His results - Lemon Ginger Bars

I was out of candied ginger and they didn't have any at the only shop open when I went to pick up ingredients for this. Instead I used candied peel and grated fresh ginger. Other than that I more or less followed the recipe apart from adding in a pinch of salt and doubling the quantities. I thought these were delicious. I wish I'd added a little more ginger but I'm a huge ginger fan. They were pretty cakey rather than crisp or chewy which are the two directions bars tend to go. I can certainly recommend them!

Recipe 55 - Lemon Ginger Bars

She is a fiend for ginger and I'm a fan too. I know she'll approve of this week's choice!

You can find the recipe here at serious eats.

We'll be needing:

• 300g plain flour
  
• 50g sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 230g unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 40g chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 200g confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

His results - These Lemon Muffins

I made a loaf rather than muffins. It was an easy recipe, low on washing up which is always appreciated. It was pretty good. Moist enough and with a good texture but to be honest I can't see why it has got so many rave reviews. We've made plenty of better cakes. Solid but not outstanding I'd say.

His results - Scones

These turned out pretty well. There were a couple of things that would have pushed them over the edge into awesome I think. First on the list is cream. I bought some from the shop which was a week inside its best before date but when I opened it it was inedibly gone off. I was pretty gutted.

I could also have done with a proper cutter as could She. Using a mug like I did gives slightly fluted sides and doesn't let hm rise perfectly. Still they tasted nice and had a good texture. Fat is key though. Scones love cream and so do I.

Recipe 53 - Scones

I have eaten a lot of scones in my life. A lot.

Good ones are thoroughly fantastic, the worst are like eating sawdust. This article from the Guardian purports to contain the very best recipe for scones. Fingers crossed they're right about that.

We'll be needing:

350g self-raising flour, sifted
50g butter, softened
50g lard, softened
100-115ml milk

His results - Ooey Gooey Taffy Tart Squares

This was another recipe that was so good I made it twice in a week. It was much better the first time though. I put that firmly down to using muscavado sugar the first time and having run out the second time. Normal brown sugar was OK but not a patch on the first bath. I highly recommend you use muscovado!

I'm not a nut fan, I put sultanas in the first batch and nothing in the second since one of the folks who'd be eating it can't eat dried fruit. Sultanas were good!

His results - Jam Crostata

I enjoyed making this one a lot. Shockingly simple and I liked the steps. The dough had a very pleasing consisentcy when it came together.

I didn't go for anything too fancy when I prepped it. Just laid a few wide stripes on. It looks pretty basic like this but the sections looked really nice after cutting. It was incredibly quick. In fact I had mine out of the oven and half way cooled by the time She popped hers into the oven.

Hers did end up looking fancier but I doubt it was tastier. This was absolutely my favourite recipe we've made in a fair few weeks (and we've been on a good run). I didn't put in as much jam as suggested and I added a pinch of salt to the dough. Other than that I just followed as it said. This won't be the last time I make this recipe I'm sure. It was blisteringly quick and can be baked with no notice since you don't need to wait for butter to soften etc. Everything should already be on hand in your kitchen, it can be made and on the table in 40 minutes and is delicious warm. Perfect if you need a truly delicious desert in a hurry!