Legendary baking
Ever since I trained as a baker and pastry chef in Germany, I dreamed of opening my own Konditorei – this can be defi ned as a cake shop; most often it’s a combination of shop and café. To fulfi l my dream, I came to London, where I worked for food entrepreneur Justin de Blank in Knightsbridge. As well as introducing my own recipes, I developed an interest in cake creations for celebrity customers, including Tina Turner and The Rolling Stones.
In 1993, my attention was drawn to a bakery in Waterloo that was closing down. All the shop needed was a lick of paint, a new name (Konditor & Cook), new recipes and a revised approach to quality. When Nigella Lawson wrote about Konditor & Cook in Vogue, she summed it up perfectly: ‘Cakes you’d make yourself if you had the time, energy and inclination…’ With my new collection of recipes, I’m giving you the chance to bake the Konditor & Cook way. Most of them won’t require much time or energy, just enthusiasm and a keen appetite.
Konditor & Cook: Deservedly Legendary Baking, by Gerhard Jenne, with photography by Jean Cazals, is published by Ebury Press, priced £20.
Twice-baked Raspberry Ricott a Cheesecake with a Thyme Crust
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Method
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3-4mm thick. Sprinkle evenly with the leaves from the lemon thyme sprig, then roll flat with the rolling pin. Keeping the pastry herb-side up, use to line a deep 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin, then trim off the excess. Chill for 30 mins.
Heat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line pastry case with aluminium foil, draping it over the edges a little, and fill it with baking beans or rice. Bake blind for 15 mins, then remove from oven and leave to stand for 5 mins. Lift out foil with the beans or rice and return pastry case to the oven for 5 mins or until it has started to colour slightly.
Using a spatula, mix ricotta with flour, lemon zest and egg yolks, then add milk and mix to a smooth, creamy paste. Put egg whites in a clean bowl, start whisking, then gradually add the caster sugar and whisk to a softpeaked meringue. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the ricotta mixture. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and spread evenly with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Arrange the raspberries on top.
Bake at 180C/gas mark 4 for 10 mins, then reduce temperature to 150C/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 20 mins. The filling should have risen in the centre. Gently remove from oven (but do not turn oven off) and leave for 15 mins (this stops the filling from rising too much and cracking open, then collapsing). Return to oven for 15 mins. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
Ingredients
Method
Put sugar and egg yolk in a mixing bowl, combine briefly with a wooden spoon, then add butter. Using the spoon or your fingers, blend them until they come together. You can also do this in a freestanding electric mixer. Sift in flour and quickly work everything into a dough. Shape into a flat slab, wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour before use. The pastry will keep in the fridge for 5 days and can also be frozen, well wrapped.Jammilicious Linzers
Makes about 32
Ingredient
Method
Put all the ingredients except the walnuts, flour and raspberry jam into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until butter starts to break up. Mix in ground walnuts, then sift in flour and mix that in too. (Or use a freestanding electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment.) Wrap dough in cling film and chill for 1 hour. Heat oven to 180C/ gas mark 4.
Remove dough from fridge and knead briefly by hand to make it more pliable. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick. Using a 3-4cm plain or crinkled square cutter, cut dough into squares. Re-roll trimmings to make more (a few offcuts will be useful to add to the baking tray to test the bake).
Place two-thirds of the squares on a greased or parchment-lined baking tray, 1cm apart. Cut remaining squares in half diagonally and add them to baking tray. Bake for 10 mins. Since this dough is quite dark, it is harder to tell when it is cooked – place a few offcuts on the tray as testers, so you can remove them and check that they are firm and baked underneath.
Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Warm raspberry jam in a small pan or a microwave, then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Put jam in a small parchment piping bag fitted with a 3mm nozzle and pipe it over the squares, keeping it 1mm away from the edges.
Dust half the triangles with icing sugar and then, using all the triangles, place one on each biscuit, so that only half of each biscuit is covered and the other half shows the jam. Arrange biscuits in a pattern on a serving dish.
Makes 8 large, 16 medium or 32 bite-sized pieces
Method
For the pastry base:
Method
First make the pastry base. Mix the sugar and cinnamon with the egg yolk, then add the cubed butter, followed by the flour. Briefly work into a dough with your hands, then cover and chill for 30 mins.
Remove the dough from the fridge, knead briefly, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to 2-3mm thick. Use to line a 20cm x 34cm baking tray. Chill the pastry while you prepare the filling.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Place the quince paste in a shallow bowl, add ground almonds and 2 tablespoons of water and squash and blend them together with a fork (you could also do this in a food processor).
To make the topping, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Put all the remaining topping ingredients in a bowl and combine with a whisk. Add the melted butter and mix to what might seem a surprisingly runny paste.
Remove pastry case from the fridge and spread quince filling over the base, then pour almond topping on top.
Place on a lower rack of oven and bake for 35-40 mins, until evenly browned and slightly springy on top. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Cut into 8 large squares, 16 medium triangles or fingers, or 32 mini squares.
In 1993, my attention was drawn to a bakery in Waterloo that was closing down. All the shop needed was a lick of paint, a new name (Konditor & Cook), new recipes and a revised approach to quality. When Nigella Lawson wrote about Konditor & Cook in Vogue, she summed it up perfectly: ‘Cakes you’d make yourself if you had the time, energy and inclination…’ With my new collection of recipes, I’m giving you the chance to bake the Konditor & Cook way. Most of them won’t require much time or energy, just enthusiasm and a keen appetite.
Konditor & Cook: Deservedly Legendary Baking, by Gerhard Jenne, with photography by Jean Cazals, is published by Ebury Press, priced £20.
Twice-baked Raspberry Ricott a Cheesecake with a Thyme Crust
Serves 6-8 Ingredients
- 1 quantity of Sweet Pastry (see below)
- a sprig of lemon thyme
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 2 eggs, separated
- 75ml milk
- 85g caster sugar
- 225g raspberries
- icing sugar, for dusting
Method
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3-4mm thick. Sprinkle evenly with the leaves from the lemon thyme sprig, then roll flat with the rolling pin. Keeping the pastry herb-side up, use to line a deep 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin, then trim off the excess. Chill for 30 mins.
Heat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line pastry case with aluminium foil, draping it over the edges a little, and fill it with baking beans or rice. Bake blind for 15 mins, then remove from oven and leave to stand for 5 mins. Lift out foil with the beans or rice and return pastry case to the oven for 5 mins or until it has started to colour slightly.
Using a spatula, mix ricotta with flour, lemon zest and egg yolks, then add milk and mix to a smooth, creamy paste. Put egg whites in a clean bowl, start whisking, then gradually add the caster sugar and whisk to a softpeaked meringue. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the ricotta mixture. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and spread evenly with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Arrange the raspberries on top.
Bake at 180C/gas mark 4 for 10 mins, then reduce temperature to 150C/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 20 mins. The filling should have risen in the centre. Gently remove from oven (but do not turn oven off) and leave for 15 mins (this stops the filling from rising too much and cracking open, then collapsing). Return to oven for 15 mins. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
Sweet Pastry
Makes 1 quantityIngredients
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 100g salted butter, cut into cubes
- 150g plain flour
Method
Put sugar and egg yolk in a mixing bowl, combine briefly with a wooden spoon, then add butter. Using the spoon or your fingers, blend them until they come together. You can also do this in a freestanding electric mixer. Sift in flour and quickly work everything into a dough. Shape into a flat slab, wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour before use. The pastry will keep in the fridge for 5 days and can also be frozen, well wrapped.
Jammilicious Linzers
Makes about 32Ingredient
- 50g caster sugar
- 60g salted butter, chilled and diced
- 1 tbsp milk, plus extra for brushing
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 50g walnuts, finely ground
- 90g plain flour
- 150g good-quality raspberry jam
- icing sugar, for dusting
Method
Put all the ingredients except the walnuts, flour and raspberry jam into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until butter starts to break up. Mix in ground walnuts, then sift in flour and mix that in too. (Or use a freestanding electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment.) Wrap dough in cling film and chill for 1 hour. Heat oven to 180C/ gas mark 4.
Remove dough from fridge and knead briefly by hand to make it more pliable. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick. Using a 3-4cm plain or crinkled square cutter, cut dough into squares. Re-roll trimmings to make more (a few offcuts will be useful to add to the baking tray to test the bake).
Place two-thirds of the squares on a greased or parchment-lined baking tray, 1cm apart. Cut remaining squares in half diagonally and add them to baking tray. Bake for 10 mins. Since this dough is quite dark, it is harder to tell when it is cooked – place a few offcuts on the tray as testers, so you can remove them and check that they are firm and baked underneath.
Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Warm raspberry jam in a small pan or a microwave, then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Put jam in a small parchment piping bag fitted with a 3mm nozzle and pipe it over the squares, keeping it 1mm away from the edges.
Dust half the triangles with icing sugar and then, using all the triangles, place one on each biscuit, so that only half of each biscuit is covered and the other half shows the jam. Arrange biscuits in a pattern on a serving dish.
Tart a de Santiago
Makes 8 large, 16 medium or 32 bite-sized pieces
Method
For the pastry base:
- 40g caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 100g salted butter, cut into cubes
- 150g plain flour
- For the filling
- 200g quince paste
- 50g ground almonds
- 150g salted butter
- 100g caster sugar
- grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 150g ground almonds
- 150ml sweet sherry
- 3 medium eggs
Method
First make the pastry base. Mix the sugar and cinnamon with the egg yolk, then add the cubed butter, followed by the flour. Briefly work into a dough with your hands, then cover and chill for 30 mins.
Remove the dough from the fridge, knead briefly, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to 2-3mm thick. Use to line a 20cm x 34cm baking tray. Chill the pastry while you prepare the filling.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Place the quince paste in a shallow bowl, add ground almonds and 2 tablespoons of water and squash and blend them together with a fork (you could also do this in a food processor).
To make the topping, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Put all the remaining topping ingredients in a bowl and combine with a whisk. Add the melted butter and mix to what might seem a surprisingly runny paste.
Remove pastry case from the fridge and spread quince filling over the base, then pour almond topping on top.
Place on a lower rack of oven and bake for 35-40 mins, until evenly browned and slightly springy on top. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Cut into 8 large squares, 16 medium triangles or fingers, or 32 mini squares.