New Blackmore Vale, July 23, 2021
Food & Drink
Cooking... Bacon and Egg Pie Straightforward and deliciously satisfying, a simple bacon and egg pie is fantastic served warm, fresh from the oven: it’s still good cold but warm is on another level. Serve as a sustaining snack with a dab of mustard or brown sauce; mayonnaise is good too. Alternatively serve with a big fresh salad. Some of us like it with baked beans in the colder months, and smooth mashed potatoes, plus brown sauce. A slice of warm bacon and egg pie makes me feel as cosy and warm as a really good sausage roll. Cooking bacon works best as you generally get a lot of chunky lean meat and it’s very economical (look in Aldi, Lidl and Asda) but use chopped rashers if you prefer. Filling 200-250g cooking bacon, chopped 1 teaspoon of oil, optional 6 medium eggs Ground white pepper to taste Pastry 500g plain flour 250g cold salted butter, diced 4½ tablespoons icy cold water
Plus: 1 extra egg and a tablespoon of water (or brush with milk) Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan oven) gas mark 6 or equivalent You will need a greased 20cm (8 inch) or similar capacity baking dish, round or square Fry the bacon lightly in as little oil as possible: you may not need any. Set aside. Make the pastry in the usual way or for speedy extra-light results whiz the flour and butter into fine crumbs in a food processor.
Mum’s Kitchen...
with Mrs Simkins
Add the water and whiz until large clumps form. Remove from the machine and knead gently into a ball. Divide the pastry in half and use half to line the bottom of the dish: roll it out a little thinner than a one-pound coin, it shouldn’t be too thick. Leave a little overhang. Arrange the bacon in the dish, making a slight hollow nest for each egg. Crack the six eggs into a cup one at a time and slide each one carefully into the bacon
with Diana Holman
Raspberry and Amaretti cake This cake makes a delicious dessert served with cream. It is so quick and easy to make using a food processor. You could use blueberries or gooseberries instead of raspberries if you wished. Serves eight Ingredients 110g (4oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 110 (40z) self-raising flour 110 (4oz) caster sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder 2 large eggs 225-250g (8-9oz) raspberries 55g (2oz) Amaretti biscuits, 36
roughly crushed 1 tablespoon demerara sugar Preheat the oven to 160C (140C) fan. Grease and line a
‘nests’ Season with white pepper. Roll out the remaining pastry and lay it carefully on top of the pie. Press the lid and bottom gently together, trimming any overhang and indent the edges. Make a couple of steam holes in the lid: avoid piercing the yolks. Beat the last egg until frothy with a tablespoon of cold water and brush over the pie. Bake for 2025 minutes until golden. MrsSimkins.co.uk twitter.com/MrsSimkinsCooks info@MrsSimkins.co.uk
20cm round cake tin. Crush the Amaretti biscuits briefly in a food processor, and tip out into a basin. Put the butter, self-raising flour,
caster sugar, baking powder and eggs into the processor and whizz them together for about 30 seconds until well mixed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Arrange the raspberries on top, pushing them lightly into the mixture. Sprinkle on the crushed Amaretti biscuits evenly over the top, saving a tablespoon to add when the cake is cooked. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Scatter the remaining biscuit crumbs over the top of the, followed by the demerara sugar. Can be served warm or cold.
