The Great British Bake Offs Edd Kimber, otherwise known as The Boy Who Bakes, has created four delicious afternoon tea recipes for BerryWorld, suppliers of fresh berries, all year round. In this collection, Edd has taken four classic bakes and given them his own twist. Each one features a different berry. You don’t have to be an expert to recreate these showstoppers so whether you serve with tea or a glass of something bubbly you are sure to impress your friends and family.
‘For me, baking is all about turning simple ingredients into something amazing, and then sharing it with your friends and family.
Edd Kimber’s BerryWorld blackberry and goats cheese quiche
A lovely quiche with rosemary pastry and a goat’s cheese, rocket, bacon and blackberry filling.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 65 minutes
You’ll need:
Rosemary Pastry
- 200g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
- 135g unsalted butter
- 4tbsp ice cold water
- 1 large egg yolk
Filling
- 100g lardons, cooked until crisp
- 120g goat’s cheese, diced
- 80g blackberries
- 1 large handful of rocket
- 3 large eggs
- 60ml whole milk
- 200ml double cream
- Black pepper to season
What to do:
To make the pastry place the flour, sugar, salt and rosemary into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, the odd bigger chunk of butter is fine.
Add the water and pulse until the pastry forms a ball. Tip the pastry out and use your hands to gently bring together into a uniform dough. Wrap in Clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour before using.
Roll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until about 2-3mm thick. Use the pastry to line a loose bottomed tart tin, 9 inches in diameter, trimming off any excess.
Refrigerate the tart case from an hour before baking. Line the chilled pastry base with a crumpled piece of parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 25 minutes at 180c (160c fan oven) before removing the parchment and beans and baking for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden.
Remove from the oven and brush the pastry case with the egg yolk before baking for a minute or so to set the yolk (this helps create a strong barrier so you don’t get a soggy bottom).
Start filling the pastry case by adding a layer of rocket and then sprinkle over the blackberries, goat’s cheese and bacon. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and cream, seasoning with some black pepper.
Carefully pour in the egg mixture and place the quiche onto a baking tray and place into the oven, baking for about 25 minutes at 180c (160c fan oven) or until the egg mixture is set and top is very lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
When filling the quiche keep a few bits of bacon and rocket aside to sprinkle on top of the quiche after the egg mixture has been poured in.
Edd Kimber’s BerryWorld raspberry and pistachio tarts
Individual tarts with pistachio custard topped with raspberries and chopped pistachios.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
You’ll need:
Filling and Topping
- 225ml whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 25g cornflour
- 50g pistachio paste
- 600g fresh raspberries
- 25g chopped pistachios
Sweet Pastry
- 200g plain flour
- 20g ground almonds
- 40g icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- 125g unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tbsp ice cold water
What to do:
To make the pistachio filling place the milk into a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile place the egg, yolks, sugar, cornflour and pistachio paste into a large bowl and whisk together to combine.
When the milk is at temperature pour over the egg yolk mixture and immediately whisk together, to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture back into the pan and over medium heat cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick. Scrape back into the bowl and press a sheet of Clingfilm onto the surface and refrigerate until needed.
To make the pastry place the flour, almonds, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add the egg yolk and the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form a ball (if the mixture is too dry add more water a tsp at a time). Tip the mixture out onto the work surface and use your hands to gently knead together into a uniform dough. Wrap in Clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour before using.
(I like to form the pastry into a sausage shape before chilling and cutting into six slices to roll out individually, it’s easier to handle small pieces of pastry and it’s less likely to get warm and sticky)
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until about 2-3mm thick and cut out 6 rounds of pastry big enough to line 10cm wide tart tins. Use the pastry to line six 10cm loose bottomed tart tins, trimming off any excess. Place the tarts onto a baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the pastry is chilled.
Line each tart case with a piece of crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake in an oven preheated to 180C (160C fan) for about 20 minutes then remove the parchment and the beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
To assemble the tarts fill each tart shell with a layer of the pistachio mixture, top with fresh raspberries and chopped pistachios, dusting with a little icing sugar if you fancy.
The tarts are best served on the day they are assembled but the pastry can be made up to a week in advance and the custard up to three days in advance.
Note – You can make your own pistachio paste simply by placing 200g toasted pistachios into a food processor with a couple tbsp. of granulated sugar and processing for about 10-15 minutes until smooth and creamy.
The pistachio colour needs to be vibrant green, it is best to use high quality pistachios. I used tart rings the loose bottomed tins are easier to find and more common for home bakers.
Edd Kimber’s BerryWorld strawberry and lemon thyme eclairs
Delicious eclairs filled with vanilla Chantilly with Thyme and fresh strawberries
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
You’ll need:
Crunchy Topping
- 75g caster sugar
- 75g plain flour
- 60g unsalted butter
Choux Pastry
- 60g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 60ml whole milk
- 60ml water
- 40g plain flour
- 45g strong white bread flour
- 2-3 large eggs, beaten
Filling
- 400g strawberries
- 2 sprigs of lemon thyme
- 2 tbsp. caster sugar
- 600ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
What to do:
To make the crunchy topping for the eclairs mix together the sugar and the flour, add the butter and rub together until it starts to form a dough. Use your hand to press together into a uniform dough. Place between two sheets of parchment and roll out until it is about 2mm thick. Place onto a baking tray and freeze until needed.
To make the choux pastry place the butter, sugar, salt, milk and water into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Once at temperature pour in both of the flours and immediately mix together with a wooden spoon, until it forms into a ball of dough and there is a dry layer on the base of the pan. Tip the pastry into a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs a little at a time beating until combined before adding more. Add enough egg until the pastry is thick, glossy and has reached dropping consistency. Place the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip (roughly 1cm wide).
Line two baking trays with parchment paper and draw ten 12cm lines onto the back of the parchment, 6 per sheet. Pipe the choux pastry into eclairs, using the lines as guides. Remove the crunchy topping from the freezer and cut into strips 12cmx1.5cm and place one of top of each eclair (this gives the eclairs a crunchy topping but also helps give a uniform shape, making them look more professional).
Bake in the oven at 180c (160c fan) for about 30-35 minutes or until the choux is golden brown. Set aside until cooled.
To make the filling hull 300g of the strawberries and cut into small dice. Mix together with 1 tbsp. of the sugar and the thyme. Set aside for an hour or so to macerate.
Place the cream, vanilla and remaining sugar into a large bowl and whisk until the mixture holds soft peaks
Cut the eclairs through the middle and fill the base of each eclair with the strawberries (leaving the juice in the bowl).
Place the cream into a piping bag and pipe the cream on top of the strawberries. Hull the remaining strawberries and cut into quarters, pressing into the sides of the cream as decoration. Top with the eclair lids and dust with a little icing sugar.
Once filled the eclairs are best served within a couple hours of assembling but the baked eclairs can be prepared a day ahead.
Tip: To get perfect eclairs you need to pipe the eclairs very neatly. Any imperfections in the piping can show up in the baked eclairs.
Edd Kimber’s BerryWorld blueberry friands
Almond cakes studded with blueberries topped with flaked almonds.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
You’ll need:
- 140g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 35g plain flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 125g icing sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 36 blueberries
- 6 tbsp flaked almonds
What to do:
Lightly grease a 12-hole non-stick muffin pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).
Heat the butter in a small pan on a medium/high heat until the butter foams and the milk solids turn a golden brown. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds and sugar. Add the egg whites and almond extract and mix together until smooth. Pour in the butter and mix together until smooth and fully combined. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for an hour before baking.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin pan and top with three blueberries per friand and scatter the flaked almonds around the edges. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a little paler in the middle.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Kept in a sealed container these little cakes will keep for up to three days.
All recipes courtesy of www.berryworld.com
