#BigBlogmasproject2014 Day 22 - Short Crust Mince Pies

I have a confession to make - these are not my mince pies, the boy made these. I can't stand mince pies, I don't really like the filling so I tend to avoid them. So every year he sets about making these and I bake lots of other bits and pieces.

For this Christmas, the boy has gone for a short crust pastry recipie rather then the traditional puff pasty. I think this is one of the easiest recipies he's attempted, there was a lot less swearing then normal - it's from the BBC's Good Food and is very simple, no cutters or rolling needed!

Ingredients

• 225g cold butter, diced
• 350g plain flour
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 280g mincemeat
• 1 small egg
icing sugar, to dust
• 
  

Method

1. To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole. Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies.
3. Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month).
4. Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

A dead easy recipe and plenty of pastry left over for other pies that I can eat!

What do you think of mince pies? 

#BigBlogmasproject2014 Day 9 - Buche de Noel

I've kinda cheated for this one as this is something I made a previous Christmas but I haven't had a chance to stop and make a couple, but a few shall be made this year. Buche de Noel is a traditional Yule log, a chocolate Swiss roll covered in chocolate ganache - it looks amazing but is surprisingly easy to make. I follow this recipe by good old Mary Berry.

For the chocolate sponge

• 4 large free-range eggs
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 65g/2½oz self-raising flour
• 40g/1½oz cocoa powder

For the chocolate ganache topping

• 300ml/½ pint double cream
• 300g/10½oz dark chocolate (around 35-40% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces

For the cream filling

• 300ml/½ pint double cream, whipped

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin, and line with non-stick paper or baking parchment, pushing it into the corners.
2. For the sponge, in a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric hand whisk until the mixture is pale in colour, light and frothy. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and carefully cut and fold together, using a spatula, until all the cocoa and flour are incorporated into the egg mixture. (Be careful not to beat any of the air out of the mixture).
3. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly out into the corners. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until well risen and firm to the touch and the sides are shrinking away from the edge of the tin.
4. Place a piece of baking parchment bigger than the Swiss roll tin on the work surface. Dust with icing sugar generously. Carefully invert the cake onto the paper and remove the bottom lining piece of paper.
5. Cut a score mark 2.5cm/1in in along one of the longer edges. Starting with this edge, begin to tightly roll up the sponge using the paper. Roll with the paper inside and sit the roll on top of its outside edge to cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, make the ganache topping. Heat the cream in a pan, just so as you can keep your finger in it. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it is melted. Cool to room temperature, then put into the fridge to firm up (this icing needs to be very thick for piping).
7. Uncurl the cold Swiss roll and remove the paper. Spread the whipped cream on top, and re-roll tightly. Cut a quarter of the cake off from the end on the diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end in to the middle of the large cake to make a branch.
8. Cover the cake with the ganache mixture and then score with a fork to make the tree texture and swirl the ends. Dust with icing sugar is wanted.

This always goes down well for a party or just for a nice dinner - if you want more info then ask or keep a look out for when I bake a couple more - I'm sure I will pop them up on my Instagram . I have another couple of bakes coming up - keep a look out!!!

What are you baking this holiday season? xx

Recipe - Spinach, Chorizo & Chickpea Soup

'Yummy, yummy, yummy I've got love in my tummy...(singing and dancing like Monica in the Kitchen) Hehe, I've finally had time to crack on with some cooking this weekend, it may have been a squeeze but I've got in it! 

This week I made my soup for the week at work. I wanted something spicy and warming that would also fill me up at school, a quick peruse of the old cook books and I found Spinach, Chorizo and Chickpea Soup. A list was drawn up, the boy sent off to do the shopping and 2hrs later I was making this, the recipe is dead easy!

You will need:

-150g Chorizo Sausage

- 1 Onion

- Tinned Chickpeas (drained)

- 1.5l Chicken Stock

- 1tsp Tomato Puree

- 100g Spinach

- 1 clove Garlic

Recipe serves 4 - 255kcals, 15g fat, 15.8g carb, 12.7g protein 

1 - Slice up the Chorizo and onion, heat 2tsp olive oil and then cook off Chorizo and onion until the fat has rendered from the chorizo - drain off the fat.

2 - Add Chickpeas, chicken stock and Tomato puree, mix, bring to the boil and then simmer for 40mins.

3 - Take off heat, blend half the mixture and then stir back together. Add in Spinach and any other veg of choice, simmer for 5 - 10 mins

4 - Serve or store in containers for the rest of the week.

I store my soup in jam jars that I can just pop in the freezer and take out the night before work, it helps me weigh everything out and track it all. This is a yummy, warming soup that is so easy to make.

Let me know if you make this soup? How do you store your soups? xx

Wobble-Less Wednesday - Whiskey Glazed Salmon

In a bid to keep the food I eat cleaner and therefore of a better quality the boy and I have been looking at lots of different recipes and one that looked awesome was a salmon with whiskey glaze, it was yummy so I thought I would share!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsps brown sugar
• 3 tbsps whiskey
• 2 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp peeled fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
• 24 ozs salmon fillets (skinless)
• cooking spray

Step 1

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until a paste has been made. Add the fish and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Step 2

Heat the over to 180oC. 

Step 3

Place the salmon on a square of foil to make a parcel. Spoon over any left over glaze and then wrap up the parcel and place in the oven.

Step 4

Allow to cook for 10 minutes, check how steamed it is.

Step 5

Serve with a salad of your choice. Or you could serve with rice.

A yummy recipe, give it a go! What do you think? xx

Wobble-Less Wednesday - Chicken Tikka Masala

The one thing I hate about changing up my eating habits is that I suddenly start craving everything naughty - pizza, pasta, takeaway. So I'm on a mission to make take away options the healthy way :)

My favourite take away choice is Indian, especially the creamy Tikka Masala, but with a minimum calorie of 650 without rice, I needed to find a way of cleaning it up.

Normally I would use a jar of paste, instead I made my own paste - it was super easy and it made a jar of paste that I could use again.

I used 100g of chicken, and 60g of brown rice per person.

For the paste you will need:

2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 fresh red chillies
1 small bunch fresh coriander
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons ground almonds

First, peel the garlic and chop, before toasting in a dry pan with the sliced ginger until it browns. Then add to a blender and grind to a powder. Then throw in the rest of the ingredients and blend into a paste (easy!)

Next cook off your chicken chunks, and then mix with two tablespoons of the paste in the pan. To make it creamy I added one tablespoon of half fat crème fraiche but you could use plain yoghurt, or just have it with the paste only. Mix in some spinach and you have a yummy tikka.

I used brown rice to keep the calories down and help fill up. With rice this roughly comes out at about 500 calories, but it’s much cleaner and healthier than a take away.

This was so easy and yummy, plus I've now got a jar of paste to use for other meals - hint, mix the paste with chicken before grilling on a griddle for a lush salad topper.

What do you think? A better alternative to take away thats for sure, plus a load cheaper as well!! xx

Advent Door 9 - Weight Watchers Whitefish Gratin

Evening lovelies, so another door, and a recipe for you today. You might not know but I've been following the Weight Watchers plan for a while now and I often cook from the website so thought I would share my current favourite.

You will need:

500 g Fish, Cod, Raw

2 medium Leek, sliced
450 ml Milk, Skimmed
2 1/2 tablespoons Margarine, Soft, Polyunsaturated
40 g Flour, Wheat, White, Plain
50 g Cheese, Cheddar, grated
1 teaspoons (heaped) Mustard, Wholegrain
50 g Breadcrumbs, Fresh
1 sprig(s) Thyme, Fresh
1 pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoons (ground) Pepper, Black (Whole, Cracked or Ground)

Preheat a medium grill. Put 4 individual gratin dishes or one large shallow baking dish in the grill compartment to warm.

Put the fish and leeks into a large frying pan and cover with water. Heat and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked. (The flesh should flake easily when tested with a fork). Drain thoroughly then share the fish and leeks between the warm dishes.

Put the milk, margarine and flour into a non-stick saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly with a small whisk until the sauce boils and thickens. Remove from the heat. Stir in the mustard and half the cheese. Season and pour over the fish. Scatter the breadcrumbs, thyme or rosemary sprigs and remaining cheese over the top. Grill for 3-4 minutes, until browned and bubbling. Serve at once.

I love how easy this is, I made enough for me and the boy, and we had enough left for two more 'ready meals' which I have used.

It's a really warming dish, and for 9pro-points, it's delicious and one that I have made again since :)

If you want more recipes from Weight Watchers or any more posts then let me know xx