Betty's Bakewell Tart

Everyone in the world needs a Betty. If you could bottle her spirit it would be the best tonic in the world! I'm talking about my friend Betty Wilson. When trying to think of how to describe what she does I'm at a loss to find the words. Yes, she used to do tarot readings, yes, she speaks with spirit and yes over the years of her life she has helped many people dead and alive but to me she is so much more than a clairvoyant, medium or psychic. She has been a rock, a guide and a guardian angel! My life has had many ups and downs and I've often felt very different to everyone I meet, that was up untiI I met Betty. She gave me a reading years ago and it was full of lovely things that were coming my way, low and behold it all turned out to be true. I'm happily married now with 3 children and 2 step-children. Thanks to the wisdom, guidance and a general shoulder to cry on that Betty offered over the last few years, I truly believe I have grown more as a person than I had in my life before she was in it. I do things now, that I wouldn't have dared or even imagined I could do, all because she tells me I can. She has been such a rock to me and never asks anything in return, as all she tells me is she gets all the happiness from seeing how I grow. The one thing she loves is a bakewell tart and I promised her I would make her one, it's the least I can do. She is a true friend, a real life angel and my guiding star so Betty's tart is my tribute to her.

For the pastry:

200g plain flour

100g unsalted cold cubed butter

100g icing sugar

30ml milk

Place all the ingredients in a bowl.

Run your hands under the cold tap for a minute as this helps with the rubbing process.

When you have dried your hands rub the butter into the flour until there are no lumps left and the mixture resembles crumbs.

At this point pour in the milk and stir with a blunt knife for roughly a couple of minutes until the dough forms a ball.

Knead the dough on a floured surface and make a smooth ball.

Clingfilm and pop into the freezer while you make the filling.

For the filling:

100g unsalted softened butter

100g sugar

100g ground almonds

Tsp almond essence

2 egg yolk

2 tbsp jam mixed until runny

Flaked almonds to top.

Beat the butter until it is soft and add the sugar.

Mix until fluffy and add the ground almonds, almond essence and egg yolks and combine.

Roll out your firm pastry ball until nice and thin.            

                                       

Carefully draping the pastry over your rolling pin place your dish underneath and trim the edges.

Spread your runny jam over the base.

Spoon in your filling and spread evenly and preheat the oven to 200.

As I had enough pastry left I rolled a long rectangle and cut out some lengths to make a lattice topping for the tart. Before assembling the top sprinkle on the flaked almonds.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200 then turn the oven down to 150 for a further 10-15 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar, serve with a fresh cup of coffee and say a little thank you to Betty Wilson for this fine treat!

Be as nice as this pie

After a successful trip to Asda in Stockton-on-tees the other day, we managed to bag quite a few bargains from the fruit and veg department. I have to say, the two ladies who were pricing up the reduced items, advertising their wares like market stall holders, with beaming smiles and jokes galore, were a pleasure to speak to. I always admire people that go that extra mile, being nicer than they have to, just because they can, especially in this day and age where so many people are quick to judge and hate. I often think, people that have time to make nasty, negative (not constructive, there's a difference) comments, must have pretty miserable lives consumed by hate and bitterness. For that reason I forgive them and recommend they try my compliment challenge. I guarantee it will lift their spirits and make them feel better and the world can be a better place. That's world peace sorted and I haven't even had a coffee yet! Now for world hunger, this recipe I'm about to share is delicious and I'm aware asparagus is usually quite expensive, however thanks to our shopping trip it was reduced to 81p a bunch. You could make this go even further by adding a pack of mushrooms and although I used chicken breasts as I had them in already, you could use leftover roast chicken. I used chicken stock and cream, but you could substitute that for chicken soup instead. For my local followers, don't forget your Whitby Gazette tomorrow for my column!

2 chicken breasts diced

2 bunches asparagus snapped into bite size pieces

3 rashers streaky bacon chopped

Tsp dried thyme

1 pint chicken stock (or 2 tins of chicken soup)

100ml cream (or leave out if using soup)

Tbsp flour (leave out if using soup)

25g butter

Ready roll puff pastry sheet

Fry off the bacon and chicken breasts until cooked add thyme

In a separate pan cook the asparagus in butter

If using soup, add this and the asparagus to the pan with the chicken and bacon

Otherwise add the flour to the asparagus and stir

Combine the asparagus and chicken and slowly add the stock

Stir in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes

Place contents into an oven proof dish and top with pastry

Cook at 200 for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden

Serve up with a large helping of niceness.....don't choke on the hate!

Please yourself pie

Firstly I would like to say thank you to those of you reading my blog and trying out my recipes. I've had nearly 5000 views and I'm over the moon to think I may be helping some of you live a bit cheaper. In these frankly miserable days where the news throws out so much negativity, we really do need to spread some cheer! Now this recipe is great for using leftover turkey, as well as chicken, and is very tasty! It's cheap to make and very filling too. If you don't eat it all it's great cold the next day! You can pretty much throw in anything to fill it out, please yourself, if you have leftover stuffing , put that in, or some sausages need using up, throw them in. You could add cream or creme freche to make it a bit richer we had it without and it was still delicious. It's your pie put what you want in but the base is chicken/ turkey and leeks.

Leftover chicken/ turkey meat (I actually used a full chicken that was reduced to £2.79 in Lidl)
2/4 leeks sliced
Tsp dried thyme
3 rashers smoky bacon/ streaky whichever you have/want
150g mushrooms
1 pt chicken stock
Tbsp flour
Ready rolled puff pastry

Add chopped leeks to a pan with a nob of butter on a medium heat and sweat, with the lid, on stirring occasionally for about ten minutes.
Fry your chopped bacon strips on a high heat with the thyme and mushrooms.
Transfer the bacon and mushrooms into the leeks and stir in the flour until dissolved.
To deglaze the bacon pan, put it back on the heat and pour in some of the stock until any residue has dissappeared.
Pour all the stock into the pan with the leeks, not forgetting the stock from the frying pan with the flavour from the bacon!
Stir in the meat until it's bubbling nicely and simmer for ten minutes.
Transfer into an oven proof dish and top with the pastry.
Score some nice diagonal lines with a knife and if you want a golden pastry brush with beaten egg (it doesn't matter if you don't do this it just looks nicer)
Put into a preheated oven at 180 for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.