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Archive for the ‘Dessert’ Category

Blackberry Mess

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 14 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Blackberry Mess

We’re not really into desserts but occasionally make meringues for guests. Recently we had some left over and used a grate of blackberries to make a boozy sauce to stir through them with some whipped cream. Avoid the temptation to over-mix as this looks prettiest when the components are lightly swirled together.

Blackberry mess – serves 6

  • 6 bought or home-made meringue nests
  • about 500g of blackberries
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp of blackberry or blackcurrant liqueur – we used Chambord (you could leave this out if you don’t have any)
  • 250ml of double cream, whipped

Put about three-quarters of the blackberries into a pan with the sugar and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the blackberries are starting to soften. Add the liqueur. Allow to cool before stirring in the reserved blackberries.

Break the meringues into a large bowl and mix in the whipped cream. Swirl some of the blackberry sauce into the meringue mixture then divide into 6 bowls. Spoon the rest of the blackberry sauce over the individual dishes.

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Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream

Posted in Dessert, Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 27 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Strawberry and buttermilk icecream

We’re getting late in the strawberry season, so they’re both cheaper and have great flavour. This is an easy ice cream by Diana Henry with a texture similar to sorbet. Great on its own but we also loved this with some rich chocolate truffle ice cream laced with rum.

Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream – makes 1 litre

  • 500g strawberries
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
  • 375ml buttermilk
  • 115g sour cream
  • pinch of sea salt flakes

Remove the green tops from the strawberries, then slice and put into a bowl with half the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Leave to sit for half an hour.

Pour the fruit and all its juice into a food processor with the remaining sugar and whizz to a purée. Push the purée through a nylon sieve to remove the strawberry seeds. Mix with buttermilk, sour cream & salt.

If you have an ice cream machine you can churn in that or alternatively transfer to a shallow container and put straight into the freezer. You will need to churn it manually by putting back into the food processor after an hour, then twice more at 2 hour intervals. The ice cream must be covered with a lid or cling film in between churning and when you store it.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to allow soften a bit.

(Original recipe from How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2018.)

 

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Marsala Honey Pears with Gorgonzola

Posted in Cheese, Dessert, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 22 October 2016| Leave a Comment »

Marsala honey pears with Gorgonzola & walnuts

A dessert and a cheese course all at once, solving the problem of which goes first. This is really delicious Autumn dish. Make sure you serve the creamy gorgonzola at room temperature. Marsala is a dessert wine from Sicily which is relatively easy to find, it also works well with figs – see Roast Figs with Marsala.

Wine Suggestion: naturally the Marsala from the recipe is a great match, look out for Florio or Pellegrino amongst others. Alternately a really good Sauternes emphasises the honey or a white Maury brings out the pears and all will work well with the Gorgonzola.

Marsala Honey Pears with Gorgonzola – serves 6-8

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 pears, about 500g in total, cored and cut into eighths
  • 3 tbsp Marsala
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 50g walnut halves
  • 500g ripe Gorgonzola – keep in a cool place but avoid putting it in the fridge if at all possible

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the pears for 3 minutes per side.

Mix the Marsala and honey together,  add to the pears and allow the mixture to bubble furiously, then transfer to a plate.

Add the walnut halves to the juices left in the pan and stir-fry for about a minute or until browned and sticky. Remove from the pan and scatter over the pears. Serve with the creamy slab of Gorgonzola on the side.

(Original recipe from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2007.)

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Honey, Orange Blossom and Pistachio Ice-cream

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 1 February 2016| 1 Comment »

Honey, orange blossom and pistachio ice-cream

This is hedonistically rich and full of flavour; Jono thought it was devine and Julie thought it was all a bit much. A conversation piece at least to end your next Middle Eastern feast.

Pistachio, Honey & Orange Blossom Ice Cream – 4-6

  • 200g pistachios
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 600ml full-fat milk
  • 600ml double cream
  • 3 tbsp clear honey
  • 200ml orange blossom water
  • 400ml unsweetened evaporated milk
  • finely grated rind of 2 oranges

Whizz 150g of the pistachios with the sugar in a food processor until finely ground.

Put the milk, cream, honey, orange blossom water and the pistachio mixture in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until reduced by a quarter. Keep stirring to prevent it boiling over. Set aside and leave to cool.

Chop the remaining pistachios. Add the evaporated milk to the cooled mixture and stir in the grated orange rind and chopped pistachios. Mix well, then chill in the fridge overnight (or for a minimum of 2 hours).

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream machine and churn for 25-30 minutes. If you don’t have an ice cream machine, pour the mixture into a large shallow container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove the container from the freezer and fork through to break down the ice crystals, then freeze again until firm.

(Original recipe from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2014.)

 

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Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 9 February 2015| Leave a Comment »

Panetone bread and butter pudding

This would probably have been more useful a few weeks ago when you still had some panettone leftover from Christmas. Much fancier than the standard version!

Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding – serves 4

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 250g panettone
  • 2 eggs
  • 142ml double cream
  • 225ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • icing sugar, to serve
  • lightly whipped cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 4/fan 140C.

Grease an 850ml baking dish with a little butter.

Cut the panettone into wedges and butter the slices lightly with the remaining butter. Cut the slices in half and arrange in the dish with the buttered side up.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla extract and sugar and pour evenly over the panettone.

Put the dish in a roasting tin and pour hot water around to a depth of about 2.5cm.

Bake for 35 minutes or until just set and browned on top. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Petit pots au chocolat

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , on 11 January 2015| 4 Comments »

Petit pots au chocolat

We find Rick Stein exceptionally reliable and when we needed a dessert for entertaining thought we’d give his recipe a go. Unsurprisingly they worked a treat and the result was a silkly, rich, and indulgent pot of chocolate to finish a meal with friends.

Wine Suggestion: Chocolate is notoriously difficult to pair with wine so we’d probably skip the wine altogether and go for a liqueur to complement this dish – Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Whiskey… choose your poison.

Petit pots au chocolate – makes 6

  • 225g plain chocolate, minimum 60% coco solids
  • 15g soft butter
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml full-cream milk
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 6 tsp crème fraîche and a little cocoa powder, to decorate

Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of just-simmering water. Remove and stir until smooth, then stir in the softened butter and egg yolks.

Put the cream, milk and sugar into a small pan, bring to the boil and then stir into the chocolate.

Pour the mix into six 100ml receptacles (we used small glasses but you could also use espresso cups or ramekins) and leave somewhere cold to set, but don’t refrigerate.

Decorate the pots with a little quenelle of crème fraîche and dust with cocoa powder to serve.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey, BBC Books, 2005)

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Eastern Mess

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 14 August 2014| 2 Comments »

 

Eastern Mess

Still an Eton Mess really but the rosewater, pistachio, raspberry and basil combination is delicious!

Eastern Mess – serves 6

  • 600ml double cream
  • 3 tbsp icing sugar
  • the seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 tbsp rosewater
  • 6 ready-made meringue nests, broken into large pieces
  • 450g raspberries
  • handful of basil leaves, torn
  • 75g pistachio nuts, chopped

For the raspberry sauce: 

  • 225g raspberries
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar (or more if your raspberries are very tart)
  • 1 tbsp rosewater
  • squeeze of lemon juice

Whip the double cream, icing sugar, vanilla seeds and rosewater together in a mixing bowl until you have soft peaks (about 3 minutes but watch it carefully).

To make the sauce, mash the raspberries to a purée with the icing sugar, rose water and lemon juice in a bowl until the mixture is totally smooth. Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Layer the cream, meringues and raspberries on a large serving plate, drizzling the sauce and scattering over the basil and pistachios as you go. Decorate the top with a drizzle of sauce, and a final scatter of basil and pistachios. Serve immediately.

(Original recipe from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2014.)

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Saffron & Cardamom poached Pears

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 28 July 2014| Leave a Comment »

Saffron & cardamom poached pears

This is a touch of luxury, truly delicious, impressive, and yet very simple to do. Eat with a spoon of crème fraîche. The perfect ending to a Middle Eastern inspired meal.

Poached pears in white wine & cardamom – serves 4

  • 500ml dry white wine
  • 1½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 15 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • ½ tsp saffron threads
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 firm pears, peeled
  • crème fraîche or thick double cream to serve

Pour the wine and lemon juice into a medium saucepan and add the sugar, cardamom, saffron and salt. Bring to a light simmer and place the pears in the liquid. Make sure the pears are immersed by adding a bit of water if necessary. Cover the surface with a disc of greaseproof paper and simmer until the pears are cooked through but not mushy, about 15-25 minutes. Turn the pears around every now and again as they cook. When a knife goes into the flesh smoothly, the pears are done.

Remove from the liquid and transfer into four dishes. Increase the heat and reduce the liquid by about two-thirds, or until thick and syrupy. Pour over the pears and leave to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature with the crème fraîche.

(Original recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottololenghi and Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2012.)

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Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 29 May 2014| 8 Comments »

Easy lemon meringue pie

An easy version of this dish that uses digestive biscuits as a base, but doesn’t lose anything in the eating. The filling doesn’t have to be cooked either. We made this for our friend Dave on his birthday.

Lemon Meringue Pie 

For the base:

  • 175g digestive biscuits
  • 75g butter

For the filling: 

  • 397g can full-fat condensed milk
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • finely grated rind and juice of 3 lemons

For the topping: 

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 175g caster sugar

You need a 20cm deep fluted flan dish.

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/Fan 170ºC/Gas 5.

Put the  biscuits into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a pan, then take off the heat and stir in the crushed biscuits. Press into the flan dish and leave to set in the fridge. (You can do this bit a day or two in advance.)

Pour the condensed milk into a bowl, then beat in the egg yolks, lemon rind and lemon juice (don’t worry about the mixture thickening on standing and loosening again when you stir it). Pour the mixture into the biscuit-lined dish. (You can mix this filling, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 8 hours before baking).

Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, whisking well each time. Whisk until very stiff and all the sugar has been added.

Pile spoonfuls of the meringue over the filling, then spread to cover to the biscuit edge, lightly swirling as you go.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes, then serve warm.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, BBC Books, 2009.)

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Lemon Curd Yoghurt Ice-cream

Posted in Dessert, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 18 April 2014| 3 Comments »

Lemon Curd Ice cream

Delicious, smooth and creamy ice cream.

Lemon curd yoghurt ice cream – to serve 4

For the lemon curd: 

  • 2 small lemons
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs

For the ice cream

  • 400g Greek yoghurt

Finely grate the zest of the lemons and squeeze the juice. Put the juice in a saucepan with the sugar and butter. Beat the eggs to break them up and add them to the pan.

Stir the mixture over a low to medium heat until the sugar and butter have melted, then increase the heat. Bring just to the boil, stirring constantly, them take off the heat. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the lemon zest. Set aside to cool completely.

Once, cool, stir this lemon curd into the yoghurt and churn using an ice-cream machine. Transfer to a loaf tin lined with cling film, then cover and freeze. Slice with a hot knife as soon as you take it out of the freezer.

(Original recipe from Leiths How to Cook, Quadrille, 2013)

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Nigella’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 14 February 2014| 1 Comment »

We gave each other a food mixer for Christmas and hence have baked more cakes in the last month than we’ve made in all our years of blogging. This one can be mixed up really quickly and can be made wheat-free for our coeliac friends with no adverse affect. We made this example with wheat; the wheat-free version which substitutes nuts (ground almonds) for the flour is  more squidgy and dessert-like.

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake 

  • 150ml olive oil (not extra virgin), plus extra for greasing
  • 50g good quality cocoa powder
  • 125ml boiling water
  • 2tsp vanilla extract
  • 125g plain flour (OR 150g ground almonds)
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • a pinch of salt
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/Gas 3/325ºF.

Grease a 22 or 23cm springform tin with a little olive oil and line the base with baking parchment.

Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in the boiling water to give a smooth paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool a little.

In another bowl, combine the flour (or ground almonds) with the bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or use whatever bowl and whisk you have) and beat vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale yellow and thickened cream.

Turn down the speed a little and add the cocoa mixture. When this is mixed in, add the flour (or ground almond) mixture.

Scrape down and stir a little with a spatula, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre still looks slightly damp. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out mostly clean.

Cool on a wire rack, still in the tin, for 10 minutes before easing the sides gently away with a metal spatula and springing out of the tin. Leave to cool completely and serve with cream and berries or eat while still warm with ice-cream.

(Original recipe from Nigella.com)

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Aussie Sponge

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , on 17 October 2013| 3 Comments »

Jono has inherited this recipe for a never-fail Sponge Cake from his Nan and Mum in Australia. We’ll call it an Aussie Sponge as it’s not the usual Victoria Sponge. Very moreish and can be decorated in many ways. We just added some of our Strawberry and Pimm’s Jam, a bit of cream and a dusting of icing sugar. The cake lasted only 5 minutes (we had some help).

Aussie Sponge 

  • 4 eggs – separated
  • scant 250ml of castor sugar
  • 250ml self raising flour – sifted 3 times
  • 1 tbsp hot water

Beat the egg whites until very stiff, then slowly beat in the castor sugar.

Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, taking care not to over beat.

Fold in the sifted flour with a fork, then fold in the hot water.

Divide the mixture between two sandwich tins and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cake is lightly coloured and the sides spring back from the edges of the tin. Turn out onto a clean tea towel and cool.

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Apricot Tart

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 7 October 2013| Leave a Comment »

We had an abundance of perfectly ripe apricots a while back and whipped this up to celebrate. Baking fruit on top of puff pastry, with some ground almonds and a dusting of sugar is dead easy plus it brings out all the flavours and enhances the deliciousness.

Wine Suggestion: we think that these flavours go well with southern French botrytised wines, especially from Semillon and Sauvignon. Don’t go all out with a top named Sauternes Chateau as  these will be too concentrated and rich, rather find smaller Chateau, second wines or little appellations like Cérons. Look for a purity of fruit and balance of freshness, but a lightness of being and not too rich.

Apricot Tart – to serve 8

  • one pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 900g ripe apricots, halved and stoned
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • maple syrup and cream to serve

Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7/Fan 200°C.

Unroll the pastry onto a slightly damp baking tray and sprinkle over the almonds. Arrange the apricots on top, tightly packed and right up to the edges of the pastry.

Dust with the icing sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sugar has started to caramelise.

Serve hot or warm with a drizzle of maple syrup and some cream if you like.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Gooseberry & Elderflower Mess

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 7 August 2013| 1 Comment »

For the past few weeks we have been walking past a basket of perfect looking gooseberries at our grocer and saying we need to make something with these. A version of the classic Eton Mess the tart gooseberries balance the sweetness to make this light and sunny, just like the weather.

Gooseberry & Elderflower Mess – serves 6

  • 300g gooseberries, tops pinched off
  • 50g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
  • 600ml whipping cream
  • about 100g of meringue nests, roughly crumbled

Put the gooseberries, 2 tbsp water, and 25g of sugar in a small saucepan. Cook gently until the gooseberries start to soften and break down. Taste and add as much of the remaining 25g as you need, then cool.

Put the 2tbsp sugar, the cordial and the cream into a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form, then cover and chill.

Just before serving, roughly mix the gooseberry mixture, the cream and the meringues together and spoon into serving glasses or bowls.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Almond & Fig cake

Posted in Dessert, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 19 February 2013| 1 Comment »

We made this when figs were in season and brought it to a friends house for lunch, then forgot about it. Here’s the recipe for the next time you find some fresh figs.

Fig, orange and polenta cake – to serve 8

  • 220g butter
  • 220g golden caster sugar
  • 150g almonds
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 3 large eggs
  • 150g polenta
  • a level teaspoon of baking powder
  • finely grated zest and juice of a large orange
  • 12 green cardamom pods
  • 6 figs

FOR THE SYRUP:

  • the juice of 2 oranges
  • the juice of 2 lemons
  • 4 tbsp honey

Line the base of a loose-bottomed non-stick 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Pour boiling water over the almonds, drain with a spoon and remove the skins. Finely chop the almonds in a food processor or by hand, then add them, along with the ground almonds to the cake mix.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, beat them lightly and add to the mix. Mix the polenta and baking powder together, then fold them into the mixture together with the grated orange zest and juice. Crush the cardamom pods and remove the tiny black seeds, then grind them to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Add to the cake mix.

Cut the figs in half. Put half the cake mixture into the lined tin, add the figs, then add the rest of the cake mix and smooth the top level. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 160°C/Gas 3 and bake for a further 25-30 minutes or until the cake feels firm. Insert a metal skewer into the centre of the cake – if it comes out clean the cake is ready.

To make the syrup , squeeze the orange and lemon juice into a stainless steel saucepan, bring to the boil and dissolve the honey in it. Keep at the boil for 4-5 minutes or until a thick syrup has formed.

Poke holes in the top of the cake with a skewer, then spoon over the hot syrup. Leave until almost cool, then remove from the tin. Serve with some thinly sliced oranges and natural yoghurt.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s Tender Volume II, Fourth Estate, London 2010.)

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Gera’s Chocolate Fudge Cake

Posted in Dessert, Food, Party Food, tagged , , , , , , on 3 January 2013| 8 Comments »

Jono’s mum Gera often comments that we rarely put desserts on our blog. She sent us a collection of her favourite dessert and cake recipes and this is her chocolate fudge cake which was a great hit at our annual New Year’s Day lunch. The original recipe uses Australian cup measures so apologies for the odd measurements – they will work.

Gera’s Chocolate Fudge Cake

  • 180g butter
  • 250ml cocoa, sifted
  • 375ml castor sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs – separated and whites stiffly beaten
  • 375ml self-raising flour, sifted
  • 187ml plain flour, sifted
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • whipped cream
  • icing sugar

Beat the butter to a cream with the sifted cocoa. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, then add vanilla.

Beat in egg yolks, one by one.

Stir in sifted flours alternately with the water.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites

Pour into 2 prepared 20cm cake tins.

Bake at 150-160ºC for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack.

When the cake is cooled, sandwich together with whipped cream and sift icing sugar over the top.

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Spiced Baked Quinces

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , on 15 December 2012| 1 Comment »

Baked Quinces

A Nigel Slater inspired dish that has a heady aroma and flavour. The star anise really pair quince well. Some quince varieties will bake to an exotic golden reddish colour and others to this more golden yellow – both are delicious. Serve with a big dollop of cream if you like.

Roast quinces – to serve 4 

  • 4 heaped tbsp sugar
  • 500ml water
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 4 small quinces
  • half a lemon
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup

Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the cloves and star anise. Peel and halve the quinces, scoop out the cores and rub them with the lemon to stop them turning brown. Add the quinces to the sugar syrup and simmer for about 25 minutes or until tender (they may take longer).

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Lift the quinces out of the syrup and put them in a shallow baking dish. Take 150ml of the cooking liquid, add the maple syrup and pour them over the quinces, along with the cloves and star anise. Bake for about 30 minute or until really soft. Serve with the cooking juices and some whipped cream.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s Tender Volume II, Fourth Estate, 2010.)

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Roast Figs with Marsala and Muscovado

Posted in Dessert, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 11 November 2012| 3 Comments »

Delicious served with a drizzle of cold cream.

Roast figs with marsala and muscovado – to serve 4

  • 8 figs
  • sweet marsala (or you can use dry marsala but add an extra tbsp of sugar)
  • light muscovado sugar
  • cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6.

Cut the stalks off the figs, then slice a deep cross into the top, going about half way down. Push the fruit around the middle so it opens up like a flower.

Place the figs in a baking dish (or individual pots) and sprinkle over the wine and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until very tender and the edges have started to caramelise. You can finish browning them under the grill if necessary.

Serve with the sticky pan juices and a drizzle of cream.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s Tender: Volume II, Fourth Estate, 2010.)

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Tarta de Santiago (almond cake) with Strawberries & Sherry Vinegar

Posted in Dessert, Food, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , on 20 August 2012| 4 Comments »

We’re really getting into desserts these days. I think we might have made two in the one month! We’re not really dessert people but lots of are friends are so we’ve been making an effort. This is a Spanish cake which is flavoured with orange and almond and is traditionally marked with the shape of a cross on the top. You don’t have to serve it with the strawberries but they work really well.

Tarta de Santiago with Strawberries & Sherry Vinegar – 8-10 slices 

  • a little butter, for greasing
  • 6 medium eggs
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 300g ground almonds
  • zest of 3 lemons
  • icing sugar, for dusting

For the strawberries: 

  • 250g strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered lengthways
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 50ml Sherry vinegar
  • vanilla ice cream, to serve

Mix the strawberries in a bowl with the sugar and vinegar, cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line a 22cm springform tin with baking parchment. Use an electric whisk to mix the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Gently fold in the almonds and zest with a metal spoon.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes – it should be golden and a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come away clean. Take the cake out of the oven and cover with a clean tea towel to cool it down, so it doesn’t dry out. Dust with icing sugar and serve with the strawberries and ice cream.

Wine Suggestion: Try a rich Olorosso, a dark sherry from Spain, which has a warm nuttiness to complement the almond flavour in the cake.

(Original recipe by José Pizarro in BBC Good Food Magazine, August 2012.)

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Team Oscar Strawberry and Mascarpone Tart

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , on 12 August 2012| 2 Comments »

This is easy peasy and looks so impressive.

Strawberry and Mascarpone Tart – to serve 8

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 250g mascarpone cheese
  • 2 drops vanilla extract
  • 250g strawberries

For the crumb base:

  • 75g butter
  • 250g almond, orange or sweet oat biscuits (or digestives will do!)

You need a rectangular tart tin with a removable bottom. We used a long thin one 12cm x 34cm.

For the crumb base, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Crush the biscuits to a coarse powder in a food processor (or bash them in a bag with a rolling pin). Mix the crumbs with the butter, then spoon into the tart tin and smooth them into into the corners and up the sides. Press firmly but don’t try not to compact them too much. Stick the base in the fridge until it has set.

To make the filling, separate the egg, put the yolk in a bowl with the sugar and beat for a few seconds to mix. Beat in the mascarpone until you have a custard-coloured cream. Stir in a few drops of vanilla extract. With a clean whisk and a clean bowl, beat the egg white until it stands stiff, then fold it into the creamed mascarpone.

Spoon the mascarpone into base. Hull the strawberries, slice them thinly and arrange them on the top. Put the tart back in the fridge but remove it about 20 minutes before serving.

Drink with: a glass of Moscato d’Asti –  lightly sparkling and deliciously sweet and fruity.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater: the kitchen diaries, Fourth Estate, 2005.)

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