Indulgent, Chocolate Brownies, easy to make, easier to eat.
These Chocolate Brownies never fail to please and rarely are there any leftovers. They are easy to make for a great dessert. Or afternoon treat.
These Chocolate Brownies never fail to please and rarely are there any leftovers. They are easy to make for a great dessert. Or afternoon treat.
Beautifully light Helston Pudding. It’s easy to make comfort food which makes a light alternative to Christmas Pudding. I have put in a couple of minor changes to make it even more Christmassy, and served it with an orange brandy sauce.
Delicious, mango and coconut cream tarts. Great for entertaining. Light,crisp almond pastry filled with fresh mango and coconut cream.
Learn the technique of making small crisp tart shells using perforated rings. Great for entertaining with a variety of fillings.
All you need to know about – Eggs. As a cook there are a number of ingredients life would be very difficult without and eggs are definitely one of them. Whether it’s in baking, mousses, meringues or just a fried egg butty we use eggs almost every day. Having an understanding of eggs, and how we can use them, opens a wealth of opportunities. It may also shed some light on the how and why of what we do with them, and possibly what went wrong.
Eggs have suffered from a good deal of bad press over the years. Back in 1988 the government put out a warning that vulnerable people should not eat eggs that we not completely cooked through. This was because teats had shown extremely high levels of Salmonella in the egg which if not completely eradicated by cooking would cause food poisoning. I remember some hotels refusing to serve eggs with a runny yolk to protect themselves from possible litigation.
I’m please to say that today that that danger has been averted and the recommendation now states that it is safe to eat UK Lion Stamped Eggs undercooked. If you’re not using stamped eggs, it still a good idea to check if the flock has been inoculated against salmonella.
Always check the use by date on the eggs, this is not only for safety but gives you an idea if the egg is going to be suitable for the use you want to put it to i.e., Poached Eggs take a look at my Poached Egg, Kale and Bacon post for the best method to poach an egg.
What is a fresh egg?
Now let’s have a look at why freshness is important if we want to poach or fry an egg.
look at the image of a fresh egg above, the yolk is sitting central in the white and the white is sitting up proudly supporting the white. Its this robustness of the white that will form the shape of the cooked egg.
Now in the shot above of an old egg, the white is flat, has no strength to it and the yolk is unsupported. try to poach that and you are likely to get a lonely yolk with strands of white string moving around the pan. However the older egg white is more suitable for meringues and could be used for Butter/Sugar Batter cakes. Have a look at the yolk, the deep rich colour may make you believe it’s a better more nutritious egg. it’s could be if its from somebody who has their own birds. Its more likely the colour has been controlled by additives in the chicken feed. This also applies to brown eggs, see below. Where a belief has grown that they will be better. Its of course the classic route to success. Produce what people think or has been led to believe is better.
Eggs are safe to eat after the use by date in fact the F.S.A advice states that “eggs can be eaten after their best before date, as long as they are cooked thoroughly until both yolk and white are solid, or if they are used in dishes where they will be fully cooked, such as a cake”. So if you have some eggs past their best before date, don’t waste them, get your baking hat on!
A very common question at the cook school related to the storage of eggs. Current advice is that you should store them in the fridge at home. But you say, in the supermarket, they are just sitting on the shelf at room temperature? Yes, that’s right, and there is a logic, have a look at the box you bought then in. It’s there to protect them, right? We yes but it also has a second function. Notice that the eggs are stored pointed end down. The blunt end of the egg contains the air sack where bacteria can enter by keeping this at the top, we keep it away from the yolk which will keep the egg fresher longer and protect the vulnerable yolk. Having more of the liquid egg surrounded by the box means the egg will dehydrate less and be less prone to drawing in contamination. This also has the advantage of keeping the yolk in the middle of the egg which looks much better if you are making hard boiled eggs for a salad.
You should also note that the box prevents the shells touching. If the eggs were in contact with each other contamination could spread from egg to egg and spoil the whole batch. So, if you have one of those metal wire chickens sitting proudly on your worktop, send it off to the charity shop and keep your eggs in the fridge in their box. The shell is porous and will ready absorb flavours in the vicinity of the egg. Now this means we need to be careful not to store our eggs close to strong cheese or onions then try and make a sponge with them. Of course, if you have a truffle or two on hand you can place them in a contain with the eggs and infuse the essence of truffle to impress your friends.
Don’t forget though to bring out any eggs you will be using to warm up to room temperature before use.
So, there we have it, now let’s look at an egg itself. There are three main parts. The shell, the white and the yolk. You may have also seen a couple of while strands or blobs when cracking eggs. These are called `chalazae’ think of them as elastic bungees, there function is to support the yolk and keep it central in the egg where it is protected by the white.
Egg whites v Yolks
Yolks.
The yolk contains all the fat of the egg together with the cholesterol. It also has roughly half of the protein in the egg along with most of the vitamins and minerals in the egg. The yolk is a natural binding agent when added to soups, pastry, mousses, mayonnaise, etc. That’s partly due to it lecithin content which is the mystery ingredient when making chefs foams to top off a dish. It’s the binding and thickening ability of the yolk that makes them so valuable in the kitchen. If you have an excess of yolks keep then in the fridge in a small container with a small amount of water covering them to stop a crust forming on top. Check out our Food Files page on Understanding Pastry to see how egg yolks work in pastry.
Whites.
You may argue that compared with the yolk the egg white is uninteresting, not a bit of it. The white is around 90% water with the balance been proteins. The most important of these to us is albumen which is fundamental in allowing the white to hold an important ingredient – Air.
When egg white are beaten the protein begins to unravel known as denaturation. As we continue to beat the eggs these strands of protein begin to hold air. As the air and the water in the white become in contact the protein begins to bond together and hold a foam. This foam become a vehicle for us to introduce air into a mixture like a mousse or a souffle. A very small amount of acid (lemon juice) added to the white after denaturation assists the binding and make for a more elastic foam. If the beating is overdone and the binding is over stretched the foam will begin to collapse and fall in on itself. Adding sugar to the whites once a good foam is created stiffens up the whites and gives stability (meringue). You can still overdo it though and of course you may not want sugar in the dish you are creating. Any fat present in the whites or on the tools we are using will prevent the proteins from binding and its impossible to create a foam. If you have leftover egg whites keep them in the freezer. Not only is this a really handy standby the process of freezing and defrosting breaks down the protein and helps them wisk up to a foam easier than fresh ones.
Personally, I always prefer to whisk whites by hand as I can control the whisking and judge the density of the foam. When using a machine to do the job for you it all too easy to over whisk and collapse the foam. Years ago, the curved base bowl used for beating whites were made of copper combined with a bulbus whisk known as a balloon whisk. Today we still use the whisk but not the copper bowl, stainless steel is the material of choice. Not only is it easier to clean but the action of vigorously beating the white could remove tiny amounts of copper into the food which is poisonous to us.
So, in the kitchen the whole egg is useful to us as a component in cakes and pasties -understand pasty. But it’s the flexibility of the individual parts of the egg that excite us.
In practical terms use egg yolks to enrich, bind and thicken a preparation. We use egg white to lighten by adding air, like a souffle or strengthen a preparation by adding more protein, like a chicken mousseline. Think of a crème brulee, soft, rich, texture eaten out of a container- we use egg yolks. For a crème caramel, a bit firmer, not as rich and sitting up proudly we use whole egg. The addition of the white gives the dessert the ability to support itself.
The next time you are using egg in a dish or baking try to work out what the egg is providing and how best to maximise on the affect it brings. You may be able to improve the result and begin creating new ideas.
Enjoy life.
John
Blind baking made easy. make you own tarts and pies at home without fuss.
Getting to grips with pastry can be a joy or a nightmare. But with a little confidence and a sprinkling of technique the whole process becomes easy and will allow you to make more interesting and enjoyable pastries and desserts. This blog provides you with my favourite recipes for basic sweet and short pastry. Do look up the Food Files page Demystifying Perfect Pastry for a greater insight into the craft.
This recipe was given to me many years ago by Nico Ladenis, a big bear of a man, daunting to work for but with kind heart. This dates back to his restaurant in Pimlico London. He didn’t suffer fools gladly and was known for asking guest to leave. I have used this recipe ever since, and never had need to change it and use it for most sweet blind baked tarts. It freezes well so while you can reduce the quantities given, its best to make the full recipe and freeze it until needed. If fact it impossible to work with it until it is well chilled. Ideally overnight.
This is referred to as sable pastry, a light slightly sandy pastry not dissimilar to shortbread that produces a crisp tart shell that will hold its shape without been tough. Anything you have leftover, make into biscuits, great with morning coffee.
Ingredients, enough to line 4 x 23cm tart shells (3 if your not too hot with the rolling pin).
250g good quality unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
4 large eggs – beaten in a jug
3-5 tbsp double cream
650g plain flour
Pinch salt
I always make this in a food processor, but it’s not essential, you can use a food mixer or even do it by hand but it’s a lot of work. One crucial thing, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Get everything out well ahead and if the room is cold warm everything near a radiator for a while.
This is made by the creaming method not unlike some cake mixes. Pop the soft butter into the machine then sieve the icing sugar over the butter. Turn on the machine and process to a smooth buttercream, pulse control is best.
Slowly start adding the egg in a steady stream, if you see the mix beginning to look curdled stop adding egg. This is a sure sign that the mix is too cool and the butter is separating out.
If this happens slightly warm the mix by standing the bowl in some warm water. Don’t overdo it or you will have a butter milkshake.
When all the egg is added, work in 3tbs of the cream then add all the flour in one go and mix in using the pulse control again. Don’t overwork the pastry the last bit of flour is best worked in with a spatula once you have removed the blade from the bowl. If you are having trouble combining it all together add a little more cream.
The mix will be very soft and impossible to work with at this point. Ideally portion out the dough into the amount you will use at one time I make 4 x 350g balls of dough to line a 23cm x 3.25cm flan tins. If you’re not too hot with the rolling pin just break the dough into 3 equal parts.
A great everyday pastry for savoury bakes
To make roughly 350g of pastry
225 unsalted butter
100g plain flour
Pinch table salt
2-3 tbsp very cold water
For savoury pies try using 110g butter with 110 lard to give a crisper finish.
In contrast to the sweet pastry recipes the most important thing here is to keep everything as cold as possible. As luck would have it on the day, I chose to cover the making of the pastry it was quite warm. To combat this, I diced the butter then returned it to the fridge and put the mixing bowl into the fridge to chill before starting.
Weigh the flour into a bowl and place the diced cold butter and salt on top. Using the tips of the fingers rub the butter into the flour until you have a fine breadcrumb texture. If your not overly nimble fingered using a pastry knife will both speed up and keep things cool, improving your pastry.
Make a well in the mix and add the water. Don’t add it all at once, leave a little behind, the exact amount of water will depend on the flour you are using and the whey content of the butter. if you are using lard you will need a dash more but may not need it all, it possible a dash more is required. Form a ball of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the dough and refrigerate or freeze until needed.
Give both of these a try, it’s well worth having some in the freezer. having the pastry ready made will encourage you to try out more recipes and it’s so much better that the bought in versions. i will add more pastry recipes and techniques in later blogs lots more baking to come so don’t forget to subscribe for regular blog updates.
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.
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