Baking Made Easy episode 4 – Very Entertaining: Want stress-free ideas for entertaining? How about Lorraine Pascale’s whisky and chilli tiger prawns? They are baked in the oven and ready in less than 30 minutes. She reveals her top three flavour enhancers, a chef’s secret to fabulous baking, and a dinner party favourite gets the easy treatment with a delicious creamy mascarpone and ginger creme brulee.
Lorraine’s got the makings of a very chilled evening, with big fat salt and pepper breadsticks – perfect with tasty dips and a glass of wine. She is sharing her baker’s dozen of essential ingredients and has a basic recipe for fabulous shortbread, great for sharing – or not! Then it’s time for a real savoury showstopper, sticky glazed Asian ham always goes down a storm. So sit back and let the oven do the work – who said entertaining wasn’t easy?
Baking Made Easy ep. 4 recipes:
Whisky and chilli tiger prawns
This is best served as a starter. Sucking the sweet sauce off the juicy crustaceans is an experience to be savoured, never hurried. Shelled and unshelled prawns are both fine to use. Serve with a green salad and hunks of crusty bread.
Mascarpone and ginger crème brûlée
For the best results, this recipe should be started the day before, to allow the ginger to infuse with the cream. However, if you are in a real hurry, then steep for an hour and add a pinch of ground ginger to boost the flavour.
Big, fat salt and pepper breadsticks
The best way to serve these breadsticks is with dips such as hummus, taramasalata and guacamole. Mini-sticks can be fun as canapés for a dinner party.
Method
- Dust two large baking trays with flour.
- Put the flour, yeast and the salt into a large bowl and add enough of the water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Knead well for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured work surface or for five minutes if using an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions, each weighing about 60g/2½oz. Roll the portions into balls, then place each ball on a floured surface and roll into a long sausage shape about 25cmx2cm/10inx1in. (For the best visual results make the sausage shape an even thickness.)
- I like to shape half of them into twists. Run a knife down the centre to split the dough, leaving a bit at one end uncut. Braid or plait the two halves over each other to give a twisted effect.
- Place the breadsticks on the prepared baking trays, spacing them 4cm/1½in apart. Cover the breadsticks loosely with oiled clingfilm, making sure it is airtight. Leave in warm place for 30 minutes, or until the breadsticks have almost doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- Remove the clingfilm and brush each breadstick with the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle half of the breadsticks with the sea salt and the remainder with the freshly ground black pepper. Bake on the top third of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the breadsticks are lightly golden-brown and feel firm to the touch. Remove the breadsticks from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays.