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.
Black Olive Tapenade is a spread that bursts with flavour and originates from the Provence region of France. Using simple ingredients, olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil you can create a spread is right up there in the flavour steaks. The anchovies provide an umami / briny hit to the taste, but not all Tapenade recipes use them.
These Expresso Crème Caramels may seem like a throwback to the past, but they still have the wow factor if done well.
The texture needs to be just right, and the caramel cooked to perfection to provide just enough bitterness to offset the sweetness of the cream. In all it’s a good test of cooking skills to show off to your guests. All the work is done ahead of time so its stressless to serve and easy to make.
Bring the 100ml of water for the syrup to the simmer, dissolve the instant coffee into the hot water then remove the pan from the heat.
Real Caramel is not a difficult thing to make but need some concentration, and planning to perform it safely.
I would recommend wearing a pair of rubber gloves when making caramel. As the sugar cooks it reaches very high temperatures that will cause dangerous burns to the skin. The sugar will stick to the skin and believe me, it’s impossible to remove. If this does happen, plunge your skin into the cold water immediately to cool the sugar quickly.
Lock up the kids, pets and take the phone off the hook.
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Firstly, have a bowl of cold water beside you large enough for your caramel pan to fit into.
Pour the sifted sugar evenly over the base of a wide-based pan and set over a medium heat. As the sugar heats it will begin to slowly melt and become liquid. Do not be put off by the colour. The sugar will begin to discolour before it caramelises. Stopping the cooking too soon will result in an overly sweet sauce as its not yet caramelised. You shouldn’t need to stir the sugar it will melt by itself. If you desperately feel the need to stir the pan, use a wooden or silicone spoon. Metal spoons will cool the sugar down and form a lollypop of caramel around the spoon.
When the sugar is ready it will begin to give off a slight blue haze and foam will begin to develop on the surface of the sugar. Don’t delay now; dip the pan into the cold water for two seconds to take the heat from the pan and stop the sugar cooking. If this is not done the heat retained in the pan will continue to cook the sugar and cause it to start burning.
Pour about 1 tablespoon of caramel into the base of each dariole mould. Be careful here as the molten mass is still very hot when the moulds are ready leave them to cool and set.
Return the remainder of the caramel back to the heat and add the hot liquid coffee. Some of the caramel may form into lumps as the coffee is added. Don’t worry, slowly mix the sugar over a low heat until all the lumps have dissolved then pour the sauce into a small bowl to cool completely.
The sauce will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks if needed.
Before you start turn on the oven and set the temperature to 100˚c.
Next warm the milk and cream in a small pan. Split the vanilla pod long ways and gently scrape the inside of the pod with the back of the knife to release the seeds. Add the pod and seeds to the warm liquid with the instant coffee. Bring the pan to the simmer then turn off the heat and leave to stand for five minutes to extract the flavour of the pod.
While the milk mix is standing mix the eggs, egg yolk and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Don’t whisk too much air into the eggs. This can cause the caramels to souffle in the oven and spoil the texture. Pour the warm milk mix over the eggs and mix.
Arrange the moulds in a deep roasting tray or large pan. Strain the coffee custard into a jug. Fill the moulds with the custard, then fill the tray with very hot water to about 2cm from the top of the moulds. Place the tray into an oven set at 100°c and cook for about 35 minutes.
If you are not too sure about carrying a tray of hot water to the oven, use a jug to fill the tray once its safely within the oven.
When the caramels are cooked, they should be set with just a slight wobble on top. Carefully remove the moulds from the water bath and leave to cool completely. Once cool place them in the fridge overnight ready to be served
Flattish soup or dessert plate are the best way of presenting the dessert. Unmould the caramels into the centre of the plate and pour some of the coffee / caramel syrup over the top. Sometimes this presentation is termed as ‘Drowned’ as the caramels are sitting in a moat of syrup.
Unmoulding the Crème Caramels is easy if you take a little care. If you have ever tried to unmould anything only to have it break in half, there is a simple solution. The problem is that to food isn’t stuck to the base of the mould, but a vacuum has formed between the food and the container as it cools. . Run the tip of a small knife around the top edge of the caramel cream, to release the skin that has formed. Now hold the mould horizontally and pull down the edge of the caramel cream with your finger. This should let some air in around the dessert and allow it to slide out of the mould.
Yes, your right, most domestic recipes use granulated sugar with some water added to make caramel. This does work but has its problems.
As the sugar dissolves into the water, it forms a syrup. The idea then is to evaporate all the water leaving just liquid sugar which can be cooked to a caramel.
What tends to happen in practice is that the sugar syrup becomes very dense and if stirred or exposed to any sugar crystals it will go crystalline and suddenly set in the pan. A drop of lemon juice can help resist this but its best to do as we do and avoid the water all together.
Granulated sugar is more difficult to melt in a dry pan. And as most people will be inexperienced in making caramel, caster sugar is the easiest to use.
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.
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©John Webber2025
Egyptian Dukkha is a mixture of nuts and spices often eaten as a dip with bread moistened with olive oil. But it’s not a one trick pony, it can be used as a crusty coating for grilled fish or try it as a finishing sprinkle on roasted vegetables, soups or hummus.
The name refers to the Arabic term for pounding, and the mix is made by pounding roasted nuts, and spices together in a mora and pestle. It should be in crushed but not powdered form, unlike many spice mixes.
These Garlic and Za’atar Knots are a tear and come again treat. Perfect for a get together and irresistible after the first bite. When you think of feta cheese, a Greek salad of filo pastry pie might come to mind. But I bet you didn’t think it could become a dip!
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
Bacon and Avocado Wedges make an interesting party snack that is quick to both make, and serve.
Most people only think of avocado ether in a salad or as a support for prawns. They are much more versatile than that. This recipe makes use of classic flavours that marry well with avocado, bacon, garlic, lemon, and basil.
The ubiquitous Brussel Sprout must be the largest topic of discussion at the Christmas dinner table. Love them or hate them they are here to stay so why not make them the biggest hit of the meal.
Make a Christmas Stollen this year and forgo the heavy Christmas cake!
Most countries that celebrate Christmas have a tradition cake enjoyed while celebrating the festival. The French have the Bûche de Noël. The Italians, enjoy Panettone, while the Polish have Makowiec, a rolled poppy seed cake glazed with icing sugar.
The Stollen, is a German fruit bread made with yeast, and contains dried fruits, candied citrus peel, nuts and spices. Traditionary marzipan is folded into the dough before baking. If that’s not to your taste, it can easily be left out of the recipe.
The classic shape of a lopsided pyramid is created by carful rolling out. I’ll show you how to do this step by step. Don’t be put off the list of ingredients, it’s not as difficult as it looks.
The night before baking, take a small bowl and add the mixed peel and raisins. Pour the warm water and rum over the fruit and mix well. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to stand overnight.
As this is quite a rich dough, so we are going to make a ferment. This is simply a yeast batter that lets the yeast begin to work before been exposed to high volumes of fat or sugar.
Sieve the flour into the mixing bowl, then take about 100g of the flour and put it to one side.
Make a well in the centre of the flour then crumble the fresh yeast if using into the well and pour in the milk or pour in the dried yeast / milk mix. Stir lightly to dissolve the yeast then mix in a little flour but not the full amount. This will form a thin batter that will allow the yeast to get a foothold in the mixture. Cover the bowl and leave for about 10 to 15 mins so the mix begins to froth.
In a second bowl beat the egg with the sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest and spices then add to the flour mix and mix well to form a dough. Cover the bowl again and leave to rise in a draught free place for half an hour.
Once the dough has relaxed and the yeast is working, it’s time to add the butter.
Take the butter and work in the remainder of the reserved flour to thicken the butter a little. This will make it easier to work the butter into the prepared dough. Knead the mix into the dough without overworking it, then fold in the soaked fruits and almonds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size. While the dough is rising make ready some melted butter to coat the Stollen.
When the dough is well risen, tip it out onto the work surface knock it back lightly. Then form the dough into a ball and place to one side. Take the marzipan and roll it out into a rectangle 25cm long and about 5mm thick.
Put the mazipan to one side and bring the ball of dough back into the table and dust with a little flour. Using your hands for the dough into a shape 28cm long, then take a rolling pin and press down the centre of the shape. Roll the pin back and forth to roll out the dough aiming for the centre of the dough to be roughly 6mm thick and the top and bottom of the shape to be about 4cm in thickness. Think of it like looking at a pair of lips on the worksurface.
Brush the centre section (the thinnest part) of the dough with melted butter, then lay the rolled sheet of marzipan on top. Take the edge of the dough nearest to you and fold it away from you over the marzipan. Now lift the top edge of the dough towards you enveloping the first fold. It should not quite fold all the way over as this will create the classic shape.
Lift the folded Stollen onto a lined baking tray. I would advise using a baking mat or layering up a few sheets of baking paper on the tray. As I found out, the rich dough will overbake on the bottom if it’s not protected. Lightly drape a piece of clingfilm over the Stollen and leave to prove until double in size.
Bake at 200˚c (180˚c fan oven) for 35 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180˚c (165˚c fan oven) for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
When ready, remove and brush the surface of the Stollen with melted butter, then dust liberally with icing sugar. You may find it necessary to dust more icing sugar over the Stollen as it cools.
When it has cooled completely, transfer the stollen to an air-tight tin. Try to leave the Stollen a day or two before eating.
Yes, it will be fine. The fast action (bread maker) yeast is a little quicker, but as we are making a ferment any type of yeast will work. The main difference between the two is that while fast action yeast can be added directly into flour. Dried yeast needs to be reconstituted in liquid before use.
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.
Harissa Paste is a condiment originating from Tunisia and one of those flavours that once tasted, you become hooked on. If you like spicy, rich flavours, then this is a must-have ingredient in your kitchen.
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.
Every part of Britain has a different opinion on how a scone should be made. None are wrong, it’s just a matter of preference. Personally, I take the view that the topping decides the type of scone to be used. Indulgently rich toppings like clotted cream need a simple neutral scone with a touch of sharpness. If all you’re going to put on top or your scone is a lick of butter, then a richer scone base possibly with added fruit is ideal.
Scones are thought to have originated in Scotland in the 1500s. And today there are still various type of scones in common use.
Girdle Scones are cooked on a flat plate or stone over the fire and were the forerunner of the modern scone. They were a type of quick bread usually made with oats would have been more savoury than the modern version. Bannock is the term for a round flat unleavened bread similar to a girdle scone. Most people today are more familiar with a Selkirk Bannock. Which is a buttery mix closer to a fruitcake than a scone.
Tattie Scones are a flat scone again cooked on the girdle and are used for breakfast. Made using cooked potato, flour butter and egg. They are reheated in the pan used to cook the bacon, so they absorb all the flavour. I can feel my arteries closing as I write this!
Other parts of Britain quickly developed their own variations and recipes. A notable version from Wales been the Welshcake. They are excellent, look up our post on how to make Welshcakes and give them a try.
To get light well risen scones we need to make a moist dough that has not allowed the gluten to develop. Part of the rise in the dough is due to steam generated in the dough. But the main ‘kick’ is due to the baking powder in the recipe producing gasses that force the dough to rise.
This could be due to any, or all of the following.
Just like making good short pastry the butter need to be rubbed into the flour. There should not be lumps of butter visible in the flour. But neither should the butter be fully incorporated with the flour. Using your hands to rub in the butter can cause it to melt into the flour and make the dough biscuit like. I always use a machine or a pastry knife to rub butter, or any fat into flour to avoid problems.
You must use plain (soft) flour with added raising agents known as Self Raising Flour. Chefs will sometimes use ordinary plain flour and add the raising agents themselves. For home use it’s much easier to just to use off the shelf self-raising flour. Look up A Guide to Flour and Uses for more info.
By all means use a mixer or food processor to do the rubbing in if you wish. But I would always mix and form the dough by hand. The more the dough is worked and the longer you take the tougher it will become. If the dough is tough and stressed its impossible for the gasses to lift the dough and lighten the scone.
I always prefer to pat out the dough with my hands rather than use a rolling pin to keep things as light as possible
A dry dough finds it difficult to rise. Like an overworked dough the gasses cannot do their job and of course there is less steam to help things out. Some types and brands of flour will absorb different amounts of liquid. You egg may be larger or smaller than needed and if using yoghurt its thickness will have a marked effect on the amount used. Add a little more liquid if you think the dough needs it. Aim for a dough that is sticky but not gooey and don’t use too much flour to pat it out.
Always use a clean cutter dipped in flour to cut out the dough. Check the cutter after each cut and clean if needed then dip in flour before use. Using a dirty cutter will weld the sides of the scone together and prevent the dough rising. Don’t pick the cut scones up with your fingers. Lift each one onto the baking tray with a pallet knife or fish slice.
Well, that’s the problems out of the way, so let’s get on with it.
Sift the flour with the baking powder into a large bowl then mix in the flour and sugar. Rub the diced butter into the dry mix, avoiding leaving any chucks of butter but keeping the mix as light as possible. A food processor makes an excellent job of this and is easier on the fingers. Make a well in the mix and put aside.
Pour 90% of the wet mix into the centre of the flour / butter mix and begin the mix with a spatula lifting the dry into the wet turning the bowl as you go. From now on the success of our scones will depend on how much care is put into the mixing and cutting, we need to work quickly but lightly.
Just before all the dry mix is worked in turn the contents out onto the work surface. Don’t be tempted to throw down lots of flour before tipping out as this will simply dry out our mixture. Carefully bring the mix together, if too dry add a little more of the egg mixture. The aim is to have a dough that feels slightly too wet but does not stick to everything it touches. Don’t worry if you have a little of the dry mix still on the work surface, better not to overwork the dough for the sake of a few grams of dough.
Using your hands pat the dough out to 2.5cm thick. Dip the pastry cutter into some flour then cut out the first scone. Carefully lift the scone with a pallet knife and lower onto the baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Avoid touching the sides of the scone as this may hold that side of the scone back from rising in the oven. Cut out more scones ensuring the cutter is clean each time and dipped in the flour before each cut. Keep at least 2cm between each scone on the tray. When all the dough is cut take the off cuts and carefully bring together (do this as lightly as possible). Pat out and repeat the cutting procedure. Take the off cuts once more and bring together, pat out and pop the offcut onto a spare space on the tray. That’s your bonus for all your hard work.
Many a chef’s tea break has been lifted by some welcome leftovers!!!!
The urge now is to get the scones into the oven as quickly as possible – Don’t.
The raising agents in the flour need a little time to work and form gasses in the dough.
Popping the scones directly into the oven will set the outside and hold back the rising of the dough. Leave the scones to sit for 10 minutes on the baking tray. In fact, my advice is not to turn on the oven until you have the scones sitting on the baking tray. This will force you to give the scones time to rise. The images below are the same scones before and after resting.
Light brush the surface of the scones with a little milk, (I find egg gives too dark a finish). Bake then leave to rest on a cooling wire before serving.
Weigh the plain yoghurt into a bowl. Take a second smaller bowl and place onto the scales. Zero the scale then break the eggs into the bowl and add the yoghurt. Take the milk and make the total weight up to 300g.
Exactly how much of the wet mix you need will depends on a number of factors. The flour you are using, moisture content of the butter and thickness of the yoghurt.
Bake @ 200c for 18 mins (standard oven) or 185c for about 15 minutes (fan oven)
These are a lighter scone with no butter in the basic dough. That lack of fat in the scone makes it a little crisper, just dying to be lathered with jam and clotted cream!
Mix all the dry ingredients together, then bring the dough together with the buttermilk. Don’t throw it all in at once. Add 90% and start mixing, exactly how much you need will depend on the thickness of the buttermilk.
These are slightly richer scones. Sieve the flour and baking powder together, then add the sugar and salt.
Rub in the butter as you were making pastry. Then whisk the milk and yoghurt together and add to the bowl. Bring the dough together and cut out. Bake for 13 minutes at 190c.
The success of these scones depends on using good strong cheddar. Don’t use the plastic stuff, find a good crumbly extra mature cheese.
Mix the flour, baking powder, pepper, and salt together, then rub in the butter as outlined above. Crack the egg into a jug then add the milk, and mustard. Whisk everything together and put to one side.
Fold the two cheeses into the flour, then add the liquid, keeping a little back until you are sure you need it. Create a soft but not stick dough and form the scones.
Any remaining liquid can be used to glaze the scones, then sprinkle then with some extra cheese.
Yes. You can make the sones in advance and freeze them. Make up the scones as outlined above and leave them to rest. Then place the baking tray into the freezer. Once frozen the scones can be stored in a plastic container. Put a layer of baking paper between each layer to stop them sticking together.
To serve simply take them out of the freezer and allow them to defrost before baking. They may need and extra couple of minutes in the oven if they are still very cold. Your guest will think the baking fairies have visited!
Now all you have to do, is get baking!
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.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
Making Sweet Pickled Cucumber is a great way of using up excess cucumber and giving a rather bland food an enticing lift.
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!