23/04/2011

Buns are Holy

Hot Cross Buns (makes 16)

Driven to food distraction by numbers, these little hot cakes make your house smell all snug and tradition'y. They are sweet and sticky on the outside with lovely soft buttery lightness that goes real nice with cheese and cups of tea.

270mls milk
2 cloves
2tsp Cinnamon
1tsp of all spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of saffron

450g Strong white bread flour
100g butter (cubed)
1tsp salt
20g caster sugar
3 eggs
10g or 1 sachet of yeast (follow directions)
120g currents or raisins

For the crosses
3 tblsp of flour + some water to make a paste. 
some icing sugar and a paintbrush (small and fine)

Put the milk and spices in a pan and scald. Turn off the heat and leave milky spice mix to infuse for a while. Rub the butter into the flour. Add the salt and sugar and yeast (mix with some warm water to activate). Make a well in the middle, add 2 beaten eggs and gradually add the milk mix until you have a soft dough. Knead for 10 mins. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour (until doubled in size). Knead a wee bit, then stretch out on a work surface and add the currents / raisins. Kneed in so they distribute. Divide into 16.  Put on baking tray. Leave to double in size for a bit. Use  knife and mark a cross on the buns - brush with beaten egg - paint the cross on with flour paste. Place in the oven gas mark 5/6 for 25mins. Mix a little sugar with water and brush each bun - using a fine paintbrush paint the crosses with icing sugar.

05/04/2011

I created a Monster

Bitter chocolate and orange cream cheese ganache tartlets 

Mmmmmm. Torn between cheesecake and tart, some delicious half breed was formed. These little digestive based tarts are simple and bitter sweet, the gooey orange pangs fumigate you mouth while the silky chocolate / cream cheese ganache squeezes your face into that mmmmm with squinty eyed happiness expression. N.b. not helpful for waistlines.

Base
150g dark chocolate digestives
100g salted butter

Cream part
200g cream cheese
2 oranges (squeezed)
30g icing sugar

Choc pot
100g dark chocolate (min 52% coco)
150g salted butter
50g light brown muscovado sugar
1 orange squeezed
2 eggs (beaten)

Melt the butter and combine with the crumbled biscuits (blend them or beat them with a rolling pin) to make the base. Grease the inside of 6 ramekin's with butter. Add digestive base to each and press down hard. Place in the friezed for 10mins to set. In a bowl, add all the cream part and whisk. On the heat add the butter and the chocolate (cubed), allow to melt. Add the juice of 1 orange and the sugar. In a separate pan, heat the cream part until it just simmers. Add the beaten eggs to this. Fold this into the melted choc pot pan. Pour this mix on top of your base into your ramekin's. Put in the over for 18 - 22 mins at gas mark 5 / 6. When you remove the centre should be the only bit that giggles.