What's Cooking Today??

@Tidemark , here you go

My mother's handwriting was notoriously small and hard to read. One year she fell into her own trap and made a small mistake by replacing Maustepippuri (Allspice) with Mustapippuri (black pepper).

The family still remembers that

A:

Simmer in a large pot: (all spices ground)



3 dl black treacle (a tin of Lyle's)

4 dl sugar

250 g butter

1 Tbls cinnamon

1 Tbls cloves

1 Tbls ginger

1 Tbls ground cardamom

2 tsp bitter orange peel

1 tsp allspice



Let the mixture bubble gently for some minutes, mixing. Allow to cool.



B:

Whip 3 dl fresh cream

and in a separate bowl



2 eggs

2 Tbls sugar

add 2 tsp baking soda after whipping.



Mix together and gently pour cooled mixture A into B, stirring well. Add 1 kg plain flour, mix well. Allow to rest in fridge overnight.



Baking: scoop out a manageable portion of the dough. Roll on a floured table and cut out the biscuits. Bake in 175C for around 10 minutes.



Icing: 1 egg white, icing sugar.

Mix together adding the sugar gradually. When the mixture turns rather stiff and is no longer opaque, it is ready. (Appr. 5-6 dl ) Pour into a small resealable food bag, cut out a tiny corner and decorate.

 

Ooooh, paljon kiitoksia! I look forward to trying it out. Must add black treacle to the Ocado delivery.

 

Thank you Meomye. It's a short crust pastry.
1 lb of self raising flour
6oz of margarine
4oz of lard
1 large egg
A bit of milk just incase the mix is dry.
I use a cooking marg by Sainsburys.
Make a crumb with the flour and the fats, mix the egg up and put it in the crumb mixture and bring together, it should come away from the side of the bowl and not be too sticky.

 

They look beautiful @Selleri.

I use SR flour for shortcrust pastry too, @Logan, a tip from Delia Smith years ago, but I use butter.

 

I think SR flour makes the pastry softer.

 

Shortcrust pastry
1 lb plain flour (sieved if you're posh)
4 oz Lard
4 oz Butter or Marg (Stork preferably)
Pinch of salt
Cold water
Rub in fats to an even crumb, enough cold water to make a manageable dough.
Rest in fridge for 30 minutes
Then roll out and use.
That is both Deliah's and my mother's shortcrust recipe.
Works for me every year.
No egg, no sugar, no self raising flour.

 

I'll stick with Pâte sucrée. Plain flour, butter, sugar, and an egg, all whizzed up in a food processor. Takes seconds and melts in the mouth

 

I use a food processor also for my pastry, as well for the fruit crumble topping.

 

I use a food processor too. I made mince pies today.

 

As chief cook, dish washer and food processor in my kitchen; I find that making pastry and crumble toppings can't be beaten as a manicure, clean fingers and soft cuticles.

 

Yuk! What colour is your pastry?

 

For my pastry I use my K-Mix mixer to rub the fat into the flour, then add cold water manually. I do half fat to flour and half the fat is lard, half Flora Original. I never, never add sugar to any pastry. Yuk. But I do use SR flour and add a pinch of salt.

I still haven't made my mince pies, which I freeze until needed as the freezer is full. Maybe on Sunday.

 

After baking; the same as anybody else's of course. As I'm the only person who consumes my baking it doesn't matter.
Also crumble topping made with wholemeal flour, oats and muscavado sugar isn't going to show much anyway.

 

I am lousy at icing decoration so I turn the gingerbread men upside down for simpleton decorating.

 

We always use plain flour, and butter for shortcrust pastry. Never use lard - horrible stuff. All done by hand too.
My daughter does the pastry nowadays though. I just enjoy the end results....