Posts tagged sugar

Passionfruit Crème Brûlée

February 19, 2018 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ith Valentines Day heavy on the February agenda and a strong committed desire to stay at home and cook up a feast, this dessert made a perfect and suggestively named addition. Personally, the thought of going out for dinner on Valentines Day fills me with dread! The busy restaurants, the ‘special menus’, the overpriced deals and the crowds of daters and lovers. Understandably, showing your love with your cooking is not for everyone. And I’ll admit, for someone who loves nothing but spending a month menu planning and an entire evening in the kitchen, creating a 3 course feast was selfishly high on my priorities. This also being the way to a/my man’s heart, it seemed like a win-win…

When thinking of a menu, creme brûlée and passion fruit were the first things on the list being two of my beloved guests favourites. A decadent, creamy and light end to a meal that finished off a French themed super perfectly. Call me cliche with the theme but I didn’t hear any complaints…

I always fail to remember how easy creme brûlée is to make. And this year I finally, FINALLY invested in a cooks blowtorch. And an investment I wish I’d done long ago. A cheap and tremendously useful kitchen addition. Gone are the days of burnt creme brûlées shamefully neglected under the grill. Sweet creme brûlée, a mans gadget and the involvement of flames…again…a win-win dessert. And who doesn’t love the first crack of the sugary top!?

Serving suggestion: I failed to make these on the night but I’d serve these with mini coconut shortbreads. See here and instead of adding the rosemary, replace with 2 tbsp of lightly toasted desiccated coconut.

Serves 5 (I reused the infamous ‘Gu’ ramekins and this made 5)

500ml double cream
100g caster sugar
6 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
6 passion fruit
6 tbsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Find a deep roasting tin and get your ramekins ready in the tray.
Add the double cream to a saucepan and scarp in the seeds of the vanilla pod using a teaspoon and add in the pod too. Scald the cream. I.e. Heat until just below the boiling point. It should be just ready to bubble but not simmer. Remove from the what and let the vanilla infuse for a few moment while you whisk the eggs.
In a large bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar and the pulp from all the passion fruits. Whisk well to combine.
Place a tea towel underneath the bowl to prevent it moving and then, whilst whisking continuously, pour in the hot cream in a slow stream. Continue whisking until well combined.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a good pouring jug or saucepan. Discard the vanilla pod husk and the passion fruit seeds.
Pour the mixture evenly among the ramekins in the roasting tray filling to the top.
Fill the tray with hot water, pouring until the liquid comes about halfway up the ramekins.
Carefully so as not to spill, place the tray in the centre of the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until just set and with a very slight wobble in the centre. Leave to cool completely before chilling in the fridge.
When ready to eat, remove from the fridge and scatter a thin, even layer of caster sugar over the top. Using your blow torch, glaze the surface and the sugar will begin to caramelise. Rotate the ramekin as it melts to ensure it evenly caramelises being careful not to burn. Sit for about 1 minute and then enjoy! With shortbreads if you wish.

If you’re keen for a French showstopper then I also made this pork cassoulet for main.

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.

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

Coffee Drizzle Cake with Hazelnut Mascarpone

March 6, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

f you are, like me, an appreciator of all things coffee in flavour then this cake is certainly one to test out on a cold Sunday afternoon for a crowd that need pleasing. And more specifically a mother! (Happy Mother’s Day!) I’ll admit I’m no coffee nerd but even those that can pour a perfect patterned topped latte will love you for this moist sponge cake. I think many people these days are intimidated by baking with a preconcieved idea that it is difficult due to the eleborate disguise of the 21st century decoration, intricate piping and macaroon topped bakes. However like most cakes, the baking bit is extremely easy! Mix and combine. How you choose to refine your decoration is up to you. I don’t seem to have a natural knack for it sadly and my piping skills are far from successful on most attempts so this weekend I abandoned the fancy piping bag in place of the palate knife and went for a more welcomed rustic and homemade visual. It won’t win any show stopper rounds thats for sure but its all about the taste and texture…

This cake is based on a Delia classic. The sponge and syrup recipe have been taken from her ‘How to Cook – Book One’ with just a few adaptations in the ‘forage in the pantry’ style.

Sponge and Icing

1 1/2 tbsp coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water
75g walnuts
175g self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
3 large eggs
250g mascarpone
8 tbsp sieved icing sugar
Handful of chopped toasted hazelnuts
Optional – 1 tbsp Frangelico/Amaretto
1 tsp cocoa powder

Syrup

1 tbsp instant coffee granules
50g demerara sugar
55ml boiling water

Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line two cake tins (18cm/20cm wide. No bigger than 20cm)
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan or hot oven for a few minutes until fragrant then set aside. Once cool, chop roughly.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor.
Add the butter, sugar and eggs and mix until smooth and shiny. Add the coffee and combine well.
Finally fold in the chopped walnuts then divide the mixture into the two tins, spreadably evenly and flattening out the tops.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Meanwhile make the syrup. Combine the sugar and coffee in a jug before adding the boiling water. Stir continuously and thoroughly until he sugar has dissolved fully. Set aside until needed.
Next make the icing. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl before beating in the mascarpone cheese. Add the liquor of choice if using and beat until smooth. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts, leaving some for scattering over the top. Taste and add more icing sugar if you like it a little sweeter.
Once the cakes are cooked remove from the oven and prick all over with a cocktail stick or similar.
Pour the syrup over both cakes until evenly absorbed. I find this is best done a spoonful at a time to avoid overflow.
Leave to cool completely.
When cool, remove from the tins and turn out onto a wire rack. For the base you’ll need the most even and flat looking cake. You may need to slice off the rounded top in order to get this but this little syrupy slice is an ideal tester!
Place this onto a plate or cake stand and spoon over half the mascarpone smoothing out with a palate knife.
Top with the second cake and the rest of the mascarpone.
Scatter with any remaining nuts and a sprinkling of cocoa powder

Swedish Cinnamon and Cardamon Buns

November 3, 2015 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ovely Stockholm. Sweden must have been the longest standing contender on my ‘must-visit’ destinations list. Without even having stepped foot in this glorious country I had already fallen in love with the culture, people, lifestyle and not to mention the food. Ah the food. Rye bread, salmon, cray fish and beetroot. Dill and cardamon and cinnamon. Dreamy matcha and cardamon lattes and high champagnes kisses. And some of the most fantastic restaurants in Europe. Stockholm’s foodie scene was therefore a must see and it certainly lived up to expectations. With only a short whistle wind tour in two days this certainly warrants another visit not only as I am still to sample the hay smoked creations of Ekstedt….thats for next time.

The beautiful water-hugged city cleared our lungs and wooed us with its romance. Exploring the old town of Gamla Stan was by far the most enjoyable delight. Lunching like kings at ‘Kryp In’ (which I highly recommend) tucked secretly down a cobbled side street in the old town before fast forwarding to the future to the Gondelen in Sodermalm which in summer has the best sun kissed terrace and high city views in town. However, with a crisp chill in the air, we enjoyed our sparkling champagne in the warmer, gorgeous and hipster-filled bar overlooking the city before gliding through the restaurant to the ‘Kitchen’ area, an informal and casual bistro like setting, where we were immersed in the action. The food was perfect and the wine….strong.

fter the effects of the ‘strong’ wine, after a slow morning we had a day of touring the city, sadly in the persistent rain. However, warming cardamon lattes and cinnamon buns soon warmed our souls at the quaint and authentic Vetekatten in Kungsgatan. But dinner was by far the highlight of the day. New modern Nordic cuisine with excitement, imagination and most importantly, flavour. ‘The Flying Elk‘ was the perfect gastropub to warm our bodies and dry our sodden feet. An amazing menu starting with a delicate and ‘jump-up-and-down-on-your-seat’ tasty carrot and foie gras macaroon with creamed corn and cress. This I did not share. You would not have either. This was followed welcomingly with an aurora salmon salad with vanilla marinated crayfish meddled with sweet yellow carrots among a bowl of fennel, lemon verbena salad, orange and almonds. This menu was an absolute highlight. And with the Flying Elk book perched on the neighbouring window sill the entire evening, it isn’t a surprise I left with one in hand. Slight technical hurdle is the Swedish dialogue and no copy yet in English translation….but we’ll get over that.

With the sun in full power on our final day, we ventured to the island of Djurgarden, a stone throw and hop over the bridge from the old town. A beautiful island. Tree lined cycle paths hugged the river but we chose to amble in the crisp sun on foot, past the joggers, boating site-seers and keen cyclists. We rested our weary feet and an true Swedish hidden gem. Rosengard Tradgard, and organic cafe and garden centre set in following fields and orchards. We quenched our thirst with homemade teas, juices and lemonade. Organic produce and home baked spiced breads littered the shops and entertained our senses. A true delight which I can only compare to the delights of the infamous ‘Petersham Nurseries‘ in Richmond for ambiance, intention and style. Being on the island was 10 minutes escape from the city into peace. Even if it meant being dragged there on foot….

But one of the highlights in Sweden. Cinnamon. Finally a country that appreciates this festive spice just as much as me. With cinnamon buns and fresh OJ for breakfast it was time to recreate the scene at home once back on UK soil to sooth the post holiday blues.

Makes about 15 (adapted from Jamie Oliver)

7g dried yeast
250ml almond milk/whole milk
60ml boiling water
50g demerara sugar
1/2 tsp salt
400g plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
4 tbsp oil
1 egg, beaten
Pearl sugar (optional)

Filling

75g softened butter
25g dark brown soft sugar
50g demerara sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt

Combine the water and milk and stir in the yeast. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, salt, flour and ground cardamon.
Make a well in the centre and stir in the warmed yeast mixture and the oil. Mix until combined before getting your hands in and bringing together into a dough.
Tip onto a floured surface and knead the dough together until you have a smooth springy dough. This should take about 10 minutes. Oil the bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rest and prove in a warmish place for about an hour until doubled in size.
Meanwhile make the filling. combine the ingredients until you have a really soft spreadable paste.
Once the dough is risen, roll it out on a floured surface to a 35cm x 35cm square. Spread over the cinnamon butter filling evenly.
Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter and roll into a rough rectangle (20cm x 35cm)
Cut the dough into 20cm long strips about 2-3cm wide. Take strip and twist it as seen below.
Now for the tricky bit – the knot! I found this link very useful as it contains a video and is where I have based my recipe on with a few adaptations. (Basically, grab one end and coil around your hand twice. Then over the top and coil and tuck the loose end at the bottom. As I said, the video helps!)
Place the shaped buns onto a lined baking tray and preheat the oven to 180°C.
Leave the buns to rise again until doubled in size for about 30-40 minutes.
Brush with a little beaten egg if you like and to be really authentic, sprinkle with pearl sugar or almonds.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden.

Nectarine, Almond and Rosemary Tart

August 17, 2015 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

adore the savoury taste of rosemary in desserts which should not be knocked before tried. Whether with apricots (see here) or honeyed pine nuts (see here) it adds a lovely warming flavour if added with a disciplined hand…don’t get to carried away or you’ll be expecting roasted lamb to appear in your ice cream! With an abundance of fresh juicy ripe nectarines in season at the moment, I combined them with the sugary flavours of this frangipane tart and the subtle spike of rosemary. Although sweet, this dessert can handle the sharp honeyed flavours of a lovely Sauterens with acts as the perfect accompaniment to this dish. Washed down with a dainty glass (at my encouragement) was a perfect end to a summer BBQ with friends. Serve with creamy vanilla flecked ice cream, luxurious clotted cream or tart creme fraiche.

Serves 12

Pastry

250g plain flour
125g cold cubed butter
Zest 1 lemon

Filling

2 ripe nectarines, halved and sliced into wedges
1 1/2/ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
200g ground almonds
200g cubed butter
100g caster sugar
100g soft light brown sugar
3 eggs
Vanilla extract
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Start with the pastry. Combine the flour, butter and zest in a food processor until the mixture starts to come together. Slowly add up to 2 tbsp cold water until the pastry forms a soft ball of dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 180. Grease and line a large tart tin with a loose bottom. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to the thickness of about £1 coin and line the tart tin. Prick the base with a fork all over.
Line with parchment and baking beans and bake blind for about 20 minutes. Once beginning to just colour straw brown, remove the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or so until the base is lightly borne and cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Make the filling. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor. Once combined, add the eggs one by one and a splash of vanilla. Add the 1tbsp of chopped rosemary
Finally, fold in the ground almonds until thoroughly combined.
Fill the baked tart shell with the frangipane mixture and spread out evenly.
Top with the wedges of nectarine, allowing about 1 slice per portion or there abouts.
Scatter with the crunchy demerara sugar and bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
Leave to cool slightly in the tin before removing and serving on a large plate. Scatter with the remaining 1/2 tsp rosemary and a little dusting of icing sugar. Serve with creme fraiche and a delicious glass of Sautnernes.

Banana and Blueberry Bread

March 7, 2015 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

How on earth we are already in March I don’t know?! I began the year with a triumphant new years ambition to develop my humble blog, challenge my culinary skills and pepper it with new recipes. However due to a number of unexpected hurdles over the past months this hasn’t been actioned as much as I’d like! With a very busy and eventful week at work under my belt and a browning bowl of bananas sitting provocatively on the kitchen table I thought of nothing better than to create the comforting, warming and homely delights of a banana bread loaf to scoff with tea. Studded with crunchy pecans and soft sharp blueberries it is delicious eaten alone or toasted with ice cream. I love the use of muscovado sugar in this recipe which was a deviation from my usual (and reliable) recipe using a more refined caster sugar. But its treacle like flavour and depth adds a decadent dimension to this classic.

Makes 1 loaf or 4 mini loaves

250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
125g softened butter
235g muscovado sugar
400g ripe bananas (about 4 )
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
100g blueberries
50g chopped pecans
1-2 tbsp demerara sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line 1 x 400g loaf tin or 4 small loaf tins
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and muscovado sugar until creamy and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the eggs, bit by bit.
Mash the bananas with a fork in another bowl and add the vanilla extract. Combine thoroughly with the butter and sugar mixture.
Sieve the flour and baking powder over the mixture and fold in to combine.
Gently fold in the blueberries and pecans until evenly distributed
Spoon the mixture into the lined tins.
Scatter the top with a generous dusting of ground cinnamon and then top with the crunchy demerara sugar to create a nice crust.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes for the small tins and around 50 minutes for a large loaf tin. Check after 30 minutes regardless and remove from the oven when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in their tins and then remove.
Slice and serve layered with cinnamon mascarpone, yoghurt or warm with ice cream.

Blackcurrant Lemon Madeleines

May 4, 2014 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Not many things beat a gift box of homemade goodies especially when they’re madeleines. Delicate, pretty, elegant and gorgeous. A sweet crusty cinnamon-sugar coated Parisian madeleine is the personification of a classy French lady. I baked a fresh batch of these the morning before visiting an old and very special friend (you know who you are) to take as a gift.

Makes about 12

100g unsalted butter, melted
100g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1 level tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
Grated zest 1 lemon
50g blackcurrants/blueberries
50-100g cinnamon sugar (made with a ratio of 1 large tbsp: 300g golden granulate sugar)

Whisk the eggs and the caster sugar together until pale and creamy.
Add the flour, baking powder and lemon zest and lightly whisk in with the melted butter to prevent overdeveloping the gluten. Mix in the berries.
Set aside for anywhere up to 3 hours. Apparently, the longer you leave the batter to chill the better as it chills and hydrates the flour. This helps to give you that bump on the back that is characteristic of a madeleine.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease your madeleine tray with a little melted butter and a dusting of flour if it is liable to sticking..
Fill the moulds making sure you don’t overfill. The mixture will settle into place in the oven so don’t worry about smoothing them out.
Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how big you made them and how large your madeleine pan is.
Once golden and cooked, remove from the oven and, while warm, coat in a generous blanket of cinnamon sugar and then leave to cool on a wire rack before eating
Best eaten fresh on the day or the sugar will make them sticky. Try with some cream/creme friache and some slow roasted strawberries.