110g/4oz plain flour, sifted.
Pinch of salt.
2 eggs.
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water.
50g/2oz butter.
Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing.
Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs – any sort of whisk or even a fork will do – incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk).
When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.
Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan.
Spoon two tablespoons of the butter into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find two tablespoons is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go.
As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be.
Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife – the other side will need a few seconds only – then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.
8 oz broken digestive biscuits.
3 ozs marge or butter.
1 tbs golden syrup.
1 tbs icing sugar (sieved).
1 tbs cocoa powder.
Chocolate buttons to decorate.
Method
Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag using a roller, or use a blender (works for me).
Place the following into a bowl over hot water. This will melt the butter and make mixing easier. (or use a microwave for ten seconds.)
Butter.
Sieved icing sugar.
Cocoa.
Mix together to form a dark brown paste.
Add the syrup and mix again.
Slowly, stir in the crushed digestive biscuits until the whole mixture is evenly brown.
Lightly press in to a round cake tin and mark out eight segments. Makes it easier to put the buttons on.
Decorate with chocolate buttons.
Put in a warm place so that the buttons set in place.
If there are too many chocloate buttons, don't worry, you'll find something to do with them.
Cream butter and sugar until pale, I use a hand whisk.
Add the sieved flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix all together slowly at first or you will get covered with the mixture.
Gently press into the tin and level out with a spatula (this gives a rough top).
With a fork prick all over.
Chill for 15 minutes.
Put in middle of the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Use a sharp knife to mark out.
When it is cool (not cold) sprinkle with caster sugar.
Chocolate Roulade
Ingredients
6oz Dark Chocolate.
5 Eggs – Separated.
8oz Castor Sugar.
3 to 4 Tablespoons of Hot Water.
½ Pint of Double Cream – Whipped.
Method
Pre Heat Oven to 180 C.
Melt chocolate and water over another bowl of hot water.
When melted and fixed, set aside.
Whisk egg whites until firm snow
Then mix egg yolk and sugar until a lemon colour.
To this add the chocolate and fold in egg whites using a metal spoon.
Pour into a shallow swiss roll tin lined with grease proof paper.
Bake for 20 minutes or firm to touch.
Have ready a clean t-towel, rung out in cold water.
Take cake out of the oven and cool for 5 minutes only.
Then cover with the t-towel. This prevents a sugary crust forming.
Cool for 12 hours or overnight in the fridge.
TO SERVE.
Turn upside down on T- Towel. Take off tin and paper in little strips.
Spread whipped cream and roll roulade up with T-Towel.
Dust with icing sugar, just before serving and decorate.
Chocolate Custard
Ingredients
1 1/2 pt milk
26g corn flour
58g sugar
58g cocoa
Method
Mix cornflour, sugar and cocoa with 1/4 pt cold milk until smooth in a two pint container.
Boil the rest of the milk and pour into the container.
Mix until smooth.
Bring back to boiling.
Pour all of it into a two pint serving jug.
TIPS:
To make before needed, cook, then use grease proof paper, larger than top of jug to cover the custard. Make the paper damp using a little water and press down on top while it is still warm. This will prevent a skin forming. Microwave and remove the paper before serving.
Chocolate Up and Over
Ingredients
Sponge
3 ozs self raising flour.
1 oz cocoa.
4 ozs Marge.
4 ozs sugar.
2 eggs. Sauce
1 tbs cocoa.
2 ozs Demerara sugar or white.
1/2 pt black coffee (3 teaspoon instant coffee and hot water).
Method
Pre heat oven to 180
Grease a 2pt oven dish.
Sieve flour and cocoa add all the sponge ingredients and beat well, I use a whisk.
Pour into oven dish and level the top.
Put all sauce ingredients into a jug stir well and pour over the top of the sponge.
(In cooking, it will go under the sponge.)
Bake at 180 for 40 minutes.
Apple Pie
Ingredients
Use either short crust pastry or Nanny Hall's pastry. (See links below).
4 apples
6 cloves
Method
Dust the board with flour.
Cut pastry in half.
Roll out one half and put into dish bottom.
Roll out the top.
Put cold apples in pie use your fingers or a pastry brush to wet round top to seal top to bottom
Put top on apples and press round the edge with a fork.
Brush with milk.
Put into oven and cook for 30 mins, or until cooked.
Sprinkle with sugar.
Tips.
To stop apples going brown when preparing, cut into sections, take skin off and cut out core. Put the apple pieces into a bowl of cold salt water.
I usually use the microwave and cook a few at a time.
Allow the apple to cool down before using for pie.
If using fresh cherries, place the cherries, sugar, cinnamon stick and wine into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Strain and transfer the cherries to a bowl, keep the juice.
If using canned cherries, drain the cherries and retain the juice.
Return the juice to the pan and rapidly boil for 10-12 minutes until reduced to a thick syrup
Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Stir the cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and icing sugar into the Mascarpone and mix until smooth.
Add the Marsala, Vinsanto or sherry and chill until required.
To serve.
Top the cherries with the Mascarpone cream, sprinkle with the biscuits and drizzle with the syrup.
TIPS.
Get a jar of cherries from Lidl.
Put into individual dishes once preparations are complete and keep in the fridge until ready to serve
Also works with raspberries.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Serves 4/6
Pastry
6 ozs Plain Flour
2ozs Marge
2 ozs Lard
Extra flour for rolling out pastry
Line a 8 inch flan dish/sponge tin with pastry and bake blind (empty).
For the filling, in a pan combine cornflour, sugar, grated lemon rind ( fine grater) and lemon juice made up to 1/2 pt with water.
Bring to the boil, stirring. Beat in butter and then the egg yolks, pour into your flan case.
For the top.
Whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, add 2 ozs sugar whisk until firm and shinny.
Add 2 ozs of remaining caster sugar with cornflour and fold with a tablespoon into egg whites.
Spread over flan making sure it goes over pastry edges to seal in lemon filling.
Bake in slow oven for 25/ 30 minutes until set and golden.
Pavlova
Ingredients
3 large fresh egg whites.
6ozs caster sugar. For topping.
10fl ozs cream whipped.
12ozs soft fruit: raspberries, strawberry, blueberries/kiwi etc.
Method
The hardest thing is separating the egg yolks as it will not whip if a small amount is used, very easy to make and looks good.
Pre heat oven 150c.
Baking paper sheet and mark out a circle (Size of the pavlova).
Turn paper over (you can still see the circle) and place on a flat tin.
Place egg whites In a clean dry bowl and whisk whites until until they form soft peaks and you can turn bowl upside down without it sliding out, do not over beat, add about 1ozs of sugar at a time and whisk in until all the sugar is in.
Put tablespoons in blobs all round your circle on the paper until they all join up and filled in. Use a fork and lift peeks up to decorate.
Place in oven and turn heat DOWN to 140 and leave to cook for 1 hour.
Turn the heat OFF but leave in the oven, to dry out, if you can, leave overnight.
To serve, lift off paper and place on a serving dish.
Just before you serve whip the cream and spread cream on top then decorate with fruit.
1 Chocolate Blancmange.
1 Pint of Milk.
1/4 Pint of Milk or Cream.
40g Sugar.
3 Heaped teaspoons of Coffee.
3 Tablespoons of hot water.
The blancmange usually come in packs of three, Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. If using the vanilla one mix a little cocoa with it. Use the strawberry for what you want except with plain or chocolate shortbread. That's just wrong!
STOP PRESS! You can get just chocolate blancmange on Amazon.
Method
Crumble
Crumble it all up so that it has an even consistency and set it aside.
Coffee Blancmange
Mix the coffee with the hot water in a cup and set aside.
Mix the rest of the contents with the 1/4 pint of milk or cream.
Pour in the coffee and stir well
Bring the 1 pint of milk to the boil.
Gradually add the mixture to the boiled milk stirring well.
Put the filling in an ovenproof dish and gently add the crumble mix to the top.
Place in the oven at gas mark 8 or 230 for about twenty minutes or until the top of the crumble goes golden brown.
Serve on top of ice cream, cream or milk, (or all three).
Sherry Trifle
Ingredients
1 strawberry sponge.
1 small tin pears plus 3 fl ozs juice.
1 tablespoon strawberry jam.
5 fl ozs dry sherry.
500g of a good custard.
Cream to taste if required. (Or add your own later).
Method
Put jam in bottom of your dish.
Slice the sponge into 1/2 inch slices and arrange round the dish.
Pour on sherry and pear juice.
Cut pears into small pieces and sprinkle over.
Then cover with the custard.
Nice prepared hours before on the day needed, you can cover this with beaten cream and decorate with fruit or serve the cream of your choice separately.
Treacle Sponge Pudding
Ingredients
Sponge
4 oz margarine.
4 oz caster suger
6 oz self raising flour.
A pinch of salt.
2 beaten eggs.
2 tablespoons milk.
Method
Grease a 2 pint heat-proof basin
Beat the margarine until soft then beat in the sugar.
Mix the flour and salt and add a little at a time, alternately with the beaten egg.
Fold in the milk.
Spoon into the greased basin. Smooth the top..
Cover with greased, greaseproof paper and foil, tucking edges securely around rim.
Either steam the pudding in a steamer/pressure cooker for thirty minutes,
OR, stand the basin in on an upturned saucer in a saucepan with enough water to come halfway up the basin.
Steam for 1 1/2 hours. Keep the water boiling, replenishing with boiling water as necessary.
Serve with custard, warmed golden syrup or jam sauce. (Maybe, all three.)
Chocolate Sponge Pudding
Ingredients
Sponge
4 oz margarine.
4 oz caster suger
5 oz self raising flour.
1 oz cocoa
A pinch of salt.
2 beaten eggs.
2 tablespoons milk.
Method
Grease a 2 pint heat-proof basin
Beat the margarine until soft then beat in the sugar.
Sieve the the flour and cocoa and mix with the salt. Add a little at a time to the margarine alternately with the beaten egg.
Fold in the milk.
Spoon into the greased basin. Smooth the top..
Cover with greased, greaseproof paper and foil, tucking edges securely around rim.
Either steam the pudding in a steamer/pressure cooker for thirty minutes,
OR, stand the basin in on an upturned saucer in a saucepan with enough water to come halfway up the basin.
Steam for 1 1/2 hours. Keep the water boiling, replenishing with boiling water as necessary.
Serve with custard, warmed golden syrup or jam sauce. (Maybe, all three.)