind for 18-20 minutes, removing the parchment and beans for the last 5. Reduce oven to 180oC/gas mark 4. 

Meanwhile, cream the butter and caster sugar. Add the almonds and orange zest, then the eggs (one at a time). Add the double cream and 100ml of the reserved rhubarb juice. Stir gently.



 Spoon the baked rhubarb into the pastry base and pour over the cream mixture, making sure to not over fill it (mine is a little to full.) Bake for 35-40 minutes but make sure it's set in the middle and lightly brown. This is best eaten when at room temperature with a light dusting of icing sugar. 

Happy Baking! 
x

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P.S Here's a picture of me and my girls at our prom!