Slow Cooked: 200 exciting, new recipes for your slow cooker (36 page)

5 dessertspoonfuls Lemon Curd (see
here
to make your own)

125g butter, softened

125g sugar

2 eggs

125g ground almonds

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 lemon, juiced and zested

50g flaked or whole almonds (optional)

crème fraîche, to serve

I use a 20cm springform tin in a 6.5-litre slow cooker to bake my tart. A 15cm tin should fit in the 3.5-litre slow cooker, but I don’t have one. You could also use individual tart tins or ramekins to make it. Just test how well things fit and lift out of your crock before you start.

Begin by lining your tin with greaseproof paper. Then pop your biscuits into a freezer bag and bash them up until they are small crumbs. Combine well with the melted butter and press them into the lined tin. Allow the crumbs to set into a crust by leaving it to chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge.

Once the crust is set, wrap the base of the tin in two layers of tin foil. This will protect the crust while the tart steams. Spread the lemon curd over the crust with the back of a spoon. Don’t make the layer too thick by adding more curd. Less is more.

Now make your frangipane topping. Beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This is easiest with an electric whisk since I’m a bit of a wimp. Add the eggs and beat until the mix is almost like a batter.

Add the ground almonds and the flour and fold in gently with a spoon to keep the air in. Then fold the lemon zest and juice in to loosen it all slightly. Don’t over mix the topping.

Spread the frangipane over the lemon curd layer of the tart. It is quite stiff and as you dollop it out with a spoon, it looks as if there won’t be enough to cover the whole tart, but don’t worry. The amount is just right. Make sure you spread it out to the very edges of the tart so you can’t see biscuit or curd.

Press the flaked or whole almonds into the topping to add crunch and decoration (or scatter the tart with a little brown sugar if you don’t have any almonds).

Set the uncovered tart tin into your slow-cooker crock and carefully pour boiling water into the crock until it touches the base of the tin. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the tart on high for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat at this stage and lift off the lid. Allow the tart to sit for about 15 minutes until everything is cool enough to handle more easily and then lift the tart out and allow to cool on a rack.

Once completely cool, the tart will shrink away from the edges of the tin. Undo the springform tin and lift the tart out of the tin. Remove the greaseproof paper and serve the tart in slices with a little crème fraîche on the side. The tangy lemon curd keeps the tart sharply pleasing and the steamed frangipane is soft and moist compared to the crunchy base. It’s a truly fantastic dessert that lemon lovers won’t be able to get enough of.

My mum didn’t make a lot of desserts when we were kids as our pudding lust was easily fulfilled by fruit and ice cream, but when she did make them, they were fantastic and none was better than her baked cheesecake. Light, airy and buttery, it was like a sweet cloud. The one she made for a murder mystery party years ago is still just as talked about for its texture as its helping hand in unmasking the murderer!

Any cream cheese works for this recipe as long as it’s the full-fat version. I use two-thirds basic cream cheese and one third mascarpone if I’m feeling extravagant.

If you have a 6.5-litre slow cooker, you can use a 20cm springform tin and bake this as a whole cake. Otherwise, use a smaller springform for a 3.5-litre crock or bake the cake in ramekins.

SERVES 6–8

200g biscuits (either digestive or bourbon are best)

100g butter

100g sugar

3 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

600g full-fat cream cheese

1 lemon, juiced

Start by lining the base of your springform tin with greaseproof paper. Crush the biscuits to a fine even crumb. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat or in the microwave and mix well with the biscuits. Spread the mixture into the base of the springform tin and flatten it down. Chill overnight or for at least 4 hours in the fridge.

Make the filling by beating the sugar with the 3 egg yolks until they are thickened slightly. Beat in the 3 whole eggs until well combined. Add the vanilla extract. Set aside.

Whip the cream cheese until it is starting to become loose and soft. Beat the whisked egg mixture into it until it has become soft and fluffy. It will be a loose enough texture to pour. Add the lemon juice and stir until combined.

Wrap the outside of the springform tin in two layers of tin foil and place into the slow-cooker crock. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base. Fill the crock with enough boiling water to reach the base of the tin.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and bake on low for 3½ hours. The filling will expand while cooking to look like it’s about to spill over the side, but this will shrink back down as the cake cools. It also means you can’t lift the cake out of the slow cooker until this happens. I leave mine for another 30–40 minutes in the slow cooker to settle down.

Remove the cake from the slow cooker and chill overnight before serving in generous slices. If you use ramekins, simply serve directly from them.

Note:
This cheesecake can be customised to whatever flavour you want. I sometimes add the Candied Ginger and its syrup from
here
if I’m using bourbon biscuits or Lemon Curd from
here
swirled through the cream cheese if I’m using digestives.

I remember the first time I ever had a brownie. It was from a Sara Lee packet, which was the absolute height of swank for this nine-year old. I had never tasted anything so chocolatey and fudgey and I was bewitched. I never quite recaptured that excitement until I got the slow cooker because no matter what I do with the oven, I always seem to overcook my brownies past fudge point. The slow cooker gets them squishy and squidgy every time.

These brownies are inspired by the lovely Deb at
Smitten Kitchen
. I love cooking her recipes and it was a real honour to bake one of them for her at an event on her UK book tour.

MAKES ABOUT 24 SQUARES

90g dark chocolate (eat the remains of the 100g bar as a cook’s perk)

115g butter, cubed

275g sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

90g plain flour

75g cream cheese

1 heaped dessertspoon condensed milk or Dulce de Leche (see
here
)

These are a really simple brownie recipe to make and if you have a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan, you can make them in one bowl to minimise the washing up.

Line the slow-cooker crock with greaseproof paper or reusable baking liner. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water on the hob. Make sure no water gets into the chocolate or it will become grainy. Add the cubed butter and melt it in too.

Remove carefully from the heat and add the sugar, beating it in well. It will look slightly lumpy, but don’t worry. Beat in each egg, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour to make a light batter and pour it into the lined crock.

Mix the cream cheese with the condensed milk until it is light and almost runny. It might look almost curdled, but don’t worry, that’s fine. Take a teaspoonful of the cream cheese mix and drop it onto the top of the batter. Use a skewer to swirl it slightly through the brownie mix. Repeat until you have evenly placed swirls throughout the batter. Don’t mix the cream cheese completely into the batter.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and bake the brownies on high for 2–2½ hours. Test with a skewer after 2 hours. The brownies are ready when the skewer comes out of the middle cleanly. (The top needs to look cooked before you lift them out and they may need 30 minutes more than you think to allow the temperature of the slow cooker to return to full heat. Each batch I made varied, but never overcooked.)

Lift the brownies out of the slow cooker and cool them on a rack. Do not try to peel off the liner until the brownies are completely cool or it may stick to the liner and be wasted. Cut the brownies into about 24 small squares. The centres will be sticky and fudgey and the edges are crisp and chewy.

No matter how you feel about getting up in the morning, wouldn’t you enjoy it more if it involved freshly baked buttery buns greeting you as you stumble into the kitchen? With this recipe and a timer on your slow cooker, that fantasy is a reality with very little effort. Just boil the kettle for your hot beverage of choice and you have the breakfast of champions to hand. These are especially good on Christmas morning if you need energy to deal with little people who wake you early.

These are very simple to make the night before you need them. The hefty dose of yeast makes them robust and easy to handle. The buns get two rises in the course of making them even if you don’t leave them overnight because the gradual heating of the slow cooker rises them as they bake. How’s that for multi-tasking?

MAKES ABOUT 10 (THE DOUGH FREEZES NICELY)

450g plain flour

75g sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 sachets of fast-action dried yeast (honestly, it’s a tip from Nigella and it works)

75g butter

200ml milk

1 egg

100g softened butter

100g soft brown sugar

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon honey, warmed gently

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the sugar, salt and yeast. Melt the butter in a small pan and then remove from the heat before combining it with the milk and egg in a jug or bowl.

Add the butter and milk mix to the flour and bring together to form a dough. It should be just the right side of sticky. Use your hand to combine it. When it comes together it will look slightly ragged.

Tip it out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the surface becomes smoother and the dough is a little bit drier. Pat it into a ball and put it back in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise in a warmish place for at least 30 minutes. If you end up leaving it longer, that’s fine.

While the dough is proving, mix the soft butter with the brown sugar and add in the spices. Set aside while you lift the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. It should be 1cm thick and about 45cm long and 20cm wide. As you roll, try and keep it as evenly shaped as possible.

Once rolled out, use the back of a spoon to spread the spiced butter onto it. Make sure you don’t miss the edges. Then carefully tease up one of the longer sides of the dough and start to roll it as tightly as possible to make a giant sausage. Fold the remaining edge of the dough over on top of the sausage and stick it down well. Use a little bit of butter or water to make sure it is well sealed.

Line the base of your slow-cooker crock with a piece of reusable baking liner or some greaseproof paper. Brush the sides with a little bit of oil. Start cutting the cinnamon sausage into rounds 2–3cm thick. If the rounds droop slightly when you lift them, don’t worry. As you set them into the slow-cooker crock, simply tuck the ends together so they are tighter. Leave about 1cm of space between the buns to allow them room to rise again as they cook. I can get about half of the dough into a 3.5-litre crock and I freeze the rest uncut.

Put 4 sheets of kitchen roll, double thickness, over the top of the crock and put the lid on top of it. Cook the buns on high for 1½ hours. They work equally well if you set the timer or do them straight away. The kitchen roll absorbs the majority of the moisture and allows the buns to develop a lovely crust.

About 30 minutes before the buns have finished baking, brush the tops with the honey to allow them to develop a lovely sticky, shiny glaze.

These are best served still warm, but will keep for up to a day in a sealed container. You can brush them with more honey before you serve them.

I received an email from a friend the day after I last cooked these, which was headed, ‘Your buns are lovely.’ What more could you want from breakfast?

Of all the things I’ve made in the slow cooker, few have had the response of slow-cooker bread. Most people are highly sceptical that such a thing is possible, including my mum when I suggested making some over Christmas. She makes fabulous sourdough loaves and mine needed to be good to win her over. And won over she was. We devoured the loaf in next to no time and she was suitably impressed by the light, open crumb and soft, chewy crust. She also deciphered the instruction manual to the timer plug and allowed me to wake up to freshly baked bread in the morning. Had Santa brought me a Teasmade too, my mornings would be complete…

MAKES 1 × 500G LOAF

500g plain flour (or 150g strong white and 350g plain flour)

14g fast-action dried yeast (equivalent to 2 sachets)