Butternut Squash and Chorizo Tart

Ingredients:

Pate Brisee good for 25 cm quiche tin
2 eggs
1 egg yolk+1 more for sealing the pastry
300 ml milk
10-15 pcs chorizo rounds
450 g butternut squash, cubed to 1cm squares.
One quarter each of red and green pepper
1 red onion, sliced
S&P

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan

The Pate Brisee

Make a Pate Brisee enough for a 25 cm flan tin. Let rest for 30 min.

Roast the Vegetables:

Lay the squash, peppers, and red onion on to a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for about 30 min.

Roll out Pate Brisee and Bake Blind

Roll out the Pate Brisee over a lightly floured surface, thicker than sweet pastries. Cut out a circle large enough to line a 25 cm flan tin. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin, pushing down the sides. Trim off any excess.

Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10-15 min or until just about golden brown. Remove the baking beans and baking paper. Brush the surface of the pastry to seal. Return the pastry to bake for a further 10 min.

Reduce the oven to 180c/160cfan

Make the filling and Assemble

In a measuring jug, beat the eggs and 1 egg yolk. Add the milk and stir well.

Scatter the chorizo and the roasted vegetables over the base of the tart, then pour the egg mixture and grind over some black pepper. Check the seasoning.

Bake for 20-30 min or until the egg mixture is set.

Bake the quiche for 20 min or until the filling is set and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bearnaise Sauce

Bearnaise Sauce (makes 175 ml)

250 g unsalted butter
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 T snipped tarragon
3 T white wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed white peppercorns (or black) ground white?
1 T water
4 egg yolks
S&P, cayenne
2 T snipped chervil (optional)
?100 ml white wine (DS)
?1 tsp mustard (DS)

First, make clarified butter: Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat until it foams. Spoon off the foam and let the butter settle. Remove this clarified butter with a ladle, discarding the whitish residue in the base of the pan.

Put the shallots in a pan with the tarragon, vinegar, pepper, ? white wine (DS)and the water and boil to reduce by half. Cool.

When cold, transfer the shallots mixture into a glass bowl suitable for a double boiler, add the egg yolks ? and mustard?, and whisk over a pan of simmering water (being careful that the bowl does not touch the water), for 8-10 min until the yolks are light and creamy.

Take off the heat and, whisking continuously, pour in the clarified butter. Add salt and cayenne to taste. Add the chervil (if using) before serving.

Roast Beef

Roast Beef

Try to get Sirloin on the bone

Preheat the oven at 475 F or 245 C (225 C fan)

Rub the fat-surface with a mixture of flour and mustard, and sprinkle with freshly milled pepper (but no salt because this encourages the juices to escape).

Roast for 20 min, then lower the heat to 375 F, 190 C, 170 C fan, and cook for:

- 15 min per 450 g
-plus 15 extra min for medium rare
-plus 30 extra min for well-done.

Baste the meat with the pan juices from time to time during the cooking.

Remove from heat. Then it is important to rest the meat for about 30 min before carving.

How to make Pate Brisee and Pate Sucree

How to make Pate Brisee

good for 25 cm tart tin:

250 g flour
125 g unsalted butter- cold
3 egg yolks
around 30-ml water

How to make Pate Sucree:

good for 25 cm tart tin:

225 g flour
112 g unsalted butter- cold
2 egg yolks
33-66 g icing sugar
around 30-ml water

Procedure for Pate Sucre

To the total of flour and butter, add 10-20% icing sugar. So with the above quantity, add 33 g to 66 g of icing sugar. Add the water little by little. You may need even less than 30 ml.

*Once the flour is mixed with liquid (water and beaten eggs), work the flour mixture lightly, rolling it and kneading gently on a lightly floured surface, maximum of 30 sec.

Follow the same for Pate Brisee, except that no icing sugar is added.

How to Make Creme Patissiere

How to make Creme Patissiere

(good for 25 cm tart tin)

500 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
125 caster sugar
25 g plain flour
25 g cornflour


Heat the milk and vanilla extract until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick, then stir in the flour and cornflour. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and heat gently, beating continuously until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Pour into a large bowl and cover. Set aside to cool. Beat until smooth before using.

* Lumps:

This Creme is thickened with flour and cornflour. To avoid a lumpy mixture, vigorous mixing is essential throughout cooking. Do not be alarmed if lumps form, just beat hard and thy will break up as the custard thickens and comes to the boil. The cold custard can be enriched by folding in whipped cream.

How to Cook Spinach

How to cook spinach

wash very thoroughly.
15 g of butter (to 200g of spinach) in a sauce pan until foaming but not burning.
put in spinach- medium heat.
cover with a lid, and time for 30 sec.
open lid and stir, close lid again and cook for another 30 sec
Finished

How to Bake Blind

How to Bake Blind

Preheat oven to 200c/ 180c fan

Having rested the pastry, take it out of the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, pat it with lighly floured rolling pin, turning it then pat again. Roll out to the thickness of a pound coin.

Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough onto the tart tin. PRICK the surface with a fork, then put foil and baking beans.

* If the filling requires no cooking, cook the pastry shell for 15-25 min. Take out the foil and baking beans halfway.

* If the pastry has to be partly baked, leave in the oven for 15 min, taking out the foil and baking beans after 10 min, and return the tin with the shell to bake further for 5-10 min more.