Mint Crisp Pie

This was one dessert offering from our recent dinner party.  There were plenty of "mmmmmm"'s and "ooooooh"'s as people dived in and any slices that were not finished were requested to be wrapped up to be finished the next day.  I am a very accommodating host so I obliged of course and they were either demolished following breakfast the next day or with a cup of tea when our guests were nestled on their sofa at home recovering from the previous nights over indulgence. 

I have just entered this pie into English Mum's Big Bake Off competition, wish me luck.  I need the Green & Blacks hamper to complete my life. Honest!

Before I move onto the recipe for this pie I wanted to just talk a little about the base.  The base for this pie, as with most pies, called for crushed digestive biscuits.  Now, I'm not the biggest fan of digestive biscuit bases.  I find the butter soaks in too much and leaves a soggy base that really is not what I want to find at the bottom of a beautiful mousse or cheesecake topping.  For this reason I am on a mission to create a base more suited to my tastes. 

In this recipe I decided to use Bourbon cream biscuits which I have used successfully in the past.  While I was in the supermarket though my attention was drawn to a packet of Oreos with a chocolate cream filling and I knew instantly they would be perfect.  When I set about making the pie originally I crushed 1 x 154g packet of Oreo Chocolate Creme's and mixed them with the melted butter, but the quantity fell short of the pie dish I was filling.  I tipped the mixture back into the pan and ran to my local shop but was unable to find Oreo's in any shape or form.  I grabbed a packet of Fox's Chocolate Fudge Crunch Creams in a "they'll just have to do" manner.  Just have to do!  They turned out to be the perfect addition to the dense Oreo crust.  Not only did they pepper the dark muddy colour of the Oreo crust with flashes of a beautiful fudgey brown, they also gave the added bonus of little chewy fudge pieces dotted all around the crust.   A very happy marriage indeed and one I will use for many other pies to come.

Also, this is a really easy pie to make.  It is more of an assembly project than a baking one but the results are really impressive.  Make it in the morning as you will need time to boil and cool the condensed milk (you could also boil this the night before and allow to cool overnight), and simply add the whipped cream and crushed mint crisp bars just before serving.  Don't take my word for it though, try it out for yourself.  Enjoy!

Mint Crisp Pie
(Makes 1 x 8" pie, serves 6-8)

1 x 154g Packet of Oreo Chocolate Creme Biscuits
5 x Fox's Chocolate Fudge Crunch Cream Biscuits
3oz/90g Unsalted Butter (melted)
397g (1 tin) Condensed Milk
12floz/350ml Whipped Cream

3.5oz/100g Mint Crisp Bar

1.  Place the tin of condensed milk in a large pot.  Cover completely with water and simmer with the lid on for 3 hours.  Check occasionally to ensure the tin is still submerged in the water, top up if necessary.  Allow the tin to cool in the water before removing and opening.

2.  Place the biscuits into a resealable bag, expel all of the air before sealing and then crush the biscuits with a rolling pin.

3.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Remove from the heat and add the crushed biscuits and stir to ensure evenly coated with the butter.

4.  Transfer the biscuits to an 8" pie dish and press firmly onto the base and up the sides.  Place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.

5.  Once the base has set carefully spread the caramel on top of it (take care not to disturb and lift the biscuits).  Cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge until read to serve.

6.  Break up the mint crisp bars ( I used a Lindt bar originally but when I was making the pie again today it would seem the chocolate fairies had been in and munched it so I had to make do with Cadbury's but both were equally good) and place in a resealable bag, expel all of the air before sealing and then crush the bars with a rolling bin.  Set aside until ready to serve.
7.  If you have bought single cream whip until it holds it's shape and leave in the fridge until ready to serve.  If you have bought cream already whipped make yourself a cup of tea and relax for a few minutes.  Go on, I said so.

8.  Before serving remove the pie from the fridge, spread the whipped cream over the caramel layer and then sprinkle the crushed mint crisp bars on top of the cream.

I pity the fool!

I remember pots of rhubarb stewing on the hob at home for my dad when I was growing up.  I even remember my dad growing some in our back garden (if you saw the size of our garden you would be impressed by this achievement) for a few years.  But I never actually tasted it back then.  My dad would have a bowl of it swimming in custard but something about it just never really appealed to.  I spotted some bunches of rhubarb on Sunday while I was buying some fruit and knowing that Mr Boo enjoys all things fruit related I picked up a bunch to try.

I started with a basic rhubarb fool recipe and then made a couple of additions and the result was pretty good if you ask me.  You didn't?  Well, I'm telling yiz anyway so whist.  The fool recipe I used required double cream to be whipped but both himself and myself were in agreement (for once) that this was a little too heavy so I am going to use single cream for the recipe below. 

Rhubarb Fool with Custard Crunch
(Serves 4)

5 or 6 Stalks of Rhubarb
300g Caster Sugar
500g Tub of Single Whipped Cream
150g Ginger Nut Biscuits
500g Tub of Custard

1.  Preheat the oven to 190°C/374°F/Gas 5.
2.  Roughly chop the rhubarb and put into an ovenproof dish.
3.  Scatter the sugar over the rhubarb and cover the dish with foil (you do not need to add any water to this mix).

4.  Place the rhubarb and sugar into the preheated oven for between 45-60 mins until the rhubarb is nice and soft.
5.  Once the rhubarb is cooked remove the dish from the oven and strain the resulting syrup from the dish into a jug.  Set the syrup aside to cool but do not refrigerate it as it may crystallise and loose it's colour.

6.  Puree the rhubarb until smooth and set aside to cool.

7.  Place the ginger nut biscuits into a zip lock bag and pound with a rolling pin to crush.

8.  Once the rhubarb and the syrup have cooled place the whipped cream into a bowl.
9.  Add the rhubarb and half of the syrup (retain the other half for serving if people require more) to the cream and gently fold through to give a raspberry ripple effect, don't combine completely.
10. In a sundae glass or similar serving dish place a good dollop of custard into the bottom.
11. Place a layer of the crushed ginger nut biscuits on top of the custard.
12. Place a layer of rhubarb fool on top of the biscuits followed by another layer of biscuits.
13. Continue this pattern until the glass is full.
14. Garnish with a small sprinkling of biscuits and a drizzle of the reserved syrup.

This would make an ideal summer dessert for dinner or even Sunday lunch.  The prep work can be done in advance and assembly prior to serving to save time.

If you yield a very large amount of syrup from this recipe you could try adding some to some Champagne or Prosecco for a nice summer cocktail.

Happy Birthday M (3)

It was my niece's birthday last week and she had a little tea party on Saturday to celebrate.  She turned 3, imagine being 3 years old again and looking at all of the wonderful things the world is filled with through those innocent eyes.  For a 3 year old the world is indeed filled with wonder, even the tiniest of things can fill you with amazement and the most mundane can be turned into an adventure.  I see this when I look at my niece and revel in it.  Her eyes are always on the look out for the next mountain to climb, jungle to explore or villain to capture. 

She possesses a trait I never have and have always envied in my piers, and here she is at 3 and she has mastered it.  She is fearless in her outlook.  The higher she can climb, the further she has to fall the faster she can go on her swing and the taller she can bounce on her trampoline the better.  She doesn't stand back and weigh the situation in her mind, make a mental checklist of all the dangers that lie in the next action she is contemplating and then decide that on second thoughts it's not such a great idea, she just does it.  I have always been the opposite and still am to this day, I over analyse everything until all of the fun has been taken out of it.  I am a big old fraidy cat and know that I always will be.  I look at her with my stomach in my mouth (seriously, she is always attempting some stunt or other) and then watch as she emerges from each task triumphant and moves onto something a little more daring and hope if I spend enough time under her tutelage that her bravery might just rub off on me.

She is also a professional bossy boots.  Sometimes she does it in such a sweet and cute way you don't even realise you are being ordered here, there and yonder at her behest.  With age though she is developing a confidence in her powers and adopts a hands on the hips stance and a very stern voice as she points her little finger in the direction she is dispatching you.  She has the men in her life well and truly wrapped around her little pinkie, while the women around her will occasionally pull her up and give her a little talking to, the male of the species will do as she wishes without question.  Her granddad is the worst offender in this instance, it would seem age has softened him and he will let her away with murder allowing her worse misdemeanours to go unscolded and chastising anyone who dares to set her right.

When she is not being serious and keeping her minions in check she will be laughing somewhere, a gorgeous infectious all is right with the world laugh.  It is the kind of laugh that should be bottled and kept for dark and rainy days when nothing can lift the melancholic fog.  She laughs most when she is with her granddad, they are the bestest buds and have such fun together despite the 68 year age gap.  She is intelligent beyond her years and knows how to make others laugh and does so with the timing of Peter Kay to plaster a smile on all of the faces looking back on hers.  She generates laughter through her actions sometimes, making funny faces or a comedy fall, but more often than not it is through her witty dialogue.  She talks incessantly, never stops.  Even when you have moved your attentions from her and have started to converse with someone else she will still be nattering away at your elbow not stopping and just biding her time until your attentions return to her and her ridiculously funny and scarily intelligent ramblings.

These are just a few of the reasons why I love this tiny, golden haired beauty who came into all of our lives 3 years ago.  She was born to doting parents, a besotted granddad, and aunties and uncles who love her as though she were their own.  It is no wonder then that above all of her wonderful traits she is full of love and kindness.  She soaks it up like a sponge from all of those around her and it is so abundant in her that it seems to just ooze from every ounce of her tiny being.  I am amazed by her on an almost daily basis and will continue to watch her and learn from her over the years to come, and who knows maybe I will teach her a thing or two, just maybe.  Happy birthday M, love you lots.

In honour of M's birthday chocolate cupcakes were made and adorned with beautiful roses and sparkly glitter.  Now I was a bit lazy with the baking over the weekend (lazy might be the wrong word, I was pretty tired meaning all imagination went out the window) so baked the same cupcakes I tried out a few weeks ago so will just post a link to the recipe with some new photos.  I also made the 1st recipe I posted on the blog, an easy peasy Pavlova(meringue), so again will just post a link to the recipe with the addition of some photos taken before it was devoured.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
http://likemamusedtobake.blogspot.com/2010/02/where-have-all-fairy-cakes-gone.html

Wafer roses and edible glitter to decorate from Avoca

Pavlova(Meringue)
http://likemamusedtobake.blogspot.com/2009/09/old-faithful.html

Served with whipped cream and strawberries

The Night Before Christmas

Well, the big day has come and gone and sadly we must wait a whole year now for the revelry and goodwill to envelope us all once again. The build up this year seems to me to have been a mammoth task and bar the last two days I have not had a minute to myself. Exhaustion has set in, but it is a happy kind of exhaustion coupled with backache from basting the glorious bird and paper cuts from endless gift wrapping.

I must admit that Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the season. I find that this is the day when excitement reaches its most heightened point. Santa Claus is so close that you can almost smell him and yet you are still wondering what delights he may have safely stowed away on his sleigh for you. And then the children around you are positively beside themselves with anticipation of the whole situation, not knowing what to do with their little selves. Their faces tense with a mixture of emotions, hoping that they have indeed been good enough to receive the gifts they have been dreaming of for so long now.

This Christmas Eve was no exception and did not disappoint in any way. I did panic slightly when I woke up late having slept through my alarm but a little rushing around got me back on track. First we visited my parents in law who were also playing host to my husbands sister's and their families. This was manic of course with children opening presents, children fighting over presents, children fighting over empty boxes and fifty different conversations taking place all at once.

From there it was down to my Dads local to have a drink with him and my sister, and have a look at the decorations. The landlord turns what could be viewed as a somewhat dreary, lacklustre bar into a magical Christmas Grotto each year and my Dad insists we all meet up to admire them. This was a fairly sedate hour spent colouring with my niece and watching her do ballet up and down the pub regardless of who was in her way (man in wheelchair included). Then it was a quick stop off at my Dad's to collect a pot of his mouthwatering stuffing. This batch also proved a little eye watering as he had plied it with so many chillies!

Then the hunt was on for a suitable bath for Dustin who was to be brined as per Nigella's instructions. An eleventh hour dash to the shopping centre proved fruitful and so we could relax and make our final port of call of the day. And so to the pub to meet my brother in law and his wife before we headed for our traditional Christmas Eve Indian. After stuffing our gills with food and bubbles and laughing ourselves sick it was time to head home and get to bed before the big man arrived.

At this stage my bed was calling but unfortunately there was a ham to cook, a spa bath to prepare for the turkey and last minute presents to be wrapped before I dressed in my new Christmas p.j.'s and slippers, gave the house a final once over and headed to bed for visions of sugar plums to dance round in my head.

For once I jumped out of bed as soon as the alarm sounded on Christmas morning. I was expecting my whole family for dinner and had both the dinner and dessert to prepare before making myself beautiful. With all of my rushing around over the previous few days I was unfortunately not as prepared as I would have liked to be and so had not made my desserts in advance. This called for either a miracle or some quick thinking and having prepared all of the meat and veg for the main event I had to think on my feet and so I made a 5 minute trifle and adapted an ice cream bomb to turn it into a rather delicious cake. So, if you have any further entertaining to do over this festive season and like me find you are running dangerously short on time give these a try and I am sure that neither you or your guests will be disappointed. Enjoy and may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

5 Minute Trifle

1 Packet of Niece Fingers/Trifle Sponge
1 Tin of Ready Made Custard
2 Punnets of Raspberries(reserve some for decorations)
4oz of Sherry
100ml of Whipped Cream

1. In a glass bowl place a layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle Sponge on the bottom and around the sides. Overlap where necessary to ensure there are no gaps.
2. Pour over 3oz of sherry ensuring you soak all biscuits/sponge.
3. Place a layer of raspberries onto the sponge layer.
4. Place a layer of custard on top of the raspberries.
5. Place another layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle sponge on top of the custard.
6. Pour the remaining sherry on to the sponge layer and then repeat the raspberry and custard layers.
7. Finish of by pouring the whipped cream over the top and decorate with the reserved raspberries.
8. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Bailey's Bomb Cake
1 Litre Vanilla Ice Cream
3 Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Bars
2oz Baileys Irish Cream
100g good quality Plain Chocolate
100g Rice Krispies
50g Milk Chocolate Buttons (optional)

1. Remove the ice cream from the freezer to allow to soften.
2. Melt the plain chocolate over a pan of gently simmering water.
3. Crush the Honeycomb bars to large crumbs.
4. Once the plain chocolate has melted add the Rice Krispies and stir to coat. Place into the bottom of a silicone* baking tin and place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
5. When the ice cream has softened stir in the Baileys and crushed honeycomb bars.
6. Pour the ice cream mixture on top of the chocolate Krispie base. Decorate with the chocolate buttons and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

*If you do not have a silicone baking tin simply line a standard tin with grease proof paper. A silicone one works well in this recipe as the cake just peels away from the sides and stops the ice cream does not stick.