Take the risk or lose the chance

New week… same me… with bonus features: sunshine, good friends, some random yet surprisingly successful bakes, and a little less of a stressy head - who am I kidding, I’ve still been stressing but the friends, baking and sunshine make the stress a little quieter!

If we include last Sunday as the beginning of a new week, then things got off to a GREAT start. I made that cherry, almond and custard cream cake that I shared on my Instagram stories and it was honestly one of the best cakes I’ve made - the custard cream (made with Birds custard powder by the way!!!) was something ELSE and the sponge was light and moist, perfect paired with the juicy macerated cherries. It was one of those happy accident recipes - I freestyled with every element and ended up with something quite magical. In fact, on reflection, that’s pretty much the vibe of this week… everything has been borne out of a little spontaneity, some cravings for specific comfort - like custard, bread, melty shortbread biscuits - plus an element of risk- I know, I’m such a dare devil!!!

Thought of the week will therefore be this:

“Take the risk - if you win you will be happy, if you lose, you will be wise”

The cake was shared with neighbours & friends, then on Tuesday we moved on to custard tarts - I mentioned them in a post on my Instagram - welcome to any newbies who have joined us following that post, thank you so much for the support and if you’re bored of my waffling already and just want custard tart, scroll down the page about halfway and get stuck in!

Other baking endeavours included emergency shortbread - I felt REALLY anxious on Wednesday and had to do something… so I did shortbread, it was a basic shortbread recipe that I fiddled with a bit - I added a SECRET ingredient to the mix, it needs a bit of tweaking so when I’m happy, I’ll defo share it, in the meantime, I’ll pop the proportions of sugar:butter:dry ingredients below and you can have a crack at my ‘go-to shortbread’! Then we had baked apricots, crusty bread, a herby butterbean salad, ravioli & pasta primavera - honestly, it’s been a glorious foodie week!

Despite the definite improvement in my mood, I still haven’t been feeling my best which I find frustrating to say the least - when I get like this, I just want to give myself a shake and say “don’t you realise how many GREAT things are in your life?” Of course this mindset doesn’t help at all and I suppose part of the battle is just accepting that sometimes, for no apparent reason, you feel a bit pants, your brain has a tendency to catastrophise everything and you just have to ride the wave until it passes… unfortunately, I’m not very good at being patient!

Right, without further ado, let’s get cracking with the highlights…

BAKED APRICOTS

I LOVE baked sticky fruit on my porridge of a morning and call me weird but the warmer weather doesn’t deter me from enjoying my favourite bowl of cooked oats… unless I’m having overnight oats… or granola!

ANYWAY, for me, plums feature throughout the year - regardless of their seasonality - the deep purple variety are my favourite for baking. We had rhubarb a few weeks back, and now apricots are in their PRIME. I wouldn’t say fresh apricots hold the most flavour, but baked with a few additions, they are magical! Here I use orange juice, cardamom, vanilla and almond extract.

When baking fruit, my advice is to just keep an eye on it as it cooks - ripeness, size and variety of a fruit can drastically affect the cooking time. The apricots I have used recently have been lovely and ripe - from M&S or my local fruit and veg shop - I’ve found they cook quite quickly, but recall them taking a little longer in the past, so you may need to use your intuition a bit and make sure you periodically baste them in their juices - this helps them along with the cooking and stops the tops from becoming dry or colouring. Let me know if you try them! 

Ingredients

4 fresh apricots approx 225g
1.5 tsp golden caster sugar
70ml Fresh Orange juice - either from a carton or freshly squeezed - about 1 medium orange
Zest 1/2 medium orange
3 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste/Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Almond extract (add a drop less if you don’t like too much almondy-ness)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Halve the apricots and remove the stones, arrange skin side down in an oven proof dish - make sure the dish isn’t too large for the amount you are baking. Next, combine the orange juice, zest, vanilla and sugar in a jug. Pour the liquid mixture over the apricots. Press the cardamom pods firmly just to crack their husk a bit but not such that the seeds come out, then pop them into the juices in the dish. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes - completely depends on ripeness of the apricots. After 10 minutes, I baste them with the juices a bit then pop them back in - you want the apricots to be lovely and tender but still holding their shape. They will also continue to cook once you remove them from the oven.

*add 1/2 tsp of amaretto after baking for a little boozy kick, serve warm with crème fraîche or yoghurt and crumble over some amaretti for a PERFECT pudding

HERBY BUTTERBEAN SALAD

This was one of those, make it up as you go along recipes that I’m very happy I made up and went along with! The sun came out on Tuesday and besides rustling up those CUTE custard tarts (see below), I decided I needed a summery salad for lunch. I’ll admit this was a bit of a botch job and has only been attempted once, but if you’re brave, give it a go and let me know how it turns out. I don’t think you can go far wrong when it comes to a mash up of quality ingredients… fresh herbs bring this dish to LIFE & the beans speak for themselves - if you haven’t tried Bold bean co, get on it - it’s a perfect marriage of sweet, salty, and refreshing acidity - YUUUUM!

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin drained and rinsed butterbeans (or my preference – ½ large jar of Bold bean co Queen butterbeans) – reserve 1 tbsp of the bean water
½ banana shallot or a small round shallot finely chopped
1 clove of garlic grated
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp sultanas
½ tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp for frying
5cm courgette sliced into thin discs and then chopped into matchsticks I think the technical term would be julienne?
10g Fresh Basil – finely chopped
10g Fresh parsley – finely chopped
5g Fresh dill – finely chopped
5g Fresh mint– finely chopped
¼ tsp Maldon flaky salt

Method

Place 1 tsp olive oil in a small pan and place over a low heat, add the shallot and garlic and cook for around 5 mins stirring frequently to prevent it from catching. Add the capers and sultanas and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Next add the courgette and the reserved tablespoon of bean water – continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until a bit mushy and reduced. Add the sherry vinegar stir through for a minute, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, add the drained rinsed butterbeans, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, salt and herbs to a large bowl and stir well to combine. Once the cooked shallot/courgette mixture has cooled a little, add to the herby beans, stir thoroughly.

Either serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours – the flavour intensifies. Serve with bulgur wheat or your favourite grain, and top with a handful of toasted almonds for a delicious summer salad.

MINI CUSTARD TARTS

These need no introduction… ok, just a small one. But as explained over on my insta post, everything can be prepared in advance and assembled as and when you fancy, they’re a little indulgent but light, fresh and full of summery vibes - such a DELIGHT!

Makes 4 small tartlets

Ingredients

Almond Pastry – enough for ~ 10-12 pastry cases (recipe adapted from a pistachio pastry by pastry chef Nicola Lamb)

85g Caster Sugar
110g Ground Almonds
90g Unsalted butter
1 Large Egg
175g Plain flour

1 small egg for egg wash

Vanilla crème pâtissière  – enough to fill 4 x pastry cases

200ml Whole milk
2 x large egg yolks for a wonderful golden custard use Clarence Court Burford Browns!
2 level tbsp (~16g) Cornflour
35g Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract or 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
10g Unsalted butter softened (optional - adds a little richness)

Decoration

~150-200g Fresh British Summer berries – any combo of blueberries/raspberries/blackberries/strawberries

4 x 10-11.5cm diameter (or similar) non-stick fluted tart tins - I used these

Method

First prepare the pastry. Combine the sugar and ground almonds in a food processor, pulse a few times just to combine the two and break down the ground almonds a little more. Next add the cold cubed butter and blitz until the mixture is completely combined – scrape down the sides and pulse a little more if necessary. Add the egg and blitz until smooth. Finally tip in the flour and gently pulse just until the mixture comes together into a ball. Whilst the pastry remains soft and pliable, cut off 4 x 40-45g chunks – the remaining pastry can be frozen and used at a later date – defrost fully before using.

Very lightly dust your work surface with flour, roll out the dough to a thickness of around a pound coin. Drape the pastry into the tin and gently press it into the bottom and sides – there should only be a very slight overhang which can be trimmed using a knife – make sure the sides and bottom are pressed into the tin well to prevent the pastry from shrinking away too much. Repeat for the remaining 3 tins and refrigerate for around 30 mins. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.

Next prepare the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the vanilla, stir to combine. Place over a medium heat until just starting to bubble. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks caster sugar and corn flour in a medium sized bowl. Once the milk is bubbling, remove from the heat and pour around 1/3 over the egg yolk mixture whisking vigorously to prevent the egg from scrambling, add a little more milk - up to around 2/3 in total - continually whisking before returning all of the mixture to the milk pan with the remaining milk and popping back over a medium heat. Keep whisking the mixture until it thickens – it may go a bit lumpy – don't worry, this is normal. Just keep whisking and it will become smooth, thickened and glossy. Cook out over a low heat for another minute or two, then remove from the heat, add the (optional) butter and beat into the mixture. Transfer to a clean bowl, passing it through a sieve removing any little lumps. Place some clingfilm directly on the surface of the crème pâtissière while it’s still warm to prevent a skin from forming. Once cool enough, transfer to the fridge until ready to use.

Once the pastry cases have rested, remove from the fridge. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and pop in the oven directly on the oven shelf. Bake for around 15 minutes before removing and brushing with a thin layer of egg wash and returning to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until golden.

Once baked, remove from the oven. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before very carefully teasing out of the pastry tins. Leave to cool on a wire rack – once cooled can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

When you are ready to serve, remove the crème pâtissière from the fridge and stir vigorously to form a smooth mixture. Divide between the four tart cases. Decorate with fresh berries – as many as you wish. Add a dust of icing sugar if you wish and, TA DA – a masterpiece and tasty afternoon tea or dessert option. Enjoy.

CHERRY ALMOND CUSTARD CREAM CAKE

THAT CAKE - ok if there is one cake you try in your lifetime make it this one, I think it’s a new FAVOURITE (yes I say that every time but I mean it!).

Ingredients

Almond Sponge

125g Unsalted butter softened
125g Caster sugar
90g Self raising flour
30g Ground almonds
2 large eggs room temp
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
25ml whole milk room temp
1/4 tsp almond extract

Cherry filling

200g Cherries
1.5 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp amaretto (optional)

‘Cheats’ Crème diplomat (custardy cream)
Custard
7g ‘Birds custard powder’
7g Caster sugar
115ml whole milk

Cream
150g double cream
5g Sifted icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

First macerate the cherries, combine the cherries, caster sugar almond extract and lemon juice in a bowl and leave to macerate for a minimum 20 minutes. Once macerated, place in a saucepan over a medium heat, simmer for around 7-10 minutes or until thickened, stir frequently to prevent it from catching. Once thickened, turn off the heat, add the amaretto if you like and stir through, then transfer to a small bowl & set aside to cool completely.

Next make the custard. Combine the custard powder, sugar and milk in a saucepan (as per the packet instructions), place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. I let it bubble away a fair bit until it’s thickened up a little - approx 5 minutes. Once thickened, pass through a sieve into a bowl and once again allow to cool - cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming.

Next prepare the sponges, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease the base & sides of 2 x 6 inch cake tins with butter and line the base with parchment. Sift the flour, ground almonds and bicarb into a medium sized bowl and lightly whisk to combine. Combine the milk and almond extract in a small jug - ensure the milk is at room temperature. Next measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl, use an electric hand whisk and beat for around 5-8 mins or until light and fluffy - alternatively you can use a stand mixer. Add the eggs incrementally beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times if necessary. Once all of the egg is incorporated, add 1/2 of the sifted dry ingredients and gently fold into the mixture, followed by half of the milk. Continue with the remaining dries and the last trickle of milk. Once everything is incorporated, distribute evenly between the two cake tins and level with a palette knife. Bake in the oven for around 20-23 minutes. Once baked, leave to cool in the tins for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a further 40-50 mins - they should be cooled by this point, I then cover with clingfilm to keep them super moist before assembling the cake.

Once everything has cooled and you are ready to assemble the cake, prepare the custard cream - measure the cream into a bowl, add the vanilla and icing sugar, use an electric hand whisk to whisk to soft peaks. Next use the same whisk to briefly whisk up the cold custard - just helps to make it smooth - add the smooth custard to the lightly whipped cream and whisk together until beautifully whipped up and thickened - it’s just like soft serve ice cream. Next unwrap one of your sponges, and place on your serving board/plate. Spread a HEFTY smear of the custard cream over the top, followed by the cherries - spread them across the top evenly, add the top layer of sponge - I up turn the cake such that the flat bottom of the cake becomes the top - and spread the remaining custard cream around the top and sides of the cake - if you have extra, save it and eat it with fresh berries later. Decorate with flowers if you like but people, this is ALLLLL about the cake and omg just throw all of the ingredients together and get a fork to dive IN!

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO KNOW.

• A RECIPE: I mentioned it above, but you HAVE to try Jordan Ezra King’s Pasta Primavera recipe - you can find it here and OMG it’s good!

• My shortbread: 30g Golden Caster sugar, 70g Unsalted butter softened, 80g plain flour, 20g fine semolina, pinch of salt. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until creamy, fold in the dries until JUST combined, dump the dough out onto a piece of clingfilm and roll out whilst in the clingfilm to approx 1cm thick - the clingfilm is a top tip to avoid too much handling! Rest it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Once rested, remove the clingfilm and stamp out rounds using a 5cm cutter, re-roll as necessary - you should get about 8-9 out of the dough - then bake on a lined baking sheet for 15-17 mins at 180C/160C fan. Drizzle with a little melted choccy once cooled, because obv, then devour!

• You may have seen me mention this earlier in the week on instagram, but adding steam to the oven when you bake crusty bread makes a MASSIVE difference - proven when I baked a batch of rolls, half with and half without steam. The oven spring, texture of the crust and colouring to the final baked rolls was markedly difference… so add steam and be rewarded - either place a tray at the bottom of the oven and filled with about a cup of water just as your bread goes in to bake OR chuck a handful of ice cubes in to the base of the oven to create a similar steamy environment to that of commercial ovens.

• A TIP: scrunch up your baking parchment, then flatten it back out before using it. This stops it curling up, having a life of its own and giving you a major headache - tangent, I HATE lining tins/baking trays with parchment, it literally gave me nightmares during bake off. Anyway, this helps tame said parchment a bit!

• Looking through REAL LIFE old photographs - I was desperately trying to fish out some old photographs the other day for a friend and OMG the memories when you flick through proper photos instead of the endless snaps I take on my phone nowadays - yes I sound old, but take me back to simpler times with Kodak disposable cameras… and my thumb in every shot!!!

• The most wonderful, uplifting chat with Millie Stone; a fabulous doctor, author and all-round goddess who is overseeing the management of my bone health. I had a zoom appointment with her on Friday morning, I was petrified as I always am with appointments, but good grief what an inspirational and positive woman she is. Not only did I come away from the chat with more confidence that my bone health can be improved, she also helped me realise that I have a purpose on this planet beyond being ‘a bit of a fruit loop’. Millie also has a podcast called Live longer the podacast and having listened to a couple of episodes I’m already hooked - I thoroughly recommend it!

• Bare feet on fresh grass - can we agree that this is a delightful sensation. AND… warm summer evenings - such a treat, I swear I could stay out all night when it’s warm and light so late!

• Ok finally, but most importantly - Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there - not forgetting the those who left us too soon. I’m not gonna lie today is gonna be a struggle for me, I still don’t think I have come to terms with the fact that Dad is no longer with us, but I’ll do my best to do as he would have wished: get outdoors, have a beer (ok I won’t do beer but I’ll raise a glass of something to him) and be happy. Love you Dad.

Hope you have all had a wonderful week… or a reasonable one at least.
Keep smiling, keep shining & enjoy the moment.

Lots of Love xxx