Currant Scones

I found this recipe on Chef John's Food Wishes website. It looked so good yet easy to make that Mich and I had a 'bake date' to try it out. It was a success! :D Buttery, fluffy and yet substantial... and it doesn't crumble when you break into it!

However, we used the British version of measurements and I'm not sure if that changed anything but it still tastes good. So if you're using British measurements, then just follow the recipe provided. If not, you could use the one given at Chef John's website when you click on the link below.

So here is the video.

Makes 8 medium scones.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (190g) plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup (57g) granulated sugar
1/8 tsp (a pinch) salt
5 tbsp (75g) unsalted butter, ice-cold (freeze them before cutting into cubes)
1/3 cup (50g) dried currants
1/2 cup (120ml) milk (full fat ok YMW)
1/4 cup (60ml) soured cream
1 egg + 1 tbsp milk for egg wash

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 400F / 200C / Gas 6.
2) Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix with whisk.
3) Add the ice-cold butter in. Break up the butter into small chunks using the whisk (or fork). 2 important things to remember: the butter must be very cold and you should stop mixing once you get a crumbly mixture.
4) Add the dried currants, milk and soured cream. Using a fork, roughly mix until just combined. Don't overmix!!
5) Using hands that have been coated in flour, roll the batter into ice-cream scoop size balls and place on baking sheet.
6) Put a coat of egg wash and spinkle with sugar for each ball. This makes the scones a shiny golden brown when cooked.
7) Bake in over for 15 mins or until golden brown. Chill for 10-15 mins before eating.

It's so easy! We probably took less than an hour from start to finish!

Enjoy!

Rich Tomato Sauce

Can be used as the base for bolognaise, pizza, lasagna... All of which I may give you my recipes for by and by. Worth it to make A LOT, and then freeze in portions. It's so good you will never buy Dolmio again. And cheap, wei! Best made on a sunny, happy weekend, with lots of time to chill out in the house while smells waft from the kitch.

Prep time: depends how fast you chop onions
Cooking time: at least 45 mins but up to 2 hours for a big pot

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (good quality Mediterranean is better but expensive)
Onions
1 or 2 cloves of Garlic (optional)
Canned chopped or whole Tomatoes (good quality whole plum tomatoes are best)
Tomato Puree
Sugar to taste
Fresh Basil (optional)

Method:

1. Dice onions - they don't have to be too fine, they are going to melt anyway. Ratio of onions to tomatoes in the pot is roughly 1:3. The more onions, the sweeter your sauce. Peel and smash garlic.

2. Saute onions and garlic in a generous amount of olive oil until brown and caramelised. Don't skip this step, or burn anything on too high a heat.

3. Add canned tomatoes plus all its juices. If your tomatoes are whole you can break them up with your spatula a little. Add generous amount of tomato puree. Like one of those little cans or equivalent.

4. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on very low heat for 45 mins or (much) more. Stir every 15 mins or so, to make sure the bottom does not burn. If it has burnt you can still save it, just refrain from stirring the burnt bits into the sauce. You will know it's done when olive oil starts coming to the top and forming little puddles on top of the sauce.

5. It won't taste sweet until it's almost done. If still a little tart then, add sugar to taste. I always add a tablespoon-full. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Oh ya, stir in whole sprigs of basil at some point during the simmering, which will wilt and die and sacrifice all its goodness up to the sauce. (Whole sprigs so that you can pick them out easily. Unless you want to eat them... for fibre...)

*THE END*

So simple. Even Meng can do it =P. Go for it guys, ready-made sucks!

Banoffee Pie

Got this off the back of the Carnation Condensed Milk tin. I prefer to use more biscuit than instructed to get a thicker base and so I can cover the sides properly. I also like to subsitute the cocoa powder for cinammon, but use less probably because it's quite a kick in the face otherwise. Make sure you caramelise the condensed milk properly, because the first time I did it I took it off the heat too quickly and it wouldn't firm up!

Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 1½ hours

Use an 8" loose-bottomed cake tin

Ingredients:

Base
100g (3½oz) butter, melted
250g (9oz) digestive biscuits

Filling
100g (3½oz) butter
100g (3½oz) dark brown soft sugar
397g can Carnation Condensed Milk

Topping
4 small bananas
284ml carton double cream, lightly whipped
cocoa powder, for dusting

Method:

1. To make the base, seal biscuits in a zip-lock bag and beat with heavy object until you get fine crumbs, then tip into a bowl. Alternatively, use food processer. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the base and up the sides of the tin. Chill the base while you make the filling.

2. To make the filling, place the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Burnt sugar tastes yuck so don't do that. Add the condensed milk and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously to make the caramel. As soon as it thickens and becomes a nice brown, remove from the heat. Spread the filling over the biscuit base, cool, and then leave to chill for about 1 hour, until firm.

3. To serve, slice the bananas; fold half of them into the softly whipped cream and spoon over the toffee base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and dust liberally with the cocoa.

*Picture on the way! Still in camera*