Posts tagged vanilla

Rhubarb Bakewell Tart

June 26, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

With a bunch of prematurely picked rhubarb from the allotment aging ungracefully in the fridge this week I decided to experiment and make an ever favourite classic- the bakewell tart- with a rhubarb ‘jam’ instead of your traditional cherry or raspberry. Devine…

Note: For a more subtle flavour if you’re not an almond addict, feel free to leave out the extract.

Serves 8 (generously)

Pastry

175g plain flour
75g chilled unsalted butter
Cold water

Rhubarb Filling

350g rhubarb
1-2 tbsp caster sugar
½ lemon juice
Vanilla extract

Frangipane Filling

110g unsalted butter
110g caster sugar
110g ground almonds
25g plain flour
2 eggs
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp almond extract
½ lemon, zest
Handful flaked almond
70g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 190°C and grease and line a 20cm tart tin. Start with the pastry and rub the butter into the flour until you have breadcrumbs. Add a few tablespoons of cold water or enough to bring it into a smooth dough. Roll out thinly and line the tart tin. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the rhubarb filling. Chop the rhubarb into pieces and place in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Heat and simmer gently until broken down and ‘jammy’. Set aside
Line the pastry case with parchment and baking beans and bake blind for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the baking bean and return to the oven for 5 more minutes or so until the base is also lightly golden.
Make the frangipane topping. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and almond extract followed by the almonds, flour, baking powder and lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
Spread the rhubarb ‘jam’ evenly over the base of the pre-cooked case and top with the frangipane almond paste and smooth evenly, covering all the rhubarb. Scatter oven the flaked almonds and bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked and golden (cover with foil if it starts to colour before it is ready)
Mix the sieved icing sugar with a few splashes of cold water until you form a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag and, once the tart is cool, drizzle over!

Butternut Muffins

March 25, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

These little muffins are courtesy of Jamie Oliver from his ‘Jamie at Home’ cookbook. The book is one of my favourites and will always be sentimental to me as it was the first cookbook I ever received on my journey to foodie obsessive. I am always making the delicious recipes from the squash chapter and hadn’t made these in a while. I’d forgotten how deliciously moist they are, just like a quirky take on a carrot cake. With a dad who hates the addition of butternut squash in ANYTHING, a little white lie that these were in fact carrot cake muffins didn’t even muster a thimble of doubt…..

Makes 12

400g butternut squash, roughly chopped
350g light brown soft sugar
4 eggs
300g plain flour
2 heaped tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 handful walnuts
175ml olive oil
200g cream cheese
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ lemon, juice
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
Lavender to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Add the butternut squash to a food processor and roughly chop.
Add the eggs and sugar and a pinch of salt and blitz
Sieve in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder followed by the oil and process to combine
Add the walnuts and pulse to mix to make sure the nuts are kept chunky
Generously fill the muffin cases with the mixture and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked. Leave to cool
Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice, a pinch of cinnamon and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and chill until needed.
When the cakes are cool ice with the cream cheese topping and scatter with a few lavender flowers.

Apricot and Vanilla Pannacotta with Rosemary Shortbread

March 22, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

There’s something about using herbs like thyme and rosemary in sweet desserts which I always think feels really sophisticated. Getting the right balance is essential as an overpowering flavour such as rosemary, while forgivable with lamb, will not be so delicious if overused in a dessert. It goes so well with the sweet, juicy plump apricots here and I created this recipe after being inspired by an apricot bar by a company called Baked. However, this recipe is more suitable for a after dinner dessert!

Serves about 5

Apricot Jam

200g dried apricots
350ml water
100g caster sugar
60g honey
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped

Combine the ingredients in a pan including the vanilla pod once the seeds have been removed.
Simmer gently for about 40-45 minutes until the apricots are plump and soft. Remove the vanilla pod and discard
Puree in a processor until you form a thick sticky jam. Store in a jar int he fridge and use for the pannacotta recipe or one croissants and toast!

Pannacotta

250ml double cream
250ml whole milk
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
50g caster sugar
Splash vanilla extract (optional)
2 ½ gelatine leaves
Aprioct jam

Combine the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a pan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft.
Get ready 5 ramekins, wine glasses, shot glasses or tumblers or whatever you want to serve your pannacotta in. Fill the base with a thin layer of apricot puree and smooth out evenly. There will be more jam than needed but add as much as you like.
Just before the cream mix begins to bubble, remove from the heat, and remove the vanilla pod. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine leaves and whisk into the hot cream.
Begin gentle, pour over a generous layer of the cream mixture onto your apricot puree. Leave to cool before leaving to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Serve with the rosemary biscuits and topped with some cinnamon sugared almond flakes if you like!

Rosemary Shortbread

125g butter
175g flour
50g caster sugar
½- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Rub the flour butter and sugar together or combine in a food processor until you just begin to get a dough
Add the rosemary and continue to mix to form a dough.
Cut into biscuits shapes and bake on a lined baking tray for about 10 minutes (depending on size) until just turning the palest of gold and they are still soft. Watch them carefully as they cook quickly.
Leave to cool before removing from the tray.

Pannacotta with salted caramel

January 1, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

This was everything you’d could want in a dinner party dessert for a special occasion such as New Years eve where this little treat made a welcome appearance. It’s creamy, sweet, satisfying and elegant and will fill that sweet spot when you think there is just no room left after, perhaps an evening full of decadent dinning and some good fizz. Naturally as the choice for the hidden surprise I had to add salted caramel due to my love of salt and its increasing popularity as the foodie trend of 2012! Served alongside some mini tartlets filled with hazelnut or ginger mascarpone topped with diced pear and shards of honeycomb, I think its safe to say these were crowd pleasers…..

Pannacotta (serves 6)

250ml double cream
250ml milk
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed
2 ½ gelatine leaves
50g caster sugar

Salted Caramel

200ml single cream
125g caster sugar
2 tsp runny honey
2 tsp water
Large pinch of maldon salt

Begin with the salted caramel. Place the cream in a saucepan and warm gently on a low heat.
Meanwhile, heat the runny honey in another saucepan for a few minutes. Add the water and the caster sugar and allow to dissolve.
Once dissolved, let it bubble for about 5 minutes and it will begin to turn golden. Watch it closely, giving it a swirl every so often.
Continue to bubble until golden and caramel coloured. Do not let it get too dark or it will begin to burn and taste bitter.
Once it reaches the right golden colour (being VERY careful as it will splutter at you) stir in 1/3 of the warm cream and stir. Add the rest of the cream and stir, keeping it on the heat and bubbling for about 2 minutes until syrup-like and smooth.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool (this can also be used for smothering over ice cream to heart attack inducing levels or to line a pastry case for a twist on banoffee pie. It also goes really well with salted peanuts, peanut butter or chocolate)
Now begin on the pannacotta. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla seeds (pop the pod in as well) on a gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring up to the near boil and then remove from the heat. Remove the vanilla pod.
Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatine leaves and whisk into the the hot cream until dissolved.
Get your serving glasses or ramekins (glass works well as you can see the layers) and spoon about 2 tbsp of cooled salted caramel into each base. Top with the panncotta mixture, carefully to avoid it disturbing the lower layer but this is not a problem if you do.
Place in the fridge and leave to set for a minimum of 3 hours

Mini sweet pastry tart cases filled with a hazelnut mascarpone and a ginger mascarpone cream, topped with diced pear and honeycomb…..

Sunflower Seed, Vanilla and Cinnamon Butter

November 19, 2012 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

I love my seeds and nuts so once again, here is another go at a nut butter. This time sunflower seeds. Whilst reminding me of my friends late hamsters dinner, these little seeds remind me of when I was little as I’d munch them all day long…Feel free to add more oil than I have for a creamiest texture but I like mine with as little as possible to retain their wholesome goodness. They don’t have as much natural oil in them as pumpkin seeds or peanuts so you will need to add some.

Ingredients

200g sunflower seeds, toasted
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped (although even more wouldn’t be a crime)
2-4 tbsp mild, light olive or sunflower oil (up to 50ml)

Begin by toasting the sunflower seeds in the oven for a few minute or in a dry frying pan until fragrant.
Add them to the bowl of the food processor and begin to blend for a few minutes.
After they are fairly powdery and broken down, add a pinch of salt and continue blending, scraping the the mixture down the sides when necessary.
Add a splash of oil to loosen and add moisture as you go.
Continue to blend, adding as much oil as you like to achieve your desired texture. I like mine with as little as possible but for a spoonable soft butter add up to 50ml.
Add the cinnamon and the vanilla seeds and continue to process. Adjust by adding more to your tastes as you go.
Once you have a mixture that is buttery and tastes to your liking, store in a sterilized jar and keep in the fridge ready to top toast, porridge or with some jam in a bagel…If you come up with any winning combination, let me know!