Tag: dessert

Tuesday Treat

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Vanilla Pavlova with Passion Fruit Cream, Pineapple and Mint Salsa (Serves 8)

This is a real show-stopping dessert. The combination of the fresh pineapple and passion fruit alongside the whipped cream and marshmallow-like texture of the meringue is sublime – plus there’s the fresh tang from the mint! This glorious recipe is from Paul Ainsworth’s cookbook ‘For the Food I Love’.

6 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

330g caster sugar

1½ tablespoon cornflour

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Zest of 1 lime

For the Pineapple and Mint Salsa:

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and diced

1 pod of vanilla, seeds removed

4 passion fruit

12 mint leaves

For the Passion Fruit Cream:

125g crème fraiche

20g icing sugar

150ml double cream

  1. First, make the meringue. Whisk the egg whites and vanilla paste together until light and fluffy. Now slowly start to whisk in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Continue to whisk until the meringue forms soft peaks. Sift the cornflour and using a spatula fold it through the fluffy egg white. Finally, fold through the lemon juice.
  2. Onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, spoon (or pipe) the meringue, forming 8 domed circles (approx. 10cm). Bake in a preheated oven, 110’c fan for 55 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the pavlovas in the oven to cool and dry.
  3. To make the pineapple and mint salsa, take a bowl and add the pineapple and vanilla seeds (from the pod). Cut the passion fruit in half and scrape out the fruit into a sieve over a small bowl to collect the juice. Keep back 1 tablespoon of juice for the fruit cream (see below) and add the rest to the salsa, along with the passion fruit seeds. Chop up some of the mint but reserve a few leaves for decoration. Now give the salsa a good stir.
  4. Next make the passion fruit cream. Take a mixing bowl and add the crème fraiche, icing sugar and reserved 1 tablespoon of passion fruit juice, whisk together to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until you have soft peaks. Fold the whipped double cream through the passion fruit mixture and whip until stiff. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
  5. To serve, place the pavlovas onto a large platter or individual plates. Divide the passion fruit cream between the pavlovas in neat dollops, then spoon over the pineapple and mint salsa. Finish with lime zest and reserved mint leaves.

Tuesday Treat

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Banana Soufflés with Caramel Sauce (Serves 6)

Oh my, these are good!.. They are soft, fluffy and fruity; a super light dessert which will impress everyone. Soufflés have a reputation for being difficult to make, but believe me when I say that these are super easy. The soufflé mix can be made up to two hours in advance, just keep chilled in the ramekins and bake straight from the fridge. Meanwhile, the caramel sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance; keep chilled and reheat gently to serve.

*It’s important to get the size of the ramekins right to make sure that they rise up – I used ramekins with a 200ml capacity (9cm diameter) and they rose up perfectly.

20g butter, softened for coating the ramekins

100g caster sugar, plus extra for coating

75ml whole milk

2 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 large ripe banana, about 100g

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Icing sugar, for dusting

For the caramel sauce:

20g dark muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

25g butter

150ml double cream

  1. Preheat the oven to 180’c fan and put a baking tray in the oven.
  2. Grease 6 ramekins (see note above) with butter and evenly coat the base and sides with a little sugar.
  3. Heat the milk until it’s just at a simmer then remove from the heat. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks and 50g of the caster sugar together until pale, then whisk in the cornflour. Now, gradually whisk in the warm milk.
  4. Place the banana and vanilla bean paste in a food processor or blender and whizz until very smooth. Stir into the milk mixture.
  5. Using clean beaters, whisk the 2 egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the remaining sugar, whisking until shiny.
  6. Use a metal spoon to fold the banana mixture into the egg whites, a quarter at a time, until blended and mousse-like.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Place on the hot baking tray and bake in the preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden brown.
  8. Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce. Place the sugar, butter and syrup in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until smooth. Bring to a simmer then stir in the cream and cook gently for a further 2 minutes.
  9. Remove the soufflés from the oven dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with the warm sauce – it’s a good idea to make sure your guests are seated at the table so you can serve them the moment they come out of the oven so that everyone can appreciate them in their full ‘risen’ glory!

Tuesday Treat

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Ice-Cream with Mars Bar Sauce (serves 4)

Yes, I know it’s still March and it’s cold outside, but this ice-cream dessert is served with a hot sauce! In addition it’s the simplest dessert to whip up; a proper ‘cheats’ recipe. It’s been my ‘go-to’ recently as I’ve been away a lot and time in the kitchen has been hit and miss, however, this recipe is one which always delivers even when running around like a ‘headless chicken’!.. As Skye McAlpine, the creator of this recipe, says in her cookbook, ‘A Table Full of Love’… “There is nothing that is sophisticated and absolutely everything that is utterly delicious about this pudding”…

100g Mars bar (about 2), chopped

8 tablespoons double cream

Vanilla ice-cream

Sea salt flakes

3-4 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan (optional)

  1. Put the chopped Mars bar in a small saucepan. Pour in the cream and warm gently over a low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Add a couple of generous pinches of salt to taste.
  2. Scoop the ice-cream into bowls. Pour over the hot chocolate sauce and, if using, sprinkle over the almonds. Serve immediately!

Tuesday Treat

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Flourless Sour Cherry and Chocolate Cake

This is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!.. Growing up in the seventies the ‘Black Forest Gateaux’ was my dream dessert. So when I came across this recipe I couldn’t resist! It’s a modern take on my childhood dream and all the better for it; it’s rich with a gooey middle and there’s a hint of sourness from the cherries. However, because it doesn’t contain flour it has a lightness. You can choose to serve it with crème fraiche or in true ‘Black Forest’ style with a good dollop of whipped cream. Thanks to cookbook writer, Ravneet Gill, for this wonderful recipe.

300g 70% dark chocolate (I use Lindt), broken up

225g unsalted butter

5 eggs, plus 1 yolk

4g sea salt

200g golden caster sugar

200g pitted sour cherries, frozen or jarred

Crème Fraiche or whipped cream to serve

*You will need a 25cm round cake tine, greased and base lined with greaseproof paper.

  1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water – make sure that the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Once melted take off the heat.
  2. In a bowl, beat the eggs (and extra yolk), salt and sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume, then carefully fold in the chocolate mixture, followed by the cherries.
  3. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 45 minutes or until it has started to set on top.
  4. Leave to cool, then turn out, slice and serve with crème fraiche or a dollop of whipped cream.

Tuesday Treat

Menu MistressLeave a comment

Zabaglione (Serves 4)

If you’ve never made Zabaglione or even tried it I urge you to do so with this recipe! It’s a light and creamy dessert with the most wonderful, subtle flavour of sweet Marsala wine. I have been making this particular recipe for more years than I can remember, I found it in Delia Smith’s ‘Complete Illustrated Cookery Course’ cookbook (yes, her really old one!). It’s super simple to make but it does need time whisking at the stove over simmering water (bain-marie), however, using an electric handheld whisk hurries things along. I recently discovered that Delia Smith had updated her recipe with the addition of cornflour so that it was possible to whisk it over direct heat without splitting and it thickened quicker. However, when I tried this recipe I found the result disappointing, it was nothing like the original recipe – you could taste the cornflour and the dessert was heavier. It’s definitely worth staying at the stove for an extra 5 minutes for this fantastic recipe!..

*Apart from this wonderful recipe, one of the best Zabaglione’s that I’ve tried was at Caffè Al Bicerin when I visited Turin a few years ago. Caffè Al Bicerin is a beautiful little cafe with just 6 or so tables, the interior is wonderfully antiquated and dimly lit by candles on white marble tabletops. It’s a ‘must-see’ place if you visit Turin (I would recommend a long weekend in this historic Italian city!). The cafe is renowned for having invented the Bicerin, but it’s also famous for its Zabaglione. What a dream a café where you can pop in just for a Zabaglione!.. (you can find my recipe for Bicerin here!)

8 Egg yolks

100g caster sugar

80ml Marsala wine

  1. Firstly choose a medium sized mixing bowl which will sit comfortably over a saucepan of barely simmering water (without touching it).
  2. Start with the bowl on the worktop. Place the egg yolks and sugar into it and whisk them with an electric handheld whisk until the mixture is pale and creamy (about 4 minutes). Then gradually whisk in the Marsala bit by bit.
  3. Now transfer the bowl to saucepan, keep the heat very low, and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens (about 8-10 minutes).
  4. To serve, pour into glasses and serve straightaway!..

Menu Mistress will be away for a couple of weeks…

I will we back with new recipes on Wednesday 27th March!..