We’ve had another great week of Duke of Edinburgh with some new Gold Residential students, teaching them how to be self-sufficient in their kitchens and cooking up a storm of delicious dishes. But like with anything good the results speak for themselves, or in this case the students:
“I learnt the key foundations to many dishes and would strongly recommend this course for anyone who wants to learn the basics of cooking for Uni and beyond!” – Ed
“Thank you for such an amazing week, I really enjoyed it and now feel a lot more confident in the kitchen.” – Elena
“This was one of the best weeks of my life, I loved every minute of the week, all the food we made was delicious… I will treasure and use my recipe folder for ever. Thank you.” – Sofia
Recipe of the Week:
If you’re anything like us here at The Foodworks, you’re probably grasping onto the last few rays of Summer with your fingertips, so why not indulge in a final Summer treat, strawberries and all! This week I thought it would be good to go with a dessert, giving in to your inner sweet tooth with a strawberry shortbread recipe that rivals even the tastiest desserts out there.
Strawberry Shortbread Recipe – Makes 18 biscuits
Shortbread
200g butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
100g sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
Mix together the butter and sugar, either by hand or using an electric hand whisk, until pale and smooth. Add the vanilla extract, then gently mix in the flour until completely incorporated (try not to work the flour too much or the biscuits will not be so crumbly). Using your hands, squeeze the mixture together into a ball of dough.
Gently roll the dough out to about 5mm/¼in thick (dust the work surface with a little flour if the dough sticks). Cut into shapes using a biscuit cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with baking parchment (or a non-stick baking tray) and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest (chilling makes them hold their shape better when baking).
Before cooking, sprinkle each biscuit with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
English custard – Sauce anglaise
½ pt milk
½ pt double cream
112g caster sugar
1 vanilla pods
6 egg yolks
Boil milk, cream and vanilla pods.
Mix together egg yolks and sugar.
Pour the boiled cream and milk onto the eggs and mix.
Return to pan and on a gentle heat cook out the mixture till it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Serve.
To make strawberry shortbread layer whipped double cream and sliced strawberries in between biscuits and serve on a pool of custard.