Sugar and Salt (Day Four)

Hello!

Welcome back to my Sugar and Salt series, day four. So as it's Thursday that means we only have 4 recipes left to go through! If you missed any of our previous recipes, follow the links below!

Home Baker
The Great British Bake Off: How to Turn Everyday Bakes into Showstoppers
The Hairy Biker's Family Cookbook: Mums Know Best


Grandma's Best Recipes
Today's instalment comes from a really unique recipe book. It really makes you feel like you're reading a recipe book that was written by your own Grandma, and with little hints and tips on every page, it really gives it that family feel.


Lemon Meringue Pie
This dessert is usually served cold, but why not mix it up and serve it fresh out the oven with a little ice cream...you won't regret it believe me! Lime or orange juice and rind can be substituted for the lemon juice and rind for a different flavour too. This pie serves four.

Ingredients
*For the pastry*                                                       *For the filling*
150g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting          3tbsp cornflour
85g cubed butter, plus a little extra for greasing       300ml water
35g icing sugar, sifted                                               2 lemons, juice and grated rind
Finely grated rind of half a lemon                             175g caster sugar
Half an egg yolk, beaten                                            2 eggs, separated
1.5 tbsp. milk

Method
To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in the remaining ingredients and knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface.
Rest for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven for 180C and grease a 8-inch pie dish with butter.
Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick, and use it to line the base and sides of the dish. Prick all over with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans.
Bale for 15 minutes.
Remove the pastry case from the oven and take out the paper and beans.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150C.
To make the filling, mix the cornflour with a little water. Put the remaining water in a saucepan and stir in the lemon rind and juice and cornflour paste. Bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
Cook for 2 minutes and leave to cool a little.
Stir in 5 tablespoons of the sugar and the egg yolks and pour into the pastry case.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until stiff.
Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar and spread over the pie.
Bake for a further 40 minutes.
When baked, remove from the oven, leave to cool and serve.


Pizza Margherita
Nowadays pizza is served with all sorts of toppings, some quite bizarre. This is a basic recipe that can be adapted to personal choice. Family members can make their own individual pizzas using their favourite toppings. If short on time, you can just buy a ready-made pizza base from your local supermarket. This serves 4.

Ingredients
*For the pizza base*                                           *for the topping*   
15g easy-blend dried yeast                                  400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar                                                           2 crushed garlic cloves
250ml warm water                                               2 tsp. dried basil
350g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting    1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt                                                              Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for oiling                   2 tbsp. tomato puree
                                                                              100g chopped mozzarella cheese
                                                                              2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Method
Place the yeast and sugar in a measuring jug and mix with 50ml of the water. Leave the yeast mix in a warm place for 15 minutes or until frothy.
Mix the flour with the salt and make a well in the centre. Add the oil, the yeast mix and the remaining water. Using a wooden spoon, mix to form a smooth dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with an oiled sheet of cling-film and leave to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Knead the dough for 2 minutes and then stretch the dough with your hands. Place it on an oiled baking tray or pizza stone, pushing out the edges until evenly flat. The dough should be no more than 6mm thick-it will rise while cooking.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
To make the topping, place the tomatoes, garlic and dried basil, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large frying pan and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the tomato puree and leave to cool slightly.
Spread the topping evenly over the pizza base and top with mozzarella and parmesan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.


There you have it!
Another two scrummy recipes for you to feast your eyes on. Which sadly means we only have two more recipes left! Come back tomorrow to see what they are.

If you would like to buy this book, you can purchase it for £4.99 on Amazon.

Happy baking,

Charley x

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