Episode 7: The Great Australian Bake Off – Pastry and a little Gluten free

Signature Bake Challenge was all about  Gluten Free. 

I have always lover the traditional Linzer tart its one of the worlds oldest recorded recipes. This inspired me to take something old and make it new, well the best way I know how.  Off course if you don’t like raspberry you can make strawberry jam or even plum it all works beautifully together. The pastry is lovely to work with and no rolling pin required.

“Spiced Raspberry Tart”

Shane’s in love with raspberry jam!

We are all enjoying some of Monique’s left over figs…..delicious!

Technical Bake Time!

The dreaded technical bake was soon to follow, the French crescent moon the Croissants!  Even though it caught us by surprise it was the first time I felt a little at easy. This was the first technical bake that I had made at home and even though it was almost 10 years ago for the first time I felt a little confident…..as scary as that sounds.  My croissants didn’t fail me they were golden and flaky all puffed up Im sure I made this french pastry proud. Judgment time and they got “1st” YAY!

The ALL important “SHOWSTOPPER”

“STRUDEL” I think I can still hear host Shane saying “STRUDEL”

I had watched my grandmother and mother use the method of stretching the wet dough to make these supper fine sheets it take patience and a very large table. But in my wisdom I chose to make the Filo Pastry the traditional way using a very thin long rolling pin and a copious amount of cornflour which helps to stop the pastry from sticking together. Once this process has been completed each sheet is coated in golden melted butter to help the sheets cook and crisp through as well as add enough flavour to appease and French pallet. The real challenge with a strudel “no-mater” what the filling is the final presentation and I think a simple stencil and some sugared cinnamon was just the touch my strudel needed.

RECIPE!

Gluten Free – Spiced Raspberry Tart

Ingredients

Serves 10 – 12

For the pastry

• 1 cup almond meal
• 250g gluten-free flour
• pinch of baking powder
• pinch of bicarbonate of soda
• 3 teaspoons icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 200g butter
• 1 free-range egg yolk
• 1 vanilla pod
• zest of 1 lemon

For the jam

• 1kg raspberries
• 1kg A1 sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ x 50g packet Jamsetta (pectin)

To finish

• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 1 free-range egg yolk, beaten, for the egg wash
• cinnamon and stencil for dusting

Utensil

• 1 x 25cm fluted loose-based flan tin

Preparation Method

Place the almond meal, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, icing sugar, spices and butter into a food processor bowl and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk through the feed tube and process until combined. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the dough along with the lemon zest.

Place the dough onto a floured worktop and knead lightly until smooth. Cut off one-third and roll into a ball. Shape the remaining pastry into another ball. Wrap in cling wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out the larger pastry ball. Line the tin, then place it back in the fridge to rest the pastry. (A hint for rolling out this pastry, as it is quite crumbly: spray your worktop with oil. Place a large piece of cling wrap on top and roll the pastry out onto it. This will make it easier to pick up.) Roll out the smaller piece of pastry onto baking paper. Cut a small circle (18cm) to sit on top of the tart. Chill the base and top for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Wash the raspberries. Place the sugar in a deep pan and heat in the oven for 6 minutes. Place the raspberries in a separate heavy- based pan with the water and lemon juice. Mash the fruit and add the warmed sugar and Jamsetta, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and cook, bubbling, for 5—10 minutes. Skim off any scum and discard. (To test if the jam is set, place 3 saucers in the freezer. Once cold, place 1 level teaspoon of jam on the first saucer. If set, the jam should wrinkle once cool; if not continue cooking for a further 3 minutes and test again on a fresh saucer.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fill the chilled pastry case with the jam and cover with the decorated circle of pastry. Place almonds around the circle. Brush the pastry with egg wash and bake for 20—25 minutes. Decorate by sifting the cinnamon over the stencil before serving.

Thank you to judges Kerry Vincent and Dan Lepard

for there wonderful comments and off course being chosen as STAR BAKER.