by Jamie Oliver
2. Slice horizontally through the onion, but again, not quite to the core end.
3. Slice across the slices to give you chopped onion. You can do this fine or coarse depending on what you need. P.S. If you cry easily, wear swimming goggles!
chargrilled pork leg with asparagus
This is a really good way to turn a cheap cut of meat into something special. In this recipe we’re going to get nice thin escalopes of pork from the leg, flavour them and prepare them so they cook quickly. You could also use chicken or even veal in the same way, if you fancy.
SERVES 4
100g hard goat’s cheese
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled
½ a bunch of fresh lemon thyme, leaves picked
4 × 175g pork escalopes, about 1cm thick
500g asparagus, trimmed and finely sliced lengthways
250g green and yellow courgettes, finely sliced lengthways
4 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
Rub the goat’s cheese with a little olive oil and cook on a hot griddle on both sides until nicely coloured. Remove and put to one side. Bash up the garlic and lemon thyme in a pestle and mortar, add a couple of splashes of olive oil, stir, and rub the mixture all over the pork. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then put the escalopes one by one between 2 large pieces of clingfilm and bash with something heavy until they’re ½cm thick — this will make them really tender.
On the griddle, chargrill the asparagus, then the courgettes, on both sides — mark them nicely to give them a bit of flavour and character. Place in a salad bowl with the vinegar, 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and half the fresh mint. Using the griddle pan again, chargrill the pork escalopes on both sides for 4 minutes, or until nicely marked. Tear each escalope in half and scatter over the salad bowl with the rest of the mint (for a lovely fresh burst of flavour) and the crumbled goat’s cheese. Toss well, then place the bowl in the middle of the table and let everyone tuck in.
This is about the only time you’ll ever hear me being very specific about measurements, weights, cooking times and sizes of tins and moulds, so please excuse me. But this is baking and I suppose it’s a little like chemistry. It covers bread, cakes, tarts and all sorts of different desserts. I’ll give you a nice selection of things to try which I bake at home all the time. The method of baking is similar to roasting, in that you’ve got dry heat from above and below in an oven, sometimes with a convection fan, but the cooking process doesn’t rely on fat being on the surface of the food (though it may well be present within it). The actual cooking method is very simple — but because baking usually involves things that have to rise and cook within a certain amount of time, you have to stick to the recipes to get them just right.
BAKING & SWEET THINGSPLEASE SELECT A RECIPE
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BAKING & SWEET THINGS
pears in amarone
baileys & banana bread & butter pudding
surprise pudding
baked chocolate pudding
rice pudding
perfect sweet pastry
MAKING THE PERFECT SWEET PASTRY
BAKING ‘BLIND’
baked ricotta & mascarpone tart with chocolate & orange
hazelnut torte
nectarine meringue pie
plum & almond tart
citrus curd tart – my favourite ways
baked pears stuffed with almonds, orange & chocolate in flaky pastry
banoffee pie
clementine chocolate salad REMOVING SEEDS FROM A VANILLA POD
scrumptious baked figs with mascarpone, orange, pistachios & hot cross buns
funky coke float
my perfect cheese plate
the perfect basic bread recipe
tomato focaccia
rosemary & raisin bread
little sweet grape & rosemary calzones
sweet roasted red onion & garlic bread
slow-roasted tomato bread
pears in amarone
When I went to Italy this year with my mate David Gleave from Liberty Wines, he took me to a wine estate near Verona called Allegrini. All their wines are fantastic, but especially their Amarone, which is perfect for drinking and cooking with. After serving us a fantastic lunch they gave us these pears poached in Amarone. I’ve tweaked the recipe slightly to my own taste. It is so simple and delicious — if you can get some nice pears and a really good bottle of Amarone-style red you’ll be laughing. If you use rubbish wine and manky old pears, the finished dish will be horrible, so don’t try and do it half-heartedly.
SERVES 8
2 vanilla pods, halved, seeds scraped out (see page 304)
1 bottle of Amarone or Barolo red wine
225g caster sugar
1 small cinnamon stick
1 orange
½ a bunch of fresh thyme
8 Comice pears, peeled and base removed
250g unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Put the vanilla seeds and pods into a casserole pan that will hold all the pears snugly, add the wine, sugar, and cinnamon, then finely grate in the orange zest and squeeze in the juice. Throw in the thyme, secured together in a little bunch with string. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, then add the pears, sitting upright. Put the lid on the pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until the pears are soft and tender but not falling apart (they can take less or more time depending on the ripeness of the pears). When they’re ready they will have taken on the flavour and colour of the wine and should smell delicious.
By now the wine and sugar will have thickened and the flavour will have intensified. Remove the pears to a dish, place the pan on the hob over a medium heat and reduce the wine by about half. Remove from the heat and add the butter — agitate the pan but don’t give it any more heat. Put the pears back in the pan and leave until ready to serve. Warm is the best temperature to serve this dish, and it’s best with some nice whipped soured cream or crème fraîche — a lovely contrast to the richness of the sauce (which is to die for!).
baileys & banana bread & butter pudding
Having grown up in a pub, two of the alcoholic drinks I tried and got a taste for at an early age were Baileys and a cocktail called a Snowball. Now I’m older I detest the taste of both of them! Jools has a little drop of Baileys every now and again, so there’s usually a bottle hanging about, and one day I had some bananas and it was as simple as that — I tried this recipe out and it was fantastic, one of the best possible twists on a bread and butter pudding.
SERVES 6
½ a loaf of sliced white bread, crusts removed
50g unsalted butter (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing
140g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, halved, seeds scraped out (see page 304)
8 large eggs
500ml single cream
500ml milk
4 shots of Baileys
5 bananas, peeled
4 tablespoons flaked almonds, toasted until golden
icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Flatten each slice of bread down as flat as possible. Spread each piece thinly but thoroughly with the butter, then cut the slices of bread in half and put to one side.
In a bowl whisk the sugar, vanilla seeds and eggs together until pale and fluffy, add the cream, milk and Baileys and whisk until smooth. Slice the bananas, then lightly toast the almonds in the oven. Grease a baking dish (or you could do individual ones) with a little butter. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, then begin to layer the bread, bananas and almonds into the dish. Repeat until everything has been used up, ending with a top layer of bread. Pour over the rest of the egg mixture, using your fingers to push down the bread to make sure it soaks up all the lovely flavours.
Generously dust the top of the pudding with icing sugar a
nd bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until the custard has set at the sides but is just slightly wobbly in the middle. Allow to cool and firm up slightly. Some people like to serve it with ice cream or double cream, but if you get it gooey enough in the middle then it is nice just on its own. Feel free to take this recipe in any direction you like — try raisins or dried apricots, or different types of bread, such as brioche or panettone.
surprise pudding
When I was little, a gym opened around our way and it had a juice bar where they served this amazing carrot cake with a twangy soured cream topping. This is one of my efforts at making boring old carrot cake remotely credible. My mate Peter Begg, the friendly Scotsman, suggested I swap carrot for beetroot, which I did, and the result was marvellous. Thanks Pete!
SERVES 10
500g raw beetroots
10cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 large eggs, separated
150ml runny honey
170ml olive oil
2 vanilla pods, halved, seeds scraped out (see page 304)
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
100g polenta
1 orange
1 good pinch of ground allspice
1 good pinch of ground cinnamon
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
unsalted butter, for greasing
200g crème fraîche
1 wineglass of Vin Santo, Marsala or sherry
2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Peel the beetroots and coarsely grate into a bowl. Add the ginger, egg yolks, honey, oil and the seeds from one vanilla pod. Whisk together, then add the baking powder, polenta, finely grated orange zest and the juice, a good pinch of sea salt, the allspice, cinnamon and flour. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the beetroot mixture. Grease a 25cm cake tin or cheesecake mould with butter and dust with a little flour to stop the cake sticking. Pour in the mixture, then bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until spongy. To test whether it’s ready, poke a cocktail stick into the middle — if it’s clean when it comes out, you know it’s done. Allow to cool. Whisk the crème fraîche with the Vin Santo, sugar and the seeds from the remaining vanilla pod. Taste and adjust to your liking with a bit more sugar and Vin Santo. Serve the cake in wedges with a big dollop of the cream.
baked chocolate pudding
This is chocolate heaven! The original idea came from my mate Ben, the head chef at Monte’s. I’ve changed it round a bit to make it easier to make at home.
SERVES 8
400g quality dark chocolate (70%)
50ml hot espresso or good strong instant coffee
80g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
6 large eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
100g rice flour
1 small handful of chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Melt 125g of the chocolate with the coffee, then pour into small ice cube moulds and freeze until hard. Take 6 small pastry rings, dariole moulds or cappuccino cups and grease well with butter. Place in the fridge while you make the sponge mixture. Melt the remaining chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, then leave to cool. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until firm. Fold the yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture, then add the almonds and flour. Finish by carefully folding in the egg whites. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Spoon a little mixture into each chilled mould, then push in a cube of frozen coffee and chocolate. Cover with the rest of the sponge mixture so each ice cube is completely enveloped. Bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, then remove carefully from the moulds while hot. Serve immediately, sprinkled with hazelnuts.
rice pudding
Sometimes the golden oldies are the best! This rice pudding is dead easy, very comforting and can be varied with all types of different flavours.
SERVES 4
100g unsalted butter
115g caster sugar
1.3 litres milk
2 vanilla pods, halved, seeds scraped out, (see page 304)
140g pudding rice
Put the butter, sugar, milk, vanilla seeds, rice and a pinch of sea salt in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and leave to tick away until the milk has been absorbed and the rice is soft but not too stodgy, stirring occasionally. Serve in bowls while hot.
Try this: For a nice surprise, drop a spoonful of jam into the middle of each pudding, or melt 200g of quality dark chocolate (70%) in a bowl over some simmering water and stir in before serving.
perfect sweet pastry
You can make this pastry by hand or in a food processor. See page 284 for some great step-by-step pictures of making the pastry, then baking it ‘blind’.
MAKES 2 × 28CM TART CASES
250g unsalted butter
200g icing sugar
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 vanilla pod, halved, seeds scraped out (see page 304)
1 lemon
4 large egg yolks
2—4 tablespoons cold milk
Stage 1: Cream the butter, icing sugar and a pinch of sea salt together, then rub or pulse in the flour, followed by the vanilla seeds, finely grated lemon zest and the egg yolks. When it’s looking like coarse breadcrumbs, add the cold milk (or use water). Pat together to form a ball of dough, then lightly flour. The idea is to get the ingredients to form a dough with the minimum amount of movement to keep the pastry short and flaky (the more you work it the more elastic it will get, causing it to shrink in the oven and be chewy, and you don’t want that to happen).
Stage 2: On a clean floured surface, roll the pastry into a large, short and fat sausage shape, wrap it in clingfilm and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.
Stage 3: Working lengthways, carefully slice off very thin slivers of the pastry (see page 284). Place the slivers all around a 28cm tart mould, fitting them together like a jigsaw. Push the pieces together and tidy up the sides by trimming off any excess pastry. Place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Stage 4: If I’m going to fill my tart cases with an uncooked filling I usually bake them ‘blind’ (i.e. with no filling — see page 285) for 15 minutes at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 — this will cook them all the way through, colouring them slightly. Once completely cooled, the shells can be filled. With baked fillings the tart shell has to be baked blind for 12 minutes at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 before being filled and then baked once more.
Try this: Once the tart case has been baked blind, brush the inside with a little egg white, then put back in the oven for 30 seconds — no longer. This will give it a nice waterproof layer which will protect it from a wetter filling. The pastry will stay crumbly and crisp for longer instead of going all soggy.
Or this: Freeze the extra tart case for another day.
MAKING THE PERFECT SWEET PASTRY
1. Add the vanilla seeds, lemon zest and egg yolks to the flour mixture.
2. Rub together until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Pat together to form a ball of dough.
4. Carefully slice off very thin slivers of pastry.
5. Place the pastry slivers in the tart mould.
6. Push and fit the pieces together like a jigsaw.
7. Tidy up the sides by trimming off any excess pastry.
BAKING ‘BLIND’
I find that if you freeze a pastry case you can bake it blind straight from the freezer without it shrinking. If you haven’t got time to freeze it, then simply line the case with non-PVC clingfilm (yes, it’s absolutely fine) or greaseproof paper, fill it with dried beans, lentils or uncooked rice and bake it, as shown below.
1. Measure a folded piece of greaseproof paper against the pastry case and tear off to give you a cartouche (see page 174).
2. Line the pastry case with the cartouche.
3. Fill the pastry case with dried beans, lentils or uncooked rice and b
ake at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
baked ricotta & mascarpone tart with chocolate & orange
When I used to work at the Neal Street Restaurant with Gennaro Contaldo (a superb chef who taught me such a lot), he used to make 4 or 5 things similar to this every morning using just ricotta and candied fruit. It’s a really fantastic tart — great with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Terrific with a little crème fraîche and segmented oranges. For this version I used half ricotta and half mascarpone and put my own flavour combination together.
SERVES 10
½ × perfect sweet pastry recipe (see page 282)
250g ricotta cheese
250g mascarpone
125g icing sugar
3 oranges
2 vanilla pods, halved, seeds scraped out (see page 304)
3 large eggs, 2 separated, 1 beaten
100g quality dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped
icing sugar, for dusting
Make the pastry and use it to line a loose-bottomed 28cm tart tin. Bake blind (see page 285) and allow to cool. Roll the extra pastry out to the same thickness in a long rectangular shape, dusting with flour as you go, and divide into 14 × 2.5cm wide strips. Set aside — you will need them to finish off the tart.