For You dbs.......

Sometimes - you get an impression of someone.

Hullo ma wee blog,


Seems like blogger pal dbs has a problem. He's got too many apples and is struggling to know what to do with them. While this may not solve the problem entirely, I hope it goes some way to making the solution that more enjoyable. If I have you sussed out properly - and I think I do, this may make quite a dent in the problem. 

THREE-MINUTE PASTRY.  

This farmhouse pastry method was taught to me by my wifes's Aunt {and Godmother} in Switzerland who uses it to make the most incredibly delicious tarts {called 'dunne' doon-eh} which we love. There's no need for any of the ingredients to be chilled or to go into the fridge at any time and the speed of making the pastry is breathtaking for a completely hand-made pastry which is used raw without any need for baking 'blind'. While it's ideal for these little tarts, giving a really crisp thin pastry shell for them, I wouldn't use it for tarts where the filling ingredients are really wet. The secret of success is that the whole should be light and flavoursome with a perfectly cooked filling and an extra thin crisp base which cooks quickly in a hot oven. To help this, the liquid mixture should be applied sparingly, poured over all the filling but still barely covering the base for fruit - which makes the fruit the star of the show - and a bit more generously for a savoury filling like cheese which would burn unless there is some protection from the liquid content. These are so easy to make and so quick, that I'm sure a wee bit of experimentation will be only too easy to do.


Take 55 grams of butter or margarine. Melt gently in a pan.
Add 100 mils of water and a pinch of salt.
Add 200 grams of sifted plain flour. 

Method. 

Stir until the dry and wet ingredients are thoroughly but barely combined. I know this sounds odd but just don't over-work it......

Remove the dough from the pan and press together in a rough ball but do not knead.

Wrap in cling film and leave aside for a minimum two hrs but preferably 6-8 hrs at room temperature.  

Once the dough has rested, unwrap and divide into two.

Without kneading roll out each portion into a thin disk sufficient to fill an eight inch tart tin. (ungreased) Don't worry if it tears - this is the ideal pastry for any beginner and is very forgiving - just use any excess to patch any areas of concern. 

Believe it or not - that's the hard part done!


Prepare filling.


Take half a cup of single cream and add one egg and beat together along with one teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch) dissolved in some more single cream.
Slice the fruit of your choice e.g. Apple, pear or any fruit you fancy into thin or medium slices and arrange neatly in the pastry case. (Unripe or ’sharp’ fruit may need some sugar added before cooking and a wee touch as served) 
Carefully pour over the cream mixture – do not flood the pastry case, use minimum liquid needed to provide a thin layer on the bottom of the pastry case.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 220 degrees. 

This is an odd pastry which is ideal for these small tarts. As well as the sweet fruit tarts, the base is also ideal for savoury fillings such as cheese – I use Gruyère – or cheese, ham and leek. Whatever the filling, these tarts are best made with only a shallow filling that helps the pastry to cook quickly enough in a hot oven so that it doesn’t become soggy once the cream/egg mixture has been added. The pastry may shrink away from the edges of the tin, but that's okay. After all, we're just making something to eat, not something for show.

The sweet tarts are ideal served at room temperature and to be honest I just serve it with some of that really cheap aerosol cream, but lightly whipped fresh cream would be perfect.

 And that's just hard as it gets.

So, dbs, I hope that solves some of the problems you've got with your rather bountiful harvest at present. I don't suppose for a second that will use up all the apples, but these little tarts taste so good and are so easy to make that I'm sure you and the family will really enjoy them and that should get rid of a lot of those apples!

Let me know how you get on.
p.s. They're not fattening until you eat them - so why not give some away????

dbs' highly addictive wee blog can be found here.

See you later.

Listening to:

A Good Lunch

The Bridge To Nowhere, Dunbar.

Hullo ma wee blog,

Salmon fillets steamed over water and cider vinegar, green leaves of watercress and spinach, tomatoes and cucumber and a dressing of toasted sesame oil and a few drops or so of lime juice. Nice peppery leaves, nutty oil and the tang of citrus, sweetness from the tomatoes, the earthiness of the cucumber and the luxury of the salmon given a few nice twists of sea salt from the grinder all went together perfectly with a cold glass of cider.

Absolutely stonking.

Well done that man!

See you later.

Listening to

Eat! Drink and be Mary?

Hullo ma wee blog,

No. Don't worry. The post name just reflects my love of puns.........

Today I'm feeling a bit frustrated and jaded at the same time.

 A letter dropped through the door from one of my insurance companies saying that they have not had any paperwork and do I still have a claim I want to make against my payment protection insurance. I had missed this company from the list of credit cards for which I had payment protection when made redundant last year but had eventually twigged that I had protection and raised a backdated claim. To do this I got the insurance company to send me a form which I completed, then sent to my old employers for them to complete and return - which they did - then I passed it to good old Job Center plus, our friendly Govt dept of unemployed persons, so they could do their bit. Once this is done, they send it off {they won't give it back to you for you to send 'recorded' delivery as they don't trust you not to tamper with the information they provide} except in this case, despite me checking with them and getting assurances it had all been dealt with - the insurance company have never received it. Now, of course, it's possible that JC+ have done their part correctly and the Royal Mail have fouled up, but my constant struggle to get claims filed suggests to me that my local office have proved their incompetence once again and not actually sent the form.

 IF YOU WOULD JUST GIVE ME BACK THE COMPLETED FORMS AND LET ME SEND THEM RECORDED DELIVERY LIKE I ASKED THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN, YOU BUNCH OF PETTY RULE BOUND MORONS!!!

Ah...........that's better.

On top of that I feel a bit jaded today and my lovely G is going through a review at work today and has been keyed up through all day yesterday - which was May day holiday here - and will no doubt be coming home frazzled too.

So I'm going to make us a Thai Green Curry for tonight's dinner. We need something to perk us up and I'm kind of longing for something with the sour zing of lime and a kick of chili behind it, or maybe lemon and cracked black pepper depending on what looks best at the supermarket later. So I'll do my best to drive the blues away for us both tonight.

recipe Thai Green Chicken Curry

first stick a couple of beers in the cold part of the fridge. Most important. Don't proceed with the rest of the recipe if this step is missed - ok, at a push a really cold dry white wine.......

Thai Green Spice Paste

4 Green birds eye chillies - maybe try 2 without the seeds first time if you don't like it too hot
2 Stalks of lemon grass - do the usual, taking outer leaves off and slightly crush then roughly chop for the  blender to do the rest
6 lime leaves or lime zest and juice if I cant find them - lime leaves rolled then finely shredded
6 tablespoons minimum of coriander leaves
coriander stalks - as many as possible from a  bunch { rest of the leaves for garnish at serving}
3 garlic cloves
Fresh Ginger - a big fat thumbs worth peeled and chunked.

or buy a jar if short of time or are feeling lazy - but it's not the same

The rest.
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 shallots or a small/med onion chopped however you feel like
2 tablespoons fresh green peppercorns
12 cherry toms
250ml coconut milk
1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 3 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon Nam Pla - thai fish sauce
oil for frying
optional - handful of aubergine chunks or even better - a handful of those small Asian pea aubergines if I can ever find them.

Coriander leaves - however much you have to hand, with few mint and basil leaves torn up to go on at the end.
white rice/chapatis/naan bread/green salad - whatever I fancy, it's me that's eating it after all - you make your own!

Roughly chop everything for the paste - I leave the chili seeds in because I like it fairly hot. Whizz to a paste with a little - maybe 2 tablespoons - water to keep it loose.

Fry the onion for a couple of mins to soften, add the aubergine and cook for a few mins more - no more than 5 more mins maybe. Remove from pan and keep aside till later.
In same pan fry the spice paste until the water content evaporates - you might need  a touch more oil.
Halve the toms and throw them in for a few minutes. Add the onion/aubergine back in and warm through.  Add the chicken/stock and then the coconut milk and the fish sauce. Cook at med heat until chicken is how you like it. Taste and check the seasoning - add pepper or fish sauce or lime juice to taste - even some raw sliced fresh chili if your up to it.

Throw over the rest of the leaves and serve with what you fancy

YUM!

Inspiration from a Nigel Slater recipe.

I feel better just writing that and thinking it through as I go.

Hungry now - HOW long before the lovely G is home?????