Becki's Basque Quiche

I found a recipe for a Basque Tart a while ago and thought that I would quite like to give it a go, as with everything I do I took some artistic licence and put my own spin on it. I really like how it turned out and was great with a salad for lunch.

I love the name of it, it reminds me of a Moulin Rouge type place, probably because I have always known a Basque to be a form of underwear!!

This recipe is great when cooled to be taken on picnics too. Hopefully the weather would be better than it is today, feels like its done nothing but rain on and off for the past few days. If you do make this or any of my other recipes, please feel free to email them in, I would love to see how they turned out.

Ingredients:

• 200g ready rolled shortcrust pastry
• a little plain flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Streaky bacon, sliced into strips and fried until crispy
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 200ml semi-skimmed milk
• 300ml crème fraiche
• 25g (ish) Gruyere, grated
• a few (I used 4, but depends on the size) of sun ripened tomatoes
• 2tsp smoked paprika
• salt
• pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1cm thick and cut a large round of pastry slightly larger than the fluted flan tin. Line the flan case using the pastry, pressing in well and prick the base. Trim any overhanging pastry and chill for 10 minutes.  

2. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven on a baking sheet for 15 minutes until golden at the edges. Remove the parchment and beans at this point.

3. Reduce the oven to 170 degrees. Prepare the filling by whisking together the milk and crème fraîche. Whisk in the 3 beaten eggs and season well with salt and pepper. Add the smoked paprika and whisk well. Arrange the bacon and cherry tomatoes in the base of the pastry and pour the filling over the top.

4. Add the slices of sun ripened tomatoes and sprinkle the Gruyere on top and bake in the oven on a baking sheet for 25 minutes until set and golden. Remove and serve immediately in wedges with a side salad.

Moreish Hawaiian Burgers

Nothing brings out my love for burgers than summer, for me, it just feels like such a summery thing to eat especially when you have a BBQ and a table FULL of salads, sauces and sides... yep I love summer!!

What's your favourite burger topping? This has to be my favourite burger....

Ingredients:
1 Whole Pineapple, cut and put in a tub for another day or pudding, leaving aside enough slices for the amount of burgers you are making
Burgers
Burger Baps
Relish, I used tomato and red pepper
Cheese, grated or sliced, it doesn't matter!
1 White onion, sliced

1. Put the burgers in a frying pan, there is no need to add oil as the burgers will cook in their juices and shouldn't stick to the pan. Cook for a few minutes until halfway done

2. In another frying pan add the sliced onion and pineapple slices along with a little olive oil, turn the pineapple every couple minutes and mix around the onion to brown on all sides.

3. when the burgers are nearly done top with the cheese and let melt for a minute or two. While the cheese is melting, half the burger baps and add the relish to one half of the bap.

4. Assemble the burger by placing the burger and melted cheese on the bottom half then add some onion and a slice of pineapple. Put the lid on, squeeze down, add what side you would like and enjoy.

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos as my family devoured them before I got chance, but next time I make them, I will quickly grab my phone to take a quick snap before they're gone.

Fabulous Plum Frangipane Tart

While I am sitting here typing this, I am seriously debating having another slice of tart, it feels like such a treat item, something, if out down a cafe you would pay for again and again... dont take my word for it, try it yourself...

Ingredients
1 x 375g sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
100g (3 1/2oz) butter, softened
125g (4oz) caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g (6oz) ground almonds
50g (2oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
6 firmish plums, halved, pitted and cut into eighths

1. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Unroll the pastry and roll out a little wider, then use to line a 9 inch tart tin, I use a ceramic dish my gran gave to me. Cut off a little excess pastry and roll into a ball, dip in some flour and use to push the pastry well into the corners and fluted sides. Cut off the overhanging pastry with a sharp knife. Chill for 30 mins in the fridge.

2. White the pastry chills make the frangipane. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the almonds and flour until fully combined.

3. Heat oven to 180°C. Spoon the frangipane into the tart case, smooth the surface. Arrange the plum slices over the top, pressing slightly into the frangipane. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp sugar, place the tin on a tray and bake for 45-55 mins, until the pastry is golden and the fruit tender. 

Sticky Duck Rolls with Mango Slaw

Summer is well and truly here, with my daughter being off nursery and getting ready for primary school I want to be able to create lots of yummy food with her helping me.

While doing the grocery shopping I had the urge to have duck, but didn't want to do a whole roast (what my nan does with a duck and the first time I ate duck was with her doing a roast) so decided to get half a duck and stick it in some hot dog rolls... turned out better than I expected and working years ago in a Chinese restaurant really helped with me knowing how to shred it!!

Ingredients:
1 whole ready-prepared crispy duck in hoisin sauce (from Tesco)
1/2 cabbage, sliced into thin strips
1 mango, sliced into thin-ish strips
1/2 white onion, sliced into thin strips
1 tbsp mayonnaise, give or take how 'wet' you want it
4-8 hotdog rolls
prawn crackers, to serve

Prepare the duck according to the packet instructions, reserving the hoisin sauce. 

Make the slaw by finely slicing the cabbage, onion and mango, add to a bowl and stir through the mayonnaise.

Open up the rolls and toast if preferred

When the duck is cooked, shred apart with two forks and mix through the hoisin sauce to make a sticky mix. Divide this between the rolls and top with the slaw. Serve with prawn crackers to the side.

Basic Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

I do often cheat and buy ready rolled pastry just for ease and laziness really, but on the occassion I do decide to get my hands messy and make pastry, this is the recipe I use...

Ingredients:
225g Wholemeal Flour
100g Butter, cut up into little bits
Pinch of salt

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and start rubbing the flour into the butter with your fingertips... it will take a little while but will soon come together to look like breadcrumbs

2. Add a tbsp of water into the dough if needed and start kneading and pressing it together, wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge (if made in advance) otherwise just flour your surface and rolling pin and use as normal.


Tips:

• If more is needed just remember that its half butter to flour.
• If too much water is added the pastry will be hard
• For best results use cold butter

Cheap and Easy Tasty Pie

Running a little low on funds at the moment so finding ways to feed my family for next to nothing can be a bit of a challenge. Reverting back to when I was growing up, being fed on loads of stodgy filling foods (think 1940s wartime food, lots of pies and stews)
A really good, quick, easy and cheap way to fill up tummies is to cook a pie, I don't put pastry on the bottom, just the top!!

Today I made, using veg that needed using up, a veg pie which consisted of greens and a broughten soup base mix...

Recipe:
Soup base mix (carrots, swede etc)
Greens
1 Onion
Stock (I used beef oxo cube but a veg stock cube if you like will do)
Butter
Milk
Salt and Pepper
Thyme
Gravy granules
Ready rolled shortcrust pastry

Method:
1. Fry the onion in a little oil, when its nicely fried add in the soup base mix and greens and fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly

2. Add in the salt, pepper, thyme, stock, butter and a splash of milk, mix, cover and leave to do its stuff.

3. When the veg is tender and cooked through, take off the heat and plop into a deep oven friendly dish, cover with the pastry, brush with a little milk then pop in the oven until the pastry is nicely browned. I cook it at 220 C for about 20-30 minutes, but cooking times may vary depending on oven.

4. Serve with boiled potatoes and enjoy

This pie, depending on the size of your family and if its not been eaten already will keep for a couple days in the fridge, or you could transfer it to a container and freeze until you fancy eating it again, just take out the freezer, thaw then heat up in the oven. You could use the microwave if you don't mind soggy pastry too!