Saturday, 26 November 2011

Saffron Scones. Low fat = 36 cal per scones.

225 g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
40 g butter
150 ml milk
20 saffron filaments infused in 15ml of hot milk
2 tablespoon boiling water

Method:
Pre-heated oven, 220ºC (425ºF).
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
Transfer to a greased baking tray, mix together well then rub in butter.
Mix the saffron infusion into the milk and reserve 30 ml of the fluid, mix the remaining milk and saffron into the flour, to form a soft dough.
On a floured surface, gently pat out the dough to about 1 cm (0.5 inch) thickness.
Make the 27 small scones using cutter D2.5 cm and brush with the remaining saffron milk fluid.
Place in a pre-heated oven, 220ºC (425ºF), for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool on a baking tray.

Friday, 18 November 2011

Fruit and cobnut crumble cream.

By Yottam Ottolenghi
From Great British Food Revival
Make the best of autumnal produce with this scrumptious pudding that can be made well in advance. You will need a baking tray that snugly fits the pears and apples, and four large glasses or glass bowls.

Ingredients

4 small pears, peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in dice

2 tbsp lemon juice

4½ tbsp caster sugar

2 medium cooking apples, preferably Bramley variety, peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in dice

16 blackberries

40g/1½oz wholemeal flour

40g/1½oz plain flour

50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes

25g/1oz soft brown sugar

pinch of salt

100g/3½oz dried cobnuts or hazelnuts
For the cream

150ml/5fl oz double cream

100ml/3½fl oz Greek yoghurt

100ml/3½fl oz mascarpone

1 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground star anise
Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Mix the pears, lemon juice and 1½ tablespoons of the caster sugar in a bowl. Spread the pears out on the baking tray, cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven. After 10 minutes, add the apples, cover with the foil again and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Crush the fruit with a fork, set aside to cool then fold in the blackberries.

To make the crumble, place both the flours in a mixing bowl with the butter and sugar and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread out on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the cream, place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to soft peaks, taking care not to over-whisk.

To assemble, spoon two thirds of the crumble into the bottom of the serving glasses. Cover with two thirds of each of the fruit mixture, cream and nuts. Add the remaining crumble followed by the remaining third of the fruit and cream. Scatter over the remaining nuts and serve at once, or chill for a few hours. If you are serving the dish chilled, scatter over the nuts at the last minute.

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