Cheese & Bacon Turnovers

 These were a definite success

• Tomato paste
• All-purpose flour, for surface
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 12 rashers smoked bacon
• Grated cheddar
• 1 large egg

 

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 400° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
2. Step 2On a lightly floured surface, working one at a time, roll out puff pastry to a 15" x 10" rectangle. Cut each into 6 squares for a total of 12.
3. Step 3Rotate square to a diamond shape and brush with tomato paste. Top with a slice of bacon and grated cheese.
4. Step 4Fold left side of pastry over filling and brush with egg wash. Fold right side of pastry over and brush top and sides with more egg wash; optional - sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Arrange on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry.
5. Step 5Bake bundles until golden about 15 minutes.

 

• Freezing Raw (Best Method): Assemble the turnovers, but skip the egg wash. Place them on a baking tray in the freezer for 3-4 hours until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.
• Freezing Baked: Allow the turnovers to cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. 

How to Cook/Reheat from Frozen:

• From Raw: Bake straight from frozen at 180°C–200°C (355°F–400°F) for 25-30 minutes. You can apply the egg wash just before baking.
• From Baked: Reheat in the oven at 180°C–200°C for 10-20 minutes, or until warmed through and crispy. 

 

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

 This was a very light and tasty sponge - I made in a loaf tin

8oz rhubarb cut into bite-sized pieces

4 oz self-raising flour

4 oz caster (superfine) sugar

4 oz butter or margarine

3 fl oz ready-made custard

2 eggs

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar to dust 

Instructions

Mix sugar and rhubarb and boil together for 5 minutes

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Put 3 tbsp of the custard into a small bowl and add the rest into the batter. Mix.

Add in the vanilla essence and sift in the baking powder and flour. Mix well.

Spoon one third of the batter into a greased 8″ (20 cm) cake tin and spread evenly.

Add about a third of the rhubarb, then one third more cake mix and spread it out as well as you can. Add another third of the rhubarb then spoon over the remaining cake mix. Scatter the rest of the rhubarb over the cake and dot the remaining custard over.

Bake at 170°C for 30 mins until risen and golden.

Cover with foil and bake for a further 5-10 mins. The cake is cooked by when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cook for longer if necessary. Cool the cake in the tin, then dust with icing sugar.