Category Sweet Treats

Orange Polenta Cake (free-from)

October 6, 2017 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ollowing on from chapter 1 – “Hoisin, Soy and Ginger Meatballs” (previous post) you’ll know that a heavy weekend of exercise required some calorie replacement. Cue dessert. I’m not a big cake eater but any cake that’s doused in syrup is one that I can get on board with.

I’ve made a few drizzle cakes and polenta loaves in the past but the use of whole oranges in this recipe really makes a difference and bumps this one up the leader board! It doesn’t require a huge amount more effort but means this cake is moist and packed with orange flavour. It also make an excellent dessert unlike a Victoria sponge style cake as you can serve it warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.

nintentionally this recipe is also dairy and gluten free! Which I think leads smoothly onto the news that I have now officially left the wine industry which has served me well for the past 4 years in London! But I’m more than excited to be entering a fresher, more creative and healthier career with Deliciously Ella. So next week starts the second chapter of my London life. Who knows what it has to hold and what recipes these blog posts might contain in the near future.

Adapated from a recipe by ‘John Torode’

Ingredients

2 large oranges
2 lemons
200g ground almonds
4 eggs
170g caster sugar
150g polenta
80ml olive oil
10g baking powder

Sticky Syrup

3 oranges, juice (150ml juice)
75g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 23cm cake tin (springform recommended or loose bottomed)
Place 1 orange and 1 lemon in a saucepan of water so they are completely submerged and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the fruit from the pan and cut in half. Remove any unwanted seeds.
Place in the bowl of a food processor and add the juice only of the other orange and lemon. Blend into a thick smooth paste.
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until foaming. Add the sugar and beat again.
Next add the orange paste, almonds, oil and combine well.
Add the polenta to the baking powder then fold these dry ingredients into the wet.
Pour into your lined baking tin and bake for about 50 minutes.
While cooking, make the syrup. Heat the sugar and juice on a medium heat until beginning to bubble and turn glossy. Keep warm.
When the cake is ready pour over the syrup liberally whilst still in the tin. I like to pierce the whole cake with a cocktail stick (especially at the edges and middle) to allow the syrup to seep into the cake better. This prevents it running off the top and collecting round the edges.
Once the syrup has soaked in thoroughly, remove from the tin and turn out onto a serving plate

Serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature. The cake will keep well for about a week if stored well and become more moist!

Speedy (Health Conscious) Millionaire Shortbread

September 16, 2017 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

‘ll start by warning (yes warning) you that this recipe should not be compared to the decadence of the traditional millionaires shortbread. Firstly is the reduciton in indulgence ingredients, mainly butter and sugar, that I love so very much and praise. However, if you have a craving for this dangerous treat, but also want to balance this guilty indulgence with some form – even if tiny – of health awareness then its a good one. That said, it really is a speedy way to make your own version! The traditional version takes time – baking the shortbread base, making the caramel and then applying the chocolate. This, can be done in an hour!

If you do want to make a recommended amendment if time isn’t your’e enemy here, I think this recipe could be equally as good as the real thing just by changing the base for a traditional baked shortbread. Use 50g caster sugar, 125g unsalted butter and 150g plain flour – example recipe here. I personally think the date caramel is far tastier than the normal boiled sugar version! Firstly, its less rich so you can eat more of it…and secondly its natural sugar. Yes, still sugar but its far healthier.

(Based on a recipe by ‘The Plant-Based Londoner’)

Base

90g oats
130g nut of choice (cashew, brazil, almond)
1 tbsp lacuma powder (optional)
6 tbsp of nut butter of choice (try substituting in some coconut oil. Note, it will dominate the flavours)

Caramel & Topping

300g pitted dates
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract
200g dark chocolate

Start on the base. Pulse the flour, lacuna powder, nuts and nut butter in a food processor until you have a soft dough that holds together. If it needs to be more moist add a little more nut butter. Tip out into a lined baking tray (line with parchment, foil or cling film) big enough so that the mixture is about 1 cm deep. It doesn’t matter what dish you use, just use one that is a suitable size.(20cm x 20xm recommended) Cover and chill in the fridge.
Next, pulse the dates, sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla in the food processor. Add a splash of water and keep adding until you get a smooth but thick date caramel.
Spread this caramel evenly over the chilled base and then cover and chill again.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until fully melted.
Tip the chocolate over the chilling date layer and smooth out until even and completely covering the caramel.
Cover again and chill until the chocolate has set hard.
Once hard, tip the bar out onto a chopping board and cut into the desired square/rectangle. Please note – the top layer WILL crack where unwanted and not every piece will look perfect, if any. The 3 in the image I have are the only ones that did not misbehave. But the look isn’t everything so cut randomly into chunky morsels. Its more tasty that way.

Pecan, Cinnamon & PB Energy Balls

September 4, 2017 Comments Off read Extras, Sweet Treats

alling all sports fanatics, runners, lycra glad cyclists and yogis. Energy balls. In the fast paced and immediate society we now live in (London specifically), time is something that we so regularly abuse…’I’m just so busy I didn’t have time’. Which has carved the way for the new found energy ball to eat on the go before that lunch time pilates class or to fill a void between your next avocado. The happy balance being convenience and keeping a healthy lifestyle.

The energy ball currently populates the nation from supermarket to sport shop and will in the oh so near future be a much bigger part of my life (cliff hanger). Many health bars/snacks on the market are unhealthily and sneakily filled with naughty ingredients and additives. But homemade energy balls really are pure and clean. And full of….energy!? And I’m more than pleased to add that these really are as quick to make as they are to gobble down before that spinning class.

Provided you have a food processor (I’m being presumptuous) then all you need to do is pulse it all together! I mean…if you want to squat at the same time then be my guest. And hey…who said they had to be balls? Make them triangles if you have the time.

Adapted from ‘Deliciously Ella’

Ingredients (makes about 20)

400g dates (pitted). I also threw in a handful of prunes for good measure
100g oats
100g pecans
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (feel free to use any other nut butter)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut oil

Blend the oats and pecans until a fine mixture in a food processor.
Add the other ingredients and pulse until you have a sticky mixture.
Roll into balls (golf ball sized) and chill in the fridge (covered) until needed

Date & Himalayan Pink Salt Truffles

May 11, 2017 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ts safe to say I’ve been provided with my fair share of artisan chocolate samples for blog experiments. From Green & Blacks to Doble & Bignall the ampersand seems to be a common (and successful) theme here (If we forget the Loving Earth samples. Dairy free, doesn’t count). That said, next in the greedy queue naturally seemed (drum roll)…Doisy & Dam. A superfood chocolate they say! Quickly discovered to be due to the ingredients added and not the output of its consumption. Sadly. So when D&D approached ‘forage in the pantry.’ with a teasing package of goodies to sample I was keen to take up the challenge of a new creation!

Doisy & Dam are indeed just that. Teasing. A mixture of naughty and nice. Chocolate and superfood ingredients creating delicious bars of solid and artisan chocolate. I think the first thing I said on trying these samples was ‘Wow, the textures are great!’ and it wasn’t until researching their background that I discovered their claim for ‘irresistable texture’. They’ve nailed it. Take the ‘Cocao Nib & Vanilla’ bar which is my favourite so far. The cocao not only adds a lovely crunch and texture but a subtle unassuming bitterness to the what is after all a dairy milk bar. Their chocolates are said to never be made with more than eight ingredients (minimum 8% superfoods and have a high cocoa content to squeeze out the room for sugar and fat). Whilst I’m a true 90-99% gal, this comment I can casually breeze over but quite rightly. The flavour is worth it.

So, down to the recipe. The best way to really taste the true flavour of a chocolate (besides sampling fresh from the packet in slab form) is to make something pure. Pure flavours, nowhere to hide. Truffles? Forget chocolate fondants and mousses, truffles really do not hide bad quality. Now I normally lean towards dark chocolate truffles. They are more stable at room temp and have a better flavour and quality. Whilst my goodie bag contained a mixture of dark and milk, I couldn’t help being drawn towards the ‘Date & Himalayan Salt’ edition and that I did.

A healthy indigence as D&D would say….thats wiped out here sadly with the cream addition…

s I’ve mentioned I wanted to keep these super simple so they are plainly tossed in cocoa. However for a twist try adding an extra ingredient/texture to the mixture before pouring into the container (e.g. chopped nuts, diced ginger, more cocoa nibs, more salt, coconut…). Equally you can roll the finished truffles in this ingredients of choice instead and forgo the cocoa powder.

Ingredients

2 x 80g bars D&D ‘Date & Himalayan Salt’ bars (or a flavour of choice)
1 x 100g plain dark chocolate
300ml double cream
Cocoa powder for dusting

Heat the cream in a saucepan until just below the simmer.
Break up the chocolate and stir into the warm cream off the heat. Stir until fully melted and combined.
Line a shallow bowl or tupperware with cling film. Pour the mixture into the dish. It should be about 2cm in thickness but this is optional. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate.
Once set, place in the freezer for about 1 hour or until hardened. This just makes it easier to cut.
Get a large mixing bowl and add a few tbsp of cocoa powder
Turn out onto a chopping board and cut into pieces (size optional). Mix in the cocoa powder and then store in the fridge in a container.

Rosemary Creme Brule & Pine nut Shortbread

April 25, 2017 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

aster is all about lamb. Lamb is all about rosemary. Stay with me here…

aster lunch menu planning for a group of hungry guests isn’t usually that flexible as lamb joints grace the ovens and aga’s of cooks round the UK. Dessert however allows some creativity. I love the flavour of rosemary in sweet dishes especially when you pair it with sweet caramelised apricots (see here for pannacotta), earthy honeyed pine nuts (see here for pine nut tartlets) or almond and sweet nectarine (see here). Its a shocker I’ve not made a rosemary ice cream yet but creme brule is the next best thing. Having wanted to serve this with some caramelised fresh apricots and almond praline, I settled for some pine nut shortbread since the season did not agree with my fruit of choice. Feel free to experiment here, adding more rosemary to your tastes. Its subtle but still infuses nicely into what made a fitting, elegant and light dessert after a joint of garlic studded lamb leg, roasties and spring greens.

Rosemary Creme Brule

Ingredients (Serves 6)

500ml double cream
100g caster sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla pod
2 x 10cm lengths of rosemary
Soft brown sugar to caramelise

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Prepare 6 creme brule dishes/ramekins (dependant no the size you get around 6 portions- you can use whatever you like as long as its oven proof) and stand them in a deep roasting tray. The tray needs to be deep enough that the ramekins can sit in there and you can fill the tray with water half way up the ramekins.
Lightly bash the rosemary in a pestle and mortar to begin to release the flavoured oils. Then add to a saucepan with the double cream and the vanilla pod.
Scald the cream by bringing it just below boiling point then immediately remove from the heat and leave the rosemary/vanilla to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Strain and discard the rosemary. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the cream and discard the pod.
Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar in a wide bowl.
Carefully stir in the warm cream whisking continuously so that the eggs don’t scramble. Continue to whisk until all is combined.
Sieve the mixture back into the saucepan. Heat on a very gentle heat for about 1 minute until the mixture begins to thicken a little and coats the back of a wooden spoon – careful the heat isn’t high or it will scramble.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins.
Fill the tray with boiling water so it rises half way up the side of the ramekin.
Carefully place the tray in the oven and allow to cook for 30minutes until the creams are set with a slight wobble. Leave to cool and then chill until needed.
When ready to serve, scatter a layer of the brown sugar over the top of each cream. Using a blow torch or carefully using a hot grill, heat the top until the sugar beings to caramelise and sets hard. Careful not to burn…its tricky…mine did!
Serve with the shortbread biscuits for dunking if you wish.

Pine Nut Shortbread

Ingredients

175g plain flour
125g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g pine nuts
2 tbsp caster sugar

Dry fry the pine nuts in a frying pan until golden. Leave to cool.
Combine the butter, flour and sugar in a food processor and mix until combined and the mixture in crumbly. Then tip in a handful of the pine nuts and continue to processor the mixture until it forms a dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and combine into a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave to cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the rest of the pine nuts in a pestle and mortar and bash lightly. Add the 2 tbsp of caster sugar and bash into a ‘pine nut sugar’.
Roll the shortbread and cut out rounds (whatever shape and size you want) the thickness of 1 pound coin and place them onto a lined baking tray.
Continue using up the dough. Scatter the pine nut sugar over the top of the shortbread evenly.
Bake for about 15 minutes until just beginning to turn pale golden. (Don’t overcook past pale gold).
Cool until ready to serve.

Coconut-nut Granola with Cacao Nibs

November 27, 2016 Comments Off read Breakfast, Sweet Treats

fter my last bounty of coconut goodies from ‘Coconut Collaborative’ I didn’t think I could get any better. Until….a box of samples arrived from the lovely Kiwi people on the other side of the globe at ‘Lovingearth‘. Theres nothing quite like the excitement of a DHL parcel sitting patiently outside your door when you get home especially when you know it contains delicious offerings. A mix of wonderful raw chocolate, raw ingredients and most importantly coconut based products, Lovingearth has an exceptionally focussed and wholesome philosophy. So apologies to the regular readers of ‘forage in the pantry.’ who know my love of coconut but it is indeed one of my favourites. So when I saw the coconut sugar, oil and a bounty of nuts I thought some cheeky granola was in order. Coconut-nut granola with some bitter cacao nibs to fuel the coldest or wettest of November London mornings.

I’ve used a range of Loving Earth’s ingredients here but sub in and out what you want and what takes your fancy.

Makes 1 batch

8 oz rolled porridge oats
4 oz mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, brazil…)
2 oz desiccated coconut
2 oz ‘Loving Earth Coconut Sugar’ (see here)
1 oz flaked almonds
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 oz ‘Cold Pressed Coconut Oil’ (see here)
1 oz honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 handful (or to taste) ‘Cacao Nibs’ (see here)
Optional additions to add once baked and cooled. A handful of the following – cacao nibs, raisins, cranberries, gogi berries…

A little side note on some of these raw and new (for some) ingredients. I’ll admit, I didn’t have the faintest idea where coconut sugar actually came from until I headed over to the Loving Earth website. So I also recommend taking a look at their page on product info if you’re curious.

Coconut Sugar – made from the coconut palm blossoms believe it or not. From the sap of the cut flower buds! Nutritionally it has a naturally low Glycemic Index which means it releases energy slower in the body unlike honey etc. Its been used as a natural sweetener historically and has a rich toffee-like flavour which makes an amazing 1:1 swap in baking for another level of flavour. Try flapjack, coconut loaf or brownies as an example!

Coconut Oil – the pressed oil from the coconut meat itself!

Cacao Nibs – even better for you than dark chocolate and packed FULL of antioxidants. Cacao nibs are derived from cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and broken into smaller pieces.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with a sheet of parchment.
Mix the oats, nuts, coconut, sugar, almonds, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Melt the coconut oil and honey in a large pan until melted fully and combined. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Pour the warm syrup over the oats and stir thoroughly to combine ensuring all the dry mixture is coated.
Spread out evenly on the baking tray. use the biggest tray you can. You don’t want the granola to be in a thick layer – use two trays if needed.
bake for 20 minutes, giving it a good mix half way through.
Once baked, leave to cool, untouched. Once cool it will crisp up and you can stir through your dry additional ingredients – cacao nibs and raisins here.
Store in an airtight container and use to scatter over your yoghurt or fruit.

Blackberry and Ginger Pudding

November 9, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

his is one of the tastiest but easiest little puddings to knock up and its packed full of flavour and perfect for a winter evening with a steaming bowl of velvety sweet custard. Ambrosia obviously. But if you’re feeling the urge to make a your own creme angliase then my cinnamon version found here is great. Its not a steamed pudding as such but it may as well be with its warm spongy texture and comfort. I’ll admit the ginger is excessive but don’t be shy, you’ll appreciate the bounty if you go all in here – its a ginger pudding after all. A little lemon zest lifts it into a lighter pudding and the blackberries are just so god damn seasonal. And a nod to the ‘forage’.

This recipe if straight from Sky Gyngell’s ‘A Year in my Kitchen’ and I made no changes. Its perfect.

Serves 4

100g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g self raising flour
Zest 2 lemons
4 knobs of stem ginger, finely chopped
4 tbsp golden syrup
Blackberries
Pinch salt

Grease 4 mini pudding moulds or ramekins. I also lined the base with a little parchment to stop it sticking. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and smooth.
Beat in the eggs one by one until combined
Next sift in the flour and fold in.
Fold in the lemon zest and ginger.
Spoon a generous tbsp of golden syrup into the base of each pudding bowl. Top with enough blackberries to cover the base in a single layer. Spoon over the sponge mixture divided between each mould.
Grease 4 small sheets of foil and cover the moulds loosely with it. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Turn out onto a plate and serve warm with a steaming helping of custard.

Gooseberry Cobbler

October 2, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

feel ashamed to call this cooking. Assembling if you like. It must be one of the easiest puddings out there – hearty and warming. It doesn’t have a chance against a crumble I’ll be the first to admit but lets just say its the crumbles foreign not so pretty and less intelligent cousin. With a sad tinge of Autumnal chill to the weather this weekend and being the first day of October my expectations of an endless Indian Summer were dampened metaphorically and literally after ending up a little wet at work.

A few weeks back I returned home to my Wiltshire bolt and origins of the real pantry to a bounty of delicious homegrown gooseberries! Picked from the allotment and waiting patiently for my greedy hands! So cobbler it was….adapted from Delia Smith.

Serves 4

500g gooseberries
100g caster sugar
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
110g cold, cubed butter
170ml buttermilk
Pinch salt
Demerara sugar
Ice cream/custard to serve. Or my cinnamon creme anglaise

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Start by placing the gooseberries in a baking dish and scatter over the caster sugar and cordial evenly.
To make the topping, place the flour, baking powder, salt and cubed butter in a food processor and blend together until you have a breadcrumb like consistency. Then at this stage add the buttermilk and pulse until you get a sticky dough.
Rustically distribute large tablespoons of the topping over the gooseberries making sure you cover the majority of the fruit.
Sprinkle over some crunchy demerara sugar and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the topping if golden, cooked and the fruit is bubbling up underneath.
Serve warm with custard or ice cream. My cinnamon creme anglaise is recommended – see here for full recipe

Coconut Blueberry Yoghurt Loaf

June 19, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

was recently lucky enough to receive a generous bounty (excuse the pun) of The Coconut Collaborative’s tasty products to do some experimenting with. As my close friends will know I love all things coconut. I can’t get enough. So any food based with this creamy exotic flavour is in my good books. While targeted at the dairy free among us, you would not know for the lack of it with it creamy moreish taste. I thought I’d attempt to use their delicious flavoured and non flavoured yoghurts in a cake, dairy free, and packed with fruit. Devine.

And I know recipes do tend to write this a lot but this really (truly, honestly) is the EASIEST cake in the world to knock out. I think it took me a 5 minutes. Mixing bowl, spoon and loaf tin. Minimal washing up…more eating time. No scales needed just a ratio of yog-pots!

Makes 1 loaf

1x 120g pot of ‘The Coconut Colloborative’ blueberry yoghurt (Here is have used this coconut based yoghurt so this is a dairy free loaf! But feel red to use any yoghurt of choice)
2 pots self raising flour
Just under 1 pot caster sugar (dependant on the sweetness of your yoghurt)
1/2 pot of vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract/ seeds from 1 pod
Pinch salt
150g blueberries

Preheat the oven to 180°C. and grease and line a loaf tin
Place the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and then add the rest of the ingredients except the blueberries.
Mix thoroughly to combine until you have a smooth batter
Mix in the blueberries
Spoon the mixture into a loaf tin and bake in the own for about 45 minutes until cooked. Bake for a little longer if a knife inserted into the middle does not come out clean.
Leave to cool, dust with icing sugar and serve with extra blueberries and a hearty spoonful of Coconut Ice cream (see here for a dairy free option)

Rum Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Ice Cream, Mint Sugar

May 3, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

‘m not a dessert person or a sweet tooth, unless it comes to ice cream. And this so happens to be my favourite ice cream recipe! Don’t get me wrong I love making desserts. Planning them, creating them and being able to execute a beautiful creation but I usually never eat them. So with guests for supper this weekend, a fuss free dessert was required. With a fatty hearty main on the cards, a fresh and citrus cleansing after was the perfect match. You can take more time over this as I mention below (see notes) by adding some grated coconut to the ice cream, grilling the pineapple towards the end, caramelising with a blow torch or wonderfully charring on the barbeque but fuss free was the aim here.

I made the ice cream in 5 minutes at breakfast and it was ready and set by dinner time and is just as impressive as a classic recipe. The pineapple is sweet and deliciously roasted and with a depth of flavour from the rum that makes this more than a fruit salad finish to a meal. Sometimes the simple ones are the best and this is no doubt a powerful but humble choice.

Serves 6

Pineapple

1 large pineapple
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
6 tsp butter

Coconut Ice Cream

400ml full fat coconut milk
1 can condensed milk
Zest 1 lime
1 fresh coconut, grated/ 150g toasted desiccated coconut (optional)

Mint sugar

Bunch mint leaves picked
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Start on the ice cream. If you’re after a super fast recipe, simply combine the condensed milk, coconut milk and lime zest, whisk to combine then place in a tupperware in the freezer (untouched) for at least 8 hours. For added flavour though you can add in the grated flesh of one fresh coconut or the desiccated coconut but if you’ve ever tried to grate a fresh coconut you’ll know it takes some commitment…
Preheat the oven to 190°C.. Warm the rum gently in a pan and then add the sugar and the seeds of the vanilla pod. Stir to combine.
Top and tail the pineapple and remove the rind. Cut in half lengthways and then cut each half into thirds. Remove the hard centre segment and then place the slices in a large bowl.
Spoon over the rum mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Line a baking tray and spoon the marinading pineapple onto the tray evenly with any of the leftover rum marinade. Place a tsp of butter on top of each and roast for about 30 minutes until tender. You can stick them under the grill for the final few minutes to char them slightly if you like but again, the aim here is fuss free!
Once ready remove from the oven and set aside. Bash the sugar and mint in a pestle and mortar until crushed and vibrant green
Top each slice of pineapple with a little mint sugar and serve warm alongside a creamy scoop of your coconut ice cream

NOTE: There are certainly ways to ‘glam’ this up. Grill the pineapple once cooked for a caramelised effect, scorch with a blowtorch for the same effect or beautifully grilled on the barbecue. Add the fresh coconut to the ice cream as mentioned or make a lovely heard of sesame praline (melt caster sugar until golden, add sesame seeds and turn out onto an oiled sheet of parchment). Shortbread would also never go unwanted here.