Fairy Cakes
Use PRESTIGE MARGARINE to bake these sweet little treats that are perfect for a tea-time snack.
Serves: 18 cakes
Time: 50 minutes
Prep: Hand/ stand mixer, Preheat oven 200 degrees C.
Utensils: Cupcake tins, 2 large bowls, paper cake cases, sieve
Ingredients:
Flour, self-raising: 125g
Baking powder: 1teaspoon
Caster sugar: 125g
PRESTIGE margarine: 125g
Eggs: 2
Milk: 1tablespoon
Icing sugar: 225g
Food colour: assorted
Decoration: Sweets, sprinkles or coloured sugar.
1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar, prestige margarine, eggs and milk. Whisk for about 2 minutes or until pale and soft.
2. Half- fill each paper case with the mixture and bake for about 10- 15minutes or golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually blend in 2-3 tablespoons of warm water until the mixture is fairly stiff but spreadable. Colour the icing to your liking. Spread the tops of the cooled cakes with the icing and decorate as you wish.
Bacon Savory Rice
This is a great one-pot dish, good for picnics and even chama sessions. Just make up a tangy salad to serve alongside and you are good to go. If you like, make up stock from 2 beef cubes and 500 ml water to use in boiling the rice for more flavour.
Serves: 4people
Time: 45mins- 1hr
Prep: boiling water
Utensils: Large saucepot with lid, knife and chopping board, wooden spatula
Ingredients:
PRESTIGE margarine- 57g
Bacon rashers- 8 -10 pieces
Mushrooms- 113g, washed and sliced
Onions- 1 small, finely chopped
Rice- 226g
Salt & Pepper- to taste
1. Melt the margarine in the large pot and remove the rinds from the bacon. Chop 2 of the rashers into small dice and cut the rest into half and roll tightly. Fry them until crisp, then remove the rolls and keep aside for garnishing.
2. Fry the mushrooms with the remaining bacon pieces and then remove everything from the pot.
3. In the same oil, fry the onions and the rice, then add the boiling water or stock (500ml). Cover the pot tightly and leave the rice to cook. When ready, mix in the bacon and mushroom mixture and serve garnished with the bacon rolls.
English Tea Scones
The secret to light and crumbly scones is to handle the mix as lightly as possible and bake very fast after kneading. The margarine should be cold, but not frozen so that it doesn’t melt into the flour when you rub it in. Instead of fresh milk, use sour milk for a better and lighter scone. Store in an airtight tin, but handle carefully as they are crumbly.
Serves: Makes 20 scones
Time: 35minutes, including baking time.
Prep: preheat oven 200 degrees C, grease baking trays lightly
Utensils: large and small mixing bowls, sieve, whisk, rolling pin, large round cookie cutter, baking tray
Ingredients:
Flour (plain/ all-purpose): 500g
Sugar: 125g
Salt: a pinch
PRESTIGE margarine: 125g (keep in the fridge, it should be quite cold)
Baking powder: 12g
Milk: 250ml (should be cold)
Sultanas: 125g
1. Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar into the large bowl. Break the margarine into small pieces and mix in with the flour mixture, rubbing with your fingertips to create a sandy textured mixture. Work quickly so that the margarine doesn’t melt, and don’t over mix.
2. Work in the sultanas and milk to create a soft and light dough, handle as little as possible. Use just enough milk to bring the mixture together into a ball. Don’t knead the flour, use your fingertips to bring the mixture together and stop. If you need to rest the dough, put it back into the fridge for a few minutes while you prepare your work surface for rolling out the dough.
3. Lightly dust your working area with a little flour. Roll out the dough quickly into a fairly thick rectangle. Dip your cutter in flour and cut out the scones, placing on the prepared baking tray. Put your scraps together and roll out again, then cutout more scones until the dough is all used up. Leave some space between the scones for rising.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20mins until risen and golden. The scones should sound hollow when tapped. Serve warm or cold, spread with cream and/ or jam of your choice and a cup of hot tea.
Mini Snack Pies
The best thing about these pies is that you can freeze them. They make a great children’s snack if you are looking for a change from the usual school snacks and you can easily carry them to work or on a picnic. Vary the filling to suit your preferences, you can make them vegetarian, they are easily customized.
Serves: makes 24 pies
Time: 70minutes, including baking and chilling times
Prep: Ice-cold water, preheat oven 200 degrees C, greased cupcake/muffin tins,
Utensils: large bowl, large jug, cling film, 2 small bowls, 2 cupcake/muffin tins, wire rack, fluted round cutter, flat knife
Ingredients:
Flour, plain: 225g, sifted
PRESTIGE margarine: 125g (keep it cold for best results)
Eggs: 2
Milk: 225ml
Spring Onions: 2, trimmed and chopped
Cooked chicken/ Tuna (canned): 100g, flaked
Tomatoes: 2, chopped
Cheddar cheese: 25g, grated
Ham: 2 slices, chopped
Salt: to taste
1. Put the flour into the bowl and rub in the margarine by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Blend in the ice-cold water with the knife and knead lightly until the dough is smooth. Cover with cling film and chill for about 30minutes.
2. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 3mm. Cut out rounds with the pastry cutter- they should be about 3inches each. Press them into the holes in the greased tin.
3. Beat the eggs and milk in a jug. Mix spring onions with the tuna/chicken in one bowl, and the tomato and ham in the other. Divide the two mixtures between the pastry cases, and pour the egg mixture over all of them.
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until the filling is set and the pastry is slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Recipes from my Pastry Chef friend Selaine Jommo.
