Showing posts with label Raspberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raspberries. Show all posts

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Raspberry and White Chocolate Rugelach

I'm turning into my mother.  Actually, it's worse than originally feared.  I AM my mother.   It wasn't meant to be like this, I'm too young for this to happen to me.  How has this manifested itself? 


1. I bring a "picnic" when we go out for the day so we don't have to spend money unnecessarily - who needs fancy food when you can have homemade jam sandwiches?

2. I have absolutely no idea what is No. 1 in the pop charts.

3. When I come home from almost anywhere, I immediately take off my "good clothes" and get back into my jeans.

4. I say things like "When I was young" and "Ah, you'll have a cup of tea".

5. My kids think I look like a clown when I wear make up.

6. I don't know how, nor do I feel the urge to learn how, to download music from iTunes.

In an effort to appear less Mummsey (yes, it's a word!) and a bit more with it, I put on my Topshop jumpsuit, wedge heels, hoopla earrings and false nails (no I didn't) and decided to bake something that not only had I never baked before, but that I'd never even heard of before (yes I did). 

Rugelach is a pastry made with cream cheese then filled with a cinnamon sugar and a variety of other things which usually include jam, nuts and dried fruits.  There are a few stages to it but if you divide the stages between two days (Day 1-Make the dough, Day 2-Form the cookies and bake) it really isn't difficult.  And it's delicious - which is always a plus!


Rugelach, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.

Ingredients

For the dough
100g (4oz) cream cheese
100g (4oz) butter, cold
150g (5oz) plain (AP) flour

For the filling
2 tbsp raspberry jam
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g (2oz) pecans, roughly chopped
50g (2oz) raisins
100g (4oz) white chocolate chips

For the glaze
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp demerara sugar
1/4 ground cinnamon

Method

For the dough
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse until it all begins to come together.  Divide the mixture in two, flatten each into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the filling
Gently heat the raspberry jam in a saucepan until it becomes runny.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in one bowl.
Combine the nuts, raisins and chocolate together in another bowl.

For the glaze
Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
When you are ready to make the cookies, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take both pieces of dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface roll each into a 12 inch disc.  With a pastry brush (or a spoon), divide the jam between each piece of dough and spread a thin gloss over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the jam and lastly sprinkle the nuts, chocolate and raisin mixture over each disc.
Using a pizza wheel or a very sharp knife, divide each piece of dough evenly into 16 triangles.  Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that it becomes a little crescent.  Place each piece on the baking sheets.  There is no need to leave much space between them as they do not spread very much.
Place in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).  With a pastry brush, coat each cookie with milk, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 20 mins until golden.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

 

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Raspberry and Almond Cake
Maybe it’s just an Irish thing but I've recently become addicted to tea.  The very best mug (always mug, never cup) of tea of the day is lovely milky one you have when the day is over and the kids are safely in bed – preferably asleep!  You know what makes that mug of tea even better?  A piece of homemade cake.  Nothing too elaborate, the cake doesn't necessarily need any type of icing or ganache.  This is my perfect cake to accompany a “what a day, I’m totally shattered” mug of tea.  The cakey sponge, the tart raspberries and the almost crunchy crumbly almond flake topping were just made for a mug of tea. 

I made this cake last week when I had nothing to do but wait around for baby to make an appearance but held off on posting it until now as I knew I wouldn't have any time to bake anything this week.

Ingredients
250g softened butter
275g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
150g self raising flour, sifted
100g plain flour, sifted
60g ground almonds
300g frozen raspberries
Almond Topping
50g plain flour
2 tbsp sugar
45g butter, cubed
15g flaked almonds
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.  Grease and line a deep 23cm square tin
Make the almond topping by combining the flour and sugar in a bowl.  Rub in the butter with your fingers and mix through the almonds.  Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.  Add the vanilla and beat again.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Gently fold in both flours and ground almonds.  Spread the mixture onto the prepared tin and top with the raspberries. 
Sprinkle the almond topping over the raspberries and bake for about an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Variation:  I have a thing for almonds and lemon, I think they make a perfect match.  I’ve made this cake a number of times by omitting the vanilla and replacing it with the zest and juice of a lemon.  No idea why, but it goes so well with the raspberries.




Monday, 10 October 2011

The Summer May Be Well and Truly Over But............

Lemon and Summer Fruit Cake

My first week of maternity leave from work has just started and I could easily get used to this lifestyle.  The kids are in the crèche, hubby is gone to work and I’ve made the decision that for all of this week I am doing the bare minimum for them and the absolute maximum for myself.  Sounds a little selfish?  It’s just that if I don’t take this time for myself, before I know it the new baby will be here, the two older kids will be at home with me too and free time will be a distant memory.  So household jobs can wait until next week (provided the new baby stays put for another while!) as I bake and read and watch TV – not very much else a heavily pregnant woman in severe discomfort can do.  Make hay while the sun shines!
I thought it time to start using some of my blueberries and raspberries from summer that I had frozen.  I found this amazing recipe in an Australian food magazine called “Australian Table” from April 2006 that my sister sent home from Australia.  I have quite a few of these magazines but I guess when time is constantly against me, I end up baking from the same books the whole time.  It’s so nice once in a while to flick through a book that’s been gathering dust for far too long.  Well, here’s my “gathering dust” recipe.  This is so unbelievably easy, it’s the baking equivalent of a “one pot wonder” in that you give all the ingredients one mix and bung the cake into the oven.  No funny ingredients either and next time I try it I’m going to try it with peaches instead of the summer fruits, I think they would go so well with the lemon.

The cake is so moist and the critics in my house are still raving about it (they can be pretty harsh critics!).


Lemon and Summer Fruit Cake (Adapted from “Australian Table” Magazine, April 2006)
Ingredients
300g self raising flour, sifted
295g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
180 ml milk
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
130g butter, melted
200g blueberries or a combination of blueberries and raspberries.  The fruit can be frozen if that’s what you have.

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.  Grease a 21cm loose-based tin.
Put everything (except the fruit) in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until well combined.
Spoon into the prepared tin.  Top with half of the fruit.  Bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle over the remaining fruit and bake for a further 30 mins.  Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack.

This cake freezes really well, just wrap it well in parchment paper first.