Fresh Pasta and Basil Pesto

Fresh Pasta and Basil Pesto

It was my Domestic Goddess blip (see Coffee and Walnut Cake post) that had me making my first ever batch of fresh egg pasta.  Previous to this, I had never attempted to make my own pasta, probably because I was under the impression that I needed a whole host of equipment and ingredients that I didn't have, didn't want to buy and didn't have the space for.  Oh how wrong I was.  No need for a pasta machine here - as long as you've got a solid rolling pin, your laughing.   

You will need special "00" pasta flour though, but you can find this in most decent supermarkets.  It is even super easy to work out quantities - for every 100g of flour you will need to use one medium egg.  The 100g flour and one egg mix will make roughly enough pasta for one person, although I did 300g flour and 3 eggs to serve two very hungry people.  Just work out how many people you need to feed and adjust accordingly. 

When you come to roll out the pasta you will need to get it as thin as you can - no thicker than a penny, and then using a sharp knife or pizza wheel like I did, cut it into strips.  How wide you want the strips to be is up to you, mine were about 1cm, but you don't need to be too precise.    

Now, there's no point taking time to make your own pasta if your going to ruin it with some crappy shop brought pasta sauce.  Try to see the fresh pasta as a delicious element in its own right, rather than just something that the sauce clings to. When you've made your own pasta you need a really special sauce.  

I had a bunch of beautiful emerald green basil at home that was just calling out to be turned into a pesto. Vibrant grass green, this pesto is a world away from any overly salty shop brought pond sludge.  

INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Pasta (per person):
100g "00" Pasta Flour
1 Medium egg (Free-range)

1. In a bowl put the flour and make a well with your fingers
2. In the well put the egg(s) and using your fingers mix together.  It may seem a bit dry at first, but persevere and all the flour will be incorporated, so don't add any extra liquid.  
3. Once it has come together in a rough ball, you will now need to knead it on a lightly floured surface.  
4. Knead the pasta until it is no longer rough and floury, but smooth.  It took me at least 10 minutes to get to this stage.  
5. Wrap the pasta tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour to rest.
6. Once rested, take it out of the fridge and on a lightly floured work-surface roll it out using a rolling pin (or if your super fancy, a pasta machine).  It may be easier to do this in batches.  Keep any pasta that your not working with wrapped in the cling film to stop it from drying out.  
7. Roll the pasta so that it is no thicker than a penny.  Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut out long strips of the pasta.  
8. To cook the pasta, put a large pan of salted water on the boil.  When it starts boiling, put in your fresh pasta.  As it is fresh it has a much shorter cooking time than dried pasta, but how long you cook it for depends on how thick the pasta is and how much there is in the pan.  Test it regularly. You want it al dente, with bite.  

Basil Pesto (makes enough for four servings):

Large bunch of Basil

50g Grated Parmesan

50g Pine nuts

1 Fat garlic clove (or two small ones)

Juice of half a Lemon (to taste)

100ml Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1. In a dry frying pan, lightly toast the pine nuts until just golden.  Take them off the heat and leave to cool.
2. In a food processor, blend the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and half of the olive oil together until finely processed. The pesto should have a similar consistency to double cream. You may find that you don't need to use all of the oil - or you may need more.  
3. Add in the juice of half the lemon and taste, adding more if necessary.  You probably don't want it too lemony just enough to brighten it.  I found that half was just enough.
4. Stir it through fresh pasta, or use it as a delicious herby salad dressing.  

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Last Friday was a bit of a Domestic Goddess moment for me, a rare moment where I wake up far too early and spend my entire day making and baking.  We were visiting my cousins quaint new house on Saturday, and alongside the two cushions I had made for her, I decided to bake a cake for tea at hers.  

Coffee cake is a family favourite, and has a near permanent presence at my mothers house.   Normally shop brought, my main problem with these cakes (aside from the vast number of unnecessary ingredients) is the measly size - when I want cake, I want a hunk of cake.  For this, I use a tin that is 22cm in diameter - perfect size for a wodge of cake.  

Because I don't have two cake tins, I have to make and bake the cake in two parts, so I divide the ingredients in two (i.e 120g instead of 240g) and then repeat it.  

  

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
240g Unsalted Butter, softened
240g Golden Caster Sugar
240g Self Raising Flour
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
4 Medium Eggs lightly beaten
Pinch of Salt
2 Tablespoon Instant Coffee dissolved in 8 tablespoons of water.

Icing:
100g Softened Unsalted Butter
500g Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee dissolved in 4 tablespoons of water.
Walnuts to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 190c / 170c fan oven / Gas Mark 5.  Line a suitable cake tin(s).  
2. In a bowl beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Sift in the self raising flour, baking powder and pinch of salt and beat with half of the lightly beaten eggs until just incorporated.  
4. Add in the rest of the eggs with several spoonfuls of the dissolved instant coffee (to taste) and mix.  
5. Spoon into the cake tin and carefully spread to the edges.  Smooth the top and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until cooked.  Try not to open the oven door for at least 10 minutes or the cake may not rise too well.  
6. Leave the cake in the tin for at least 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool on a wire rack.  
7. Repeat if necessary (if you don't have two cake tins).
8. When the cakes are cold you can start to make the icing.  
9. In a bowl beat the butter until pale with an electric whisk.  
10. Add in half of the icing sugar and beat until thoroughly mixed.  
11. Add in a spoonful or two of the coffee and mix.  
12. Add in the rest of the icing sugar and thoroughly mix.  The icing may be a bit dry so add in a bit more coffee until the icing has reached a spreadable consistency.  
13. Get yourself a board or plate on which to put the cake.  Spread a small spoonful of icing on the empty dish, and put one of the cakes on it.  This will stop the cake moving about.   
14. Using a flat knife or palette knife, ice the top of that cake and put the other cake on top of that (so that you've iced the middle of the cake).
15. Use a small amount of the icing (about a quarter) to carefully ice all the cake (top and sides) and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  
16. Take the cake out of the fridge and use the remaining icing (you should have about half left) to go over the top and sides.  This should stop the crumbs from going in your icing.  
17. Top with walnuts and serve in generous wedges.  

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Last Christmas, I was given a jar of Marshmallow Fluff (lucky me), and not knowing quite what to do with it, I popped it in my baking cupboard where it has sat, lurking there ever since.  Quite possibly the most unhealthiest thing ever to grace my kitchen cupboards, Marshmallow Fluff is diabetes in a jar.  Jawachingly sweet, it sticks to the roof of your mouth (and anywhere else that I manage to get it) like superglue.  Surprising then, that it's actually quite tasty (I've been sneakily eating it by the spoonful.. shh).

Well, the 'Fluff is nearly out of date and I needed to use it up pronto.  Aside from making a Fluffernutter (google it... its not as rude as it sounds), I wanted to turn it into a frosting to top some lovely cupcakes.

But what flavour cupcakes? I couldn't decide on just one... So I decided to make Vanilla AND Chocolate (ooh how extravagant)...

The cake mix below will make approximately 18 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS:
For the Vanilla Cupcakes:

4oz Golden Caster Sugar
4oz Butter
2 Medium Eggs (lightly whisked)
3 1/2 oz Self Raising Flour
1/2 oz Cornflour
Small Pinch of Salt
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract (the proper stuff)

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

4oz Golden Caster Sugar

4oz Butter

2 Medium Eggs (lightly whisked)

3 oz Self Raising Flour

1/2 oz Cornflour

1/2 oz Cocoa

Small Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C Fan / Gas Mark 4
2. Line a muffin tin with cases - you will probably need to cook the cupcakes in two batches, unless your luckily enough to have two cupcake tins.  

To Make the Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. In a bowl beat to together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).
2. Sift in the flour, cornflour and salt mix and half of the lightly whisked eggs, and gently beat in to the butter and sugar. 
3. Add the rest of the eggs and the vanilla extract and beat until fully mixed.  Take care not to over mix.

To Make the Chocolate Cupcakes:

1. In a bowl beat to together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).
2. Sift in the flour, cocoa, cornflour and salt mix and half of the lightly whisked eggs, and gently beat in to the butter and sugar. 
3. Add the rest of the eggs and beat until fully mixed. Take care not to over mix.

To Make the Marbling:

1. Using a dessert spoon put a dollop of the chocolate mix into each of the cupcake cases.
2. Then, using the vanilla mix put another dollop into the cases, on top of the chocolate mix.  
3. Using a sharp knife, gently swirl the mixes together.  You don't want to totally mix them up or you'll lose the marble effect.  
4. The two spoonfuls of cake mix (one vanilla, one chocolate) should fill the cases about 1/2 or 3/4 way full.  If not, top it up with a little bit of either cake mix, so that they are (no more than) 3/4 full.

5. Put the cakes into the oven for 15 minutes or until done (put a skewer through the biggest one and it should come out clean).  Resist the temptation to open the oven door for at least 10 minutes or your cakes may not rise so well.  

6. Leave the cakes to cool for several hours (or overnight) or the frosting will melt.

INGREDIENTS:
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting:


1 Jar of Marshmallow Fluff
60g Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
400g Icing Sugar, sifted
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons (or so) of Milk
Gel food colouring (optional)

1. Scoop (as best you can) the Marshmallow Fluff into a bowl and beat for a few minutes using an electric whisk.
2. Beat in the butter, one cube at a time, until it is all fully incorporated. 
3. Sift in half of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and mix.  
4. Sift in the rest of the icing sugar and beat.  You will probably need to add in a drop of milk.  Add a little at a time until you reach a good piping consistency. 
5. If you are going to colour the icing, then add in the food colouring and beat until fully mixed.
6. Pipe (or splodge onto the cupcakes) 

  

Awesome Chocolate Brownies

Awesome Chocolate Brownies

There are few foods in the world as decadent as a good chocolate brownie; rich, sticky and devilishly tempting. It is immensely useful as a 'what-ever-the-occasion' treat ; perfect with the afternoon cup(s) of tea or impressive as a sumptuous after dinner dessert.  Most importantly though, there doesn't even need to be an occasion to enjoy a brownie as good as this.

I urge anyone and everyone to try it.  I promise it will satisfy any chocolate craving in an instant, just don't skimp on the quality of the chocolate - try not to use anything under 70% cocoa, it just won't taste as good.  

There is however only one way to eat a chocolate brownie... Warm.  Buzz it in the microwave for a few seconds and you have a treat fit for the gods themselves.

INGREDIENTS:

225g Unsalted Butter, cubed

350g Good Quality Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), broken into pieces

4 Medium Eggs, separated

300g Light Brown Sugar

25g Cocoa Powder

200g Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon of Instant Coffee dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of water

A Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C for fan ovens / Gas Mark 5.
2. Line a tin (approx 24cm square) - I use tin foil.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl together.
4. In a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate.  Try not to stir the mixture, just poke down any bits of unmelted chocolate or butter.  Don't rush the melting stage by turning up the heat - you don't want the chocolate to burn.
5. In another bowl use an electric whisk to whisk the separated egg whites and sugar until thick, white and glossy. 
6. Once the chocolate is melted take it off the heat and let it cool slightly, then add it to the egg whites.  Mix well together.  
7. Add in half of the flour/cocoa/salt mixture and gently mix.
8. Add in the rest of the flour/cocoa/salt mixture along with the egg yolks and coffee.  Mix gently together making sure everything is combined.  
9. Pour into your lined tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. Your chocolate brownie should be firm but definitely not cooked all the way though.  Best served warm.