Traybake

Granny’s Shortbread

Shortbread cut into squares on baking parchment. Old fashioned knife over the top of shortbread, blue pottery tea mugs behind

Granny’s Shortbread.   People seem to fall into two camps about shortbread.   My Granny liked hers on the thicker side, buttery and very crumbly.   My Dad liked his thinner and crisper, more like a biscuit.

This is the recipe for Granny’s Shortbread.   It’s very easy to make, even by hand.   You’ll need a 20cm square cake tin for the amount given here.  Double the quantities and it will fit a Swiss roll tin.   Completely up to you.  I try to restrict myself from devouring it by making this smaller quantity.   I must add, just to be completely fair, that this shortbread does keep well in an airtight tin and it makes a great present.

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Fruit Tarts – Plum and Almond – Pear and Quince – Fig and Earl Grey

STOP PRESS!!  You may not realise this but ready rolled puff pastry – with the exception of the all butter variety – is VEGAN, or at least the Just Rol brand is.   It’s one of those mainstream products I like to call “accidentally vegan”.   Like Pringles Texas BBQ crisps or the classic Oreos, these are the products that didn’t set out to be, and that you just don’t expect to be, vegan.  But are.  This doesn’t mean if you aren’t vegan you shouldn’t use the All Butter Puff if you prefer I am just giving options.

This simple and quick pastry tart can therefore be vegan without even trying.  It’s totally delicious. I think it looks pretty wonderful and you can make endless variations.  If you have more patience than I do and want to slice the fruit more finely and arrange more carefully, this can result in a tart (or should I say galette?) that would grace the window of any French Patisserie.

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Chicken, Olive and Tomato Traybake with Herb Dressing

Who doesn’t love a Traybake?  Particularly one which has chunky, crispy garlic croutons, intense and lush tomatoes and pops of salty black olives – and I have even mentioned the juicy but crisp skinned chicken and is dotted with a basil and parsley oil.  All the flavours of the Mediterranean but in a Traybake.  Easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for a kitchen supper with friends

Tomatoes

My tomatoes in the greenhouse are on their last hurrah and so I’ve used some of the last of them in this dish before I turn the remainder into chutney but shop bought will do as well as the roasting intensifies the flavour.

I love how this recipe uses bread – be it the remains of a sourdough loaf or ciabatta as it is a great way of using up bread that’s just past it’s best.  You must used a “textured” loaf for this as sliced supermarket bread hasn’t got the body to stay intact when rolled in the tomato and chicken juices.   The crunchy, toasty-ness that it brings to the dish is the savoury equivalent of dunking a biscuit in a cup of tea.  Quite wonderful and quite addictive. Continue reading →

Traybake Shortbread and Variations

I love Shortbread as it is but I also love it with different flavourings added such as earl grey, lavender, chocolate or fennel.  These flavourings can act as shortbread’s fairy godmother and dress it up so everyone can see how beautiful it really is.  Just add them in the final mixing.

Rich and buttery shortbread that crumbles into your mouth is brilliant with a cup of tea or coffee. My grandfather used to love it as an accompaniment to a wee dram of whisky whilst as children we had it with a glass of milk.  The basic recipe is a wonderful thing.  Sadly in today’s times it’s often overlooked in favour of more exciting looking biscuits but maybe these variations will make you think again

Traybaked Shortbread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Traybake Meatballs with Kale in Tomato Sauce

I always used to be worried about eating kale   The only times I had eaten it, it had been a bit tough and squeaked on my teeth   I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about   It may be a superfood but it wasn’t very palatable and, according to my parents, it was something that was only given to farm animals.  I stuck to spinach and cabbage. How wrong I was to limit myself!

 

Now I know how to prepare and use it there is no more squeaking and I use it in so many ways though my favourite way is when it is eaten with pasta, either as part of a sauce or, as it is here, in a meatball.  In fact, these meatballs are a great way to introduce kids to kale as it isn’t obvious. Continue reading →

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