Recipes from your past

Many years ago, my mam had a blue notebook with our family favourites in it.  The book was grease splattered and well thumbed and almost fell open at the most popular recipes. Unfortunately the book has been lost. 

Luckily, I have the recipes written in my own notebook, so the recipes have not gone altogether.

Today, I have been revisiting some of the old favourites.

GOLDEN CRUNCHIES

Cheesy pastry enclosing bacon and egg.

To make them:

6oz (170g) plain flour

2oz (60g) mature cheddar cheese, grated

1.5oz (40g) hard margarine or butter

1.5oz (40g) lard

pinch salt, pinch pepper, 1 tsp dry mustard powder

Filling:

0.5lb (200g) bacon, cut into small pieces

1 egg (possibly 2)

Pre-heat your oven to 200'C/400'F/Gas 6

Rub the butter or margarine and the lard into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the cheese.  Form the pastry into a dough using approximately 4 tbsp cold water.

Roll half of the pastry out to 1/4" thick and place on a baking tray. Top with the chopped bacon, beat the egg and pour over the bacon.  Roll out the remaining half of the pastry and place carefully on top of the bacon and egg mix.  Press the edges together to seal. 

Brush the top with egg or milk and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Notes:  I found I needed 2 eggs for this.  You could use ham or other meats for this instead of bacon.

Not one to waste the pastry trimmings, I rolled them out, spread with Marmite, folded over and rolled again.  Cut into strips about 1/2" (1cm) and twisted them gently before putting on a baking tray, brushing with milk and cooking for approximately 10 minutes in the oven with the golden crunchies.

The other recipe I've made from this collection is

COCONUT SQUARES

2oz (60g) butter

1egg, beaten

4oz (113g) sugar 

4oz (113g) desiccated coconut

4oz (113g) glace cherries, halved

100g chocolate

Heat oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas 4

Line an 11" x 7" deep tin (18cm x 28cm) with baking parchment and break the chocolate up into the tin.  Place the tin in the oven for a short time, just long enough to melt the chocolate, about 5 min (not too long or it will burn).  Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate out to cover the bottom of the tin.  Leave to cool and set.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, add the beaten egg and beat again until creamy.  Stir in the cherries and coconut.  Spread on top of the chocolate.  Bake for 15 -20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, mark into squares, and leave to set completely.

You can replace the cherries with sultanas or another favourite fruit or use half cherries and half sultanas or raisins.