Recipes — The Boy Who Bakes (2024)

Edd Kimber

Recipes

Edd Kimber June 28, 2017

It is co*cktail time! After last week’s recipe showing you how to use a jam in a bake, I thought I would show you something a little more grown up, a peach pie co*cktail using homemade peach jam.

It is such a simple but slightly unusual way of using jam but it actually is playing two roles. Firstly, the jam acts as a sweetener so you need less sugar syrup and then the more important part, it adds flavour. It is a great way of using those last little bits of jam you have at the back of the fridge and there would be so many different co*cktails you could using jam in, use blackberry in a bramble, or maybe strawberry jam in a daiquiri?

The jam itself in this recipe is super simple, just like the others I have shown you over the last few weeks. What I hope you've learnt is that jam making is a lot easier than you thought and that you will all give it a go, especially now when so much wonderful fruit is in season.

Don’t forget that the Tate and Lyle Great British Jam Awards are still open until the 6th July so there is still plenty of time to enter and try your hands at winning! As a quick reminder, there are three categories you can enter ‘traditional jam with a twist’ ‘jam bake’ and ‘jam on the rocks’. You can find the full details for the competition and of course the important prize details at facebook.com/welovebaking

Peach Jam
Makes 2x380g jars

500g peaches, stoned and diced (skin on or off)
500g Tate & Lyle Jam Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean

First things first it is time for a basic but incredibly important step, sterilising the jars. Wash the jars and lids with hot soapy water then place onto a roasting tray and place into an oven heated to 180C for about 15 mins. This is a boring step, I know, but it just means the jams you are lovingly making will last 6 months without needing to refrigerate the unopened jars. Just before you start making the jam pop a couple plates into the freezer.

Place the pan with all of the ingredients onto the hob, set over medium/low heat and cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium/high and bring the jam to a rolling boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

To test if the jam is fully cooked there are a few simple ways you can check. The first is the flake test. Lift the wooden spoon above the pan and allow the jam to drip back into the pan, if some drips, cling to the spoon rather than running off back into the pan you're good. My preferred way of testing the jam is to take one of the plates out of the freezer and spoon on a little of the jam. Pop the plate aside for a minute or so before pushing the jam with your finger and if it wrinkles it will set, if it is still liquid, cook it for a little longer.

Once the jam has finished cooking turn off the heat and leave for a minute or so then transfer carefully to a jug, to ease pouring it into jars. If there is any foam on top carefully skim that off and discard (there is nothing wrong with the foam, you could happily stir it back into the jam if you are feeling lazy, but technically the foam is full of air and can make the jam spoil a little quicker, also it just looks ugly so skim away). Remove the jars from the oven and carefully divide the jam between the jars, sealing tightly. Kept in a cool place they should keep for up to 6 months.

Peach Pie co*cktail
Makes 1

1 tbsp peach jam
1/2 tsp cinnamon
50ml vodka
1 tsp sugar syrup
juice 1/2 lemon

To make the co*cktail place all of the ingredients into a co*cktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.

Pour the co*cktail into a glass filled with ice and garnish with a couple slices of peach. Serve immediately.

Post sponsored by Tate & Lyle but recipe content/words/opinions are my own.

For the brioche, place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a large bowl and mix together. Add the eggs and milk and mix to form a rough shaggy dough. Using an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook knead this mixture on medium/low speed for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. With the mixer still running add in the butter a little at a time.

Once all of the butter has been incorporated, knead for a further 10-15 minutes or until the dough is elastic and no longer sticking to the side of the bowl. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, then pop the bowl in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, pull the dough from the fridge and divide into 8 equal pieces and form into balls. Roll into flat discs, about 10-12cm wide and place onto parchment lined baking trays and lightly cover with clingfilm, setting aside for about 45 minutes or until risen and puffy. Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan).

Whilst the dough is rising make the frangipane by beating together the butter, sugar and almonds until light and smooth. Add the egg and flour and stir to combine.

When ready to assemble the buns, use your fingers to gently form a depression in the middle of each round of dough, leaving a rough 2cm border. Fill the depression with a couple teaspoons of your delicious jam and top with the frangipane, carefully spreading to the edge.

Slice each pear half into thin slices and place gently on top of the frangipane, pressing in just a little bit. Brush the brioche border with a beaten egg and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake the buns in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve whilst still a little warm. These are best on the day they are made but can be gently rewarmed in the oven the day after baking if you don't eat them all in the first sitting.

This post is sponsored by Tate and Lyle but the content, words and opinions are mine.

Edd Kimber June 19, 2017

Is there anything better than a chocolate chip cookie? Maybe just a still warm from the oven chocolate chip cookie! Maybe it’s nostalgia but this simple recipe is one of those dishes that almost always makes feel like a little kid again, and we didn't even eat homemade cookies as a kid. Childish, though, these cookies are not. You might notice there is a nice amount of sea salt used in this recipe, both in the dough itself and sprinkled on the cookie after it bakes. By now we all now that sweet and salty play together very nicely, chocolate and salt especially so in my opinion. This recipe is my ultimate version of the chocolate chip cookie, so I decided it was time to film a version of the recipe for youtube so if you want get a peak of my kitchen (no complaints about any mess please) and see how to make the cookies take a look below.

Whilst the recipe is fairly straight forward there is a couple things important to this recipe. Firstly is the resting of the dough in the fridge. I first learnt about this idea in a New York Times article a few years back. It was suggested that the cookies would brown more, giving more of those toasty caramelised notes we all love in cookies. I tried it once and adopted the technique straight away. It makes a noticeable colour difference that translates beautifully into flavour.

The second thing that of course affects the quality of the end cookie, is the chocolate used. If you've ever heard me talk about chocolate you know what im talking about. For those that haven't lets just say I’m quite evangelical when it comes to quality chocolate. I am not saying you have to spend a fortune, using Green and Blacks instead of Bourneville for example will make a huge difference. What I'm really saying is this, and maybe this is a little obvious, use a chocolate that you love, at least that way you know you will love the cookies. Secondly is all about quality. When you look at the packaging of chocolate there really should only be a small handful of ingredients. Cocoa in one of its forms (labeled variously as solids, mass, liquor, beans, butter etc) sugar, and then two optional ingredients, some sort of emulsifier, most commonly soya or sunflower lecithin, and finally vanilla (and of course some type of milk for milk chocolate). If there is anything else listed, any vegetable oils, or ingredients you just simply don't understand, then don't buy it. Chocolate like that is masquerading as the real deal and you’ll notice the difference. Also a quick note to American bakers. I have been noticing a lot of American websites listing chocolate as an ingredient and then seeing ‘candy melts’ used in the imagery. I cant say this strongly enough, that stuff bears no relation at all to chocolate and should never be used in replacement of chocolate. That isn't me being snobby its just an entirely different product that will work in a very different way. Again, enough of my lecturing, just use what you love. I could easily go into the ethics of buying chocolate, mass cocoa, beans types, single origins but I can feel you falling asleep through the screen so I am going to resist for now.

Back to the recipe and just one more point about chocolate, its not more lecturing I promise, the format of the chocolate can also make an interesting difference to the cookies. Of course the easiest form for most people is buying a bar of chocolate and chopping it up. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, half the time I do it this way myself. My preferred method though, is to use callets, small (often oval shaped) discs of chocolate. I use these as they don’t need chopping but as a byproduct of their shape they form big layers of chocolate in the cookies, so that the finished cookie is interlacing layers of dough and chocolate, the perfect format of a cookie. Formally the reserve of professional chefs this style of chocolate is slowly becoming more popular with home bakers and some producers are catching on. Valrhona are of course the pioneers of the form but most of the professional companies produce something similar now. Guittard, a family run San Francisco based company, who recently launched in the UK have chocolate in button form called wafers and in a unique shape called ‘super cookie chips’ which are somewhere between an old fashioned chocolate chip and a callet (I believe Guittard are currently available from Ocado, Amazon and Whole Foods). The chocolate I used in these however was from the British bakery, Pump St Bakery in Orford. For such a small village their bakery sure is producing incredibly high quality chocolate. On a recent visit around the kitchens and chocolate production they very kind to let me take home some of their new callets, which will very soon be available to buy. I decided to use a mix of milk and dark chocolate (mainly because it was what I had left) and trust me these were the best chocolate chip cookies ever!

My Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 22-25

500g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp flaked sea salt
225g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
220g light brown sugar
220g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g chocolate (I used a 50/50 mix of 60% dark milk and 70% dark from Pump St Bakery)

To make the cookie dough mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a whisk (no need to sieve this mixture)

Add the butter and sugars into a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together until smooth and starting to lighten, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined, then mix in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture mixing until just combined. Add in the chocolate and mix for a few seconds until evenly distributed. Chill the dough anywhere from 24-48 hours to help the dough to caramelise more as it bakes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan oven) and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Use your hand or a mechanical ice cream scoop to form balls of dough, about 60/70g per cookie.

Bake six per tray for about 16-18 minutes or until golden around the edges but still a tad pale in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kept in a sealed container these cookies will keep for up to four days. The balls of dough can also be frozen for a few months. Simply place the dough balls onto a parchment lined tray and pop in the freezer for an hour or so, until hardened. Once frozen you can throw the balls into a tupperware box or ziplock bag. Freezing on the tray first just means the dough balls wont stick to each other. When you fancy baking a cookie or two simply bake as above adding a minute or so onto the baking time.

Edd Kimber June 14, 2017

Today I have a simple question for you. Do you make your own jam? If yes, yay amazing! If no, why not?

I know some people think it is too hard or too old fashioned or would just never consider making it themselves, why would you make it when it is so easily available?! Personally, I find it a wonderful way of preserving the summers’ fruits and once you've made a batch or two the flavour combinations you will come up with are endless, it can easily become a bit of a habit; in the last two weeks I have made about 20 jars.

Making jam is actually an incredibly simple and quick process and the quality of homemade jam versus supermarket jams are like chalk and cheese. Once you’ve got the jam habit you'll end up with a fair few jars. Trust me when I say, even though it is a little thing, giving a friend or a family member a jar of homemade jam is a simple sweet gesture that will go down very well!

To convince you to get in the kitchen to whip up a batch of jam I have partnered with Tate & Lyle Sugars who have launched The Great British Jam Awards. And to demonstrate just how easy jam making is I’m going to share a variety of jam themed recipes over the next few weeks to inspire you to get jamming – so watch this space!

But, what is The Tate & Lyle Great British Jam Awards you ask? Tate & Lyle Sugars are encouraging you to get jamming at home and submit an image of your jam recipe to three categories - Traditional Jam with a Twist, Jam Bake and Jam on the Rocks (Jam co*cktail).

For more information, make sure you check out @WeLoveBaking on Facebook or @WeLoveBaking_tl on Instagram!

For my first recipe I’ve made a traditional jam, but with a twist. After seeing a layered jam made by legendary preserve maker Christine Ferber in Pierre Herme’s patisserie in Paris, the idea lodged itself in my head and I just had to give it a go. For my flavours I have chosen fruits that make for easy jams plus I am using Tate & Lyle Sugars Jam Sugar which includes pectin so you don’t have to think about ratios, pectin, setting points or anything scary.

Strawberry Vanilla and Apricot Amaretto Layered Jam
Makes 4x380g jars

Strawberry Jam
500g Strawberries, quartered
500g Tate & Lyle Jam Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Apricot Jam
500g Apricots, diced
500g Tate & Lyle Jam Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp Amaretto

To start the recipe it is best to have all ingredients for both jams prepped and ready, so that once the first jam is made you can immediately start the second, so weigh everything, except for the amaretto, for each jam in separate large pans and set aside about 30 minutes to whip up this recipe.

Once you’re ready it is time for a basic but incredibly important step, sterilising the jars. Wash the jars and lids with hot soapy water then place onto a roasting tray and place into an oven heated to 180C for about 15 mins. This is a boring step, I know, but it just means the jams you are lovingly making will last 6 months without needing to refrigerate the unopened jars. Just before you start making the jam pop a couple plates into the freezer.

Start with the apricot jam (it sets firmer so the jams won’t blend), place the pan with all of the ingredients onto the hob, set over medium/low heat and cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium/high and bring the jam to a rolling boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

To test if the jam is fully cooked there are a few simple ways you can check. The first is the flake test. Lift the wooden spoon above the pan and allow the jam to drip back into the pan, if some dripscling to the spoon rather than running off back into the pan you're good. My preferred way of testing the jam is to take one of the plates out of the freezer and spoon on a little of the jam. Pop the plate aside for a minute or so before pushing the jam with your finger.Iif it wrinkles it will set, if it is still liquid, cook it for a little longer.

Once the jam has finished cooking turn off the heat and leave for a minute or so to let it settle then stir in the amaretto. If there is any foam on top carefully skim that off and discard (there is nothing wrong with the foam, you could happily stir it back into the jam if you are feeling lazy, but technically the foam is full of air and can make the jam spoil a little quicker, also it just looks ugly so skim away). Remove the jars from the oven and carefully divide the jam between the jars, loosely placing the lids on top but not sealing. I like to transfer the jam to a jug to ease this process.

The second jam is strawberry and the reason this needs to be on top is that strawberries are a low pectin fruit so it doesn't set as firmly as other fruits. Because we are using Jam Sugar we don't have to worry about this but it will set less than the apricot. Repeat the cooking process with the strawberries in the same way as the apricot jam. Once it is cooked, carefully pour it on top of the apricot jam and seal immediately.

Kept in a cool dark place jam will keep for at least six months but once opened needs to be kept in the fridge and consumed within a couple weeks.

Edd Kimber

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