Cheese Pops

This is an easy, quick recipe for bite-sized snacks that are tasty on their own or as an appetizer to go with a glass of wine. These tiny squares puff up in the oven when made with my Flaky Pastry — with the slight twist in this recipe of using lard from cooked bacon for some of the fat, though you may certainly use all butter as usual, if that is more convenient. The rest is simply cheese and seasoning. Brushing with beaten egg for a golden glow is a nice touch, but it’s optional: this really is an unfussy though tasty dish. 

If you want enough cheese pops to fill a medium biscuit tin (64 pops), make a half quantity of Flaky Pastry (as mentioned below) or make the full amount and cut in half, freezing the other half for another time. If you are baking for a party, use the whole pastry and cook the resulting pops either in two batches or with two trays in the oven.

For the dough: Flaky pastry, 4 oz flour or 8 oz flour as needed

For the filling:

1 cup or 2 oz grated sharp cheese, such as any mature Cheddar, Manchego, or Parmigiano Reggiano

¼ tsp salt

¼ teaspoon cumin powder or paprika, as desired

1. Grate the cheese and mix in the seasoning.

2. Roll the pastry out very thinly into a square (no more than ⅛” thick).

3. Using the rolling pin to help, place the rolled-out dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray.

4. Pile onto the dough HALF of the seasoned cheese, keeping a small margin of plain dough at the edges.

5. Refrigerate the cheese-topped dough for about 10 minutes.

6. Take the chilled dough and fold it as if making an envelope: one edge up and the other down, one closing over the other. Your pastry will now long like a rounded rectangle, about half the width of the square you started out with.

7. Roll out the dough again into a long rectangle, about 17 inches across.

8. Dot the dough with the second half of the spiced cheese mix.

9. As you did before, fold the ends over one another again, so you end up with another oblong about 6” long by 5” wide.

10. Chill the dough for 5 minutes.

11. Pre-heat the oven to 375°.

12. Roll dough out one more time to a squarish block about 8 inches by 7 inches.

13. Cut eight strips of 1¾” with a pastry cutter or knife.

14. Then cut eight strips the other way to make squares (if the strips are sticking together lengthwise, separate them slightly before the crosswise cutting step).

15. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, until light gold in colour.

16. Allow to cool slightly on a baking rack and serve soon afterwards, or wait till fully cooled and store in an airtight container.

Tudor Bonnet

The top is the finished galette. The lower one is without nuts — always an option, though I personally love ‘em!

Tudor Bonnet

(blackberry & apple galette)

This apple-blackberry galette is a quick and easy, delightful fruit dessert that is perfect for any occasion, since it’s lovely eaten warm or cold, same day or next day, in just about any season — because it’s not heavy or intense. I cook the apple before filling the crust because cooking reduces the bulk, which makes it easier to spread. Also, though the apples stay succulent, the evaporation in cooking, while helping to concentrate the flavors, also makes them less wet, which is good for a firm crust. It’s not essential to a nice result, but putting the pie plate on a pre-heated baking tray helps get a crisp, browned bottom crust, as well. 

For the dough: Single quantity shortcrust, the pastry folded over the edges of the filling.

5 ounces or 1 level cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

3 ounces or ¾ stick of butter (6 tablespoons)

2 Tablespoons of ice-cold water (equals 6 teaspoons)

½ teaspoon sea salt or other high-quality, finely ground salt

½ teaspoon of sugar (optional but recommended)

Also: I beaten egg to glaze

For the filling:

2 apples, peeled & sliced thinly to the core, with any brown spots or bruises removed

9 large blackberries (half a punnet or 3 ounces), washed and dried

3 Tbs plain granulated sugar OR a blend of flavored sugars, such as clove and vanilla, to taste

1 Tbs golden syrup or raw honey

15 ml or juice of ½ small lemon

¼ tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbs slivered almonds, with a dab of butter to pan-toast them

To bake:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples, adding the juice of ½ a small lemon (15 ml), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. When apples are soft but not mushy, remove from the heat.

2. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.

3. Pan-toast the sliced almonds in a dab of butter over medium-high heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. (Don’t allow the butter to burn.)

4. Roll out the chilled dough and place it over a 9” pie plate or simply lie it on a parchment-lined baking tray.

5. Spoon the apples into the center of the pastry, allowing a wide margin of about three inches all around.

6. Cut the nine berries in half, lay them over apples in tart center, and drizzle with about 1 TBs golden syrup (or honey).

7. Fold the wide margin of the pastry in towards the center: it will “pleat” as it overlaps as you fold it around.

8. Brush the folded margin with beaten egg.

9. Bake at 425°F / 220°C for 25-30 minutes.

Pitas that please

I like the addition of the nigella seeds

Pitas are easy but remember that keeping them warmly moist and covered is important until they’re done.

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sprouted wheat flour

2 tsps rapid-rise or bread-machine yeast

1 tsp pan-toasted nigella seeds (charnuska)

1 tsp sea salt

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp raw honey

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons hot (but not off-the-boil) water (between 105°F and 120°F at the high end).

To make:

In a large bowl, mix together the first five (dry) ingredients, then add the others to get a dough. Knead the dough for several minutes until it is smooth and springy.

Pre-heat oven to 480°F. Have several clean tea towels at the ready.

Cut dough into eight slices, then form each slice into a ball. Cover these in the mixing bowl with a tea towel while you roll each one out. If you have extra baking trays, use these as holding pens (with tea towels in a layer over the pitas) for the raw ones while they wait to go in the oven. Roll each dough ball into a thin flat circular pancake, no more than ¼” thick, and be careful not to tear as this will prevent the pita pocket from forming in the oven. 

Bake two at a time for about 4 minutes, till puffed up, and then turn over with a metal spatula to brown on the other side, another minute or two. Remove promptly and immediately place on rack with tea towel to cover (they will soften and the air pocket will eventually collapse). Put the next two pitas in the oven, and so on.

Brighton Buns

This recipe will yield ten small buns. You can scale it up or down, as needed.

Choux paste, mixed with:

¼ cup grated hard cheese

one garlic clove, crushed and sautéed in oil till golden and fragrant

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

For the filling:

¼ pound (4 oz) or 28 grams ground beef (80% fat is fine) or ground turkey.

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

⅛ teaspoon hot or mild paprika or cayenne pepper, as desired

For serving: Sour cream, and (optional): fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.

To make:

Using a regular tablespoon, spoon out dollops of paste onto a lined baking tray, about two inches apart. With the back of the spoon, spread the paste to about 3 inches across.

Mix the seasoning with the meat and place 2 teaspoons of the meat in the center of each pastry round.

Bake at 425F° for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375F°/190°C and bake for another 12-15 minutes, until buns are nicely golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly, and serve hot with up to 1 tablespoon of sour cream on top of each bun, with a garnish of finely chopped parsley or dusting of powdered hot pepper if desired.