Lorraine Pascale's Blog, page 16

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Lighter Bakes: Strawberry open tart

This is one of my favourite recipes in the book. I think it became that because it was such a massive challenge to get it right. Initial attempts resulted in a filling which was splitting and not setting and it was tough to pull away from my patisserie routes and not just add loads of sugar to get it right. After much trial and error I present to you a tasty tart which looks very pretty on the plate.

Serves 6

Equipment

20cm round, loose-bottomed straight-sided tart tin, 31/2cm deep

Spray oil

A little flour for dusting

425g oaty almond and vanilla pastry.

Lemon vanilla cream filling

200g low-fat Greek yogurt

200g low-fat cream cheese

25g icing sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberries

2 tbsp honey

400g medium-sized strawberries, hulled or just chop the green bit off

To serve

Finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon

A few fresh basil leaves

A few fresh mint leaves


Preheat the oven to 180°C, (Fan 160°C), 350°F, Gas Mark 4. Grease the inside of a 20cm round, loose-bottomed, straight-sided tart tin that is 3½cm deep with a little spray oil and set aside on a baking sheet.


Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift the pastry up carefully and drape it over the rolling pin to help lay it into the prepared tin, leaving the excess to hang over.


Pinch a little of the excess pastry off, roll it into a ball and then push it down gently into the ‘corners’ of the tin, so that when the tin is removed after baking, the edges are nice and straight. Trim the excess pastry off with a sharp knife. The pastry will probably now be a bit soft, so put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so or until it is nice and firm.


Take a large square of baking parchment, scrunch it up and then open it out to line the pastry with it. This just makes it a little easier to stay sitting in. Then fill the paper-lined pastry with dried beans or ceramic baking beans and bake it for 15 minutes until just firm to the touch and beginning to turn golden.


Lift the paper and beans out and return the pastry case to the oven to bake for 5 more minutes. This should dry the bottom out and make it a bit more evenly golden. Then, remove from the oven and leave to cool.


Meanwhile, mix the yogurt and the cream cheese together in a medium bowl until smooth and well blended. Sift the icing sugar over, add the lemon zest and vanilla seeds or extract and really beat it together well so there are no lumps. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


Also, prepare the strawberry glaze by simply mixing the honey with 1 tablespoon

hot water in a small bowl and setting aside.


Once the pastry case is completely cool, carefully remove it from the tin and place it on a serving plate. Spoon the cream filling into the centre and spread it out with the back of a spoon to fill evenly.


Then arrange the strawberries hulled side down all over the top, so the pointy ends are sticking up all over the tart. Of course I do have a problem with this looking messy and need to do it in neat and perfect rows or circles, but throwing them on any way you wish is fine.


Brush the strawberries all over with the honey glaze. Scatter the lemon zest, basil and mint leaves over and serve at once.

A Lighter Way To Bake is available to buy now.

Food special: A Lighter Way to Bake in the Daily Mail

Lorraine has come up with an irresistible collection of sweet and savoury treats in her new book, A Lighter Way To Bake. We’re turning on the oven now!



Read the full article and discover more recipes on dailymail.co.uk.

What’s the big idea?

I was sitting alone one Sunday morning when it hit me. What if I could create a book of recipes that were lighter in fat, sugar and calories, but tasted just as good as naughty ones? Sounds easy, I thought.

And how easy was it?

My first challenge was to make a lighter Victoria sponge. I thought it would be a doddle, but 11 attempts later and with a pile of quasi sponge sandwiches covering my kitchen table, I thought it had beaten me. I genuinely felt despondent.



Why didn’t you just give up and have a slice of cake?

I hadn’t realised that as I approached the eleventh attempt, I had been getting close to the magic formula. The twelfth came out of the oven exactly as I’d envisaged it. Eureka! I had cracked it, and my journey to lighter baking began in earnest.

But doesn’t lighter mean less yummy?

Writing the recipes for this book was totally counterintuitive. When developing ‘normal’ recipes, the way to guarantee they’ll taste great is by loading them with full-fat butter and sugar. How on earth was I going to create lighter indulgences that still had you going back for more?

So what’s the secret?

I went to the supermarket and bought a stack of dairy products including cream cheese, crème fraîche, cottage cheese, etc (low-, full- and no-fat versions), and began decreasing the butter and substituting it with other dairy. Some cakes came out flat, some thin, but eventually I found an ingredient rhythm which enabled the bakes to work...



Read the full article and discover more recipes on dailymail.co.uk.

Petite filo quiche Lorraine (Pascale) with red onion, bacon & thyme

I first made a quiche at catering school, a large one with a sprinkling of bacon and veg. Baking Made Easy saw me take quiche to a whole new level with full-fat crème fraîche, cream and a whole host of other naughties. This trimmed-down version makes use of lower-fat alternatives and egg whites, and a little bit of mustard on the pastry boosts the flavour and gives a subtle and gentle hint of heat. They are lovely to eat warm and great for your lunchbox or picnic hamper.

MAKES 12 QUICHES

spray oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

150g (5oz) back bacon, trimmed of any fat and diced

leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

200g (7oz) half-fat crème fraîche

75ml (3fl oz) semi-skimmed milk

25g (1oz) Parmesan, finely grated

2 medium eggs

2 medium egg whites

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

41⁄2 sheets of filo pastry, defrosted

1 tbsp yellow mustard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO FINISH

sprinkle of chopped fresh chives, to garnish

crisp green salad, to serve

● Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, gas mark 4. Place

a baking sheet in the oven to heat up also. This will give extra bottom heat to the quiches so that the bases cook through and

are not soggy. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with spray oil and

set aside.

● Spray a little oil into a large frying pan and gently cook the onion for 6–8 minutes until it just begins to soften, but not colour. Add the bacon and thyme and continue to cook gently for 3–4 minutes until the bacon is cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

● Next, whisk the crème fraîche, milk, Parmesan, whole eggs, egg whites, nutmeg and a little salt and pepper together well in a large jug and set aside.

● Lay out the four whole sheets of filo pastry on top of each other and cut them in half across the width. Then sit the extra half of filo on top of one of these stacks and cut each stack into quarters. I find scissors really handy to cut these out, but a sharp knife will do. You should now have lots of smaller filo pieces measuring about 12cm (41⁄2 in) square (36 in total).

● Line each hole of the muffin tin with three filo squares. I like to take a square at a time and press it into the hole, each one slightly staggered from the previous so the resulting pastry case edge looks like a kind of star. Make sure to push the pastry down so it is in the corners of each muffin hole. Keep any filo not being worked on under a lightly dampened tea towel so that it doesn’t dry out.

● Next, brush the base of each mini quiche with a little of the mustard (which adds great flavour and kick!). Divide the onion and bacon mixture among the cases and then carefully pour the creamy egg mixture over to as full as you can get it. Spray the exposed pastry with a little oil.

● Place in the oven on the heated baking sheet to bake for 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is just set and the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve at once with a crisp green salad.

Skinny caffè latte butterfly cakes

Who said eating lighter means that you cannot eat cupcakes? Feast your eyes on these deliciously delectable morsels.

MAKES 12 CAKES

75g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened

100g (31⁄2 oz) caster sugar

2 medium eggs

1 medium egg white

2 tbsp low-fat Greek yogurt

150g (5oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

seeds of 1 vanilla pod or

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp instant coffee granules

icing sugar, for dusting

FROSTING

200g (7oz) low-fat crème fraîche

50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp Baileys The Original Irish Cream liqueur

● Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.

● Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl (or food mixer set with a beater) until well combined. Then beat in the eggs, egg white and Greek yogurt. The mixture will start to look, well, a bit curdled, but keep on beating it for a moment or two, and then add the flour, baking powder and vanilla extract or seeds. Blend the coffee granules with 1 tablespoon hot water and add to the mix also. Stir everything

together until it is combined. Pouring the mixture into a jug or using two spoons (or I like to use a mechanical ice-cream scoop), divide the mixture among the 12 cases.

● Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean and the cakes feel springy to the touch. Once the cupcakes are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool in the tray.

● Meanwhile, make the frosting. Simply mix together the crème fraîche, icing sugar and Irish Cream liqueur in a medium bowl, using as few stirs as possible. Cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

● Once the cupcakes are cool, slice the top off each cake and cut the pieces in half down the centre to give two wings. Put a dollop of the frosting on top of each cake, then stick the two wings into

the frosting of each one, with the centre cut downwards and the underneath cut outwards. Arrange on a platter or cake stand, dust with icing sugar and serve.

A Lighter Way To Bake... breakfast!

We are told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day yet many of us opt for a quick and often unsatisfying choice of toast or cereal. If you fancy mixing it up a little, but still want something easy to eat on the go, these recipes from my new book A Lighter Way To Bake may be just what you are looking for!

Just the right mix of naughty and nutritious, these delicious muffins and loaf are full of great flavours. Combining sweet potato with sage, or adding fruit or nuts is a great way to bring contrasting flavours and textures to your bake. Make a batch the weekend so you can enjoy over a lazy Sunday morning with the papers and still have some left for the mad Monday morning dash to work!

Raspberry & banana no-knead breakfast loaf

You need ripe bananas here but if your bananas are too hard and you can’t wait for them to mature here’s a fix: put them (unpeeled) on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake in a preheated 180C (fan 160C), 350F, gas mark 4 oven for about 20 minutes. The skins will blister and go brown, but the bananas will caramelise and become sweeter and tastier – just perfect for this recipe.

MAKES 1 LOAF OF ABOUT 10 SLICES

50g (2oz) unsalted butter

50g (2oz) soft light brown sugar

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

100g (31⁄2 oz) wholemeal flour

125g (41⁄2 oz) plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas roughly mashed

125g (41⁄2 oz) raspberries

handful of rolled oats

● Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, gas mark 4 and line a 22cm x 10cm (81⁄2 in x 4in) loaf tin with baking parchment. I make sure that the paper overlaps a little bit, which makes it much easier to remove the loaf from the tin once it is cooked.

● Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it is nicely combined. Add the eggs in two batches, beating well between each addition. The mixture will look a little bit far from its best, but it will soon come good!

● Add the wholemeal flour, plain flour and baking powder and stir through until nicely mixed in. Then stir in the bananas, followed by a gentle fold in of the raspberries.

● Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth out a bit with the back of a spoon, and then sprinkle the oats evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when pierced in the centre.

● Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before lifting out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack. The loaf will stay at its best for 1 to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.

Pick up a copy of The Sun On Sunday for the full three recipes or subscribe to thesun.co.uk.



Pre-order A Lighter Way To Bake on Amazon, available to buy from the 10th October.

Three great veggie recipes

I was a vegetarian during my teenage years and I always wished I had a few simple recipes to cook once a week to get away from the generic jacket potato or pasta dish. Today’s veggie dishes are healthy and delicious and even if you aren’t vegetarian, I’m positive you will love them.

These spicy bean burgers are incredibly tasty. If you fancy a bun instead of cous cous, just replace with lightly toasted ciabatta. My butternut and sweet potato lasagne is full of great autumn flavours. It is one of my stalwart recipes that used to only make an appearance when there was a vegetarian at my house. But then the family began to fall in love with the soft flavours and creamy white sauce, so it soon became a family dinner staple!

Butternut & sweet potato lasagne with sage, toasted pine nuts & nutmeg



This is one of my stalwart recipes that used to only make an appearance when there was a vegetarian over at my house. But then the family began to fall in love with the soft wintry flavours and that creamy white sauce. This white sauce is a shortcut white sauce, everything just gets put in a bowl and stirred — very, very simple and just as tasty as the traditional version.

SERVES 4



Ingredients

Parmesan cheese

50g dried natural breadcrumbs

600g prepared sweet potato and butternut squash

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

12 sage leaves

Olive oil

12 lasagne sheets

100g toasted pine nuts (the supermarket sells them ready toasted)

75g baby spinach leaves

White sauce

100g Parmesan cheese

2cm piece of fresh ginger

600g ricotta cheese

2 medium egg yolks

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salad

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pinch of English mustard powder (optional)

1 bag of wild rocket

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C, (fan 200°C), 425°F, Gas Mark 7. Put the kettle on to boil for the vegetables.

While waiting for that, finely grate the Parmesan for the topping, toss in a small bowl along with the breadcrumbs and set aside. When the kettle has boiled, tip the prepared sweet potato and butternut squash into a large pan, add a little salt and then pour the boiled water over to cover. Put the lid on, bring back to the boil and then leave to bubble away for 15–20 minutes until tender.

Fill the kettle up with water again and pop it back on to boil. While waiting for the kettle, quickly prepare the herbs for later. Run your fingers down the length of the rosemary stalks to release the leaves, roughly chop them with the sage leaves and set aside in a small bowl.

Pour the now-boiled water into a large pan, add a drizzle of oil, slip in the lasagne sheets and leave to cook for 5 minutes. (As there isn’t loads of liquid in this dish, the lasagne sheets do need a bit of precooking even if they are ‘no precook’ lasagne sheets!)

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Finely grate the Parmesan and peel and grate the ginger. Place both in a medium bowl, add the ricotta, egg yolks and nutmeg, season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine and set aside.

Once the lasagne sheets have cooked for 5 minutes, drain them and tip them back into the pan. Drizzle in a little more oil and gently toss them about to coat, so that the sheets don’t stick together.

Check that the vegetables are now nice and tender. Drain them off well and tip them back into the pan. Mash them with a masher until smooth and add salt and pepper to taste.

Now assemble the lasagne in the baking dish, set on a baking tray. Spread a third of the vegetable mash in the base of the dish. Next, scatter a third of the herbs, pine nuts and spinach leaves over. Then arrange four lasagne sheets on top, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread a third of the ricotta mix over.

Repeat this twice more, giving you three layers, and finally sprinkle the Parmesan breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 15–20 minutes. While that is cooking, prepare the salad dressing by simply mixing the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder (if using) and seasoning together in a small bowl.

When the lasagne is ready, the pasta will feel tender when pierced through with a knife and the top will be crisp and golden. Cut it into portions, carefully lift out and serve with a handful of rocket drizzled with the dressing.

Pick up a copy of the The Sun On Sunday or subscribe to thesun.co.uk for the full three recipes.

Three quick and healthy salmon recipes

Salmon is a fantastic choice for quick, healthy meals. It’s incredibly versatile and works really well with so many flavour combinations. These three dishes are brilliant for an easy mid-week supper, or weekend lunch with friends.

The hot smoked salmon and new potato salad is really easy to pull together, perfect for a healthy yet filling lunch. Honey, chilli and lime work really well together, and when mixed into breadcrumbs it makes the most delicious topping for a salmon fillet. Evoke the taste of Asia in your kitchen with my ginger and lemon salmon. Poaching salmon in the fragrant broth makes it incredibly flavoursome and so delicious when served with the noodles and pak choi. Enjoy!

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Honey chilli baked salmon with carrot, rocket and red onion salad

4 salmon fillets, preferably without the skin

Salt and pepper

70g golden or natural breadcrumbs

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp of olive oil (or sunflower)

1-2 tsp of honey

Zest of 1 lime

Salad

2 carrots

70g bag of fresh rocket

1 red onion, finely sliced

Dressing

3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of balsamic

Juice of ½ large orange

Juice of ½ lime

1 red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped

1 tiny squidge of honey

Salt and pepper

Turn the oven on to 180°C. Put the breadcrumbs, chilli, olive oil, honey, lime and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and mix it all together. If it is still a bit dry, add a little water or a bit more honey. Then take a handful of the mixture and press it on top of the salmon so that the salmon is covered on top. Bits of the crumb topping will fall off here and there but keep going- this is a tasty but messy dish! Place each piece of fish into a baking tin as you go.

Once the oven is hot enough, place the fish fillets in for about 10-12 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

Whilst the fish is cooking make the salad. Top and tail the carrots and then peel the outer layer and discard. Using the peeler peel the carrot to give you thin shavings until you have no carrot left. When the carrot is almost all peeled you will be left with a small bit which is very hard to peel and quite fiddly, so I usually just eat that bit! Repeat with the other carrot and place into a large bowl. Add the rocket and the onion and set aside. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and then drizzle half of the dressing over the salad. Toss together and lay it all out on a large serving plate.

Once the fish is cooked remove from the oven and lay on top of the salad. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and then serve.

Pick up a copy of the The Sun On Sunday or subscribe to thesun.co.uk for the full three recipes.

Simply Baking

Lorraine hits the US with Simply Baking, sharing her secrets on baking succulent sweet and savory recipes, featuring old favorites as well as new twists on modern classics.

Lorraine is shaking up baking in this new series to The Cooking Channel.

Episode one: So Easy

Recipes from this episode include:

"I Can't Believe You Made That" Cake

Fig, Cream Cheese and Mint Tart

Parmesan and Poppy Seed Lollipops

Savory and Sweet Short Pastry

Episode two: Speed Baking

Recipes from this episode include:

Camembert and Roasted Garlic

Cookies and Cream Fudge Brownies

Sun-Dried Tomato and Rosemary Palmiers

The Skinny Tart

Totally Lazy Mini Sausage Rolls

Episode three: Modern Classics

Recipes from this episode include:

Focaccia

Glam Mac and Cheese

Spiced Blackberry, Quince and Apple Pavlova

Episode four: Very Entertaining

Recipes from this episode include:

Dreamlike Shortbread

Mascarpone and Ginger Creme Brulee

Sticky Glazed Asian Ham

Whisky and Chili Jumbo Shrimp

Episode five: Bake to Impress

Recipes from this episode include:

Chorizo and Thyme Fougasse

Puff Pastry

Three-tier Red Velvet Cake

Tomato and Basil Tarte Tatin

Episode six: Time to Bake

Recipes from this episode include:

Macarons

Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Fig Pizza

Pumpkin and Rosemary Muffins

Find out more about the show, on The Cooking Channel (US) and get the recipes on the official show website.

Three peachy dishes using the last of the summer fruits

The summer has officially drawn to an end, so now is your last chance to make the most of summer fruits, like peaches. Deliciously sweet and juicy, peaches are incredibly versatile to cook with, both in savoury and sweet dishes

Friands are traditional French 'teacakes', full of fruity flavours with a light and airy sponge. My almond, peach and blackberry friands are great for an afternoon tea with friends, or a lunchbox treat for the kids. For a lovely lunch or starter, try this peach salad. The mix of the sweet and juicy peach, with the salty prosciutto is absolutely delicious. As the colder evenings draw in, nothing quite hits the spot like a crumble and this peach ginger and oat crumble is a perfect treat for an autumn evening!

Subscribe to thesun.co.uk for the full recipes.

Four salsa recipes to brighten up dinnertime

In my mind salsas are very much underused. I love eating salsa with BBQs or fajitas but they can also be used to brighten up the most mundane of meals.

These colourful and nutritious salsas are the perfect addition to a lunchtime snack, or used to spruce up evening meals. It’s really easy to make up a whole bunch of the stuff and then keep it in the fridge and dip into it whenever you fancy. The avocado and mango salsas go so well with fish and chicken, and the pineapple pairs perfectly with pork. The cherry tomato and chorizo works marvellously with a good steak, just watch out as it’s super hot! Enjoy!

Avocado, ginger and lime salsa

2 perfectly avocados; peeled, de-cored and cut into 1cm cubes

2 limes (1 cut into quarters, the other juiced)

1 x 3 cm piece of fresh ginger; grated, peeled and finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, diced into 1cm pieces

5 spring onions finely sliced, OR 1 red onion finely sliced

1-2 red chillies, deseeded (for less heat) and very finely diced

1 bunch of coriander or basil, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Put the avocados into a bowl with the lime, ginger, tomatoes, spring onions and chillies. Then tear up the coriander/ basil, add to the bowl and stir gently through. I like to keep the avocadoes nice and whole, rather than making them too mushy when I am stirring everything together to give more of a salsa texture rather than a guacamole consistency. Season to taste and serve.

Pick up a copy of The Sun on Sunday or subscribe to thesun.co.uk for the full article.

Who doesn't love cheesecake?

Who doesn’t love a delicious creamy cheesecake? They are really versatile and easy to make, and work with so many flavour combinations. If you are feeling confident, try experimenting with your own choice of flavours, or follow my lead with these three scrummy options..

Bring the USA to your table with my twist on a key lime pie. The citrus flavours cut through the topping so this isn’t too creamy, just the right balance of sweet and zesty. The passion fruit and lime cheesecake bars don’t require baking, just ensure that you leave in the fridge long enough to set! The raspberry, yoghurt and white chocolate cheesecakes are a great option for a dinner party dessert. Easy to make and super tasty, they will definitely impress your friends this bank holiday!

Key lime and lemon cheesecake loaf

Base

125g light digestive biscuits

50g unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp caster sugar

Topping

6 gelatine leaves

800g low-fat cream cheese

200g half-fat sour cream

100g soft light brown sugar

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Finely grated zest and juice of 3 lemons

Finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes

Small handful of fresh mint leaves, to serve

Serves 12

Line a 1 Kg loaf tin with a piece of cling film much larger than the tin. It’s best to have excess cling film hanging over the sides, which you can use to cover the cheesecake once in the tin and also to use as handles to pull the cheesecake out once set. Slightly wet the inside of the loaf tin first so the cling film sticks to it more easily…

Pick up The Sun on Sunday for the full recipe or subscribe to the sun.co.uk here.