WEBWATCHMAKERS PIZZA

Here is the perfect recipe to take your mind off watches for a while, get your hands dirty and pound some dough.

Makes two 12 inch round pizzas.

1lb 4 oz strong white bread flour.
350ml luke warm water.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
3 teaspoons honey.
2 sachets dried yeast.
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt.
2 eggs.
3 slices parma ham.
3 slices german salami.
3 slices Danish salami.
3 slices Polish smoked sausage.
Tin of pineapple slices.
3 mushrooms.
3 oz mild cheddar cheese, or any cheese you like!
Tomato puree.

Place the yeast in the warm water, stirring it well to dissolve and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes.

Sieve the flour, salt and pepper into a large bowl.

Add the two tablespoons of virgin olive oil and three teaspoons of honey to the yeast mixture and stir thoroughly. I use a mini mixer.

Gradully pour this mixture into the flour and stir well, ensuring the dough is like plasticene.

Scoop the blob of dough out of the bowl and knead for 10 minutes on a floured surface, ensuring to flour your hands as well. Here you willl learn watchmakers patience!

When the dough is nice and smooth, place in another bowl smeared with olive oil. Cover with clingfilm.

Leave the dough in a warm place, until it has risen to at least twice its size.

Remove the dough, again onto a floured surface and pound relentlessly til most of the air has been removed.

Rest the dough! Just look at it for half an hour or so.

Bash it again!

Roll the dough out til it fits the baking tray.

Cover the surface of the dough with a thin layer of tomato puree.

Slice up the meats into about inch by half inch strips and place evenly over the dough.

Slice the mushrooms and pineapple and place similarly.

Thoroughly beat two eggs and pour over the middle of the dough.

Grate the cheese and spread over the topping.

Bake in the oven Gas Mark ( Regulo) 8 = 230 degrees C. 475 degrees F
for 10-12 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Bon appetito!!
Brendan x

I was brought up on this, which is probably why I look so young and handsome!
It’s a simple rcipe and there was a time in Ireland that whenever you called to visit anyone there would be hot tea and soda bread on the table.
Even in the poorest of households!
It is delicious with jam or honey or with fried eggs on top, toasted or not.

INGREDIENTS:

5oz each of plain white and wholemeal flour.
½ pint buttermilk. (My mother used sour milk).
½ teaspoon salt.
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.
You can add 2oz butter to make the mix a little richer.

METHOD:

1) Preheat oven to gas 8
2) Put flours, salt and bicarb into a large mixing bowl and stir well.
3) Add the butter in small pieces and knead into the mix with your fingers.
4) Make a well in the centre of the mix and gradually stir in the buttermilk.
5) Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently for a couple of minutes.
6) Make into a round and place on a floured baking sheet.
7) Cut a cross in the top of the loaf.
8) Bake at gas 8 for 15 minutes then gas 5 for another 20 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy with great conversation!

Brendan Hoey.

I promise that if you follow this recipe exactly, it will be the crunchiest Apple/fruit Crumble you have ever tasted!
You can make it with 50% raspberries or blackberries or peaches or blackcurrants or strawberries or gooseberries too. Even with orange, but keep the orange to about 25% of the fruit mix, because of the moisture content.

INGREDIENTS:

Crumble mix:
12oz plain flour, sieved twice to put plenty of air into it.
A pinch of salt.
7oz unrefined brown sugar. I use the Fairtrade sugar from Sainsburys, but all the supermarkets have Fairtrade now.
8oz butter cut into sugar cube size at room temperature.
Keep the butter pack for greasing the bowl.

Filling: As I said, mix your own preferred fruits, but try combinations. Aim to have about 16-18oz in total.
Peel, core and cut apple, orange, strawberry or peach into sugar cube size.
3oz unrefined brown sugar.
1 tablespoon and a bit plain flour. The bit extra will soak up the fruit juices.
A pinch of cinnamon if you wish. I think it detracts from the fruit flavour.

METHOD:

1, Preheat oven to Gas 4, 180C/350F.
2, Place the sieved flour and sugar in a large bowl, mixing well. Lift the flour with a wooden spoon to keep it aeriated.
3, Rub the butter into the mix with your fingers, gently, as if it were delicate, until the mix resembles large breadcrumbs. Over mixing will remove air from the mix. This is my secret! Stop rubbing in before the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs! If you do so, the crumble will crackle and melt in your mouth!….almost like meringue!
4, Place the fruit in another large bowl and spread the sugar and flour over it.
(I cover the bowl with clingfilm and shake these ingredients together so as not to damage the fruit.)
5, Use the butter packet to grease a 10 inch square/round oven dish.
6, Carefully spoon the fruit mix into the dish.
7, Sprinkle the crumble mix on top and make sure it reaches the edges of the oven dish.
8, Bake just above the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. Fan assisteds vary, so look how it’s doing after about 38 minutes. If the crumble is golden slightly darkish brown it’s done.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes if you can resist!
9, Serve with ice cream, thick cream or custard.
Bon appetit!
…and do please let me know what you think.

Unfortunately the crumble didn't last long enough to take a picture of it!
I will do so next time.

More of my yummy simple recipes coming soon!

Brendan Hoey,
www.webwatchmaker.com

These burgers will make McDonalds taste even more like warm wet cardboard!
The recipe was first invented in 1921 and was served at top hotels in the US.
The Chef who invented the recipe fell into alcoholism and short of money he sold it.
The recipe was passed on to me by a former Chef who needed a stack of pocket watches valued.
To his, and my surprise, amongst his collection were some Savage two pin levers, a couple of ruby cylinders, a duplex minute repeater and several important chronometers.
The Chef was so delighted at our discoveries, for watches he paid less than £300, that he gave me this recipe.
I now pass it on to anyone who cares to make it.
Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS:

500 grams lean minced beef steak.
6 organic pork sausages. (remove skins).
3 eggs.
8 grams paprika.
Level teaspoon allspice.
Teaspoon ground black peppercorns.
Level teaspoon salt.
1 desertspoonfull tomato puree.
2 teaspoons dark French mustard.
115 grams breadcrumbs.
2 sweet onions.
2 red onions.
2 teaspoons demerara sugar.

METHOD:

Chop the sweet onions finely and fry until nearly transparent.
Put the sweet onions and all the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl and knead well together for 10 minutes or so.
Shape the burgers on a chopping board sprinkled with plain flour.
Slice two red onions into strips.
Fry the red onions in hot olive oil for 10 minutes, adding 2 teaspoons demerara sugar.
Fry the burgers slowly in olive oil for 10-15 minutes each side, turning regularly.
Top the burgers with the red onions and serve in sesame baps or olive oil baps.
Makes about 10 big burgers
Enjoy!

PS I will post a picture as soon as my new kitchen is completed.

INGREDIENTS:

100gm (4oz) butter
200g (8oz) digestive biscuits finely crushed
20ml (1 level dessertspoon) gelatine
Juice of fresh lemon
225g (8oz) Pineapple cottage cheese
125ml (5oz) soured cream
75g (3oz) caster sugar
2 eggs separated
Tin of mandarin segments, or any fresh fruit to decorate.

METHOD:

Melt the butter in a saucepan and mix in the biscuit crumbs.
Line a 225mm (9inch) sprung cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Chill in the fridge for half an hour.
Sprinkle the gelatin into a saucepan of warm water and stir until dissolved.
Put the lemon juice, cottage cheese, soured cream and sugar into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add the egg yolks then the gelatin.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and frothy and fold into the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the tin and leave to chill overnight.
Decorate with your preferred fruit.

Bon appetit!

Brendan.

INGREDIENTS:

180g (6oz) Shortcrust pastry
100g (4oz) lean rindless smoked bacon, chopped
100g (4oz) chicken breast, normal or barbecue, chopped
150g (6oz) gruyere cheese, sliced thinly
3 eggs
250ml (9fl oz) single cream
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Roll the pastry out round to fit a 25cm (9inch) sprung cake tin.
With a pastry brush, spread a little milk round the edges of the pastry base.
Roll more pastry to fit the inside circumference of the tin and press to make a seal with the milky pastry edge.
Nigella Lawson uses a ready made pastry base, but I think that’s cheating!
Line the tin with greaseproof paper.
Bake blind* in the oven at 200c (gas mark 6) for 10-15 minutes until golden brown round the edges.
*Baking blind means to fill the pastry case with baking or ceramic beans so that the sides do not cave in when baking without any filling.
When the case has cooled, carefully remove the beans.
The greaseproof paper makes this easier, but be careful, I have had the pastry case fall flat out of the cake tin!
Spread the bacon and chicken inside the pastry base and cover with cheese.
Beat together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper and pour into the pastry case.
Bake in the oven at 200c (gas mark 6) for 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
Delicious hot or cold. (pic hot from the oven!)

Enjoy and Bon appetit!

INGREDIENTS:

4oz flour
1/2 oz butter (melted)
1 tablespoon cream
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
Good pinch salt
1/8 pint warm water

METHOD:

Sieve flour into basin. Add salt, yolks, butter, cream and add water slowly, stirring the mix.
Beat well. Leave for an hour.
Add egg whites after beating til stiff.
Now ready to use.

The chicken balls were made by soaking diced cooked chicken breast in chinese hoi-sin sauce for about an hour.
Then they were covered in cornflour and deep fried at 195c (very hot) for about 3 minutes.
They were then allowed to cool a little and coated in the batter mix and deep fried again for about 2 minutes.
Then coated in batter again and deep fried til a nice golden brown.
Now i know how good chinese takeaways get their pork and chicken balls so large and round!
Bon appetit!

Brendan
Webwatchmaker.com

INGREDIENTS:

6 cardamom pods. Crush to remove seeds
3 fl oz boiling water
Large tin of sweetened condensed milk
30g pistachio nuts
30g cashews
30g almonds
4 drops almond essence
Mango
150ml double cream
4fl oz cold milk
Miniature Courvoisier brandy

METHOD:

Put seedless crushed cardamom pods in a bowl and add boiling water. Allow to diffuse for 20 minutes.
Put condensed milk in a blender with the nuts, milk, brandy and almond essence.
Blend the mixtrue well until the nuts are finely chopped.
Pour mixture into a large bowl and add the strained cardamom water and finely chopped mango.
Whip the cream well and whisk into the mixture.
Pour mixture into a large plastic ice cream box or similar and chill in the freezer for 4 hours.
When almost frozen at the edges, remove the mixture, crush it and mix well with a fork.
Transfer to small tubs and freeze overnight.
Dip tubs in warm water, invert, and serve with sliced mango on top.