scones & clotted cream

I recently had my first attempt at making clotted cream. It was much easier and way more successful than I ever thought it would be. There are several methods other people have written about online including slow cooking in the oven and using a slow cooker. A great place to read about all these ideas is over at The Culinary Life. I opted to heat the cream in a large bowl over a barely simmering pan of water for around an hour similar to this method from James Cooper.

Anyway, if you're going to have clotted cream in the house you HAVE to have scones to go with it. I've tried out many different recipes over time and this one has given me the lightest results so far. Serve them warm from the oven with a good raspberry or strawberry jam and a generous dollop of clotted cream. (By the way, if you want to be true to the Cornish origins of clotted cream it should be ON TOP of the jam. Apparently Devon folk put it under the cream because they're ashamed of it - that's what my Cornish husband says anyway!)

Ingredients Makes 8-10
350g plain/all purpose flour

5 tsp baking powder
50g butter
50g lard

25g caster sugar

1 egg
100ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then rub in the lard and butter using your finger tips. Be as light handed as you can. 
3. Beat the egg and mix with 50ml of milk. Add it to the flour and fat mixture and bring everything together so that you have a soft, sticky dough. Wetter is better for scones so don't be tempted to add extra flour. Your floured work surface should be enough to stop everything getting too sticky.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently pat down to about 2 cm thickness. Cut out your scones using either a 5cm cutter or form a rectangular shape and cut your scones into smaller squares.
5. Transfer to the baking sheet, brush with any left over egg and milk mixture then bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until they are well risen and golden brown on top.
6. Allow to cool a little before serving and enjoy with clotted cream, jam and a proper cup of tea.

caramelised pear and pecan pavlova

Ok, so I admit this pavlova was developed out of a love for alliteration but this is a flavour combination that really works and perfectly fits with the autumn season. I also cant resist the combination of chocolate with pears so I got a little experimental and added a chocolate swirl to the meringue base. You can just as easily make mini-meringues but you may need to adjust the cooking time.



You can make meringues with any quantity of egg whites as long as you keep in mind that you need double the weight of sugar to egg white. I usually weigh my three egg whites then double that weight for the caster sugar, depending on the size of your eggs this is going to be roughly 150g sugar to 3 egg whites.

Ingredients
Pavlova: 
3 egg whites
approx 150g caster sugar (see note above)
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Chocolate Swirl:
100g chocolate, just melted

Caramelised Pears & Pecans:
approx 500g pears (about 4-5 pears), cut into thin 0.5cm slices (it's up to you whether you peel them or not)                      
2 tbsp caster sugar
50g unsalted butter
handful of pecan nuts

approx 300ml double cream lightly whipped

1. Preheat the oven to 120C fan and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Using an electric whisk beat the egg whites and lemon juice until you get stiff peaks.
3. Gradually add the sugar a little at a time making sure you beat thoroughly after each addition. You will know you can add more sugar when you rub a little of the egg white mix between your fingers and you can't feel the grains of sugar. Continue this process until all the sugar has been added.
4. Carefully melt the chocolate then swirl into the egg whites taking care not to over mix. 
5. Dollop the mix onto the prepared baking sheet in a rough circle then place in the oven for around 1.5 - 2 hours. You are aiming for long slow cooking.
6. When the time is up turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile prepare the caramelised pears. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and melt then add the pears, pecans and sugar. Cook together for around 10 minutes until the pears are soft and golden and the sugar and butter is completely amalgamated. Remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble the pavlova.

awesome macaroni cheese with pancetta & spinach

Just the thought of this dish makes me happy. Soft, cheesy and creamy sauce with salty, crispy bacon bits topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and the 'healthy' addition of the spinach. This is the ultimate comfort food for me and one of the first dishes I learnt to cook for myself, although in a simpler version. If you don't fancy bacon/pancetta or spinach leave it out, it will still be super awesome and delicious. Also feel free to change it up a bit adding roasted peppers, fried mushrooms, sweetcorn or green chillies. This is a great dish and everyone has their own signature version. Here is my current favourite.

Ingredients Serves 4 as a main dish or 6 - 8 as a side.

500g pasta shapes
300g strong cheese, grated (I used equal quantities of mature cheddar, gruyere and emmental)
200g fresh spinach
100g cubed pancetta or streaky bacon
500ml milk
100ml cream (optional)
50g butter
50g plain flour
pepper
nutmeg
approx 70g bread crumbs (I used fresh so had to toast them myself but skip this stage if you have shop bought breadcrumbs such as panko)



1. Preheat your oven to 200C fan.

2. Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet but drain it a minute or so before the end of the time. You don't want it to be over cooked at this stage. Leave it in the pan to one side.

3. If using fresh breadcrumbs toast them off in the oven, under the grill or in a cast iron skillet or frying pan on the hob.

4. In a wide frying pan crisp up your bacon or pancetta. When this is done set to one side to drain on kitchen paper and pour off the excess fat from the pan into a separate dish. (Please don't pour it down the drain - dispose of it properly).


5. Return the pan to the heat then add the spinach and wilt down. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can then scatter the spinach on the base of the oven proof dish.


6. Put a saucepan over a medium heat then add the butter and flour and stir together until the butter is completely melted and combined with the flour.

7. Now, little by little add in the milk stirring throughly after each addition to ensure it is completely combined and no lumps are forming. You hear about some people heating the milk separately, I never bother because it's just extra mess and my sauces always work out fine this way.

8. Once you have added all the milk grate in a little nutmeg and black pepper to taste and the cream if using then continue to heat the white sauce until it has thicken so that it coats the back of a spoon and the raw flour taste has gone. Turn off the heat then add 2/3 of the cheese and stir until it has melted in. Now stir through your crispy bacon bits.






9. It's now time to build up the final dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir until all the pasta is covered then transfer to the oven proof dish that has the spinach on the bottom.



10. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese followed by the breadcrumbs then place in the oven  for around 20 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and bubbling round the edges.