Showing posts with label The Classics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Classics. Show all posts
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am am totally in love with lemon. I just adore lemon flavoured anything.
Oh . . . I just adore a Lemon Drizzle Cake all moist and tender, with it's tart lemon drizzle crust dripping down the sides, just tempting you to dig in again and again . . .
Likewise a tasty Lemon Meringue Pie, all cold and chilled from the refrigerator, and cut into thick slices. iIt's deliciously tart lemon filling all cold and rigid . . . and standing to attention beneath that golden cap of sweet meringue . . . I know the beads of liquid that form on the meringue overnight are not to be applauded, but they've always been one of my favourite parts . . . all sweet and gooey.
And . . . don't get me started on those lovely Lemon Puff cookies . . . crisp and buttery, the sweet and buttery lemon flavoured cracker like biscuit, filled with tart buttercream. Oh, how yummy. You just cannot eat just one.
Lemon curd, especially my homemade one . . . I can eat it right out of the jar with a spoon. A secret indulgence . . . and a yummy one.
My favourite of all though . . . has to be a classic Lemon Tart. Ohh, that lovely crisp sweet pastry encasing a rich golden lemon filling . . . not quite custard and not quite pudding, but a wonderful combination of the two. Your fork digs in and it melts in your mouth in one deliciously unctuous melange of buttery lemony goodness . . . bliss in every bite.
Of course you could caramlize the sugar on top with a blowtorch . . . but in my opinion that's an extra step that's not needed. I prefer it left as is as a light sweet dusting . . . the perfect garnish for the perfect tart.
*A Classic Lemon Tart*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
Crisp sweet shortcrust pastry filled with a deliciously tart lemon filling. Perfection.
10 large eggs
380g caster sugar
500ml double cream
the zest and juice of 8 unwaxed lemons
butter for greasing
225g sweet shortcrust pastry (see below)
Icing sugar to dust the top
To Serve:
Pouring cream
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.
Make the filling first. Place the eggs into a bowl and whisk them gently to help to break up the yolks. Whisk the sugar in slowly and than whisk in the cream and the lemon juice. (wait until this next step before adding the zest.) Strain the mixture through a sieve. Discard any solids left in the sieve. Whisk the lemon zest into the custard mixture.
Butter a 20cm (10 inch) loose bottomed tart tin. Place on a large baking sheet. Roll out the sweet pastry to get a thin but even depth of pastry that will overhang the tart tin. Carefully roll the pastry over the rolling pin and then lift it over the tart tin and drop it in loosely. Tuck the pastry down the sides with the back of your knuckles, pressing it into the bottom edge well. Do not trim off any excess. Line the tart case with a baking parchment and fill with baking beans, rice or ceramic baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Take out the beans and greaseproof paper. Return to the oven to colour the bottom, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 100*C/225*F. Pour the lemon mixture into the tart case just to reach the top. Return to the oven and bake for one hour, until the tart is only just set. Remove the tray from the oven and using a rolling pin, run it across the top of the tin to trim off the excess pastry. Leave to cool for about an hour before serving. Just before serving, dust with a good portion of icing sugar. Serve cut into slices along with some pouring cream.
*Rich Sweet Shortcrust Pastry*
makes 1/2 pound
Printable recipe
The best way to make shortcrust pastry that has a crisp crumble in the mouth texture is to do it by hand, rather than by machine. Using a machine tends to overwork the gluten in the flour and the pastry has a tendancy to end up springy and shrink when cooked.. Resting the pastry for a half hour in the fridge is also an important step because of the high proportion of butter to flour, which makes it difficult to roll out when warm.
8 ounces plain flour
4 ounces cold butter
2 ounces sifted icing sugar
2 egg yolks
2 TBS water
Sift the flour into a basin. Add the butter, cut into pieces and rub it into the flour until it resembled fine dry bread crumbs. Add the icing sugar. Whisk in well. Make a indentation in the centre of the butter mixture. Beat the egg yolks and water together. Pour into the indentation and then, using a fork, mix together to a rough dough in the basin. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball and then place into a zip lock bag. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, while you make the filling. Proceed as per the recipe requirements for whichever recipe that you are using to fill the tart with.
I wasn't kidding yesterday morning when I said that fish and chips were one of my absolute favourite dishes. When I first came to the UK, nine years ago now, that was one of the top things on my list of things to eat.
After having eaten quasi "English" fish and chips in Canadian restaurants my whole lifetime, I really wanted to experience the real thing.
I was here, visiting for three weeks, and it was not until the last week of my visit that I was able to do so.
I can remember it was bucketing down rain (how typically English and NORTHERN English) and my husband rode to the shop on his bicycle to pick them up, as he didn't have a car back them. I was so excited as I waited back at the flat . . . finally I was going to be eating the meal of my dreams. They would all be so jealous back home!
He arrived home at the flat with a filmsy blue plastic bag filled with plain newspaper (no print allowed anymore, I'm afraid) stogged full of beautiful hand cut and fried chips and two gorgeous big battered filets of Cod, so big that they hung off the sides of our plates.
Oh, they smelled so good . . . and the taste . . . well, it was everything I had dreamt of, and more.
Back then you could get a cone of chips (a little styrofoam cone shaped cup) for about 60p and a portion, which was enough to feed two people more than amply, was £1.
A lovely HUGE piece of cod cost £2 and so we could get ourselves fish and chips of a Friday night for a fiver, which wasn't bad. The only hard part was waiting in the queue at the local chippies which always went around the corner of a Friday evening!
Nowadays the same meal would cost you in access of 12 to 15 pounds and I have to say it . . . the fish and chips down here in the South just cannot compare to the ones up North, at least thus far in my experience.
If anyone knows any different then let me know!
Anyways, after all that talk about fish and chips yesterday morning, and, even though we'd had fish for dinner the night before, my taste buds were tingling for some lovely battered fish, and what can you do when that happens, I ask?
Why . . . you must have what you must have!!
And we did. I made my own though, coz, well . . . it's better than the fish in the chippies down here . . . and alot cheaper too.
No fried chips this time though. I only had new potatoes in the house and they make rotten chips
There is nothing more appealing than a delicious plate of English fish and chips. This is not considered to be the National favourite dish for nothing. We love, LOVE our fish and chips here in the UK!
Beer Battered Fish
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 15 Min
This is the best battered fish you could ever want to eat. Light and crisp and the fish is beautifully flakey inside. Make sure your oil is hot before you start frying the fish. Also make sure your fish is well coated with flour before you dip it into the batter. If you follow these two rules you will be rewarded with delicious crisp battered fish, perfectly moist on the inside.
Ingredients
- 4 cod or haddock fish fillets(I like the thick ones myself)
- 1 1/3 cup ( 190g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (240ml) of beer (a light lager works best)
- the juice of half a lemon
- salt to taste
- Flour for dredging the fish in
- Oil for frying
To serve: (optional)
- Malt Vinegar
- Lemon Slices
- Tartar sauce
- Mushy peas
Instructions
- Place about an inch and a half of sunflower oil into a deep skillet. Heat over medium high heat until hot. A cube of bread should brown in the hot oil in about 10 seconds. While the oil is heating get the fish ready.
- Place the flour, soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the beer and lemon juice to make a thick batter. Set aside.
- Season your fish pieces with a bit of salt and then dredge completely in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Dip into the batter and then carefully tease it into the hot oil. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned and crispy.
- Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon to drain on some kitchen paper.
- Serve immediately with some chips if desired, and salt and vinegar. Mushy Peas, lemon slices and tartar sauce are optional!
One of the things I fell in love with right away when I moved over here was roasted potatoes.
Chunky potatoes, roasted in the oven in a pan along side of your Sunday roast, all crisp and brown on the outside, and oh so tender on the insides.
It is just not a proper roast dinner unless it is accompanied with potato roasties . . . this I have come to know to be true. I just love British traditions, and traditional British food.
(Look at all those crispy bits . . . mmmm . . . )
They're not all that hard to make either.
You just need a good floury potato, something like a Maris Piper works very well, or in North America a russet. These are the types of potatoes that make great mashed potatoes.
New potatoes and waxy type potatoes just don't turn out the same.
To make good roast potatoes, you simply peel them, cut them in to large chunks and then par boil them for several minutes, after which you want to rough up the edges and then roll them in a bit of seasoned flour before roasting.
To give mine an added crunch, I also pan fry them until golden before placing in the hot oven.
Goose fat give a most delicious crunch in my opinion, but then again, some people swear by beef drippings . . .
I just knows what I likes. In truth any fat will do, just so long as you have it sizzling hot when you dump the potatoes into it.
Roast potatoes with crispy, golden brown edges. Oh my. So delicious.
*Classic Roast Potatoes*
Serves 4 to 6
Roast potatoes are a weekly institution in most British families and households. When it's time for that Sunday lunch, it's time for roast potatoes. For the very best results it's important to use the right potato. Almost any potato will roast, but if you love that crispy edge with a light, fluffy and creamy interior, then floury potatoes are what's needed. To achieve the right finish, these potatoes will take at least 1 hour to cook; for extreme crispiness, cook for 1 1/2 hours.
6 to 9 medium potatoes, allowing 3 halves each
(You want a floury potato, maris piper are good)
sea salt
goose fat
1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour seasoned with some salt and pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Peel the potatoes and half lengthwise. If very large, cut into quarters.
Place in a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Drain in a colander and leave to stand in the colander for 2 to 3 minutes before shaking the colander gently to rough them up a bit. This action begins to break down the edges of the potato and will give you a tasty crunch later on.
Heat a skillet with about 1/4 inch of melted goose fat in it. Once the fat is hot, roll the potatoes in the seasoned flour and then place them into the hot goosefat.
Fry, turning them occasionally, until completly golden brown.
In the meantime, melt some goosefat in a roasting tin large enough to fit the potatoes, 1/4 inch in depth. Add the browned potatoes and roll them in the fat.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for a further 40 to 45 minutes, turning them about halfway through the baking time. You can add a knob of butter over the potatoes at the end for a rich crispy roast taste, but it's not necessary. You can cook them for a bit longer for an ultra crispy edge. It all depends on your taste. My husband doesn't really like them to be too crisp.
He's crazy.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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