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.
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
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.
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!
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
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Making Sweet Pickled Cucumber is a great way of using up excess cucumber and giving a rather bland food an enticing lift.