Mary Berry Vanilla Slice Food

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Unfold puff pastry sheets, and place flat onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, custard powder and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Mix in just enough milk to form a paste, then gradually mix in the rest. This will prevent lumps from forming. Add the butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thick. You may need to use a whisk to ensure a smooth consistency. When the mixture comes to a simmer, cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the egg yolks and vanilla.
• Line a 9 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Place one of the baked pastry sheets in the bottom of the dish. Spread the custard filling in an even layer over the pastry, and top with the other sheet.
• Mix the confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk, and a dash of vanilla to make an icing. Spread over the top of the pastry. Refrigerate until the custard layer is firm. Remove from the pan and slice.

PEACH AND BERRY SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a large saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of the raspberries and all of the blueberries and peaches and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.
• Slice the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high soufflé or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked fruit mixture. Arrange slices of bread on top in a pattern (this will become the top when the pudding is unmolded) and then add more fruit mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and fruit. Finish with bread and cooked fruit, using all of the fruit and syrup.
• Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and refrigerate overnight.
• Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with whipped cream.
• Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Method
• Pre-heat the oven to 200° C (400° F - Gas 6)
• Leave the pastry at room temperature for a little while before rolling
• Cut the contents of packet in half and roll out each piece into 30 cm squares
• Place each square on an un-greased baking tray and stab all over with the tines/prongs of a fork to lessen the chance of it rising too much
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until browned
• Carefully trim each sheet to about 23 cm square and pat any risen areas back down with your hands
• Line a 23 cm square baking tray with tin-foil and allow plenty of overlap for easy removal
• Place one sheet of the pastry in the foil
• Add the sugar, cornflour and custard powder to a cold saucepan, add a little milk and combine to a paste
• Whisk in the remaining milk and mix well
• Add the butter, heat the pan and gently bring to the boil, stirring often
• Reduce the heat, stir in the vanilla essence and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken
• Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then whisk into the pan
• Pour the hot custard over the first piece of puff pastry, cover with the second sheet and pat down so it comes into contact with the custard everywhere
• Lemon icing
• Beat the lemon juice and zest in with the butter. It may help to microwave the butter for a few seconds to soften first
• Beat in the icing sugar and add a little water if needed
• Allow the sandwich to cool then spread the icing evenly over the top
• Chill in the refrigerator

VANILLA CUSTARD SLICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out 250g of the pastry on a sheet of baking parchment to about 25cm square. Scatter over half the almonds, then press them in very gently, dust with half the icing sugar and lay over a second sheet of baking parchment. Lift onto a baking sheet, and sit another baking sheet on top like a sandwich. Fill a few small tins with baking beans (or something similarly heavy and ovenproof, like uncooked rice). Bake for 30 mins, then have a quick peek - it will probably need another 5 mins to be well browned and crisp all over.
• Remove from the oven, take off the weights and top baking tray, then carefully lift off the top sheet of parchment and leave to cool. Repeat with the remaining pastry - you can do both sheets at once if you have enough baking sheets and tins, but they might not cook as evenly with two in the oven, so it is safer to do one at a time. Cool both completely.
• Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, then put the remaining custard ingredients in a big saucepan. Set over a low heat to start, whisking continuously to mix well, then increase the heat a little until the custard is gently boiling. Keep whisking the whole time - the custard will thicken and lump unevenly, but keep cooking and whisking until it is smooth and very thick.
• Remove the custard from the heat and take out the vanilla pod. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the custard until it has dissolved.
• Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment - criss-crossing two big strips will give you the neatest corners. Using a big, sharp knife and a ruler - or the base of your tin if it is removable - trim one pastry sheet to a shade under a 20cm square, so it will sit inside the tin, almond-side down. Spread over the custard as evenly as you can. Trim the second pastry sheet in the same way, but then divide the square into eight 10 x 5cm rectangles (so it will be easier when you cut the slices later). Sit them on top of the custard, almond-side up, putting them back together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Gently press down on the pastry so it doesn't break but sticks to the custard, then cover and chill for 4 hrs or so, but better still overnight.
• To serve, lift the slice from the tin and cut all the way through where the pastry top is already cut. Dust the slices with a little more icing sugar and serve. Best eaten within 24 hours, when the pastry is still good and crisp.

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
• 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place defrosted puff pastry sheets (use two trays, if necessary) on baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• 3. While pastry is cooling, line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or saran wrap, making sure the foil or wrap comes up over the sides. Place one sheet of pasty at the bottom of the pan, trimming the corners if necessary to make it fit the pan. Press down gently until pastry is relatively flat.
• 4. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half and add it to the milk. Bring milk up to a simmer, then remove from heat. Scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk.
• 5. In a medium bowl, whisk together half n' half, sugar, cornstarch, custard powder or pudding mix, and egg yolks until very smooth. Pour into the saucepan with the vanilla milk, whisking to combine. Turn up heat to medium and, whisking frequently, cook until mixture comes to a boil and is very thick. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and butter, continuing to stir until butter melts. Pour into prepared pan on top of the sheet of pastry and smooth into an even layer.
• 6. Gently press remaining sheet of pastry - corners trimmed if necessary - on top of the custard layer. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
• 7. Slice a knife around the sides of the pan (to loosen the custard from the edges of the pan), then use the overhanging foil or saran wrap to easily lift the dessert from the pan. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar before slicing.

MARY BERRY'S "ULTIMATE" BROWNIES

Steps:

• Melt the butter and chocolate together and let cool slightly (5 - 10 minutes). While this is cooling :- Pre-heat oven to 190oC (375oC). Grease and line a 30 x 23 cm (12 x 9 in) slab cake tin and line with baking paper.
• Place the coffee and water in a mug and let sit until needed.
• Add the eggs, vanilla to the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour, nuts, chocolate chips and the coffee mixture.
• Pour into your prepared tin and bake in the pre heated oven for about 40 minutes - be sure to not over cook. Cool in the tin and slice.