Warm Salted Caramel & Banana Tartlets

Perfect to end a gluttonous dinner a deux, the banana and salted caramel of these tartlets are a match made in heaven. These tasty bites are very easy to create and take no time at all, so what's not to love? Idle baking indeed.

Recipe
Adapted from the Banana Tarts recipe by Nigel Slater in his brilliant book Real Cooking.  Buy the book at Amazon by clicking here.

Makes 2 small cookie sized tarts




Offcuts of ready rolled puff pastry, approx 80g is all that's needed
2 bananas
1 tablespoon vanilla bean sugar (or caster sugar)
1 tablespoon butter
1 or 2 tablespoons salted caramel



1. Place the ready rolled offcuts of pastry onto a floured board, and cut into 2 decorative circles using a large cookie cutter. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes

2. Turn the oven to 200C (180C) and get out a baking sheet.

3.  Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low hob, before placing to one side to cool.

4. Peel the bananas, then slice them as thin or thick as you like.

5. Take the pastry out of the fridge, and place the 2 tart bases onto the prepared baking sheet. Layer the banana slices in circles over the bases, brushing the fruit and the pastry with the melted butter until they are well covered.

6. Next sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the tarts, before placing in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bananas have softened and the pastry has puffed up.

7. When baked, take the tarts out of the oven and leave to cool for a moment.


for the salted caramel topping:
1 or 2 tablespoons good quality salted caramel (I used a jar from M&S)


8. As soon as the tartlets are out of the oven, heat the spoonfuls of salted caramel in another small saucepan over a low heat, until warm and runny.

9. Drizzle the warm caramel over the tartlets and serve immediately.

These tartlets were idly baked while listening to Lana Del Ray sing Video Games

Beef & Butternut Squash Pie

Please forgive my delay in posting dear readers, but we lost internet connection for more than a few days due to the recent heavy rainstorms and flooding in East Devon. This pie was something I baked to help us keep morale up as we huddled in the house for days waiting for the storms to end. Sadly as it was photographed at night I've had to use the less beautiful flash photography to document this pie. However be assured it is lip smackingly delicious, and using ready made puff pastry it's also very easy to create, good comfort food for this strange climate change weather.

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Recipe
Adapted from the one given by Neil Morrissey from Taste Of My Life at BBC Food Recipes, see the original recipe here

Serves 4 greedyguts


500g lean beef mince (preferably organic)
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
200g butternut squash, peeled and diced small
half a small stick of celery, chopped small
75g mushrooms, chopped
1 bay leaf
100ml good red wine
150ml beef or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tomato puree
pinch of dried herbs de provence or thyme
approx 100g broad beans, optional
375g ready made and ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 and a half tablespoons plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce


1. Turn the oven to 200C (180C fan ovens) and get out a good sized ceramic or tin pie dish.


2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the beef mince over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon every few minutes.


3. Throw in the sliced onion, garlic, diced squash and chopped celery, and fry for 2 minutes.


4. Add the tomato puree, stir in until well combined for another couple of minutes.


5. Next add the flour, stirring again and letting it dissolve before adding the mushrooms.


6. Once the mushrooms are in, pour over the red wine. Turn up the heat and let the wine come to the boil before turning the heat down again and adding the stock to the filling.


7. Now add the dashes of worcestershire sauce and the dried herbs, give it a good stir, then reduce the heat further and cover the pan with a lid, letting it simmer for about 20 minutes.

8. While this is going on, release the broad beans from their large pods, before boiling them in water for about 5 minutes. Then drain them in a sieve, and when they've cooled take them one by one out of their outer shells using your fingers. Tip the little green inner beans into the beef filling as it simmers, stirring once.


9.Once time is up, take the pan off the heat and put it to one side to let the filling cool a bit. Then ladle the beef and vegetable filling into the prepared pie dish.


10. 10 minutes before the mixture is turned into the dish, take the ready made puff pastry out of the fridge and leave to come to room temperature. Then sprinkle a board with some flour and then roll out the pastry on the board.


11. Cut a lid for the pie out the pastry and then carefully place it over the filling so that the edges of the pastry touch the sides of the dish. Cut the lid a little bigger than the dish, as pastry tends to shrink when baking.


12. Use any leftover offcuts of the pastry to make shapes such as traditional leaves, or my less traditional MOO! Place these shapes over the pastry lid. Remember to make a few slits in the centre of the pastry lid to allow steam and excess moisture to escape from the pie as it cooks.


13. Briefly beat the egg yolk with a fork until bubbly, then brush the beaten yolk over the pastry lid and shapes to give it a lovely golden glow when it comes out of the oven.


14. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. It should come out looking golden brown and smelling irresistible.


15. Serve with mashed potato, steamed carrots and maybe some steamed greens.

This pie was idly baked while listening to Schubert's Unfinished Symphony: No 8 in B Minor

Leek, Devon Blue Stilton & Pine Nut Tart

Here it is, the recipe that has finally helped me lose my savoury tart virginity. Until recently, I was frightened of tarts. They look so impressive I assumed they must be complex and demanding to bake. But this rustic Leek tart, using ready made puff pastry as I'm far too idle to make my own, is remarkable for its simplicity, and makes for the best ever lunch. Try it and you'll see what I mean. So very tasty!

Recipe
Adapted from the great recipe given by Good To Know magazine, see their recipe at their website here.

Serves 4 (or 2 total greedyguts)

375g ready rolled puff pastry
500g leeks
handful of sorrel
half a handful of lemon thyme
100g-135g of Devon Blue (or other variety) Stilton cheese
50g pine nuts


1. Crumble the cheese and put to one side.

2. Wash and trim the leeks, cutting the large ones lengthways into halves or quarters, before drying on kitchen roll.

3. Spread out the ready rolled pastry, to fit a large baking tray or sheet.

4. Place the leeks and herbs onto the pastry, leaving a border around the edges free.

5. Next sprinkle the stilton cheese and pine nuts over the top.

6. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg if you like (I didn't bother), and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the pastry has risen and the edges are golden.

7. Serve warm. We ate ours at the garden table in spring sunshine with a green salad and last night's leftover sweet potato mash.

 

This tart was idly baked while listening to the beautiful sounds of Arvo Part's Fratres and Tabula Rasa played by Gil Shaham and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Apple & Berry Danish Pastries

If like me you adore all things pastry, then I warn you, you may find that these are so good, so moreish, that you'll need to put a lock and key on them. I had one freshly baked and hot out of the oven before supper, one for breakfast the next day, then one for lunch, and I've got my eye on one for tea if Mr Eve doesn't get there first. What's great about these Danish Pastries is that, unlike the ones found in shops, these are neither too sticky nor too saccharine. Instead the golden fluffy pastry and sweetly spiced fruit compliment eachother to create a more subtle and gorgeous delight. And have I mentioned that you don't have to make the pastry yourself? What more could an idle pastry lover want, eh?

Recipe
Serves 8
Barely adapted from the Danishes recipe by James Martin. See the recipe at BBCGoodFood.com

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 sharp not sweet eating apples
4 tablespoons demarara sugar
half a teaspoon cinnamon
half a teaspoon allspice or mixed spice
75g blackberries or blueberries
juice of half an orange
500g puff pastry pack
1 egg, beaten
1 handful plain flour, for rolling the pastry

1. Turn the oven to 220C (200C fan ovens).

2. To make the pastry filling, peel and core the apples. Then either slice them finely or dice them into small chunks.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the sugar and all the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.

4. When the butter is melted, add the apples, orange juice and spices. Simmer for about 5 minutes, before taking off the heat and stirring in the berries.
5. To prepare the pastry, roll out the ready made puff pastry onto a floured board, until it's about the thickness of a pound coin. Then cut out 8 squares 11cm each (or do what I did and misread the recipe, cutting rectangles 8cm x 11cm, it just depends whether you fancy your pastries square or rectangle).

6. Prick the pastry pieces all over with a fork and place them on a baking tray or two.

7. Carefully spoon the filling in the centre of each square or rectangle, turning over the edges. Brush egg all over the pastry to help the Danishes turn golden in the oven.

8. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the Danishes, then place them in the oven to bake for approx 20 minutes until golden.

These Danish pastries were idly baked while giggling and chatting with my dear mate Kate