Winter warmers…

I posted some pictures yesterday of desserts which had been made as part of our topic in our English Conversation group, English puddings! We decided not just to talk about them, but to bring them, and show them and share them! So that is what we did; treacle tart, fruit pie and bread and butter pudding. We will save crumble for another time!

I thought I would share the recipes with you:

Judith’s treacle tart

Pastry

• 150 gr plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 75 gr unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cold water

1. Mix icing sugar and flour together in a bowl,
2. Add butter and rub it in with your fingertips so it looks like breadcrumbs (or use a mixer)
3. Mix egg  yolk, lemon juice and water and put into flour and butter, pull it together gently into a ball (if it is too dry add a tiny amount of water)
4. Put it in the fridge wrapped in cling film  for at least 15mins
5. Roll out pastry and put into greased tin and bake blind (see above)

Filling

• 350gr golden syrup (treacle)
• 50 gr unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons double cream
• 1 large egg
• Pinch of salt
• 125 grn slightly stale (old) breadcrumbs
• Zest of lemon (grated skin of lemon)

1. Put syrup in a pan and heat gently over low heat
2. Take it off the heat and stir in melted butter
3. Beat the cream and eggs together then stir into the syrup and butter
4. Stir in salt breadcrumbs and lemon zest
5. Pour into pastry case
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until it is golden and set
7. Leave it to get cold in the tin
8. Serve with cream or yoghurt

Lois’s apple and plum pie

Pastry

• 12 oz plain flour (you can use part bread flour if you want)
• 3 oz butter or margarine
• 3 oz vegetable shortening (or lard)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolk
• A little cold water

1. Mix flour and salt and add butter and rub it in with your fingertips so it looks like breadcrumbs (or use a mixer)
2. Mix in beaten egg yolk
3. Mix in water very carefully not putting in too much
4. Roll into a ball and leave for a few minutes
5. Take ⅔ of the pastry, roll out and put into your pie dish and bake blind (see above)

Filling

Apples, plums, or any fruit you like; cook gently in a little water, add sugar or honey to your taste, add cloves or sweet spices, to your taste.

1. Fill your baked pastry case with cooked fruit
2. Roll out remaining ⅓ pastry; wet the top of the baked pastry with a little water or milk, lay on the rolled out pastry and press down then cut off the extra pastry
3. Make it look pretty round the edge with a fork, paint with beaten egg or milk, scatter some sugar on top
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, checking to make sure it’s not too brown
5. It is ready when it looks golden and delicious!
   serve with cream or custard or yoghurt

Rose’s bread and butter pudding

• 50 gr dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants etc) – or you can leave them out. They are very nice if you soak them in orange juice or brandy overnight
• 75 gr slightly salted butter (you may need a little more than this)
• 8 slices old slightly stale (old) bread (fruit bread, sourdough, panettone… whatever you have. I have also used brown bread and it’s very nice)

Custard

• 200 ml whole milk
• Vanilla (essence, pod, paste… whatever you have)
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 100 ml double cream
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Grated nutmeg

Butter the bread, (cut big slices in half), and arrange half of it in a buttered dish; scatter with half of the fruit

1. Put the milk in a small pan with the vanilla and heat (do not boil it)
2. Take it off the heat and add the lemon zest and let it cool
3. Beat the eggs and caster sugar together
4. (if you used a vanilla pod, take it out of the milk)
5. Mix the cream, milk and eggs together, stirring well
6. Pour half the milk mixture over the bread and leave for 20 minutes
7. Put the rest of the bread into the dish and our on the rest of the milk mixture and the fruit
8. Put little bits of butter all over the dish, sprinkle with the brown sugar and nutmeg
9. Put a big tin in the oven with some water in the bottom, and out the pudding dish into the water (not too much water) cook at 180◦ C for 35-45 minutes until golden
10. Take it out of the oven and let it stand for ten minutes before serving