Preheat your oven to 180℃ and brush a 18cm x 26cm ceramic dish with melted butter. Crinkle together two sheets of phyllo pastry by folding them like an accordion. Place them against the longer side of the dish. Repeat with the remaining pastry and keep stacking the crinkled sheets until the dish is filled and you have no phyllo left. Take a butter knife and open up/space the crinkles of the pastry evenly within the dish. Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle over the melted butter. Put the dish back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Crumble the feta in to a bowl and set aside. Add the eggs and sour cream to another bowl, whisk together and pour over the feta. Add the milk and whisk everything together. Pour the mixture evenly over the stacked phyllo sheets and sprinkle the sesame seeds over. Nudge the side of the pastry with a spatula to distribute the custard evenly on the sides of the dish. Bake the pie for 40 minutes and serve immediately.
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a medium loaf tin with baking paper. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together. Add the honey with the mixer running and then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the mixture down and mix for another minute. Mix the flour and ground cinnamon and add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture while mixing. Continue adding flour until you have none left. Mash the bananas and cut the dates into small pieces with scissors. Add the fruit to the the batter and mix for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter in to the prepared loaf tin and level out the top. Scatter the pistachios over and bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes – check the loaf with a skewer to see if its done. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before lifting it out of the baking tin. Drizzle the remaining 15ml honey over the warm cake and allow to cool. Slice into thick slices and serve along a cup of Turkish coffee.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 10cm x 21cm loaf pan with baking paper. Add the almonds and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Spoon the nuts into a bowl and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix through and then spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl. Set both bowls aside. Sift the flour in to a mixing bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the 250ml of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until it forms a soft dough – add a few drops of milk at a time if the mixture needs more liquid. Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Gently knead the dough until it JUST comes together. Now place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll to a 20cm x 35cm rectangle. Brush the surface with the egg and scatter over the nuts. Start from a short end and roll up like a Swiss roll. Place in the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour. Stand in the pan for 10 minute, remove from the baking tin and place on a cooling rack to cool.
For the syrup: Add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes while stirring. Now boil it without stirring for another 5 minutes and take it from the heat. Pierce the top of the warm loaf with a skewer and drizzle half the syrup over. Sprinkle the reserved two tablespoons nut mixture over the cake and stand for another 10 minutes. Serve the Baklava Loaf sliced with the remaining syrup.
1 x 375g puff pastry 45ml pomegranate seeds + extra to scatter over 125ml + 30ml icing sugar, sifted 250ml whipping cream 110g mascarpone 10ml rosewater
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unroll the pastry. Cut into 16 rectangles, place on the baking sheet and prick the surface with a fork. Lay another sheet of baking paper over the pastry and place another baking tray on top. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Add the pomegranate seeds to a small bowl and muddle it with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through a small sieve and reserve the juice. Add the 125ml icing sugar to the pomegranate juice and mix to a thick paste. If you need more liquid, add a few drops of water. Spoon the paste over 5 of the pastry rectangles and set aside. Add the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk to soft peaks. Add the mascarpone, rosewater and 30ml icing sugar and whisk to stiff peaks. Place 5 pastry rectangles on a serving platter. Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the pastry, place another piece of pastry on top and add the rest of the mascarpone on top. Now place the pastry with the icing sugar on top of each mille-feuille and scatter over some pomegranate seeds.
1 egg 62ml sugar 125ml milk 15ml melted butter 250ml flour 10ml baking powder 1ml salt 3 pears, cut into 0,5cm thick slices 250ml mascarpone cream, room temperature 80ml syrup
Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour about half the milk and all of the melted butter into the bowl and whisk until amalgamated. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk again. Now gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk to form a silky smooth batter. Place a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and fry spoonfuls of the batter until golden. Flip the flapjack after three minutes and cook for another minute or so. Add a small knob of butter to the pan and fry the sliced pear over high heat until slightly charred. Build a stack by layering a flapjack, slice of pear, dollop of mascarpone and then repeat twice more. Drizzle the syrup over and serve.
It might not be one of the prettiest bakes you will serve but wins all the accolades for simplicity, speed and flavour!!!
250ml sugar 250ml water 250ml blueberries 3 pears, peeled and sliced into 1,5cm chunks 2 apples, peeled and sliced into 1,5cm chunks 45ml brown sugar 5ml ground cinnamon 125g sugar 125g butter, room temperature 2 eggs 125g self-raising flour
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 20cm x 16cm ceramic dish with cooking spray. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches a boil. Cook for 1 minute without stirring. Now add the pear and apple chunks and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the fruit from the liquid, spread it in the baking dish and add the blueberries. Scatter the sugar and cinnamon over the fruits. Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on high speed. Turn the mixer on medium and add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl down and mix again. Run the mixer on low speed and add 1-2 tablespoons of flour at a time. Beat to incorporate between each addition. Spoon the batter on top of the fruit, spread it out evenly and bake for 45 minutes. Serve the dish warm with ice cream or custard.
280g flour 10ml baking powder 2,5ml salt 2,5ml garlic flakes 60ml chives, chopped 100g butter, cubed 1 egg 62ml cream 62ml yoghurt 50g cheese, grated egg wash: one egg yolk whisked with 15ml water
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the garlic flakes and chives and mix through. Add the cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Add the egg, cream, yoghurt and cheese to another bowl and mix to combine. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a pallet knife until combined. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough out to a 3-4cm thickness. Press the scones out with a 6cm biscuit cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray an oven tray/sheet pan with cooking spray. Add the sugar, flour and marshmallow to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, oil, cocoa powder and Coca Cola to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot mixture onto the marshmallow mixture and stir until well blended – some of the marshmallow will melt, but not all of it. Pour the buttermilk into a small bowl and dissolve the baking powder in it. Add to the rest of the mixture and mix through. Now add the eggs and vanilla and give the mixture a last stir. Pour the batter in to the prepared oven tray and bake for 45 minutes.
For the frosting: Sift the icing sugar in to a mixing bowl. Add the butter, cocoa powder and Coca Cola to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquids on to the icing sugar and blend well. Add the vanilla and nuts, stir through and spread onto the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Set aside and allow the cake to cool before serving.
For the filling: Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and pour in 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g sugar and whisk together. Set aside. Pour the 450ml milk and 50g sugar into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to just before boiling point and take off the heat. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir until very thick and then cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the custard onto a dinner plate and cover with plastic wrap. Push the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Your should make TWO batches of filling, separately.
For the cake: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed. Add another third, mix and then the remaining flour and mix again. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: YOU WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT, YOU DONT WANT TO BOIL THE MILK! Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly, pour in the milk. Scrape down the sides and the base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and then drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning the cakes out on cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Assembling the cake: Slice the cake horizontally so that you have 4 cake discs. Spread the custard evenly on to each cake layer and stack them on a serving platter. Roast the flaked almonds in a dry pan, allow to cool and scatter over the cake to serve.
125ml warm milk 5ml instant yeast 325g flour 45ml sugar 5ml salt 95ml boiling water 30ml butter, room temperature 300g mozzarella cheese 30ml milk
Pour the milk in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Stir to dissolve and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and drizzle in the boiling water. Mix for 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer on medium speed and add the milk and yeast mixture. Mix for another 3 minutes. Now add the butter a little at a time, with the mixer running on medium-high. Mix/knead for 10 minutes. Drizzle a few drops of oil in a large bowl , place the dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size. Take the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface. Divide it into 12- 15 equal portions, cover lightly with plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes. Grease a 22cm x 22cm dish with butter. Slice the mozzarella into sticks of 6-8cm x 1cm x1cm. Now roll the dough to a width of about 10cm x 15cm. Place a mozzarella stick on it, fold over and then cut the bottom of the pastry into thin strips. Roll the dough into a log and place in the prepared dish. Keep going until you have no dough and/or mozzarella left. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 170℃. Brush the bread with the milk and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the wool bread, take it from the dish and serve while warm.
My Whisk and I 