Thrifty MummyHen

Baking and making

After seeing Froogs post about making a pie put-lid-on-it-frugal-pies I promised SonnyHen that I would make a meat pie with a bottom.  We have had many a discussion about pies with bottoms or without bottoms; I normally make pies without bottoms.  That is without a pastry bottom.  He asked for a meat pie, dauphinoise potatoes and mushy peas, DaddyHen ask for blackberry and apple cake.  Not thinking that it would be one of the hottest days of the year I duly set about cooking.

For the pie filling I used shin of beef – which I cooked for 4 hours, adding kidneys for the last hour before assembling the pie.  Plenty left over for the freezer.

 

 

Made the pastry as per Froogs recipe. 

 

I added shallots to the layers of potatoes in the dauphinoise and a grating of parmesan to the top. 

 

The blackberry and apple cake was a bit of throw it in and see what happens – I didn’t weigh anything out but know roughly what 250g of caster sugar looks like.

Pack of butter 250g, same of caster sugar, 4 medium/3 large eggs, 225g SR flour & 25g ground almonds, 400g bramley apples (peeled, cored & cut into large chunks), 250g blackberries. Mix butter & sugar, add eggs then fold in flour and almonds and finally the chunks of apple.   Deep round cake tin, lined, and the blackberries at the bottom neatly, then add the cake mixture and bake in the oven 160 for about 45mins. 

It was delicious and so moist the blackberries had turned to a red mush on the top, the apples were still crunchy and added to the moistness – only downside I couldn’t really taste the almonds maybe 110gs next time and/or some almond extract.

This is what was left this morning - I think they liked it!?!!!!!

 

 

 

MummyHen X