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The following is my recipe for Basic Shortcrust Pastry :

8 ozs flour

pinch of salt

2 ozs margarine

2 ozs lard

2 tablespoons cold water

Method:  Put flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt.  You may add a teaspoon of sugar for sweet pastry for the likes of mince pies or apple or other fruit pies.

Rub in the fat until mixture resembles breadcrumbs then add the water.  Use a knife to mix until the mixture begins to stick together then use your hand to press it into the dough.  Don't be tempted to add more water.  The bowl should be clean when the pastry is ready.  Leave it to stand for a few minutes then flour your board and roll out carefully, dusting your rolling pin with flour as you go.

Brush the top of the pie(s) with water and shake a little sugar over the top if liked.

Pastry should be cooked in a hot oven. 

Stab the pastry top with a knife a couple of times before cooking.  This allows air to escape and stops the filling from bubbling up.

Tips for successful Pastry:  Keep everything as cool as you can.   Use fingertips to rub in the fat as they are the coolest part of the hands.  Always mix with a knife.  Too much liquid makes for a heavy pastry.

Roll out quickly and lightly always rolling away from you and not from side to side.  Turn the pastry not the rolling pin.  Avoid stretching the pastry as this causes shrinkage in baking.  Brush with water before baking for a suitable glaze.  Always bake in a hot oven (upper shelves).  .

Coconut Cake

4 ozs. margarine

3 ozs. self-raising flour

2 eggs

4 ozs. sugar

3 ozs. coconut (dessicated)

1 tablespoon hot water

Method:   Cream sugar and margarine, add one egg and some flour and beat together.  Add other egg and more flour, give good beat.  Fold in rest of flour, add coconut and mix.

Place in a 1 lb. loaf tin, greased and/or lined and bake in oven... gas 3.. middle shelf for one hour.

Hi Margaret Thanks for the recipe! I like the pastry one is shortcrust pastry the same as puff pastry? The recipe sounds similar to the one i used last night for puff pastry (which I found on the Internet!)

Tip for pastry for puddings: make sure you dont put too much salt in!

Tip for pastry for savouries: still don't put too much salt in but perhaps a bit more than for you would for puddings / mince pies!

Hi Dan,

Puff pastry is different from shortcrust... It has more fat in it and is more complicated to make.  I would buy ready-made  puff pastry rather than make it as it entails spreading butter, turning and then rolling out quite a few times.  It is more flaky as in eccles cakes. 

You only ever need a pinch of salt  in pastry;  not a lot!!!  lol. 

I have a delicious dessert recipe I am going to find and put on the page - a mandarin cheesecake...  watch this space! )

Hi Dan,

Puff pastry is different from shortcrust... It has more fat in it and is more complicated to make.  I would buy ready-made  puff pastry rather than make it as it entails spreading butter, turning and then rolling out quite a few times.  It is more flaky as in eccles cakes. 

You only ever need a pinch of salt  in pastry;  not a lot!!!  lol. 

I have a delicious dessert recipe I am going to find and put on the page - a mandarin cheesecake...  watch this space! )

Mandarin Cheesecake

8 - 10 Digestive biscuits

50g Butter or margarine

half a jelly (orange)

1 small tin of Mandarin Oranges in syrup

1 small packet of Cream Cheese (Philadelphia) 200gram

Method:

1.  Open tin of fruit, drain liquid into a measuring jug.  Make up, with water, to 5fl. ozs.

2.  Put fruit juice and jelly into a small saucepan

3.  Heat until jelly dissolves.  Allow to cool.

4.  Crush the biscuits (put into a polybag and crush with a rolling pin or similar)

5.  Melt margarine or butter and stir into the biscuit crumbs - press mix into a deep dish

6.  Whisk evaporated milk until thick

7.  Soften cream cheese and whisk into the evaporated milk.  Slowly whisk jelly into the cream and milk mix.

8.  Arrange Mandarin oranges on the biscuit base

9.  Pour creamy mixture of the fruit and biscuit base.  Put into a fridge and sllow to set.

Sorry - nearly forgot... keep some of the Mandarin oranges to decorate the top of the cheesecake when it is set.

Apologies again.... I have missed out the evaporated milk... it is a small tin of Carnation evaporated milk.

Chocolate and Banana cake.

Ingredients.

100 g Plain Chocolate

150g unsalted butter softened

175g golden caster sugar

3 eggs beaten

175g self raising flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder

25g cocoa

2/3 bananas mashed up.

For the Streusel topping

25g unsalted butter

2 generous tablespoon plain flour

1 level tablespoon demerara sugar

pecans chopped to 2 tablespoon

Method...

Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4

Butter and line the bases of 2 x 450g loaf tinswith parchment paper.

to make the streusel topping,rub the butter into the flour,then mix in the demerara sugar and chopped pecans.

Melt the choc;ate either in the microwave or in a small glass heat resistant bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.Stir until smooth.

Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy,

Gradually add the egg,beting well between each addition.

Sift together the flour,baking powder and cocoa and fold in using a large metal spoon.

Add the the mahed banana and chocolate and mix well.

Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and top each with the streusel.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on a rack,then wrap in baking parchment or foil.

then sit and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Hi everyone, I'd like to share my favourite Chicken Alfredo Lasagna recipe: [link] It is a tasty spin on a classic Italian lasagna. The combination of chicken and Alfredo sauce is unbeatable, so why not put it in a perfect Alfredo chicken lasagna recipe