3 very different bakes this week. To start with, Rachel's 'Oat and vanilla shortbread cookies'. These were rustled up in a bit of a hurry... I'd been busy making Welsh cakes for St David's Day (this will come in another blog post!) A few days later, I invited a friend round for a cuppa and cake. Then realised that Nigel had taken all the Welsh cakes to work. Oops! I had a few hours to bake something, from ingredients that I had in the house. These fitted the bill, and had a lovely crumbly, melt in the mouth texture. The dough is mixed and then rolled into a sausage shape, refrigerated and sliced into biscuits when chilled. Here's where I need a bit more practice - I didn't roll it enough and ended up with a flat bottom, so misshapen biscuits. It didn't affect the taste of course, but maybe I'll try again when I've got more time!
Next, I made spicy bacon & gruyere scones. No particular occasion, just fancied something different for lunch. The spiciness comes from cayenne pepper , and really does give an extra 'edge' to the scones. Oh, I didn't have any Gruyere cheese, so used a mixture of Cheddar and Gouda that was waiting in the freezer. These were enjoyed by all the family - Nigel and Megan (who I thought would find them too spicy, but really loved them), my parents when I visited for the weekend, and my brother, who loves cheese; bacon and spice, so it was a perfect combination for him. Oh, Evan was the only one who wasn't keen, but that's no surprise - fussy little monkey! Sorry about the lack of a photo, the scones were gobbled up before I knew it!
Finally, I had a go at Rachel's Yorkshire pudding recipe. This is certainly nothing new for me. Back to fuss-monkey Evan, he really loves toad-in-the-hole. So, we probably have it at some point each week. I usually make the Yorkshire pud from a Delia Smith recipe. This uses 75g flour; 1 egg; and a mixture of milk and water. Rachel's recipe uses 100g flour; 2 eggs; milk and a little melted butter. It makes for a denser, more 'puddingy' texture, whereas Delia's is more light and crisp. I like them both. I thought I'd share our favourite family recipe - toad in the hole with onion gravy - using Rachel's Yorkshire pudding recipe. Here goes...
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). You can brown the sausages if you have time - Nigel likes them a bit more crispy so we usually do this. But it's not essential if you're in a rush! If you are browning, wait for the oven to come up to temperature, and heat about 1 tbsp oil in a medium sized roasting tin. Then put your sausages in - 6 to 8 is about right for this Yorkshire pudding recipe. Let them brown for 15-20 minutes. If you're skipping the browning stage, put your oil in the roasting tin anyway and give it 5-10 minutes to heat up while you're making the batter.
To make the batter, sift 100g (3 1/2oz) flour into a large bowl. Season, make a well in the centre, and crack in 2 eggs. Whisk, bringing in the flour from the sides of the bowl, and add 275mls (9fl oz) milk in a steady stream. When it's all mixed, whisk in 15g (1/2 oz) melted butter. Rachel does suggest putting the batter in the fridge for 30-60 minutes at this stage, to make really light puddings. I never have time for this though!
Take the tin out of the oven, and place on the hob, on a moderate heat - this prevents the oil temperature dropping. Carefully place in your sausages, if you haven't already. Then, pour the batter all over. Place in the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the sausages are well cooked and the batter puffy and golden.
While the toad is cooking, make up your gravy. I'm really proud of this recipe, as I cobbled it together myself, adding red wine vinegar for flavour. Then, one day I was watching Masterchef where John Torode was demonstrating his onion gravy method. He put red wine vinegar in too, although apparently he uses it to help soften the onions. So, heat some oil in a pan and add 1 sliced onion. Cook on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, until soft and golden. Then, add about 1 tbsp. of red wine vinegar. When this has been absorbed, add 1 tbsp flour and stir to coat the onions. Have some beef or vegetable stock ready - about 500mls. Add a little to the pan, and allow it to absorb. Continue to add the stock in this way, a little at a time, until it is all used. If you're cooking potatoes or vegetables to go with the toad, you can use some of the cooking water in the gravy. Finally, add in a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a splash of mushroom ketchup (if you have any). Season to taste.
Enjoy!
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