Pavlova

I'd never heard of this dessert before moving to the UK.  It's elegant, light and heavenly.  Possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.  Best of all, it's simple to make. Perfect for a summertime treat.

A Pavlova consists of three layers:

Bottom: meringue nest

Middle: whipped cream

Top: berries of your choice

Chocolate sauce, optional.

Slice and serve.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

This dainty British Tea Cake has a lovely light, vanilla cake base with a moist lemon-flavour.  Recipe from the BBC Food website. I served this at a baby shower recently...

Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
finely grated zest 1 lemon
225g self-raising flour

FOR THE DRIZZLE TOPPING:
juice 11⁄2 lemon
85g caster sugar

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.

Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Pancakes (Euro-Style)

 Traditionally, the English eat these pancakes topped with lemon juice and sugar.  But we like to make them savoury for main course (with ham and swiss cheese) and then bundle in our favourite sweet toppings for dessert (strawberries & cream, Nutella & banana, etc.) 

2 beaten eggs

1-1/2 cups milk

1 cup flour (I mixed wholewheat and all-purpose, half and half)

1 Tbsp cooking oil

2 Tbsp sugar (optional)

Combine eggs, milk, flour, oil, and sugar.  Beat till well mixed. 

Heat a 6-inch skillet, then remove from heat and grease with butter.  (I use a silicone pastry brush which is highly heat resistant).

Ladle in about 3 Tbsp of pancake batter, then lift and tilt skillet to spread batter evenly.

Return to heat; brown, then flip.  Invert cooked pancakes onto a serving dish and repeat the process until all the batter is used up.  For easy eating, spread your fillings evenly onto the flat pancake, then fold the pancake in half; then in half again.  This makes a nice triangle/cup-shape that is simple to hold and eat whilst containing all the filling's goodness.  Alternatively, you can roll them up jelly-roll style and eat with knife and fork.

Leftovers? These p-cakes also make a great wrap for packed lunches.

*Note: I usually double or triple this recipe when feeding my family of 4 - gives plenty for main course and dessert. 

Pocket Pasties

For centuries the good people of Cornwall (England) have been filling their famous pasties with almost any ingredients that you would care to think of. The traditional filling is, of course, beef and potato, usually with slices of onion and swede mixed in as well, but the humble pasty can also be found in a number of other guises.  The pasty originally evolved to meet the needs of tin mining.  A hearty meal wrapped in a pastry casing made for a very practical lunch down in the dark and damp tunnels of the mine.

In our home, the pasty maintains a very practical presence as another great dish for disguising leftovers in an appealing manner.  These pocket-sized versions are an invention of my own and are convenient to serve as appetizers, accompaniments to soups and stews, or as a lunchtime substitute for boring, old sandwiches.

Ingredients:
shortcrust pastry
2-3 root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, swede, turnip, etc.), peeled and diced
1 small onion
1 cup pre-cooked chicken, turkey or sausage meat (Vegetarian: sub chickpeas, cannelini beans or black beans)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon (sub veg bouillon for meatless option)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. mixed herbs
dash pepper
1-2 Tbsp plain flour

There are two different "styles" for making pasties.  First, I will show you the traditional method:

Cut a large square shape from the pastry.  I use an upturned tupperware to get a consistent shape.  Spoon filling onto one corner of the pastry square, then fold over, press and seal.  I use a circular cutter to gain a consistent form.  This tool also has a button on top for sealing the pastry, but you can use your fingers if you don't have a similar tool.

Don't forget to cut slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking.

The other "style":

Cut out pastry in desired shape.  Spoon filling onto one cut-out, then use another to layer on top.  Crimp pastry edges together to seal.  Don't forget to slit the top. 

Regardless of how you choose to assemble your pasties, be sure to gently brush the tops with egg white to ensure a lovely golden pastry case when baked.

Bake in a 400 F (200 C) oven for 20-25 minutes or till pastry is crisp and golden.

Left over shortcrust pastry?  Try a batch of pie crust cookies.