Sable Pastry

Sable Pastry - The word ‘ Sable ‘ is French for sand, which perfectly describes the texture of this rich crumbly biscuit-like sweet pastry. Adding sugar alters the structure of the finished dough giving it a melt in the mouth texture.

Scones

A scone is a baked quick bread, with flour, fat and a raising agent, which were originally baked on a griddle and was around the size of a medium dining plate. The cooked scone would be cut into triangles, in Scotland thought to be one of the homes to the origins of the scone the large griddle cake is called a bannock. With the development of baking powder, scones became a popular recipe bake in the oven, slightly sweetened and often with the addition of an egg-wash glaze.

Classic Fruit Cake

This is my go-to recipe for fruitcake, rich and flavoursome enough for a christening or wedding cake or our family Christmas Cake, it is sturdy enough to carry the weight of marzipan and icing and be used in tiers. It is a real favourite and we bake at least one a month, it is a great match for a nice crumbly cheese like Wensleydale or Caerphilly.

Christmas Dinner – Christmas Pudding

Sunday the 26th November is ' Stir-up Sunday ' the date when many people traditionally prepare their Christmas Puddings. I thought I would post this recipe just over a month early to enable people plenty of time to prepare and make sure they have all the ingredients bought in ready.

Pavlova

Pavlova is a fluffy meringue dessert with a crispy exterior named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand,

National Baking Week

We are in the middle of National Baking Week and at The Online Cookery School are posting a series of classic cake and biscuit recipes as well as traditional Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake recipes to help you get ready for the festive season in plenty of time.

Taking the Biscuit – Almond Shortbread

Traditional shortbread is made from only three ingredients flour, butter, and sugar in a 3:2:1 ratio. The type and quality of butter are important as the butter gives the shortbread flavour.

Victoria Sponge

The cream tea or high tea has an incredibly grand history and an impeccable pedigree, the Duchess of Bedford is believed to have created with what we now think of as high tea. As tastes changed and the huge Georgian midday meal had become less important and perhaps more importantly smaller, the Duchess is said to have suffered from "a sinking feeling" at about four o'clock in the afternoon. To counter this Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few baked cakes, bread and pastries into her dressing room.

Feuilleté Pastry Tarts

Puff pastry can be used to make many different savoury hors d'oeuvre or bite sized appetisers. The most famous of these being little-stuffed Vol-au-vent cases topped with a little lid or delicate Crolines, small lattice topped parcels. My recipe today is how to make the third, great little tartlet case that can also be made slightly larger and used as a savoury starter, light lunch or filled with whipped cream and fruit as a simple, elegant dessert.

Feuillettes

Puff pastry can be used to make several savoury hors d'oeuvre or bite sized appetisers. The most famous of these being the little stuffed Vol-au-vent cases topped with a lid or delicate Crolines, small lattice topped parcels. The third is a little tartlet case that can be used as an hors d'oeuvre or if made slightly larger …