Raspberry Flapjacks are a great snacking standby. Quick and easy to make, and the kids love them. I prefer to use frozen raspberries as it seems a waste to use fresh. But I also find adding the raspberries frozen stops them breaking up too much when been mixed into the oats. I have also used a little raspberry powder to add a flavour punch to the flapjacks. It not essential but it does add a little extra.
The Dark Chocolate Tart offers a luxurious comfort food experience with a rich chocolate filling in crisp pastry, best served with crème fraiche. Key elements for success include using high-quality chocolate (70%-75% cocoa), a properly prepared pastry shell, and careful technique to achieve a silky texture. Testing baking times is advisable.
These Asian Salmon Samosas are a simple twist on the Indian classic. best of all they are quick and easy to make. The oiliness of salmon lends itself to the oriental flavours of ginger and garlic. With just a hint of chilli to freshen everything up
I like to serve these with my Chilli and Tomato Jam, into which I’ve added a squeeze of lime. If you are yet to make some, try mixing some chili sauce into tomato ketchup and add a squeeze of lime. Not quite as good but an acceptable cheat if you’re in a hurry.
Which ever dip you choose these are sure to be a favourite, with the crispy pastry, yielding to the soft fragrant salmon within.
Makes 6.
Oven temperature, 220˚c – 195˚ fan.
The samosas can be made some time in advance and baked later. However, the seasonings added to the salmon will in time begin to cure the fish. This is fine but some of the delicate texture and fresh flavour will be lost. If at all possible, have everything cut ready, then mix the filling, and make the samosas as close to serving as is practical. Then all you have to do is bake them just before serving. Its important the use clear melted butter (ghee) to brush the pastry. The butter will set as it cools and waterproof the pastry. This will help prevent the moist filling making the pastry soft and soggy.
Check the salmon filet over for any bones or skin still remining. Then cut the fish into roughly 1.5 cm dice. Don’t worry if it’s not too neat, no one will ever know. Lay the cut fish onto some kitchen paper and sprinkle with the table salt.
Leave the salmon to stand while the rest of the ingredients are prepared, but no longer than 8 to 10 minutes. This process not only flavours the fish. But also removes some of the moisture from the fish, keeping the pastry crisp.
Peel and finely slice the spring onions, and place into a bowl. Grate the ginger and garlic into the bowl together with the lime zest. Make sure these are grated as finely as possible using a very sharp microplane grater.
Finely chop the coriander, then remove the seeds from the chilli and very finely chop the flesh, then add them both to the mixing bowl.
Using a fresh piece of kitchen paper, brush off any unused salt from the salmon. Add the diced fish to the bowl with all the flavourings and gently mix together. Sprinkle the Thai fish sauce over the contents, together with a little juice from the grated lime.
Put the bowl to one side and clean up ready to tackle the pastry.
When working with filo pastry we need to be careful not to allow it to dry out. If left unattended, the pastry will become crisp and disintegrate into small pieces as soon as you touch it.
To prevent this as soon as the pastry in unwrapped I recommend covering it with two layers of cling film followed by a damp (not wet) tea towel.
Turn the chopping board around so the longer edge is running away from you (portrait style). Make sure the board is completely clean and dry, and you have a lined baking tray beside you ready to receive the Samosas.
Melt the butter in a small pan, but don’t allow it to become too hot. When the butter is melted you will notice a milky liquid sitting under the clear liquid butter. This is buttermilk that was lurking in the butter. Decant the clear liquid butter into a small bowl, leaving the buttermilk behind, then discard the buttermilk and return the clear butter to the warm pan.
Take a sheet of pastry, recovering the rest. Lay the sheet onto the board, again with the longer edge running away from you.
Lightly brush the left-hand half of the pastry with melted butter. Then fold the right-hand side of the pastry over the buttered side.
Bush this fresh face of the pastry with melted butter and we are ready to start filling.
If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to turn on the oven and heat it to 220˚c – 195˚c fan.
Roughly divide the filling in the bowl into six sections, then place one section onto the pastry strip, roughly 3cm up from the bottom edge of the pastry.
Now take a bottom corner of the pastry and fold it over the filling.
Take the pastry right up to opposite side of the pastry strip, so to form a triangle
Now pick up a bottom corner and fold diagonally over towards the long edge, to make a triangle. Working in a zig-zag fashion from the longest edge of the triangle fold the samosa over from side to side until all the pastry sheet is used.
Transfer the samosa to the baking tray, give it one last brush of butter and a sprinkle of nigella seeds.
Repeat the process with all the sheets of pastry, then bake the Samosas for 15 to 20 minutes. While they are baking mix some lime juice into the tomato and chilli jam. Have that ready in a dipping bowl, and a serving dish ready to go.
Serve the Samosas straight from the oven, warning your guests that they are piping hot, sit back and enjoy.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
©John Webber2025
Making a Blind Baked Tart Shell is not an overly arduous process but following a few basic steps will ensure success. This is quite a long explanation but is worth the effort in reading all the way through.
My Luxurious Walnut and Apricot Tart is a variation on a classic Scottish Ecclefechan Tart. Its quite indulgent, yet easy to make. The addition of vinegar in the filling may seem a little strange, yet it is the perfect foil for the richness of the butter and sugar custard the holds the tart together.
This Cheese, and Rosemary Christmas Tree is a terrific addition to any Christmas party, and best of all its quick and easy to make. Use it to form a centrepiece for your party table. Each branch of the ‘tree’ breaks off to become a cheese straw ready to be dipped into a suitable sauce. I like to use my Tomato and Chilli jam as a dip. But it could be anything you like.
I have served this alongside some Air Fryer Bacon and Avocado Wedges, they have a basil and garlic Aioli served with them. You can dip the branches of the ‘tree’ into ether one to ring the changes.
If you have suitable fridge space, make the ‘tree’ the day before and bake before your guests arrive.
Tomato and Chilli jam
Open the two packets of puff pastry and slide the pastry out. Take the lined baking tray and carefully unroll the pastry onto the tray, removing the baking paper as you unroll.
Take the second roll of pastry and unroll it on top of the first sheet, this time keeping the backing paper in place to prevent the two layers sticking together.
Using a small sharp knife cut a tall triangle to resemble a Christmas tree shape. Trim the base of the triangle down leaving a small section to make the stump of the tree. Having a straight edge like a skewer or ruler helps a lot with this.
The baking paper makes the cutting a little more difficult, but its worth it to avoid having the prise the two layers apart if they have welded themselves together. Lift off the trimmings and put then to one side to use later, if you don’t need it straight away pop it into the freezer.
Lift off the top layer of pastry using the paper to help you. Sprinkle paprika sparingly over the base, then spread the grated parmesan over the top Put the grated Cheddar cheese on top of that followed by a dusting of chopped rosemary leaves and a few turns of the back mill pepper.
Take the Top layer of pastry and turn it over so the baking paper is on top. Lay the pastry on top of the cheese, lining up the two layers as neatly as possible. You can now remove the remaining baking paper from the pastry. Lightly press the top layer of pastry down and run your finger around the edges of the pastry.
Using the sharp knife again and starting at the top (pointed end) of the tree, make even cuts through the pastry about 1.5cm apart on one side of the tree. This will make the branches of the tree. The cuts need to be a little longer as you move down the tree, but make sure you leave the centre (trunk) of the tree uncut.
Now to finish our tree off, start at the top of the tree and take a branch in your fingers and give it a twist, lightly pinching the end together. Move down the tree twisting each branch. As the branches become longer you can put more turns on each branch, try to make the twist looking even on each piece. Once you have done all the branches on one side, repeat the process on the other side. Be careful to twist the pastry in the same direction to make each side match.
Brush the tree all over with egg wash and mix the sesame and nigella sees together, then sprinkle over the pastry.
Bake in a 200˚c (180˚c fan) oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat down to 180˚c (165˚c fan) for another 10-15 minutes. When ready it should be a golden brown and crisp.
Let the tree cool on the baking tray, then carefully lift on to a serving dish or board. A pizza peel is an ideal tool if you have one.
Serve just warm with a bowl of tomato and chilli jam on the side to act as a dip. Of course, you could just use tomato ketchup instead if you wish.
Hi yes, there is a wealth of fillings you can use. For the adults try pesto, tapenade, or sun blushed tomatoes. For the children you can use chocolate spread, jam, or fruit purees. Give the cooked tree a dusting of icing sugar and have some ice cream on hand to go with the pastry.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
Serve these Christmas Pudding Souffles to you guests and you will instantaneously be seen as a culinary genius. People are always impressed by a served a souffle, in fact they are a lot easier than people imagine.
Baking Simple Scones at home is easy and very rewarding. Homemade scones are always a winner whatever time of year. But particularly pleasing enjoyed in front of the fire when the weather is disappointing.
Cheese, Bacon, and Red Onion Muffins are great served as finger food or taken on a picnic. In fact, they are great all year round and are one of my regular contributions to village social events.
Muffins are easy to make, and once you have mastered the basics there is a wealth of ingredients that can be added, both sweet and savoury. Let me take you through the process, and lets get baking!
80g grated extra mature cheddar cheese
Bake at 200˚c /400˚f. Fan 180/˚c / 350˚f
Put the butter into a small saucepan, gently melt then leave to cool. Chop the bacon into 5mm pieces and chop the red onion as fine as possible.
Heat a small frying pan and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the bacon and fry steadily until the bacon is golden brown and crisp. Reduce the heat a little and add the red onion. Cook the onions until soft then tip the contents of the pan onto a plate to cool.
While all that is cooling sieve flours, bicarbonate of soda, cayenne, and baking powder together into a mixing bowl.
Crack the eggs into a jug and add the salt and whisk together. Now add the melted butter and buttermilk to the jug and whisk well.
This stage is crucial to getting a light well risen muffin. The key is to work quickly and don’t over mix. As soon as the mix has come together, stop mixing and get the batter into muffin cases as soon as you can. Chop your chives now and check you have everything in place Check the oven is ready at temperature, and the baking tray is ready lined with paper cases.
Give the sieved flours and raising agents a good mix, then add the cooled bacon and red onions and mix again. Add the grated cheese and chopped chives and fold in.
Make a well in the centre of the mix, then add the contents of the jug into the bowl in one go. Using the spatula fold the flour into the we ingredients lifting from bottom to top and turning the bowl as you mix.
As soon as all the dry ingredients are worked in, check nothing is lurking at the bottom of the bowl. If you’re happy, stop mixing.
Immediately begin to fill the muffin cases using two tablespoons. Lift the mixture from the bowl with one spoon and use the second to scrape the mix off the spoon into the paper case.
As soon as all the cases are filled, put a generous pinch of grated cheese on top. Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes and when ready cool on a cooling wire. Let the muffins cool for at least 15 minutes before use.
The muffins are at their best freshly baked. But are fine kept in an airtight box for a couple of days, (make sure they are completely cold before storing) or can be kept in the freezer for a month or so.
Serve slightly warm if possible. And if you want to spice them up, add a dollop of my Red Onion and Chilli Jam on top before serving.
As soon as you mix the wet and dry mixtures together, a chemical reaction will begin. The gasses produced by this reaction will make the muffin rise in the oven. If you spend too long mixing the batter, it’s possible to knock the gasses out of the batter. This will give you a heavy, badly risen muffin.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
For these tarts we are using two distinct types of apples. Bramley apple for full on flavour, backed up with a dash of good cider. Green apples, Granny Smiths of French Golden delicious provide texture and a hint of freshness to the tarts. These tarts can be made the night before and stored in the fridge. The trick is to glaze and seal the apple with melted butter and lemon to spot the apple discolouring.
How To Be A Shortbread Expert. There are thousands of recipes for shortbread, and an equal number of opinions as to the ingredients, methods, and baking. I suppose really you could think of shortbread as posh pastry, uplifted to celebrity status.
Why Not Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads at home? It’s much easier than you think, and makes an impressive addition served with snacks and dips when entertaining. You can even make and roll them in advance, then cook them in front of your guest for some added theatre. You can even cook them on the barbeque to make handy wraps and pockets.
To make these fool proof, I’m using self-raising flour. Traditionally of course, this wouldn’t be used but the added lift from the flour compensates for the lack of an open flame if like us, you’re all electric. I’m also using a kitchen blowtorch to colour and puff up the flatbreads. If this is a bit scary, don’t worry it not essential.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda and flour together then sieve into a mixing bowl.
Add the salt and sugar and mix into the flour.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the buttermilk. Work the buttermilk into the flour to form a dough. We need the dough to be moist but not sticky. Don’t be afraid to add more buttermilk if needed. This will depend on the brand of buttermilk you are using.
As soon as you have everything together, stop mixing. Too much working the dough will cause the flatbreads to be tough.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave the dough to stand 15minutes to rest and rise. Remember this is not a yeast dough, so don’t expect to see an enormous rise in the dough. The lift in the flatbreads will come from the gases formed by the raising agents, and the steam generated in cooking.
Dust the table with flour then, lift the dough out onto the table and form into roughly 45g balls of dough, you should make 10.
Roll each ball of dough into a rough circle about 3mm thick. Dust with just enough flour to prevent sticking but don’t overdo it. Loose flour sitting on the surface of the flatbread will burn in cooking.
Lay the rolled flatbreads onto a plate with a sheet of baking paper between each bread. This will prevent the flatbreads from sticking to each other and can be used to transfer the dough to the griddle plate if needed.
The flatbreads can be kept like this for up to an hour before cooking if you are waiting for your guests to arrive. It also will give you time to clean up!
This can be done on a flat griddle plate on the cooker, in a frying pan, or even on the barbecue if it has flat heated surface.
Whichever method you choose we need a lot of heat, so if you are using a frying pan, make sure its up to the job!
Been a bit chefy, I also like to use a blowtorch on my flatbreads. The extreme heat generated will make the dough puff up even more and the flame imparts a traditional colour, and flavour to the dough.
If you’re not sure on how to use one safely, then don’t. It should be safe enough on the barbeque, but using one indoors need care, the last thing you want is a visit from the fire brigade.
Once your cooking surface is hot lay one flatbread onto the hot metal. If this is tricky, keep the dough on the baking paper and use this to lower the disc of dough down. The paper can easily be peeled off once the dough has set.
Cook the flatbread for about 90 seconds on one side, you should see the dough begin the bubble and blister with the heat.
Turn the flatbread over and give it another 60 – 90 seconds. If you are using the blowtorch, simple wave the wave over the dough briefly on each side. Don’t leave the flame in one place or it will burn the bread instantaneously.
As each flatbread is cooked, transfer it on to a plate with one side of a barely damp tea towel draped over. Cover the bread with the spare side of the tea towel immediately.
If you forget to cover the flatbreads as soon as they are cooked, they will dry out very quickly and become like a biscuit.
Serve as soon as possible after cooking to get the best texture, fantastic with dips, Hummus, Baba Ganoush or used as a wraps!
Don’t worry, we can turn plain flour into self-raising flour easily. For every 100g of flour you are using add 1tsp of baking powder. Mix it in well, then sift the two together. Some pastry chefs prefer to make their own self raising flour as they have full control over the raising agent been as fresh as possible.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
These Italian delicate almond cookies with a melt in the mouth centre are usually enjoyed during Christmas time in Tuscany. Try them out as an alternative to or in addition to mince pies when entertaining guest over the holiday.
These Chocolate Custard Cookies are so easy to make, which is a good job as they don’t last long when people start tucking in. They are great just served as a cookie adults and children both love them.