All posts by Ashley

Goat’s Cheese and Onion Tart

oniontart_3

I don’t bake savory things often, so when I do, I usually take a poll of what people would like me to attempt. When I asked the office about a savory tart – everyone immediately said cheese and onion tart. So of course, I went off in search of a cheese and onion tart that captured my interest and came upon this one.

After a few tweaks, I was fairly pleased with the way it turned out. So I made it again for Christmas brunch when I was in the States, and it was a hit!

Originally I presented this tart in a rectangular tin, which I actually prefer. These round tart images are from Christmas morning. I don’t know why, I just liked the angular nature of the rectangular tart with the round onions. Meh. Either way, it still tasted good!

Ingredients

  • 1 batch of shortcrust pastry
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 small red onions
  • fresh thyme
  • balsamic vinegar
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup double cream
  • 100 grams soft goat’s cheese
  • pancetta strips

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C), with a metal cookie sheet in the oven. Line your tart pan with the shortcrust pastry and trim off the extra from the edges. Line the pastry with some baking paper and fill with your pie weights. Place your pastry into the oven on the preheated pan and blind bake for 10 minutes. Next, remove the pie weights and allow your pastry to bake for a further 5 minutes.

oniontart_1

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Slice the onions, keeping their layers together. Gently place them into the heated oil along with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Allow them to cook on both sides until caramelized – then remove from the heat to a paper towel and brush with some balsamic vinegar.

3. Reduce the heat of your oven to  375°F (190°C). Then, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your eggs and cream, adding a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning. Crumble up your goat’s cheese, filling the pastry case, then pour the egg mixture over the cheese, not quite to the top. You’ll need to leave some space to allow for displacement when you put the onions in!

4. Carefully arrange the onions on the top of your tart, then top up the egg mixture if necessary. Add in a few sprigs of fresh thyme, as well as the pancetta strips, arranging however you’d like.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until set and just turning brown.

oniontart_2

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by Ashley on December 30, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Pies
Tagged , , ,

Posted by Ashley on December 30, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/12/30/goats-cheese-and-onion-tart/

Gingerbread Cookies

GingerbreadCake_1

Gingerbread cookies are probably the best cookies to make for Christmas. Really simple, just cut out and decorate with a bit of icing. I’ve actually made a bunch of these to use as Christmas ornaments on our tree, just up the spices a bit more so that they are a bit more aromatic and your house will smell wonderful as you’re making them.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup black treacle or 1 cup molasses
  • 5 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Directions

1. In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the hot water, baking soda, and black treacle/molasses.

3. Sift together the flour and the rest of the ingredients. With your mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture, alternating with the hot water mixture. You will start to get a pretty hefty dough, so be sure not to overwhelm your mixer. Once everything is mixed, place the dough in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.

4. Once the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough until it is 1/4-inch thick. Then cut the dough into whichever shapes you choose using some cookie cutters. If you want to make them into ornaments, cut a hole in the dough for the ribbon before baking, making it larger than you actually need to allow for the expansion during baking.

5. Bake for 13-17 minutes until done. Don’t let the edges turn too dark brown, or else the cookies will be pretty brittle. Allow them to cool completely on wire racks before decorating.

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by Ashley on December 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cookies
Tagged , ,

Posted by Ashley on December 25, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/12/25/gingerbread-cookies/

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

GingerbreadCake_3

So I hadn’t mentioned this earlier, but I sent in an application for the next series of the Great British Bake Off. One day, I received a very interesting phone call – one of the people who works on the show; he asked me a few questions and then asked if I would like to come in for an in-person interview for the next round of auditions. Of course, I said yes!!

I don’t know how I managed to stay so calm during my interview, I’m pretty sure I was speaking a mile a minute and I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. As soon as I got off the phone, I ran back upstairs to my desk at work with a grin bigger than the Cheshire Cat’s. I was going to audition. I had been selected out of thousands of applicants to have a chance to prove my baking skills.

I was given the instructions to bring some examples of my baking to show off my skills, and instantly my mind starting spinning – what should I make? I wanted something that would be a showstopper. Something that would represent me and my American-ness. Me and my Southern-ness. So I instantly thought to a recipe from Southern Living that I had been eyeing for some time – a chocolate gingerbread cake.

The following weekend, I did a trial bake to take to work for feedback. After a few suggestions and a bit of tweaking, I think I nailed my final recipe. I ended up making this cake three times – once for work as a trial, once for the audition, and a third time for Christmas Eve dinner to share with my family (who are probably more excited at my prospect than I am, as they immediately started planning out plot lines and how they’d ‘spin’ my story on the show).

Anyways, this cake does take a bit of time to prep and assemble. But it is worth it – it is so moist and delicious and it just looks and tastes like the holidays. Plus, the chocolate ganache and toffee layers in between the cakes are an extra decadent treat. The key is to take your time and try not to rush through.

As far as Bake Off goes, I’m awaiting the results to see if I’m invited to the next round – but hopefully this cake impressed! So, bakers, keep your fingers crossed!

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 16-ounce package (450 grams) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups (330 grams) flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 10-ounce (300 ml) container sour cream
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup black treacle or 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the chocolate ganache:
  • 2 cups dark chocolate
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
For the toffee layer:
  • 400 grams dairy toffee pieces
  • 1/4 cup (57.5 grams) butter
  • milk, if needed
For the ginger whipped cream:
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 5-6 1/8-inch slices peeled fresh ginger
  • 6 Tablespoons icing sugar
For decorating:

Directions

1. The night before you want to bake your cake, prepare the ginger whipped cream. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the cream and ginger for 3-5 minutes of just until bubbles appear. Be sure not to let the mixture boil. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, place in a container to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but overnight would be best. The colder your cream, the better it will whip!

2. When you’re ready to bake your cake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and line 3 round cake tins with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper. Next, begin your cake batter microwaving your chocolate in a bowl in 30-second bursts until melted. Be sure to stir the chocolate in between bursts to make sure it doesn’t burn!

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the melted chocolate, beating until it’s just blended.

4. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Gradually add this flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Make sure to begin and end your additions with the flour mixture. Beat at a low speed until everything just comes together. Next, stir together the hot water with the black treacle/molasses as well as the baking soda (this mix will foam a bit). Gradually stir the molasses mixture into the rest of the batter, as well as adding in the vanilla. Once your mixture is blended together, spoon the batter evenly into your 3 prepared cake tins.

5. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely (about an hour).

6. When the cakes are nearly cool, prepare your toffee mixture. In a glass bowl over simmering water, place your toffee pieces and butter together. Gently heat until the butter and candy begins to melt and become runny. You’ll need this to have a fairly runny consistency in order to spread over your cake. If you need to, you can add more butter or a bit of milk to help lighten the consistency. Once the toffee is melted, quickly spread a layer over the top of two of your cakes. Be careful not to work it too hard as it cools, because it can tear your cakes.

GingerbreadCake_2

7. Next, make your chocolate ganache. Similar to the toffee, melt your chocolate pieces and salt in a bowl over simmering water. Once everything is melted, add in the sweetened condensed milk; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until everything is smooth. Remove from the heat, then add in the butter and vanilla, stirring for 4-5 minutes until smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before transferring to another bowl. Add in the cream and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until it reaches the consistency of buttercream. If you need to, you can add a bit of icing sugar to help with the consistency. Once it’s ready, spread the ganache over your toffee layers.

8. Once all of your cakes are toffee-d and ganache-d, layer them up so that the cake with nothing on it is the top layer. Then whip up your chilled ginger cream to make the frosting. Pour the cream through a fine mesh strainer to remove the ginger pieces. Beat with a hand mixer on high speed until the mixture starts to foam. Then add in your icing sugar and continue to mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. Use the whipped cream immediately and spread over your cake.

9. Finally, decorate your cake however you’d like using fresh gingerbread cookies, mint, and cranberries.

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by Ashley on December 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cakes, GBBO Challenges, Holiday Baking
Tagged , , , , , ,

Posted by Ashley on December 25, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/12/25/chocolate-gingerbread-cake/

Mom’s Pecan Pie

pecanpie_1

Back in September, I attempted to make a pecan pie for the American pie challenge on Great British Bake Off. After a miserable failure, I vowed to stick to my mother’s recipe for all future pecan endeavors.

After a few weeks of waiting for mom to finish traveling, I finally had a copy of her recipe arrive in my inbox. So I made myself some pastry and began my second attempt at this troublesome tart. I whisked up the filling and carefully laid in the pecan halves, one by one. Then I held my breath as I anxiously placed it in the oven, gently sliding it into the center and praying that disaster didn’t strike a second time.

Boy had I wished I had done it the right way the first time around! Beautifully dark golden brown and crisp – I’d call this pie a success as well as true American classic!

Ingredients

  • 1 batch of sweet shortcrust pastry
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup (UK people, you can order this on Amazon!)
  • 1/4 cup (57.5 grams) unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pecan halves

pecanpie_2Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Line your pie dish (preferably one with a removable bottom, it’ll make your life easier) with the shortcrust pastry, then gently prick the base and sides with a fork. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over your pastry, then fill with baking beans and place in the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Carefully remove your baking beans and foil, then return to the oven for another 2 minutes.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Stir the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Once everything dissolves, remove the pan from the heat.

3. Once the mixture is slightly cooled, whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Once everything is mixed together, pour into your blind-baked pie crust.

4. Gently arrange the pecan halves on the top of your mixture, arranging in concentric circles – starting from the outside and working towards the center.

5. Reduce the heat of your oven down to 325°F (160°C). Carefully place your pie in the oven and bake for 55 minutes until set.

For an added touch, try drizzling over some melted chocolate or make a praline whipped cream using 1 cup whipping cream, 2 teaspoons praline liqueur, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup icing sugar – mix them all together and beat with an electric mixer until you have your whipped cream.

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by Ashley on November 26, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in GBBO Challenges, Pies
Tagged ,

Posted by Ashley on November 26, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/11/26/moms-pecan-pie/

Basic White Bread

 

When talking to my coworkers this week about what I should bake next, we all kind of agreed that I needed to try something savory. I have a serious sweet tooth, and I think baking with sugar is the best kind of baking. But, they were right, sometimes you just need to do something a bit more everyday.

This week I tried my hand at baking sandwich bread. Plain ol’ white bread. I’d made bread before, but never anything in a loaf pan. And with so few ingredients, white bread is a true test of bread-making. It’s pretty easy, but you just have to make sure you knead it correctly.

The Kitchn has a great recipe and a great tutorial on how to shape a bread loaf so that it turns out beautifully. I’d recommend following their technique if you want a uniform loaf.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 5 1/2 cups flour (plus extra for kneading)

Directions

1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of your mixture. Make sure it’s warm, not hot. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water and let it sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast dissolves.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, salt, and milk. Add this mixture along with 1 cup flour into the bowl with your yeast and stir until it comes together in a loose, lumpy batter.

3. Gradually add in another 4 1/2 cups flour as you are mixing sot that the dough begins to form. At this point, switch to the dough hook on your mixture to knead for 6-8 minutes. Or, if you’d prefer, knead it by hand until the dough is smooth, yet slightly tacky. If you poke it, the dough should spring back a bit. If the dough is too sticky as you’re kneading, just add a dusting of flour.

4. Coat a large bowl with a bit of oil, then place in your dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it doubles in size.

5. Dust your countertop with a bit of flour and turn out your dough. Divide this into two even balls and let them rest for 10 minutes.

6. Grease two loaf pans, then shape each ball into a loaf and place in the pans, making sure the tops are taught to help them rise. Let them rise a second time for 30-40 minutes, until the dough starts to dome up over the edges of the pan.

7. Preheat your oven to 425°F (215°C) halfway through the second rise. Once you’re ready to bake your loaves, slice the top of the loaf down the length, then place into the oven. Immediately turn the oven down to 375°F (190°C).

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. The loaves are done when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove them from their loaf pans and let them cool completely on wire racks.

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by Ashley on November 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Breads and Rolls

Posted by Ashley on November 18, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/11/18/basic-white-bread/

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