Shoofly Pie - Home Sweet Home Bakealong (62/100)

I've always been rather fascinated by people of the Amish churches, and the Plain life. Something distinctly appealing about true community life, quilts, farms, barns, preserves and baking. Although, obviously, no internet, no telephones, no blogs, no social media and no films.

Shoofly pie manages quite nicely to transcend cultural, national and chronological barriers. I liked this recipe - it tasted delicious and looked good, although I was glad I went up an inch on my pie plate diameter, as it fit a 10 inch pie plate like a glove.

Baking has slowed a great deal for both of us, but we are still trying to push on through the remaining recipes in Home Sweet Home.

Next up: Homemade Marshmallows.

Bakewell Tart - Great British Bake Off (#GBBOBloggers2015)

In a break from tradition, I have controversially not made the technical bake this week! I'm afraid I wasn't prepared to pay £6 for the mastic and then some more money for the mahlepi, since I very much doubt they will be required for anything else I would want to bake (pine disinfectant isn't a flavour I am fond of)

I was also (controversially) rather unimpressed with the technical this week - there was no testing of skill, just a really random item to make, with no interesting techniques, just weird ingredients.

Anyway, I decided to make the Signature Bake instead - a frangipane tart. The most well-known of the frangipane tarts, is of course, the Bakewell Tart. I'm a big fan of Bakewells, and had never made one, so it was a perfect opportunity.

The recipe is from "Practical Cookery," which is technically a text book for professional cookery that my dear grandmother gave me before I went off to university - and it has stood me in much better stead than all of the "student cookbooks" I had.

Ingredients
Sugar Pastry:
1 egg
50g sugar
125g butter (softened)
200g flour
pinch of salt
1. Taking care not to over soften, cream the egg and sugar
2. Add the butter and mix for a few seconds
3. Gradually incorporate the sieved flour and salt
4. Mix lightly until smooth.
5. Allow to rest in a cool place (ie the fridge) before using.
Tart:
50g raspberry jam (I actually used homemade 'hedgerow' jelly)
100g butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
80g ground almonds
30g flour
1/2 tsp almond essence
50g apricot glaze
35g icing sugar
1. Line a flan ring using three-quarters of the paste, rolled to 2mm thick.
2. Pierce the bottom with a fork and spread with the jam.
3. Cream the butter and sugar, gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in the almond essence, followed by the ground almonds and flour, mix lightly. Spread this over the jam.
4. Roll the remaining paste, cut into neat 1/2cm strips and arrange neatly criss-cross on the frangipane, trim off surplus paste.
5. Brush with eggwash.
6. Bake in a moderately hot oven (200-220C) for 30-40 minutes.
7. Brush with hot apricot glaze, then leave to cool.
8. When cooled brush over with very thin water icing.

I am entering this into #GBBOBloggers2015, which this week is being hosted by Stacey

I'm also entering this into #CookBlogShare, which is being hosted by Kirsty

Caramel Pie - Home Sweet Home Bake Along - 38/100

This pie (well, tart) is one of the few bakes that gets better with time and with repeated tastings.

Initially, I felt it was a bit of a palaver, and my tastes of the filling didn't excite me, but 18 hours later, after the first slice, I was softening to it.

A second (ahem, third) slice another 24 hours later was delightful, the pastry was slightly more tender (it was rather hard initially,) the flavours blended and mellowed. Yum.

My pie is much darker in colour to both Gill's and the one pictured in the book, but that's because I wanted a really intense caramel flavour, so held my nerve until it was about half a second away from burnt before adding it to the custard.

It tastes like a cross between a creme caramel and a banoffe pie, with the best of both.

For the crust
110g cold unsalted butter, cubed
225g plain flour
80g caster sugar
1 large egg
For the custard filling
400g caster sugar
60g plain fllour
500ml whole milk
4 large egg yolks
60g cornflour
pinch salt
100ml water
For the topping and decoration
350ml double cream (I only used 225ml, which was plenty)
20g dark chocolate
20g chopped mixed nuts, toasted (I omitted these - I couldn't see a need for them)

Next up: S'mores Brownies

HTML code to insert badge (copy and paste): 

 <a href="http://beckie-a.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://twitchyneedles.com/homesweethome.png" border="0" height="170" width="170" alt="#HomeSweetHomeBakeAlong" /></a>  

I'm entering this in the new #CookBlogShare, which is being hosted this week by Hijacked by Twins