My Easy to Make Braised Rice is an ideal accompaniment for meat or fish dishes. Boiled rice is great with a curry or spicy food as it creates a cooling contrast to the vigorous sauce of the dish. But where you have a sauce that is more refined and needs a starchy partner, this is the one to use.
Learning How To Make a Sourdough Starter is one of the most satisfying kitchen jobs. Watching the starter come to life and knowing there is some great sourdough bread to come. Spring and summer are ideal time to start the process. The warmer air temperature and abundant of natural yeasts helps the process along. Yes, it can go wrong, but with a few simple steps it becomes a lot more reliable.
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.
If you are making these for the adults, I finish the flapjacks off with a whisky water icing. Raspberries and Blended whisky go together well and add some extra interest.
Part 1.
Part 2.
For the icing
Take the baking tin and lightly brush the inside with soft butter. Cut a piece of baking paper to size then use that to line the base and sides of the tin.
In the small saucepan place the butter, honey, salt, and sugar. Warm the pan over a low heat until the butter melts and everything has combined.
Remove the pan from the heat, but don’t let it cool down too much.
Time to turn on the oven and set it to 175c (160fan).
Measure the jumbo oats and raspberry powder into a mixing bowl, then mix together.
Pour the melted ingredients over the oats and add the frozen raspberries. Adding the raspberries frozen stops them from breaking up as the mix is worked together. But ensure the berries are not frozen together in a clump when added to the oats.
Work the mix together with a spatula, then tip the mixture into the prepared tin.
Press the mix into the tin levelling the mixture with the back of a wet tablespoon.
Now take the teaspoon and make 15 indentations into the flattened mix (3 across by 5 down).
Using the teaspoon again place a spoonful of raspberry jam into each indentation. Don’t get too carried away with the jam or it will flow all over the oats and spoil the effect.
Pop the baking tin into the oven and bake for 20 – 30 minutes. When ready the surface of the oats should be a light golden brown.
When ready, let the flapjacks cool in the tin for 40 minutes.
Lift the cooled flapjacks from the tin using the baking paper placing them on a chopping board. Peel the paper back from the edges, then cut the slab into 15 squares keeping the jam dots in the centre of each piece.
To finish the flapjacks I like to drizzle over a water icing. Place about 6tbsp of icing sugar into a small bowl and add a dash of blended whisky and mix together. You are aiming for a consistency that just flow off the tip of a spoon. If its not quite right add more sugar or whisky as needed. If you are making the flapjacks for children, you can use a little orange juice to make up the icing.
Working diagonally across the flapjacks drizzle the icing over the top. Don’t worry about been too accurate. One the flapjacks are separated any mistakes won’t be noticed.
When the icing has set, lift the flapjacks off the baking paper and store in an air-tight tin. Then should keep up to 10 days in a cool place. If you need to make these further ahead freeze the cut flapjacks before the icing is applied.
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
There is nothing better than Real Caramel Sauce served with a dessert. Sure, you can by a readymade caramel sauce, but its often a sweet, unexciting copy of the real thing. And not only is this fantastic as a sauce, but it can also become and ingredient as well in ice creams or baking.
Crispy Chicken Pakora are popular ether as part of a meal, or just on their own. And ideal if you are having friends over or just having a quite night in. Packed with flavour but easy to make.
I will also show you how to make a cheats pakora dip with ingredients you already have at home. I have often heard this referred to as red dip, or Glasgow dip. I guess this might be due to the popularity of a pakora as a snack after a late Saturday night out.
This Glazed Dark Chocolate Tart is comfort food with a dash of luxury. A rich deeply chocolate filling encased in crisp pastry, not great for the waistline, but good for the soul. We are serving the tart with Crème fraiche to break the richness a little. Sweetened cream would be a disaster here overpowering the taste buds with sugar.
There are three crucial factors to ensure success.
A good thin pastry blind baked shell, I have opted to use my Sable pastry, you can find the recipe ‘HERE.’
Great chocolate, 70% to 75% cocoa solids with a deep flavour. This is important as the butter, sugar and eggs will serve to reduce the intensity of the chocolate flavour.
Good technique, emulsifying the cream and chocolate correctly will create a soft silky texture that just melts on the tongue. And avoiding over cooking will keep the mouth feel rich and smooth. The tart is at its best served on the day of cooking. You can keep it in the fridge overnight, but the cold will make the filling heave and dense.
My advice is not to serve this to your guests without a dry run first. It’s difficult to know how exactly how quickly it will cook in your oven until you have tested it. And what a great excuse to indulge.
Serves 6
Oven temp 160˚c
1 blind baked pastry shell 22cm x 3.5cm
Egg yolk mixed with 1tbsp water
Pour the double cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, and salt. Put the pan onto the heat siting until the sugar has dissolved.
Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place it into the larger plastic bowl. Then break the eggs into a small bowl and add the vanilla essence. Whisk the eggs to break then down then leave them to stand while you deal with the chocolate.
When the cream comes to the simmer, pour all of it over the chocolate pieces and let stand for a minute. Then, give them a stir with a whisk mix to incorporate the two together. The contents of the bowl should come together and form a silky, glossy sauce.
When that’s ready work in the beaten eggs, again resisting the temptation of whisk. The objective is to avoid adding air into the filling and spoiling the texture of the cooked tart.
Let the blind baked shell warm in the oven on a baking tray for 3-4 minutes. Then remove it and brush in inside of it with the egg yolk mix. Coat the inside of the shell completely then return them back to the oven for 2-3 minutes. This is a chefs hack to prevent the moisture from a filling destroying the crispness of the pastry. It’s a damp proof course for pastry but don’t let the egg seep between the pastry and tart ring or it will weld the two together.
Fill the prepared shell with the chocolate filling using the back of a spoon to level off if needed.
Put the tart directly into the oven and bake for roughly 12 to 18 minutes, when they are ready there will be a slight wobble in the centre. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the tray. The tart will finish cooking as they cool. This is quite a delicate bake as all we are trying to do is set the eggs within the filling. The chocolate will do the rest as it cools.
If you see the filling begin to rise, it’s a sign that ether the oven is too hot, or the tart has been in the oven too long. Either way, remove it from the oven and check it. You can at this point store the tart covered in the fridge. However, the texture is never the same once chilled. If time necessitates making in advance. Glaze the tart on the day of serving, and make sure it’s come up to room temperature before use.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool completely. To remove the baking tin, place a bowl or tin narrower than the base of the tart. Carefully place a tart on the bowl and the outer ring should just fall away from the pastry. If it doesn’t, don’t force it but check the edges to see if it is stuck to the pastry anywhere. One the outer ring is off, keep the tart on the metal base to support it. Once that’s done, we are ready to glaze the tart.
To make the glaze, gently warm the syrup and cream together and bring to the simmer. Have the chocolate in a plastic bowl ready to hand. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, then let the bowl stand for a minute. Take the whisk and combine the chocolate and cream together, but don’t whisk or you will get air bubbles in the glaze. Use more of a vigorous stirring action.
Pour the glaze onto the centre of the cooked tart. Then gently tilt the tart using the metal base for support to help the glaze run to the sides and cover all the filling. When the filling is completely covered in glaze leave the tart to cool once more, until the glaze is set.
Portion the tart, into six then lift onto serving plates and top each tart with a scoop of firm crème fraiche dusted with grated chocolate.
Real chocolate, (or chocolate Couverture, to give it its cheffy name) is a mixture of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and various flavours. The percentage given on the chocolate represents the amount of cocoa solids within the chocolate. High Street chocolate isn’t “real” chocolate by this definition as it often contains sugar and milk solids.
Try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate for more information
In making both the filling and glaze we are making a ganache. The chocolate is melted by the heat of the cream that is added to it. When the two are mixed they emulsify and form a stable mixture. The benefit of using plastic is that the bowl won’t take the heat out of the cream. If that happened, it possible that the chocolate wouldn’t melt correctly spoiling the recipe. I think this instance is you only time I would recommend plastic over glass, metal or china.
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
These Asian Salmon Samosas are a quick, flavorful twist on the Indian classic. Made with salmon, ginger, garlic, and spices, they feature crispy filo pastry and can be paired with a chili and tomato jam. The samosas can be prepared in advance, ensuring a delightful and fragrant dish.
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.
Serving the tart with salted caramel and plain crème fraiche, further enhances the counterbalance of sweet and sharp. If you would like to know how to make your own caramel, read our post, on how to make, Real caramel Sauce.
The tart actually improves in flavour with keeping. Serve it slightly warm if it has been stored in the fridge.
Line the tart shell with the pastry and prick the base with a fork. Then let the case relax in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes. While the shell is resting turn on the oven to 180˚c and put a baking sheet into the oven to pre-heat.
If you are new to working with pastry or want a deeper insight into blind baking, you will find an in-depth description on how to do this ‘HERE.’
When the pastry has rested, place a sheet of baking parchment onto the pastry, fill with baking beans and place on to the hot baking sheet and bake at 180c for 12-14 minutes.
Remove from the oven and lift out the paper and beans. Brush the inside of the pastry with an egg yolk beaten with a dash of water. Then return the pastry to the oven for 4-5 minutes to set the egg and dry the pastry a little. When ready leave to the tart shell to cool while you make the filling.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan until liquid, but not separated then, let cool down to blood temperature.
Beat the eggs and sugar together to the ribbon stage.
Then work in the melted butter, whisky, and salt.
Finally, stir in the fruit, nuts, and cider vinegar.
When filling the tart case, first spoon the heavy parts of the mix into the tart, i.e. the nuts and fruit, then make sure the whole lot is covered with a layer of filling so that no fruit and nuts are visible. This coating will prevent the fruit and nuts burning in the direct heat of the oven.
Reduce the oven to 170C and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes.
To check if the tart is ready, pop a skewer into the filling at the centre of the tart. The butter custard will be slightly soft, but not runny.
When ready let the tart cool down before removing the flan case. If the tart is tool hot it may break apart without the support of the fan case
To remove the pastry case from the tin, place the tin on an upturned bowl and gently push the outer ring downwards and off the pastry.
Serve just warm, dusted with icing sugar and a dollop of crème fraiche, sitting on some caramel sauce.
If you are baking the shell to be used with a liquid filling, like the Walnut and Apricot Tart. It’s a good idea to brush the inside of the pastry with an egg yolk beaten with a dash of water before returning the tart to the oven.
The egg yolk will seal any small holes in the pastry and make the pasty resistant to moisture. This will prevent a possible disaster from the filling leaking out and keeps the pastry crisper for longer.
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
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.
The Expresso Crème Caramels combine creamy sweetness with a touch of bitterness from perfectly cooked caramel. This dish tests cooking skills while allowing for stress-free preparation ahead of time. Key ingredients include espresso, sugar, milk, cream, and eggs, with careful steps needed for making caramel and custard to achieve a delightful dessert.
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 mortar and pestle. You can of course use a small food processor in place of a mortar, but remember, It should be in crushed but not powdered.
In Egypt it is served at breakfast time, as an appetiser, or as a snack in the evening. It is a very personal and individual mixture that varies from one family to another. I like to serve this with bread sticks and a bowl of olive oil with pre-dinner drinks. Its quite addictive, give it a try!
In a small frying pan gently toast the hazel nuts, The object is to lightly roast the nuts to release the flavours but be careful not to burn them. As soon as the skins begin to split, they are ready. Tip the hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel, fold the cloth over and rub the nuts together in the cloth. This will remove the bitter skins leaving just the roasted nuts. Pick the cleaned hazelnuts off the cloth and place them onto a metal tray to cool down.
Place the pan back onto the heat and roast the almonds followed by the sesame seeds. As each is ready tip them onto the metal tray with the hazelnuts. Watch the sesame seeds as they burn easily.
Now it’s time to toast the spices. Add the coriander, fennel seeds and black peppercorns into the pan together. When they are ready you may see a light fragrant haze (not smoke) appearing from the pan. As soon as they are ready tip them onto a second metal tray to cool down. Keeping the spices separate from the nuts makes the crushing easier.
Once everything has cooled down, we can blend the mix together. Pour the spices into the mortar and begin to pound them together. Remember this is not a spice blend so don’t get carried away.
When the spices are broken down add the rest of the ingredients to the mortar along with the salt. Start to pound again until everything is finely crushed, but not pulverized.
If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, The crushing can be done in a mincer or an electric blender, but don’t overdo it or the oils from the nuts and seeds will form a paste running the blend.
Dukkha should always be a crushed dry mixture, and definitely not a paste.
Once ready the Dukkha be stored for a few weeks in an air-tight screw-top jar. If you have any leftover or need to store it longer, keep it in a sealed plastic box in the freezer. It should be fine for up to two months.
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
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.