Episode 4 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds

Today I'm taking the best of far-flung shores

and bringing it all back home.

Expect Thai, American and Turkish flavours

which I'll be recreating into hearty British grub.

Hello and welcome to Pies & Puds.

I'm on a mission to celebrate the best of Britain's comfort food

and here's what's on my menu today.

'Coming up, I make a wonderfully fragrant Thai chicken pie...'

Wow.

HE LAUGHS

'..using exotic herbs and spices grown in the most unexpected place.'

Just mental, and they're from Yorkshire!

'I take a field trip to learn about all things pumpkin...'

What is that?!

'..and I plump for one to use in my pumpkin and ginger cheesecake.'

Look at the colour in there.

It's beautiful orange.

So nice.

'I learn the art of making Turkish delight

'with some amazing flavour combinations...'

This is actually a Cypriot orange flower blossom.

It's quite refreshing that one as well.

Yeah, it's nice.

'..and a rice pudding war breaks out as I make my classic recipe.'

This one's been around in the family for a while.

'And my guest, Merle, answers with her own version of the dish.'

Wow, that looks amazing.

All my recipes are on the BBC website.

'My first recipe is a cheesecake with an exciting flavour combination

'of pumpkin and stem ginger.'

For most people, pumpkin is just a Halloween thing.

Maybe the occasional bowl of pumpkin soup or pie.

But this bulbous veg has hidden depths, as I discovered.

Mark and Verity Bachelor have been growing pumpkins

in the North Kent countryside for the last six years

and turned themselves into pumpkin heroes.

But I'm here today to find out more about this seasonal veg.

We have 16 different varieties.

Of that, seven are the traditional orange,

and the other ones are varying other colours.

How long does it take to grow, start to finish?

We plant the seeds in May

and they're ready to harvest by the beginning of September.

Do you enjoy pumpkins, do you cook with pumpkin?

I do cook with pumpkin.

It's still new to us.

Finding the right ones for the right dishes.

What is that?!

It's just a decorative gourd.

That has to be the strangest thing I've ever seen.

That looks like a cottage loaf.

That's weird! That's a squash?

Yes.

I'd no idea there was so many colours, varieties, sizes.

I thought pumpkin were all this big and that's it,

but they're like something out of another planet.

'Speaking of other planets,

'I've heard there's a pumpkin lurking somewhere here

'that has extra-terrestrial qualities.'

Look at the size of it!

It looks like a mutant!

You could spend hours carving that.

This one, I'd planted out, forgotten about it,

didn't do anything with it,

and that's the honest truth.

Came out one day and thought,

"That's working."

HE GROANS

-I'm not even going to help you.

-There's just no way.

Is this the biggest one you've grown?

This is the biggest one that I've grown.

If we had a warmer spring,

we could have probably, hopefully, have grown a bigger pumpkin,

so next year the challenge is on again.

You could carve it into a nice chair.

for your house, couldn't you? I'm looking over there

and I can see not a coconut shy

but a pumpkin shy.

It is a pumpkin shy. The children love it...

I'm a bit of a kid. Can I have a go?

Sure.

HE LAUGHS

Well done!

HE LAUGHS

I'm here to choose a pumpkin to go in my pie

and Verity has a selection for me to try.

-What's the first pumpkin we have here?

-This is moonscape.

It has a bit of sweetness to it.

It has, it's quite fibrous.

That would go really well roasted with a Sunday roast.

-Speckled hound.

-Speckled hound.

Nice texture.

-This is the more conventional pumpkin?

-Yeah.

Fibrous, quite sinewy.

Mm!

-What was this one again?

-Snowman.

-Snowman.

It's a good eat. It's moist...

I almost find it too watery.

'I've eaten pumpkin before

'but these taste as different as they look.'

What's this one?

This is Small Sugar.

Mm!

A lot sweeter.

It IS a lot sweeter.

That's the guy I'm going to put in my cheesecake.

-Would you agree with that?

-I think that's a good choice.

'Remember, a pumpkin is for baking, not just for carving.'

I'm joined by our pumpkin farmers Mark and Verity

who have brought the key ingredient

for my pumpkin and ginger cheesecake.

-Do you know the best part of that day was?

-Go on.

Trying to lift that massive pumpkin in that field.

I nearly broke my back. Is it still there?

No, it went to the show for the heaviest pumpkin

and it did win.

It did win?!

And I took a second one to make sure I came second as well.

THEY LAUGH

That's fantastic. Where is it now?

On the farm, sitting, waiting for show when people come to the farm.

I think it's amazing.

We decided to use the little sugar...

The small sugar, yes.

That's right, to go inside the cheesecake I'm going to make.

I hope it does your pumpkin justice.

I can't wait to try it.

'Remove the skin from the pumpkin and chop it into cubes.

'Add butter and sugar, and stem-ginger syrup.'

So the whole thing together...

will go into a roasting oven.

Set it around 200 - it'll take 15 to 20 minutes just to break that down.

What you end up with are beautiful tender pieces of pumpkin

in the ginger syrup

and the butter almost makes it into a little toffee.

That goes to one side.

The base -

I'm using rings with silicon paper at the bottom of the tray.

I'm going to use ginger biscuits, which I've crushed.

'Add butter and sugar, and stem-ginger syrup.'

Add that to the ginger nuts, mix it round,

to form a bit of a paste.

'Press the crumbs firmly into the moulds.

'As the cheesecake sets in the fridge,

'the butter will harden and firm up the bases.

'For the filling, start by whipping up some double cream.

'Into your whisked cream, add natural yoghurt and cream cheese.'

I have got some stem ginger here

which I'll slice into little pieces.

-I love stem ginger, don't you?

-Mm!

'Tip the pumpkin and juices into a processor

'and blitz to create a smooth pumpkin paste.'

OK, happy with that.

So what you've got is that sort of consistency.

Nice and soft and pulpy. Got a bit of body to it as well.

Now, that will go into your mixture here.

Basically, just stir it round.

I don't want to mix it in.

I want to cause almost a form of ripple through it. That will do.

What you have got is all your bits of cream,

your filling all mixed together with yoghurt,

and there is streaks of the pumpkin,

so when you hit it, you're going to taste it.

'Scoop the filling mixture into the moulds, and put into the fridge,

'ideally overnight.'

And it comes out looking not too dissimilar to that.

You should be able to just pop it all the way through from the ring.

There's one.

All right, I think I've got an idea to make my life a little bit easier.

Just get a little spice jar,

pop it over there,

and that should bring it out a little bit easier.

Just pipe a little bit of pumpkin in the middle there.

'My final touch is some crystallised ginger.'

They look absolutely delicious.

'This creamy cheesecake comes with a zingy ginger kick.'

Now, guys, you will have to wait a little bit longer

before we get the chance to eat it.

Looking forward to it!

Now it's time for a delight,

a Turkish Delight, which I know and I love

from my time living in Cyprus.

My next guest makes her Turkish Delight

using her Cypriot father's original recipe.

-Welcome, Merle.

-Hi.

Now, there's lots of different colours here,

-and I take it, lots of different flavours.

-Yep.

-Which one is this one, with the nuts in?

-Walnuts.

-Walnuts? Oh, yeah.

-Actually, in Cyprus, that's like the main flavour, actually.

-It is.

There is walnuts everywhere.

In Turkey and Cyprus, specialist shops sell Turkish Delight,

made with family recipes handed down through the generations.

Do you do a lemon one or a citrus one?

Try this one. This is actually Cypriot orange flower blossom.

It has been distilled here, though.

That just tastes like Cyprus, I think. Or the Mediterranean.

'But Merle has given this sweet treat her own twist

'by creating some unusual flavours

'infused with the English countryside.'

-Got geranium, I do still like to do...

-Geranium?! May I try a bit?

You can. It is quite subtle, that one.

But I've got English rose, and this one has got petals in it.

Can you...get that?

It is right at the end. But, yes, I am definitely getting that.

-It is quite refreshing, that one, as well.

-Yeah, it's nice.

The fact that you are bringing those flavours in from this country

-and infusing into Turkish... I think it works.

-Thank you.

'Merle is going to show me how to make a version of Turkish Delight

'made with the herb lemon verbena,

'which she soaks in a sugar syrup.'

And you just cook that for about 15 minutes.

The next stage is in a big, heavy-based pan,

you have got to make up some cornflour

mixed with a bit of cream of tartar to stop it going really gloopy.

And water. Just cook that for a little bit.

Then it is just a matter of adding the syrup to the cornflour,

which is the worst part, really.

Right, so that is where everything can go horribly wrong?

Where it can go wrong!

-Where do you make all this?

-Where? In my kitchen.

-In your kitchen?

It is quite a small company, because it's basically just me making it.

So, the whole thing is, once that has begun to slacken down

-and loosen up, you then add the syrup to that?

-Yeah.

'Heated sugar syrup can be dangerous.

'Keep the kids well away if you try this at home.'

Do you want me to start tipping this in?

Yes, if you could add that in small amounts.

'Make sure you use a heavy-based pan for this job,

'as the mixture needs some serious beating.'

Basically, you have just got to really get the syrup...

into the cornflour.

-Do you want me to have a go?

-Go on, then. Please. Thank you.

-Speed!

-I always think that.

Give it a good beating.

I have obviously not got the muscle power, I think!

Brilliant. That is perfect.

So you carry on stirring this for ten minutes,

then you cook it out for ten minutes,

then this mixture, which will be nice and thick, I imagine, by then,

what happens to it then?

It's then poured into a tin

which has been lined with clingfilm and oiled.

There is one here that is still quite hot.

Now, this colour here is what it turns into.

Yes, a kind of golden colour.

It can be slightly darker as well.

The darker, the more chewy, I think it goes.

So that is the thing about home-made,

it varies every time you make it, very slightly.

You never get it totally spot on. But I quite like that.

'Pour the mix into the tin.

'And leave to set overnight.'

So, this is ready to cut now.

-Ah-ha!

-Then just chop it up.

And with the knife being oiled, it should get through quite easily.

'Merle chops the Turkish Delight into cubes

'and places it into a cornflour and icing sugar mix.'

And the longer you leave it in that icing sugar...

I mean, because it's fresh, it won't store for a long time,

but it will absorb that icing sugar and it will get a little bit sweeter.

Because it is actually not very sweet at the moment.

But once it's left in that for a bit, it will get a bit sweeter.

When it's about a week old, it's really nice.

Because it has had time to sit in that icing sugar.

This is what I love -

people taking the trouble to experiment with food

like Merle does.

She's creating new flavours and turning them into

true Turkish Delights.

My next recipe looks like a good old British pie,

but it's filled with oriental flavours.

I love a good Thai chicken curry,

fragrant with spices, chilli and ginger.

You might think those spicy flavourings have to be imported

from some exotic faraway place,

but these days that's not necessarily so.

Robert Ramsden is an importer of exotic herbs and vegetables.

The only problem is, he doesn't want to import them,

so he's on a mission to get farmers and producers

to grow exotic food right here in Yorkshire.

This is grown in Gomersal. It's a box of mixed living cress.

There's different varieties, different flavours of cress.

Previously we used to have to bring it back from Holland,

we used to bring back 100-plus boxes per night.

Robert has even managed to source coriander seeds - in Yorkshire?

Now, these are something really different. Something really unique.

You probably won't see these anywhere, really.

You can see little green balls of joy, and when you squeeze them,

they pop, and the flavour is absolutely insane.

It's perfect for Thai green curries, etc.

Perfect for putting through your water

if you are steaming fish, really perfume-y.

And they're just mental. And they're from Yorkshire!

Robert has had great success working with herb grower Alison Dodd.

Alison grows key ingredients for Thai cuisine,

including lemongrass, which is usually imported from tropical Asia.

Together, they're going to forage for the herbs and spices

I need for my Thai chicken pie.

They are quite surprising to find in Yorkshire, which is this lemongrass.

Chefs in the UK are used to dry lemongrass stalks,

but Alison supplies fresh green leaves.

The leaves actually are extremely flavoursome.

-Yeah, they're good, aren't they?

-Fantastic.

How we look at it as a company is to find things that previously

we've had to import, like lemongrass, for example.

It comes all the way from Thailand, it travels many, many miles.

It's prepared, it comes in a sleeve.

Finding someone that was prepared to grow it for us and understand it.

It hasn't got the air miles.

It's helping the environment. It's helping all parties, really.

-Paul's going to love this.

-Absolutely.

Alison has managed to grow exotic flavours outside, too.

-Look at this!

-Right, Robert.

-This is the coriander you might need.

-Fantastic.

'Previously we've had to buy coriander

'and it has come all 'the way from Israel,

'or it's grown all the way over in wherever.

'Finding someone who can grow it over here is really important.

'Even the local curry house now is looking

'to source UK produce where possible.'

Alison has been growing another herb

that will add a welcome twist to my Thai pie.

He'll love that.

Yep, just finishes it off, doesn't it?

It's perfect.

Alison and Rob have brought their bounty of exotic herbs

for my fragrant pie.

One of the things I loved about watching that

was the fact that, Rob, you are an importer of exotic flavours, spices.

And the fact that it was you yourself going, "Hang on a minute!

"We must be able to grow some of this in this country."

That's it. I think it's embracing, with someone like Alison,

to bring stuff back to the country,

and especially to Yorkshire, to celebrate the season

and what the uses are

and what the chefs and customers can do with it, really.

For me, the big thing, having lived in Cyprus for such a long time,

coriander was like a weed,

it just grows everywhere, it's unbelievable.

And it is difficult to grow in this country.

-No, not at all.

-Really?

-No.

-We grow acres of it.

-Really?

-Yes.

You don't have to tunnel it? It's exposed?

No, not at all. We're growing it, really, from about the end of April,

beginning of May right the way through to end of October.

Now, I'm going to be using lemongrass.

I see you've got some lemongrass there.

Yes, well, fresh lemongrass is really good,

and the leaves are usually fantastic,

but I'm afraid it's just a bit at the end of the season,

so I wasn't able to bring great long leaves of lemongrass as well.

But, yes, it knocks spots off the imported stuff.

-But flavour wise?

-Very good. And it's fresh.

And anything that's fresh has got to be better

than stuff that's travelled for ever from the other side of the world.

OK. Long may it reign. Long may Yorkshire carry on

-with her exotic flavours.

-Hear, hear!

-We love it.

And Kent, and Cheshire, and Lancashire and the Midlands.

Come on, pull your finger out!

Right, what I'm going to do now is your favourite chicken Thai dish,

and I'm going to put a beautiful pastry on the top of it.

If you run through the ingredients here,

I've got some dried coriander seeds here.

Rob, can you pick off some of the fresh stuff as well?

I'm going to pop some of that in a pestle and mortar.

-Wow!

-HE CHUCKLES

-Does it smell good?

-Yeah, smell this.

-It's a lot better than the dried.

It's a blend... Oh, stop!

This is a blend of both, right?

Hang on.

'I'm using fresh red British chillies,

'chopped banana shallots, crushed garlic, grated root ginger,

'and Thai green curry paste.

'Finally, chunks of free-range chicken breast and thighs.'

-SIZZLING

-It's cooking off nicely, now.

This in a pie - I think it's the best of both worlds for me.

'When the chicken is browned, add stock, coconut milk,

'fish sauce, lime leaves and some sweet potato.'

How do you cope with lime leaves in Yorkshire?

I've just started to grow some,

-but it'll be a long time before they are ready.

-Oh, really?

But I've just discovered from Rob today

there's somebody growing them in Kent.

-There you go, you see?

-There is.

My adopted county is already in there.

I only found out about two days ago, as well.

They are absolutely fantastic.

I've been looking for them everywhere,

-so it's really good to know.

-That's good.

Got some lemongrass. I'm going to crush it,

and throw that straight in.

Now, this will take about 20 minutes.

And then pop it in the fridge and leave it to cool.

Now, I've got a cold one in the fridge.

Now, you've got some basil leaves there,

-some interesting basil leaves.

-Yes, it's Thai basil.

-We grow lots of different basil.

-Can I take some of these?

-Please do.

-It's got a fantastic scent, hasn't it?

-And this is one you just started growing?

-Yes, yes.

Make the shortcrust pastry for the pie

by adding butter and lard to some flour.

So you rub this together.

Once it's been rubbed together, a squeeze of lemon juice.

Again, helps break down that flour, keeps it nice and crumbly.

This is a shortcrust pastry.

And then a little pinch of salt.

Water. Mix that all together to form a paste.

You may to sort of knead it literally five, ten seconds,

that's it. Just to build up enough gluten to hold it together.

Now, over here I've got my pastry and this is my tin

so I'm going to put the filling in to start with,

spread that flavour dish all over the bottom so it's nice and even.

'I'm not going to line the tin with pastry,

'as my pie filling is quite moist.

'No-one likes a soggy bottom!'

Now, this is going to form a little rim round the outside

so I can bond the lid to the top.

Take it all the way around...

And once you've rolled it out...

..my new favourite bit of kit is this.

Da-daa! This is a great little thing, this.

I used to have a massive one,

it's probably nearly double the width in a professional bakery.

But all you do is run across the pastry,

and use your cutter,

cut all the way through...

And then place your dough over the top.

Just open it up a little bit with your fingers,

as you stretch it over.

And tack it down right to the edge,

using that rim that you put round the pastry.

That looks fantastic.

Open it up a little bit,

using a knife.

Takes a little bit of time, but it's worth it

because it just looks so attractive.

'Trim the edges, and for a great golden finish,

'use a rich egg wash.

'This goes into an oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.'

There you have it.

You have your chicken Thai pie,

with a beautiful pastry lid on the top,

using all the exotic flavours and ingredients from...

-Yorkshire!

-From Yorkshire,

but let's be honest they could come from Kent, Midlands...

Anywhere in the country.

'This may be called a Thai chicken pie,

'but there's certainly something very British about it -

'or should I say Yorkshire?'

Now, guys, you're going to have to wait a little bit later to try this.

-We can't wait.

-Fantastic.

'Next, Merle returns to my kitchen

'as we make our own versions of rice pudding.

'Mine is a Hollywood family recipe,

'and Merle's is a traditional Turkish dish.'

So, I'm going to do mine very quickly.

Again, rice goes into the dish.

And then the milk goes on top of that.

The next thing I'm going to add is my butter.

Where's your recipe from?

This one's been around in the family for a while.

But can I tell you the truth? I never used to like them.

And then I used to sort of change it a lot and adapt it,

and that's what generally happens.

So I've got butter in there, sugar in there.

Then I'm going to add some milk powder,

and again this heightens the flavour of it as well.

This is the unusual bit, really.

Yeah, I'd never have thought of putting milk powder in there.

Then I've got a little bit of nutmeg on the top.

Fresh nutmeg, always goes down a treat.

And then the last thing to go in is a lemon.

I'm going to try and cut off the... Just take some of the skin.

-I think it infuses such a nice flavour into it.

-Yeah.

But obviously when you meet it in a dish,

you can just pull it out and leave it to one side.

'While my rice pudding goes in the oven,

at 150 degrees Celsius for two hours,

'Merle is going to cook her Turkish version of rice pudding.

Right, I've got some pudding rice,

and it's already been cooked for about 12 minutes.

And then just bring some milk to the boil, I normally do a pint.

And then to that I add some sugar, some mastika...

I know mastika.

-It's a spice that comes from the Greek islands, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's very aniseed, don't you think?

-Yeah. Yeah. It's quite pungent.

'If you can't get hold of mastika,

'use Pernod or aniseed flavouring instead.

'Merle adds some double cream

'and just over half a teaspoon of rose water.'

Right, and then you've got to stir that to dissolve it.

-What goes in next?

-We've got to make up a mixture of cornflour and milk.

If I put that in there. You could do this bit if you want.

You want me to put the milk in? You want me to do this?

So that goes in there...

'The cornflour and milk mixture acts as a thickener in Merle's recipe.'

Then just bring that to the boil, let it thicken a little bit,

and then the rice can go in.

'Simmer for ten minutes, and grate in lemon zest.'

-That's probably enough, I think.

-OK.

And then it goes into that dish, and then you put it in the fridge.

-It's very different.

-It is, isn't it?

It's amazing what you can do with a bit of rice, isn't it?

-OK, do you want to pop that in there?

-Yeah.

-Looks good. It's very clean looking, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Some people, not everybody, do like a burnt top on it,

so you flame the top or grill the top. So it goes nice and brown.

I think the easiest way to get a nice even colour is a blowtorch.

I've got a blowtorch!

That's a serious flame. Just want to blowtorch it?

Yeah, that would be brilliant.

'A grill will do the job, if you don't have a blowtorch handy.'

-You get like, big bubbles coming up.

-Yeah, I can see that.

-Like that sort of thing?

-Yeah.

Fantastic.

-OK. So that's your...

-Sutlac.

-That's your sutlac.

-Yeah.

'Merle's Turkish pudding is traditionally served cold,

'and a creme caramel finish gives it a deeper, toasty flavour.'

And there is my British rice pudding,

which I would normally serve with jam.

Wow, that looks amazing.

'My rice pudding is a dessert delight.

'Try it out on the kids, with different flavoured jams.'

'It's been great to make new friends

'who have helped me create some wonderful dishes today.'

'Robert and Alison brought their exotic herbs and spices

'all the way from Yorkshire for my Thai chicken pie.'

When you taste the pie like that, it's Thai, definitely,

but then it's got that huge English, British influence to it.

Yes, definitely.

'Merle taught me how to make Turkish delight,

'and we made our family rice puddings.'

I must admit, eating cold rice pudding

I thought was going to be a little bit difficult

-but it's really good.

-The texture of that's fantastic.

-Yes, it is.

'Mark and Verity helped me

'find just the right pumpkin flavour for my cheesecake.'

I'm loving the ginger with the pumpkin!

It works really well together, I'm really surprised.

This is what I love, sharing hearty food with friends.

I hope you can join me again next time,

when I'll have more pies and puds on the menu. See you then.