John Whaite - John Whaite Bakes At Home

John Whaite Bakes

John Whaite Bakes

Copyright 2014 John Whaite The right of John Whaite to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2014by headline publishing group 1 Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of

reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Every effort has been made to fulfil requirements with regard to reproducing copyright material. The author and publisher will be glad to rectify any omissions at the earliest opportunity. Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library This ebook edition has been created using CircularFLO from Circular Software.

John Whaite bakes wherever he goes at food festivals, on the nations top cookery shows, as a student at Le Cordon Bleu and as a teacher at his new cookery school. Yet the place where he still most loves to bake is at home, creating delicious treats and feasts for his family and friends. Here John shares with us his favourite recipes for both relaxing and entertaining. If you are a novice baker, there are plenty of simple yet impressive-looking bakes to get you started, and there are also some technical challenges for more experienced bakers who want to show off too. From decadent dishes such as the Giant Banana Butterscotch Chelsea Bun for a lazy weekend brunch with friends, through afternoon tea delicacies such as Orange Brle Mille-feuille, to flamboyant party showstoppers such as the Splash Three-tier Celebration Cake, this book contains more than 120 recipes to feast on with your loved ones.

Contents

Introduction 7Recipe Finder 8Before you start 10 kitchen tips 10Fast Fabulous Breakfasts 17 Leisurely Brunches 33 Afternoon Tea and Patisserie 57 Family Bakes 93Picnics: Garden or Carpet 117 Friendship Feasts 141Special Occasions 171Indulgent Treats 207 Simple Essentials 245Index 253Acknowledgements 256

Introduction

At home is where our baking stories most often begin. In our own kitchen, surrounded by evocative smells and familiar faces, we experiment with flavours and techniques. We play our favourite music as we whip cream or melt chocolate, and the soothing rhythm of creation takes hold. We are safe. We feel safe.After creation, comes pleasure. I adore gobbling down a dessert, but the biggest pleasure I derive is seeing my familys and friends faces as they serenely and silently relish the bake of the week. And the fact that this was created in my own home well, there cant be a greater sense of comfort and safety. Perhaps thats why so many of us bake throughout our entire lives: it enables us to spend quality time with those we love, be they friends or family, in our own homes or wherever we feel most at home. I honestly dont believe that home is restricted to that one place you return to in the evening, with your own colour schemes and ornaments adorning the walls. Anywhere I can unwrap my knife kit, beat some butter and sugar, and just bake, is a form of home for me.On a Friday night, for instance, when we are set free from the constraints of our working lives and let loose, my group of friends and I get together to eat, drink and generally be merry. Although the location of our weekly meets and eats alters from one Friday to the next, there is always an almost tangible feeling of homeliness. My good friends recently moved into their first house. It was a building site for many weeks, but that didnt stop us from cosily convening on cardboard boxes, bowls of pudding in our laps and pies in our hands. These friendship feasts

arent confined to a single location, but can and do happen anywhere there is food available, and good quality, homemade food at that.Home doesnt have to be an abundance of fairy lights and friends. It can also be a moment of time alone, or that all-too-common feeling of a rumbling tum that awakens us in the night. The feeling that forces us to sneak downstairs in peckish pursuit of a midnight feast or an indulgent treat. That too, although a time of solitude, has a haunting homeliness.The times I spend baking in my home are the very best. The looks on my nephews and nieces faces when we bake together, as they try to roll pastry that sticks stubbornly to their rolling pins, add an extra special something to my life. Even those rushed grab-n-go breakfasts, and the rare leisurely brunches and lunches with a partner, are times to be relished, and memories in the making. And then there are the special occasions: Christmas, Halloween, weddings. All are moments of indulgence and celebration with those people who make us feel most at home.Many people have asked me why I am writing a book about home baking when Im fresh from a patisserie diploma. Well, I could write a book on patisserie, or a book on bakes from around the world, but Im not ready yet. I wanted to create a book that celebrated the simplicity of baking and the true meaning of home. Thats not to say these recipes are slapdash simple they arent. Some of them employ techniques I learned in my recent baking education; some of them show off new favourite flavour combinations; all of them are treats that I would serve my family and friends at home. So, choose a recipe, relish the time you

RECIPE FINDER

Cakes, Gateaux and TortesApple and Granola Breakfast Cake 27Cherry Tea All-Bran Cake 28Chestnut and Chocolate Candy Cane Swiss Roll 205Choco-berry Fraisier Cake 63Chocolate Lustre Cake 89Christmas Spiced Savarin 173Cloudy Purple Carrot Cake 50Elderflower Soaked Loaf with Gooseberry and Nettle Compote 128Fallen Angel Cake 221Fig, Pecan and Orange Bundt Cake 142Gluten-free Chocolate and Hazelnut Celebration Cake 201Gluten-free Pistachio and Chocolate Torte 228Guinness and Black Battenberg 223Mango and Coconut Mousse Cake 66Mojito Cake 146My Christmas Cake 187Orange and Cardamom Opera 81Pistachio and White Chocolate Christmas Tree Torte 177Raspberry and Pistachio Genoise Slices 77Rhubarb, White Chocolate and Thyme Traybakes 124Rose Swirl Angel Food Cake 217Sherbet Lemon Cake 95Slimming Suzies Almost Fat-free Cake 157Splash 3-Tier Celebration Cake 182Wendys Beetroot Cake 114ConfectioneryPopping Cranberry Chocolate Shards 203Fennel Tea Truffles 234Cookie Dough Fudge 240Small Cakes and MuffinsCoffee and White Chocolate Chip Muffins 22Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins 26Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes 98

Sticky Ginger Muffins 23The Ravens Nests 197Two-toned Madeleines 97Scones, Pancakes and Quick BreadsBlack Beer and Fennel Loaf 137Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes 31Orange and Cranberry Girdle Scones 38Desserts, Puddings and MeringuesApple and Ginger Hot Meringues 148Aussie Crunch 100Boozy Brambleberry, Honey and Oatmeal Meringue Messes 229Choca-Cola Macarons 84Chocolate Lime Pie 166Chocolate Mud Mug Pud 241Chocolate Teaser Souffl 53Cookie Dough Brownies 129Crumble in a Jar 123Double Cherry and Amaretti Rocky Road 136Japanese Cotton Cheesecake 209Hot Toddy Sponge Puddings 242Messy Tropical(ish) Trifle 103Mini Unbaked Alaska 212My Version of Doughsants 232Pistachio Praline Meringues 73Rocher Pops 238Rolo Meringue Kisses 102Rose and Raspberry Crme Brle 175The Anarchic Cheesecake PB&J 162

PastryApple and Lavender Sandwich Tarts 75Arabian Nights Tart 86Baked Spicy Lamb Samosas 159Banoffee Cream Horns 105Blood Orange and Almond Tartlets 19Brunch Choux Rings 34Cherry Pecan Pies 168Chocolate Marble Tart 227Crab and Avocado clairs 91Croissants 29Curried Beef and Sweet Potato Pasties 122Feta, Spinach and Almond Filo Tartlets 126Free-form Plum Tart 108Full English Galette 44Giant Jam Tart 101Grape-and-Go Danishes 24Lancashire Beef Hot Pot Picnic Slices 138Mince and Frangipane Tartlets 199My Bakewell Tarts 111Orange Brle Mille-feuille 58Picnic Pie 127Prune and Orange Tartlets 70Pumpkin and Feta Pie 179Summer Celebration Tart 180Smoked Mackerel Quiche 42Spiced Pear Tarte Tatin 210BiscuitsApple, Macadamia Nut and Oatmeal Cookies 30Blackberry Jam Crumble Shortbreads 113Cinnamon Caramel Tuiles 219Gingerbread Soldiers with Yellow and White Dip 107Mini Gingerbread Teacup Houses 191Mont Blanc Biscuit Butties 237Rhubarb and Rose Shorts 130Utterly Nutterly Shortbreads 235Vanilla and Chocolate Pinwheels 110Wedding Hearty Rings 193BreadApple and Blackberry Brioche Galette 35Chilli, Saffron and Spelt Loaf 21Curried Broccoli and Halloumi Fried Naan Breads 144