Feast of St George
By Rachel Davies
St George’s Day was celebrated with sunshine and plenty of delicious food this year, and I was delighted to be giving two cookery demonstrations at the Feast Of St George in Trafalgar Square, organised by the Mayor of London.
Inspired by all things sugary, I made Bread and Butter Pudding and Treacle Tart.
The recipes are below. Enjoy!
Treacle Tart
Ingredients
For the Pastry
260g plain flour
100g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
125g unsalted butter, diced
2 eggs
Extra flour for dusting
For the Filling
60g unsalted butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons double cream
½ tablespoon sea salt flakes
450g golden syrup
120g brown bread crumbs
To serve
Vanilla Ice cream
Method
- Start by making the pastry. Put the flour, sugar, almonds and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, mix together into a crumb consistency. Add the eggs and mix well. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick. Line the tart ring with the pastry, letting it hang over the sides. Cover with baking paper and fill the tart base with baking beans.
- Bake blind for about 20 minutes or until the case is cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the rice or baking beans and the baking paper, and bake for another few minutes until the base is lightly golden.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. For the filling, mix the egg, egg yolk, cream and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan until it starts to foam and turn brown, then take off the heat. In a saucepan heat the golden syrup gently for a few minutes until hot. Add the brown butter and mix well. Then slowly whisk in the cream mixture, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Pour the mixture into the cooked tart base, and bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 140°C and cook for a further 20 minutes, until set around the edges and still a little wobbly in the middle.
- Leave to cool, and carefully trim the pastry with a sharp knife before removing the tart ring.
- Cut the tart into portions, and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Butter to grease tin
12 slices of white bread
80g sultanas
600ml double cream
7 eggs
1 egg yolk
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons caster sugar for glazing
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter an ovenproof dish and sprinkle half the sultanas over the bottom. Cut the crusts off the bread, and arrange 1 layer of bread triangles, then sprinkle again with sultanas. Repeat until you reach the rim of the dish or the bread has all been used.
- Bring the cream almost to the boil over a medium heat. In the meantime whisk the eggs, yolk and sugar together. Pour the hot cream very slowly into the eggs, whisking constantly to stop the eggs from scrambling.
- Add the vanilla, sieve the custard into a jug, and pour into the baking dish, covering all of the bread. You might not need to use all the custard depending on the size of the dish. Baste any parts of the bread that are dry, and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Place the dish in a larger, deeper baking tray and put on the oven shelf. Pour enough water into the baking tray to cover two thirds of the pudding dish, and carefully close the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the custard has just set and the pudding is golden.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top, and glaze with a blowtorch or under the grill. Serve warm, preferably with rum and raisin ice cream.
- The pudding will keep in the fridge for a few days. To reheat cover with foil.
Want to learn how to make more delicious food? Come along to one of Rachel’s classes.
