I have a husband who totally adores custard in any way shape or form, but custard tarts are his very favourite way to enjoy it. He loves nothing more than a traditional British Custard tart, chilled and wobbly and heavily dusted with nutmeg. These are not them. These are Portugese Custard Tarts, and they are very different than the traditional British Custard Tart. You can find my recipe for that here.
As I said Portugese Custard Tarts are quite different. Known officially as Pastéis de Nata, Portuguese Custard Tarts are composed of a rich egg custard nestled in shatteringly crisp flaky pastry. I have never been to Portugal, so don't shoot me if you don't think these are authentic . . . these are pretty close in my honest opinion, and yes I am a tad bit biased.
I will admit right now, all I have ever had are ones I have made myself. They are fabulously tasty. I can no longer remember exactly where I got this recipe from, but I can tell you they are pretty wonderful. I have learned a few things through the years of making them.
Use an all butter puff pastry. This is the best. Roll it up as tightly as you can and then slice it into rounds. I flatten them somewhat between the palms of my hands before I start to press them into the pan.
I find it really helps to put a tiny round of baking paper in the bottom of your muffin cups, just in case they stick. I also like to butter them a tiny bit with cold butter, not soft. There is nothing worse than a tart stuck to the tin. Also use a good non-stick tin. If any of the custart overflows while you are baking them, this will make it so much easier to get them out.
As you can see, even so, mine did stick in a few places . . .
Another tip, when you are pressing them into the tins, make sure that the bottom o the shell is fairly thin. Its okay if it is a bit thicker at the top of the tins, but the part that will be baking beneath the custard you want to be earth shatteringly crisp and not soggy when done, so thinner is better. Also don't skip the part where you stick the pan in the freezer while you make the filling. This also helps to create a nice crisp finish.
Try not to overfill them. It is really better if you avoid this. The custard will expand when it is cooking, and puff up a bit. You don't want it to spill over if you can help it.
These are beautiful if somewhat a bit messy to eat . . . you have that lovely crisp and seriously flaky crust . . . buttery . . .
Inside is the rich creamy custard . . . not as wobbly as British Custard tarts, this is much more unctuous, probably because of the liberal use of heavy cream, rather than milk. Lucious . . .
The flavour is lemon . . . not nutmeg . . . also beautiful. I do so love my lemon anything. If you are a fan of buttery flaky pastry and rich lucious lemon custard, then you will fall in love with these. I guarantee.
*Portuguese Custard Tarts*
Makes sixIt only takes three letters to describe these delectable little creations W-O-W!! Try them for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Very quick and easy to make, and very impressive . . .
375g pack (1 (9 1/4 X 10)) inch sheet of all butter puff pastry, thawed (about 9 ounces)
4 large free range egg yolks
240ml heavy cream (1 cup)
95g caster sugar (1/2 cup) (superfine granulated sugar)
1 TBS cornflour
the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt
Preheat
the oven to 260*C/500*F/gas mark 10 Take the puff pasty and roll it into as tight a
coil as you can, starting from the short side. Cut the coil into 1 1/2
inch wide strips. Put the pieces, cut sides down, into six muffin cups.
Wet your fingers with a bit of cold water and press the pastry over the
bottoms and up the sides to make a thin shell. It's ok if they extend a
bit beyond the rim. Put into the freezer to chill while you make the
custard.
Whisk the egg yolks, cream, sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and salt together in a medium saucepan. Place over medium high heat and cook, whisking constantly until the custard begins to thicken. This will take about 6 1/2 minutes. It will look quite thin until you have been wisking for about six minutes and then in the last 30 seconds will thicken just enough, like magic! It should be as thick as lemon curd. You don't need to boil it.
Remove your muffin tin from the
freezer and divide the custard equally among the prepared tartlet
shells. (If you are using a 12 cup muffin tin, fill the empty cups half
full of water so they don't burn, trust me)
Bake until the tops are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around them and loosen them so that you can remove them from the pan and finish cooling them on a wire rack before devouring! (about 30 minutes . . . for the cooling, not the devouring . . . that shouldn't take all that long!)
Dust lightly with icing sugar and ground cinnamon to serve.
And then there was none . . . Bon Appetit!
Every time we go to Costco, I look at the muffins. They look so good, but they are soooooo huge. Most muffins that you buy in the shops are huge, probably twice as big as what you should realistically be eating. I think one of those Costco muffins is large enough for four people, but that is just me. I will tell you up front, I have never eaten one . . . but they do look mighty tasty. I am a lover of muffins.
Somewhere between a cupcake and a bread, muffins are like tiny sturdy cakes built just for one, without all the frosting and outside adornments. They really don't need any. For the most part they are quite capable of standing on their own without any embellishments . . . I guess you could call them sturdy-little-stand-alones! If your muffins lean more towards being a cake, they are not really muffins . . . lets be honest here.
Although they may be similar, ingredient-wise . . . with both containing flour, sugar, leavening, eggs,milk and fat . . . that is where any similarity should end. They are not meant to have the same consistency. They are meant to be completely different, and that difference comes all in the way they are put together.
Tea, coffee, hot
chocolate, cappuccino . . . espresso, whatever floats your boat morning-wise. I like mine with milk, and I have always been partial to Muffin Tops . . . its that crisp
edge. I do so love crisp edges. When I lived in Canada and we went across the border shopping, I used to pick up toaster cakes at the grocery store, which were like muffin tops that you could warm up in the toaster. They were SOOOOO good! I loved them toasted with butter.
You wouldn't want butter on a cake. It would have no place to go. A muffin however, is filled with lots of little nooks and crannies that are perfect for cradling softened butter.
These chocolate chip muffins are fabulous.
They are moist and delicious with a perfect crumb, and stogged full of chocolate chips. They
have a beautifully high rise on them . . . like little chocolate chip
studded crowns.
This is the type of muffin I want to find in a bake shop actually . . . a muffin that's a "muffin" and not a cake disguised as a muffin. Taking the frosting off a cupcake doesn't make it a muffin people. It really doesn't.
Muffins make the perfect portable breakfast for those mornings when you don't have a lot of time and are dashing out the door. You can freeze most muffins, so that you can grab one and by the time you get to work it will be perfectly thawed and ready to warm up just a tiny bit in the microwave.
You can use tiny chocolate chips in these if you want, or even chocolate chunks . . . but I like to use the semi-sweet chocolate chips you get in the big bag at Costco. Not too sweet, and nice and dark. I love them.
You could use a mix of milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips s well, with each bite bringing you a tiny surprise . . . what will this mouthful bring . . . sweet and milky, or dark and slightly bitter? Or maybe a mix of both . . . . hmmm . . . whichever you choose, you are sure to love these fabulously tasty Chocolate Chip Muffins.
*Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Muffins*
Makes 12 muffins
These are moist and delicious with lovely high crowns!
350g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
120g butter, melted and cooled (1/2 cup)
190g granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
240ml whole milk
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
275g chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a muffin tin
with paper liners or spray well with non-stick low fat cooking spray.
Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking
powder, soda and sea salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. Whisk together
the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Add all at once to the
dry ingredients, and stir together just to combine. Divide equally
amongst the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for
FIVE minutes and then reduce the temperature to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5,
and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops have risen
and are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out
clean. Try not to over bake. Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes
before tipping out onto a wire rack. Enjoy warm.
Don't be mistaken into believing that muffins are better for you than cake however. As with everything, moderation is the key, and true, while there is no frosting, and they are probably a bit less dense sugar wise than cake . . . you still don't want to be eating HUGE muffins. Small and steady always wins the race, and that is why these make the perfect Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Muffins. Bon Appetit and Happy Weekend!
Red meat is not something we eat a lot of in our house. We eat it only very occasionally, and when we do, it is bound to be either a steak or pork chops, with the odd bit of lamb here and there, and we both enjoy a good roast or a stew now and then.
I adore steak. My husband adores pork chops. Today I decided to treat him to some tasty chops by way of this deliciously spiced dish, which is not only quick and easy, but cooks all in one pan. No fuss. No muss. Just the way I like things.
This easy recipe involves browning seasoned boneless pork loin chops on both sides. Simple enough. Once browned, you remove and set aside.
Onions and garlic are then cooked in the same pan, taking full advantage of any flavouring from the pork left in the pan, and adding a mix of herbs and seasonings and tomato puree towards the end.
Raw long grained rice is stirred in to coat and then you add a quantity of chicken stock. Those chops get nestled back into the mix, and the pan tightly covered.
This is cooked for a short time until the chops are cooked through, but still tender and moist. Loin is such a lean cut of pork, that overcooking them will definitely toughen them. Take them out and set them aside to rest while you finish cooking the rice.
You may find that you need additional stock to make sure that the rice is cooked through. Just keep testing it and if you think it is going dry, add a bit more stock.
I only ever very rarely need to add stock. Better to do it this way than to have soupy watery rice. You want the rice to be nice and dryish like in the photo.
The flavours are really spot on . . . onion, garlic . . . oregano, ground coriander, chili powder, cayenne . . . just spicy enough without it blowing your head off.
I am not overly fond of blow off your head heat. I want to taste my food thank you very much!
The rice cooks to perfection in that flavourful mix . . . you stir in some chopped dry roasted peanuts at the end and then the chops are sliced . . .
And returned to the top of the rice in a decorative manner . . . doesn't everyone do that?? I do anyways.
I made liberal use of the fresh herbs in my garden in that beautifully sweet and tangy lime and honey vinaigrette that gets spooned over top of the chops prior to serving.
I think that lime and honey vinaigrette is the star of this whole dish. All of the elements taste good in their own right, but when you spoon that vinaigrette over top, it just lifts and enhances everything beautifully!
So you get, meaty, spicy, savoury, sweet, tart, garlicky . . . all in one dish. These really are fabulous. Trust me.
No fuss, no muss, all in one dish . . . fabulously tasty . . . I am not sure what more a person could as for???
Serve with a lovely tossed salad on the side and perhaps some crusty bread. That's all she wrote . . .
*Pork Chops with Spicy Rice*
Serves 4
Did
you know if you slash the fatty edge of your pork chops, they won't
curl up when you cook them? Its true. This is delicious with
fabulously flavoured rice, tender chops, and a lovely coriander lime
dressing. All in one pan.
For the chops:
4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
salt and black pepper
1 TBS oil
For the rice:
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp mild chili powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper
315g of long grain rice (1 1/2 cups)
720ml chicken stock (3 cups)
( an additional 240ml/1 cup chicken stock, as needed)
You will also need:
4 TBS coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
For the dressing:
2 TBS finely chopped fresh coriander leaf (Cilantro)
1 TBS finely chopped fresh parsley
1 TBS finely chopped fresh oregano
1 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
salt and black pepper to taste
1 TBS liquid honey
3 TBS fresh lime juice
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Trim your chops and slash the fat along the edge at 1 inch
intervals. Pat dry and season all over with salt and black pepper.
Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet which has a tight fitting lid. Once
the oil is hot, brown the chops on both sides, until golden brown, 2 1/2
minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
Add the onion to the pan. Cook,
stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened. Stir in the
garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the oregano, tomato puree,
coriander, cayenne and rice. Cook, stirring to coat the rice all over
with the spice mixture.
Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer and nestle the chops down into the mix, along with
any pan juices accumulated. Cover tightly and cook for 6 to 8 minutes
on medium low heat.
Transfer the chops to a cutting board, tend with
foil and keep warm. Stir the rice to recombine. Cover tightly and
continue to cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is
tender, adding additional chicken stock as needed. Stir in 3 TBS of the
dry roasted peanuts. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
To make the dressing, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined.
I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying by. A day no sooner starts than it ends. Already we are at the weekend. I wonder what I will cook up next??? Stay tuned and Bon Appetit!
This easy tiffin recipe is sure to become a favourite in your home! Creating something sweet that the family will love doesn't necessarily mean heating up the kitchen when the warmer weather comes.
Simple bites like this Chocolate Tiffin Cake help you to keep your cool and are real family pleasers! I think I read somewhere that this was Prince William's and Prince Harry's favourite cake.
In fact I think it was actually served at Prince William's wedding, so not only is it delicious but its Royalty worthy!
Chocolate Tiffin is a kind of refrigerator cake which is made from a simple sweet chocolate base into which broken biscuits and dried fruit are stirred.
Its then pressed into a cake tin, and a quantity of melted milk chocolate is poured over top. In this case I sprinkled some chocolate smarties on top because chocolate is notoriously difficult to photograph!
It usually looks quite unappealing without a lot of editing.
These photos are un-edited, except for cropping, so the smarties did their job . . . however, it is not really normal or necessary to have additional candy on top of the cake.
However attractive it might be, although for a children's party it would be quite acceptable and probably very welcome!
I am guessing that the children's eyes would light right up at the appearance of this tasty treat! I confess my eyes would probably light up if it appeared!
They were rather difficult to cut through however, and mostly shattered when I did my cuts, so . . . there you go. Did you know orange smarties taste like orange???
They do! I don't think any of the others have any flavour other than tasting like smarties however, but could be wrong.
This cake is really easy to make. I think the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready to eat.
You need to leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to cutting, so that it sets properly, and I actually think its even better, and cuts easier if you leave it longer than that.
It uses Digestives, the North American Equivalent would be Graham Crackers I think, but any plain biscuit/cookie would work.
You want one that crumbles easily. Social tea biscuits also work very well.
And you want to vary the texture of the cake by making some of the cookies into small crumbles, and crumbs and leaving other bits in larger pieces.
The different textures are what makes this cake incredibly moreish!
Other than graham crackers some other North American choices might be Social Tea, short breads, or plain sugar cookies. You don't want anything with a really strong flavour.
Just crunchy and sweet! This is a very sweet cake without the biscuits being overly sweet, unless you like that sort of thing. Single layer biscuits work best.
I used a selection of large seedless raisins for mine. There were red, gold and dark brown and they were quite large as compared to other raisins. You can also add cherries if you like.
*Simple Chocolate Tiffin*
Serves 8
This
is quick easy and delicious. A great way to make a treat for your
family without heating up the kitchen too much! Said to be the two
Royal Princes' favourite cake!
100g butter, melted (7 TBS)
25g soft light brown sugar (2 TBS)
4 TBS golden syrup
3 TBS cocoa powder (not drink mix)
225g digestive biscuits, crumbled (2 1/2 cups, can use graham crackers)
150g raisins (1 cup)
225g milk chocolate, melted (8 ounces)
Butter an 8 inch square pan well. Set aside. Melt the butter together
with the brown sugar, golden syrup, and cocoa powder, until the sugar
has melted and the mixture doesn't feel gritty. Stir in the raisins.
Make sure that you biscuits are a mix of crumbs and some larger bits for
the best texture. Stir into the chocolate raisin mixture. Mix well to
coat all. Press into the prepared pan, making sure you press down
firmly. (I use the bottom of a metal dry measuring cup to do this.)
Pour the melted milk chocolate over top smoothing over to cover
completely. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to
cutting into squares to serve.
There are quite a few versions of this cake out there. This is the basic, simple version. Once you tackle this one, you could probably charge it up with a few changes, such as white chocolate with lotus biscuits and cranberries, etc. You could also add nuts. In any case, I do hope you will give this tasty version a go! Great for picnics and parties! Bon Appetit!
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