I’m sure that you will agree, dads are ace. They are a constant source of wisdom and knowledge, always dependable in our hours of need. When we were young they were the most fantastical magicians the world as ever seen, making coins appear from thin air or from behind our ears. If dads could be sold on the stock market, they’d be worth their weight in gold. However, sometimes life throws us curve balls that make lose sight of how valuable our fathers are to us. In later years, once our fathers have left our lives, we long to have them back even just for a moment to re-appreciate them all over again. Make the most of the time you have with your fathers, treasure it and them. Happy Fathers Day to all.
This week’s recipes are especially for the dads out there, they are :- Chocolate Drop Cakes, Fudgy Fig Roll & Chorizo & Apple Sausage Rolls
My first recipe is:- Chocolate Drop Cakes Recipe by Jane Hornby, courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine June 2007.
Make 12 deep cupcakes, Cook 20mins
1 x 150g pot of Natural Yoghurt
3 x Eggs, beaten
1tsp x Vanilla Extract
175g x Golden Caster Sugar
140g x Self-Raising Flour (swap 1tbsp x Flour for Cocoa Powder)
100g x Ground Almonds
175g x Unsalted Butter, melted
For the chocolate frosting
100g x Chocolate (Milk or Dark)
140g x Unsalted Butter
140g x Icing Sugar
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. In a jug, mix the yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Put the dry ingredients, plus a pinch of salt, into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
Add the yoghurty mix and melted butter, and quickly fold in with a spatula or metal spoon – don’t overwork it. Spoon into the cases (they will be quite full) and bake for 18-20mins or until golden, risen and springy to the touch. Cool for a few mins, then lift the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze as soon as possible.
Chocolate frosting: Melt the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1½ mins, stirring halfway. Leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in the chocolate. Cover and chill for up to one month. Up to 48 hrs before serving (or the day before if it’s really hot), bring back to room temperature, then spread over the cakes. Put the chocolate buttons on. Keep cool, out of direct sunlight.
My next recipe is :- Fudgy Fig Roll Recipe by Sarah Cook, courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine September 2013.
Cuts into 10 slices, Prep 1hr, Cook 12 – 15mins
140g x Soft Dried Figs, chopped
1 x Medium Very Ripe Banana
A Knob of Butter, for greasing
3 x Large Eggs, separated
225g x Light Muscovado Sugar
120g x Wholemeal Flour
1tsp x Bicarbonate of Soda
1tsp x Ground Cinnamon
A Good Grating of Fresh Nutmeg (optional)
4tbsp x Golden Caster Sugar
For the filling
300ml x Double Cream
4tbsp x Icing Sugar, sifted
Approx. 250-300g x Fig Jam or Conserve
Cover the figs with boiling water in a bowl and set aside to soften for 30 mins. Drain and mash well with the banana. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease a Swiss roll tin – about 34 x 24cm. Line the base with baking parchment. Separate the eggs, collecting the whites in a large clean bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until stiff peaks hold on the end of your whisk, then add half the sugar and beat until thick and glossy.
In another mixing bowl, beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale. Whisk in the mashed fig mixture. Fold this mixture into the meringue mixture until well combined. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle it over the wet mixture and very gently fold in, again until well combined. Gently scrape and spread the batter into the tin. Bake for 12-15mins until springy to the touch.
Meanwhile, lay a clean tea towel on the bench (this helps keep the cake nice and moist). Scatter the caster sugar over the towel, flip on the cake, peel off the parchment, then roll up from the shortest side with the tea towel into a Swiss roll. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely. Unroll the cake gently. Using electric beaters, whisk the cream and icing sugar together to soft peaks. Spread the fig jam over the cake, followed by the cream. Roll up again and slice to serve.
And my final recipe is:- Chorizo & Apple Sausage Rolls Recipe by Cassie Best, courtesy of BBC GoodFood magazine June 2013.
Makes 12, Prep 20mins, Cook 35mins
A Small Knob of Butter
1 x Small Eating Apple, peeled and finely diced
6 x Chorizo-Style Cooking Sausages
A Small Handful of Parsley, chopped
375g Pack of Puff Pastry
3tbsp x Apple Sauce
1 x Egg, beaten
2tbsp x Poppy Seeds
Put the butter and apple in a small pan and cook for 5mins until the apple has softened, then cool. Remove the sausage skins and put the meat in a bowl. Add the cooled apple and the parsley, and mash everything together with a fork or your hands.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. roll out the pastry to a rectangle, roughly 32 x 20cm. Cut in half, so that you now have 2 long thin rectangles. Spoon the apple sauce down the centre of each piece of pastry. Shape the chorizo mixture into 2 long sausages and put on top of the apple sauce. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg, then bring the pastry together on one side to enclose the filling, and seal by pressing the pastry with a fork.
Cut the sausage rolls into smaller pieces, each about 7cm long, and arrange on 2 baking trays. Brush with egg, then sprinkle with poppy seeds. Cut small slashes into each roll. Bake for 25-30mins, changing the trays over halfway through the cooking time. Delicious served warm, or cold on a picnic.
Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.
If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to do so by using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D
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