Healthy whole nut chocolate bar, sugar gluten dairy free and suitable for raw vegans

Ok so before I begin I want to expel the myth that all chocolate is bad for you.

So chocolate starts life as a humble cacao bean.  Chocolate companies then buy up the expensive beans but in order for them to make a profit on what they have bought they process the hell out of the beans to increase the mass, otherwise we would be paying a tenner for a mars bar.  Fats, sugar, oils and flavourings are added to the beans during processing to turn one bean into, for example, one hundred times the volume.  Flavourings are then added to make the processed mass taste like it originally did - raw cacao.

Cacao in its original form is a really powerful superfood (super high in nutrtients) Rich in vitimins and minerals, it has more than 300 nutritional compounds and is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the word. Raw cacao also aids in weightloss and promotes healthy skin and brain function. SO this is truly a treat you don't have to feel guilty about.  You can pick up raw cacao online or Holland and Barrett on the high street for around £5 per bag, 3 times the price of cocoa powder but remember what I said about the processing/bulking out and adding crap.... Making this bar will cost you about a fiver, again highlighting the need for chocolate companies to bulk out the raw beans, but just remember the health benefits and always always remember refined sugar is rapidly stored as FAT on the body! Its your choice.

Ingredients

200g toasted hazelnuts, they really need to be toasted as the flavour is a million times better. If you have bought untoasted simply add them to a medium heat frying pan and fry for around 5 minutes until golden all over, shake/rub off the skins if they have them on after toasting.

200g raw cacao butter (again online or Holland and barrett)

100g coconut sugar or maple syrup

sea salt (develops the flavour of chocolate so much, I prefer pink salt but sea salt flakes are fine)

1tsp vanilla

60g raw cacao powder

Method

Melt the cacao butter in a double boiler nice and slowly, don't let it get too hot so keep an eye on it.

Stir in everything else

Pour into a clingfilm lined tray, or a foil disposable, make sure the hazelnuts are equally dispersed.

Chill until set.

 

Healthy chia seed jam

use this as you would jam without the sugar and additives. Chia seeds can hold upto 20 times their weight in liquid so they thicken anything, here ive used it to thicken fruit puree so it turns into a jam consistency. Chia seeds are also a powerhouse of antioxidants and nutrients and almost all the carbs in them are fibre so you're allowed chia pudding and jam on low carb days.


Ingredients
makes a few tbsp.


a large handful of your favourite berries
1tbsp chia seeds
1tbsp maple
a pinch of vanilla


Method
Blend the berries into a puree and stir in the chia, vanilla and maple.
cover and leave in the fridge for the chia to swell and thicken. This should take 4 hours but you can leave it overnight.
keeps in the fridge for days.

Lemon and blueberry loaf cake

Make this in advance and take thick slices to your picnic or Easter soiree, serve drizzled with honey! Totally delicious!

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter

175g caster sugar

150mls Greek yogurt

50g lemon curd from a good quality jar

3 eggs

zest and juice of 1 lemon

200g self-raising flour

200g punnet of blueberries

 

Method

Cream the butter and the sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time adding a tsp of your flour after each egg to keep the mixture smooth.
Add the lemon curd and lemon zest and beat gently until incorporated.
Sieve the remaining flour, toss in the blueberries and set aside.
You want to alternate adding the lemon juice, the yogurt and the flour mix, in stages, so start with adding half the flour, then beat gently.
Then add half the yogurt and beat gently again.
Then half the lemon juice and again beat gently.
Repeat this process mixing slowly, you don’t want to work the gluten in the flour so only beat until the ingredient is incorporated.
Grease a 2lb loaf tin.
Fill the tin with the mix and bake in a pre-heated oven (170º) for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool slightly in the tin then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.
if you want to make a drizzle mix the juice of a lemon with enough icing sugar to make a runny drizzle and flick over the loaf once cool.

Stacie Bakes!

Hi everyone my first cookbook Stacie Bakes is now available to pre order on amazon.

Heres the link http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Stacie%20Stewart&search-alias=books-uk

Best wishes for now.

White chocolate and lemon swirl cheesecake

I'll keep this snappy for two reasons, 1 - cheesecakes are easy and take no baking or real skill and 2 - the dog needs a wee.

Im not spell checking this.  This ones for Darren Caldwell by the way, a twitter pal who challenged me to out do a Tesco cheesecake.

You'll need a deepish 8 inch round tin, at least 2 inches deep so its nice and thick.

Line the bottom of your tin but you dont have to grease it.

Ingredients

For the base:

200g ginger nut biscuits or digestives

65g melted butter

For the filling:

250g full fat cream cheese

250g mascarpone

80g caster sugar

100mls double cream

500g white chocolate melted

Zest of 1 lemon

2tbsp of lemon curd warmed in a pan so its loose and runny

Method

As always with a cheesecake we start with the base, smash the biscuits to a fine gravel using a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin.  Stir the crumbs into the melted butter and press evenly into your tin.

Put the base in the fridge while you whip up the filing.

Simply add everything to the mixer and beat together except the lemon curd until smooth and thickened, this will take a couple of minutes so persevere.  It needs to be spreadable but not too loose or it might not set properly. The texture of lightly whipped cream is right.

Spoon the filling over the base and smooth out flat.

drizzle on the runny lemon curd and swirl through with a knife. 

After that not so difficult five minutes pop the cheesecake in the fridge to set for two hours.

while your waiting spin this LOUD  its my new purchase, i cant stop playing it. I cant wait to hear it out and give it a dance.

White chocolate and preserved lemon fudge

I knocked this off from a recipe i read ages ago in a book i cant remember. Luckily i changed it, my handwritten scrawl all over the original, i always like to be imspired by what i read and put my own stamp on it, probably because i stupidly always think i can make something better haha!

Right here goes, a magical mystery tour of sweet, sour and salty. Anyone who hasnt made fudge before its dead easy all you need is a saucepan, a massive bowl and a tin to put the fudge in.

Ingredients
100g clotted cream
600g caster sugar
250mls liquid glucose (available from all supermarkets or chemists believe it or not)
450g white chocolate
60g unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
100g of salted/preserved lemons finely chopped (if you cant find these just use zest of 2 lemons and 1tsp of maldon sea salt, its essential its sea salt, you can get this from most supermarkets. Preserved lemons really are awesome though so please try find them, they'll be on the shelves in a jar.

Method
Put the cream, sugar and glucose in a pan, bring to the boil and boil for 4minutes stirring frequently. if you have a sugar thermometer is should be around 140oC
Transfer to a bowl and beat on low adding the finely chopped chocolate slowly so it melts in the heat of the liquid.
After this add the butter and the salted lemons (or the rind and salt)
Pour the mix into a lined tray around 8 inches square.
Pop it in the fridge to set overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
Cut into desired shapes, dip in more white chocolate if you like.

A Slice of the King

A request.....

As we all know cheesecakes can be made in two ways, baked, (recipe includes eggs) or chilled / fridge set.  The former is laborious, you have to bake your cheesecake in a ban marie, chill it slowly and leave it for at least 9 hours from baking to eating.  The latter, can be whipped up and eaten within a couple of hours, sometimes even an hour depending on how cold your fridge is.

So this ones the quick and dirty. Ive named it a slice of the king as its a peanut butter cheesecake.

You'll need a loose bottom tin about 8 inches, the bigger the tin the thinner the cheesecake will be BUT the quicker it will set.  You can also use a springform tin, it doesnt matter as long as your confident you can get the cheesecake out once its set.

Ingredients:
for the base:
200g chocolate digestives
100g butter

for the cheesecake
200g cream cheese
200g mascarpone
100g smooth peanut butter
2 packs of reeces pieces or 1 snickers roughly chopped
50mls double cream
100g caster sugar
50g of chocolate and 50g smooth peanut butter (optional for the top)

Method:
Start with the base, blitz or smash the biscuits so they are small crumbs.
melt the butter and stir everything together.

Line your tin, whatever your using with clingfilm so it hangs over the sides.
press the biscuits into the base and push down so they are well packed.
chill for 10 minutes while you make the topping.

For the topping it couldnt be simpler
beat all the ingredients together except the chocolate.
add the chocolate a few seconds from the end so its despersed through the mix
the mix should be thick and billowing but NOT stiff, it should hold on a spoon and SPLAT when you jerk your wrist.

Spoon the mix over the base making sure you dont get any gaps.
Smooth the top and chill the cheesecake until its set, usually an hour but it can be upto 2.

For the topping slowly melt the chocolate and add the peanut butter, the peanut butter should melt in the heat of the chocolate.

Flick or drizzle over the cheesecake and serve!

Just dinnet have a heart attack on the toilet while eating it. Its been done..

Spiced red wine poached pears with shortbread

A fabulous end to any festive dinner party. This is so quick and simple to make especially if you have pre made the mulled wine.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 quantity of mulled wine, see separate recipe here

4 firmish but ripe dessert pears (very ripe is no good)

For the shortbread:

100 g plain flour

50 g caster sugar

100 g butter

50 g semolina

Clotted cream ice cream to serve

Method

Peel the pears and pop them in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice, this will stop them going brown.  When you are ready to use them cut the bottoms off so they stand up easily.

Put the pears in a deep saucepan and cover with the mulled wine. 

You can roll the pears on their sides which will make them easier to cover.

Turn the heat onto medium and when it’s simmering poach the pears for around 30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the flesh.

You don’t want them too soft they should still have a little bite to them.

For the shortbread mix together the butter sugar and flour in a food processor until a smooth dough is formed.  Don’t over work the mix or the shortbread won’t be short.  Just mix it until it comes together.

Roll or pat out and pop on a lightly greased baking sheet. 

Bake on 160 / gas mark 2 for 25 minutes

When the shortbread comes out of the oven it will be soft don’t worry it hardens on cooling. When its soft is the time to cut it into your desired shapes or do the traditional fork prick marks all over. 

Sprinkle with caster sugar and serve with the pears.

A little of the syrup drizzled over the pears always goes down a treat.

Image courtest of DirtyGourmet.com and i just LOVE it.

Trifle with a winterberry sorbet

Who doesn’t love a good trifle, its my favourite dessert of all time.  The textures in my version are to die for.  I make a the trifle every Christmas, it acts as a huge centre piece in my nanas old crystal bowl but it looks equally as good as individual portions at a dinner party in wine glasses.

If you think the sorbet is too much of a pain in the arse to make, and lets face it sometimes it is, just buy some or top the trifle with the berries.

Ingredients

makes 1 large or around 6 small

For the sponge:

1 shop bought Madeira cake

Seeded blackberry jam

50mls minature of sherry

For the custard:

3 egg yolks

40g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

150mls of double cream

150mls whole milk

30g cornflour

For the cream:

300mls whipping cream

50g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

For the nuts:

100g Granulated sugar

Mixed nuts inclusing hazelnuts and whole almonds

For the sorbet:

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar

200 ml water

2 tsp glucose syrup

500g berries, (fresh or frozen)

squeeze of lemon juice

Method

For the sorbet:

Put the sugar, 100ml of the water and the glucose in a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat without stirring. Bring to the boil and simmer briskly for 5-7 minutes until the bubbles thicken and become syrupy. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
Put the blackberries in another pan. Squeeze some lemon juice over them and simmer over low heat for a minute or two until soft.
Put the blackberries in a blender and purée until smooth.
Push the purée through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
 Add the cooled syrup and remaining water to the purée and whisk together.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Process for about 20 minutes according to the manufacturer's instructions, then freeze.

For the custard:

Whisk the egg yolks, corn flour and sugar until light and mousse like.

In a saucepan warm the cream and milk with the split scraped vanilla pod.

Pour the warm mix over the egg mixture whisking constantly.  If you don’t whisk all the time the eggs will scramble.

Add everything back to the pan and warm very gently, stirring constantly over a medium heat.

The custard will thicken quite rapidly because the eggs are cooking.

Once its reached your desired thickness (and it really is upto you how you like it) turn the heat off, pass the custard through a sieve into a bowl and cover with clingfilm (this stops a skin forming)

Chill until you need it.  You can make the custard upto a day in advance.

For the nuts:

In a saucepan heat the sugar over a medium to high heat until its melted, do not stir the sugar, this is a vital stage of making caramel.

Once all the sugar is melted you can begin to swirl the pan and turning the heat down to low continue to swirl the pan until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, you don’t want it to burn so be ready to take the pan off the heat at a seconds notice.

Once the colour is achieved pour the caramel out onto a stainless steel surface, or the back of a baking sheet thats been lightly greased.

Immediately add the nuts so they stick in the caramel.

Leave the mix to cool completely.

When its cool it should easily peel and break off the surface.

Snap shards and keep to one side until your ready to use them, that is if you can stop eating all of them! Very addictive..

Now you have all the components ready its a 5 minute job to assemble..

In the bottom of your trifle dish add a nice thick slice of the Madeira cake which has been spread with the jam.

Drizzle the sherry over the cake.

Add the custard and smooth out.

Lightly whip the cream until billowey and unctuous.  Add a little sugar as it thickens fort sweetness.

Add the cream on top of the custard upto the top of the dish and smooth out completely flat, i think it looks better like this for presentation.

Add a quinellle of the sorbet and top with the shards of brittle.

Eat enjoy and never serve a small portion!

MasterChef chocolate mousse

Rich and decadent, this is the mousse I made on MasterChef and is an utterly luxurious; it's the perfect naughty treat for a Christmas dinner party and a fab alternative to a Christmas pudding as dessert on the big day!

  

Ingredients
Serves 4

75g sugar

1 vanilla pod split lengthways with the seeds scraped out OR 1 tsp of good vanilla extract

100ml double cream

2 eggs separated

1 tbsp cocoa powder

40g unsalted butter

150g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (this will make it easier to melt)

1 tbsp of your favourite liquor (optional)

Method

Set a large bowl over a pan of simmering water; make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Add half the sugar and the egg yolks, the cocoa powder and the cream and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens. Make sure you whisk all the time or the eggs will scramble. This won't take any more than 3 minutes.

When the mixture has thickened a little and is the consistency of thick custard, take the pan off the heat and add the cubes of butter, the vanilla seeds and all the chocolate. Stir until fully incorporated.

Stir in your liquor if you're using.

In a separate, spotlessly clean bowl (this is important) whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 37g of sugar a little at a time, and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy and meringue-like.

Fold the meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture, slowly; you don't want to knock any of the air out!

Spoon the mix into your preferred serving bowl(s) and chill until set for a few hours or so. This can be made the day before no problem.

Top with whipped cream, more chocolate, red fruits, anything you like :)

Hot chocolate and churros

Its freezing outside, indulge with this evening treat.
Perfect for weekend lazy days too!

Ingredients

Serves 4

HOT CHOCOLATE:

110g plain chocolate, with at least 60% cocoa solids, broken up

400ml whole milk

FOR THE CHURROS:

Sunflower oil, for deep-frying

100g plain flour

150ml whole milk

2 medium eggs, beaten

50g Caster Sugar

1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

Method

In a large, deep pan, heat the oil for deep frying the churros to 190°C or until a piece of bread takes 30 seconds to colour. Pop the oven on to warm.

Sift the flour. Bring the milk and 150ml water to the boil in a pan, add the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cool slightly, then gradually beat in enough egg to make a smooth but stiff, glossy mixture that drops, reluctantly, off the spoon. Spoon into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. If you don't have a star nozzle just snip the end off a piping bag to make a hole around the size of a 10p piece.

Holding the nozzle over the hot oil, gently squeeze the piping bag and snip off 6-8 x 10cm lengths of the mixture with kitchen scissors. Fry for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a baking tray lined with kitchen paper. Pop in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and rest over a pan of just simmering water until completely melted. Meanwhile, bring the milk to the boil in a small pan. Remove the chocolate from the heat and whisk in a little of the hot milk. Add the rest and whisk until frothy. Pour into hot mugs.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and toss with the churros gently until lightly coated. Serve for dipping into the hot chocolate while curled up on the sofa

What I bought today

Good evening.

What a week its been, what a month its been actually, Ive never stopped, literally been workin 18 hour days at the bakery but im not complaining. Ive worked so hard this last year and its starting to pay off.  Ive got a long road ahead of me but im looking forward to it.

Who would have thought entering a cooking competition would completely overhaul my life so quickly.

So as we all know you work hard and you play harder. And on the latter subject ive been making a few cheeky purchases.

The first is this original knitted Fred Perry, winter white and a brown laurel.  Its very similar to my John Smedleys i LIVE in, the style is so classic and smart.  Yes its a ladies even though the manequin looks like its is smuggling a banana in the bottom picture.

I plan on wearing it two ways.  Casually with turn ups and my bass weejun congac loafers.

Heres me in it, its just arrived:

The secons is a bit more dressy, chocolate two tone pencil skirt, fishnets and black fringe 60s penny loafers.  I love blending black and brown shades.

Im also debating whether to get a chocolate suede a line skirt with pres stud fasten down the front made.  Somewthing like the below but shorter, i love the shape.

This below one is also amazing and is in a deep plum, its from Topshop of all places.  I dont mind the high street but the thought of going out and seeing anyone dressed in something the same as me scares the crap out of me.

Ive also just bought these amazing Churches shoes.  Church are one of the most amazing shoe brands, they are famous for their brogues but these pretty 60s weaves are exactly what ive been after for years.  A bargain at £25 aswel.

Ive been after a new Breton stripe for ages. The one ive got is a little worn, I love them with simple navy chino trousers.  Ive found these and they are a snip at £15 each so ive bought 2 ha!!

My final purchase was a Britac shirt.  Britac are a Spanish firm who make the most amazing shirts, they are a true mod/skin/suede brand and although they dont do womens their xs mens fit me a treat, i got this shirt today and plan on wearing it with either trousers in chocolate brown or a navy tonic short skirt.  A snip at £45 and the detailing is outstanding.

In the bakery today I made a cake for Olympic medalist Tony Jefferies.  Hes amazing im such a boxing fan so its nice to know a Sunderland lad is doing so well.  I made it red velvet and vanilla sponge in alternating layers so when you cut into it its red and white stripes like the football club. 

You can see the cake here top row on the right.

Chocolate and banana muffins

These moist muffins are the prefect place to start if your a budding baker, muffins are the simplest thing to make, the trick is to leave the batter lumpy - you dont want to beat vigarously or the texture will be all wrong...

Ingredients

Makes 12
2 large very ripe bananas
200g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
125g caster sugar

100g chocolate chips
175ml milk or buttermilk
2 eggs
150ml vegetable oil or 125g of melted butter.
Method

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Lightly oil the muffin tin moulds. Mash the bananas.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the sugar then add the chcolate chips so they get coated in the flour – this stops them sinking in the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg and oil (or butter) together until smooth.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and quickly, lightly, beat in the liquid mixture, the mix should be lumpy thats fine. Fold in the bananas and spoon the batter into the muffin moulds.   Fill to the top.

Bake for 25 minutes or until risen and golden, and cool on a wire rack. Serve while still warm, or eat the same day.

cookies at bedtime?

I made these before bed....

cranberry and white chocolate shortbread from the Beehive Bakery, dunked in cold whole milk.

night night

loving the ginger (and) another collaboration

Ive been supplying Picolo coffee in Newcastle for a few months now, the lovely James gets an order every Monday, although this week its Tuesday.  Out of the norm, James ordered ginger and lemon cream whoopie pies this week and i was over the moon, i love making them, the house is filled with the scent of Christmas.  The process of making the gingerbread is a lot firmer and therefore better to handle than usual whoopie pie batter.

Here they are, available from Picolo Coffee as of 8am tomorrow morning.  Always had a soft spot for the gingers.

Secondly the fantastic Candy Handfuls Bakery and I have worked together again on a corporate project, which shall remain anonymous for the time being, just until i know whats going on with the contract if you know what im saying...

Here it is, a pie chart cake, comprising of a vanilla white cake sandwiches with raspberry mousse, and secondly a chocolate fudge cake sandwiched with a chocolate butter cream, the cakes are sandwiched inside to represent the sections too so it was a bit of a challenge for poor Helen to make it nice and flat before doing a bloody fantastic job of the fondant!

Dinner tonight for me was my bolognaise, i tell you i make the best and ultimate bolognaise sauce, a proper ragu, theres hundreds of recipes out there for bologonaise but believe me this is the best one I've ever tasted!  I'll put the recipe up tomorrow.

Mahoosive Vicky Sponge from MasterChef W.I Episode

This is the recipe for the now infamous Victoria Sponge i made for the Womens Institure episode of MasterChef.  Its a British Classic and was named after Queen Victoria, who favored a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea.  Theres nothing special to it, its a cake in its simplest form however its the method you need to get right.  Adding things in a particular way and not overbeating the mix are golden rules which cant be broken during this cake!  Enjoy!

The recipe below is for 1 cake to be cut in half and filled, however if im being honest, the one i did at the WI and how i do it at home is to double the quantities below and sandwich two massive cakes together! 

Ingredients
Makes 2 cakes to be sandwiched together to serve aprox 8 slices
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
25g corn flour if you don’t have corn flour just use all self raising
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (don’t use essence its rubbish and tastes of chemicals)
4 large free range eggs beaten
1 tea spoon of baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4
Butter 2 20cm spring form of loose bottomed cake tins, if you don’t have either just line a normal 20cm cake tin with baking parchment so the cake can be easily released.If you only have 1 tin, dont worry just whack all the mix in 1 tin and increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.
SO.....Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and the sugar together until pale.
crack the eggs into a seperate bowl and lightly whisk to break up
Beat in the eggs a little at a time, probably 3 additions should be fine.
Sift over the flours and baking powder and fold in using a large metal spoon or spatular.
The mixture should be of a dropping consistency - if it isn't, add a little milk.
Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.  If you have only done 1 cake it'll take around 35-40 minutes.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.
Tip the first cake upside down so your working on a level surface which is better for the filling.
Fill the cake with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries.
Whack the top of the cake on, dust with icing sugar and serve with a nice cuppa.

Scones, a proper cream tea

Whack the kettle on, kick back fire up the Dansette and get  your scones out.  Who doesnt love a good scone?  Well probably those people who pap themselves if they eat cream, but thankfully thats a small minority.  Most of us enjoy them warm with jam and cream..  This recipe is for basic plain sweet scones, you can add fruit to the mix, orange zest, nuts, dried or semi dried fruits or just leave them plain, whatever you like.  If you are adding anything, add it at the sugar stage and about 50-75g should be enough.

Ingredients
Makes 8 scones
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter cubed
75g caster sugar
1 egg
120ml double cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Milk, for glazing 

Method
Preheat the oven to gs mark 6 (200) and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Alternatively, do this in a food processor before transferring the mixture to a bowl.
Stir in the sugar and additional ingredients if using.
Beat the egg and cream together, with the vanilla extract too, if you’re using it.
Pour into the flour mixture and bring together lightly with your hands into a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly to form a fairly smooth ball.
Pat or roll the dough out to a thickness of about 4cm.
Use a 6-7cm diameter cutter to stamp out scones from the dough. Put them on the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with a little milk, and bake for about 15 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then serve slightly warm.

Fill with lashings of cream and jam and a nice cuppa.

A little tune for your baking pleasure:

Lemon slice bars

Ok first things first, heres the sound track:

Barbara Mills – Queen of fools

Now, if everyones suitable entertained musically i'll begin.  This recipe was born out of a longing for a lemon tart whilst simeltaneously rendered hungoverly inable to produce pastry. 

These are perfect for afternoon tea, chill out Sundays, picnic Saturdays or gift wrapped for a friends birthday.  Make a batch and graze on them all week if they last that long…

Ingredients
(makes loads)
For the Base
225g unsalted butter, softened
55g caster sugar
240g plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon Topping
6 large eggs
240g caster sugar
zest from 6 small lemons
juice from those lemons aprox 230ml 
120g plain flour
icing sugar, to dust

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
Grease and line with non-stick baking paper a 30 x 20cm tin. Allow the baking paper to overhang the sides of the tin for easy removal (you don’t want boiling hot lemon filling all over your hands when you remove it from the tin).
For the base, cream together the butter and the sugar until light.
Add the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
Tip the dough into your prepared baking tin and press it evenly into the tin then chill for 10 minutes to relax the gluten in the flour.
After 10 minutes bake the base for around 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool (leave it in the tin) and get ready to make the topping. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (gas mark 2/3).
Combine the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and mix well for at least 5 minutes until they are billowing and mousse like.

Add the zest. Add the flour and lemon juice alternating to make sure the lemon juice doesnt curdle the mix.

Give it a final mix to make sure there are no lumps 
Pour the filling on top of the base and bake for around 25 – 30 minutes or until it is light brown and the filling is just set.  It should still be wobbly in the middle.
Allow to cool completely.
Remove from the tin by lifting the overhanging baking parchment.
Cut into Mackam sized portions and liberally dust with icing sugar.
Store in an airtight container for 1 week.