Bacon, Leek & New Potato Tart

I was trying to use up a mish mash of ingredients in the fridge and this tart was the result.  I love bacon and leeks together and I put in the anya potatoes as I didn't want them to go to waste. It was lovely warm with a watercress salad and zingy dressing.

The Recipe

1 quantity of spelt pastry
a few anya pototaes, cooked for about 5 minutes then sliced
1 leek sliced
a few rathers of bacon, sliced and fried or grilled
1 small tub of double cream
1 egg
a good handful of freshly grated parmesan
about 1/2 a log of goats cheese (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 175c.   Make up a quantity of spelt pastry and line a rectangular or circular tart tin (with removable base).

2. Place the potatoes, leek and bacon over the base of the tart.  Beat together the cream and egg and mix over the parmesan.  Pour over the other ingredients in the tart.  Crumble over the goats cheese and season with pepper.

3. Bake for around 20 minutes until the filling is firm and slightly browned.

Mediterranean Style Tart

This tart is based on one I saw in a copy of Jamie magazine last summer. The flavour combinations are delicious - the thick tomatoey sauce against the salty feta and anchovies.  I know a lot of people have a marmite reaction to anchovies - I'm definitely in the love category to the point that I ask for extra ones on my pizza. If you don't share the anchovy love then you could easily not include them and substitute for something else.  I think the original recipe used a shortcrust pastry but I used my usual spelt pizza dough pastry whose recipe can be found here.  I love this pastry as it doesn't contain any butter and you don't need to blind bake it.  The tart is lovely served warm with a nice green salad. 


The Recipe


olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tin plum tomatoes
a sprinkle of thyme (preferably fresh but I had to use dried)
1 tbspn tomato puree
around half a block of feta
around 100g kalamata olives, stoned
tin of anchovy fillets


1.  Preheat the oven to 200c.  Make the spelt pastry and line a round or rectangular loose bottomed flan tin with it.  
2.  Fry the onion and garlic in some olive oil until softened.  Add the tomatoes, thyme and puree and season with pepper.  Don't add salt unless you really want to as the anchovies and feta are very salty.  Simmer for around 20-30 mins until the sauce has reduced down. Leave to cool slightly.
3. Place the tomato sauce over the base of the pastry. Crumble the feta over the tomatoes and then scatter over the olives. Finally place the anchovies over them.  Finally drizzle with olive oil before baking for around 30 minutes.

Apple Muffins

My sister-in-law recently bought me, for my birthday, a tin of 'Grandma's Recipe Cards'.  The Grandma in question must be a great cook as there is everything there from roasted leg of lamb to tray bake recipes.  These apple muffins are the first recipe I've tried making myself.  The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute spelt flour for the plain on the original and using cinnamon instead of mixed spice.  They are very tasty and I like the fact the apple is still in chunks. The topping is quite sweet so if I made them again I would probably leave it off and finish with mixed seeds only making them perfect for breakfast.


The Recipe


30g butter
30g demerara sugar
30g ground almonds
60g  sunflower seeds
225g spelt flour
2 tspn baking powder
75g brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice 
2 apples, cored and cubed
1 egg
150ml soured cream
50g butter melted


1.  Preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.  
2. Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and almonds until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in the sunflower seeds. Leave to one side as this is for the topping.
3.  Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.  Stir in the sugar, mixed spice and apple.
4.  In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients then mix them into the bowl containing the flour. Stir together - the mixture will be quite thick and lumpy.
5.  Divide between the paper cases. Sprinkle the topping over each muffin. Bake for around 20 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Honey-roast Parsnip, Carrot & Shallot Tart

This tart is just perfect for a cold winter's day like the one most of the country is currently experiencing. I'm spending the best part of the day tucked up on the sofa watching The Killing 2 and eating comfort food. I really like the fact this tart, from one of my favourite books, the Popina Book of Baking, is wholesome and pretty healthy.  The case is made with spelt flour and I used 0% Total Greek Yoghurt in the filling but it still completely hits the spot. If you haven't got this book I really recommend you do - every recipe is a winner.


The recipe for the spelt flour can be found here. 


I basically made the tart filling by roasting some carrots, parsnips and shallots with a little honey and olive oil.  Once they were roasted I stirred in a good handful of grated strong cheddar.  I lined a tart tin with the spelt pastry dough and mixed in another handful of grated cheddar to a small pot of greek yoghurt. I spread this mixture over the base before topping with the roasted vegetables. It was then baked for about 30 minutes at 200c. Quick, easy and delicious!

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

I was a bit worried after last week's posts that I'd lost my baking mojo - I really didn't love either of the recipes I made, especially the Banana Turnovers (but let's not go there again).  I'm pleased to report however that after my stint in the kitchen making these muffins it is most definitely back (just as well as it's National Baking Week).   These are probably the nicest, fluffiest, most delicious muffins I've ever made. I've had to quickly put them in the freezer before I eat the lot (and completely undid the good I did from this morning's bi-annual run round the park). I originally found the recipe on the Total Greek Yoghurt site but have adapted it to make them a bit healthier.  I substituted wholemeal spelt flour for the original plain flour and rapeseed oil for melted butter.


This recipe is my entry for The Pink Whisk's new monthly challenge. For October Ruth has challenged us to make something containing apples. The smell of these muffins baking with their apple and cinnamon aroma wafting round the house just made this gorgeous sunny autumnal day even nicer.


The Recipe


200g wholemeal spelt flour
2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 tspn ground cinnamon
100g soft brown sugar
125g greek yoghurt
1 egg
100ml rapeseed oil
1 tspn vanilla extract
150g apple puree (I'm not sure how many apples you would need for this as I made a big batch but probably 2 -3)


1.  Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6.
2.  Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate one.
3.  Mix together the 2 sets of ingredients gradually until you have a smooth batter.
4.  Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin. It will make about 8 muffins.
5. Bake for around 15 mins until golden and firm. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Roman Style Loaf

So the bread making continues.....  I was tidying up the kitchen cupboards this morning and came across some Doves Farm Wholegrain Spelt Flour.  I usually use this flour for making tarts but noticed the recipe on the back of the packet for a Roman Style Loaf.  It is, thanks to the Doves Farm recipe, a really easy loaf to make.  I was a bit concerned as it didn't seem to rise much during the 25 min resting time but has turned out just fine nonetheless.  It is dense yet moist and very tasty!


The Recipe


500g wholegrain spelt flour (as mentioned I used Doves Farm organic)
1/2 tspn salt
1tspn instant yeast
1 tbspn honey
400ml warm water
1 tbpn olive oil


1. Preheat oven to 200c/gas Mark 6
2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and yeast.
3. Dissolve the honey in the water and roughly mix into the flour.
4. Add the oil and mix well. Knead the dough for a few minutes then put it in to a loaf tin.
5. Cover and leave dough in a warm place for around 25 mins. Bake for 40-45 mins.

Wholemeal Spelt, Apple & Carrot Muffins

A while ago I made a tart from a recipe I found in a weekend supplement. It was part of an extract from the Popina Book of Baking. I was looking in my local bookshop this morning and came across the actual book. I loved the recipe I'd already tried and after a quick flick saw about 5 other recipes I immediately wanted to try so I now have the full book. I didn't realise that Popina started out with a grant from the Prince's Trust and a stall on Portobello Market. It is a gem of a book and when I read how it all started I'm even more pleased I bought it.

This recipe is for the most delicious, moist, not too sweet muffins, perfect for breakfast or mid morning and pretty healthy too. I'm a bit obsessed with spelt at the moment - flour, pasta, bread - as I love the flavour.

The recipe can be found in Popina Book of Baking.

Roast Baby Potato, Spring Onion & Bacon Tarlets

I got this recipe from a weekend supplement ages ago and have never got round to making it until this weekend. The original doesn't have bacon in - I thought it would make a nice addition. I think it originates from Popina Book of Baking. I thought they'd be really fiddly to make but they were actually quite straightforward. I love the spelt pastry this recipe uses - it is so tasty - I think it is actually more of a pizza dough.

The Recipe

Spelt Pastry

220g wholemeal spelt flour

1 tsp dried instant yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

1 egg

1. Grease six 10cm loose-based fluted tartlet tins. Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6.

2. Mix the flour, yeast and a large pinch of salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, egg and 60ml of warm water.

3. Draw everything together with your hands until you get a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky (add more flour if it is too sticky). Roll out until 3mm thick. Keep on one side until needed.

Tartlets

500g baby new potatoes, halved

4 tbsp olive oil

bunch of spring onions, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

70g cheddar, grated

170ml double cream

4 rashers good quality bacon, cut into small pieces

1 egg

1. Put the potatoes and oil in a roasting tin and season well. Toss the potatoes until evenly coated. Cover the tray with tin foil and roast in the preheated oven for 20 mins. Remove and leave to cool for 10 mins.

2. Reduce oven temp to 170c/gas mark 3. Stir the spring onions, garlic and cheese into the potatoes and mix well. Fry the bacon until cooked and add to the mixture.

3. Line the tartlet tins with the spelt pastry.

4. Mix together the cream and the egg in a bowl, then divide half among the tartlet shells. Spread the vegetable/bacon mixture over the tartlets, then pour in the remaining cream and egg mixture.

5. Bake for 25 mins or until the filling looks golden. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then serve warm.