Chef Rælf's Elfish Mince Pies recipe

Chef Rælf would like to thank Good Fairy Delia for the inspiration for the flakey pastry recipe used in his Elfish Mince Pies. 

Makes 4 - I used a 4 hole Yorkshire tin.

Flakey Pastry ingredients are: 150g plain flour, 100g coarsely grated slightly salted butter (pop butter in freezer for 45 mins. before grating), 20g icing sugar and the zest of half a lemon. Method: Using a metal spatula, first mix the ‘dry’ ingredients, then add  a mix of the juice of 1/2 lemon and @ 45ml of chilled water a tbs at a time (don’t use your hands, continue to use the spatula using a stirring and cutting action until it comes together). Cling wrap and chill for at least 30 mins before rolling out @ 3mm thick. Cut four 12cm circles and the ears, noses and beards.  

The ‘crumble’ topping is made as follows: Mix the pastry offcuts with plain flour to a combined weight of 75g. Wizz this together with 20g butter to achieve fine breadcrumbs. Decant into a bowl and add 20g slivered almonds and 30g demerara sugar, then 'crumble' together by hand. 

Set oven the 200ºC (gas 6). Blind bake the base circles (not nose, ears and beard) for 15 mins.

Allow to cool and little, then fill each pie with @ 2 tbs mincemeat (see my boozy mincemeat recipe), top with crumble mix, add the flakey pastry ears, nose & beard, plus the eyes (halved glacé cherries), brush added pastry with milk and bake for 15-20 mins.

Randolph's Easy Christmas Cake recipe

Ælf's Boozy Mincemeat recipe - hot off the press

Lightly spiced rice, apricot and almond salad recipe, perfect for a BBQ

This is really tasty rice dish first tried by me in the 70's! Inevitably, given the time interval, I've misplaced the original recipe - and the two intervening wives - but I think this version is just as tasty as the original. (Clare, in case you get to read this, of course, you are the tastiest of them all!)

Nowadays, I prepare the dish using the BBQ... in those long moments one has to wait for the charcoal to turn from black & smokey, to red, to grey - ready for the main dish.

You'll need a saucepan and frying pan that you are prepared to either 'sacrifice' for BBQ use only or scour thoroughly after use, as both will become smoke tarnished.

I've included the recipe on my food blog following a specific request from Krista.

Ingredients (for 2/3 as a side dish) 

120g Basmati rice
1 tbs mild olive oil
1 white onion, chopped (@90g)
80g ready to eat dried apricots, sliced in 2mm strips
40g toasted flaked almonds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder (e.g. madras)
1 tsp garam masala
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (more to taste)
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Method

Using the saucepan, pour at least 3/4 litre freshly boiled water over rice, add a good pinch of salt and place over recently lighted BBQ coals (they're probably flaming at this point). When the rice starts boiling, stir once (!) and move to a position where the rice continues to boil for 8 minutes (9 max, otherwise the rice will stick together). Drain immediately and leave to cool in strainer.

Next place frying pan (or wok/paella dish) on BBQ and, once hot, pour in the oil and add the diced onions. Fry and turn until opaque (3/4 mins.) then add the sliced dried apricots, most of the flaked almonds and the cumin seeds. Continue frying for a few minutes before adding the turmeric, curry powder and salt. Combine thoroughly and remove from heat.

You're now in the final stage. Combine the drained rice, garam masala, remaining flaked almonds, freshly ground pepper, lemon zest and juice with the onion mix. 'Toss' lightly (so as not to damage the rice).

Voila - ready to serve with, for example, BBQ'd lamb and a greek salad; grilled fish (sardines/mackerel go especially well); or pork Char Sui... Yum or to continue in the Raymond Blanc idiom 'Superbe!"

Chocolate Victoria Sponge Recipe (all-in-one)

This all-in-one chocolate sponge recipe is a doddle to make and delivers great results every time....

.... BUT...

.... To avoid burning out your handheld mixer, I recommend using either a stand mixer (e.g. Kenwood or KitchenAid) or a heavy-duty hand mixer (such as a Dualit) or be prepared to emulate Paul Hollywood's bread dough mixing skills - as it's his recipe that's the inspiration for my chocolate sponge!

First lightly butter 2 deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins and base line (be careful on sizing, as I first used standard `Victoria' sponge tins, and ended up with 'mushroom topped' sponges).

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºc/gas mark 4 and soften the butter (either to soft room temperature, or by microwaving for 60 seconds at the 'low'/defrost setting).

Ingredients (in order!!!)

sift together (twice, ideally):
200g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
30g good quality cocoa
pinch of salt

Add:
230g golden caster sugar

Mix

Then add:
230g softened butter
4 eggs lightly beaten (medium/large - total weight around 230g)

Mix at a low speed until evenly combined (warning - it'll be heavy going!). Stop at the moment the mixture looks even coloured and use a metal spoon to ensure there's no dry ingredients sticking to the base of the bowl.

Divide the mixture between the 2 tins - the pre-greased base will help to keep the liners in place - and smooth, then bake for 25 minutes. At this point (as I have a Rayburn) I turn the sponges and give them a further 5 minutes. The sponges should be golden, slightly shrunken from the sides and feel firm to the touch.

Leave for 5 minutes, then transfer (on their bases) to cool on a wire rack.

Now to assemble!

For me, the essential sandwich layer is raspberry jam or fresh raspberries (@ 100g) with either:

Softened chocolate spread (Whole Earth lightly whipped chocolate or hazelnut spread are both worth a try - 30 seconds, low setting, in the microwave works for me)

or, more traditionally, 150ml whipped cream

Better still, make a chocolate ganache (melt 200g good quality chocolate - for me Green & Black's every time, half milk/half plain in 200g single cream, over a bain-marie. Then allow to cool for a while) and use half to sandwich the sponge and half to coat the top.

End result - GONE IN MINUTES. At least, it is in my household!

UPDATE:

Since publishing, I've discovered Opies Black Cherries with kirsch. AND Wilkin & Sons - Tiptree -Cherry Fruit Spread (sweetened with grape juice concentrate, rather than sugar). Substitute these ingredients for raspberry jam/fresh raspberries in the 'sandwich' and the results are SUBLIME!

Raspberry, lemon and yogurt cake recipe

This light, fluffy and very moreish raspberry and yogurt cake has its origins in Yeo Valley's tea rooms. Their whole milk natural yogurt is, of course, my first choice for this recipe (when I find it on offer, I also use their butter).

Try this cake while it is still warm, with a dollop of clotted cream and you'll love it - guaranteed!!

I've left their original recipe pretty much untouched, other than adding a few extra raspberries to the drizzle and reducing the amount of sugar used for the cake's 'frosting'.

You'll need a 2 lb loaf tin and, ideally, a suitably sized pre-formed non-stick liner (otherwise use non-stick baking parchment).

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC or gas mark 4.

Ingredients:

115g softened unsalted butter
225g golden caster sugar
2 large free range eggs

250g plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
grated rind of one lemon (juice reserved for 'frosting')
25g ground almonds

100g whole milk natural yogurt (Yeo Valley's if you can find it)

250g raspberries (200g to add to the cake mixture, plus 50g for the frosting)

50g granulated sugar (plus the reserved lemon juice and raspberries)

Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar - as this is a relatively low fat to sugar ratio, 'putting some welly' into this early stage will really pay dividends (a hand held electric beater is ideal for this). Then beat in the first egg - again, beat the egg in thoroughly to achieve a really pale, light mixture.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the ground almonds and lemon zest. Add a heaped tablespoon of this flour mix to the batter along with the second egg and beat until thoroughly combined.

Now tip in the remaining flour mix and add the yogurt. Combine using a light folding action.

Spread around one third of this mix into the bottom of the prepared cake tin, and dot 75g of the raspberries on top, add another third of the mix, smooth this evenly and scatter over another 75g of raspberries (I use the raspberries to level the mixture). Finally add the remaining cake mix and the remaining 50g of raspberries, pressing them lightly into the surface.

Pop into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, by which time it should have risen to near the top of the loaf tin and have a well browned surface. Turn the cake through 180º and continue baking for a further 25 minutes. To stop it over-browning, at this stage, cover with either baking parchment or foil  (or place a cold baking sheet on a shelf above the cake). After a total cooking time of around 70 minutes, check that it is baked - it should feel firm when the surface is lightly pressed; if not, return to the oven for a further 5/10 minutes (without the protective foil).

Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the glaze/frosting: in a small pan, gently heat the reserved lemon juice, raspberries and 50g granulated sugar. Stir gently and once the sugar is disolved, crush the raspberries against the side of the pan. Strain this glaze over the cake and, after a further 5 minutes, remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm, with clotted cream as a dessert, or store in an airtight tin and enjoy a slice (with clotted cream if you have some left!) with an espresso or for afternoon tea.

The Ultimate Recipe for Scones - that'll Keep!

Delicious, light, fluffy scones - with a hint of almond. Just as nice the next day!

My recipe for the ‘Ultimate Scone that’ll keep(!)’ is based upon one of the most highly rated scone recipes I’ve found. I believe that Jane Hornby’s original Classic Scone recipe was first printed in the BBC’s Good Food magazine in 2007 and it fully warrants its 5 star rating. There’s absolutely no doubt that it’s a marvel, in no small part due to the 'tips' outlined in the method, which I have not been able to better.

My problem has been that, as there’s just two of us, however hard we try (!) we cannot finish a batch of scones on the day they’re baked. I know good scones can be frozen and, after defrosting, can be reheated BUT what a faff (i.e. it’s quicker to bake another batch!) and, the truth is, they’re still second best.

So, after lots of trial and error, I’ve ‘tinkered’ with the ingredients (but NOT the method!) and now bake scones that can be enjoyed fresh from the oven and, if stored in an airtight container, are still delicious the next day (and even 2 or 3 days after baking, not that they’ll ever last that long).

Before launching into the recipe, a quick word of advice. As with just about any ‘cake’ recipe, it’s very important to be accurate with your weights and measures. This recipe takes precision a step further, in that every element - oven temperature, timing and order of events - needs to be followed with just as much rigour. This done, perfect results every time!

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Gas 7

Ingredients (in sequence)

300g Self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
85g cubed and fridge-cold butter

pinch of salt
3 level tablespoons caster sugar
50g ground almonds

150ml milk
squeeze of lemon juice
most of 1 beaten egg (I use a large free range egg)
tip of a spoon of vanilla bean paste
½ tsp almond extract

the remaining beaten egg

Method
1. Sift the SR flour and baking powder into a large bowl
2. Rub in the cubed butter using your fingertips. Take your time over this as the butter must be thoroughly combined
3. Using a spatula (or even better a baker’s scraper) mix in the caster sugar, ground almonds and salt
4. Pop a baking sheet into the oven
5. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds at full power. Whisk in the vanilla bean extract, almond extract and most of the beaten egg (leave a little to brush the top of the scones just before they go in the oven) and once combined, add the squeeze of lemon juice.
6. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the ‘milk mix’
7. Now you’re in a hurry for the remaining 4 stages(!), using a spatula or scraper, mix the ingredients using a cutting and turning action (in much the same fashion as you would if mixing in egg whites). Its quite a wet mix, don’t worry as this will encourage you to handle the ‘dough’ with kid gloves.
8. Turn the mix out onto a floured surface, dust your hands well with flour and lightly pat the dough into a ball (the baker’s scraper is a great tool to help you at this stage).
9. Pat the scone mix down very lightly (don’t be tempted to use a rolling pin - just use the flat of your hand) until it is about 2 inches (5cm) thick. Using a 2 inch round cutter dipped in flour cut out your first scones (aim for six). Reform the remainders into an oval - again using a very light touch - and cut two further scones.
10. Take the baking sheet from the oven, line it, ideally using Bake-o-glide, lay out the scones, brush the tops (only) with the reserved egg and pop in the oven for 10 minutes
11. After 10 minutes - and not before(!) - check the scones, turn them to ensure they brown evenly, and, if necessary, pop them back in for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
12. The end result should be a wonderfully risen ‘golden’ topped scone, that you should cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before enjoying with your favourite topping(s). Raspberry jam with a sprinkling of toasted almonds is a super treat.
13. Any remaining scones can be stored in an airtight container and enjoyed over the next day or two either cold or gently warmed through - the addition of egg and the ground almonds really does seem to turn these scones into ‘keepers’.