Rocky Road Traybake #GBBO Week 5 Traybakes, Tuiles and Biscuit Towers!

Since I began taking part in Jenny Berry and Helen Hollywood's Great British Bake Off Bake Along, I have been bothered by my 2 boys who want to be involved or help with the baking. I've so far been very apprehensive to let them get involved with the delicate pastry making or decorating the dainty petite fours but this weeks challenge was perfect; Traybakes, Tuiles and Biscuit Towers. 

The kids decided straight away that this week they would be making a traybake. Not one to discourage boys from baking I took them to the supermarket to buy them the ingredients for their Rocky Road Traybake.

Ingredients

300g chocolate

125g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup 

As much or as little as you like of the following:
Mini marshmallows

Digestive biscuits

Glace cherries

Mixed dried fruit
Pink wafers
Meringue nests and just about anything else you want to add!
Icing sugar to dust

Method
Put the biscuits in a freezer or sandwich bag and crush into smallish pieces. Then empty into a bowl.

In a saucepan melt the chocolate, butter and syrup. Stir continuously until there are no lumps of chocolate remaining and the mixture is smooth. Move the pan off of the heat.

In the bowl with the biscuits, add all of the other ingredients you are using and mix.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well until everything is coated.

Put all of the mixture into a line tray making sure you pack the mixture in tightly. Press down the top with the back of a wooden spoon.

Put the tray to one side to cool down. Once completely cool, put the tray into the fridge for about 2 hours or until the Rocky Road mix is completely set.

Remove the tray from the fridge and dust with the icing sugar.

Cut into bars and serve.

These really didn't last very long in our house at all!!

Savoury Tart #GBBO Week 4 Pastry, Pies and Tarts

I have to admit I was quite relieved to see this weeks Great British Bake Off focused on pastry, pies and tarts. Whilst I  love desserts and enjoyed making my petit fours for last weeks challenge, it was a monumental task! 

Now I wouldn't say I'm a pro but I do make pastry quite often at home so I was happy to be able to devise a flavoursome yet practical recipe for this weeks challenge.

Suitable on its own as a light lunch or perfect with chips and salad for tea, introducing my Bacon, Chestnut Mushroom and Caramelised Red Onion Tart in a Sage Pastry Tart

Ingredients

Pastry

250g plain flour

110g butter cubed

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons of cold water

sage

Filling

300g unsmoked bacon

159g baby chestnut mushrooms

1 red onion

4 eggs

30ml milk

Put the salt, flour and chopped sage into a bowl and add the cubed butter.

Using your fingertips combine the ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Use as much of the water as needed to bind the ingredients into a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 15-30 mins.

Whilst the dough is chilling chop the mushrooms into slices or quarters and gently fry in a little oil until cooked. 

Once cooked drain any excess liquid and set aside.

In the pan used to cook the mushrooms gently fry the chopped bacon and onion slices until the bacon is cooked and the onions have caramelised.

Roll the pastry out and line a tart tin with the dough and prick the base

Blind bake the pastry for 20 mins or until it is a pale golden colour.

Beat the eggs and milk and season to taste.

Fill the pastry case with the mushroom, bacon and onion filling and pour in the beaten egg.

Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the egg is set.

           No 'soggy bottoms' here!

For the purposes of lunch boxes tomorrow, I made individual tarts but I would usually make a big one for us all to share.

*You could add creme fraiche to the beaten egg mixture but as nobody in our house eats it, I omitted it from the recipe*

Enjoy!

For more tantalisingly tasty bakes visit Mummy Mishaps and The Crazy Kitchen