Eccles Cakes

Eccles Cake

(or and with much affection, Dead Fly Pies)

 

I love Eccles Cakes, I remember my Mom bringing them home from the Bakery as a special treat when I was a boy.  Even in later life I would be compelled to buy them if I spotted them in the display at any Bakery I was going through.  This pastry is a very pleasing combination of spicy and fruity with that wonderful flaky pastry topped with chunky sugar.  They are a time consuming bake, but the result is pure culinary art. Well worth the effort to see the looks of happiness on your families faces as they tuck in! 

 

Pastry

250g of frozen butter

350g of A.P. flour

Ice water

Filling

25g of butter

200g of currants

50g of chopped mixed peel

100g of table sugar   

1 Tsp of Cinnamon

1 Tsp of ground Allspice

1 Tsp of Ginger

Zest of one Orange

A few tablespoons of Orange juice

Glaze

1 Egg white  beaten

Enough Turbinado Sugar to sprinkle

Directions

Put the A.P. flour in a large mixing bowl.  Cube the frozen butter and put half the butter in with the flour.  Take a pastry cutter and begin to combine the flour and butter.  Cut until you have a pea sized texture.  Now put the other half of the cubed butter in and lightly cut.  You want some fairly large pieces of butter left so your pastry will become flaky when you bake.  

Ice water by the Tbs mix by hand until your dough comes together.  Go lightly and don't over mix.

Place dough on a floured surface and roll out to a 20cm by 30cm rectangle.  Now we are going to make cheater puff pastry so the folding will begin.  

Place the dough longways going away from you.  Reach over to the furthest edge and fold back towards you as far as the middle of the rectangle.  Take the closest edge to you and fold that to meet the other edge in the middle.  Fold these two fold onto themselves and end up with a small rectanlge.  Cover and put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  

Roll, fold, chill  and repeat 3 more times.

This is going to take awhile so make some tea and so some cleanup in the kitchen. This will also give you plenty of time to make the Eccles filling.

After the third roll and fold leave the pastry to relax in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 

 To make the filling. Melt the 25g of butter in a small sauce pan.  Then combine all the other ingredients and stir until combined.  Add as much Orange juice as you like to make it less dry and stick together. Put this to one side to cool and taste frequently. But don't eat so much that you don't have enough to fill the pies!

To make the cakes roll out the rested dough in a large sheet about three milometers thick (thickness of two loonies stacked).  Cut out 10 12 centimeter rounds.You can reroll the trimmings if necessary.  

Place a generous Tbs of filling in the center of each round and wet the circle edges with water to seal.

 Fold circle like a dumpling and crimp.  Turn over and flatten into an oblong shape with a rolling pin.  Roll very lightly, just until the filling starts to show through the top of the dough. Place on a baking tray. When all are done cut two or three slits as you like on the tops, brush with beaten egg whites and sprinkle liberally with the chunky turbinado sugar.

Now bake these off in your 400F preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Most of the recipes I see call for 15 to 20 minutes, but they always seem underdone to me at that point.  I like my dough to be cooked so I leave them the whole 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Spend a few glorious moments enjoying the look of these beauties cooling on the rack and breath in the spicy goodness coming off the hot pastry!! 

Set a couple aside for yourself, these wonderful cakes will not be around long once your kith and kin see them.

 

Seared Lamb Loin Chops

Lamb Loin Chops

The Lamb Loin Chop is a very tasty piece of meat.  Quick and easy to prepare.  Looks like a tiny little T-bone steak.  The final presentation will have you looking like a pro!

You can marinade these cuts overnight or for a few hours prior to grilling.  Alternatively you can brush them with oil and grill immediately. 

Take your Lamb out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for half and hour.  Assemble all your ingredients and find your cast iron grill pan. 

I like to use a combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Butter.  A small glass prep bowl works great here.  You can use the microwave to turn the butter into a liquid state and then add some oil to the bowl so the butter won't burn at high heat.  I like to add chopped garlic, salt and pepper to the oil. 

Get your cast iron grill pan on the hob.  Set the flame to high and let your pan get screaming hot.  This cook is going to make some smoke so get your extractor fan going. 

While the pan heats, brush your lamb with the butter oil mixture.  Make sure to give them a good coating.

When the pan is extremely hot drop in your chops and let them sear thill they are good and crusty!

I like to top my chops with some Rosemay while they sear in the pan.  Rosemary and Lamb are meant to be together!  Chop some sprig of Rosemary up and lay them ontop of the searing meat to get the oil out!

Like I said this is going to be a smokey cook.  You may prefer to do this outside on the grill. 

I like my Lamb rare, by the time the chops are seared on both sides that is cooked enough for me.

Now plate and enjoy!

Xmas Pudding

English Plum Pudding 

aka Christmas Pudding

Adapted from a recipe by Julia Child

CAKE

▪ 3 cups packed coarse fresh breadcrumbs

from white bread (aka 1/2 lb. loaf, 

crusts on).

▪ 1 cup dark raisins

▪ 1 cup golden raisins

▪ 1 cup currants

▪ 1 1/3 cup sugar (aka 1/2 lb)

▪ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

▪ 1/2 teaspoon mace

▪ 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

▪ 1/2 lb (2 sticks) melted unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

▪ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

▪ 4 large eggs

▪ a few drops of almond extract

▪ 1/2 cup bitter orange marmalade

▪ 1/2 cup bourbon or dark rum

HARD SAUCE

▪ 2 cups powdered sugar

▪ 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

▪ 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

▪ 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac

THE BIG FINALE

▪ 1 cup rum (or brandy) to flambé

SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT: 8-cup capacity steamed pudding mold (or small bowl)

& small rack that fits into a tall stockpot, or some way to keep the mold off the 

bottom of the pot.

Tear bread into pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to form 

rough crumbs. Empty the crumbs into very large bowl. Add the raisins and currants 

to the food processor and process until finely chopped, but not turned into a paste 

(that's too much). Turn the fruit out into the bowl with the bread. Put all of the 

other ingredients into the food processor and pulse to mix. Pour all that over the 

bread and fruit. Stir to thoroughly mix.

Butter an 8-cup capacity steamed pudding mold (or medium-size bowl). Pack 

pudding into mold and top with a parchment round on surface. Cover tightly.

Place on rack in a deep stockpot or use other solution to keep the mold off the 

bottom of the pot. Pour water into the stockpot to come 1/3 of the depth of the mold 

(not in the mold, you understand, but surrounding it). Bring water to a simmer. 

Cover tightly and steam for 6 hours. Check to make sure that your water has not 

evaporated from time to time and add more if it does.

When done, remove the mold to a rack and bring it to room temperature. Cover 

tightly and store in the refrigerator for a week, or even better, a month...or dare I 

say...longer. It keeps.

When you are ready to serve, make the hard sauce. It's basically a boozy 

buttercream. Just beat the powdered sugar and soft butter together until fluffy. 

Then beat in the salt and booze. Transfer to serving bowl and chill.

Plum Pudding should be served warm. To unmold it, bring it to room temperature 

again and warm the mold slightly. In fact you can reheat it completely in simmering

water in the mold OR perhaps even easier, turn the pudding out onto a deep plate. 

Cover the pudding with vented plastic wrap and reheat it in the microwave until 

very warm.

For the big finale, you set it on fire. The fancy term for this is flambe.

Here's how to do it. Heat 1/2-1 cup of hot brandy or rum in a saucepan. Light the 

alcohol on fire and then carefully pour the flaming liquid over the cake. NOTE: 

Make sure that both the cake and the booze are pretty warm/hot or the flambe might 

not flambe.

Serve with the hard sauce. Ta da!

Chicken Bombs

This is an easy to assemble recipe that elevates the chicken breast to new heights.  The addition of Jalapeno pepper and cream and cheddar cheese is good.... but wrapping bacon on this chicken roll makes it great!

Assemble all your ingredients.

Get your tools ready

Slice each chicken breast in half cross wise.  Five breasts will make 10 bombs.  Hammer your split chicken breasts into 1/4 inch cutlets.  Season with salt and pepper.  You can brush on some BBQ sauce if you want a sweet component to the flavour profile.

Fill your halved and cleaned Jalapenos with cream cheese.

Pile in lots of cream cheese, don't be stingy! 

Place your cheddar! 

Turn upside down on the flattened chicken.

Role up! 

Wrap rolled chicken with two strips of bacon.  You won't need toothpicks, this will all stick together when you bake it off.

Place on a rack in a baking pan ready for the preheated oven.

                                   

Cook for twenty minutes on 400F then ten minutes at 350F 

Then pop into the broiler to crisp up the bacon! 

There it is .............. perfection! 

Plate and serve! I paired this with Mushroom Truffle Oil risotto!

You can also brush on some BBQ sauce for the broiler portion if you like.  

Flank Steak Sandwich

Flank Steak off the Grill is great on the plate, but when you slice it thin and make a French Bread Sandwich out of it, you have a fabulous lunch time treat.

Get everything ready to go.  Caramelize some onions or saute some mushrooms, whatever you like to have on your sandwich.  You also need a nice fresh baguette to make this great. 

Make sure you slice your perfectly grilled Flank Steak across the grain and on the bias.  You want your grilled meat to be tender not stringy.  Pile that sliced Flank Steak on your baguette, more is always better!

Get some salad on your sandwich!! 

Load the sandwich up any way you like!!

Season your sandwich! 

Anticipate the greatness!!!!!!!! 

Serve!!!!!

This sandwich goes great with the perfect French Fry!