foodgram – Gran E Bakes

BAKING TIPS: My Favourite Ingredients.

7th May 202019th Apr 2020 by granebakes

Hello Again.

There are ingredients I love using and some I avoid (yeast and gelatine to name two!).

A favourite of mine is Nestlé Condensed Milk (other brands are available ….. but not as good in my opinion!), going way back to my pub cooking days.

Lemon Meringue Pie

This was the number one for dessert; fiddly and time consuming to prepare until I discovered a quick and easy filling could be produced using this great ingredient:

Line a 9/10” (22-23cm) tin or quiche dish with sweet shortcrust pastry (the frozen stuff works just as well and saves you the faff). If you fancy trying it yourself, see my earlier post on pastry making
Pop into the freezer whilst mixing your filling
Heat oven to medium hot – around Gas Mark 5/190C
In a large bowl pour your tin of condensed milk and add four separated medium egg yolks (keep the whites in a large very clean bowl for the topping)
Grated rind from four lemons (juice squeezed into a separate jug and the pips removed)
Bake blind your pastry case (to set and dry out, not brown) for around 10-15 mins
Meanwhile whisk your lemon juice into the egg/condensed milk mix
When the pastry case is cooled pour in your filling
Turn down oven to Gas Mark 3/160C
Slowly bake for around 20 mins until the filling is set

Now for the meringue:

Whisk the egg whites, slowly at first, with an electric hand-mixer (if you have a large mixer do use that!)
Increase the whisking to high until the whites are glossy
Then slowly add caster sugar (2 oz/55g per egg white), so around 8 oz/220g in this instance
Keep whisking until the mixture is thick. It should not run if the bowl is tipped. If you’re brave enough you can tip the bowl above your head as you may have seen cooks do on TV ….. if you’re very brave!
Remove dish from the oven and turn up to fairly hot (Gas Mark 5/190®C)
Spread the meringue over the topping and “rough up” with a fork – you need peaks!
Return to the oven for around 10 mins, checking the meringue is not burning
Turn down to 140-150C, around Gas Mark 2
Bake for a further 30-40 mins to dry out the meringue – but keep checking
Remember, the Pie must be cooled to serve, otherwise it may collapse!

Fruity Seedy/Nutty Bars

Butter an oblong 8”x12” (20x30cm) tin or foil tray and line with greaseproof paper.

Melt the following slowly together in a saucepan:

5oz/135g Butter
2oz/55g dark soft brown sugar
One can condensed milk
One Tablespoon Golden Syrup

Remove from the heat and add:

9oz/240g porridge oats (not instant)
Around 14oz/385g mixed dried fruits – chopped glace cherries, cranberries, chopped apricots, pineapple, mango , golden sultanas – any or all of these
A 6oz/165g mix of seeds – pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed, poppy, etc
Mix all together then press into the tin
Add a few more seeds (or chopped nuts) on top and press down lightly
Bake in a medium oven for 25-30 mins until golden
Remove from the oven, allow to cool then cut into bars or squares

Let me know how yours turn out!

I’d love to see if you trial this recipe. Send me your pictures – I’m @gran.e.bakes on Instagram.

BAKING TIPS: Food Fashions – from WW2 rations to diet trends. Plus, a vegan tart recipe.

6th May 202019th Apr 2020 by granebakes

Fashions come and go, everything from clothes to music to lifestyle and more – but I believe food is the most important. Unless they have a sound, valid, medical reason diets, however, not my thing! Most diets are fads or fancies driven purely by the need to Sell! Sell! Sell!

What I do agree with is that all bodies require the correct fuel – mainly fresh produce and home-produced dishes. I often hear comments saying people were all short of food during the war…well, that’s rubbish! Admittedly there was strict rationing and foodstuffs were hardly ever imported, if at all.

I was six years old at the outbreak of WW2 in 1939. We lived in an extremely poor area and had very little money. Our hose was one of eight in a yard – with lavvies at the bottom end! It was a mixed group – every age from new-borns to ninety year-olds – all decent, hard-working families. No-one was starving. The grubby patch of grass in the middle of the yard eventually yielded root vegetables and cabbages.

All the women could cook – there was no option, they had to! Each family survived perfectly well. There was a butcher just up the road, a small shop (I do mean small, it was just someone’s home!) selling all manner of food and household essentials. My Mum would send me out to buy a pennorth (literally a “pennies worth”) of barm (fresh yeast) to bake her bread. I used to dip my finger in, I loved the taste. When I’d get home Mum would say “thi’s not a pennorth here, no way”! People, no matter how poor, knew how to manage.

So, back to diets.

The recent trend towards veganism I can fully understand. My youngest granddaughter became vegetarian when 15 years old and now, since she was 19, has been vegan. It’s been fascinating for me to follow this voyage of discovery. Cutting down on animal products and eating more plant based items is a sensible move. I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with different ingredients and elements, creating new dishes and applying a vegan approach to older “favourites”.

Supermarkets have cottoned on to the trend and stock a wide range of vegan ingredients so you can create your own dishes. Don’t buy the ready meals too often; I know they can be helpful occasionally but not every day. That’s where the faulty eating and diet lies! Take advantage of the easy ways but do try and cook from scratch more often. Jamie Oliver’s recent TV series on vegetable dishes was excellent.

RECIPE

I have tried a wide range of baked savouries – all the usual tarts and pies. Vegan pastry (using Trex) works well.

For Pastry Bases – lining quiche dishes, oblong swiss-roll tins and small tart tins – not forgetting to add grated cheese (Violife works well), herbs and small seeds such as sesame, linseed and poppy –seed to the dry pastry mix.

Spread your base with fried onions mixed with Violife (other vegan brands are available!) cream cheese, then top with any of the following;

Sliced tomatoes, chopped olives, blanched broccoli sprigs, chopped spring onions, peppers and , mushrooms
Tinned flageolet or cannellini beans
Jars – Artichoke heartsasparagus spears, sundried tomatoes

……. just to provide you with an idea!

Normally I would pour over the toppings a drizzle of cream and beaten, seasoned egg with a large dollop of mayonnaise and mustard added.

Of course these dairy-based products are not appropriate for vegans, just“flexitarians”! However, evaporated milk is vegetarian and other plant-based milks – oat, soya, etc – can be mixed with more vegan cheeses – cream, grated or cubed.

Remember – don’t drown your tart, DRIZZLE!

Sprinkle the surface with your chopped herbs and paprika before baking. In a hot oven start off your pastry base – always use a heated baking tray on which to place the tart tins. If using (pottery) quiche dishes it is advisable to pre-cook your pastry base for 10-15 mins before adding your fillings.

Anyway, turn down the heat to medium after 15 minutes to enable slower “cooking through” for another 30-40 mins according to the size and depth of the tin.

These items make excellent sharing food for parties or gatherings. I serve with mixed salads and roast or jacket potatoes.

Bon Appetit!

I’d love to see if you trial this recipe. Send me your pictures – I’m @gran.e.bakes on Instagram.

BAKING TIPS: My trusty cookery books

4th May 202019th Apr 2020 by granebakes

Whilst in lecture mode (apologies!) – appreciating a lot of this stuff is now found on your phone and the internet – a word on cookery books (I have lots and lots of them) and their authors.

Try not to be influenced by glossy pictures of perfect looking meals. You’d be shocked by the devious methods used on food to obtain those shiny, pristine results, definitely not to be eaten!

Trust cooks who have a more relaxed attitude and are not overly fussy or “cheffy”. Dishes need to be welcoming and say “eat me”, not “see how beautiful this looks on a plate. My personal favourites are:

Delia Smith

The first TV cook I really watched from her first appearances on Family Fare which ran between 1973 and 1975. She is always very calm and practical, clearly explaining the basics, telling you not to worry when things go wrong. I have all her books from through the years and refer to them constantly.

Jamie Oliver

From first appearing on TV in the late 1990’s I have followed his career and admired his positive attitude. Right up to date I recommended his books to my Grandson when he left home to begin his University stint.

James Martin

A down to earth Yorkshire lad whose books give a constant reminder of his roots (and his Gran!); great on British cooking.

Nigel Slater

His books are a constant joy to read, providing endless ideas on how to use fresh produce.

But the little book which is most used is the Be-Ro Recipe Book.

A tiny, free paperback booklet containing the ultimate in method and advice. First printed in 1923 and now into it’s 41^st edition (available to download here), versions from previous years are available from Amazon – at a price! Ask your Granny if she still has her old copy; my last one was the 40^th edition. This little gem tells you everything you ever need to know about baking.

Do you have a favourite cookery book? Let me know – I’m @gran.e.bakes on Instagram.

LIFE TALES: My time in Jersey – Part 2.

30th Apr 202029th Apr 2020 by granebakes

Back to chatting about Jersey.

As a family myself, husband and two children spent lovely holidays staying with Mum in her B&B, taking along other friends and family over the years. Time soon passes and Mum got older. I kept in touch with her regularly but did not see her so often. As my children were older we did not have the family holidays together. Mum was not able to fly over to visit us for the Christmas period each year as she had done in the past.

When speaking with her over the phone Mum would always insist everything was “fine and rosy”. However, around the time she reached 80 her health had deteriorated. After an anxious phone call from her neighbour I flew over to assess the situation; it wasn’t great.

As soon as I saw her I realised it would take a lot longer to get things sorted than the few days I had planned. Having done what was initially possible, making arrangements for medical treatment and other assistance, I explained to her friend and neighbour Lil that I would sort out a longer visit as soon as possible, which I did. But more was needed; my short then longer visits eventually extended to my being in Jersey for nearly six years. Though very ill Mum struggled on and was determined not to let go.

To support us financially I had to find work. Jersey has two industries – finance and tourism. With my background there were plenty of varied and interesting types of work. My first job was as a cook in a private house, a family with three sons, the youngest still at high school. The other two worked with their father, a successful builder who also owned and ran a garden centre. It was a beautiful home in a secluded valley and the family were a joy to work for. They fully understood the need for me to keep an eye on my Mum and make sure things were running OK for her.

After a year I was asked to take on and run a cafe on a campsite. This was quite a challenge, providing three different “meals” each day:

Breakfast (8-10am); cooked “full English” plus options
Morning Snack (10.30-12); Fresh scones, baking and hot tea and coffee
Evening Meal (5-7.30pm); various hot dishes and savouries

There were around 200 campers on site, not all eating every day but quite enough to keep us extremely busy. The camp was owned by an old friend from Sheffield who had married a Jersey farmer – Jersey Royal potatoes in abundance!

I was the cook, ably assisted by a young couple who served tables, stacked the dishwashers and prepared veggies and salads. The days were long, the work hard – but satisfying. Fortunately the campsite was only a few minutes’ drive away from Mum. The camping season ran from Easter to the end of September. It was the hardest job I have ever done and I really didn’t want to do another season.

During that winter I was a family cook to a couple with three small girls – another lovely job. The following season offered up a beach cafe in the daytime and helping out in the evening at a French restaurant. The chef-proprietor was a true Frenchman who shouted loudly and banged pots and pans furiously ….. an absolute nightmare but I learned an awful lot! He was a truly talented man!

By this time Mum was in hospital for very long periods. She was very poorly and was developing dementia, not great but it had it’s funnier side! The nursing staff, a number of whom were Irish, became very fond of her and treated her very well – even when she accused them of placing a bomb under her bed! They all took this as a joke, knowing it was her condition.

In her more lucid moments she could be great fun. I went every evening to sit with her and each time she would accuse me of never visiting!. So I knew my next job needed to be more 9-5 and less demanding than the catering business. I was in luck; there’s a lovely, long established department store in St Helier, just round the corner from the hospital. My friend from the campsite knew the Manager at de Gruchy’s and told him of my situation. I went for a chat with the personnel boss and ended up being offered the job of managing the Edinburgh Crystal department! This franchise was already run efficiently by three local ladies part-time. However, there was a need for a “head figure” to deal with customers and front the set up and non of the current team wanted to work full-time or accept the additional responsibility.

The whole floor understood the situation with my Mum. The hospital would phone with emergency calls to deal with her and I would dash off down the road to calm her down – or at least try! Eventually, one evening I was asked to stay over and sat holding Mum’s hand as she passed peacefully away. What thoughts and memories pass through your mind at times such as these ……..

During my years on Jersey there were many visits back to Sheffield and the UK. By now my children were grown up and leading their own successful lives. My daughter was highly qualified in physiotherapy, married and had provided me with my first (and only!) grandson. My son had graduated from University and was living and working in London. They had been very supportive through the years, as had other members of my family. I was never entirely alone, even though I haven’t previously mentioned them. In fact Mum had been heartened by a phone call from Clint Eastwood (yes, that Clint Eastwood!). My Californian cousin was in Jersey on a visit and had arranged for the surprise – and it really was!! My Mum couldn’t believe it was true!

Sadly, the next visit for any of the family was for her funeral.

For me I knew it was time to move on and return to Sheffield.

Bye for now.