Recipe: Crab tart with spinach

For the pastry

125g diced cold butter
One beaten egg
250g plain flour
Seasoning
Two table spoons of water

For the filling

One handful of diced red onion
Two handfuls of chopped leeks
Two handfuls of chopped spinach
One packet of crab meat
A small carton of double cream
Two eggs beaten
A handful of sun-dried tomatoes
One handful of rocket
Seasoning

Method

Preheat the oven to 170c

First make the pastry by placing the egg and butter into a food processor and blitz until smooth
Add the flour and a pinch of salt and pepper, with the food processor running, pour in the water until the mix forms a ball.
Remove the pastry and wrap in cling film, place it in the fridge and allow to rest for thirty minutes.

Then roll out the pastry, line four moulds and blind bake.

To make the filling, in a saucepan gently saute the onion, leek and spinach until tender. Remove from the heat and add the rocket and crab, add enough cream to bind the mixture and mix in the eggs seasoning as you go.

Spoon the mixture into the tart cases and bake in the oven until set.

To serve, mix the rocket with the sundried tomatoes and place the tart on top.

Recipe: Northsea lemon sole

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter
Chopped dill or parsley
Two lemon sole
Flour for dusting
Olive oil
One shallot diced
Juice of one lemon
150ml white wine
100g samphire

Method

Make a herb butter by softening the butter, mix the chopped herbs
Pre-heat the oven to 200c
Heat a large oven proof frying pan. Dust the fish with a little flour, add a little olive oil to the pan and seal both sides of the fish.
Add the shallot, lemon juice and white wine to the pan and place in the oven for ten minutes or so depending on the size of the fish.
When cooked, remove the fish from the pan and keep warm.
Heat the juices in the pan and drop in butter cut into cubes, constantly shaking the pan until the butter is melted and the sauce is shiny.
Drop in the samphire to warm through, remove and place onto warm serving plates with the fish on top and the sauce spooned over the top

For this dish fresh fish is always required, here in the Northeast we can buy fansastic produce, Myself, Zoe and the kids love Latimers of Whitburn, once you have visited this fish counter you will never go anywhere else.

Recipe: Pear and Almond Frangipane

Ingredients

For the pastry
100g Butter
Two eggs
two drops of Vanilla extract
175g Sifted plain flour

For the frangipan
200g unsalted butter
200g sugar
Four eggs
100g ground almonds
50g plain flour
One pear-peeled, halved lenghways

Method

For the pastry
Pre-heat the oven to 150c
ina mixing bowl, cream the butter with the eggs until smooth. Gently fold in the flour and vanilla extract. Wrap in cling film and rest for 45 minutes. Roll out and line an eight-inchpastry ring or flan dish. To bake blind, cover the pastry on th bottom and sides of the flan with foiland wieght down with a handful of dried beans or pasta and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, lift of the foil and allow to cool.

For the frangipan
pre-heat the oven to 180c
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar , then beat in the eggs individually using a metal spoon, gently fold in the ground almonds followed by the flour

Half fill the pastry case with the mix and fan the pear slices on top. Then fill the pastry case with the remaining mix. place in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean- about 20-25 minutes

Serve with Mascarpone and fresh berries

Recipe: sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients
250g stoned dates
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
2 rounded teaspoons bicarbonate powder
150ml water
1 strong cup coffee, 100ml
250g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
350g plain flour

Method
Pre-heat oven at 150c
Put the dates, water, baking powder, bicarb and coffee into a saucepan and bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and cool, pour the mix into a blender and blitz to a smooth paste

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Then add the eggs and flour. Stir in the date mix then spoon into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, this mix will fill a dish 8"x10"

Bake in the oven until set, check with a skewer, dont forget it will carry on cooking when it comes out of the oven, you dont want it to dry out.

To serve cut into portions and serve with icecream, clotted cream or you can make a salted caramel to serve with it.

Recipe: Sable Biscuits

Ingredients
240g soft flour
180g butter
120g caster sugar
2 egg yolks

Method
Beat the sugar and butter to a cream
Add the egg yolk and beat into the cream
Add the flour and beat to a smooth paste
Transfer to a clean piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe into a silicone lined tray
Bake in an oven at 380c until golden brown in colour, allow to cool then store in an air tight container

Recipe: Rich hot chocolate fondant

Serves six
For the fondant
250g of plain chocolate
250g of unsalted butter
Two eggs
200g of caster sugar
135g of plain flour
30g of cocoa powder

Method

Grease six ramekins with butter, dust them with some of the cocoa powder and chill them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water in a pan . Once it's all melted, gently mix in the butter.

Sieve the flour and remaining cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Then, using a metal spoon, rather than stir gently fold in the butter/cocoa powder mix. Spoon the mixture into the ramikns until each is 3/4 filled. Tap each to remove air bubbles, cover with cling film and chill for at least a couple of hours.

This can be done well in advance, as you can do the final cooking after you've finished your main course. Heat the oven to 200c, bake the ramekins for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then turn them out onto the serving plates. You could serve them with a chocolate sauce, cream or ice cream.