Adult Class Recipes

Class  75 - Lemon Curd

 

Ingredients

4 juicy thin skinned lemons

4 eggs

100-125g (4oz) unsalted butter

350g (12oz) sugar

Finely grate lemon rind taking care to avoid the white pith. Squeeze lemon juice and put through a strainer. Beat eggs until well mixed and foamy. In the top of a double boiler (or a bowl over a pan of simmering water) combine lemon rind and juice, softened butter and sugar and stir gently until the butter has melted. Strain in the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously to blend all the ingredients thoroughly. Continue to stir over simmering water until the curd is smooth, thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. It will be very hot, but do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.

 

Pour the curd into small, hot, clean jars and allow it to cool before covering.

Makes 3 small jars.

Lemon curd will keep in the fridge for a maximum of 8 weeks.

 

One jar to be exhibited

 

Class 79 – Cheese Straws

 

Ingredients

4oz (100g) plain flour

3oz (75g) butter, at room temperature

2oz (50g) mature Cheddar, grated

1 size 1 egg yolk

Finely grated Parmesan for sprinkling

 

Method

Lightly grease 2 baking trays.

Measure the flour into a bowl an drub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated Cheddar. Reserve a tiny bit of egg yolk for glazing and stir in the remainder. Bring the mixture together to form a pastry. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Roll chilled dough out on a lightly foured work surface to a thickness of about  quarter  inch (5mm). Cut into neat strips quarter inch (5mm) wide and four inches (10cm) long. Place on the prepared baking trays, brush with the remaining egg yolk and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven for about 10-15mins or until golden. Lift off tray and allow to cool on rack.

Four to be exhibited.

 

Class 80 – Sharp Lemon Cheesecake

 

Ingredients

 

For the base

4oz (100g) Hob Nob biscuits, coarsely crushed

2oz (50g) butter, melted

1oz (25g) Demerara sugar

 

For the Cheesecake

1 x 1 pint (600ml) packet lemon jelly

Juice of 1 lemon

12oz (350g) full fat soft cheese

4oz (100g) caster sugar

5fl oz (150ml) whipping cream, whipped

 

To decorate

5fl oz (150ml) whipping cream, whipped

Pared rind of 1 lemon

 

Method

Lightly oil an 8 inch (20cm) round, loose bottomed cake tin or spring release tin.

Separate the jelly into squares. Dissolve in 5fl oz (150ml) of boiling water then add the juice of the lemon to make up to 10fl oz (300ml). Put in a cold place until the jelly is thick and nearly set. Meanwhile mix together the ingredients for the base and spread over the bottom of the prepared tin, pressing down evenly.

 

Mix the soft cheese with the sugar and the almost set jelly and then fold in the whipped cream. Turn into the tin on top of the crumbs and put in a cool place to set. For the decoration, cut the pared lemon rind into very fine shreds with a sharp knife. Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then rinse under the cold tap and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.

 

To serve, loosen the sides of the cheesecake for the tin and push up the base, or remove the sides of the spring release tin and slide the cheesecake on to a place. Spread the top with a thin layer of cream and pipe rosettes of whipped cream around the top edge of the cheesecake. Decorate with the shreds of lemon rind.

 

 

 

Class 81 – Iced Apricot Fruit Loaf

 

Makes 1 x 2lb (900g) Loaf

 

Ingredients

 

For the Loaf

3oz (75g) glace cherries

3 size 2 eggs

6oz (175g) self raising flour

4oz (100g) soft margarine

4oz (100g) light muscovado sugar

4oz (100g) ready to eat dried apricots, chopped

5oz (150g) sultanas

 

For the Icing

4oz (100g) icing sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon apricot jam

1 tablespoon water

2 ready to eat dried apricots, chopped

 

Method

Pre heat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Lightly grease and base line a 21b (900g) loaf tin with greased greaseproof paper.

First prepare the cherries. Quarter, wash and thoroughly dry on kitchen paper.

Break the eggs into a large bowl and then measure in the remaining cake ingredients including the cherries. Beat well until the mixture is smooth. Turn into the prepared tin and level the top.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until the cake is golden brown, firm to the touch and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. A fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes then turn out, remove the paper and leave to cool completely on a rack.

For the icing, measure the sifted icing sugar into a bowl. Heat the apricot jam and water together until the jam melts then pour on to the icing sugar. Mix to a smooth spreading consistency, then spoon over the top of the cake. Decorate the cake by sprinkling the chopped apricots down the centre of the cake.