recipes continued
strawberry and apricot gâteau
ingredients: sponge ● 3 eggs
●75g (3oz) caster sugar
●75g (3oz) plain flour
filling and decoration ● 150ml (1⁄4pt) double cream
●Sugar to taste
●225g (8oz) strawberries
●225g (8oz) apricots
method 1 Halve the apricots and remove the stones. Cook gently in very little water, adding sugar to taste, until soft.
2Wash and halve the strawberries.
3To make the sponge, whisk the eggs and sugar at maximum speed until very pale and thick.
4Remove the bowl and the whisk. Fold in the flour by hand using a large metal spoon - do this carefully to keep the sponge light.
5Put the mixture into two 18cm (7”) greased and lined sandwich tins.
6Bake at 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
7Turn out onto a wire rack.
8Whisk the cream at maximum speed until stiff. Add sugar to taste.
9Roughly chop the apricots and a third of the strawberries. Fold them into
half the cream.
10Spread this over one of the sponges, then put the other sponge on top.
11Spread the remaining cream on top and decorate with the remaining strawberries.
ingredients
method
meringues
●4 egg whites
●250g (9oz) icing sugar, sieved
1Line your baking tray with
2Whisk the egg whites and sugar at maximum speed for about 10 minutes until it stands in peaks.
3Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray (or use a piping bag with a 2.5cm (1”) star nozzle).
4Bake at 110˚C/225˚F/Gas Mark 1⁄4 for about 4 - 5 hours until firm and crisp. If they start to brown, leave the oven door slightly ajar.
●Store meringues in an airtight tin.
shortcrust pastry
ingredients ● 450g (1lb) flour, sieved with the salt
●5ml (1tsp) salt
●225g (8oz) fat (mix lard and margarine straight from the fridge)
●About 80ml (4tbsp) water
hint ● Don’t overmix
method 1 Put the flour into the bowl. Chop the fat up roughly and add to the flour.
2Mix at speed 1 until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stop before it looks greasy.
3Add the water and mix at minimum speed. Stop as soon as the water is incorporated.
4Cook at around 200˚C/400˚F/Gas Mark 6, depending on the filling.
ingredients method
beefburgers
●250g (9oz) prime sinewless beef
1 Cut into 2.5cm (1”) cubes.
2 If you don’t have a mincer, use your liquidiser and mince small amounts at a time. Use speed 2 for 15 seconds maximum. Clean around the blades between one batch and the next.
3 Mix with seasonings such as chopped onion, mixed herbs (fresh or dried), coarse black pepper, and the juice and rind of a lemon.
4 Shape into 2 beefburgers and grill on medium to high heat until thoroughly cooked.
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