Devon Cream Splits small enough to call Sliders.

Aren't these little beauties? They are just about the right size for two genteel bites and as such look like the sweet version of burger sliders. This recipe can be used for Yorkshire Tea Cakes and also an Iced Tea Ring - I'll add the variations for those at the end of the recipe.

When I started this recipe rolling I was so convinced it was not going to work that I neglected to take photos thinking I would be making a second batch to correct what seemed like the wrong comparative amounts of the ingredients so I am scant on process pictures, my apologies - when I make them again soon, they were awfully good and actually much easier than I thought they were going to be, I will add in some pics of the yeast and dough.

DEVON CREAM SPLITS from Complete Vegetarian Recipe Book 

by Ivan Baker

Have all your ingredients at a nice warm room temperature - the butter especially should be very soft but not melted.

Makes a good 20 sliders

INGREDIENTS: I like to weigh my ingredients, especially for a yeasted recipe as it makes it much more reliable than cups but am giving cup equivalents which can never be precise as everyone weighs cups differently

2 ozs/ 1/2 cup/ 50 grams white flour

10 fluid ounces of warm (90 degree) whole milk 

2 scant level tablespoons of dry yeast (this is the amount that flummoxed me - seemed like a huge amount but it worked) - times can vary depending on the freshness of your yeast - here's a way to test your yeast
(I just did some research into this and it appears the faster you prove your dough the more yeast you use to make it rise quickly)

One teaspoon of sugar

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 2 tablespoons of the warm milk in a bowl - this will be quite thick

2. Slowly stir in the rest of the milk in two batches alternating with the flour.

3. Mix until smooth.

4. Cover bowl with a clean cloth and stand in a cosy place for 1/2 hour.

The yeast mix was way more bubbly than this picture below but I thought I should give you some form of reference for the yeast as a visual is always helpful - especially if you're not familiar with working with yeast. 

It was much more energetic than this and rose way higher - just FYI

Now add the following ingredients in the order in which they are listed and mix well between each addition:

1 eaten egg - maybe that should be beaten egg!!

3ozs/scant 1/2 cup/100grams of sugar 

1lb/4 cups/380 grams white flour - add this in 3 or 4 goes not all at once

1/4 teaspoon salt

3oz very soft butter  - I always use Kate's from Old Orchard Beach, Maine - it's such a fresh flavourful butter - and it's local for me!!

1. Now knead this ridiculous sticky and unmanageable mess for about 3 or 4 minutes until it miraculously comes together very nicely into a smooth and lovely dough  - this part was really convincing me everything was wrong - but it turned out I was wrong!!

2. Cover and stand in a warm spot for another half and hour.

3. Knead back the dough - ie knock it down and take the air out of it.

4. Tear off into big walnut sized pieces and roll into sweet little balls and place on a greased tray thus:

 5. Cover your little babies with a light tea towel and prove once again for half an hour.

6. After about 15 minutes start your oven and set it to 375F.

7. When the half an hour is up pop your dough balls into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes until lightly golden.

8. Remove from the oven and put on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

9. In the meantime whip some lovely cream with your preferred amount of sugar to soft pipeable peaks and have your preferred jelly/jam - even marmalade, to hand, although strawberry or raspberry jam is traditional.

10 When completely cool split almost halfway through put a nice big dollop of jam in there and then pipe as much cream as you can without getting silly - arrange on a pretty plate and then dust with confectioners/icing sugar - and there you have: 
DEVON CREAM SPLITS - light, airy, not too sweet - heavenly and good with a nice hot cuppa!!

To make Yorkshire Tea Cakes do the exact same recipe but make the dough balls twice as big, add 5oz of currants to the dough before kneading and DON'T split and add the cream and jam - instead split them in half horizontally, toast them and slather with lashings of the best butter you can find - good with a cuppa also on a rainy afternoon.

To make Iced Tea Rings...weigh off the dough into 40z balls - then roll each ball into a 12 inch rope - twist pairs of ropes together and form into rings, bake as directed. Cool completely and ice with a simple confectioners/icing sugar icing - and then scatter toasted flaked almonds atop and eat with - you guessed it - a nice cup of tea.... 

I just found an excellent place to do conversions, from the French Culinary Institute, for conversions from weights to cups to grams for all sorts of basic ingredients - check it out here:

Pastryscoop.com 

Happy Baking - if you make these please feel free to post pictures to my Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/PatriciaSheaDesigns

and please consider following this blog at Bloglovin'

Thank you - Patricia!!

'Join this site' is going bye bye - Bloglovin is the new way to follow Pattern Patisserie

I just learned that the "Join this site" widget by Google is becoming defunct on July 1st so at the suggestion of Everyday is a Holiday I have signed up with Bloglovin and now you can follow me there along with all your favourite blogs, assuming they have signed up also, and find new ones to follow too.

Thank you, Patricia

Happy National Pink Day!!!

I never knew there was such a holiday until a friend alerted me this morning -

I would have done something special to celebrate if only I had known sooner - oh well there's always next June 23rd!!!

Pink Sarah Bernhardt paeonias from my garden - a beautiful flower with a light romantic fragrance

I've always loved pink - I was one of those children who had to have everything pink, and nowadays, if it was just up to me, I would have every surface in our house painted pink including walls, ceiling and floors - really!! It would have to be THE perfect pink though - like the inside of a shell - very pale, very mellow and ever so slightly on the yellow side - never the blue side tending toward magenta - no - not THAT pink.

Please enjoy some of my pink work:

The everlasting Pink Cupcake - as a poster in my Etsy shop

which was featured in this TREASURY, curated by Mollie at Rough Magic Creations, today:

 

Also in my Etsy shop 

"Kristofer's Mandala" iPhone5 case from my CafePress shop

Also from my CafePress shop HERE

...and a Galaxy 4 case from my Society6 shop

Here's a link to my Everything Pink board on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/patriciasheaart/everything-pink/

......and my Pink Christmas board too: http://pinterest.com/patriciasheaart/pink-christmas/ 

Have a lovely perfectly pink day everyone - Patricia

 My favourite pink poppy "Victoria Louise" - sadly she didn't make it through this last winter so I need to find more to plant for next year!!

And please meet Mr. Earl E. Byrd - a charming pink worm ornament made by my friend Faith over at Dab Hands on Etsy 

Isn't that the sweetest picture of a worm you've ever seen?

As of July 1st 'follow my blog' is becoming defunct so I have joined Bloglovin' and you can follow me there by clicking the link below - thanks!! Patricia

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'd love it if you'd vote for my design at Spoonflower

I haven't entered a competition over at Spoonflower for quite some time - it's not that I haven't wanted to but none of the recent competition subjects have intrigued me or been appropriate for my style. So I was glad when they announced a competition for "Farmers Market" because my "Created by Mother Nature" fabric was designed to celebrate the wondrous bounty of Mother Nature and the hard work of your local farmer, and by default the amazing Farmers Market that dot this land and supply us with all their wonderful fruit and veg.

Please click HERE to go to the voting page - you do have to go through the 19 pages, you can only vote once per computer and I can't tell you which page my design is on as they have a shuffle programme so it's different for each new person to the site.

MANY THANKS in advance for your vote, I really appreciate it!!

This design, which was originally created in watercolour on paper, is also available on many different items, including those seen below, in my CafePress shop HERE

Surely you'll need this apron when you are cooking all your local fresh veggies!

...and you'll need this tote to tote all your fruit and veg homewards!

...and you'll need this 't' whilst your shopping at the Farmers Market to declare to the farmers how much you appreciate their work

...and you'll need this iPad case for when you're looking up recipes for all the fruit and veg you've acquired

 Large art posters and other sundry, wondrous items adorned with this design are also available at my Society6 shop HERE

Thanks so much for voting and off to the Farmers Market with you - it is the weekend!!

Vote HERE please :)

Rhubarb Meringue Pie...and poppies and lupines...oh my!!

 I am always happy when my rhubarb is ready to eat - I certainly look forward to it each year. This year I decided to make this pretty simple rhubarb meringue pie a la Martha hoping that mine would also come out pink because honestly who wouldn't love a pink pie but alas, as well I should have known, having made this curd twice before, mine became pale tangerine after the addition of the best ever egg yolks in the known universe from Farmetta Farm in nearby Morrill, Maine - despite the fact that it was not pink it tasted terrific and I can't wait to make one more before the rhubarb wains.

So let's get cracking with our pie:

First let's make our standard

EASY PEASY SWEET TART CRUST: 
Pre heat oven to 350F

 This recipe is enough for one regular sized tart case 9” diameter or I used a deep, nearly 2", 71/2" diameter pie tin as I like my tarts with lots of filling  

 11/2 cups/6ozs of sifted unbleached white flour

1/2 cup/2ozs confectioners/icing sugar

1 stick/ 4ozs butter VERY COLD

1 large egg yolk
 
1. Sift dry ingredients together into a medium sized bowl.

2. Grate the butter into the dry ingredient and rub in until like breadcrumbs.

3. Add egg yolk and blend and squush carefully until the dough sticks together. This may take a little time but despair not it will come together - just don't let it warm up - pie crusts pastry should always be kept as cold as possible to make it flaky and divine.

4.Tear dough into big chunks…..place strategically in pie pan and start squushing to a create a smooth even covering of the entire pan…the beauty of this crust is that it does NOT shrink at all…it stays put…good crust!!

5. Bob into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

6. Heat your oven to 375F

7. Take the pie crust out of the fridge, prick all over with a fork to prevent bubbles forming under the crust.

8. Line with parchment. Fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice and bake until edges are golden and set about 20 to 25 minutes. 

9. Remove from oven and take out the weights and parchment.

10. Return to oven and bake until bottom is dry and light gold, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.

Next make the RHUBARB CURD - bright, buttery, sweet, tangy:

2lb rhubarb cut into small pieces

1. Put into the jug of a blender and use the highest setting to make the rhubarb into a sauce - you may have to add a little bit and a little bit of water as you go and keep pushing the rhubarb down - you want to add as little water as possible so you don't, literally, water the flavour down. Then drain the 'sauce' through say a coffee filter until you get 12 fluid ounces of rhubarb juice.

The juice you will have is now pink - my preferred colour - alas it will not stay that way for me - but if your egg yolks are not as yellow as mine perhaps yours will

12ozs/1 1/2cups sugar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch/cornflour

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons/11/2 ozs butter

2. Whisk the cornstarch/cornflour, sugar and salt together in a bowl and then whisk them into the juice.

3. Put into a saucepan and gently heat until boiling and boil for about 1 minute until it clears and starts to thicken.

4. Put egg yolks in a bowl and slowly whisk the hot rhubarb into it until evenly blended.

5. Return mixture to the pan and the heat and gently boil again for another minute until it really thickens - I did not let mine thicken enough for indeed how thick is thick...

6. Add butter to rhubarb mix and whisk until blended - now put aside to cool.

My rhubarb curd ended up quite orange as you can see in the picture below because I used the fantastic yolks from Farmetta Farm eggs :)

My rhubarb curd (although I can't really call it a curd as it has flour in it) was a bit loose so I found this very technical explanation of making a lemon meringue pie for you to read about how NOT to make a runny/loose pie - it's quite a lot of reading but very informative - if you've made a lemon meringue pie before and had no problems then maybe don't bother reading this as it may put you off your game - http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2011/05/lemon-meringue-pie.html 

I think perhaps my issue was I just didn't let it cook to thick enough and also I did stir it to cool it down and apparently that is not good form so don't stir yours once it is done and is cooling in the pan. I think after you have cooled your pie and if it is not set you can also rebake if for a while and it will set up more - just make sure to cover your pie edges with foil to set up them from getting too brown - allow to cool completely again - maybe for another 4 hours until you're sure it is set or if you are like me you just want to eat it and don't care that much if it isn't perfectly set.

Now poured your cooled rhubarb filling into the cooled pie shell and bob, covered, into the fridge until it set for four hours at the least and preferably over night.

And the final part of the pie: 

MERINGUE TOPPING: Heat the oven to 450F 

INGREDIENTS:

3 egg whites at room temperature - this is importnat as it gets a lot more olume into the eggs - cold egg whites just don't whip as well as room temp. ones. 

41/2 tablespoons sugar

1. Whip the egg whites until stiff

2. Add a tablespoon of sugar at a time and whip, whip, whip between additions until all the sugar has been added and the result is glossy and dense and divine.

3. Dollop gracefully atop your curd in the shell:

4. Bob into a 450F oven for about 2 minutes but keep your eyes on the pie and rotate if necessary to evenly brown thus:

As you can see mine was a tad slumpy but it tasted so good what did I care!!! 

And now for some poppy and lupine pictures from my garden today - these flowers together, their colours combined with the vivid green background, make me swoon - Monet eat your heart out! Tonight really heavy rain is coming in so I fear my poppies will be just a dream by morning.

A little bee busy doing her important work - thanks Busy Bee!!

Happy Baking - Patricia