Category: SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

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SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Strawberry cake with thick custard and a meringue and almond topping


STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH MERINGUE TOPPING

2 cups/500 ml thick custard
60 g/2 oz of 1 sponge cake (page 25)
zest of 1 lemon
180 g/6.3 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
5 egg whites
75 g/2.6 oz caster sugar
1 tablespoon/15 ml almonds, flaked

The custard:
3 egg yolks
60 g/2 oz sugar
1¼ cups/355 ml milk
1b cup/400 ml fresh full cream, lightly whisked
20 g/0.7 oz flour
20 g/0.7 oz cornstarch
seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Preheat the oven to 120°C/248°F.
Make the custard and cool, then refrigerate for 2 hours.
Line the base of a greased ovenproof soufflé dish with the sponge cake – about 2 cm/0.7 in thick. Sprinkle the grated lemon zest over.
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until it forms soft peaks. Add 3 tablespoons of the sugar and whisk until stiff and glossy peaks forms.
Pour the custard over the cake, then arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the custard. Pile the meringue roughly on top, completely covering the custard. Scatter the remaining caster sugar and flaked almonds over the meringue and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the top of the meringue is crisp with golden tips. Serve immediately.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Heat the milk but remove from the heat just before it starts boiling. Mix a few spoons of the hot milk with the egg mixture, then add the two flours and vanilla seeds and mix well. Pour the whole mixture back into the rest of the heated milk, mix well and bring slowly to the boil, stirring continuously. When the sauce has thickened sufficiently, remove from the heat and pour into a cooled bowl. Set aside, covered with greaseproof paper, to cool until ready to use.

 

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Mushroom Basmati rice


This recipe is very tasty and comforting and can be served with a lot of different meat dishes.

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The rice:
450 g/15.8 oz Basmati rice
4 cups/1 liter chicken stock
75 g/2.6 oz butter
salt

The mushrooms:
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter
6 mushrooms, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 cup/250 ml chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons/10 ml fresh parsley, chopped

Add the rice, salt and chicken stock to a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, then cover with a tightly fitting lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes then turn off the heat and leave the rice to stand, still covered, until about 5 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile for the mushrooms, heat the butter in a pan, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and onion and fry until the pan is dry, then pour in the stock and season.  Cook until almost all the stock has evaporated, then remove from the heat.

When ready to serve, add the butter to the rice and fluff up with a fork.   Carefully stir in the mushrooms and parsley and keep warm until ready to serve.

 

 

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Crushed potatoes, green beans and shiittaki mushrooms


4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm/0.4 in dice
250 g/9 oz green beans, top and tailed and cut into 1 cm lengths
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons/30 ml butter
250 g/9 oz shiittake mushrooms, stems removed, cut into 1 cm dice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup/125 ml parsley, finely chopped
10 drops of truffle oil
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Cover the potatoes with water and bring to the boil.  Boil for 10 minutes then add the green beans and onions.   In a separate pan heat 1 tablespoon/15 ml of the butter and fry the mushrooms until tender.  When the potatoes are tender and the beans are almost cooked but still crispy, stir in the mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper and let it heat through over very low heat for about ten minutes.  Gently stir through the chopped parsley and 10 drops of truffle oil and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.  Sprinkle over some Parmesan cheese (optional).

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Mille-feuille of black cherries and Kirsch liqueur


It is important not to put too much cream on the pastry as it will run over the sides and look messy. Rather serve extra cream on the side if you feel the need.

MILLE FUEILE

The pastry:
300 g/10.5 oz puff pastry
icing sugar for dredging

The filling:
2 cups/500 ml full cream
2 tablespoons/30 ml Kirsch liqueur
icing sugar, to sweeten
1 x 425 g/15 oz can pitted black cherries
1 tablespoon caster sugar (optional)

The syrup:
the reserved syrup from the can of cherries
sugar to taste
1 tablespoon/15 ml Kirsch liqueur

For variation, use other berries, mashed bananas or mixtures of fruit and chopped nuts.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/428°F.
Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface to a 3 mm/⅛ in thickness. Place the rolled out pastry on to a lined baking tray, then cut 12 x 13 x 8 cm (4.7 x 5.1 x 3 in) rectangles. Prick with a fork, dredge generously with icing sugar and chill in the freezer for five minutes.  Then remove from the freezer and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the pastry begins to brown on top. Cover the pastry rectangles with a piece of greaseproof paper and place another baking tray on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 7-10 minutes then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks, fold in 2 tablespoons/30 ml of the Kirsch liqueur and add icing sugar to taste. Drain the cherries and reserve the liquid. Cut the cherries in half and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the reserved syrup from the cherries, add the sugar (if you wish) and reduce until it becomes syrupy. Add the rest of the liqueur and set aside to cool.

When ready to serve, spread the cream over 1 of the 4 rectangles, leaving about 1 cm/0.4 in then fill the surface with the half cherries, pressing it down into the cream. Place another rectangle on top of each of the first ones, and repeat with the cream and cherries. Top with the final rectangle, sprinkle over the grated chocolate and drizzle the syrup around. Serve immediately.

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SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Baked cheesecake with blackberry sauce


Avoid over-baking. Because of variations in ovens, it is difficult to give the exact baking time for the cheesecake. It will continue baking after it had been removed from the oven, therefore keep an eye on it while it is baking. The cake is perfectly done when the spot in the middle of the cheesecake is still a little bit wobbly. The texture will smooth out as it cools.

CHEESECAKE

The pastry:
100 g/3.5 oz butter, softened
100 g/3.5 oz sugar
1 free-range egg
120 g/4.2 oz cake flour
a pinch each of baking powder and salt
2 tablespoons/30 ml cornflour
rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
the seeds of ½ vanilla bean
a few drops lemon essence

Once you have scraped the seeds from the vanilla pod, store the empty bean in an airtight container filled with sugar. This will provide you with vanilla flavored sugar in just a few days.

The filling:
4 free-range eggs
1 cup/250 ml sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml lemon juice
3 x 250 g/8.8 oz smooth cottage cheese
1 cup/250 ml cream
½ cup/125 ml flour

The sauce:
350 g /12.3 oz blackberries, fresh or frozen and defrosted
¼ cup 60 ml Kirsch
⅔ cup sugar syrup
juice of half a lemon

Whisk the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the egg and mix well. Sift the dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture with the lemon rind, vanilla and lemon essence. Mix well, then wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Grease a 24 cm/9.5 in cake tin with a loose bottom. Press the dough into the cake tin then place in the refrigerator for another hour to firm up.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Add the lemon juice, cottage cheese, cream and flour and mix well.  Pour the filling into the baked crust and bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Reduce the temperature to 120-130 °C/248-266°F and bake for an hour until the filling is firm but still slightly soft in the center.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When ready to serve, reserve a few blackberries and puree the rest with the rest of the sauce ingredients in a blender. Rub the sauce through a sieve and and serve with a slice of the cheesecake and a few whole berries.

 

 

 

 

 

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Layered filo pastry tart baked with a mixture of nuts, spices and rosewater syrup


This tart resembles the traditional Greek dessert, Baklava.  It will last for up to 4 days, covered and at room temperature. Use any mixture of nuts that you prefer, and if rosewater is not available, spray over some sweetened apple juice.

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BAKLAVA
2 teaspoons/10 ml cinnamon
1 tablespoon/15 ml allspice
3 cloves
½ teaspoon/3 ml cardamom
¼ cup/60 ml water
1 teaspoon/5 ml rose water
450 g/1 lb filo dough, thawed
225 g/8 oz butter, melted
170 g/6 oz almonds, blanched and chopped finely
170 g/6 oz walnuts, chopped finely
170 g/6 oz pistachios, chopped finely
2/3 cup sugar

For the syrup:
1 cup/250 ml honey
1 cup/250 ml water
1 cup/250 ml sugar
the juice of half a lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece fresh orange peel
pistachios, finely chopped for sprinkling (optional)

In a spice grinder, grind the cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cardamom very fine.

Mix the water and rose water and, for convenience, pour it into a spray bottle and set aside.

Cut the filo pastry to fit into a baking pan 33 x 23 x 5 cm/13 x 9 x 2 in. Greece the pan with butter, then brush each of 8 of the cut sheets with the melted butter and place on top of each other on the bottom of the pan.

Mix the almonds, walnuts and pistachio with the sugar and spread a third of this mixture over the top sheet, then spray thoroughly with the rose water. Repeat this process two more times, finishing with the last layer of filo. Brush the top generously with butter, then place in the preheated oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 24 squares (roughly 55 x 58 mm/2.2 x 2.3 in).

Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and place on a cooling rack to cool down for 2 hours before pouring over the syrup.

Meanwhile, prepare the syrup in a saucepan by bringing all the ingredients except the pistachios, to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and discard the orange peel and cinnamon stick.
After the tart has cooled down, make sure the cut lines go right through. Pour the hot syrup over the whole of the tart. Sprinkle some finely chopped pistachios over, then leave the pan uncovered to rest for at least 8 hours.

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Orange and pistachio roll with a cream and Grand Marnier filling


MERINQUE ROULLADE WITH PISTACHIO CREAM

The roll:
3 free-range eggs
120 g/4.2 oz castor sugar, plus extra for sprinkling/dusting
60 g/2 oz plain flour
1 teaspoon/5 ml baking powder
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

The filling:
1 cup/250 ml cream
1 tablespoon/15 ml caster sugar (for filling)
zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon/15 ml Grand Marnier
3 tablespoons/45 ml pistachio, finely chopped

The topping:
icing sugar for dusting
2 tablespoons/30 l pistachio, finly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/356ºF.

Line a Swiss roll pan (30 x 24 cm/11.8  x 9.4 oz) with parchment paper and grease lightly. Prepare also a similar size greaseproof paper dusted with icing sugar.

Whisk the eggs, vanilla seeds and castor sugar together to form a pale mousse. Sieve the flour and baking powder together, fold into the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour into a tin spread evenly and bake for 12 minutes or until just done and shrinking around the edges.
Remove from the oven and turn out, upside down onto the sugar dusted parchment paper over a cooling rack. Allow to rest for 1-2 minutes before gently peeling off the baking parchment.  Then gently and with the help of a clean kitchen towel, roll up the cake and set aside to cool.

When the roll is cooled sufficiently, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks, fold in the sugar and orange zest and add the liqueur and pistachios. Unroll the cake (remove and discard the paper on the inside) and spread with a layer of the cream filling, then re-roll. Serve as soon as possible sliced and dusted with icing sugar and an extra sprinkling of pistachios on top.

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White chocolate and strawberry terrine


Serve with strawberry sauce and crispy sugar almonds

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White chocolate and strawberry terrine

The terrine:
3 cups/750 ml fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
240 g/8.5 oz good-quality white chocolate, chopped
127 g/4.5 oz sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml water
1 tablespoon/15 ml light corn syrup
4 large free-range egg whites
½ teaspoon/3 ml cream of tartar
1½ cups/375 ml chilled fresh cream
seeds from one vanilla pod
1 tablespoon/15 ml Grand Marnier liqueur

The crispy sugary almonds:
100 g/3.5 oz sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml liquid glucose
1 tablespoon/15 ml water
3 tablespoons/45 ml almonds, flaked and roasted

Extra garnish:
glazed fruit, such as green fig and orange, finely sliced (optional)
reserved strawberry puree

Make the terrine:
♦  Line the bottom of a 22 x 12 x 7 cm/8½ x 4.7 x 2.7 in terrine dish (7-8-cup capacity) with cling-film, extending the foil over the shorter ends.
♦  Puree the strawberries and measure out 1¼ cups/312.5 ml of the puree and set aside. Reserve the remaining puree for garnishing.
♦  Stir the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water until melted. Remove from the heat.
♦  In a small saucepan, heat the sugar, water and corn syrup until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat. Boil for about 4 minutes (120°C/248°F on a sugar thermometer), periodically brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
♦  Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks. Gradually add the boiling syrup to the whites, beating until the meringue is cool, about 5 minutes; then fold the melted white chocolate into the meringue.
♦  Beat the cream and vanilla in a large bowl until medium-firm, then add to the white chocolate mixture to form the chocolate mousse.
♦ Transfer 4 cups/1 liter of the white chocolate mousse to a medium bowl and fold the 1¼ cups strawberry puree and Grand Marnier into the mousse.
♦ Spread half the strawberry mousse in the prepared terrine dish, and freeze until almost firm, about 15 minutes. Keep the remaining white chocolate mousse and remaining strawberry mousse in the refrigerator.
♦  After 15 minutes, spread the white chocolate mousse over the half frozen strawberry mousse layer and freeze for about 25 minutes.
♦  Spread the remaining strawberry mousse over the white chocolate layer. Cover the terrine with plastic and freeze overnight. (Can be prepared and kept frozen for 4 days ahead).
♦  Uncover the terrine and carefully invert the terrine onto a platter. Carefully peel off the cling-film.

The crispy sugary almonds:
Bring the sugar, glucose and water to a boil over medium heat until it turns golden and lightly caramelizes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Glucose is very sticky and an easy way to measure it is with either a heated spoon or a spoon dipped in oil. The glucose will simply slip off the spoon. Do the same with honey and corn syrup.

Lightly grease some parchment paper, or use silicone paper, and with a teaspoon drizzle the sugar syrup into patterns of your choice. Immediately scatter the almonds over the sugar patterns, then leave to cool totally and become crispy.

To serve:
Brush a wide stripe of the reserved strawberry puree over the center of each serving plate, place a slice of the terrine in the middle of the stripe, and decorate with sugary almonds and glazed fruit (if using).

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Pickled beetroot


Make a smaller quantity if it is for just one serving, but it is quite convenient to make this recipe in one session because beetroot keeps very well sealed in jars and refrigerated.

750 g/1.6 lb raw beetroot
1 cup water
1 cup brown vinegar
1 cup ml sugar
5 whole cloves
½ cinnamon stick, whole
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

  • Scrub and trim the beetroot.   Place in a steamer and steam for about 1 hour or until tender (depending on the size of the beetroot). 
  • Peel the skins while they are still warm and slice in your preferred way — slices or wedges, grated or squares for an attractive presentation (Seafood pie with potato crust.)

In a large stainless steel saucepan heat the water, vinegar, sugar and spices together. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Pour over the beetroot and mix gently. Spoon the hot beetroot and sauce in to sterilised jars and seal the jars.

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SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Mixed berry and ricotta cream tarts


Serve with Strawberry and green peppercorn sauce

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Serves 4

MIXED BERRY TART

The pastry:
185 g/6.5 oz plain flour
95 g /3.4 oz ground almonds
40 g /1.4 oz icing sugar
125 g /4.4 oz butter, chopped
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt

The filling:
200 g/7 oz ricotta (make your own)
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
2 free-range eggs
160 g /5.6 oz caster sugar
½ cup/125 ml fresh cream
60 g/2 oz fresh raspberries
80 g /3 oz fresh blueberries
(frozen berries can be used if fresh ones are not available – defrost and drain them before using)

The sauce:
30 g/1 oz caster sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml cold water
½ teaspoon/3 ml liquid glucose
250 g/9 oz ripe strawberries, hulled
1 teaspoon/5 ml bottled green peppercorns, rinsed and drained
½ teaspoon/3 ml lemon juice

The garnish:
½ teaspoon/3 ml poppy seeds (optional)
apricot glaze (optional)
the strawberry sauce (recipe above)

Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the almonds and icing sugar. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, until the mixture comes together in large crumbs.  Press together into a ball, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C/356°F.

Grease six 8 cm/0.3 in (3 cm/0.1 in deep) tart tins with loose bases. Divide the pastry into six and roll each piece out between two sheets of baking paper to fit the base and side of the tins. Ease the pastry into the tins, gently press into shape and trim the edges. Prick the bases with a fork, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake blind for 8-10 minutes, then remove the paper and beads from the baked pastry.

This pastry can also be made in a food processor, but care should be taken not to over process the mixture which will result in tough and hard pastry.

Meanwhile, process the ricotta, vanilla, eggs, sugar and cream in a food processor until smooth. Divide the berries and filling amongst the pre-baked tart shells and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is just firm around the edge but still wobbly in the center.

Let it cool to room temperature, then lift the tarts out of the tins.

Make the syrup by dissolving the sugar, water and glucose in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil over low heat.  Stir continuously and boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, strain and leave to cool. Process the strawberries and peppercorns, then add the syrup and lemon juice and strain again.

Glucose is very sticky but an easy way to measure it is with either a heated spoon or a spoon dipped in oil. The glucose will simply slip off the spoon. Do the same with honey and corn syrup.

To serve:
When ready to serve, place a tart in the center of each serving plate and pour the sauce around.