Time to Bake Baking Made Easy

I'm Lorraine Pascale. Baking is my passion.

When I quit modelling, I tried lots of things like being a car mechanic, an interior designer,

then I found cooking and that was it.

I've worked in restaurants, I've run my own business and I'm going to share some chef's secrets with you.

For me, baking is anything that cooks in the oven - sweet and savoury,

classic dishes, delicious new ideas

and baking you thought you'd never be able to do, but you can.

Baking is not always fast, but it's always easy.

I love to bake, even when I'm in a rush,

and at the weekends when things are possibly a little less frantic,

I really enjoy baking in a more leisurely way.

Things like big batches of pumpkin and rosemary muffins which I make

and freeze for the week ahead. And then fashionable and delicious macaroons.

They do take a bit of time, but it's well worth it.

And the same goes for mini tiramisu cakes.

They have dinner party sophistication with a hint of playfulness.

And did I mention? They're delicious too!

It's tough to beat home-made pizza,

topped with prosciutto, mozzarella and fig.

Hmm! Right, time to bake.

You may notice that my roof terrace is a flower-free zone.

I only grow things that I can eat and use for baking.

I've got chillis, mint,

some thyme and oregano,

some wonderful basil,

but what I need right now is some rosemary.

Hmm! I just love rosemary.

And I'm going to use it in my pumpkin and rosemary muffins.

They're just so easy to make

and on the weekends when things are a little less frantic,

I make a whole batch and then just freeze them.

You know, these muffins are good for breakfast, lunch or just a snack. Any time really.

Now for the flour. I've got self-raising here.

180 grams of that.

And then 130 of this wholemeal flour.

I'm using a mixture of both because if you use too much wholemeal flour, the product will be quite heavy.

I want these muffins to be nice and light, so it's good to use a combination.

Then one teaspoon of baking powder. This will give it a nice rise.

And half a teaspoon...

..of bicarb. That'll make the crumb really tender.

And now a good pinch of salt.

And then sift it all together. Usually, I don't sift my flours.

But the reason I'm doing it with this

is because I want to get the bran from the wholemeal flour to sprinkle on the top.

It just makes it look really, really good. Extra decoration.

OK, so those are the dry ingredients. Now I'm going to get on with the wet ingredients.

So I need two eggs, free-range or organic if you can.

Whisk them up a bit, and then the pumpkin.

I've got 240 grams and I've boiled it already.

100 ml of plain yogurt, 275 ml of milk.

60 ml of vegetable oil.

A few squidges of honey. Makes them nice and sweet.

OK, and just a quick stir.

And now I'm going to put the wet and the dry ingredients together.

So they say when you're making muffins, you should only do about eight stirs,

otherwise the crumb gets very chewy.

So in everything goes.

And it's a very liquid, unattractive mix.

So just really gently mixing it together.

Just roughly mixed, but that'll do fine.

So now I'm going to pour it back into this jug

and make it much easier to put it into the muffin cases.

There! You see, it doesn't look very attractive at all, but it does taste very good once it's cooked.

I'm going to put it in the muffin cases.

So you've got these baking parchment squares here.

They're about 14 centimetres squared.

You can use the little paper cups that come ready-made, but I like to use these

because it gives it that lovely deli feel when it's baked with the spiky bits coming out.

It's a bit of a faff, but it is worth it in the end.

So I just start off with some oil. Just a spray oil is easiest.

And then take one of your squares.

Push it all the way down into the hole,

then take your muffin mix and just pour it in.

Right the way to the top.

And then take your reserved bran and pumpkin or butternut squash

and just sprinkle on the bran.

Put these little squares on as well.

I like to put some on the top because otherwise, all that lovely colour gets lost in the mix.

Then lastly, I like to put on some pumpkin seeds

to give it some extra crunch.

Right, now I'll just get on with the rest.

Don't they look good?

So I'm going to put these in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes

and once they're cooked and cooled, I'll freeze them.

So that's 11 for the freezer

and one for me.

Like pretty much everything else, there are also fashions in baking

and one of the big things in Britain right now which started right here in France is the macaroon.

Or I should say, "le macaron".

This is Pierre Herme, one of the most famous food shops in Paris.

Wow!

Incredible.

They're just so pretty.

No wonder they're so fashionable.

I am totally spoilt for choice. Now, each colour is a different flavour.

You've got praline noisette here, peach, apricot and saffron

or salted caramel... Oh!

I think I'm going to have to go for a selection.

Hmm! Thank you, France, for bringing us macaroons.

Some people think that macaroons are really daunting to make,

but they're actually only posh meringues.

I've made them here in deep yellow, lovely pale green

and now I'm going to make them in a rich burgundy.

I've got 125 grams of ground almonds and it's really important that the ground almonds are quite fine.

Sometimes they can be rough and you can blitz them in a food processor.

Then 125 grams of icing sugar.

And this forms the base of the macaroon.

Now I need some egg white.

Unfortunately, I need 40 grams of egg white. I wish I could tell you you need one or two.

But here we need 40 grams, so this one is 32.

I'm going to need a little bit more from another one.

40. Perfect.

Now off the scales and mix it into a paste.

Just get a wooden spoon and draw all the liquid in.

And you get this lovely paste.

Eventually, it all will be incorporated.

And this is where I colour it.

I've got this great dusky pink colour and you need quite a lot

because by the time you've put the rest of the ingredients in, the colour gets much lighter.

And mix that in there.

Oh, that is nice.

OK, now I'm going to make the second part of the macaroon

and again, unfortunately, I need 40 grams of egg white.

You see, this one only weighs 28.

I need 12 more grams.

OK, that is perfect. Then I need to whisk them to a nice, medium peak.

So give it a really good whisk.

Move the bowl around and just get lots of air into it like that.

The more movement you can get into these whites, then the quicker they'll froth up.

Get a little bit on the end...

There, that is a medium peak. Perfect.

So I'm going to make a meringue. Normally, you add sugar to the egg whites, but I'm adding a sugar syrup.

So I've got here boiled already 110 grams of sugar and two tablespoons of water.

And I like to use a mechanical whisk for these

because it takes a lot longer to give them a good whisk-up,

so you need that extra power.

And it just gets shinier and shinier and much shinier

than if you were using just caster sugar.

And that is what you call a stiff peak. Perfection.

Right, so now I'm going to combine the two together.

You want to add the meringue to the paste.

If you do it this way round, you won't knock out too much air.

If you dump that heavy mix on top of the meringue, you won't get any air left in it.

Apparently, it only takes 50 turns to mix this. Any more and you're doing the wrong thing.

So let's see how I go.

Just mix it all up...

..and scrape right down to the bottom.

OK, I'm very happy with that.

Then I'm going to fill up my piping bag.

Just use your hand to squeeze it off the spatula.

OK, I've got this baking tray here.

So, a little "cheffy" trick here... I'll just move that out of the way.

Just pipe four little blobs like that.

Put the baking parchment over the top and it'll stop it from sliding around.

OK, I'll do the first macaroon.

Hold your bag completely vertical, squeeze it,

then stop squeezing and lift it off.

So these macaroons need to be nice and flat.

What I do is just pick it up and then drop it on the surface. Do that a few times.

One more time and they'll go in nice and flat.

I'm going to leave these here for about 20 to 30 minutes,

so they form a lovely skin over the top,

then I'll bake them in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes at 170 degrees

with the oven left slightly ajar, so it doesn't get too humid in there.

OK, I'm just going to leave these to cool.

These need to be sandwiched together

and I'm going to use just whipped cream,

but you can use jam, ganache or buttercream, anything you like.

So these just get a nice blob of cream.

There... And then just sandwich them together.

Squish them down.

It's nice to have the cream visible and it coming out a little bit from the sides.

Oh, I can't wait to eat these.

There!

These really do look very pretty.

I'll take these round to a friend's. I think they'll really like them.

-Hello.

-Hi, Emily. I've brought you some macaroons.

Exciting! Come in.

Sometimes, even at the weekends, I just don't have the time to bake from scratch,

so there are a few products I like to buy to use as short cuts.

In the pastry world, ready-made pastry in all types, of course,

but also ready-rolled pastry which saves getting out the rolling pin.

And even ready-baked tart bases.

Then it's just a matter of whipping up a filling.

I just love vol-au-vent cases. You can bake them

and fill them with whatever you like. Sweet or savoury, they're a classic and it's time for their revival.

I get different types of meringues from a supermarket.

They make shells, pavlova bases and nests.

Fill them with some softly whipped cream or sweet mascarpone and then some fresh fruit piled on top

for an almost instant dessert.

So those are my shameless short cuts.

Believe it or not, there's an Italian side to my family

and on the occasional weekend, we'd have these big Italian feasts.

I do still cook some of those dishes, but they're just a little bit updated.

And this is my favourite Italian.

-Hi.

-Hello. How are you?

-All right. How are you doing?

-Very well.

Hello, gorgeous. You came at the right time. Buon giorno, signorina.

-Ecco!

-Prosciutto. Thank you.

Hmm...

Hmm! Very good.

Mascarpone.

Have you got any amaretti?

-We've got those ones.

-That's too big.

-What about this one?

-That's good.

-Any other things?

-Honey. Honey, honey, honey.

-Honey?

-Yeah.

-Right there.

-Perfect. Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Bye!

Right, I'm off to bake Italian.

I love experimenting with different cake flavours

and the other day I was eating a tiramisu

and I just thought, "Why not make a tiramisu cake?"

But rather than make a really big one, I thought I'd do mini ones.

They're just so much more playful and this dessert really knocks people's socks off.

So I've got 165 grams of softened butter here

and 200 grams of sugar and half of that sugar is a soft brown sugar

because it gives such a beautiful, caramelly flavour.

So I'm going to add my eggs. Two eggs.

Free-range or organic if you can.

260 grams of flour which I add in two lots.

That's 260 there.

I'll just start that slowly, give that a good mix.

I just find this way of doing it in two lots is so much quicker and so much easier.

You don't have to worry about folding and all that. Just bung it in.

And the other two eggs. It's also a lot less likely to curdle.

Two more eggs.

And the rest of the flour goes in.

Another mix.

Two tablespoons of instant coffee powder in four tablespoons of hot water.

The funny thing is I don't even like coffee, but in this it tastes absolutely divine.

And now the ricotta, 80 grams of this.

This makes the sponge extra-moist.

OK, give that a really good beat. Make sure it's all nice and incorporated.

OK, I'm happy with that.

Just crumble in about eight to ten amaretti biscuits.

And it gives it a wonderful flavour and extra texture, a lovely crunch.

There we are.

Another stir.

OK, that's done.

So I find the easiest way to put a mixture into small muffin cases

is with a mechanical ice cream scoop.

And I remember as a child making fairy cakes, messing around with two teaspoons.

This is much more efficient.

And this goes into the oven for about 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

So the cakes have been cooled and I've cut them in half.

And I've made a mascarpone cream here and this coffee sugar syrup.

I'm going to slabber this all over the cakes.

Not only does it add more flavour,

but it also makes the cakes very, very moist.

It's just so easy to make.

Tip 165 grams of granulated sugar into a pan...

..with 165 ml of water.

Then add two tablespoons of coffee powder

and put the pan on a really low heat.

Then once the sugar is dissolved, just turn up the heat and boil the syrup for two to three minutes.

And you can afford to put as much as you want on.

This is my secret weapon when making sponges.

It just makes them really, really moist.

OK? Now for the mascarpone...

Again, ice cream scoop.

And a dollop.

Now let me tell you how I made it. This is so delicious.

It's 500 grams of mascarpone with a couple of drops of vanilla extract,

then a handful of crushed amaretti biscuits

with about four tablespoons of icing sugar.

Then a few good glugs of Marsala.

And then just mix it all together.

The last dollop...

Now I'm going to get the lids on.

Squash the lids on top.

Oh, look at that!

These are just so brilliant.

They have the nobility of a dessert, but the playfulness of a cupcake.

I'm going to put them on this cake stand.

They're just oozing with this mascarpone cream.

I'm going to drizzle these with the coffee sugar syrup.

Now, I tell you, everyone, tiramisu lovers or not, will adore these.

Look at that.

Beautiful.

Now, obviously, it is much quicker to get a takeaway pizza.

But on the occasional weekends when I've got a little bit of time, I like to make my own.

So I've got prosciutto and mozzarella at home.

And now I'm going to buy some figs.

Now, I know you'll go, "What, figs on a pizza?!"

But trust me, it really does work.

Right, I'm off home now. I've got all my ingredients for the pizza topping.

I know making a pizza dough isn't the easiest thing in the world, but here is my basic recipe.

Start with 500 grams of strong white bread flour.

Add two teaspoons of salt and five grams of fast-action dried yeast.

Mix everything together and make a well in the middle.

Pour in 290 ml of warm water mixed with 60 ml of extra-virgin olive oil

and stir it to make a soft, but not sticky dough.

I take a short cut and knead the dough in a mixer for five minutes, but by hand, it'll take about ten.

Then shape it into a ball and leave it to rise in a warm place

for about 30 to 40 minutes covered in oiled clingfilm. That's it.

See what I mean about simple?

OK, so this is nicely risen now. It's wonderful and pillowy.

Now I'm going to roll it out into a rough circle shape with a rolling pin.

It doesn't have to be a perfect circle. Whatever shape is fine. You want it to have that rustic look.

And what I do when I roll it out, rather than just roll it like this,

I find it easier to take one end and kind of just push it down like that.

Just do it all the way round.

Now I'm going to prick it with a fork. Just prick it all over randomly.

This is going to stop it puffing up too much in the oven

because I like my pizza crusts nice and thin and crispy.

And you need a good tube of tomato puree.

And just squelch it all over the pizza.

Then take a palette knife or the back of a spoon

and just spread it...all around.

Very roughly. It doesn't have to be perfect.

So now you want two hunks of mozzarella.

I say "hunks". They're balls of mozzarella.

Then you can either slice it like that or just rip it up into chunks which is what I prefer.

It's all going to melt and ooze and go gooey in the oven anyway, so this is just much quicker.

But just rip it up all over really roughly.

That's it.

And now you can use any ham, any good ham - prosciutto

or a really good Culatello which is a very fine Italian ham.

This is going to give the pizza a wonderful saltiness and just add to those colours -

the red of the tomato and the pinkiness of the ham.

I just can't wait to eat it.

And then the figs.

Oh, you just can't beat a good fig.

It's such a gorgeous thing to eat.

They just add so much colour and a beautiful sweetness to the pizza.

It's a little bit unusual.

So just slice it up, quarter them, eighth them, whatever you want.

This is your tapestry to do with as you wish.

And you know, figs and ham may sound like a really odd combination, but it's actually quite classic,

especially in the Mediterranean.

Just the wonderful saltiness of the ham and the sweetness of the figs. It's just so beautiful together.

So I've got five figs and I'll put half of them on now

and save the other half until after the pizza is cooked.

Then you get that wonderful contrast of flavours because the raw ones will still have a bit of bite to it.

And a nice pinch of salt, not too much because the ham does have a bit of saltiness.

And an embarrassingly large pepper grinder.

Bit of black pepper...

So this is going to go into the oven now for about 15 to 20 minutes at 220 degrees,

then once it's cooked, I'll take it out of the oven and put the other figs on it,

some fresh basil and drizzle over some extra-virgin olive oil.

-Do you want a big piece?

-I want a huge piece, please.

-Are you hungry?

-Yeah, really hungry.

Thank you. Dig in.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011

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