Caramelised Onion Tart

19th October 2015

Whilst putting a shopping list together for this recipe I misread it. It was supposed to be a caramelised garlic tart, but I think this was a better idea.

First the onions were peeled and sliced, I used two brown and one red. They were fried slowly in a pan with some oil until they were golden and soft. Meanwhile I rolled out the pre-made pastry (Bake Off has finished so sue me!) large enough for two small sandwich tins as I am still without a pie or flan dish. I like making two small ones for leftovers.

The pastry was blind baked for 15 minutes whilst sugar and balsamic vinegar was stirred into the onions (which were delicious!).

Next I made the cream filling. Double cream, crème fraîche, eggs, salt and pepper were whisked together.

To assemble the tart, pieces of both hard and soft goats cheese were scattered in the bottom of the pastry cases, followed by a few spoonfuls of the caramelised onions.

Then the cream filling was poured on top, covering  (but not fully submerging) the cheese and onions, and making sure all the gaps are filled.

The tarts were baked in the oven for just over half an hour until brown and crispy on top. I served mine with a green salad and it was the perfect treat for after work. I forgot to take a picture before I ate a piece!

Orange and White Chocolate Loaf Cake

5th October 2015

Its Bake Off final week and I think that means its a bit of a free for all - no big show stoppers for me. I thought I'd go for a recipe I've been tempted to try for a while.

Of course I forgot to take out the butter to soften before going to work, so I started by melting the butter the old fashioned way to I didn't break a wrist creaming butter and caster sugar. Next the orange and lemon zest was mixed in as well as the eggs and milk. I also squeezed in some lemon juice for extra flavour.

Next went in the flour, baking powder and salt which was folded in to a smooth consistency. Finally I mixed in the chocolate chips, hopefully in an even spreading - no-one wants them to all sink to the bottom! A few milk chocolate chips got mixed in there too just to bulk it out. I'm sure it won't hurt!

The mixture was poured into a lined loaf tin and baked for almost an hour.

I was supposed to make the syrup while it was baking, but I didn't read it properly. After the cake came out I began the syrup, which only took a few minutes to heat the orange and lemon juice with some caster sugar. This was poured into holes pricked in the top of the cake. It almost felt a shame to dampen the top of a nice crisp top with just a single crack! I used just about all the glaze so I hope I didn't ruin it with too much moisture! I wonder if that's even a thing with gluten free cakes.