Slow Cooked Choc Chip Scone

We have been trying to manage all our cooking requirements using just a single gas burner and the slow cooker recently.  Many chats around 'surely it must be possible to bake in the slow cooker' were entered into and some research on the internet (mostly US sites where they use crock pots) showed that many people do use slow cookers for baking. 

Using a simple, one bowl recipe for scone mix, we assembled

225g gluten free self raising flour (we used Dove's Farm)
30g caster sugar
55g unsalted butter, broken up
100ml natural yogurt and 50ml water
40g chocolate chips

Having measured the flour, sugar and butter into a bowl it was rubbed together until it resembled breadcrumbs.

Then the yogurt/water was added and mixed until a dough was formed.

The chocolate chips were added and worked into the dough.

The dough was shaped to fit our slow cooker bowl (we have an oval, 3.5l cooker) and had lined it with a parchment cake liner.

Adding the shaped dough to the slow cooker, it was set to high and a tea towel was placed over the bowl before the lid was replaced 
(this was to absorb any condensation from cooking)

After about an hour and a half, the scone was checked to see if it was cooked... we decided to take the lid off at this point and switch off the cooker, leaving the scone inside for a further 15 minutes. 

The scone was then removed (carefully, it's hot!) and allowed to cool before being sliced and eaten with cream.

Definitely a successful bake added to our repertoire.. and it's best eaten on the day it's made.

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs

 

Needing a warming and simple meal we decided to try making a beef short rib dish.  The ingredients we used were 800g short ribs

and, for the marinade - 
Salt and Pepper
Squirt of rice syrup
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
25ml Worcestershire sauce (we use Biona gluten free)


The marinade ingredients were mixed together



and the ribs were coated in the marinade before being placed in the fridge overnight.





Next day, the other ingredients  - 2 carrots, a leek, 2 sticks of celery (all diced), a Knorr beef stock pot and some red wine were gathered and prepared.

Placing the prepared vegetables in the slow cooker, the ribs were laid on top before adding the wine and stock.

Setting the slow cooker to high for one hour on the and then reducing to the low setting for the remainder of the cooking time.







We left ours on low for about 5 hours - giving a total cooking time of about 6 hours.

Once we were ready to eat, the ribs were served  with a mixed root veg mash (made of potatoes, sweet potatoes and swede).

1.8kg/4lb beef short ribs (Jacob's Ladder), cut in half widthways or oxtail pieces

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

50g/2oz dark brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

10ml/2tsp mustard powder

5ml/1tsp smoked paprika

45ml/3tbsp Worcestershire sauce

30ml/2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

2 medium leeks, sliced and rinsed

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

850ml/1½pints good, hot beef stock

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes with herbs

- See more at: http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooked-beef-short-ribs-slow-cooker-version#sthash.P8K5lHq2.dpuf

1.8kg/4lb beef short ribs (Jacob's Ladder), cut in half widthways or oxtail pieces

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

50g/2oz dark brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

10ml/2tsp mustard powder

5ml/1tsp smoked paprika

45ml/3tbsp Worcestershire sauce

30ml/2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

2 medium leeks, sliced and rinsed

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

850ml/1½pints good, hot beef stock

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes with herbs

- See more at: http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooked-beef-short-ribs-slow-cooker-version#sthash.P8K5lHq2.dpuf

1.8kg/4lb beef short ribs (Jacob's Ladder), cut in half widthways or oxtail pieces

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

50g/2oz dark brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

10ml/2tsp mustard powder

5ml/1tsp smoked paprika

45ml/3tbsp Worcestershire sauce

30ml/2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

2 medium leeks, sliced and rinsed

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

850ml/1½pints good, hot beef stock

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes with herbs

- See more at: http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooked-beef-short-ribs-slow-cooker-version#sthash.P8K5lHq2.dpuf

Slow Cooker Potato Layers

To make this simple store cupboard dish, we gathered the ingredients - garlic (2 cloves), onion (one large), potatoes (we used about 6 small ones), butter, cheese (grated leftovers from Christmas) and vegetable stock.  The amounts you will need depend on how big a potful you want to make - you'll need enough potatoes, onions and garlic for the layers and can add as much (or little/no) cheese as suits.  We used cheddar cheese, finely grated but gruyere or others could be used if they're what you've got to hand.  Here's what we did -

Whilst the onions were sliced thinly and the garlic was chopped, we switched the slow cooker on high to warm it up. 

Next, we sliced the potatoes thinly (and carefully) using a mini-mandolin device we have... it's always a bit of a worry to use such things as digits get very close to blade - hence I did this rather than delegate to Sous Chef J.

Once everything was prepared, we greased the inside of the slow cooker pot with butter, then began assembly...

 .... which is simply layering onion and garlic, then potato slices and cheese... repeat until all ingredients used up.

On the top layer, we added some knobs of butter and a good grind of black pepper.

Finally, vegetable stock (we made ours up using a Knorr stock pot and used about 300ml, enough to just about reach the top of the layers) was poured into the pot and the slow cooker was turned down to low. 

The lid was placed on and the dish was left to cook for about 6 hours.  (It can also be cooked on high for about 3 hours -  which is useful if you forget to start the dish in time to leave it to cook for hours and need to eat earlier!)

The end result was judged as being "very tasty".