I tend not to make dessert during the week, but save the calories for Sunday evenings and any leftovers go on to Monday, which helps to cheer up a sometimes glum Monday dinner. This week, because it had been for ever since we'd had one, I bought a pineapple and then pondered on what to do with it. We've had plenty of just plain pineapple with cream desserts and sometimes pineapple with fresh mint sugar (which is lovely) but this time I wanted to involve it in some kind of cooking process. I obviously had caramelisation in my back of my mind, but it took some thought for it to surface!
As I pondered on the best way of caramelising the pineapple - in a pan? Under the grill? In the oven? Use the blowtorch? - I also considered what flavour(s) to put with it and in what form. We had some Greek yoghurt in the fridge, so that would be a tasty accompaniment, but I also wanted something to give the pineapple some juice as the caramelisation process tends to dry the fruit out slightly. Perhaps not surprisingly, I began to consider alcohol and Rum Chatta and Malibu were right up there as choices. I'm so glad I went with the Malibu as the flavours are just made to go together and it gave the pineapple such a great depth of flavour.
I eventually opted to use a combination of the grill and the blowtorch for the caramelisation, which worked perfectly. The grill did the legwork of lightly cooking the fruit, melting the sugar and almost caramelising enough, but a quick go over with the blowtorch added the lovely charred flavour of burned sugar that is essential. Allowing the caramelised fruit to macerate for a number of hours in a drizzle of the Malibu turned out to be a great decision as the fruit absorbed the alcohol beautifully. When you bit into a piece, the first flavour you got was a fairly intense bitterness from the burned sugar, then the cooling juice combined with the slight heat of the rum alcohol, which turned into sweet pineapple and a hint of coconut flavours. Gorgeous effect! My son opted for a couple of spoonfuls of rum and raisin ice cream to go with his fruit, which I am quite sure was little short of divine. LOL I am sure that a Chantilly cream would be lovely too. Regrettably, I went for the lower calorie version of Greek yoghurt, which really was no hardship, being utterly delicious and very moreish!
I haven't given quantities in the recipe as it really depends on how big a pineapple you have and how much sugar and Malibu you want to involve. Pineapples are a good price in the shops at the moment (April), so go on - indulge! MALIBU CARAMELISED PINEAPPLE (Serves 3) Ingredients : One large pineapple soft brown sugar Malibu liqueur. Method : Prepare your pineapple by cutting off its top and tail, then removing the skin. Discard these pieces. Make sure to take out any "eyes" that remain, along with any seeds that might be hiding in the fruit. Then cut the pineapple into four pieces, each piece having a section of the core down one side. Turn the pineapple piece to one side and cut that piece of core out. I always have a gnaw on these pieces, as the core holds just as much Bromelain as the flesh does. (Scientific studies have shown Bromelain to be useful as an anti inflammatory, so I'll take as much of that as I can get!). Once the core is removed, cut the pineapple quarter into bite size slices and put them onto a foil covered baking tray. Repeat with the other three quarters. Pre-heat the grill (or broiler, if you're American or Canadian!) to maximum. Next, sprinkle each pineapple slice with a good quantity of soft brown sugar and place the tray high up under the grill. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and become sticky. If you don't possess a blowtorch, then simply leave the pineapple under the heat until the sugar has burned a little. This may take some time depending on how juicy your pineapple is and how hot your grill gets! However, if you do possess a kitchen blowtorch, this is the time to wield it across the top of each pineapple slice, taking care not to burn the sugar a little too much! Once you've done that first side, quickly flip the slices over and repeat with the sugar and heat. Moving fairly swiftly so as to not allow the pineapple to cool and stick to the foil, remove the slices to a dish which can cope with all the slices in one layer. I used my Pyrex lasagne dish, which worked perfectly. Taking the Malibu, drizzle it lightly over the top of the slices and deliver a flourish of rather more to the gaps in between. You don't want to wash the caramelised sugar off the slices! Cover the dish with cling film and place in the fridge for the fruit to absorb some of the Malibu and become gorgeous. Oh yes, and cool down. I left mine for a good 4-5 hours. Serve with Greek yoghurt or a compatible ice cream such as rum & raisin, vanilla, or chocolate and remember not to drive anywhere immediately afterwards. *chuckle* Printable version
This year was my mum's 80th birthday. Now I know you're not supposed to broadcast a lady's age, but there comes a time when it is to be celebrated rather than hidden - and I reckon that 80 is that time.
My mum's birthday has been the source of some amusement and confusion over the years, because it arrives so quickly after Christmas - the 6th January - and she'd got fed up with having a Chrisbirthday. One year we even tried delaying her birthday until May. Of course, we all forgot and she didn't get a birthday at all that year. Ooops.
In order to make a fuss of her, this year I decided to lay on an afternoon tea with every little tasty morsel in flavours that she would like and in sizes that would mean both her and my Dad could sample a little bit of everything. As I know only to well, the older you get the smaller your capacity for tasty morsels becomes!
So we had a lovely tea, which consisted of Emmenthal & Bacon Quichelets, egg mayonnaise & cress sandwiches, Bavarian ham & wholegrain mustard sandwiches, a tiny salad in a leaf and almond & raspberry biscuits. All of which were delicious and all of which led up to the piece de resistance - the lemon sponge birthday cake.
For one of my Dad's birthdays, I had made a big, butch, manly chocolate & beetroot cake which went down very well. However, I needed something a lot more ladylike and refined. I pondered on coffee cake, as I know she makes a wonderful coffee and walnut cake - but I doubted that mine would be able to compete and anyway, I felt it would be better to make something that wasn't "usual" for her.
Lemon top right being the interloper in the bunch!
Just that week, we'd bought some fantastic Sicilian lemons for use in drinks and I'd been able to sample how sweet and juicy they were. This, naturally, brought the idea of the lemon sponge to the fore. The Sicilian lemons would be perfect, as they were huge - so would provide a good quantity of lemon zest, they were as sweet as a dessert fruit and the intensity of the lemon aroma and zing was just incredible. It just so happened that I also had a little bottle of Sicilian Lemon concentrate in the baking cupboard. I felt sure that with a lemon curd filling, the cake would be perfect.
For the last 15 years or more, whenever I've been required to produce a sponge cake, I've used Delia Smith's All In One Sponge recipe. I've made coconut versions, chocolate, lemon, coffee - just about every combination you could think of, so I didn't have to look very far for a tried and tested recipe.
However, this was an 80th birthday cake - so a dash of icing sugar on the top with a few sprinkles just wasn't going to cut it. I needed to think up something a bit better as regards decoration.
So what do you think? I reckon I thought up something a bit better than icing sugar and sprinkles. *wink*
Now this was the very first time I had ever used fondant icing on anything - much less a very important birthday cake.
I made the cake the day before and kept it overnight in a freezer bag so as to ensure it didn't dry out at all.
The day before the tea party, I set to with fondant icing, apricot jam and lemon curd. Well, the lemon curd bit was easy enough - a nice thick covering on top of one sponge and then delicately lay the second on top. So far so good.
Next, was painting the surface and sides with watered down apricot jam - enough to help the fondant icing to stick nicely.
Then because the colour of the base icing was white, I spent a good ten minutes or so cleaning up every single little cake crumb (and sponge cakes are very good at shedding cake crumbs) from the working surface.
The leaves are finished, now for the flowers!
This next was the bit that I was the most nervous about, as I knew I had just one go at getting it right. I had to roll the icing out (which it does very well, no arguing at all) to a shape that would easily cover the cake without any holes or gaps and make sure it didn't crack on the way from worktop to cake. Deep breaths. Well, it went perfectly. As per the instructions, I draped the icing over the rolling pin and with a quick but steady "whoop!", whooped it over and flump - on top it went and couldn't have been better. It sat perfectly (and without any militant crumbs to break the pristine whiteness), covered beautifully and I was able to trim it up so easily. I don't really know what I was worried about. *wink*
The next job was to smooth and stroke the white icing, so as to gain a slightly shiny surface rather than the matte one that is natural for the icing. That took another ten minutes or so and a clean pastry brush certainly helped with removing the loose sugar grains.
All that was left was to cut out the leaves (easy done, with a set of differently sized icing cutters) and flowers (ditto), marble the icing with green food colouring and cut out more leaves, paint the plain coloured leaves (yes, every one was painted with food colour) in different shades and patterns and form some of the leaves (the ones to go on top) into distorted shapes so as to give the leaf trail some movement.
I used lemon juice to wet each leaf and flower before settling them into place on the cake. Well, why turn down the opportunity to get a little more lemon flavour in there? The icing is flavoured with vanilla naturally, so there was no clash in flavours.
The whole process of filling and decorating the cake took around three hours, all in all. Every minute spent was worth it though. If it wasn't for the fact that we'd all be shaped like bowling balls, I would make many more cakes that require extensive decoration!
I love how the cake looked when it was finished. If I've ever been proud of something I've created, it was this. Mum looked suitably impressed and happy with it when we produced it along with a truly appalling rendition of "Happy Birthday To You" and I hope its prettiness helped to smooth over the worst of the singing.
As for the recipe, I have set it out below as there are a couple of little baking variations to Delia's original recipe and if you want a REALLY lemony lemon sponge, you might want to follow along.
I haven't detailed the decoration in the recipe as you can serve the sponge very successfully with just a sprinkle of icing sugar on top. You could even drizzle some lemon syrup over it once you've filled it - and some dairy cream would be delicious in the middle with the lemon curd if you're feeling summery too. The world is your oyster with this sponge cake recipe, it really is that forgiving! For dessert or with a cup of tea, it will do the lot.
Now, in an enormous departure for Rhubarb & Ginger - and as an indication of just how pleased I was with this cake - I took a 365 degree video of it. Feel free to gasp in awe and exclaim in admiration, I'll hear you!
REALLY LEMONY LEMON SPONGE CAKE (serves 6-12 depending on size of slice!)
Ingredients :
175g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
175g caster sugar
175g softened unsalted butter
the zest of 1 large lemon
the juice of half a large lemon
1 tsp Sicilian lemon extract
4-5 tbsp lemon curd.
Method :
1. Take a very large mixing bowl. Measure out the flour and baking powder and using a sieve, sift into the bowl.
2. Now simply add all the other ingredients (apart from the lemon curd, which is for the filling) to the bowl and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. Provided the butter is good and soft, this shouldn't take longer than a couple of minutes.
3. You should have a soft mixture that is of dropping consistency. If it seems a little too stiff, you can always add some more lemon juice or a tablespoonful of warm water to mobilise it a bit.
4. Divide the mixture between two eight inch (20cm) tins that have a piece of greaseproof paper or cooking parchment covering the base of each and that have been lightly buttered. Level out the surface but leave a very slight dip in the centre to prevent the cake from crowning too much as it rises. Place on the centre shelf of a pre-heated oven at 170degC/325degF/Gas 3. It will take 30-35 minutes to cook – but don't open the oven door to check it until 25 minutes have elapsed.
5. You will know when the cakes are done, by touching the centre of the cake lightly. If your finger leaves no impression - and the cake springs back - it is cooked.
6. Leave the cakes to cool slightly on a cooling rack, before removing them from their tins. Leave them sat upon the paper layer, on the cooling rack, to cool completely.
7. Once utterly cold, carefully remove the paper layer and decide which is to be the bottom layer and which the top. Place the bottom layer onto your cake plate top surface down. Coat the cake in the lemon curd - generously - and carefully lay the second cake on top.
8. You are now free to decorate the cake in whichever way you feel appropriate!
First of all, a very belated happy Christmas and a happy new year to you all!
I do apologise for being so belated and missing out on posting seasonal goodies, but I've been laid up with a sad case of cellulitis which led to an additional case of gout, in my left leg and ankle. Not surprisingly, I've done quite a bit of staring at the same four walls from the dubious comfort of my bed, whilst hoping that the painkillers will work for a bit longer.
I'm not quite back on two feet yet - let's say it's one and a half feet, currently - but I do have a nice backlog of yummy things that we ate before I succumbed, to pass on to you.
So, initially, let's go a bit random for Rhubarb & Ginger and talk about dessert pies. Well, to be specific, a spiced blackberry and apple lattice pie of much loveliness.
The very best time to be making this pie is in the Autumn, when the blackberry vines are laden with fat fruits. However, as we now have the convenience of that wonder of the kitchen, the freezer, those fat fruits can be picked and frozen so that you can enjoy this pie whenever you so please.
Blackberries freeze incredibly easily and defrost really well, so you've no excuse. Come next autumn, send the entire family out with a plastic container to go and seek blackberry loveliness. Of course, the other advantage to freezing blackberries is that it will kill any wigglies that may be residing in your fat fruits. A quick and gentle wash before you freeze them (laid out in one layer on a baking tray is the best way. You can decant them into a freezer box once frozen and that way, they don't stick together) and a bit of an inspection once defrosted and said wigglies will be a thing of the past.
My blackberries came from my Aunty Joyce's garden and are enormous! They definitely needed making into a pie, so as to maintain their shape and integrity. It would have been criminal to have mushed them into a coulis or some such.
It was only as I was making the pastry, that I suddenly thought about the spicing aspect. After all, I would spice an apple pie - and having made spiced blackberry compote before, I knew everything was compatible. I think it gave an interesting edge to the fruity flavours that made the pie taste especially home made - which is very satisfying.
Now, as regards any Cook's Tips, the main one I have for you is not to skip the microwaving of the apple pieces. You see, the apple - particularly if it is a Braeburn - will take a lot longer than the blackberries to cook and you don't want rock hard apple beside soft blackberries. However, the good thing about Braeburns is that they don't dissolve to mush. If you don't have a microwave (and I know not everyone does), then put the apple into a pan with a tablespoonful of water and cook on a medium heat until softened. After that, treat them like the microwaved versions.
Naturally, you don't HAVE to make the top of your pie latticed - you could just lay a piece of pastry across and create a normal type of pie if you don't have the time or inclination to do the latticing. However, it isn't difficult and - so long as the fruit is cool - only takes a few minutes longer. It does look good, too!
Likewise, the almond pastry is not essential either, but it does go so well with the fruit and the almonds give the pastry a lovely sandiness that texturally is interesting on the tongue. However, if you want to make an ordinary sweet shortcrust, who am I to say you nay?
Whatever way you make this pie, the combination of the spices, apples and blackberries are just incredibly homey and scrumptious. I doubt you'll have much left!
SPICED BLACKBERRY AND APPLE LATTICE PIE (serves up to 6)
Ingredients :
165g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 25g ground almonds 55g sugar, plus 3 tbsp for the fruit, plus a little for sprinkling 120g chilled unsalted butter, cubed 2 medium eggs, used individually 2-3 Braeburn apples A good quantity (as many as will fit!) of blackberries 1 tsp ground cinnamon half a tsp grated nutmeg quarter of a tsp ground cardamom.
Method :
1. Make the pastry by stirring the almonds into the flour and adding the sugar. Stir through. Rub the butter into the mixture until you have what look like breadcrumbs. 2. Add one egg - bit by bit - until you have a soft not sticky, dough. You may not need the whole egg for this. 3. Form the pastry into a disc, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for at least 3 hours. 4. Cut the pastry into two sections - a third and two thirds. Using the two thirds, roll out and line the pie dish with the pastry, making sure you have no air bubbles. 5. Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, then bake at 180degC/350deg F/Gas 4 for 20 mins, then remove the baking beans and bake again for 10 mins until the pastry is dry and sandy. 6. In the meantime, sort the blackberries. You want to remove any that might have mildew or damaged areas. Peel the apples and cut into small chunks and place in a bowl, then microwave until they are softened and just beginning to break down. Leave to cool a little.
7. Once cooled, add the blackberries. Add the spices and sugar (use your intuition as to how much sugar you will need. If the apples and blackberries are particularly tart, add a bit more) and toss gently to coat evenly. 8. Tip the spicy fruit into the part baked pastry, along with any juice. 9. Roll out the one third piece of pastry and cut long thin strips. 10. Using the second egg, egg wash around the edge of the part baked pastry, then lay the strips on top of the fruit, interweaving them as a lattice and press down on the ends to "glue" them to the part baked pastry and trim off the excess. 11. Give the lattice a good egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. 12. Bake at the same temperature as earlier, for 25-30 mins until the pastry is golden, cooked through and the fruit is softly cooked. 13. Leave the pie to cool until just warm, then serve.
Well hello one and all! I'm sorry for abandoning you all for so long - I have no excuse, other than sometimes the demands of finding time for blogging in amongst everything else are just too much. So, we'll skip lightly over that and be happy that here I am again!
Now then. What has brought me back to you all? Well, something unusual for me - a dessert. I wasn't anticipating blogging it, so didn't take many pictures. D'oh! I will admit that I'm not a great one for cooking desserts. They are largely really bad for you calorie-wise and often require cooking at the same time as the main course is being cooked. Well once upon a time I could multi-task, but it would seem not so much these days. ~shrug~ Can't be helped - it's just one of those things that are sent to try us.
However! This dessert - the humble rice pudding - is one of those lovely things that costs very little, takes the work of minutes to prepare, then can be left to chuckle along in a low oven for hours until done. Perfect.
Another reason for liking this rice pudding recipe is that if you follow the straight, as published, recipe you wind up with a delicious, creamy, comfort food dessert. However, it shows all sorts of promise for being dolled up in all kinds of directions, if you want to. For instance, you could simply add a little cinnamon and some sultanas for a bit of a different slant, or serve with some baked apple, or melt chocolate into it, or take it down a Chai route with the appropriate spices. Maybe even swap out the cow's milk for coconut milk. I do love an adaptable recipe.
Looking good at half-time!
I had been wanting to make a rice pudding for the longest time, but it wasn't the right time of year (best made in Autumn/ Winter) and I hadn't found a recipe that I was entirely happy with. Some recipes have the most ridiculous amount of steps in them for what seemed to me to be the easiest of things. Then I tripped over a "cook with the kids" feature in my local Asda's magazine, which included a recipe for rice pudding. (See here : http://recipes.asda.com/Recipes/classic-rice-pudding). It involved rice, milk, evaporated milk and sugar. Well that sounded a whole lot more like it!
Having decided to make it, I then had an internal argument over whether to use cow's milk or goat milk. The cow's milk won on this occasion, as I felt it was better to go with the recipe 100% as it was something new to me. Save the tinkering about with it until I'd cooked it once! I was just crossing my fingers that the sudden intake of cow's milk wouldn't affect my tummy adversely (which, it would appear, it didn't - thank goodness).
If you, like me, have memories of your Mum making rice pudding and the kitchen filling with the most lovely smell of baking milky nutmeg - then you just have to make this. It took me straight back to being a young teenager again. Yes, it is a wee bit heavy in calories at 272 (reference : Calorie Counter) for a serving (a quarter of the pudding) - but it could be a whole lot worse!
CLASSIC RICE PUDDING (care of Asda's Recipes) Serves 4
1. Using a little of the butter, grease the inside of the baking dish.
2. Mix together the rice, sugar, evaporated milk, milk and a dash of the nutmeg in the dish.
3. Place into a pre-heated oven at 150degC/300degF/Gas 2 for 30 minutes.
4. Remove, stir the contents gently and dot the remainder of the butter over the surface. Grate on the remainder of the nutmeg.
5. Replace into the oven to bake for another 2 hours. You may need to turn the heat up for the last 30 minutes if you prefer your rice pudding top to have a darker hue. I turned mine up to 180degC/350degF/Gas 4 and the top was perfect.
The pudding can wait in the oven (make sure to turn it off!) whilst the family eat their first course. It is also fabulous cold, the following day.
I had been pondering over what to do with the rhubarb when hubby decided to crop Ruby, our Timperley.
One bagful has definitely got to go to my parents, as we forgot to give them the last one! Other than that, I needed to think of something yummy - and something out of the ordinary (for me!) that would showcase the rhubarb in all its glory.
It was too soon to do the Pork & Rhubarb dish, and I wasn't feeling like anything savoury with it anyway. So a sweet dessert was what was on the cards. Hence when this last weekend, hubby decided to strip poor Ruby down to all but four leaves (although she has got a whole heap of baby leaves coming along!), I was halfway there with a recipe.
I had seen photographs of a dessert dish that a friend of mine over in the States had done, called Apple Crisp. I couldn't remember the details of how to make it, but that was what provided the inspiration for this. I'm afraid I have no idea how much rhubarb went into it - "three long sticks and three short sticks"doesn't really describe it terribly accurately for you. However, the important thing with the rhubarb is that it is laid in one flat layer in the bottom of whatever dish you're using - which is why I used a Lasagne dish. The object of the exercise is that the rhubarb doesn't dissolve into mush, nor does it produce so much juice that the breadcrumb topping dissolves. Put in one layer like this, the juice can (pretty much) evaporate before it soaks the breadcrumbs. Equally so, it is important not to put too many breadcrumbs on top. You don't want to be ferreting around under breadcrumbs, looking for your rhubarb!
Another point worth mentioning is that the breadcrumb topping is the focus of where the sweetness is. As such, you don't want to over-sugar the rhubarb. Let is retain a lot of its tartness so that the change in texture from soft, tart rhubarb to crisp, sweet breadcrumbs is really apparent.
This is definitely a dessert dish to be eaten hot, straight from the oven. Allow it to cool and you allow the breadcrumbs to soften as they absorb the juice from the rhubarb. Also, it's very good with double cream! So naughty - but so nice!
SPICED RHUBARB CRISP (Serves 4)
Ingredients : Enough rhubarb to cover the bottom of a Lasagne dish in one layer of pieces chopped to around 1cm. 2 tbsp & 4 tbsp granulated sugar Two dry crusty bread rolls, grated to breadcrumbs (food processor does this in a second) 20g soft butter (room temperature) 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp mixed spice.
Method :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180deg C.
2. Lay the rhubarb into the bottom of the Lasagne dish, making sure it is all flat. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp sugar over.
3. Put your breadcrumbs into a bowl and add the spices and remaining sugar. Mix them in with your fingers, then add the butter and rub that in like you would for crumble.
4. Once everything is combined, tip the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the rhubarb in an even layer. Do not press it down, it wants to remain lightly laying on top.
5. Bake in the oven for some 25-30 mins or until the top is browning and the rhubarb juice is just beginning to become evident.
I only wish you could smell how glorious these are!
I'd had two Bramley Apples roosting in the fridge, looking for something to do, for far too long.
So, in the face of hubby's dislike of Baked Apples, I thought I'd give myself a treat and see whether our son was going to come down on his father's side, or on mine, as regards the loveliness that is the baked apple.
I find it very difficult to understand hubby's dislike of the humble baked apple, although I do recognise that some people just don't like certain textures, or flavours, or looks of food. Personally, there's little I don't like sufficiently to make me avoid it, so understanding someone else's dislikes is particularly difficult.
For me, the sight of a couple of lovely Bramley Apples just out of the oven, brimming with mixed fruit, covered with brown sugar, trickles of butter running down their foamy sides, glistening with juice and just asking to be paired with a dollop of cream, is one of life's joys.
For hubby, he sees nothing appealing in this picture at all. He prefers his apples to be crisp and sharp rather than cooked and foamy, the sugar to be cooked (as in melted) rather than crunchy and just can't relate to the pairing of butter with apple.
So, with instructions not to say anything that will put son off trying them, we sallied forth into dessert. Son had seen the apples just out of the oven and by the size of his eyeballs and the watering of his mouth, the signs were good. Not only did he clear his bowlful, but he came back for seconds and ate the remainder for dessert the following day.
I have to admit, it was good to have him follow his Mum in something - for once!
RUM-SOAKED BAKED APPLES (feeds 3-4)
Ingredients :
2 large Bramley Apples 4-6 tsp soft brown sugar 4 tbsp dried mixed fruit 1 lemon, zested half a tsp cinnamon 2 tbsp spiced rum butter
Method :
1. Place the mixed fruit, cinnamon and lemon zest into a small bowl and pour the rum over. Leave it to soak for 2-3 hours.
2. Remove the cores from the apples, without cutting them in half.
3. Score around the middle of the apple, so that when it cooks, the peel can rise.
4. Score two lines from the top to the first score line. This will help when it comes to serving half an apple.
5. Place the apples into a baking dish.
6. Fill the cavities with the soaked fruit & divide any liquid between them.
7. Place a knob of butter on top of the fruit, and press down.
8. Fill the remaining cavity (to overflowing) with the brown sugar. Sprinkle the remainder around the apples.
9. Add a tbsp or two of water (the amount depends on the size of your dish and the amount of rum you've included) to ensure the apples don't dry out.
10. Bake at 180deg for 35-40 minutes or until a knife runs through the apple (via the centre split) easily.
Serve with cream, creme fraiche, or greek yoghurt.
Pineapple is one of our favourite fruits where making a dessert is concerned. That and Lemon!
So, when I saw Jamie Oliver producing a dessert which involved fresh pineapple with fresh mint mixed with sugar sprinkled over it, of course I had to have a go.
Wow! If you've not tried it, put a pineapple on your shopping list right now.
FRESH PINEAPPLE WITH MINT SUGAR
Ingredients :
A fresh pineapple A small bunch of fresh mint 2 tbsp granulated sugar Cream, to serve
Method :
1. Cut the bristly top and the hoary bottom from your pineapple, then sit it on it's freshly cut bottom and go around it cutting the peel off from top to bottom. You can generally remove the "eyes" as you go, using this method. Watch out for pips, too. (Who'd have thought that pineapples had pips!).
2. Cut your pineapple in half from top to bottom and each piece in half, until you've got four wedges.
3. Take each wedge and cut off the woody centre section and discard (but don't forget to have a nibble on them before you chuck them away - cook's perks, and all that!). Then cut each wedge into bite-sized sections.
4. Remove the mint leaves from the stalks and discard the stalks. Chop the leaves finely, then add to the sugar and toss to infuse with the mint.
5. Sprinkle the minty sugar over the pineapple, then cover and leave to chill in the fridge.
Honeycomb Mould was a long-lost dessert from my childhood. I can remember my Mum making it to go with our dinner on Sunday. She would rope me in to help and I can remember doing a lot of stirring and making sure nothing boiled over.
Although I could remember the dessert, I couldn't really remember what it tasted like. All I knew was that I liked it - I remember that much!
So when I tripped over a recipe for Lemon Honeycomb Mould, of course it had to be done.
Regrettably, I don't have a photograph of the end result. This is largely because we were all too keen to eat it and I plain old forgot, but also it is because it didn't look terribly pretty as I don't have a jelly mould (yet) in which to put it. Consequently, it was made in a Pyrex pudding basin - which left something to be desired where the aesthetics were concerned!
The moment I took the first taste, the flavour brought sensory memories rushing back. All of a sudden, I was 12 again. I was also surprised at its delicacy and creaminess, considering there is no cream other than that contained in the milk. The texture is deliciously foamy and light - and we all came back for second helpings.
This is definitely a dessert that will feature in my son's memories of "dinners with Mum & Dad". :)
26 July 2015 : Well, time has slipped past without my making another of these gorgeous desserts. However, my Mum was coming over for dinner at the weekend and I thought it would be nice to give her a little bit of dessert nostalgia. I even remembered to take a photograph.
She loved it. In fact, we all liked it - even my hubby who can be quite sensitive to the textures of food. He liked the light and airy nature of the dessert and particularly liked the contrast between the fluffy honeycomb part and the more lemony jelly part. It certainly does stand the test of time, this recipe!
HONEYCOMB MOULD
Ingredients :
600 ml full fat milk (I used Jersey milk)
zest of 1 lemon, half thinly pared, half finely grated
4.5 sheets of leaf gelatine
2 eggs, separated
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp runny honey.
Method :
Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the lemon zest.Heat the milk in the pan on a low heat until it is steaming hot, but not boiling.Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
Place the gelatine sheets into a bowl of cold water, to soften.
Lightly whisk the egg yolks, sugar and honey together in a bowl until pale in colour.
Remove the pared lemon zest from the milk and reheat the milk to boiling point.
Slowly pour the milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking all the time.Return the mixture to the pan, pick up the gelatine from the water, allow the worst of the water to drip off and add to the custard mix, discarding the water.Cook the custard over a low heat, stirring continuously, until lightly thickened.
Allow the custard to cool, stirring frequently to prevent a skin forming.(A good way is to put some cold water into the sink and stand the saucepan in it).
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they stand in stiff peaks, then gently fold them into the custard.
Pour the mixture into a wetted 1 litre mould.Chill in the fridge overnight until set.
To turn out the honeycomb mould, quickly dip the mould, right up to the rim, in a bowl of hot water.Place a serving plate on top then invert the mould and the plate together, giving the mould a sharp tap. Grate a small amount of lemon zest over, to decorate.
Regrettably, I don't have a photograph of my version of this one - although it was completely gorgeous and well worth a photograph. The recipe stated baking it for 45-50 mins, but when I looked at it after 40 minutes, the top was incinerated! I could have kicked myself all around the kitchen and back (had I have been capable of doing so).
Still, I managed to cut the burned top off and there was still around two-thirds of the sponge left - and it didn't taste burned at all - so we ate it anyway, just minus it's lovely brown crunchy top.
Once we've replaced our weighing scales (which have melted in some bizarre and unknown heat-induced accident that no-one can lay claim to), I'll have another go at this one.
The sponge is as light as a feather, owing to the whipped egg whites. It put me in mind of Floating Islands, although floating on a sea of lemon curd. The flavour was beautifully lemony - and not so lemony that it made your eyes cross and your saliva glands go into overdrive. Just a balmy lemon curd that was completely yummy.
SELF-SAUCING LEMON PUDDING (serves 4)
Ingredients :
50g butter 200g caster sugar 1 lemon, zested 100ml lemon juice (include the juice from the zested lemon) 3 eggs, separated 50g plain flour, sifted 250ml milk icing sugar for dusting
Method :
1. Heat the oven to 180deg C/fan 160deg/gas mark 4.
2. In a bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until they are creamy. Add the lemon zest and whisk again to combine.
3. One by one, add the lemon juice, egg yolks, flour and milk until you have a smooth batter.
4. Whisk the egg whites until firm but not stiff, and fold the two mixtures together.
5. Pour into a buttered oven proof souffle or baking dish and put it in a baking tray half-filled with hot water.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is browned (check after 30 minutes) and set and there is a gooey lemon curd below.
7. Remove the dish from the tray, dust with icing sugar and serve hot, with or without cream.
I had first seen it being prepared on t.v. - probably on Market Kitchen - and it piqued my interest then. Upon first hearing "curd tart", one instantly thinks of lemon curd. Or you do if you're me. In fact, it is made from the curds of milk that has been split by the use of lemon juice. There you are, you see, instantly it's got your attention.
Now I have, in my family, two chaps who are as opposed to cottage cheese as it is possible for a chap to get. So, when I knew the type of curds we were talking about, I was a teensy bit concerned. However, my curiosity won over my cautiousness and I booked it in to prepare for dessert following our Sunday roast.
The making of it is, of necessity, a two-day operation. I had no real expectation of how it would turn out. I suspected that it would be of a heavy-ish, sort of custard-ish consistency, although what gave it a flavour - or any flavour - I wasn't too sure.
The actuality far outweighed these indistinct expectations. The pastry was light, crisp and as short as you could get. The filling was creamy, light but rich, buttery and with the occasional currant which appeared as out of the mist, to add a rich fruitiness. In short, completely and utterly delicious - and worth every moment of it's creation.
I am going to have to make one of these the next time we're eating with my parents. My Mum would be so proud of the pastry, quite apart from anything else. *chuckle*
Fresh from the oven
YORKSHIRE CURD TART
Ingredients :
For the pastry 140g plain flour pinch of baking powder 45g salted butter 40g lard 1 tsp caster sugar
For the filling 1.2l full fat gold top or Jersey milk juice of 1 lemon 50g unsalted butter 50g caster sugar 1 large egg, beaten (a lovely bright yolk is good, as it helps with the overall colour) 25g currants
Method :
1. Make the pastry & curd the night before. To make the pastry, blend the flour, baking powder, butter and sugar in a food processor until the butter is almost all combined. A few small lumps of butter will lighten the dough.
Then add a little cold water until it comes together as a smooth, but not sticky, dough.
Tip out onto a work surface and knead lightly, wrap in cling film and place into the fridge.
2. To make the curd, heat the milk in a large pan. As it comes to a gentle simmer, add the lemon juice. Turn the heat to low and gently stir while the curds form. Do not stir too vigorously, or you will break up the curds.
Once the milk resembles liquid with creamy lumps, remove the pan from the heat and allow the curds to cool in the whey.
One cooled, drain into a clean tea towel or cheesecloth and leave to drain overnight. The whey can be saved for use making scones or anything for which you require buttermilk.
3. The next day, roll out the pastry and line a 20cm shallow pie dish or tart tin. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then part-bake for 25 mins at 180deg C. Remove the greaseproof and beans and allow to cool a little.
4. To finish the filling, beat the butter and sugar until soft, then add the egg a little at a time. Add the curds to the mixture and lightly whisk to break up any large curds. Once blended, add the currants then fill the pastry case.
5. Add a light sprinkling of nutmeg to the top, then bake at 160deg C fan/180deg C/gas 4 for around 30 minutes or until the filling has risen and coloured a little.
Leave to cool, then serve on it's own or with a drizzle of cream. Fabulous!
