Chocolate Macaroon Bars

These layered fragrant bars are not my own creation, rather I garnered the recipe from Martha Stewart. I did change up the recipe a little, between converting and changing some measurements and adding a little oil to the chocolate to help it 'stick' to the biscuit base, but it's not necessary.
They went down a treat at my baking class at the weekend, so here, for those of you who want to be able to try something that the whole family will enjoy, is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Base:
170g (3/4cup) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
260g (2 cups) all- purpose flour
88g (1/2 cup) castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toppings:

Chocolate layer:
283g (10oz) chocolate - I use milk for this as I find dark chocolate a little bitter for childrens palettes. You can use a mix of milk & dark either.
1 tsp vegetable oil
Macaroon:

4 egg whites
100g (3/4 cup) castor sugar
64g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
200g (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut. (I used dessicated coconut and it worked fine, you can sweeten dessicated coconut by adding icing sugar and water to it and leaving it to soak for approx 30 mins)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4
Melt the chocolate and oil in a bain marie (a bowl over hot water) or microwave.
Make the biscuit base first by adding all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until you have a crumb mixture. It will be dry with some lumps of butter in it. Takes about 3 minutes.
Grease a 13 x 9" sheet pan very well and add the biscuit base, pressing the mixture evenly into the pan.
Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes, until just turning golden brown.
While base is baking make macaroon topping.

Whisk egg whites & sugar until well combined.
Stir in flour and coconut and mix well.
Remove biscuit base from oven and pour melted chocolate over, covering evenly.
leave to cool slightly before adding macaroon topping and cover chocolate.
Return to oven and cook for approx. 20 mins, until coconut topping is browning at the tips.
Remove from oven and leave to cool before cutting into rectangular bars and serving.

Enjoy!

Pancakes

 

 

It seems that, depending on your location and religious leaning, tomorrow you will either be celebrating Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. It's always been Pancake Tuesday for us and for as long as I can remember Delia Smith's pancake recipe was the staple used in our house.
I see no reason to diviate from this tried and true recipe as in all the years I have made pancakes - and certainly not just once a year! - this recipe has worked a treat for our family.
So below is the basic pancake recipe that makes approx. 12 - 14.
You can certainly go all out and do savoury and sweet pancakes and stay true to the day.
For savoury ones you can do something as simple as grated cheddar and ham. You could take it up a notch and use some of your favourite cheese, like brie with an onion chutney. The heat of the pancakes complements the cool brie beautifully.
For a sweet combination it's hard to beat the traditional butter, lemon and sugar. However, nutella and banana works great, or berries and yogurt.
Maple syrup with or without bacon works well and would traditionally be used with an american pancake (thicker than the crepe style we are creating with this recipe), but there are no rules that say you have to eat them in any way over the other.
If you are making pancakes for breakfast you could always add a pinch of cinnamon to the batter and a dash of vanilla extract.
Whatever you decide to do. Enjoy your pancakes and I'd love to hear about what toppings you and your family like to use.


Ingredients:

4oz (110g) plain flour
pinch salt
2 large eggs
7 fl oz (200ml) milk mixed with 3 fl oz (75ml) water
2oz (50g) butter

Method:

Sift flour and salt into large mixing bowl, with the sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing.
Make a well in the centre and break the eggs into it.
Whisk the eggs, incorporating all the flour from around the bowl.
Add small quantities at a time, of the milk and water mixture, whilst continuing to whisk.
When all the liquid has been added use a spatula and scrape any bits of flour from around the edge into the centre.
Whisk again until batter is smooth and any lumps are gone.
It should be the consistency of thin cream.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the batter and whisk it in.
Set the remaining butter aside to be used when cooking the pancakes.
Place the batter into a measuring jug or similiar to make it easier to pour into the pan.
If using a 7 inch pan (18cm) - use 2 tablespoons of batter. If using an 8 inch (20cm) - use 3 tablespoons of batter.
Heat your pan to very hot before lowering it down to medium and pour in a little melted butter.
Add the batter and swish around the pan to cover the base of the pan.
Cook for approx 30 seconds until the mixture starts to change texture.
Using a palette knife you can lift the edge and check that the under side is a golden colour.
Shake the pan slightly to release the pancake and if you are feeling brave, or indeed just want to give it a go despite the outcome you can flip the pancake over.
Otherwise, use a fish slice and turn the pancake and cook again for approx 20 seconds.
You can stack the pancakes between sheets of greaseproof paper as you make them on a warmed plate - although if your house is anything like mine they won't last on a plate and have to be served as soon as they are cooked!

Enjoy
Jill

Fish Pie

Serves 4

I adapted this Fish Pie recipe from a Neven Maguire recipe from some years back.
I wanted to make it more budget and time conscious and I don’t like to use alcohol in recipes when I’m doing family style ones. But if you want the original recipe search for Neven Maguires Killybegs Fish pie, it's nearly as delicious as the one below!
My son adores this whenever I make it and to keep within a budget you can get a fish pie mix that's near it's sell-by date from the fridges in larger supermarkets which work perfectly well with this dish. 

Ingredients

18oz/840g fish. Mix between salmon, smoked haddock & cod or other sturdy white fish
400ml milk
1 bay leaf
1oz/25g butter
4oz/115g leaks, washed and finely chopped
1oz/30g plain flour
½ tablespoon mixed herbs, e.g dill & parsley
1/2lb/400g potatoes , peeled & diced
4 carrots, peeled, diced and cooked al dente – optional vegetable, you can choose other vegetables as well,  e.g  parsnip or green beans or all 3!

Method:

Preheat oven to 160⁰C/325⁰F/Gas 3

Season the fish and place in oven proof dish with the milk and bayleaf.
Poach for approx 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drain the milk into a measuring jug – you will need about ½ pt.
Leave fish to cool a little before removing any remaining skin and checking for bones.
Discard the bayleaf.
Increase oven temperature to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas 4.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.
Drain and return to heat, add ½ tablespoon butter, season well and mash.
Melt the remaining butter in a small pot and add the leeks and cook for approx 5 minutes, do not brown.
Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, again do not brown.
Add half the reserved poaching milk and whisk the roux together.
When all the liquid has been absorbed, add the remaining milk and whisk to a smooth sauce.
Add the mixed herbs and season well.
At this point you can add in the flaked fish and any other vegetable you are using and have blanched.
Lastly add a rounded tablespoon of crème fraiche (optional).
Ensure you do not boil the mixture at this point.
Spoon the fish mixture into the oven proof dish you used to poach the fish.
Top it with mash potato and using a fork spread the mash evenly over the top.
You may wish to add a few dollops of butter to the mash topping as this will give a lovely golden finish when cooking.
Bake in the oven for approx 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pie is piping hot throughout.

Serve and Enjoy!