Advertising Space /-/ Double roasted pumpkin bread

I am not sure how many of you pay attention to advertising but I actually like to watch commercials. The super bowl commercials are the only reason I stream the programming from the US. Who remembers the little boy as darth Vader in the car ad? Genius. Even Beyoncé’s Pepsi ad is really good, and who is going to complain about seeing more Beyoncés?

A lot of the time they are dismissed as background noise but I think you should really reconsider your opinion about ads. I found that if you paid attention to them, some are really quite clever; some even funny and witty. Some have the best tag lines and are entertaining for those 30 seconds. Even in Australia one of the most influential ads have ingrain themselves in to popular culture.




Can anyone recall the Tourism Australia campaign? The Classic Line of “Throw a shrimp on the bar-bie” has sparkled a long held food tradition of grilling seafood in Australia. Every year my family has a big seafood platter with tons of prawns and the annual visit to the fish market. Good times.




Also The Yellow pages (The phone book in Australia for Any public phone numbers) with the line “Not happy Jan!” as the assistant forgets to register their business in the pages. So funny; I think most Aussie have used that line once in a while to express frustration (I know I did when I worked at a café)



However there is the bad side. The ads that are too long, ambiguous and down right annoying (yes, I am looking at you shouting door ads, no one need to know that doors are discounted). Some of the worse ads can be most watched because, well, it is SO BAD. It is like when you cannot stop watching a train wreck. That feeling where you KNOW you about see something horrid but you must see it. Oh boy has this feeling allowed me to see some very disturbing stuff…




Of course my opinions are purely subjective as everyone has their own interpretation of what is good and bad advertisement. For me an ad has to engaging, have a clear start and finish, short length time and a witty punch line. I know many of you guys are not from Australia, so I would like to ask what kinds of commercials you get on Television or the radio? Find the annoying or funny? Leave me a line




Sometimes when Food is promoted as healthy a bit annoying. Healthy for one person may not be working for another. Now my veering away from quick breads has been a long one but with the lack of time (more on that later) and my craving for savoury bread; I decide to give this one ago. By roasting the pumpkin then pureeing it adds a depth of flavour which is not found in normal pumpkin bread. An addition flavour boost comes from the par baked pumpkin cubes in the bread which are roasted in a bit of brown butter. A quick and simple loaf but flavourful. Here I tired to make the best out of a few ingredients, so you see not everything has to be long and complicated.





Double roasted Pumpkin loaf

Makes a large loaf tin

Adapted from Taste.com


Melted butter, to grease

330g whole meal self-raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mild chili powder

450g Roasted mashed pumpkin.(Oven roasted at 200C till tender then mashed with 60g butter). Allow to cool before using.

100ml runny yoghurt (Plain)

30ml milk

60g salted butter, melted, cooled

2 eggs, lightly whisked




Additional brown butter roasted pumpkin cubes

50g raw pumpkin in 1 cm cubes

40g butter, unsalted


Topping

2 tbs pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels)

For Roasted Pumpkin cubes.

Brown the butter in a large sauce pan until it begins to change colour and smells toasty. It should take about 5 minutes. DO NOT LEAVE THE PAN.

Once browned, add pumpkin tossing and cooking for about 5 minutes or until semi firm.

Place on another plate and leave to get cold.




Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush an 11 x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan with melted butter to lightly grease.

Sift the flour, salt and chili powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Place the pumpkin, milk, butter and egg in a jug, and use a whisk to stir until well combined.


Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, and stir with a large spoon until just combined.

Fold in roasted pumpkin cubes with all the juices. Combine until just mixed.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Cut a line down the middle of the batter with a knife.
Sprinkle evenly with pepitas.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven.

Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool

No sleep for the wicked/-/ Spiced Black sesame Swirl Loaf

If you read my last post you would know that I am currently experiencing the worse pain in the back of my mouth. No not from eating too many sweets (however I do worry about this given my addiction to sugar) but my wisdom teeth are all impacted. Basically they are growing back into my face. GREAT…



When I was 18 I thought, “Hey, pat on the back Belinda, you survived puberty and high school; now it is going to be clean sailing from here” and “You have done undergoing growing pains, so now all you have to worry about is life”. Boy was I wrong.... I actually forgot about the last stage of teenage transition to adult hood. I guess I can be thankful they are coming in now because I currently live with my parents and the price for the surgery is mind blowing (hell; Why does it cost that much to get something REMOVED from my body).



Anyway right now I feel more drained than ever before as the pain meds have put me in a state of absolute sleepiness and haziness. I am not used to taking meds AT ALL. I have honestly not taken a pain killer cold tablet; Nothing for about two years. So no surprise to see how much I am affected by them. It took me 3 minutes to do a simple division by 100 (unit pricing for those who are interested in how I shop).



So I am feeling very wicked because it is either I get load of sleep at once or none at all. My life is like a roller coaster of alert hyperactivity and utter fatigue; this must be what it is like to have a new born baby.




The best part is I have to take these for another month till I can get these growing teeth out. Yep and with my timing problems; university is starting again too (like next week). So I will be drugged up and attending school; like most of student there I guess (bah-tish). I will survive, just pissed off that biology has failed me once again.



Now you may be wondering “What the hell is wrong with this loaf!?”
 

"Why has it got horns?!""



Yes, I admit it may look ugly, demonic even. However do not judge it by its cover, this way you see you get lines of sugar bread goodness EVERYWHERE. I came upon this be mistake as I wanted to make the traditional swirl buns; however this look much more impressive.




This bread is inspired by the cinnamon swirled loafs I have seen so much on the food blog networks. To make it my own I added some ground up roasted black sesame to the mix, which makes the comforting childhood classic somewhat exotic. While you may not be able to get the full force of black sesame, the natural toasty qualities of roasted sesame make the cinnamon really sing. Darkly rippled sweet butter bread is the exotic cousin of the cinnamon toast. Slather it will butter or eat it plain; it goes wonderfully with black coffee or tea.



Spiced Black sesame loaf

Makes A standard load tin 24cm x13cm, plus a few extra buns.

7g yeast

100g sugar

100g warm milk

100ml water

25g milk powder

550g white bread flour

5g salt

100g butter

1 egg white

Egg wash of one egg plus 15ml water.



Filling

Adapted from Joyofbaking.com



100g dark brown sugar

60g light brown sugar

50g black ground sesame seeds

2 tbsp (14g) ground cinnamon

113g unsalted butter, cold, in pieces

30g corn flour


Activate yeast in the mixture of warm milk and 50g sugar. Allow to sit for 20 minutes or until foamy.

Place flours, remaining sugar, egg white, salt, milk powder in large bowl. Stir to combine

Pour in yeast mixture and knead on a well-floured surface. Form a rough dough ball by kneeding for about 10minutes.

Knead for a further 10-15mintues by hand adding butter in all cubes till combined. Knead until it has the ability to hold itself up into a round shape.

Grease a large bowl and the ball of dough and cover. Allow to proof for 2 hours.

Make the filling. In a bowl stir together the two types of brown sugar, ground sesame, corn flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, or two knives, until the mixture is crumbly

Pre heat oven to 180C. Grease, line and flour your loaf pans. I used a standard 1 pound loaf tin but you will not need all the dough. You can make buns from the extra.

Punch down dough once doubled. Roll out dough into a rough rectangle about 40x30, brush on filling.

Be firm when you roll up the loaf like a Swiss roll. Cut the log into sections about 5cm wide and set inside your load tin. Place them closer than normal to each other. This will create the Hilly affect

Brush with egg wash and. Proof again for 1 hour, covered with cling wrap.

Once it has doubled, Take off cling and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Cover with foil after 20 minutes.

Once bake, cool for 5 minutes and turn out on to cooling rack.

Dear mum... /-/ Chocolate dipped strawberry cake

I have cake. Yep I made a cake this weekend but not just for any old reason (not like making cake needs a reason); It was my mother’s Birthday this weekend past. Now you may think Right now I am about to rant on and on about how great she is because is caring, loving, understanding etc.; however I will tell you a story which demonstrates those qualities better than any words.

I have currently been experiencing a large amount of pain. For all those who have gotten your wisdom teeth or had the surgery; you can sympathise with me. All of my wisdom teeth are impacted (they are growing into my other teeth nerves), meaning I am experiencing a F’kin GREAT amount of pain for about a week before this one. You would think a normal person would tell someone but no my stubborn self withheld it. Damn mule like persona…



Anyway a few days ago the pain was unbearable and I finally told my mum. Being the great nurse she immediately she got me lots of pain killers, anti-infection meds, special tooth paste and tooth brushes, mouth numbing gels and mouth rises. Oh ye did I mention this was on her birthday when she should be relaxing? Yep, my mother sacrificed her birthday to take care of me. Even at night when most people would be sleeping she was a awake worried about me…



Over the past few days she has waited on me had and foot to provide me with anything that I needed and constantly asking if I feel ok. Even today, when I got the bad news I have to go into surgery immediately, she tried to take the few days off work in order to be there with me for the appointment with the dental surgeon. Bear in mind I am 20 something and I should in theory be able to take care of myself.



The pain has reduced me down to shivering, whiny little kid; even with me being so annoying she has put up with the moans and crying about the nerve pain and me being worried it something more serious (well I am not sure what is more serious than teeth growing into with teeth, but there has to something worse). I am not sure if I conveyed the selflessness of my mother but I hope it come through with this story.



For her birthday cake she has always opted for simple cakes. I think this I due to her Asian childhood were sponge cake with fruit and cream was considered the ultimate treat. However I could not just settle for something that simple, so to make it my own I added a bit of excitement into the simple sponge layer cake. You know me nothing is fun when it plain especially when it comes to cake.






Sandwiched between two layers of Genoise sponge cake (one flavoured with vanilla and one strawberry) are macrons with strawberry milk flavouring in the shells and filled with simple vanilla swiss butter cream with tiny strawberry pop rocks. Maybe this is a waste since they did not exactly “pop” but the flavour was still there. Covering is the Swiss butter cream and finished off with a coat of bitter sweet chocolate and chocolate dipped strawberries.



I am not going hassle you make this cake because this is symbol of my love for MY mother. You should find a recipe and cake design that reflects you love for your mother next time it is her birthday. Whether you use the same flavours as me or go completely 360, personalise your celebration cake. At the end of the day it is something that your mother and you love not the rest the of world.



Dear mum,

Thank you.

Love Belinda XOXO.


Chocolate Dipped strawberry cake with macaron pop rock layer.

Inspired by sweetapolita





SPONGE CAKE

Cake recipe from Philippa Sibley

Makes 3 layers 22cm cake ( I only used two here because the inside layer)



6 eggs

185g caster sugar

180g plain flour

20g butter melted

STRAWBERRY Version- ADD 40g Strawberry milk powder to the recipe and reduce sugar to 150g.



Preheat oven to 185c. Grease and line 2 x 22cm spring form tins with baking paper.

Prepare a saucepan with simmering water.

Break eggs into your mixing bowl of a stand mixer and beat until it has triple in volume,

While whisking add the sugar (and milk powder if creating strawberry one) slowly once it is at the foam stage. Keep whisking to it is thick and glossy but it will very wet like (not like normal meringue).

Remove bowl from electric mixer and place over the simmering water.

With a large whisk, beat the mixture until it reaches a temperature of 40C. Use a thermometer for this part as you need to stabilise the egg yolks before adding flour.

Return to stand mixer and whisk until it forms soft peaks.

Remove bowl from mixer and shiver in your flour.

Fold the flour into the egg mix. DO not over work!

Add melted butter and fold in just till it is incorporated



Bake at 180C for 20-25 until the top is golden brown, and the skewer is inserted and comes out cleanly.

IMMEDIATELY turn the cake out on to a wire rack. To do this place a cooking racks on the top of the cake and gently flip it.

After 10 minutes, flip the cake over on to it base using the same technique suggested above. Store in fridge for up to three days in cling film.



VANILLA BUTTER CREAM

Butter cream recipe from Brave tart



MAKE NO CHANGES TO THE RECIPE FROM HER WEBSITE.



STRAWBERRY POP ROCK MACARONS

Macaron recipe from Tartelette

110gram almond meal

90g egg whites

25g raw caster sugar

180g icing sugar



25g strawberry milk powder



100g Strawberry pop rocks


In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar and milk powder until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream

Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets.

Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F/150C. When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture.

Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.



Fill them with butter cream and small amount of pop rocks on sandwiching them together.



CHOCOLATE GLAZE

160g dark chocolate

20g butter

Melt chocolate over low heat until it is smooth and glossy. Allow to cool.



Assembly



Take your sponge fill it with 1/2cup of butter cream.

Push in macarons and top with dots of butter cream to act as glue. Top with strawberry layer.

Create a crumb coat on the outside with an offset spatula. Return to fridge for 1 hour.

Create the final white layer on a turn table, smoothing a cleaning the spatulas as you go.

Return to fridge over night.



ON THE DAY

Make chocolate glaze and cooling sightly.

Remove cake from fridge and place on a wire rack. Pour 1/2cup of glaze and spread it with a spatula. Allow it to slightly dip on the sides.

Fridge for 30 minutes.

Top with strawberries in chocolate coat.

The second language /-/ Chewy Salted Caramel cookies

I think all of us have participated at least once in type of social annoyance. Yes, even you the one with perfect social skills and manners which come second nature to your life; you have done this too. Can any one guess what it is? I give you a hint it has to do with the social media, text messages and short hand. Another hint if you have used MSN messenger (Oh the good old days), you have use this form of communication before.



If you guessed right, What I have found really annoying lately is text speak or AKA the devil’s code. I am not the best at English but I have major issues with text speak; especially when it comes to understanding it. Now you may think being a 21 year old, I am right in the demographic that SHOULD be using text speak like a second language. However I hide (another) secret that I actually do not understand a lot of words used in text peak. The combination of letters and my failure to assume what they are trying to say means it takes me longer to read a text speak message than the whole thing typed out.



It has become so integrated in to conversation that I one of teacher at university once reported that someone (student of course) used in an academic paper! I could not believe it myself but I guess that what happen when your iPhone becomes part of your body and everything requires you to use a computer. Even I am guilty of using it in conversations with friends and family. Who has not said “lol” or “OMG” at least once in their life time? Oh I cringe every time I think about it.



What is wrong with typing out the whole word? Are you really saving that much time but shorting “to” to 2? Or replacing part of whole words with a word that sounds like the word you are replacing? I do not think so. However even though I dislike it so much and have tried to “unlearn” the text speak I do know, not everyone shares my view point.



Case and point, someone gave me slack about not understanding their text message. Alright how am I meant to know arvo is after noon? Or TBC is to be continued…? Is there a manual or something out there that help people who are text speak challenged to understand it? Something like “short hand for dummies”. Prfff… another social practice I do not get.



While I might be failing in that department, I have suddenly developed an obsession over cookies. I can not stop cooking (and eating) them… Almost to extent where I concerned about the waist line, however greed get the better of me and that is cast out the window. The cookies I have recent fallen for is the thin chewy type of cookie.



I adore the crispy edges which surround an almost toffee chewy centre. For these cookies I have used a homemade caramel I made a few weeks back for the Pork belly cupcakes. Just chop it up finely as best you can, this helps with even chewy caramel flavour. These are currently my addiction for the reasons that follow. One, they are Super chewy; great after a stressful day. Two they have contrasting textures of caramel (some becomes crispy in the oven and some goes into making the cookie chewy. Third the dough is very forgiving meaning you do not have to be careful about over mixing it or anything. In fact mixing more help makes more a chewier cookie in my experience; especially ones with a lower flour to butter ratio.



Chewy Caramel cookies

Make 5cmx30

150g unsalted room temp butter

150g dark brown sugar

25g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

2tsp cream

30g almond meal

30g corn starch

180g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

100g salted chewy caramels

Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer for 5 minutes. Allow it to become light tan and it should be very fluffy.

Add yolks and cream. Beat until fluffy.

Add vanilla extract and and beat until fluffy again.

Shift in flour, almonds, corn flour and baking soda and baking powder. Mix them into the butter mix for about 2 minutes.

Add chopped chewy caramel. Portion the dough into 1.5 tsp size balls. Freeze the dough on a tray for a day.

Pre heat oven to 180C. Line 2 tray with two baking papers.

Place frozen ball on tray. Bake them for 15 minutes. Check every 5 minutes to push the cookie back in to the circle shape with a teaspoon. This allows for folds to develop in the cookie which holds the caramel and keep the round shape.

Cool on tray once golden brown and store in an air tight box.

Shock value/-/ Giant nutella oatmeal cookies

Surprise parties, mystery boxes and lucky draws. What do all of these have in common? Of course the surprise or shock factor. Unfortunately I am in the minority; I really do not take surprises well.



I think the last time I ever had a “surprise” something, it was during University tutorials and my friend would think it would be funny get the whole class (and the tutor) to hide and then jump out on me when I walked to the dark class room. Let’s say they will not be doing it again anytime soon unless they want permanent hearing damage. Sure it was my birthday and it did have good intentions but really save your energy.



I do like the not knowing what is to come or being kept in the dark from information that could have a significant impact. Being surprised to me is like is almost as unenjoyable as sitting a university essay exam and probably would be as anxiety provoking too.


This means that a lot of things are quite unpleasant to me especially since I do get scared easily( however I can watch SAW series without breaking sweat; weird I guess) This rules out first person shooter games, lucky draw type events, blind fold games and the odd surprise party.



I must really be boring. No wonder my days are so predictable. *face palm*




However there is one surprise that I could get used to is that when I try out a new recipe and it turn out to be brilliant. I love those surprises especially if I had low expectations of it or I was uneasy about how it looked before going in the oven.

Trust me the first time I ever made a self-saucing pudding I thought I would have to throw out the whole dish because it would be a massive fail. While I still have anxieties about making a soufflé or pulling off the perfect deep fry, one food that has never failed me has to be cookies. 

What food or recipe have you been putting off making because you are unsure it will work?




I normally prefer my oatmeal cookies crunchy, much like the ANZAC biscuits Australia is so popular for.

However I have deviated from that path and decide to use a recipe from the newspaper. This is a recipe From Bill Granger  a well-known chef and owner of Bill’s who specialises in modern Australian cooking. I absolutely adore his restaurant; if you ever get the chance to go there you must try the corn fritters.

Oh my GOD! Heaven on a plate.





He is also famous for his bakery goods, so I knew this recipe had to be good. Now these are bakery style oatmeal cookies made adult by using hazelnut meal and nutella. Big, round and undeniably chewy because of the rolled oats; a sight of beauty if you ask me after a long day of running errands (yes even on holidays I need to do things. sign).

The best parts about these cookies are they really do taste like pure Nutella, only in a portable cookie. I think that is down to large percentage of it in the cookie and the addition of roasted salted hazelnuts. An added benefit of these cookies is that you get bang for your buck, they make 18 large cookies for minimal effort and everyday ingredients.




GIANT OATMEAL NUTELLA COOKIES

Barely adapted from the recipe in “The age”


MAKES 18x8cm diameter cookies or 8 20cm cookies

55g unsalted butter

100g firmly packed brown sugar

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1tbsp milk

1tsp hazelnut extract

150g Nutella

120g plain flour

100g rolled oats

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

90g roasted salted hazelnuts, roughly chopped



Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and hazelnut extract, until fluffy again.

Add the Nutella and milk, until the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the flour, oats and bicarbonate of soda.

Drop 4 generously heaped tablespoons of dough onto each baking tray, leaving at least 7cm space between each to allow for spreading.

Roll the balls in the hazelnuts. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until dry-looking and covered with even cracks. Leave to cool and firm up on the baking trays for 2 minutes before carefully peeling away from the paper. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

The science of Yum /-/ Eggless double corn Quiche

Have you ever wondered what makes something delicious? I am not just talking about sweets or baked goods here. What is it about some foods and dishes that make them so likeable I am not alone in pursuit to find this answer. Think of the newest form of cooking, kitchen Gastronomy, has brought about the scientific answers to life’s big food questions. As I have said many time before I adore Heston and his way of cooking but I also enjoy his scientific explanations for why we enjoy food. My mind was blown when he done the test for making biscuits more “biscuity” by dunking in tea or coffee.



I remember reading that a few of our favourite food have addictive compounds in it. Coffee has caffeine, cheese has K proteins and fat; and well bread is carbs. We have all heard to headlines that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol and I think there is movement for it to be classified as medical disorder too.



What is your favourite dish or food? Could it be the textures or sounds that come from a crisp packet of chips or the slurping noise that come from a warm bowl of soup? What about the temperature factor?



I have noticed that all my favourite foods lie on the temperature extremes. It must be super cold or boiling hot; nothing in between. Maybe it is our nostalgic memories of child hood favourites which draw us to like certain food more than others. However don’t quote me on this, am no food scientist; I am only a curious baker. Can you name why your favourite foods are so addictive? While some of the food stuff are obviously made to be loved, there I one problem with thinking like this.



This logic cannot be used if I need to explain my love of fruits and vegetables, In particular apples and spinach. I am sure many of you guys have favourite fruit and vegetable that can be just as satisfying as your favourite sweet or street food. My obsession with apple is well known among my family that I have gone out at 11pm to buy myself apples to eat because I was craving them. Crazy? Just a little bit. Justified? Totally.



Talking about cravings, I am going through a phase were I am in love with corn (again). Corn is one of the gastronomic delights that is wonderful as a savoury or sweet, warm or cold and has an infinite number of uses. Now I am new to Yotam Ottolenghi work, seriously the best recipes I have come by in a long time. They are so fresh and original. I am dying to try other savoury dishes but for now I settled on pastry.



Polenta is added to this short crust tart which delivers crispness, even when it is eaten the next day. Also I prefer that it help “cuts” the bland butterness of normal pastry which I admit can be too much sometimes. I used this as a base for a twist on classic quiche While we all know the basis of a good quiche is eggs and milk; I was out of these on this day. HORROR!! However I have been saved by the use of this egg less quiche with corn, chives and bacon.



You would think that this egg less version will be inferior to the egg one but it is not. It has its own creamy silkiness without the sometimes unfortunate scent of over cooked eggs. It is like breakfast in a quiche! How good is that? I am not going to say that this recipe may over take your families traditional quiche, but it is a nice way of catering to egg free crowd and can be easily made vegan. Crispy pastry, creamy but solid filling laced with the sweetness of corn and salty smoked bacon; easily a great main meal or side snack.



Egg less double corn quiche.

Makes 6 15cm tartlets.

Polenta pastry (plus blind bake)

Barely adapted From Yotam Ottolenghi

170g Plain flour

60g Fine polenta

140g butter or soy alternative ( add one tbsp of xanthan gum if using soy)

50ml soy milk

1tsp salt

1/2tsp white ground pepper

In a food processor, cut the pastry ingredients except the milk to fine crumbs.

Add the milk ( tbsp. at a time) and mix until it starts coming togther,

Tip out on to a work surface lightly dusted with flour, and work until the pastry comes together. Gently roll it out into a roughly 5mm thick round disc.

Lifting the pastry with a palette knife, turn it around as you roll, then use a rolling pin to lay it in your tart cases. Cut off any excess hanging over the edges and use the offcuts to patch up any gaps. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 180C. Place a circle of greaseproof paper on top of the pastry case, fill with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes.

You can make your filling now (recipe below)

Remove the paper and beans, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160C.

Pour Filling into polenta cases and bake for 15-20 minutes until it is set and golden.



Eggless chive, bacon and corn filling

Apadted from Taste.com

40g soy spread or butter

100g short cut cooked bacon, in small; diced or replace with vegetables and tofu in the same amounts.

100g corn cooked kernals

40g flour

370ml soymilk or regular milk

30g chopped chives

1tsp miso paste

60g Gruyere ( omit if vegan and use 2tbsp nutritional yeast plus 1 tbsp cornflour or 60g grated soy cheese)

Salt and pepper for seasoning

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter, miso and flour together. Stir continuously until a paste forms.

Remove from heat and slowly whisk in milk, making sure to remove all extra roux bits.

Return to heat and stir continuously until it is thickened, it should coat the back of spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in your corn, chives, cheese and bacon. Cover with cling film until ready to bake.