Love in The Kitchen Cooking Workshop - Beef & Parma Ham Pastry, Key Lime Pie, Baked Egg with Smoked Ham and Toasted Nuts

I prefer a hands-on, rather then a demo class, when it comes to a cooking workshop, and the instructor that day was nice enough to let us do some frying!

We made a Key Lime Pie, Baked Egg with Smoked Ham and Toasted Nuts, and Canon of Beef Wrapped in Parma Ham and Baked with Puff Pastry and Black Currant Sauce.

KEY LIME PIE

Crust made with digestive biscuits, crushed till fine in a food processor, and mixed with melted butter till it's the consistency of wet sand. Spoon the mixture into a greased tart tin and shape over the base and sides, pressing the crumbs firmly to form an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes in a 180 degrees pre-heated oven, or till golden brown.



Grating lime peel and squeezing lime juice! You'd need 8-10 limes, yielding 80-100ml of juice.


After sieving out the seeds, combine the juice and zest with 2 egg yolks, 390ml of condensed milk and 300ml of double cream. Whisk till the mixture thickens.


Fill the center of the cooked biscuit with the mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes till the filling has set on the outside but quivery in the middle. Cool completely before chilling overnight or at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Sprinkle lime zest on top before serving.


BAKED EGG WITH SMOKED HAM AND TOASTED NUTS

Brush four 6cm deep ramekins with softened butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Scoop some diced smoked ham into each ramekin and tip an egg in. Spoon 1 tbsp of double cream around the egg yolk. Place the ramekins into a roasting pan filled with water till it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins, and bake for 10 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 170 degrees, till the egg whites have just set and the yolks still runny. You may like to sprinkle some lightly crushed toasted nuts on top before serving.



CANON OF BEEF WRAPPED IN PARMA HAM AND BAKED IN PUFF PASTRY, SERVED WITH BLACK CURRANT SAUCE

This dish was by far, my favourite! You would need four 110g of log-shaped beef, preferably tenderloin. Sear the beef on all sides, in a very hot frying pan that has been oiled, and set aside to cool. Beef should be uncooked on the inside but slightly burnt on all sides. Absorb excess oil and blood with a kitchen towel so that pastry will not end up soggy.



Roll each portion of beef tightly with parma ham. Cut pre-made pastry to size, and roll it around the beef and ham. Brush a layer of egg wash over the pastry and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Lightly grease a baking tray and place it in an oven pre-heated at 180 degrees, for 10 minutes. Transfer the beef onto the tray and bake for 15-20 minutes. Chexk for doneness at the 10 minute mark, and lower the temperature should the pastry become too brown.


Let the beef en croute rest for 5 minutes before drizzling blackcurrant sauce on top and serving it with vegetables.