The Tingle Factor Box

Roy Creates An old Fashioned Egg And Bacon Pie

This week, Roy decided he felt like indulging. He loves bacon and eggs, but even more, he loves a good bacon and egg pie, where the bacon and eggs cook together in a pastry crust. It isn’t the health food of a nation, but as a treat, a bacon and egg pie is one of Roy’s favourites. It is also very old fashioned and Roy knows many people who have never even heard of it! It is also delicious hot, but is just as good cold, so it's perfect for picnics and lunchboxes. So this week, Roy Creates Old Fashioned Bacon And Egg Pie.

You Will Need:

• A packet of frozen puff pastry. You won’t use it all, but you need to have enough to line a pie dish and cover the pie.
• 4 or 5 raw eggs. Roy made a very big pie in a deep dish, so he used a dozen eggs. You can of course use as many as you like.
• 250 to 300 grams of bacon, rind removed and chopped.
• Cooking oil spray

Optional:

• Finely chopped onion
• Chopped tomato
• Grated cheese

Method:

• Spray a pie dish with a little cooking oil and then line it with the puff pastry. If you need to join two pieces of pastry, run your fingers along the seam with a little cold water to help the pastry stick together. Use a fork to lightly press the pastry onto the inside of the dish and cut off any excess pastry.
• Put a piece of baking paper inside the pastry and fill with pastry weights (rice or beans will do fine, but don't try to cook with them afterwards!) Rest the pastry in the fridge for 10 minutes, and then blind bake for 10 minutes
• Remove the pie weights (Roy uses the baking paper to lift them up and put them into a dish).
• If you are using onion or tomato sprinkle over the pastry.

• Spread the chopped bacon evenly in the pastry shell

• Crack the eggs into the pie, on top of the bacon. You might want to spread the whites around a little, and if the yolks break don’t worry too much.
• If you like, sprinkle a little cheese over the eggs.

• Cover the pie with another sheet of pastry and press the edges down to seal. Put a few holes in the top to stop it bursting.
• Bake the pie until the pastry is puffed and golden. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes. During this time the eggs and bacon will have cooked too.
• You can eat this hot, but the most traditional is to let the pie cool in the refrigerator and serve cold, cut in wedges.

Roy Creates Black Forest Cake Part 2

Last week, Roy made a delicious, rich chocolate cake. He needed to take dessert for a lunch he was going to, but the lunch was 2 hours from home so the dessert needed to be easy to transport, or able to be assembled after he arrived. He decided to make one of his favourite cakes, a Black Forest Cake, and carry the different layers in separate containers in an eski. The cake was moist, chocolatey, delicious – so good that his Great Grandad, who doesn’t even like desserts that much ate two slices! So this week, Roy Creates Black Forest Cake.

You Will Need:

• 1 cooked Devils Food Cak. For the recipe, click here.
• 1 jar of morello cherries
• 2 tablespoons of castor sugar, plus 1 dessert spoon for sweetening the cream
• 1 tablespoon of cornflour
• 600 millilitres of pouring cream
• 1 chocolate flake (or a bar of chocolate and a grater)

Note: if you are an adult, or want to make a really authentic Black Forest Cake, add some Kirsch Liqueur to the cherries when you are cooking them (about 1 tablespoon) and sprinkle some over the bottom layer of the cake.

Method:

• If you have made the cake in a single cake tin, you will need to cut the cake into two layers. You can get a cake cutting tool to make this easy, otherwise use a sharp knife to carefully cut (horizontally) through the middle of the cake. Put the bottom half of the cake onto a serving plate.
• Drain the jar of cherries, keeping 2/3 of a cup of the juice.

• Put the drained cherries (reserve about 10 to decorate the cake), the cherry juice, the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cornflour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over a medium heat until the liquid thickens and becomes a deep, clear, red colour.
• You can pour the cherries over the cake after giving them a little time to cool, but because Roy was transporting it a long way on a hot day he put them in a container and into the refrigerator/eski until he needed them. The cherries will set into a light 'jelly' (as in jam 'jelly') because of the cornflour if you keep them overnight like Roy did.

• Using electric beaters, or lots of elbow grease, whip the cream with the dessertspoon of castor sugar until it is thick and holds peaks (if you lift the beaters out, it leaves little ‘mountain peaks’ in the cream)

• Spread a layer of the cherry jelly over the bottom layer of the cake (just the liquid jelly, the cherries will go on top of the cream)

• Spread 1/3 of the cream on top of the cherry jelly and then top with the cherries and the rest of their jelly.

• Put the top of the cake back on and cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the cream.
• Use the reserved cherries to decorate the cake as you like. Roy put them around the outside of the cake and a few in the centre.

• Crush the flake or grate the chocolate and sprinkle over the cake.
• Refrigerate the cake until you are ready to eat it.
• Enjoy!

Roy Creates Devils Food Cake - Black Forest Cake Part 1

This week, Roy wanted to share a special recipe for a delicious cake with his online friends. He wanted something which was easy to make, but so yummy that it would be perfect for Mothers Day, especially for people who needed to take their dessert somewhere else! Roy needed something luscious, spectacular but transportable. Grandma’s Devils Food Cake was perfect. Luckily, he took photos of the last time he made the cake, when he needed a yummy dessert which could travel long distances! The cake is delicious on its own or with a simple chocolate icing or chocolate ganash, but Roy has been wanting to try it as the base for a Black Forest Cake. He decided it would be a perfect dessert as he could make the component parts, carry them in containers in an eski and then assemble when he arrived. The results were spectacular – even the non-dessert lover ate two slices! So this week Roy Creates Devils Food Cake, and next week, he will show you how to turn the cake into a luscious Black Forest Cake.

You Will Need:

• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1 and ½ cups of plain flour
• A pinch of salt
• ½ a cup of cocoa (yes really)
• 1 ½ teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
• 140 grams of butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs

Method:

• Grease and line either 1 or 2, 20 centimetre, circular cake tins. You can make this as a single cake (as Roy did) and if you want, cut it in half to fill it, or else make two cakes and fill them with cream in between (or just enjoy them iced!)
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

• Add the vinegar to the evaporated milk. This will make it slightly sour, and also change the texture of the milk. It will go thick and a bit lumpy – don’t worry, this is how it is supposed to be.

• Sift the flour, salt, cocoa, bicarb soda and sugar together into a large bowl
• Melt the butter and pour it and half of the evaporated milk into the dry ingredients. Beat with electric beaters until well and truly combined (about 2 minutes).

• Add the vanilla essence, eggs and the rest of the evaporated milk and beat for a further 2 minutes or until the batter is silky and smooth.
• Pour into your tin(s) and bake for approximately 35 minutes if you are making 2 cakes, or for approximately 55 minutes if you are cooking it all in one tin.
• Cool and ice, or fill with cream or chocolate ganash. Roy will show you how to make it into a delicious Black Forest Cake next week.

Roy Creates Mince And Corn Pie

This week, Roy wanted to try one of the recipes I have told him about from my childhood. I often tell him about different dishes his Grandma cooked when I was little, and he always wants to try them himself to see what they were like. These tried and true recipes are always successful and tasty, but even more importantly, they are incredibly simple to make. So, I asked Roy’s Grandma to help me select one of these recipes and together we chose this one. Roy loved it, so this week Roy Creates Mince And Corn Pie.

You Will Need:

• 500 grams of good quality mince
• Butter or olive oil for frying
• 1 onion
• 1 apple
• 1/3 of a cup of store bought, dried breadcrumbs
• 1/3 of a cup of tomato sauce
• 3 eggs
• A tin of creamed corn (about 400 grams)
• ½ a cup of sour cream or normal cream. Roy used sour cream because he had it on hand, but cream is what the original recipe calls for. You could also use natural yoghurt
• Grated cheese to sprinkle over the top (about ½ a cup)

Method:

• Grease a pie dish (Roy just rubs butter around the inside, but you can use a spray if you prefer)
• Chop the onion finely and fry it off in the oil or butter.
• When the onion has just softened, add the mince and cook until it is browned. If your mince was very fatty, drain the fat off, otherwise just cook the mince until it looks dry.

• While the mince is cooking, peel and grate the apple (obviously, don’t use the core!)

• When the mince is cooked, add the apple, tomato sauce and breadcrumbs to the mince and mix thoroughly.

• Put the mince mix into the bottom of the pie dish and press down with a spoon

• Mix together the can of corn, the eggs and the cream until everything is combined and pour it over the top of the mince
• Sprinkle the pie with cheese
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the corn and egg mix is set and the top is golden brown.
• Let the pie sit for 5 minutes and then serve.

Note:

This pie can be made in advance (even the day before), kept in the fridge and then reheated in the oven or microwave.

Roy Creates Wartime 'Fruit Gingerbread'

Earlier this week, Roy was very interested in the cookbook which we examined – the book of Wartime Recipes prepared by the Australian Dried Fruits Association and the Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy. He is always fascinated by old recipes, and by the types of things people made. He decided he really wanted to try a recipe from the book, but choosing just one was a little tricky. He eventually chose a Fruit Gingerbread because his Grandpa loves ginger, so he thought he would enjoy it - and he did! So this week, Roy Creates Wartime 'Fruit Gingerbread'.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of raisins or sultanas
• 150 grams of butter or margarine (they used dripping)
• 1 egg
• ½ a teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 2 cups of plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. You could also use treacle (and this was originally recommended as a substitute) If you warm the spoon first, the syrup will come off the spoon more easily.
• 1 cup of sour milk (add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the milk and let it sit until it curdles slightly. Originally, this would just be milk which was a little old, or which had been too hot, but adding a little vinegar works fine)
• 1 dessertspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
• 1 dessertspoon of ground ginger

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius and line a lamington tin with baking paper

• Put the sugar, golden syrup, butter, salt, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger in a large saucepan and heat until the butter melts and everything combines. You don’t want to boil the mix, just heat it until everything is smooth and well mixed.
• Set the mix aside to cool a little, and while it is cooling sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda together.
• Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl with a little of the milk

• When the mix has cooled a little, carefully add the egg to the butter mix. If you are worried about cooking the egg, add a little of the hot mix to the bowl with the egg, beating all the time and then slowly pour the egg into the mix, again beating all the time.
• Add the remaining milk and mix.

• Add the flour and mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the Fruit and mix well
• Pour the mix into your prepared tray and smooth the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes to an hour (it will depend on how thick your cake is). The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out without any mix clinging to it.
• Cool and enjoy!

Roy Creates Crustless Brunch Flan

This week, Roy really wanted a tasty dish which he could enjoy for a late breakfast when he came home from an early morning commitment. He figured by the time he got home he would be hungry, and so we looked for a dish which would be tasty, edible cold or easy to reheat if he felt like eating it warm. When we found this old recipe for a breakfast flan, full of eggs, bacon and cheese, we thought it would be perfect. So this week, Roy Creates Crustless Brunch Flan.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs. Roy just puts 2 or 3 slices of bread into a little food processor, but you could grate the bread if you preferred
• An onion
• 250 grams of bacon
• 1 tablespoon of dried parsley or 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• 1 cup hot milk (Roy heated it for 1 minute in the microwave)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

• Grease a pie dish and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Chop up the onion and bacon (throw away the excess bacon fat).

• Combine all of the ingredients, other than the milk

• Add the milk and mix thoroughly
• Pour the mix into the pie dish and smooth the top of the flan
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the flan is browned and set
• This pie can be eaten hot or cold. If you plan to eat it straight out of the oven, let it sit for 10 minutes as it will sink a little.
• Enjoy!

Roy Creates Rainbow Sandwiches

This week Roy decided he wanted to try out a recipe he has been contemplating for some time. Today, sandwiches are an everyday thing and people don’t tend to think a huge amount about how to make them ‘fancy’. In the past though, making beautiful sandwiches was very important for entertaining and, since Roy had friends coming for a light lunch, he decided it would be the perfect time to try out an old sandwich recipe from the ‘New Sunshine Cookery Book’. So this week Roy Creates Rainbow Sandwiches.

You Will Need:

• A loaf of white bread. Traditionally, you would use an unsliced loaf, but Roy just used sliced.
• Butter
• Sliced tomato
• Lettuce
• Boiled eggs, mashed with a little mayonnaise
• Drained pickled beetroot

Method:

• If you are using an unsliced loaf, cut off the crusts from the whole loaf (you only want the soft inside for this recipe) and slice the loaf into 4 pieces LENGTHWISE. They will be long slices, but this is exactly what you want.

• If you are using normal sandwich slices of bread, remove all the crusts and throw them away. You will need 4 slices of bread per sandwich.

• Place the first slice of bread in the centre of a clean plate or cutting board and spread this piece of bread with butter and top with the sliced tomato.
• Spread the next slice of bread with butter on both sides and place it on top of the tomato

• Top the second piece of bread with the egg mix and lettuce leaves.
• Butter the third slice of bread, again on both sides and put it on top of the egg and lettuce

• Top the third slice of bread with beetroot slices
• Butter just one side of the last piece of bread and lay it on top of all the other layers.

• Gently squash the sandwich to make it hold together and then tightly wrap in clingwrap.

• Put the sandwiches on a plate or tray and sit another plate or tray on top of the sandwiches. Put the loaf in the fridge and sit weights on the top tray for one hour. This will squish the loaf and make sure all of the fillings stay in place.
• Carefully slice the sandwich loaf into ribbon sandwiches (we cut each sandwich into three) and transfer to a serving platter
• Serve and enjoy!

Roy Creates Easter Hardboiled Eggs

Roy loves Easter. He loves the bright colours, the way that everybody is happy, and of course he loves the Easter Bunny. He also likes chocolate and thinks chocolate eggs are a great thing to find left for you. He doesn’t only like chocolate eggs though, he also loves hardboiled eggs. I told him that when I was little his Grandma and I would make decorated hardboiled eggs for Easter and he thought this sounded like great fun. So with a little help from Grandma, Roy Creates Easter Hardboiled Eggs.

You Will Need:

• Room temperature eggs
• Food colouring
• White vinegar
• A white candle (or you could use a crayon as long as it is a wax crayon)
• Rubber bands
• Round stickers

Method:

• The first thing you need to do is hardboil your eggs. Put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring them slowly to the boil. Boil until they are cooked to your liking (if you want them fully hard, and don't mind the grey ring, boil for 7 minutes)
• Cool your eggs

• Now, make the designs on your eggs. Use the candle to draw wax pictures, put spots on the eggs to make polkadots or wrap the eggs with rubberbands to make random lines or anything else you like!

• Now, to dye the eggs. Use a few bowls (which will not absorb the dye!) and put enough water to half cover your eggs in the bowls. Add the food colouring (you need enough to make a good, vibrant colour) and a good splash of vinegar. Roy used two bowls and had two different colours. 

• Use a spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the dye and move them around to ensure they absorb the dye evenly.

• Remove the eggs from the water with a spoon and rinse them off to remove the excess dye. Allow the eggs to dry on a paper towel, turning them to make sure they don't sit in a puddle.
• If you like, add more spots or dye and dip the eggs into another colour. Roy made one blue and red spotty egg this way!

• Take off your rubberbands and spots and enjoy your colourful eggs! You could even give them as a gift in the Easter nest Roy showed you how to make last week!

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Roy Creates Delicious Boxty

This week, with Saint Patricks Day nearly here, Roy wanted to make something which would be appropriately Irish for the day. There are many Irish recipes which Roy loves, especially Colcannon and Champ. One he had not heard a lot about though until recently was Boxty. Roy has an Irish friend who told him that if he enjoyed the Colcannon and Champ he might like Boxty too, so of course he had to give it a go and what better time to do it than for Saint Patricks Day! So this week, Roy Creates Delicious Boxty.

Roy Creates Lemon Minty Refresher

This week, Roy was entertaining and he wanted a nice, refreshing drink to serve to people because it was quite warm. Usually, he would make a big bowl of punch, but there weren’t enough people to make it worthwhile, so he looked through his recipes for something else to try. When he came across this recipe for Lemon Minty Refresher he thought it would be perfect. The results were fantastic, so this week Roy Creates Lemon Minty Refresher.