Three Horseshoes Thursley The
David Alders helped by
Jane Garrett David Beechey Tom Happs
Stories and Recipes from a Country Pub
Thursley in Spring, from the back of The Three Horseshoes.
Contents
The Three Horseshoes Story Seasonal Favourites Make it Special Sweet Sweets
Classic Bar Favourites
Winter Warmers to Light Summer Eating. Year round meals to eat year round. Breads, Terrines, Pates to add zest to your meals and sparkle to your parties. Unsophisticated Sophistication to Greedy Comfort. Sausages n Mash, burgers, pizzas, little things to make life feel good.
This Irish soda bread goes down a storm at our St Patrick’s Night celebrations. We serve it with mussels, oysters and a lovely Irish stew. There is never any left – I think it soaks up the Guinness! It really is incredibly easy to make. You don’t have to knead it or prove it, just shove the ingredients in a bowl, lightly bring them together and bung it in the oven.
Ingredients
Irish Soda Bread
250g plain white flour 250g plain wholemeal flour 100g porridge oats 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt 25g butter, cut in pieces 500ml buttermilk
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it in quickly with a table knife, then bring the dough together very lightly with your fingertips (handle it very, very gently). Now shape it into a flat, round loaf measuring 20cm/8in in diameter. Put the loaf on the baking sheet and score a deep cross in the top. (Traditionally, this lets the fairies out, but it also helps the bread to cook through.) Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it isn’t ready after this time, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and bake for a few minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel (this keeps the crust nice and soft) and leave to cool. To serve, break into quarters, then break or cut each quarter in half to make 8 wedges or slices – or simply slice across. Eat very fresh.
We’ve had this treacle tart on our menu since with been at the Shoes – the full ten years. It never fails to fly off the menu, especially over Sunday lunch on a dismal winter’s day. Don’t be afraid to make your own pastry – it really isn’t too hard and it’s always better than shop bought.
The Perfect Treacle Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry 200g plain flour, plus extra to dust 100g cold butter, cubed, plus extra to grease 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water 1 egg, beaten with a little water
How to make it
For the filling 60g butter 400g golden syrup 35g treacle 2 tbsp double cream 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 tbsp lemon juice 140g fresh brown breadcrumbs
Put the flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Rub in the butter until the mixture forms large crumbs, then add just enough cold water to bring it into a dough. Pat it into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark four. Grease a deep, loose-bottomed 23cm tart tin and roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Use to line the tin, and prick the base in several places with a fork. Put a large sheet of foil on top, weighed down with baking beans, dried pulses or rice, and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, brush the base with the egg, and put back into the oven for five minutes, until golden. Melt the butter in a medium pan, stir in the syrup and treacle, and heat until warm. Stir in the cream, take off the heat and beat in the egg, yolk, lemon juice and Ÿ-½ teaspoon salt to taste. Tip the breadcrumbs into the pastry case and spread out evenly. Pour over the syrup mixture, making sure there are no dry patches, then carefully put back in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 140C/275F/gas mark one and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling set, but still jiggly. Allow to cool before serving.
Coffee finds its perfect partner i cream. They blend together smoothly in this cafe au lait creme brulee recipe. Not overly sweet, the classic after-dinner flavour pairing makes this creme brulee a deliciously mellow dessert offering.
Ingredients
Cafe Creme Brulee
For the brulee 350 ml double cream 125 ml full fat milk 50 ml espresso coffee (double shot) 1 tablespoon tia maria (optional) 6 large egg yolks 75 grams caster sugar
To serve 2 tablespoons demerara sugar (to caramalize) chocolate coated coffee beans (optional)
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 140C, Gas 1. Lightly grease 6 ovenproof coffee cups and stand them on a baking tray. Put the cream and milk in a heavy-based saucepan and heat slowly to scalding point, then stir in the espresso coffee and liqueur, if using. Beat the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Pour the hot steaming coffee cream on to the egg yolks, a third at a time, whisking well. Then whisk in the caster sugar. Strain this liquid through the fine-mesh sieve into a jug. Pour the mixture into the coffee cups, dividing it equally. Bake for about 45 minutes until custards are very lightly set on top. To test, tilt one of the cups slightly: the custard should come away from the side of the cup and the centre should still be slightly wobbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool; the mixture will thicken on cooling. Chill until required. When ready to serve, sprinkle a teaspoon of demerara sugar evenly over the surface of each custard and caramelise with a blow-torch. Serve as soon as possible, with a few chocolate coffee beans if you like.