Whipped up by James - Blog

Jiggly Japanese Cheesecake

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:29:00 +0000

To make your delightfully wobbly cake you will need a 20cm high sided cake round and parchment paper to line the tin, as well as the following ingredients:

100g butter
100g cream cheese
130ml (135g) milk
8 eggs, separated
60g plain flour
60g cornflour
130g caster sugar

Directions

Depending on your tin, grease and line appropriately and preheat your oven to 1200ºC fan.

In a small saucepan combine 100g cream cheese and 100g butter over medium heat until incorporated then add in the 130ml of milk and whisk until it all comes together, then remove from heat.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks until smooth, then slowly stream in the milk mixture and whisk the whole time to prevent the eggs from scrambling, until wholly combined and smooth. Once the yolks and dairy mixture have come together, sift in the flour and cornflour and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then slowly add the sugar in spoonful by spoonful, continuously mixing until stiff peaks are achieved.

Fold egg whites into the batter one quarter at a time until evenly combines. (Be careful not to over mix or mix too vigorously as that will deflate the eggs whites).

Transfer batter into your prepared tin and tap on the counter 2x to remove air pockets. (If you need to settle the mixture further take a skewer or chopstick and stir through the batter, starting from the edge and spiralling to the centre).

Place your filled pan in a hot Bain Marie and place on the middle/middle-low rack to bake.

Bake at 120ºC for 20 minutes
At the end of the 20 minutes, without opening the oven, turn the temperature up to 150º and bake for 15 minutes.
Next, open the oven door for 10 seconds, lower the temp to 100º and close the door to bake for 40 minutes.
At the end of the 40 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cake rest in the warm oven for 10 minutes.
Transfer immediately as any paper will need to be removed whilst still warm and enjoy.

Notes:

When turning out the cake, I cover the top with a clean tea towel and flip it onto a plate to remove the paper then flip it back onto my serving platter of choice.
Also, the cake will settle and become less jiggly as it cools, so snap your videos and make your gifs whilst it is still hot and wobbly.
You can brush the top with apricot jam or diluted honey to give a nice sheen

Génoise

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 16:11:00 +0000

Génoise is a great sponge to make if you are looking for a nice sturdy sponge that is can be decorated/ withstand some toppings. The distinction from something like a Victoria Sponge is that this does not have any leavening, rather air is introduced to the egg and sugar as your cook it over a bain-marie.

For the Génoise you will need:

50g butter, melted, and some to grease the tins
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
250g caster sugar plus 1 tbsp
8 medium eggs
Pinch of salt

Start off by preheating the oven to 190C/170C fan. Grease your tins with some butter and then dust with flour. (I usually tip out the extra flour into a bowl that I am going to use for the batter, so as to not waste any). Set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, add your eggs and sugar and plat over some barely simmering water. Whisk the egg and sugar mixture until tripled in size and it is nice and pale, approx 7 minutes with an electric hand whisk or 14 minutes if doing it manually. Once the size and colour have been achieved remove from heat and stir in your melted butter until fuller incorporated.

Sift in your flour and a pink of salt to the egg and butter mixture and gently fold it in until there are no dry streaks. Pour into your prepared tins and pop into the oven. Bake these for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Once removed from the oven, let the cakes cool in their tins for a few minutes before turning out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Decorate as you will! In my Instagram post, that cake was done up with Swiss meringue buttercream, little pastry roses and vines, and filled with apple pie filling!

Blondies

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:48:00 +0000

Quick and easy. It really is just bunging it in a bowl and baking, and the blondie is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser and a great substitute for brownies if you are avoiding chocolate. (It is also an easy one to make vegan!)

For the blondies you will need a 20cmx20cm or 8inx8inch baking tin, greased and floured, as well as the following:

112 g butter, melted (coconut oil for a vegan version)
220 g tightly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten (banana for V)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
128 g plain flour

Optional

60 g butterscotch chips (pecans or walnuts also go well with blondies)

Preheat your oven to 175 C

Set the butter to delicately melt in a pan on the hob. I cut the head when there is only a knob of butter left and let the residual heat do it's thing. This also helps to ensure that you do not scramble the egg when you incorporate the butter later.

Whilst the butter is melting, stir together your flour, baking powder, bi-carb and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl gently fluff the egg with your vanilla extract and stir in the brown sugar. Whisk your melt butter in until incorporated. If you are worried about the heat, stream the butter in whilst mixing and let the butter land on the side of the bowl first before sluicing into the mix.

Incorporate your dry ingredients and then transfer to your prepared baking vessel. Pop into your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Once the blondies are done, allow them to cool and settle in the container before cutting and removing. Now the real question is, are you an edge or a middle? Enjoy!

Patatas Bravas

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 10:00:00 +0000

In the Before Times my fiancé regularly went to València, Spain for his birthdays and I was fortunate enough to see such a trip before things went off the rails. I cannot suggest it enough as a town, with plenty of sights to see, green spaces and close proximity to the ocean but, the real star is the food! Arroz Negro, Agua de València and the Mercat Central (a feast for the eyes and for the tummy). As a family that believes in ordering a dish to share for the table, tapas is always a good shout, and such a dish that satisfies the tastebuds and the sharing is the ever chameleon potato. Patatas Bravas.

Look, I have never met a potato I do not like. Mashed; good. Fried; good. Vodka? GOOD. But there are some potato variations that are humble. Patatas Bravas on the other hand is flashy, with a punch of flavour and some nice deep colour.

You will need:

500-600g potatoes (I like new/fingerling potatoes)
1 cup olive oil, with 1/3 reserved for the sauce.
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 and 1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato puree
Salt
Kewpie mayonnaise

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil as you prepare your potatoes. After you have washed the potatoes and removed the eyes, depending on the size of the potato you are using, you can quarter them before dropping them into the boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes, drain, then let them rest in the fridge until you can handle them.

Heat a frying pan with 2/3 oil over medium-high heat and set your oven to 160 degrees fan. Returning your attention to the potatoes, halve or quarter them to make manageable bites, the drop into the heated pan. Brown the potatoes on all sides before, ~5 minutes altogether, before salting them to taste and popping them in the oven to bake, approx 15 minutes.

Whilst the potatoes bake, heat the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Stir in the cayenne, paprika and flour, this will make a roux, much like the start of a bechamel. Cook the flour for about two minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the broth and tomato puree, continuously stirring until a thick, smooth sauce is achieved. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes and salt to taste. Cover your pan and set on the back burner or you can pop the sauce into a thermos to keep warm.

When ready to dish up the potatoes, transfer them to a dish, slather in the bravas sauce, squiggle some Kewpie on top, then sprinkle with some paprika. Sure to bring some flair to your table, Patatas Bravas are enjoyable as a part of any spread. Happy eating.

Sandwich Bread

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Warm bread with a sturdy brown crust and a springy, soft white middle. I really do think there is nothing better, and nothing beats it when it is homemade! Sure, we have our favourite store-bought bread brands, which are quick and easy, but today I am going to tell you how to bake my favourite loaf for slicing and making sandwiches, and it toasts so nicely too!

For the bread you will need:

500g Strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
15g butter, softened
7g active ready yeast
325g warm water
Eggwash/glaze

Add all of your ingredients, except water into the goal of your stand mixer. On low, gradually add the water as you mix until a cohesive dough forms. You may not need all the water.

In the mixer knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. The longer you let the mixer go, the more you develop the gluten, so I do suggest letting it go for 10 minutes if you can. If you are mixing by hand, knead for a total of 15 minutes.

When shaping the dough for sliced bread, roll out the dough until it is just as wide as the bread tin and approximately 30cm. Roll the dough up much like a roulade (this makes for the lovely iconic crumb the sandwich slices have) and then set seam side down in your baking vessel.

Once your bread is in the tin, cover it with a damp towel and let prove until double in size. (This is dependant on daily temperature and the ambient temperature of your cooking environment and may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Sometimes, if it is cold, I will place my bread on top of the tumble dryer, if in use, in the airing cupboard. You can also turn the light on in your oven and let the bread prove there.)

When your bread has reached the desired size, preheat the oven to 190c or 170c fan. Whilst the oven comes to temperature, wash the top of your bread with the egg or, alternatively, milk, cream, oil, or a mixture of milk and oil are all good substitutes for eggs. You can also score the top if you like.

Place your bread on the middle rack of the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown. If your bread is baking inside a mould, remove it from the mould and bake on the rack or a tray for a further five minutes to develop the crust on the lower portions of the bread. To check if the bread is done, tap the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, then it is ready.

Allow the bread to rest for 15-30 minutes, it really is worth waiting even though it will smell heavenly and irresistible, before slicing. Slice up for toast, making a sandwich, or - my favourite - take a warm slice with some butter and salt. You will wonder why you didn't make your own sandwich bread before!

Garlic knots

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Keeping with the theme for the week, we are doing another I-talian classic! Garlic knots are just a fan favourite that are easy, full of flavour, and great for a party or do. This recipe ensures a really lovely developed crust, a soft inside, and buttery garlicky goodness.

For the dough you will need:

300 ml water, room temperature
2 and a quarter tsp or one packet active dry yeast
1tsp salt and some extra for topping
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp butter, room temp/soft
475-500g plain flour
120g Bi-carb soda

For the dressing:

4 Tbsp parsley, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions

Bloom yeast in warm water (1 part hot to 2 parts cold) for 1 minute in your mixing bowl. Whisk in the salt, sugar and soft butter. Slowly mix in 400g flour. Using a dough hook, mix on low until the dough is thick, approximately 10 minutes. If doing by hand, use a wooden spoon and mix for about 15 minutes. Add the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky, you may not use it all. To check if it is ready, poke the dough, if it isn’t sticky and the dough bounces back, you are good to go. Do not be afraid to keep adding flour until this is achieved.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead and shape into a ball. Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Whilst resting, prep the lye bath by adding ~2 litres of water to a pot with 120g of bi-carb. Bring to bath to a boil and preheat the oven to 240c.

Mix all of your ingredients for the dressing and gently melt together. Set aside so that you can brush it onto your prepared knots.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat. I prefer to use a Silpat but if using parchment, just lightly oil it after fitting it to the tray.

Return to your dough, with a sharp knife cut the dough into equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope, coat with flour, and tie into a knot.

Once all the knots are shaped, drop them into the boiling bath, avoiding overcrowding the pot, and let them bathe for approximately 25 seconds. Do not exceed 30 seconds as this will alter their taste. Fish the knots out with a slotted spatula or spoon and allow as much of the excess water to drop off. Place the knots onto the prepared baking sheets and brush with the buttery garlic mix. Repeat with the remaining knots until they have all had a bath.

Bake the knots for 10 minutes then brush with more butter and return to the oven to back for a further 5 minutes, or until nice and brown. Once the knots have reached your desired colour, pull them from the oven and toss in a bowl with the remaining butter mix, sprinkle with some salt (or garlic salt if you want even more punch) and serve warm and enjoy a vampire-free evening!

Pizza

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Pizza is a great way to meet most dietary needs, even for the fussiest of eaters. Making your own allows for you and your guests to customise their pizzas and is also just a fun, hands-on way to spend time together!

To make the dough you will need:

364ml cold water
18g salt
7g instant dried yeast
607g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
Desired toppings

Place 2/3 of the water in a heat-safe bowl. Bring the remaining water to boil and pour into the cold water, this is a sure-fire way to ensure the water is the perfect temp for activating the yeast. Stir in the yeast and allow it to bloom in the warm water, ~5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all of your flour and fix a dough hook attachment. Once your yeast has bloomed, turn on the mixer on flow and slowly pour the yeast mix in. Allow this to go for 5 minutes then add your salt, then allow it to mix for a further 5 minutes. It should be a sturdy and elastic dough. Cover the dough with cling film and let rise for 2 hours, or doubled in size, in a warm place. (You could do this overnight in the fridge if you wanted, just ensure you bring it out 5 hours before you intend to work with it and it is at room temp before moving on to separating the dough).

Once the first prove is done, separate the dough into three of four balls, place with ample space on a tray and cover and let rise one more time, approx 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven and baking vessel to 240C.

It is now time to shape your dough! Starting with a round ball on a floured work surface, press and stretch your dough into a disc, being careful to not tear it. Once the desired size is reached, you can crimp the edges to make a crust and add the toppings. avoid overcrowding the top/making it too wet.

Carefully transfer your pizza to a preheated pizza stone or baking track and pop it into the oven to bake for approximately *30 minutes. If you really want to laden the top of the pizza with all sorts, you can blind bake your pizza dough for 12 minutes, then add your sauce and toppings and bake for a further 20 minutes. Guten Appetit!

*Assess as you go. Ovens vary and depending on how thick your dough is, how many toppings there are, if you do more than one pizza at a time, the bake duration, it will vary and you should adjust accordingly.

Pici Cacio e Pepe

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 12:37:00 +0000

Homemade pasta dough is easy to do and always tastes better in my opinion. If you like udon noodles, then pici is perfect for you, and one of the easiest doughs to make. Cacio e pepe is a really nonfussy sauce that packs a punch and adds silkiness to the dish. It literally translates to cheese and pepper and utilises the pasta to water bring it all together (however, I have taken some liberties and added a thing here or there). In short, this is a great dish if you want to impress but keep it simple. This recipe makes either two portions, or if you are like me, it can be a hefty serving for one.

For the dough you will need:

200g strong flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
95g warm water
Flour for dusting

For the cacio e pepe sauce:

1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine
40g butter
160ml (2/3 cups if you have measuring cups) pasta water
60g finely grated parmesan cheese

Optional

Cherry tomatoes, halved
Parsley, rough chop

To make the pasta add your flour, salt, oil and water into a bowl and mix until it forms a shaggy dough. Knead for six to ten minutes until you get a smooth, soft, elastic ball. It will be a bit tacky to the touch but it shouldn't be overly sticky. You can also do this in a mixer with a dough hook. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for an hour, or this can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

When you are ready to work with the dough take it out of the fridge and place it on a clean, dry work surface, do not use flour, as this will make it nigh on impossible to roll and shape the pasta. Prep a baking sheet with some flour in that as a landing place for your shaped pasta. Set a pot of well-salted water to boil, so it is nice and ready when you are done making your pasta.

Press and stretch the dough gently with your fingers to make a rectangle that is approximately 12 cm x 20cm. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut the dough into strips, so that is 12cm long and about half the width of your thumb. Using both hands, roll and stretch the strip starting from the middle until it is about double in length. Place the pasta into the tray with the flour and give it a good coating of the flour to ensure it does not stick to anything. Before moving onto the next piece, ensure your hands are not covered in flour and repeat the process until all the dough has been turned into pasta.

Let your pasta rest to the side as your gather all your ingredients to make the cheese and pepper sauce. Do cover the pasta if you are worried about it drying out or you are not going to use them within the next 20 minutes. Once you have all of your sauce ingredients ready to go, add the pepper, butter, lemon juice, white wine and set the pan to medium heat. All that is needed now is the pasta water.

Add your pici to your boiling pot of water and let the water return to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to ensure they don't stick. When the boil is back, set your timer for 3 minutes and 5 minutes. At the 3-minute mark, take out your 2/3 cups of pasta water and add it to the saucepan, reducing the heat to medium-low. At the 5-minute mark, transfer the pici from the water directly to the pan using some tongs. All that starchy water is going to help the sauce set up and coat the noodles.

Once your pasta is in the pan with the sauce, give it a stir to cover the noodles, then coat the surface of your pasta with an even layer of parmesan. Do not agitate, disturb, fiddle or mess with it at this point. The cheese needs to melt and incorporate and you could risk a claggy sauce if you do not let it settle in. When the cheese has melted and the cheese at the centre of the pan has gone translucent, this should only take a couple of minutes, you can toss the contents together and ensure everything is combined. If you are using it, add your cherry tomatoes and parsley now, and let the pasta simmer for a further minute or two to get the sauce to thicken, stirring occasionally. When the desired thickness is achieved, plate up and enjoy!

Pici Cacio e Pepe has a satisfying squidgy texture and the sauce is smooth but not heavy. I like the cherry tomatoes as they add brightness to the dish and break up the peppery profile of the pasta. It truly hits all the marks.

Pommes Maxim

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 10:00:00 +0000

If you are looking to spruce up your potato treatments and have a little of an "ooh-ahh" moment, Pommes Maxim is your gal! A little time intensive but certainly not difficult, one really can scrub up a dish and add a little lustre with this side/garnish.

To make Pommes Maxim you will need:

2-3 medium-sized potatoes
55g butter, clarified
Herbs to decorate
Some salt

Preheat your oven to 190C.

Using a mandolin, slice your potatoes into thin and complete discs. The thinner you can go, the more transparent your potatoes will be. Pair up the discs in multiples of 8 (each ring of pommes will need 16 discs total to make 8 pairs). In between your discs, you add little leaves of parsley, thyme, or even edible flowers. The starch from the potatoes will hold them together.

Prepare your baking sheets with some parchment or a silpat, and brush with the clarified butter. Arrange your paired potatoes in a circle, ensuring they overlap, and brushing with butter as you lay each slice down. Once you have assembled the rings, or crescents, sprinkle some salt over them, and cover with more parchment or a silpat. Weigh the potatoes down with another tray, or a few, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Check on them at the time, if they need more time, add increments of ten minutes and remove the weights. The edges should start to brown and be crispy, that's when you know you are done. If you find they are still not crisping but browning, remove the coverings altogether, cut the heat, and leave the oven fan on to dry them out. Then plate up using your (hopefully) gossamer potatoes, and enjoy!

Roast Chicken

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 16:21:00 +0000

Whilst most of the nation has the roast on a Sunday, sometimes I just whip one up in the week to help sort out meals. Either way, if you are jonesing for leftovers or planning ahead to Sunday, here is my method for a delightful roast chicken.

You will need:

1.5kg chicken
2 onions, quartered
2 carrots, roll cut
1 lemon, halved
Thyme, a small bunch
4 garlic cloves, whole
25g butter, or enough to coat the chicken and put some under the skin
2 Tbsp flaky salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
450ml chicken stock
225ml white wine
1 Tbsp cornflour

Optional

Potatoes
Rosemary

Set your oven rack in the lower middle part of the oven and ensure that the overhead is clear. Preheat oven to 170C fan.

In a roasting dish that is large enough to not crowd the chicken, add 1 quarter onion, 2 roll cut carrots, 2 cloves of garlic and half of the thyme bunch. Then add to the dish your stock and wine. You can also add the optional ingredients at this stage.

In a small bowl mix your salt, pepper and paprika together and set to the side. Also, portion out your butter on a separate plate and set to the side. This will help to prevent any contamination from working with the chicken.

To prepare your chicken, boil a kettle and in the sink on a wire rack, pour the boiling water over the chicken skin to firm it up, this will help it be nice in crispy after roasting. Once you can handle the chicken, pat any excess water away and transfer to your cutting board/work surface. Add a generous pinch of your seasoning mix to the cavity, then stuff the chicken with your remaining herbs, veg and the two lemon halves. Whatever you cannot fit in the bird can go with the rest of the accoutrement in the roasting pan.

Massage the stuffed chicken with the butter, getting some under the skin, and even if the cavity, should you like, or have extra. Then sprinkle your seasoning mix over the chicken and rub it in. Set the dressed and stuffed bird on the veg in the pan.

Transfer the chicken to your preheated oven and absolutely leave it alone for one hour and twenty minutes. This is the real key here, do not disturb the bird or the oven during this time! At the end of the bake, check to see if the juices are running clear, or use a meat thermometer to ensure the temperature is just right.

When the bird is finished, remove from the oven, cut the heat and transfer the chicken to a platter to rest, doing your best to drain any juices and stuffing from the cavity before departing the roasting dish. Allow the chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes, you can lightly tent with some aluminium, should you please, but do allow moisture to escape as to not compromise the crispiness of the skin.

Returning your attention to the roasting dish, reserve any carrots - potatoes if you used them - that you wish to have with your roast, leaving just a few in the sauce. Place the reserved veg in the gradually cooling oven to stay warm during the resting. We have a roasting pan that you can use right on the hob, so I boil whatever is left in there with all the herbs, stuffing and veg. Once a boil has been achieved, gently use a potatoes masher to further extract the flavour from the contents. Transfer all of this through a fine sieve into another pot, squeezing out whatever juice you can and then discard the mush. Continue to reduce your jus on meduim. Any juice that has come from the resting chicken can be added to this pot now.

Make a slurry of 1 Tbsp cornflour to 2 Tbsp cold water, and whilst constantly stirring the jus, add in the slurry to thicken into a gravy. This will really set up as it cools down, so be cautious of adding any more starch, lest you want a very thick gravy. Cut the heat and cover.

At this point, your chicken should have rested enough. Carve up, grab the veg out of the oven, and set the gravy down next to it, et voila, roast dinner!

(I intentionally left off the Yorkshire puds because everyone has their method and option, but I am of the school of thought that they can be done at the very last stage during the resting period, as Yorkshire puddings bakes are just at the longer end of that time window and I prefer hot puds.)