Aga Scones

Considering scones are a cookery book staple its surprising just how much recipes can vary and indeed the shapes and sizes of the outcome. Then factor in the unpredictability of Aga temperatures and the whole procedure becomes a minefield. At last however I think I have found a near enough perfect formula thanks to Amy Wilcock's aga baking book. Amy makes her dough with an electric mixer but with such small quantities it really is no hardship to combine the ingredients by hand, and somehow I feel the extra love makes them that little bit better.

What you need....

225g self-raising flour

1½  tbsp golden caster sugar

pinch of salt

40g softened butter

150ml milk

1 beaten egg (optional)

Line a baking tray with Bake-O-Glide or any sort of non-stick paper

1) Sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt

2) Mix in the sugar

3) Add the butter in cubes (or smallish chunks) and rub in to the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.

4) Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk 

5) Using a cutlery knife mix well until it just starts to come together as a dough

6) Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to around 2-3 cm thick

7) Using a cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place on the baking sheet.

8) For a glossy finish brush lightly with the beaten egg or alternatively for a softer finish sprinkle lightly with flour.

9) Cook on the third set of runners in the roasting oven for approx. 10 mins or until golden brown.

For conventional baking preheat the oven to 200°C/ gas 6 and bake as above.

Best served with clotted cream and jam.

Ottolenghi's Sweet Summer Salad

I'm sure I'm not the only one obsessing over Ottolenghi's recipes this summer. He takes salads to a whole new level of deliciousness, complete with all his middle eastern magic and the most nutritious and healthy ingredients imagined. My mum and I went to his deli in Notting Hill a few weeks ago and spent a good half an hour salivating over the window display before avoiding an impossible choice and ordering every salad on the menu. A little greedy perhaps, but we left without any regrets!

For a recent dinner party my mum wanted a menu that would really make the most of seasonal ingredients. With a fruit bowl overflowing with ripe and juicy nectarines Ottolenghi's sweet summer salad seemed like the perfect starter to do just that.

This serves four but is easily doubled. 

1 small beetroot (Ottolenghi bakes it fresh but I used a pre-cooked one and it worked just as well)
20g honey
15g Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
25ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
120ml olive oil, plus extra to finish
40g whole almonds, skin on, roughly chopped
10g butter
1 endive (I used a baby romaine lettuce instead)
4 small nectarines;
20g rocket
120g gorgonzola, broken into pieces

To make the dressing, put the beetroot, honey, mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process for a few seconds, then incorporate a quarter of the oil at a time until the dressing is smooth and homogenous.

Sauté the almonds in butter and a pinch of salt for three to four minutes, then set aside to cool. Trim the base of the endive and carefully separate the leaves. Halve the nectarines, remove the stone and slice into wedges.

To assemble, spoon some dressing in a circle in the centre of a serving plate. Top with four or five endive leaves, hollow side up. Drizzle with oil and arrange the nectarines, rocket and cheese inside the leaves. Drizzle more oil around and about, and sprinkle with almonds.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

The majority of good quality jam costs between £1.50- £2 a jar from the supermarket which makes homemade strawberry jam all the more satisfying to make when you count up all the pennies saved. It also makes a really lovely gift  in a pretty jar with a homemade label.

Heres what you will need...

1kg hulled strawberries
1kg jam sugar (sugar with added pectin)
the juice of one lemon

Tip the strawberries into a large shallow based pan, halving any that are too large to remain whole. Add the lemon juice and stir gently over a medium heat until the fruit begins to break down a little.

Next add the jam sugar and stir continuously over a high heat bringing the liquid to a boil. When it has been bubbling for a good 5-6 minutes remove a spoonful onto a cold plate and place in the fridge for a couple of minutes to chill. Now conduct the ripple test, push your finger through the cold sample and if a ripple is formed the jam has reached setting point and the pan can be removed from the heat.

Allow to cool slightly before decanting into jars. I find this is easiest done using a small jug.

Before sealing the jars allow it to cool completely and then using a teaspoon push down the berries that have risen to the surface to ensure the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the jar.

Store in a cool place.

Smoked haddock with lemon and dill lentils

This sadly isn't my own recipe its based on one from Good Food magazine but its so delish that I feel it needs sharing. Plus its super good for you whilst still filling you up! The original recipe cooks the fish in a microwave but seeing as we bizarrely don't own one I have adapted it for cooking in a pan on the stove top.

What you need..

100g/ 4oz Puy lentils
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
300ml/ ½ pint vegetable stock
1 rounded tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
2 tbsp chopped dill
zest ½ lemon
2 x smoked haddock fillets
50g/ 2oz baby spinach leaves


Tip the lentils into a pan with the onion, carrot and celery. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Give it a stir, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 mins, until the lentils are tender.

Mix together the crème fraîche, half the dill and the lemon zest, adding a little seasoning and set aside.

Next cook the fish. I did this in a saucepan with a very small amount of water (not even covering the fillets). With a lid on poach/steam the haddock over a medium heat until it flakes away when prodded and looks visibly cooked all the way through. This shouldn't take much more than about 10 mins but varies according to the size of the fillet.

When the lentils are cooked, stir in the spinach until the leaves are barely wilted, then stir in the crème fraîche mixture. Divide between 2 warmed plates and top with the flakes haddock. Scatter over the remaining dill and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Simple Moroccon hotpot

Recently we had some leftover roast lamb from Sunday lunch and instead of allowing my mum to smother it in some shop-bought curry sauce I had a go at creating a simple Moroccan dish with the flavours of a tagine minus the everlasting list of ingredients. The result was rather yummy and whilst we had it served with buckwheat, it would go equally well with couscous or brown rice.







What you need..

1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Leftover trimmings of lamb (as much as you can hack off the bone!), cubed
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 heaped tsp harissa paste
400g can of chopped tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
150g chopped pitted prunes
1 cup red lentils
2 tbsp ground almonds (optional)
handful fresh corriander, chopped

1) Gently fry the onion and garlic in a deep frying pan or casserole dish with some olive oil until softened. Then add all the dry spices and stir over the heat for 2-3 mins to infuse the flavours.

2) Next simply add the tomatoes, chicken stock, prunes and harissa and stir over a  medium heat until its just beginning to bubble. Reduce heat and add the lamb and lentils, stirring to combine. Season to taste and leave to simmer, covered, on a low heat. Leave for at least 40 minutes then stir in the almond meal and fresh coriander before serving.

Strawberry Creme Patisserie Tartlets

These little gems take a little while to prepare but are honestly well worth the wait and wouldn't look out of place in the vitrine of a French Patisserie. Better still I discovered each of the individual components can be made a day in advance leaving just the assembling to do on the day.

The perfect showstopper pud for any summer occasion or an extra special treat for teatime. I made two batches, the first I served at my mum's birthday dinner party with an experimental basil syrup and the second lot I sprinkled with crushed pistachios and left in the fridge to be devoured by whoever felt the urge! Both worked equally well and went down a treat! I cant wait to try them out with other seasonal fruits and flavour combos.

Recipe:

The Pastry

250g Plain flour
4tbsp icing sugar
140g unsalted butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
2-4 tbsp water

Simply sift the sugar and flour into a processor with the yolks, butter and enough water as necessary in order to bind a soft dough. This doesn't take long at all and it is important not to over-work the dough.

Form it into a rough ball, wrap with cling and stick in the fridge for at least 20 mins.

Next roll out on a lightly floured surface and use to line 8 small (9cm) tartlet tins. Prick the bases, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for ten minutes or until the edges have turned golden brown then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the bases are firm and lightly browned.

Once cooled these can be kept overnight in and airtight container.

The Filling

1 Vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste
400 ml milk
4 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
250ml double cream, lightly whipped
700g hulled and halved strawberries
8tbsp redcurrant jelly, melted

The words Creme Pat often fill people with fear. But they really needn't if you follow the instructions carefully and don't get distracted its really not hard and incredibly satisfying to get right!

Put the vanilla pod (or paste) in a saucepan with the milk and leave to infuse without boiling over a low heat for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile with an electric whisk mix together the yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour in a large bowl until smooth. Then strain the warm milk into the mixture and whisk to combine.

Next pour the smooth mixture back into pan and stir over a medium heat. As it starts to thicken remove from heat and stir vigorously to avoid any lumps forming. This is best done with a manual whisk. Once the custard is smooth and thick fold in the lightly whipped cream and Voila! 

If you dont want to use the creme pat straight away, cover immediately with a piece of damp baking paper on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming and keep refrigerated.

Assembling

Not long before serving fill the tart cases generously with the filling and arrange the strawberries. The filling needs to be fully cooled and slightly set before this is done.

Finally finish off by glazing with the melted redcurrant jelly.

Serves 8.