Quiche & Pastry Making

In this weeks post we share the secrets to Helen's perfect pastry and her crowd pleasing quiche - perfect for a summers day picnic or party and can be adapted to suit whatever you have leftover in your fridge. Checkout the YouTube video to follow a step by step guide on how to make it. Enjoy! 

For the Pastry:

-        4oz (115g)  Butter

-        8oz (225g) Plain Flour

-        2tsp water (add as needed)

-        Salt & Pepper

For the quiche filling:

-        8 eggs

-        160g Pancetta cubes

-        2 Leeks - sliced

-        Mozzarella ball

-        Goats cheese round (different cheese can be used)

-        6-7 sundried tomatoes roughly chopped

-        Pepper to season

-        Butter for frying

Method:

Pop oven on ‘Top & bottom heat’ at 180°

Grease a 25cm fluted flan dish

In a bowl combine the flour & the butter together with fingertips until a breadcrumb like consistency is formed and then stir in salt

Add a little water to the mix so it becomes a firm dough.

Leave the dough mix to one side to rest

Over a medium heat add a good chunk of butter to a large saucepan and add the pancetta and leeks

Chop sundried tomatoes and add to the saucepan mix with a good amount of pepper

Lightly fry until all ingredients begin to brown then put to one side

Flour a worksurface and begin to roll out your pastry to desired size

Place rolled out pastry over the flan dish and using fingers push into flutes, prick the bottom with a fork

Leave any overhanging pastry until the quiche is completely cooked (As the pasty will shrink)

Put in the oven for around 5 minutes to blind bake

Whilst the pasty is in the oven, in a large bowl pour the contents of the pancetta mix along with the 8 eggs and combine together

Slice the mozzarella and goats cheese up

Take the pastry out the oven and turn the heat of the oven down to 160°

Pour the egg mixture and chunks of mozzarella into the pastry case

Arrange the goats cheese slices on top of the quiche

Bake in the oven for 40-45mins until the egg mix has cooked and the pastry has browned

Take the quiche out of the oven & enjoy!

Lemon & Coconut Cake

With warmer climes and longer days it feels appropriate to make a slightly more tropical based cake – how about Helen’s Lemon and Coconut cake? A light delicate sponge sandwiched together with zesty buttercream and a crunchy coconut top. Enjoy with a cup of tea mid-morning or a Gin & Tonic in the afternoon!

Ingredients For The Cake

Plain Flour – 340g (12oz)

Salted Butter – 255g (9oz)

Soft Brown Sugar – 255g (9oz)

Eggs - 4

Desiccated Coconut – 55g (2oz)

Coconut Cream – 200ml

Baking Powder – 2.5tsp

Zest of three lemons + the juice

Pinch of salt

Vanilla Paste – ½ tsp

Ingredients For The Buttercream

Butter – 85g (3oz)

Icing Sugar – 6oz (170g)

Pinch of salt

Lemon zest + juice (add juice as necessary)

Coconut shavings toasted (for the top)

Icing sugar – 60z (170g) – this is to pour over the top

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees & line two 20cm sandwich tins

Pour coconut cream into a bowl with the desiccated coconut & allow to soak

Cream both the butter & sugar together

Stir in the coconut cream & desiccated coconut mix

Add in eggs – 2 at a time with a spoonful of flour each time

Carefully stir in the lime zest, salt & vanilla paste, be careful not overmix

Split the mix between the two tins

Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins

For the Filling

Cream together the butter & icing sugar together until light and fluffy

Stir in the lemon zest and a little of the juice if the mix feels stiff

Pipe the buttercream on one of the cakes and place the second cake on-top & sandwich together

Toast the coconut flakes on a low grill setting until golden (keep watch as they burn easily!)

Make icing sugar mix with water and pour over the sandwiched cakes until it drips

Sprinkle over toasted coconut

We are officially on Youtube!

The beginning of May marks IDEAS' first video on our Youtube channel Tasty Ideas, where Helen is showing us all how to cook a Victoria Sponge. It may not be the most refined but it's a start! As part of out channel will also be creating quick and easy how to video guides on all the appliances we sell here at IDEAS such as the NEFF slide & hide oven, hob and Quooker taps, so be sure to subscribe to our channel in the link below to catch all the latest bakes! 

Fabulous Flapjacks

Whether it’s a breakfast treat or a 3 ‘o’ clock pick me up Helen’s flapjack’s are always gone within a matter of minutes. Crunchy, gooey and packed full of ingredients why not give them a go this weekend, perfect for making with the little ones too!

Ingredients:

200g Butter

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

200g Sugar

100g Rolled Oats

100 Self-Raising Flour

150g crushed Cornflakes

Handful of chopped glace cherries or any other dry ingredients such as choc chips, seeds dried fruit etc

Drizzle of Dark Chocolate for the top

Method:

Set the oven to 190c/Gas mark 5

In a pan melt the butter and syrup, very gently over a low heat

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl then pour over the butter mixture and mix well (get the little ones to do this!)

Spread an even layer of the flapjack mixture into a greased baking tin and press down firmly

Bake in the oven at 190c for around 20/25 minutes till golden brown

Cut into fingers whilst still warm and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Helen's Famous Chocolate & Banana Cake

Looking for the perfect crowd pleasing cake? Try Helen's adapted version of this Nigel Slater recipe. It never lasts long in our showroom. Bake it yourself to find out why!

You will need:

Cake baking enthusiasm!

375g Plain Flour

3 teaspoons of baking powder

190g softened butter

350g muscovado sugar (this is very important for the taste!)

600g ripe bananas (the riper the better!)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

150g dark chocolate

Non-stick loaf tin approx 24cm x 12cm x 7cm deep

Method:

Set the oven to 180c/Gas 4 and line the tin with baking paper

Sift the flour and baking powder together

Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy (Helen prefers to do this by hand but you can do it with an electric mixer if you prefer)

Put the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork – they should be lumpy rather than a puree. Next stir in the vanilla extract and then fold into the butter & sugar mix.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs lightly with a fork then pour them into the butter, sugar  & banana mixture and stir well – if you see any signs of curdling add in a spoon of flour.

Chop the chocolate into small chunks and fold them into the bananas, sugar, butter and egg mix.

Next gently fold in the flour and baking powder into the mix until fully mixed and no flour remains.

Pour mixture into a lined tin.

Pop into your Neff slide & hide oven for 60 minutes (check after this time as it may need a little longer)

Take out – allow to cool and enjoy!