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Lurpak Cook’s Range

6th April 2014 By Urvashi Roe 9 Comments

Last week I received an intriguing parcel from Lurpak.  It contained some flour, a bar of dark chocolate, a pack of Lurpak for baking and two leaflets enticing me to go create!

Plum and Ginger Tarts, Lurpak Cook's Range Butter

My pack enticing me to a #FoodAdventure

The pack is part of a new campaign they have launched called #FoodAdventures which sees some new products designed to speed things up in the kitchen and help you create dishes you may not ordinarily create.

The product I received has been created to be used for baking straight from the fridge.  So…no more popping chunks of cold butter into hot water to soften (Mary Berry trick) or blitzing it in the microwave before it turns to a melting pool of yellow goo.

A blend of butter and vegetable oil

There are many ‘spreads’ designed for baking and indeed until my 30s I used these as standard. This is what we used at school in home economics.  Then I learned what goes into these spreads and vowed never to use them again.  The Lurpak Cook’s Range is unsalted and is a blend of butter and rape seed oil. Nothing else.

Lurpak Cook's Range Butter

Using it for pastry

I wanted to give this a go in a recipe that needed cold butter and could think of nothing better than pastry.  I found it very easy to work into the dough but needed much less egg to bind the pastry together.  The dough was very soft and quite difficult to work with so I popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes vs the fridge which I usually do.  The pastry was not as short through and so there could be dangers of soggy bottoms for larger tarts if you don’t blind bake.

Using it in sponge type mixtures

I then opted to make frangipane. This needs softened butter and so the Lurpak Cook’s Range was great straight out of the fridge.  I spooned it right out of the tub into the KitchenAid.  The mixture was lighter and fluffier than usual and also took less time to get to that stage.

My verdict

I will stick to Lurpak’s normal unsalted butter for my pastry as I like it crisp and short.  My pastry won me favour with Mary Berry during pastry week on GBBO and so let’s not change something if it’s working.  But I will be keeping a tub of the Cook’s Range in the fridge for the days I fancy a quick sponge and have forgotten to leave the butter out to soften.  It’s perfect for these occasions and produces good results that taste rich and decadent just like 100% butter.

A Plum and Ginger Tart

Here is my tart and here is the recipe.

Plum and Ginger Tarts, Lurpak Cook's Range

My Plum and Ginger Tart

I had some pastry leftover and so I decided to make some mini versions too.

Plum and Ginger Tarts, Lurpak Cooks Range

Mini Plum and Ginger Tarts

The rest of the range

As I am a bit of a trekkie I rather like their video.  It shows you the rest of the range which includes Clarified Butter, Cooking Liquid and Cooking Mist – all butter based.  Thanks to Lurpak for inviting me to review the new range and commissioning the Plum and Ginger Tart recipe.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmOr9I2JxZs]

What’s your view? Would you give these products a go or are you a hard nut 100% butter only fan?

Related

Filed Under: Products Tagged With: baking, Butter, Lurpak, Lurpak Cook's Range, recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sophiebowns says

    6th April 2014 at 10:43 am

    We use Clover! 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      6th April 2014 at 12:52 pm

      We had that when I was little too. I think that was one of the first spreads to use the butter wasn’t it. Seems like years ago but I can still remember the ad

      Reply
  2. Southbourne Gardens says

    6th April 2014 at 11:40 am

    I’m keen to try the spray for oiling tins and trays and the clarified butter.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      6th April 2014 at 12:54 pm

      Clarified butter for me too. I usually buy Indian brands or steal from my mum but would give it a go if the price is right. Though I must admit my favourite bit of clarified butter making is eating the crispy salty but that is left when you heat the butter. Perfect in a white bread sandwich

      Reply
  3. Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

    9th April 2014 at 10:36 am

    I tend to use baking marg when making cakes for bake sales as it keeps the cost down. For taste I prefer butter, especially for pastry.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      10th April 2014 at 1:36 am

      Good point re bake sales. I tend to use butter but it’s force of habit at supermarket

      Reply
  4. Deena Kakaya says

    24th April 2014 at 11:07 pm

    Your plum and ginger tart is ourageously tempting x

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      25th April 2014 at 8:19 pm

      Thank you

      Reply

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Hi I'm Urvashi!

I love food. This blog is a little glimpse into my foodie world which is an escape from two teenage girls, a busy job and my little cafe.

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