Recipes from Mary, Paul and the bakers
- Apricot and Pistachio Tiffin
- Mary’s Ginger and Treacle Spiced Traybake
- Mary’s Tuiles with Chocolate Mousse
BAKER’S RECIPE
A glamorous version of a much-loved family favourite: pistachio digestives plus home-made marshmallows, apricots and more nuts glued together with lots of dark chocolate.
CUTS INTO 20 SQUARES
YOU WILL NEED: 2 BAKING SHEETS, LINED WITH BAKING PAPER; 1 BROWNIE TIN ABOUT 20.5 × 25CM, OILED AND LINED WITH BAKING PAPER, A SUGAR THERMOMETER
For the marshmallows
5 gelatine leaves (8g total weight)
225g white granulated sugar
100ml water
1 teaspoon liquid glucose
1 large free-range egg white, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 200g icing sugar, for dusting
100g soft, ready-to-eat dried apricots, roughly chopped
For the digestives
200g shelled unsalted pistachios (slivered or kernels)
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g light brown muscovado sugar
80g plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g fine oatmeal
For the chocolate mixture
100g golden syrup
200g salted butter, diced
600g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), broken up
200g shelled unsalted pistachios (slivered or roughly chopped kernels)
200g soft, ready-to-eat dried apricots, roughly chopped
good pinch of sea salt flakes
1 To make the marshmallows, put the sheets of gelatine into a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak and soften until needed. Combine the granulated sugar, water and glucose in a small pan over low heat and dissolve the sugar, stirring frequently, without letting the mixture boil. Meanwhile, put the egg white into a large, very clean bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until the egg white will form stiff peaks.
2 Bring the sugar syrup to the boil, then boil rapidly, without stirring, until it reaches 127°C on a sugar thermometer. Pour the hot syrup on to the whisked egg white in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly at high speed – the mixture will turn quite liquid. Lift the gelatine sheets out of the water and gently squeeze them to remove excess water, then add to the meringue along with the vanilla and whisk for 5–7 minutes until the mixture cools and thickens enough to hold a shape (like a soft peak).
3 Heavily dust an oiled baking sheet or large tin with icing sugar, then spoon half the marshmallow mixture into the centre. Using a palette knife dipped in cold water, gently spread the marshmallow out to a rectangle 1cm thick. Scatter the apricots evenly over it, then spoon the rest of marshmallow on top and spread it in a very smooth, even layer. Dust with more icing sugar. Place in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour until firm.
4 Cut the marshmallow into 2cm cubes using a pizza wheel-cutter or large knife. Toss the cubes in icing sugar to prevent them from sticking together, then set aside in a cool spot until needed.
5 To make the digestives, heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grind the nuts in a food processor to a fairly coarse powder – don’t let the mixture turn sticky. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar in a mixing bowl until soft and fluffy. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl. Add the oatmeal and ground nuts and mix everything together – first with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula, then with your hands.
6 Turn the dough on to the worktop and gently knead with your hands until it holds together (if the mixture feels very oily wrap it in clingfilm and chill for about 20 minutes until firm). Divide the dough in half and roll out each portion on the very lightly floured worktop to 4mm thick. Cut into squares about 5cm (they are going to be broken up, so they don’t have to be neat) and arrange slightly apart on the lined baking sheets. Place in the heated oven and bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Allow the digestives to cool on the sheets for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack and leave until cold.
7 To make the chocolate mixture measure the syrup, butter and chocolate into a large pan (preferably non-stick). Set over very low heat and stir gently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. Pour 250g of the mixture into a small heatproof jug or bowl and set aside for the topping. Leave the rest in the pan until it has cooled to room temperature – if the chocolate is warm it will melt the marshmallows.
8 Set aside 5 digestive biscuits for the decoration and roughly break the remainder into the cooled chocolate mixture. Add half the pistachios, half the apricots and the salt. Mix thoroughly, then gently stir in half the marshmallow cubes. Tip into the prepared brownie tin and spread evenly, then compress the mixture with the back of a spoon or spatula, making sure the surface is flat. Pour over the reserved chocolate mixture (gently warmed if necessary) to give a smooth, even covering. Scatter the rest of the pistachios and apricots over the surface. Cover the top of the tin with clingfilm, then chill for about 4 hours until firm and set.
9 Carefully turn out the tiffin and cut into squares. Decorate with the remaining marshmallow cubes and reserved digestives, broken up.
SIGNATURE BAKE
Dark, moist and spicy, this is studded with tiny pieces of stem ginger. Treacle can be difficult to weigh accurately – it tends to stick to the scales pan – so weigh all the ingredients directly in the mixing bowl set on the scales.
CUTS INTO 15–20 PIECES
YOU WILL NEED: 1 TRAYBAKE OR BAKING TIN 23 × 30 × 4CM (OR A ROASTING TIN OF ABOUT THIS SIZE), GREASED AND LINED WITH BAKING PAPER
For the sponge
225g baking margarine or unsalted butter, softened
175g light brown muscovado sugar
200g black treacle
300g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons milk
3 lumps (about 60g) stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped
For the icing
75g icing sugar
3 tablespoons ginger syrup from the jar
3 lumps (about 60g) stem ginger in syrup, drained and coarsely chopped
1 Heat your oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Measure all the ingredients for the sponge straight into a large bowl. Beat well with an electric mixer or wooden spoon for about 2 minutes until well blended; scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time to be sure everything is thoroughly combined.
2 Using a plastic spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, then use the back of the spatula to gently level the surface. Place in the heated oven and bake for 35–40 minutes until the centre of the sponge springs back when pressed lightly with a finger, and the edges of the sponge are beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
3 Leave the traybake to cool slightly in the tin before removing it to a wire rack: first ease the paper away from the sides of the tin, then turn out the sponge on to the rack and remove the lining paper. Turn the cake over so it is right way up. Leave to cool completely.
4 To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl, add the ginger syrup and stir together until smooth. Pour the icing over the cake and spread out gently to the edges using a small palette knife. Sprinkle the chopped stem ginger over the surface. Leave to set before serving in squares or slices.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
Pretty and delicately decorated, these biscuits are baked quickly and shaped as soon as they come out of the oven. If they start to harden, becoming too firm to bend before you have a chance to shape them all, just return the sheet to the oven for 30–60 seconds to soften. This recipe will make loads of tuiles – you can bake them all and then freeze some, or keep the mix in the fridge for 3–4 days to make fresh tuiles when wanted.
SERVES 8 (1 BASKET OF MOUSSE, 4 TUILES AND 1 CIGAR PER SERVING – WITH A LITTLE LEFTOVER MIXTURE)
YOU WILL NEED: 1 BAKING SHEET, LINED WITH BAKING PAPER; A SILICONE SHEET
For the tuiles
200g unsalted butter, softened
180g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites, at room temperature, lightly beaten
200g plain flour
3 teaspoons cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate (your favourite), broken into even pieces
For the chocolate mousse
300ml double cream
200g dark chocolate (about 36% cocoa solids), broken into even pieces
1 large egg white, at room temperature
50g caster sugar
raspberries, to serve
1 Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. To make the tuile mixture, put the soft butter, icing sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl and whisk together with an electric mixer to make a paste. Gradually add the egg whites, whisking constantly. Fold in the flour, a little at a time, stirring between each addition.
2 Transfer a sixth of the mixture to a small bowl, add the cocoa powder and beat with a spatula or wooden spoon until well mixed. Cover both bowls with clingfilm and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, make the chocolate mousse. Heat 150ml of the cream in a small pan until just simmering. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate pieces and stir gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
4 Add the remaining cream and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture will stand in soft peaks when the whisk is lifted out. Put the egg white into another bowl and whisk (with a clean whisk or beaters) until it will stand in stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, then keep whisking to make a soft, smooth and glossy meringue. Gently fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture. Cover the bowl and chill until set.
5 While the mousse is chilling, make the tuiles. First make a template for the round tuiles using a plastic sheet or the lid of an old ice cream carton. Cut out holes 7cm in diameter. Set the template on the lined baking sheet. Spread plain tuile mixture over the cut-out shapes using a palette knife, then draw the blade across the template to scrape off the surplus tuile mixture. Carefully remove the template by peeling it away from the sheet.
Spread the tuile mixture over the cut-out shapes
6 Spoon the cocoa tuile mixture into a small piping bag fitted with a writing tube (or a disposable bag with the end snipped off) and pipe patterns – dots/squiggles/wavy or straight lines – on the tuiles. Place in the heated oven and bake for 5–6 minutes until the tuiles are just turning golden around the edges. Remove the sheet from the oven and, working very quickly, lift each warm tuile off the baking sheet with a palette knife and drape over a rolling pin so the tuile cools in a curved shape. Leave to cool and set.
7 To make tuile cigars, spread the plain tuile mix over the template as before, but don’t add the cocoa decorations. Bake as in step 6. While the tuiles are baking, gently melt the 50g dark chocolate. Remove the sheet from the oven and, working quickly, lift the warm tuiles off the sheet and gently curl them around wooden spoon handles to make neat cigar shapes. Leave to cool and set, then slide them off the spoon handles and dip both ends in the melted chocolate. Leave to set on a sheet of baking paper. (The baked tuiles – both curved and cigars – can be frozen or kept in an air tight tin for 3–4 days.)
Shape curved tuile ‘roof tiles’, cigars and baskets
8 To make a tuile basket, line the baking sheet with a silicone sheet. Drop a spoonful of the tuile mixture on to the sheet and spread out with the back of the spoon to an uneven circle about 13cm across. Bake for 5–6 minutes until pale golden. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully lift off the tuile and quickly mould it over an upturned pudding mould or ramekin to make a basket shape. Leave to cool and firm up before gently lifting the basket off the mould. Fill with the chocolate mousse and serve as soon as possible with the curved tuiles and tuile cigars.
