recipe: christmas bakewell tart

christmas bakewell tart

traybake mince pie / bakewell tart fusion bliss!

IngredientsMakes: 2600g (24)

450g		sweet short pastry	(recipe below)
820g		sbs mincemeat
1420g		frangipane mix	(recipe below)
90g		flaked almonds

Method

Using a 25cm x 35cm baking tray.

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Rather than making 24 separate mince pies I thought I'd make one big one and lean it in the direction of a bakewell tart!

Easy to slice up in 24 pieces and offer to Christmas visitors, or break out after Christmass dinner / Boxing day!

It will keep in the fridge for a week no problem, and it freezes well too - slice it up before freezing it!

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Roll pastry until it's large enough to fit the tray.

Cover w/ baking paper & fill w/ baking beans / balls / coins / foodsafe filler. . .

Blind bake pastry 180C / 15m w/ baking beans + 5m w/o beans.

Spread the mincemeat onto the tart case w/ the back of a spoon.

Make the frangipane imx & spread over the mincemeat.

Dust w/ flaked almonds & bake 150C / 40-45m.

Check it's cooked by popping a knife ito the centre - it should come out clean if it's cooked.

sweet short pastry

IngredientsMakes: 1400g

750g		plain flour
30g		caster sugar
450g		butter
110g	(2)	large eggs
60g		ice cold water

Method

Flour, sugar, butter > crumb texture.

Add water & eggs bring together into pastry.

Portion off remains into 400g planes 1cm thick - so they defrost quickly!

Wrap in cling film & freeze them for later.

frangipane mix

frangipane tart mix

IngredientsMakes: 1420g

400g		butter
400g		caster sugar
220g	(4)	eggs
400g		ground almonds

Method

Cream the butter & sugar in a standing mixer w/ a paddle attachment.

Add eggs one at a time incorporating each fully before the next.

Add the ground almonds . . . mix until homogenous & smooth.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

recipe: venison wellington - Christmas bliss - next level beef wellington

venison wellington

venison wellington for 2

IngredientsMakes: 850g (2)

300g		mums flaky pastry	(recipe below)
380g		seared venison tenderloin	(recipe below)
3g		salt
2g		black pepper
20g		olive oil
200g		duxelles	(recipe below)
172g	(3)	fine pancake	(recipe below)
52g	(4)	parma ham
40g		egg wash

Method

This recipe is for two people, quite small but rather special!

I make sausage rolls w/ any leftover pastry . . these are good [https://www.ferdiesfoodlab.co.uk/2024/12/recipe-fast-mini-sausage-rolls.html]

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Make the pastry 1st thing - or the night before - and put it in the fridge until needed.

Remove any silverskin from the fillet season it w/ salt & pepper & sear until brown all over, and put it aside.

Next make the duxelles & the pancakes.

Roll the pastry to twice the length of the seared fillet and place it on top of a large piece of clingfilm - big enough to completely wrap the wellington.

Place the pancake - it should over hang the meat by about an inch - it protects the pastry from moisture.

After that all manner of things get put in - pate, nuts, squash, mushroom all sort!

I'm keeping it simple, parma ham - which I forgot this time oops, mushroom duxelles, fillet and wrap!

Use the cling film to help rol the wellington then once rolled, keep rolling & use the cling film to pinch the ends off.

Cut off the excess pastry, rmove the cling film, lightly score & egg wash the pastry.

Put a probe into the centre bake @ 175C / until probe reaches 45C ~20mins

Leave it to rest for 15mins while plating up everythings else!!

For more well done bake @ 170C / until probe reaches 50C

For more still bake @ 165C / until probe reaches 55C

Don't forget it carries on cooking while it rests - leave the probe in and you'll see it rise as the heat re-distributes to the centre of the meat from th pastry outer case.

mums flaky pastry - first published March 2010

seared venison tenderloin

IngredientsMakes: 380g

400g		venison tenderloin
3g		salt
2g		black pepper
20g		olive oil

Method

Remove any silverskin from the fillet season it w/ salt & pepper & sear until brown all over, and put it aside.

After that you can roast it directly, use it for a wellington, wrap it pancetta & roast it which is one of my favourites!

Or . . . you can slice it up super thin and serve it as venison tataki

duxelles

heavily seasoned fine diced mushrooms cooked down w/ fish sauce

IngredientsMakes: 160g

20g		olive oil
300g		chestnut mushrooms
4g		salt
15g		fish sauce

Method

Duxelles often uses butter - it is French after all - and contains onions & herbs & sometimes cream, madeira or sherry.

I'm using a faster version that builds in a tone of umami seasoning to anything you add it too!

Fine dice the mushrooms.

Heat a pan with the oil & add the mushrooms, season generously & toss them to coat in oil.

Cook with the lid on for 10mins, tossing occasionally so they cook evenly.

Then take the lid off and cook until the last of the liquid completely evaporates.

Finally add the fish sauce, keep the mushrooms moving so it's evenly distributed, cook until there is no liquid left and the mushrrom have a nice sheen. Use as needed.

I often use these in stir fries, broths, fried rice, wraps, burger mix, kofte that kind of thing and for sauces.

fine pancake

fine pancake for maki rolls

IngredientsMakes: 172g (3)

110g		eggs
20g		cornflour
110g		milk
4g		aromat

Method

Mix w/ a blender.

Pour a third onto 12 inch crepe skillet, roll the liquid around until it coats the surface evenly.

Use thin spatula to separate it from surface then use fingers to turn the pancake over.

Repeat. Makes 3 thin pancakes.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

visual recipe: venison wellington - Christmas bliss - next level beef wellington

 

gather bits : ) - Christmas day cocktail please

 venison from Philip & Preece Hereford

beetroot on

mums been on the case - flaky pastry - check!

pancakes ready

seared venison tenderloin - crispy pastry venison goodness coming up!

roasties ready wellington to come

roll pastry place pancake

add duxelles

place seared venison

smells good!

roll up int piece of cling film to seal the ends

cut them off & remove the cling film

place on tray - score & brush w egg wash

insert probe & cook to 45C bake @ 180C

make smoked pigs in blankets while it cooks

DONE! about 20mins

perfect just the way I like it - for more done . . oven down 5C probe up 5C

perfect - feed me! : )

venison wellington & turkey croquettes

recipe: mums flaky pastry

step by step recipe sequence here

mums flaky pastry

mum's home made flaky pastry . .

IngredientsMakes: 485g (8)

85g		lard
85g		butter
225g		plain flour
90g		ice cold water

Method

Combine the two fats by cutting into small chunks and mixing w/ a knife, fork or wooden spoon.

Divide this into quarters and put 3/4 into the fridge.

Cut the remaining quarter into the plain flour and work it in with your fingers. Or using a plastic dough blade use a food processor – 4 seconds and check it, if it even grained that's perfect. Remember the longer you have anything in a food processor the hotter it gets so keep it to an absolute minimum!

The next step is to add the ice cold water and keep mixing the dough until there's no loose flour in the bowl - between 55g & 110g - it's ok if it's very slightly sticky but don't get it gloopy – that's a technical term for when you've added too much water! – or you'll have a lot of trouble with the rest of the steps and you're baked things will come out looking like the joker after he's fallen in the chemical works, messy!

Wrap the dough in baking paper & place in the fridge for 20 mins.

Roll the dough out 3 times as long as it is wide. Paste knobs of butter on two thirds of the dough then fold the dry third into the middle and the other third over that - use one of the quarters of the fat.

Roll the dough out 3 times as long as it is wide. Repeat the last step until there's no more fat left.

Wrap the dough in bake paper & place in the fridge for 20 mins. Or until needed.

First posted in March 2010.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

visual recipe: mums flaky pastry - 485g - rough puff pastry

85g lard & 85g butter

225g plain flour

combine the fats w/ a knife or fork

put flour into fP w/ dough blade add a quarter of the fat and blend to bread crumb stage

then add water  - 25-50% of weight of flour -  until . . .

 . . . the dough comes together

dough ready to add fat

we want fat between the folds!

roll the pastry into an oblong and dab two thirds w/ fat

fold pastry in - roll it back to the same size oblong as before

repeat . .

 . . . until you're out of fat

 and do it one last time without fat

 flaky pastry ready - place in fridge until needed.

mums flaky pastry - thanks mum!! : )