Episode 1 Best Bakes Ever


Episode 1

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The wonderful smell of bread just out of the oven,

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the perfect pie crust,

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the snap of a biscuit

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and, of course, cakes.

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Cakes of all shapes and sizes

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and for every occasion.

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We've got something for all the senses here

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as we celebrate some of the best bakes ever.

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Hello and welcome to some of the BBC's Best Bakes Ever.

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We have some really special treats for you today.

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We've got two fantastic pie recipes,

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with Nigel Slater using butternut squash

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and James Martin going for beef and mustard.

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It's pretty good, that, isn't it?

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Mary Berry serves up a delicious gratin.

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And Paul Hollywood bakes pitta bread with souvlaki.

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Raymond Blanc demonstrates the perfect apple souffle.

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It's like making concrete,

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the nicest concrete you have ever made,

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and you cannot go wrong.

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It's so simple. It is truly simple.

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Lorraine Pascale creates some French-inspired tarts.

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And, of course, there's cake,

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today's being a pecan caramel cheesecake from the Hairy Bikers.

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Let's build a cheesecake. Woo-hoo!

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But we're getting things started today with a different cake

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that was recently voted the nation's favourite.

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It's the carrot cake

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and this recipe from top chef Michael Caines might just be the best yet.

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So, for this recipe, we're peeling the carrot

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because we're going to just remove those bitter tannins from the skin

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so that we just have that lovely, sweet, tender carrot

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which we're going to grate.

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The bitterness of the skin is great in savoury dishes

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but this one is all about the sweet carrot flavour.

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What I love about grated carrot is it's not just good for baking with.

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In France, we used to have these lovely salads,

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they used to call it sort of crudites of salads,

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where we used to just grate the carrot

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and serve it with a little bit of vinaigrette,

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mustard, vinegar and oil,

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seasoning, salt, pepper,

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and perhaps a little bit of chopped dill in there.

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It's just absolutely fantastic.

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Great texture, wonderful flavour.

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Careful of your fingers.

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Then we add some texture with walnuts.

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So...

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Just a light chop.

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They have a slight bitterness to them

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and that contrasts really nicely with the sweetness of the carrot.

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So now we're ready for our mixture.

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Combine some flour, eggs, cinnamon,

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sugar and bicarbonate of soda.

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For me, one of the key things about carrot cake that I love is

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the moisture of it and that sweetness that you get from the carrot.

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Natural sweetness. It's just absolutely delicious.

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And then the texture of the nuts and of course that lovely cinnamon

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flavour that gives you lovely persistent lengths on that palette.

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For this recipe, it's important to use oil rather than butter.

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It helps give the cake its moisture.

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The moisture of the cake is coming from the oil

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and of course the carrots themselves.

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My grandmother, when she was making her Christmas cakes,

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swore blind that if you added a little bit of grated carrot, it

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gave it that real dark colour that she used to get from her Christmas

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cakes and it's something of a tip I still use today in my own recipe.

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When mixed well, put it into a lined cake tin.

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Here we are. Now we're going to put that in the oven and bake.

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Once it is baked and cooled, turn it out onto a plate.

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I've got a little tip for you.

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I have turned it upside down

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so that the dome of the top of the cake

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fits nicely into the bottom of a plate

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and that gives you this lovely flat surface to be able to ice.

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I'm using a simple icing mixture of butter, sugar and cream cheese.

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There we go.

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And then to finish,

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I've got a few candied carrots which I have just blanched very quickly.

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There we are. My classic carrot cake.

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You can just feel it is so moist.

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You can just see how lovely this cake is.

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I love this recipe.

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So moist.

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You've got the texture of the nuts and then you have that cinnamon spice that persists on the palate.

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But it's just stunning.

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Stunning indeed.

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But if you are looking for something a little bit lighter,

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how about this next recipe?

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Inspired by Lorraine Pascale's trips to the patisseries of Paris,

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these are what she calls her Skinny Tarts.

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This recipe calls for filo pastry.

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Filo is my absolute favourite pastry.

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It's very, very thin so you have to handle it really carefully.

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Just have a look at that. You can almost see your hand through it.

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And because it dries out so quickly

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it needs to be brushed with loads of butter.

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I like to use bristle brushes

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because you can get so much more butter on it.

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The silicon brushes, you just can't get the same amount of butter on.

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All this butter is going to stop it from drying out

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whilst I prepare it and from burning when it goes in the oven.

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And it's the only naughty bit of the whole recipe.

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You need a really sharp knife to cut the filo pastry.

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I am cutting it into squares, four like that,

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large enough to fit inside the muffin tin.

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Cut it all the way across

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and then take one leaf and put it on the board.

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Take another one and put it slightly offset so you've got like a star.

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The reason why you layer filo pastry is because

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it's so flimsy it needs lots of layers to make it sturdy.

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I'm also going to brush the tin because sometimes it sticks

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and it's very difficult to get them out.

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So brush all around.

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And then just layer it over the top of the tin.

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Gently ease it down really carefully because you don't want

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to put your finger in it, but if you do it's no big deal.

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And to help you push it right down into the corners,

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just take an off-cut, roll it into a little ball

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and then just push it right down like that.

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There. Right, now I'm going to get on with the rest.

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Beautiful.

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OK. Pop them in the oven, five minutes, 180 degrees

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and they will crisp up perfectly.

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Once these look crisp and golden brown, take them from the oven

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and just leave them to cool completely in the tin.

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Whilst they are cooling, I'm going to make my filling.

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So 500 grams of yoghurt. This is low fat but you can use no fat.

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I like to flavour the yoghurt with vanilla.

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It's best to use vanilla pods and not vanilla extract.

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Then some honey. A big squidge.

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Give it a good mix.

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Pile it high with as much yoghurt as you like

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because it is a skinny mix after all.

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Now for the fruit.

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I like to use different types of fruit to top the tarts.

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You can use exotic fruits or just basic fruits.

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I'm going to start off with these black grapes, always seedless.

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And then these fabulous dragon fruit.

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They are from Thailand but you can get them from the supermarket.

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You just cut them in half and inside they have this fantastic white,

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almost poppyseed texture.

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Then you get a spoon and scoop it all the way round.

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I love that pink colour. Look at that. Scoop it out.

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And then just cut it.

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I will put those in there.

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And figs. I love figs. Simple, wrapped in Parma ham.

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But for the tart, they really give some nice height.

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Beautiful redcurrants just to finish it off.

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So nice and shiny.

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How beautiful does that look?

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Oh, here's a chefy tip.

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Bowl, a couple of dollops of jam, raspberry and always seedless.

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Then get some hot water and add a drizzle,

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just enough to loosen the jam up a bit.

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OK. Mix it well together.

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Look. A beautiful, gorgeous Skinny Tart in under an hour.

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Now we have a recipe from Paul Hollywood.

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Here he is making two classics - souvlaki and pitta bread.

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Pitta, from the ancient Greek word for solid, it is versatile,

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yeast leavened flat bread that puffs up in the oven.

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Its reputation might be tarnished by some bad memories of late-night

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kebabs, but I lived in Cyprus for several years and I love the place.

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And I associate pitta with my favourite lunch, pork souvlaki.

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I've invited two Cypriot friends, Abraham and Georgina, to join me.

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Hello, guys. Now, what we are going to do is make some pitta and you are going to help me.

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-Have you made pitta before?

-No.

-We buy them in.

-You buy them in.

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Well, it has got to be made somehow, hasn't it?!

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What I'm going to do is add the flour in here.

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Straight into the bowl. Now, this bowl came from Kouklia.

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This is the village I used to stay a lot at when I was over in Cyprus.

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Yes, we have some of these.

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I'm going to add some maia, some yeast to that.

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-Yes.

-A little bit of flavouring of salt in there.

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Then I'm going to add the nigella seed. You might know it more as black cumin.

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A little bit of that in there. And of course, the olive oil. Yes.

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-Then the last thing to go in, I'm going to add some water.

-OK.

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Move the flour around. Don't worry. Just get your hands dirty.

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Just move it around. You have a go that side, Abraham.

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You should be able to get a feel of it. Do you need more water? I think you probably might do.

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-A little bit more water on this side, yes.

-You need a bit more water.

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When I used to go to Kouklia, we used to do this with all the families up there.

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It is such a good laugh, I really enjoyed it.

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A friend of mine lives in Kouklia and he is the baker.

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All he does is he makes the pittas in the old woodfired oven.

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What we're trying to do is replicate what you can do in a woodfired oven at home.

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So I want people to get involved with making pittas.

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If you get the dough, just tuck it into the middle and then push.

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It's that rhythmic action that begins to build up the gluten strands

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which you need inside the flour.

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You say you've never done this before but you have picked it up.

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-It's in your DNA!

-You are probably right.

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Let's have a look at that. That is perfect.

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I love the fact that I'm teaching Cypriots how to make pitta bread!

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That's fantastic!

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The dough needs to rise until it's doubled in size,

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then it's ready to make into pitta.

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I'm just going to divide this into a few balls.

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You can make big pittas or small pittas.

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I'll make some fairly big ones.

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I want a lot of souvlaki in there, if I'm honest.

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Shape it into a rough ball. Slap it down.

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Then you need to start to stretch it out.

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I'm going to shape these into a pitta shape.

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No need to prove it again.

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We're going to put it straight on and what we call sting it in the oven.

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It's going to be hit with a lot of heat very quickly

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and we should start to see that puff and rise in the oven.

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You've got to be quick. Nice and hot. 250.

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This is quite an active dough.

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When you put this on a hot tray, gravity holds the base down,

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yeast begins to work very quickly because it's very hot

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and the top will begin to puff up because it's thin.

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The trick is bringing it out at the optimum time.

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Too much colour, it turns like a cracker. That's ready.

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Flecks along the top. It is still quite pale as well.

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As the air temperature begins to drop the temperature of the bread

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that will then soften up and this drops down.

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Now I'm going to make my filling.

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Souvlaki could be with lamb, pork, could even be with chicken.

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But I prefer pork. Pork is by far and away my favourite.

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I've decided to use belly of pork.

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For me, I love that bit of fat on there.

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The crispness you get from the fat.

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Thread chunks of pork belly on to a skewer

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with chopped onion and peppers.

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We are going to get a bit of colour on these.

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As the skewers sizzle on the griddle,

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baste them with olive oil, season and sprinkle with dried oregano.

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Finally, brush them generously with red wine for an authentic flavour.

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Now, we can put it all together.

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Cut your warm pitta open and stuff with shredded cabbage,

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lettuce, onion and tomato.

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Top with the griddled pork and vegetables

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and serve with a chunky Cypriot salad.

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Here you go, guys.

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I hope you like. I have even served it on the paper as well.

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-It looks great.

-I love it. I used to have this for lunch.

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And dinner, actually.

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And if I could have it, I would have had for breakfast as well!

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-This is nice and healthy.

-You did a great job.

-Thanks, guys.

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-I appreciate that.

-Yamas.

-Yamas.

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Mary Berry is next,

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using a vegetable that like Paul's pitta and Souvlaki

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originally came from the Mediterranean - fennel.

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It's one of my favourites and it's an important ingredient

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in this terrific gratin that Mary is making.

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I'm a great believer in simple food

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that makes life easier in the kitchen.

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My next recipe, a fennel and potato gratin, allows you to bake

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all the vegetables in one dish all at the same time.

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So I've got three bulbs of fennel.

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I'm very fond of fennel and once it is cooked you rather lose that

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aniseed flavour and you just get a nice crunch and a good flavour.

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It's well worth trying.

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Remove the feathery tops from the fennel,

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cut each bulb in half lengthways, then slice into thirds again.

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Next, chop three onions roughly the same size as the fennel

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to ensure that they cook evenly.

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It's important when cutting up the onions

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to leave the root on the bottom.

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You see, this is holding together here.

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If you cut that root off it all falls apart.

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Now I'm going to par-cook the fennel and the onion.

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If you roast it on its own it never becomes tender.

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It becomes stringy.

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Bring the fennel and onion to the boil in salted water for five minutes.

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In the meantime, chop three large potatoes into wedges.

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Then add to the pan and allow to simmer for a further five minutes.

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Once the time is up and the vegetables have been drained,

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return the pan to the hob, add 50 grams of butter

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and two cloves of crushed garlic.

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As soon as the butter is melted,

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return the vegetables to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

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And then just gently turn that in all that lovely butter and garlic,

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just until it's really coated with the butter.

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Tip the mixture into a greased oven dish,

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level it out and grate over some Parmesan.

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That will melt in the oven and give a lovely crust on the top.

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You can do all this ahead,

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the day before if you like or earlier in the day and let it get

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stone cold and then cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge.

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Then into a hot oven and you've got your veggies sorted.

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The gratin needs about 30 minutes at 180 degrees fan.

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If you have chilled it overnight,

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it will take an extra five or 10 minutes.

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That looks so crunchy and delicious.

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A great alternative to just roast potatoes.

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Let's move now from something crunchy to something light

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and luxurious from Raymond Blanc.

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It's a creamy apple souffle, cooked in a buttered baked apple.

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Icing sugar. Icing sugar, please.

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Hello? Can I have icing sugar, please?

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Raymond's final dish is a light and creamy apple souffle

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cooked in a buttered baked apple.

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To prepare the apples, scoop out the flesh of the fruit, brush

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the insides with Calvados butter and bake them for nine minutes.

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Then cool them in the fridge.

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All we have left is to do our souffle.

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For the souffle, first make the base.

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OK, so it's very, very simple.

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Sugar, vanilla, milk, eggs and flour.

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Simmer 170ml of milk

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and a teaspoon of vanilla essence in a pan on a gentle heat.

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You need two egg yolks.

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In a bowl, separate two egg yolks.

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So keep your egg white for the souffle later.

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You add 20 grams of sugar.

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You cream it.

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Add 30 grams of plain flour.

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It's like making concrete,

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the nicest concrete you have ever made and you cannot go wrong.

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It is so simple. It is truly simple.

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Pour the heated milk and vanilla slowly into the bowl

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while whisking to prevent lumps.

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At the moment, it's very thin.

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It needs to be thickened up with the heat.

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Then pour the mix back into the pan and return to the hob.

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You can see these lovely little bits of vanilla popping out.

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It's beautiful.

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You can see it is already thickening a little bit.

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It has thickened, it is smooth, it is shiny and you know it's good.

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Raymond adds Calvados for extra flavour.

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When the pastry cream has thickened, remove it from the direct heat

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and put it in a pan of warm water.

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It's very important for all souffle to keep the pastry cream warm

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because it does help to give it extra lift.

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Equally, to mix egg white to a cold pastry cream, good luck to you!

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It's very hard.

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Next, whisk five egg whites in a bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Then slowly add 55 grams of caster sugar, whisking all the time.

0:20:270:20:31

I'm just laughing about this egg white.

0:20:340:20:37

Adam.

0:20:390:20:40

Adam, can you do it quicker?

0:20:420:20:45

I'm knackered!

0:20:490:20:51

I'm absolutely knackered! I don't know why.

0:20:510:20:53

More?

0:20:550:20:56

OK, tres bien.

0:20:580:20:59

That's perfect.

0:21:020:21:04

In a separate bowl, whisk a third of the egg whites into the pastry cream.

0:21:050:21:09

Of course, my base is warm and I can quickly lighten my base.

0:21:090:21:12

Tres bien.

0:21:120:21:14

Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.

0:21:140:21:16

Don't over mix, that's a big mistake.

0:21:160:21:18

When you over mix the bubbles of air go psh, psh, psh.

0:21:180:21:22

And all the lightness is going away as well.

0:21:220:21:24

Apples, please? Can I have them, please?

0:21:260:21:28

Remove the cooled apples from the fridge and spoon in the souffle mix.

0:21:300:21:35

Shaping the tops so they are round.

0:21:360:21:38

A bit of icing sugar just to create a lovely crust on the top.

0:21:380:21:42

Then place each souffle in the oven

0:21:420:21:44

on a square of greaseproof paper to stop them sticking.

0:21:440:21:47

Those will take about seven minutes.

0:21:480:21:50

The apple souffle can be eaten on its own

0:22:000:22:02

but Raymond serves it on a layer of sabayon with caramelised apples

0:22:020:22:07

and adds a sorbet topped with an apple crisp.

0:22:070:22:10

There are three main components of food which are crucial.

0:22:180:22:21

The ingredients, the creativity and the people I share it with.

0:22:210:22:26

Then food gets exciting.

0:22:260:22:28

Perfect. Enjoy. Celebrate it.

0:22:300:22:33

We've got two great pie recipes coming next

0:22:340:22:37

from two of our best loved chefs.

0:22:370:22:40

First, Nigel Slater.

0:22:400:22:41

He has chosen butternut squash for his filling.

0:22:410:22:44

It needs a bit of work in the peeling,

0:22:440:22:46

but it's always worth the effort in the end.

0:22:460:22:48

One soft and crisp recipe that never fails to please is a pie.

0:22:510:22:55

It's that moment of crunchy crust and a soft filling and it doesn't

0:22:560:23:00

matter to me whether it's sweet or savoury, as long as it's a pie.

0:23:000:23:04

What is essential is getting that light and flaky pastry with

0:23:050:23:09

something soft inside and butternut squash works beautifully in a pie.

0:23:090:23:15

Scoop out the seeds and the fibres.

0:23:200:23:22

They are of no use to anybody but they are very good on the compost.

0:23:220:23:25

Cut the flesh into equal sized chunks so it cooks evenly.

0:23:250:23:29

Butternut squash takes ages to roast in the oven

0:23:310:23:34

so I'm giving this a head start by steaming it first.

0:23:340:23:37

I haven't got a proper steamer.

0:23:390:23:42

So I make one.

0:23:430:23:45

With a kitchen colander balanced over a pot of hot water.

0:23:460:23:49

You pop that on to steam.

0:23:530:23:55

For about 20 minutes or so.

0:23:570:23:59

Next, I'm going to get roasting.

0:24:060:24:09

Olive oil or groundnut would work. I'm using rapeseed.

0:24:090:24:12

A little bit of richness. I'm going to add some butter.

0:24:130:24:16

There is masses of natural sugar in any of the squash family and what

0:24:210:24:24

I want to do is to caramelise that sweetness in the oven.

0:24:240:24:28

A little bit of cinnamon in here.

0:24:290:24:31

It works beautifully with the pumpkin family.

0:24:310:24:34

It isn't just a spice for sweet recipes.

0:24:350:24:37

It adds a depth to savoury dishes like this one.

0:24:370:24:41

The really important thing for any pie is to have a crisp pastry

0:24:410:24:46

and to have soft filling.

0:24:460:24:49

So I'm going to mash my squash.

0:24:490:24:51

Then that goes in the oven for about half an hour.

0:24:550:24:57

Next, the crust. I'm going to use puff pastry for my pie.

0:24:590:25:03

Light as a feather and crisp.

0:25:030:25:06

It's nice to make it from scratch,

0:25:060:25:08

but I often take a shortcut and use ready-made.

0:25:080:25:11

Give it an extra roll.

0:25:110:25:13

Although this is really thin and ready rolled,

0:25:150:25:18

I want it to be even thinner and crisper.

0:25:180:25:20

I want these edges to stick together firmly.

0:25:280:25:30

So I'm going to brush them with a little bit of egg wash.

0:25:320:25:36

Put the other piece of pastry on top of that.

0:25:370:25:40

Then press the edges round very firmly to seal them.

0:25:400:25:43

Two of three slits in the top will let the steam out.

0:25:460:25:49

Although I do like a really crisp crust and a soft filling,

0:25:510:25:55

I also like that bit just underneath the top bit of the crust,

0:25:550:26:00

where the filling or the sauce meets the pastry,

0:26:000:26:06

to be partly crisp and partly soft and it's sublime.

0:26:060:26:09

And then into a really hot oven.

0:26:100:26:12

That will take about 20 minutes or so.

0:26:120:26:14

You can't rush a pie.

0:26:200:26:22

There is no shortcut when you are waiting for the filling

0:26:220:26:25

to cook through and the pastry to turn gold.

0:26:250:26:28

Patience is all.

0:26:280:26:30

I've got a crisp crust there.

0:26:340:26:36

There is that thing of something very soft and fluffy

0:26:530:26:57

encased in something crisp and crunchy.

0:26:570:27:00

And it is textures that just work.

0:27:010:27:03

Don't be scared of pastry.

0:27:040:27:06

Take that little shortcut with good quality ready-made

0:27:060:27:09

and you will still get a brilliant result.

0:27:090:27:12

When you get that combination of luscious and crunchy right,

0:27:120:27:16

a pie is a thing of beauty.

0:27:160:27:18

And the simpler the better.

0:27:180:27:21

And now for another pie.

0:27:280:27:30

A real beauty from James Martin who has invited his friend Jez round

0:27:300:27:34

to enjoy one made with beef and mustard.

0:27:340:27:38

I think it's great when you know the journey your food makes from field to fork.

0:27:400:27:45

So I've invited Jez Clay along to my house to see what I'm going

0:27:450:27:48

to do with some of his excellent produce.

0:27:480:27:50

So do you cook much at home? Somebody tells me you are a better farmer than you are a cook.

0:27:500:27:55

-Who told you that?

-I have my sources, you know.

0:27:550:27:57

-It's not far away down the road.

-Definitely.

0:27:570:28:00

I'm going to make him a classic beef pie.

0:28:020:28:05

A dish that's guaranteed to brighten even the most miserable day.

0:28:070:28:11

And I'm jazzing it up with a bit of mustard

0:28:130:28:15

and topping it off with a puff pastry lid.

0:28:150:28:17

It utilises this wonderful meat that you produce

0:28:190:28:21

but also a cut that people don't really use normally, it's the skirt.

0:28:210:28:24

You either cook it very, very quickly or very slowly with a cut of meat like this.

0:28:240:28:28

If you cook it to in between,

0:28:280:28:30

it becomes tough and almost like eating your shoe.

0:28:300:28:33

The French like it... They just take this and let it warm up.

0:28:330:28:36

They take the hooves off the animal and...

0:28:360:28:38

I used to work in France and they used to say the steak used to walk through the kitchen...

0:28:380:28:43

-And that's it done!

-..allow it to get to 30 degrees and then serve it.

0:28:430:28:46

That was it, really. But it is lovely.

0:28:460:28:49

And then just a small amount of flour.

0:28:510:28:53

Now, this is really the key

0:28:530:28:55

to making stews and pies is this next bit.

0:28:550:28:58

Not too much flour.

0:28:580:29:00

If you add too much it just thickens it up way too much.

0:29:000:29:04

Nice hot pan. A little bit of oil. Seal off the meat.

0:29:040:29:08

Get it really, really hot.

0:29:080:29:11

Why such big chunks?

0:29:110:29:12

To me, it's the kind of thing my mother used to do.

0:29:120:29:16

It was all to do with decent sort of chunks.

0:29:160:29:18

So even the carrot, you top and tail it and throw it in, you know.

0:29:180:29:22

This is where you get the colour on the beef stew.

0:29:220:29:25

Whether you are doing a beef stew, a beef pie, it's this bit.

0:29:250:29:28

And often, too many people cut the meat too small,

0:29:280:29:31

put too much in the pan and it ends up sweating.

0:29:310:29:34

That is where you have to get the pan really hot and you can see

0:29:340:29:37

you've got that colour on the piece of meat which we've got in there.

0:29:370:29:40

Then we can start to add other things.

0:29:400:29:43

We've got some grain mustard.

0:29:430:29:45

-I don't know whether you are a fan of mustard.

-Dijon.

0:29:450:29:48

You've got grain, is that all right?

0:29:500:29:51

-Horseradish?

-Horseradish is banned. This is my house.

0:29:530:29:56

Horseradish is the food of the devil!

0:29:560:29:59

Don't you watch a certain Saturday morning show?!

0:29:590:30:02

It's disgusting.

0:30:030:30:05

You don't need much to accompany meat this good.

0:30:060:30:09

Just some good quality vino, beef stock.

0:30:090:30:12

Onions.

0:30:150:30:16

Carrots, a sprig of thyme and seasoning.

0:30:180:30:22

Then it just needs patience.

0:30:220:30:24

Gently simmer it for a couple of hours.

0:30:240:30:27

Luckily for you, I've got one that I've got over here.

0:30:270:30:31

Now, allow it to cool down.

0:30:330:30:34

And now for the lid.

0:30:340:30:36

I'm using some home-made rough puff pastry.

0:30:360:30:39

-This is my grandmother's rolling pin.

-Really?

-Yes, look at that.

0:30:410:30:44

That is where she hit me the first time!

0:30:450:30:48

Old rolling pins to me are just, I don't know,

0:30:490:30:51

it's one of these things that I always buy.

0:30:510:30:54

Whenever I go to an antique shop, you get an old rolling pin

0:30:540:30:56

because, I don't know, there is something about them.

0:30:560:30:59

Surely if you've got one, you've got enough.

0:30:590:31:01

I've got loads of them. Look, there is another one in here. There's that one. How weird is that?

0:31:010:31:06

But you can't actually roll that one out flat.

0:31:060:31:08

I don't know what the hell you do with that one. I just like them.

0:31:080:31:11

I need to get out more obviously!

0:31:110:31:14

But when you are doing puff pastry, less flour

0:31:140:31:16

because it toughens up the pastry.

0:31:160:31:18

And using all-butter puff pastry is the only way you can possibly

0:31:230:31:27

top this indulgent treat.

0:31:270:31:29

Now, if I was back in the restaurant I would get my chefs to do this a bit fancy.

0:31:300:31:34

But you are at my place, so that is about as fancy as you're going to get it, all right?

0:31:350:31:40

Glaze with a couple of egg yolks and be generous.

0:31:410:31:45

It will give the finished dish a beautiful sheen.

0:31:450:31:48

And I think comfort food should look as good as it tastes.

0:31:480:31:51

It needs to go into a hot oven for half an hour.

0:31:510:31:54

This stuff really is fantastic.

0:31:550:31:57

-Do you cook much of your own stuff at home?

-Yes.

0:31:570:32:00

Well, my wife does all the cooking.

0:32:000:32:02

Rustic pie. We've got beans with that as well.

0:32:080:32:12

Do you want to eat it out of the pot? I suppose I had better plate it.

0:32:120:32:15

You made the effort to come some 15 miles and all that!

0:32:160:32:19

And then a good dollop of the pie.

0:32:220:32:25

Dig around for chunks of your beef as well.

0:32:290:32:32

Dive into that.

0:32:320:32:34

-That is lovely.

-It's pretty good that, isn't it?

0:32:420:32:45

And before you say it, it doesn't need horseradish!

0:32:450:32:48

It's amazing how it just falls apart.

0:32:500:32:53

It's all to do with the quality of the cook!

0:32:530:32:55

And the beef.

0:32:570:32:58

It's really good, that.

0:32:580:33:00

I think the flavour is deeper.

0:33:020:33:04

It is deeper and more mature. More rich. It's not far off being gamey.

0:33:050:33:10

You know what I mean? It's not far off that. Cheers.

0:33:100:33:13

-Best of luck with everything.

-Thank you very much.

0:33:130:33:16

I suppose I'd better wash up now, really.

0:33:160:33:18

I will do it for you.

0:33:190:33:21

Yeah, right! Enjoy.

0:33:210:33:23

So there you have it, my simple warm and tasty beef and mustard pie.

0:33:260:33:29

Perfect to cheer you up on a winter's evening.

0:33:290:33:32

That almost brings us to the end of today's bakes,

0:33:320:33:35

but we've got room for just one more.

0:33:350:33:37

And we're going out with an explosion of really sweet ingredients.

0:33:370:33:41

Here are the Hairy Bikers.

0:33:410:33:43

-Let battle commence.

-OK.

0:33:430:33:45

Gird your loins, undo your corsets, here go.

0:33:460:33:51

To make the caramel for our cheesecake,

0:33:510:33:54

put 200 grams of caster sugar in a pan together with six

0:33:540:33:58

tablespoons of cold water and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.

0:33:580:34:01

Then, to kick off the base mix take 100 grams of pecan nuts and blitz.

0:34:040:34:10

Now, I need to melt a block of butter.

0:34:130:34:16

This is for mixing into the pecan nuts

0:34:160:34:19

and my biscuits to make the base.

0:34:190:34:22

So the pecan nuts go into a bowl.

0:34:220:34:24

If this wasn't luxury enough,

0:34:250:34:27

the biscuit of choice is the beloved chocolate digestive biscuit.

0:34:270:34:33

I love them. I love them.

0:34:330:34:35

-Are they milk or plain?

-These ones are milk.

0:34:350:34:38

But this recipe would work equally well with plain.

0:34:380:34:42

Stick 150 grams of biscuits in a blender.

0:34:420:34:44

Right, pulse.

0:34:440:34:46

I do want some texture in this, that is why I'm being quite careful.

0:34:480:34:51

Lovely. Put that in a bowl with your nuts.

0:34:530:34:57

And cover with the just so melted butter.

0:34:570:35:01

Give that a stir.

0:35:030:35:05

So that is the pecan nuts whizzed up,

0:35:050:35:07

the chocolate digestive whizzed up and a slab of butter.

0:35:070:35:10

Now, put this into the tin and press.

0:35:110:35:14

Now, you don't need to bother buttering the bottom of the tin.

0:35:170:35:21

-There is quite enough there already!

-Yes.

0:35:210:35:24

Meanwhile, take 150 grams of white chocolate, break into squares

0:35:250:35:29

and place in a bowl over a pan of boiling water to melt.

0:35:290:35:32

-You've got some chocolate left over, haven't you?

-I have, yes.

0:35:320:35:36

Cook's perks. Press this down into the bottom with your hand.

0:35:360:35:39

This is a great, great cheesecake base.

0:35:400:35:44

And really, press it quite well in

0:35:450:35:48

and don't let it creep too much up the sides.

0:35:480:35:51

Back with your sugar syrup, try not to be impatient either.

0:35:530:35:56

You do want it to go a deep colour, but don't do it quickly.

0:35:570:36:01

Look, you can see how the heat is just going through it

0:36:010:36:04

and it is starting to colour up that lovely golden.

0:36:040:36:07

-It takes eight to 10 minutes, doesn't it?

-It does.

0:36:070:36:09

And depending actually as well on the temperature of the sugar,

0:36:090:36:13

if it's a freezing cold day, it could take even a little bit longer.

0:36:130:36:17

That is the base.

0:36:170:36:18

We just pop that in the fridge for about an hour

0:36:180:36:21

until it sets solid.

0:36:210:36:22

See how it's going that lovely deep golden colour.

0:36:250:36:28

As soon as the caramel is rich in colour like this,

0:36:310:36:33

it's ready to remove from the heat.

0:36:330:36:35

Whatever you do, don't touch this. This is hotter than a hot thing.

0:36:360:36:41

It will make your skin flake off.

0:36:410:36:43

Don't worry about dribbles like that. Dribble is a good thing.

0:36:430:36:46

It is.

0:36:460:36:48

We want a random kind of drizzle, a bit like a Jackson Pollock painting.

0:36:480:36:51

It's where Blue Peter meets Fanny Craddock

0:36:540:36:56

in a whole blaze of sticky back plastic and sugar!

0:36:560:36:59

-I think we are there, mate.

-I think we are, mate.

0:37:010:37:03

We are going to use a bit more than half of this to make some caramel crumbs.

0:37:030:37:07

That gives us the caramel in the cheesecake.

0:37:070:37:09

The rest of it, the nice lattice bits,

0:37:090:37:12

we're going to break off and they are going to be like sails

0:37:120:37:14

that sit as decorations on top of the cheesecake.

0:37:140:37:17

The chocolate is beginning to melt. Leave that.

0:37:170:37:20

Don't stir chocolate when it's melting. Wait until it is just about there.

0:37:200:37:23

Look at this. I love this. It's kind of... Is that not magic?

0:37:250:37:29

-Isn't it brilliant?

-That's fabulous. Look at that.

0:37:290:37:33

Break off 125 grams of the gorgeous hardened caramel

0:37:340:37:37

and blitz into crumbs in a blender.

0:37:370:37:39

Quite beautiful, aren't they?

0:37:410:37:43

It's the inside of Crunchie bars.

0:37:460:37:48

-Yes.

-Do you want to? No, all right.

-Not really. No, thanks.

0:37:480:37:52

Let's build a cheesecake. Woo-hoo!

0:37:520:37:56

Just in case there wasn't enough sweetness there,

0:37:570:38:00

just add a bit more sugar.

0:38:000:38:01

75 grams to be exact.

0:38:030:38:04

Hey, Kingy, now is the time to pump up the fat.

0:38:040:38:09

Here we go. It has a platter of its own. There it is.

0:38:090:38:13

Full fat soft cheese. Stand by arteries!

0:38:130:38:15

You could use that low-fat stuff but hey,

0:38:150:38:18

you've gone this far down the line!

0:38:180:38:20

Fat goes in.

0:38:200:38:22

And some cream.

0:38:230:38:25

Honest, this is epic

0:38:280:38:30

and this cheesecake will serve 12 to 15 slices.

0:38:300:38:34

So if you look at it like that, it's not as bad as it looks.

0:38:340:38:36

Now, the chocolat.

0:38:360:38:38

FRENCH ACCENT: I will empty it out of the bowl.

0:38:380:38:41

But it's that caramel crumb that gives it the flavour

0:38:410:38:45

and the character that is the pecan caramel cheesecake.

0:38:450:38:48

Don't worry if there are bits of chocolate kind of on the surface.

0:38:500:38:53

It's better to have bits than burn the chocolate

0:38:530:38:55

because those bits will melt when you cook the cheesecake.

0:38:550:38:59

Now, as it's a big cheesecake it contains eggs.

0:38:590:39:03

-It has to contain eggs or it would be cheese soup.

-It would.

0:39:030:39:07

For this cake, use four whole eggs and two additional egg yolks

0:39:100:39:14

and add to your blender.

0:39:140:39:15

Now, put that on to your processor and blitz.

0:39:150:39:19

Look at those colours. Wicked!

0:39:210:39:24

And the caramel gives this cheesecake

0:39:260:39:29

the most wonderful caramel hue.

0:39:290:39:33

Oh, it's a hue of caramel!

0:39:330:39:35

-Look at that.

-Oh, man.

0:39:380:39:39

Let's make the cheesecake.

0:39:420:39:44

Get your chilled base and place the tin in the middle of a large piece of foil.

0:39:460:39:51

Bring the foil up the sides to create a foil ball

0:39:510:39:54

around the cheesecake and place on a medium-sized roasting tin.

0:39:540:39:58

-Look at that.

-Oh, man.

0:39:580:40:00

Now, pour your cheesecake filling on top of your base

0:40:010:40:04

and surround the cake tin with boiling water,

0:40:040:40:06

roughly two centimetres up the sides of the tin.

0:40:060:40:09

Put this into a preheated oven,

0:40:110:40:14

160 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes.

0:40:140:40:18

After three quarters of an hour, turn off the oven

0:40:180:40:21

and leave the cheesecake inside for it to cool for a further hour.

0:40:210:40:25

Then grab the mighty cheesecake and stick it in a fridge

0:40:270:40:30

for a minimum of three hours and a maximum of 24.

0:40:300:40:33

Whether your cheesecake is one of the baked or unbaked varieties,

0:40:360:40:40

it doesn't matter.

0:40:400:40:41

They all need to chill in the fridge in order for them to set.

0:40:410:40:45

-How is the mighty beast?

-Look at this.

-And how is the cheesecake?!

0:40:460:40:49

-Absolutely beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

-That has set, hasn't it?

0:40:490:40:54

No cracks.

0:40:540:40:55

Gently release the cheesecake.

0:40:570:41:00

We don't want to crack this little fellow.

0:41:000:41:02

Then tidy the edges with a palette knife

0:41:020:41:04

and place your cake on a serving platter.

0:41:040:41:07

-It's gorgeous in its magnificence.

-And now it's ready for decorating.

0:41:100:41:14

I'm going to whip 300ml of double cream.

0:41:140:41:18

Whip the cream into soft peaks.

0:41:180:41:20

Meanwhile, break the reserved caramel into shards

0:41:200:41:23

ready to scatter on the top.

0:41:230:41:25

Then, using a desert spoon,

0:41:320:41:34

shape the cream into big fluffy clouds over the cheesecake.

0:41:340:41:38

White, billowing folds of cloud.

0:41:380:41:41

Time for bling.

0:41:440:41:46

Just place the caramel shards across the top at jaunty angles.

0:41:480:41:51

-Wow!

-It's special, isn't it?

0:41:510:41:54

This is proper.

0:41:560:41:57

The caramel flavour in the cheesecake is absolutely gorgeous.

0:41:590:42:03

-There is no two ways about it.

-Oh, yes.

0:42:030:42:06

You bring that to the table after dinner

0:42:060:42:09

and everybody around the table is going to get that view.

0:42:090:42:12

It is absolutely beautiful.

0:42:130:42:15

There is more than enough in that to satisfy the most critical,

0:42:170:42:21

greediest sweet tooth on the planet.

0:42:210:42:24

-And come back for more.

-Aye.

0:42:240:42:26

You can see why people have been tempted

0:42:300:42:33

by a cheesecake for centuries.

0:42:330:42:35

This cake would befit a royal table as much as ours.

0:42:350:42:39

It truly is the best of British.

0:42:390:42:42

The best of British indeed and a definite best bake ever.

0:42:420:42:47

That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed all of today's chefs.

0:42:470:42:51

There will be plenty more of your favourites next time.

0:42:510:42:54

See you soon. Bye bye.

0:42:540:42:56

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