Vanilla Slice Recipe Jamie Oliver Food

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to hot (200 degrees celsius, fan-forced).
• Grease and line a square cake tin with baking paper (approx 20 x 20cm). Leave sides of baking paper longer so you can lift slice out using the paper.
• Cut two frozen puff pastry sheets so they are just a little larger than the cake tin.
• Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper. Place a puff pastry square on each tray and then add another layer of baking paper on top of the pastry square.
• Place another baking tray on top of each tray (to flatten the pastry during the baking process) and place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Allow to cool and then place one sheet of puff pastry into the prepared cake tin. Trim the sides a little with a sharp knife to fit if necessary.
• Prepare custard filling by combining dessert mix, milk and cream. Whisk until mixture thickens.
• Pour custard mix into the cake tin on top of the first pastry layer and smooth out evenly using the back of a metal spoon. Place the second pastry sheet on top of the custard mixture and press down gently. Place into fridge for half an hour.
• Combine icing sugar, butter, half of the boiling water and pink food colouring. Whisk to combine and continue adding water gradually until you have a mixture that's just runny enough to pour.
• Pour icing over top of slice and smooth out evenly with a butter knife. Place slice back in fridge to set for another half hour.
• When set, ease the entire slab of slice from the tin using the overhanging paper. Slice into 9 squares using a sharp serrated knife.
• Store in the fridge for up to three days.

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.

VANILLA BAKED FRUIT

Steps:

• Simply mix the sugar into the mascarpone.
• This cream has a lighter texture than mascarpone cream. It goes well with almost any dessert.
• Whip the cream and sugar until the mixture stays in soft peaks. Don't over-whip.
• Don't buy vanilla essence and don't buy ready-made vanilla sugar. It's so expensive, you don't get much and you can so easily make a much better version yourself. You should use vanilla pods. Although the pods are quite expensive, the recipe works out much cheaper in the long run because of the amount you can make.
• VANILLA SUGAR: Don't buy vanilla pods that are dry and hard -- buy them fat, sticky and squashy. What we want to do is infuse the natural vanilla flavor of the vanilla pods into the sugar. It is perfectly fine, and obviously quicker, just to pop the pods in an airtight container with the sugar; you will achieve a more subtle flavor. I really like this recipe, though, because you get the maximum flavor from the pods.
• You need a food processor for this one. Put your vanilla pods in the mixer, blitz, scrape the sides and blitz again. Add all the sugar and blitz for about 2 minutes. Sieve the mixture into a bowl, return any lumps to the food processor and blitz again. (You may want to repeat this process if you want it really fine). The result will be a slightly ashy-colored mixture -- now that's real vanilla sugar!
• Store it in an airtight container. It should last you for ages.

VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Halve the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add both the pod and seeds to a pan on a medium-low heat, pour in the milk and bring just to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then pick out the vanilla pod.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour until pale.
• Gradually add the warm milk, a ladle at a time, whisking well before each addition.
• Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently on a low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened, whisking continuously. Delicious served with all kinds of crumble.

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:

• Stir the milk, sugar and butter in saucepan over low heat, until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Remove milk mix from heat.
• Combine the cornflour and custard powder, add extra milk and stir until really smooth, with no lumps. Add this to the saucepan.
• Whisk over a low heat until mixture boils and thickens.
• Add vanilla and egg and beat until well combined.
• Line a 23cm square tin with baking paper or foil. Place nine Sao biscuits in the base of the tin. Pour warm custard filling over the top and spread out until even.
• Place remaining biscuits over custard.
• Cover and chill slice overnight.
• When slice has chilled overnight, ice slice with passionfruit icing and place back slice to chill until icing is firm.
• Use a warm knife to cut slice into squares.
• For the passionfruit icing place the icing sugar into a bowl, add the passionfruit pulp and mix well. Add enough lemon juice to form stiff peaks.

CUSTARD (VANILLA) SLICE

Steps:

• Place piece greaseproof paper onto a flat biscuit tray and spray with cooking spray. Put a sheet of puff pastry on tray and pierce all over with a fork, but don't go all the way through pastry.
• Put in oven about 200°C until puffed up and golden.
• Let cool for a few minutes and gently push pastry down (I use a teatowel so my hands don't get burned) so it's flat. Take it off baking tray and remove paper.
• Put pastry into a square dish that has been greased and lined with greaseproof paper. If pastry too big trim the sides a little. It should be a snug fit.
• Bake second sheet of pastry, remove the paper and set pastry to one side until custard is done.
• For the custard, put the sugar and custard powder into a large saucepan and mix together with a wire whisk.
• Add the milk and mix to combine well.
• Put saucepan on stovetop and heat on medium high until mixture begins to thicken, then lower the heat until mixture is very thick and hard to stir. I find using the wire whisk until mix begins to thicken prevents lumps, then use a spoon to stir it.
• Add vanilla and mix well then pour into prepared dish.
• Smooth top so it's even and put 2nd pastry sheet on top.
• The icing amount depends on how thick a layer you want it, but I usually melt about 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 teaspoon boiling water. Then I add icing sugar, passionfruit pulp and a bit of water or lemon juice until it's the right consistency and amount--you don't want it too runny.
• Pour the icing on top and put in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
• Cut into squares and enjoy!

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Line a 23cm square slab pan with foil, bring foil up to overlap sides of pan.
• Place pastry sheets on lightly greased oven trays.
• Bake in a hot oven about 6 minutes, or until well browned.
• Cool.
• Gently flatten pastry with hand.
• Fit 1 pastry sheet in prepared pan.
• Combine sugar, cornflour and custard powder in pan.
• Gradually stir in milk. Stir until smooth.
• Add butter and stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.
• Simmer, stirring, about 3 minutes or until very thick and smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in yolks and essence.
• Pour hot custard over pastry in pan.
• Top with remaining sheet of pastry, flat side up.
• Press down slightly.
• Cool.
• Spread pastry with passionfruit icing.
• Cut when set.
• FOR THE ICING:.
• Sift icing sugar into small heat-proof bowl.
• Stir in butter, passionfruit juice and enough water to make a stiff paste.
• Stir icing over hot water until spreadable.
• Recipe can be made a day ahead.
• Store covered in refrigerator.
• Do not freeze or microwave.