When I made my declaration about not doing any more fancy eating posts for a while, I had forgotten about these delicious little jam tarts I had baked the other day for the Royal Occasion. Nevermind, it may be too late for the wedding, but this fabulous recipe is sure to come in handy for any tea party/special occasion you have in mind that you want something a tiny bit special for. Jam Oysters. Sounds funny to you I am thinking, a name like Jam Oysters. But let me explain . . .
They are really only jam tarts. Fancy jam tarts. Little almond frangipane filled short crust pastry tarts that you bake until the frangipane is golden brown and then the magic happens . . .
You take the tip of a sharp knife and carefully remove the frangipane once the tarts have cooled, taking care to keep it intact. You then fill the baked and now empty tart shells with a portion of raspberry jam, and a layer of piped vanilla buttercream. At the end you pop that frangipane layer back on top and dust with icing sugar. I suppose it looks a bit like an opened oyster shell, but with what is a much tastier filling than an oyster . . in my honest opinion.
They look quite pretty on a tea table . . . and are just that tiny bit more special than a plain old jam tart.
They are as light as air . . . and oh so tasty. Use a good raspberry jam for this. If you don't have homemade, us a good store-made one, which in my case is always Bonne Maman. And not just because of the jar . . .
Although to be sure that little gingham red and white cap draws me like an ocean siren draws a sailor.
I just love Bon Maman preserves, both the contents and the jars. So pretty and pretty tasty!
And when you are talking about something which has the main ingredient as jam, quality speaks for itself.
I thought they looked quite pretty balanced on top of these little Jenny Wren egg cups . . . just like the little Jenny's are about to take to the air with their sweet little surprises . . .
A flight of delicious fancy . . .
Such pretty little birds . . . such pretty little cakes . . .
Incredibly tasty too and sure to be a big hit at your next soiree!
I have given recipes for the tarts as well as the pastry (a sweet shortcrust) and for the buttercream. YUM!
*Jam Oysters*
Makes 18
Makes 18
Not only are these a real treat for the eyes, but they are delicious as well. They look complicated but they really are very easy to put together.
175g of prepared shortcrust pastry (make your own or use ready made) (1/2 pound)
70g butter (1/3 cup)
70g ounces of caster sugar (1/3 cup + 1/2 TBS)
85g ground almonds (scant cup)
1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten
Few drops of almond essence
You will also need:
Raspberry jam to fillVanilla Butter Cream icing to fill
Icing sugar to dust
Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into rounds, using a 3 inch fluted pastry cutter. Use this to line 18 patty tins.
Cream the butter together with the sugar until fluffy and well incorporated. Stir in the ground almonds, beaten egg and the almond essence. Mix well.
Place a small spoonful of the almond mixture into each pastry case. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until set and nicely browned.
Remove from the oven to a rack to cool. Once they are thoroughly cooled, carefully remove the almond filling with a knife. Fill the pasty cases with the jam and pipe a bit of butter cream on top of each. Replace the almond filling on top, dust with icing sugar, and serve.
*Rich Sweet Shortcrust Pastry*
makes 1/2 pound
makes 1/2 pound
The best way to make short crust 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 tendency 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.
280g plain flour (2 cups)
4 ounces cold butter (1/2 cup)
6 TBS icing sugar, sifted
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.
*Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Icing*
Makes enough to fill and frost a layer cake
Makes enough to fill and frost a layer cake
225g butter, softened (1 cup)
390g icing sugar, sifted (3 cups, confectioners, powdered)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 to 2 TBS double cream
Beat the butter and sugar together on low until well blended and then continue to beat on mdeium for another few minutes until it begins to become fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1 TBS cream, only adding the second one if needed until you have a frosting of spreading consistency.
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@aol.com
Day two of beautiful food. I was going to save this for Saturday, but then I thought some of you might want to bake this cake so I would give you a days heads up to do so, because after all, we are all going to be glued to our TV screens on Saturday for the big wedding! I can't believe that the date is already here and hip hip hooray, it looks like we are in for a lovely sunny day on Saturday! They do say "Happy is the bride the sun shines on!" I don't know who "they" are, but I am well pleased that Meghan and Harry are going to have a sunny day! Yippee! Only one more sleeps for all of us! Can't wait!
It has been tipped that their wedding cake is going to be a Lemon & Elderflower Cake, and that is so fitting as this is the time of year that the elderflowers are in bloom. The flavours of Lemon & Elderflower go together very well.
Elderflower Cordial is a very popular drink over here. Its made from fresh spring elderflowers steeped with sugar and water into a type of syrupy soft drink that you mix with water for consumption. Its very popular with the ladies. When I worked at the Manor, every time there was a luncheon for the ladies, I had to greet the with chilled and iced glasses of elderflower cordial when they arrived. Very popular indeed. They do say that Lychee liqueur is a fair substitute. I can't say for sure.
In any case I have baked a lovely Lemon and Elderflower cake for the royal occasion. It is a double layer cake and flavoured with both lemons and elderflower cordial.
I have decorated it simply, with meant to be . . . elderflower blossom . . . and silver dragees. Todd brought me home some kind of blossom, but its not elderflower, however it looks pretty anyways.
It has a lovely moist crumb, which is also enhanced by brushing the warm cake with an elderflower/lemon sugar syrup when it comes out of the oven.
Even more flavour comes from the filling of lemon curd, which is also whisked together with some cordial.
Very pretty and very delicious indeed. But I have also taken the flowers off and shown you a simpler way of presenting it by simply icing it naked . . .
Piping on little rosettes of buttercream and once again, scattering silver balls over top . . .
I am a huge fan of the naked cake look. We get enough sugar in our diets, so paring down a bit on the frosting on a cake, just seems to make sense. In any cake, I like the way it looks . . .
*Lemon & Elderflower Cake*
Makes 1 8-inch layer cake 390g icing sugar, sifted (3 cups, confectioners, powdered)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 to 2 TBS double cream
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter 2 8-inch layer cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light. Add the sugar and whisk it in until light and fluffy. whisk the elderflower cordial into the eggs.Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest. Start whisking the flour into the creamed mixture alternating with the eggs, beginning and ending with flour. Mix well together. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, smoothing the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and warm gently over medium low heat, swirling to melt the sugar. Keep warm.
To make the buttercream beat the butter and sugar together on low until well blended and then continue to beat on mdeium for another few minutes until it begins to become fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1 TBS cream, only adding the second one if needed until you have a frosting of spreading consistency.
Whisk together the lemon curd and elderflower cordial.
However you choose to decorate it, if at all, I am sure of one thing and that is that you will simply adore this cake. Its delicious! Happy wedding eve! I can't wait! (Can you tell???)
I think you would have to be living under a rock to not know what is taking place this coming Saturday, the 19th May, 2018. That is the day when Ms Meghan Markle is marrying Prince Harry. I, for one, am thrilled to death at this lovely young couple.
I am a Royalist anyways, and I am just so pleased that both William and Harry have been allowed to marry for love, just like most normal people do.
I love weddings, and I really love royal weddings, for the beautiful occasions that they are so I have set myself with the challenge of only baking/cooking beautiful things over these next few days in honor of this most wonderful occasion! Beautiful food for a beautiful occasion!
For surely an occasion such a wedding deserves to be celebrated with beautiful food!
These are wedding photos of my own five children, and to me they were every bit as wonderful an occasion as any Royal wedding would be, from left to right, our Eileen and Tim (2012), Sara and Bruce (2016), Anthony and Anne (1999), Amanda and Tom (2003), and Kayla and Doug (2004).
This first recipe is Greek in origin, in honor of Prince Harry's Greek heritage through his grandfather HRH Prince Phillip, who was a Greek Prince.
Let us hope and pray that Meghan and Harry enjoy a long and happy marriage like his grandparents have enjoyed.
This is actually a very simple recipe, which only looks complicated.
It is gorgeously delicious as well, and basically is just a really fancy vanilla and cinnamon custard pie, where the crust is actually ruffled throughout the custard.
The recipe was adapted from one I found on the Martha Stewart page, with a few changes on my part.
The original pie consisted of layers of filo pastry, ruffled and layed out in a circular pattern in a buttered cake tin, then buttered, dusted with cinnamon, and baked until golden . . .
After which a simple vanilla custard is spooned over top and it is baked again to set the custard.
I have cut the recipe in half and then chosen instead of one huge circle of filo pastry leaves, to make smaller ruffled rosettes, layed out in the pan and baked until golden brown.
I also chose to whisk the cinnamon in with the custard prior to ladling it over top of the baked rosettes, so that the cinnamon flavours are throughout the custard and not just on the pastry.
The end result was something quite beautiful . . . and not only in looks, but also in flavour . . . with just a slight cinnamon infusion, along with the vanilla.
I used vanilla paste . . . so you get lovely little flecks of vanilla and cinnamon throughout. I think Meghan and Harry would really love this.
Its beautiful and its delicious . . . with each mouthful bringing you the light crunch of the filo pastry mixed with that rich creaminess of the custard.
A final dusting of icing sugar and a bit more cinnamon was the only addition needed for service.
Ruffled Milk Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Loosely based on a recipe from Martha Stewart. This Greek custard pie is delicious, with crispy bits from the filo pastry throughout a rich egg and vanilla custard.
Ingredients
- 70g butter, melted (5 TBS)
- 3 large free range eggs
- 7 sheets of filo pastry
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 95g fine granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) of whole milk
- icing sugar and ground cinnamon to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch round cake tin. Line with baking paper and butter the baking paper. Set aside.
- Take out one sheet of your filo pastry. (Make sure the remainder is covered with a sheet of baking paper and a damp tea towel. Damp NOT wet.) Brush lightly with melted butter. Working from the long side, pleat the pastry like an accordion, making 1 inch wide pleats. Its okay if it breaks a bit. Roll the strips loosely into rose shapes. I found the best way to do this was to roll it around my fingers, placing one finger between each round if that makes sense. Repeat with all of the sheets of pastry, placing them into the cake tin, with one in the middle and the remaining six around the edges.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes while you make the custard.
- Warm the milk gently in a saucepan just to the boiling point. Whisk in the sugar, cinnamon and the vanilla. Beat the eggs lightly in a large glass measuring beaker. Slowly whisk in the hot milk/sugar mixture, adding only a bit at a time until the eggs have tempered and them whisking in the remaining milk. Spoon over the filo ruffles in the cake tin, evenly.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the custard has set. Let cool slightly before serving. Dust generously with some cinnamon and icing sugar to serve.
I can hardly wait to see Meghan's dress. I am sure it will be totally stylish and very classical. She is a woman with a beautifully classical fashion sense. I hate all of the kafuffle going on in the press these past days with that background drama, etc.
For goodness sakes . . . just let these young people be happy. The press are the ones with no class in my opinion. Go. Get married Meghan and Harry, and live happily ever after . . . we wish you well. We will be enjoying it all from the front row seats of our cosy home!
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@aol.com
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I adore fried rice. It is a fabulous way of using up all the bits and scraps in the refrigerator and makes a great main or side dish. We usually have it as a main dish, and this recipe feeds two quite generously, but it would also be an ample side dish for 4. In any case, I adore fried rice.
Its actually a very forgiving and adaptable dish. You an throw in pretty much any veg you want. My basics are always the same . . . onion, garlic, cabbage, carrot . . . you can use spring onions, or you can use proper onions, or you can use red onions, which is what I used today.
I added frozen peas and corn, but have also been known to throw in chopped broccoli, or cauliflower, or shredded Brussels sprouts. Literally any vegetable would work, except for maybe tomatoes.
I always add a scrambled egg as well, for extra protein. I beat it with a touch of cream, which makes is nice and fluffy. I also like to add some meat if I have it. Cooked pork, chicken, turkey, sausage, beef, lamb, ham, bacon . . . spam. Literally any kind of meat works, and no meat at all also works. I think even fish would work, especiall with this recipe today . . . which includes curry powder.
A nice big healthy spoonful of curry powder . . . which helps to colour the dish somewhat, and also adds a lovely flavour. Think Kedgeree . . . but with chicken, and a whole bunch of other odds and sodds . . . so maybe not quite kedgeree, which has boiled egg and smoked fish . . . scratch that.
In any case, this smells amazing when it is cooking. A M A Z I N G
Its quick. Its easy. Its simple. Its delicious! And also very economical.
Nice and filling too. I like mine with a nice dollop of a good mango chutney on the side. A bit of naan would also not go astray.
*Curried Chicken Fried Rice*
Serves 4
Serves 4
six savoy cabbage leaves, heavy centre veins trimmed away and discarded,
and cabbage thinly sliced (Roll up tightly and slice, easy peasy)
salt and black pepper to tasteand cabbage thinly sliced (Roll up tightly and slice, easy peasy)
I am betting you have everything in the refrigerator/larder to make this today. If you don't have any chicken think outside the box. I am sure you have something! You are going to love the flavours in this! I guarantee! Bon Appetit!
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