Unfortunatley, this post marks the end of the Easter Holidays and the arrival of school next tuesday. Not particuarly looking forward to going back as it means exams ( I've spent.... some.... of my holidays revising), but hopefully, I'll also find out what subjects I've been given for GCSE. I'm hoping I'll get my first four options- Geography, History, French and Food Tech (obviously!) but it won't be so bad if I get my fifth as that is PE.
Anyway, as it's Easter Weekend we're planning a big family gathering so that means FOOD! And lots of it as there's about twenty of us! So we're all brining our own bits and peices- salad, cakes, sandwiches etc. For my contribution it's an Apple and Frangipane Tart and The Perfect Roast Beef.
It's prime picknicking season- the weather is warm, and there arent too many wasps around yet, so get out there and make the most of the countryside and the weather!
Anyway, for the the Apple and Frangipane Tart, pre-heat an oven to 170'/ Gas 4 and beat together the butter and the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one by one to keep the mixture light. Here, mix in the vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Finaly, gently fold in the ground almonds bit by bit. You dont want to drop all the almonds on top at once because this will push the air out of the mixture. Once mixed, pour the mixture into your tart case and set aside. Carefully peel and core the apple and slice it thinly into cresent shapes. I prefer cresent shaped slices as you can fan them out across the tart. Lay these slices ontop of the frangipane and brush the jam over the top. Bake in an oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the frangipane is puffy and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.
One pre-prepared pastry case, measuring about 25cm in diameter
100g Un-salted Butter, softened
100g Caster Sugar
2 large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Grated Lemon Zest
1 Large Cooking Apple
1tbsp Abricot Jam, melted
Now, onto the beef. This recipe is great cold, hence why I'm taking it to a picknick. I always feel that managing to cook beef perfectly is a real challenge, just to get it cooked- that lovely pink colour so it pulls apart with ease- rather than being gray and like a block of wood. So for my Roast Beef, start by pre-heating an oven to 200'/ Gas 6. In a small bowl, combine the mustard powder and water to form a smooth paste. Smear this over the beef and set aside. In a large frying pan, or flame proof roasting tin, heat the oil and seal the beef on high heat. When the beef is sealed, remove from the frying pan and roast it in the oven for 1 hour, or until it is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes under foil, carve and serve hot or cold.
1.5 Kilo Joint of Rib Beef
3tbsp English Mustard Powder
3tbsp Cold Water
3tbsp Vegatable Oil
Anyway, as it's Easter Weekend we're planning a big family gathering so that means FOOD! And lots of it as there's about twenty of us! So we're all brining our own bits and peices- salad, cakes, sandwiches etc. For my contribution it's an Apple and Frangipane Tart and The Perfect Roast Beef.
It's prime picknicking season- the weather is warm, and there arent too many wasps around yet, so get out there and make the most of the countryside and the weather!
Anyway, for the the Apple and Frangipane Tart, pre-heat an oven to 170'/ Gas 4 and beat together the butter and the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one by one to keep the mixture light. Here, mix in the vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Finaly, gently fold in the ground almonds bit by bit. You dont want to drop all the almonds on top at once because this will push the air out of the mixture. Once mixed, pour the mixture into your tart case and set aside. Carefully peel and core the apple and slice it thinly into cresent shapes. I prefer cresent shaped slices as you can fan them out across the tart. Lay these slices ontop of the frangipane and brush the jam over the top. Bake in an oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the frangipane is puffy and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.
One pre-prepared pastry case, measuring about 25cm in diameter
100g Un-salted Butter, softened
100g Caster Sugar
2 large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Grated Lemon Zest
1 Large Cooking Apple
1tbsp Abricot Jam, melted
Now, onto the beef. This recipe is great cold, hence why I'm taking it to a picknick. I always feel that managing to cook beef perfectly is a real challenge, just to get it cooked- that lovely pink colour so it pulls apart with ease- rather than being gray and like a block of wood. So for my Roast Beef, start by pre-heating an oven to 200'/ Gas 6. In a small bowl, combine the mustard powder and water to form a smooth paste. Smear this over the beef and set aside. In a large frying pan, or flame proof roasting tin, heat the oil and seal the beef on high heat. When the beef is sealed, remove from the frying pan and roast it in the oven for 1 hour, or until it is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes under foil, carve and serve hot or cold.
1.5 Kilo Joint of Rib Beef
3tbsp English Mustard Powder
3tbsp Cold Water
3tbsp Vegatable Oil
