Great British Food Christmas 2024

combined. Cover and leave at room temperature for 45 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. 4. Place the griddle or frying pan over a medium-low heat and brush lightly with sunflower oil. Place the oiled crumpet rings on top. The pan is ready when it’s hot enough to immediately sizzle a drop of water. 5. Ladle the crumpet mixture into the rings, filling each ring half to two- thirds full. Cook, over a medium-low heat, for about 8 minutes, until the top of the crumpets is dry and the surface is pocked with distinctive crumpet holes. Carefully remove the rings, turn the crumpets over and cook the other side for 1 minute, until golden. 6. Cool the cooked crumpets on a wire rack, brush the pan with oil again and re-oil the rings. Return them to the pan and cook the remaining mixture. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. 7. Make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine, then cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously, to form a paste. 8. Little by little, add the milk, stirring until the sauce is smooth. Once you’ve added all the milk, cook the sauce for another 1 minute, until it has thickened, and the flour has been cooked out. 9. Slide the pan off the heat, add 100g of the grated cheese, and the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted into the hot sauce. Add the egg yolk and mix again to combine. 10. Top and finish the crumpets. Preheat the grill to high and place the crumpets on a baking tray. 11. Divide two-thirds of the ham hock between the crumpets and spoon over the cheese sauce. Scatter the remaining grated cheese and ham hock over the top. 12. Grill the crumpets for about 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown. Serve with a splash of chilli sauce or a few pickles. Butterscotch&Pecan ShortbreadBiscuits Shortbread (surely, the ultimate dunker?) has that melt-in-themouth butteriness that is irresistiblymoreish. We’ve added flecks of butterscotch and pecan to these – tiny pockets of chewy sweetness, along with a nutty crunch, to make themsatisfying in everyway. Makes: 20 Prepare: 30mins + chilling time Cook: 13mins 85g butterscotch candies 50g pecans 200g unsalted butter, softened 100g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 1 tsp vanilla paste 250g plain flour 25g cornflour 25g rice flour ¼ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1. Make the shortbread dough. Chop the butterscotch candies and pecans into small pieces – about half the size of a pea. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater, cream together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla, on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until pale and creamy. 3. Scrape down the inside of the bowl, then sift in the flour, cornflour, rice flour, baking powder and salt and mix until almost combined. Add the chopped butterscotch and pecans and mix slowly until the pieces are evenly distributed. 4. Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a 5-6cm- diameter log. Wrap the logs tightly in baking paper, twist the ends to seal and roll the logs back and forth on the work surface to neaten. Chill for 2 hours, until very firm. 5. Heat the oven to 170˚C/150˚C fan/Gas 3. 6. Bake the biscuits. Unwrap the shortbread logs and, using a sharp knife, cut them into 1cm-thick discs. Arrange the discs on the lined baking sheets, leaving a little space in between each disc. 7. Sprinkle the top of the shortbreads with a little caster sugar and bake for 12-13 minutes, until firm and starting to turn golden at the edges. 8. If any nuggets of butterscotch have escaped from the sides of the baked shortbreads, gently push them back into shape with a palette knife while the biscuits are still hot. Leave the “Shortbread (surely, the ultimate dunker?) has that melt-in-themouth butteriness that is irresistiblymoreish” RECI PES | GREAT BRI T I SH BAKE OFF greatbr i t ishfoodawards.com 108