Pudding Archives - Page 8 of 10 - All That I'm Eating

Greengage and Almond Ice Cream

August 30, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 18 Comments

When I planted my goldengage tree it was more out of curiosity and fascination than potential fruit volume. The fruit that I cannot get elsewhere or the rarer varieites are those that I chose to plant. My goldengage is in its second year and it produced seven fruits. I picked the two ripest and quartered them to share so that we could all enjoy a slice of this evasive plum. It was the most honeyed and nectarous of all the plums I had ever had. My quince is in its third year and has thus far given me nothing. Both trees have given me a wonderful blossom but with the weather and what not this hasn’t been my year. Perhaps I am a little strange but I like to think my trees have personalities. The old apple tree is always top of the class; plenty of fruit but none that is particularly flavoursome. The apples are meant for pies and crumbles not really for eating. My goldengage seems to be the one that always tries really hard but makes a few mistakes. The quince seems to be a stubborn brute but you just know that when it does fruit there’ll be more than I know what to do with.

I am very fortunate that my local greengrocer shares my passion for the slightly unusual. They can’t go too far into the bizarre for fear of scaring away all their customers but they do try to get quinces, medlars, mulberries and the like. The lady who runs the shop is almost more enthusiastic than me about greengages. She has tried to get the golden but they are rarer than anything. I will happily settle for green if golden isn’t around. And for the perfect summer dessert my Greengage and Almond Ice Cream is just the ticket. read more

Redcurrant and White Chocolate Muffins (or Cupcakes)

August 18, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 22 Comments

Redcurrant and White Chocolate Muffins - on plate

I was terribly excited about making muffins. If you had asked me how much I was looking forward to making muffins I would have responded so enthusiastically that you might have thought you’d asked me the wrong question. The reason for my eagerness was twofold; firstly I had never made muffins before and secondly I had some succulent redcurrants at my disposal.

It was all going so well until I realised I had no muffin cases. Not to worry though as I had cupcake cases coming out of my ears. I was under the impression that the two weren’t too dissimilar but the sides of the cupcake cases would not come up high enough in the muffin tin. I could have gone out to get some muffin cases but frankly I couldn’t be bothered and I wanted to sink my teeth into freshly baked cake as soon as possible. Fortunately I had some silicone cases I could use.

You will need:
1 punnet redcurrants
50g white chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
75g caster sugar
225ml milk
100g butter, melted
275g self raising flour
(muffin cases) read more

Blackcurrant and Pistachio Fool

August 10, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 17 Comments

I think we are very lucky to have seasons in this country. Each season brings with it an anticipation of some new food; asparagus, tomatoes, pumpkins or sprouts. The weather is something that we can all comment on and moan about. One of the wonderful things about a British summer is the berry season. I don’t count it as summer unless I have had at least one of every berry available. This year I haven’t been lucky enough to ascertain a gooseberry yet but I’m doing pretty well as far as other berries go. As each berry has its own characteristics and flavour it’s hard to choose a favourite. I suppose my favourite is whichever berry is at its ripest and best at that particular time. Blackcurrants have a wonderful flavour and most of us would probably have first had it in Ribena or Robinsons squash. That’s certainly how I remember my first taste of blackcurrant. If you don’t mind puckering your lips and straining your expression then fresh blackcurrants can be enjoyed as they are without any interference. I tend to steer clear of looking positively alarming to others and so I mellow their sourness in various ways. You will need: 1 large handful blackcurrants 1-2 tbsp caster sugar 250ml double cream 1-2tbsp icing sugar 1 small handful of pistachios, chopped

Perhaps I am odd, ‘quirky’ is probably a little more polite, but I like nothing more than pinching the dead flower and stem off of each and every blackcurrant. Even more so if I can do it outside and sit in the sunshine at the same time. Either way this laborious task needs to be undertaken in order to avoid unwanted textures in the finished fool.

When the blackcurrants are prepared put them into a pan with a sprinkling of water and the caster sugar. Cook the blackcurrants on a medium heat until they burst and release their juices then carry on cooking until most of the moisture has gone. If you leave too much moisture in then your fool will be more like a soup. Leave the blackcurrants to cool. Whip up the cream and icing sugar until you have firm peaks and then gently fold the blackcurrants in. Top the fool with a few pistachios. This would look lovely presented in a big bowl; the billowing contours just waiting to be broken with a spoon.

For a pudding that takes around 15 minutes to make (not including the topping and tailing of course) I don’t think it gets much better. The blackcurrants flavour the whole dessert and their acidity is slightly mellowed with the sugar and complemented by the cream. The pistachios add a lovely crunchy texture. I do like to leave my blackcurrants slightly acidic, because I think that’s the point of a fool, but not so acidic that I am left with a face that looks like it’s been chewing lemons all day. read more

English Heritage Cherry Tart

July 25, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 32 Comments

Once, a very long time ago, I ate a whole bowl of cherries. Not particularly interesting until you find out that not only did I eat the cherries but I ate every single one of the stones too. When you are five years old and take everything your father says as gospel you can imagine the panic, and intrigue, when you’re told that a cherry tree will start to grow in your stomach. It is now some years later and I’m still waiting. Recently I was very lucky to get my hands on some English heritage cherries so I set about baking a heritage cherry tart.

My cherry eating strategy has changed now. They are one of my favourite fruits but these days the stones end up in my garden; again, still waiting. My fascination with cherries hasn’t diminished either; a flavour like no other, thin skins and awkward to cook with, when they are in season I can’t get enough of them.

Ingredients

You will need (for one tart):

450g cherries
Sweet shortcrust pastry (100g cold butter, 200g plain flour, 30g caster sugar, 1 egg beaten)
Cream filling (150ml double cream, 2 egg yolks, 50g sugar)
1 egg, beaten

First of all make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture. Add the sugar, lightly mix it in and then bring the pastry together with the egg. If you find the pastry is a little dry you can add drops of cold water until it comes together. Chill the pastry in the fridge for half an hour. If you find pastry intimidating, see my pastry guide for do’s and don’ts. read more

Raspberries, Elderflower Cream and leftover Elderflower Shortbread

July 1, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 34 Comments

So you’re in the kitchen feeling a bit peckish and you spot the biscuit tin. My biscuit tin had previously been looking after some elderflower and white chocolate shortbread but was there any left? Yes. Yes there was some left, but just one piece. Should I eat it myself and snub all knowledge of its existence?

Unfortunately as I was plotting how to cover my tracks my other half walked in to the kitchen with a similarly devilish plan. I think for a moment we both considered lunging for the tin and throwing all sense of caution out of the window. I’m glad this didn’t happen as one or more of us would probably have ended up with crumbs in our eyes and shards of shortbread embedded in our forearms. read more

Elderflower and White Chocolate Shortbread

June 18, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 30 Comments

When you’ve gone to the effort of making elderflower sugar it is paramount that you make the most of it in ever varying and interesting ways. I thought I’d run out of sugar much sooner than I have; indeed I still have around 500g left. The sugar itself has an incredible aroma and every time you open the lid it smells of hedgerows. The little elderflower cakes I made were lovely but I wanted something a little more biscuit orientated. Not only does shortbread fill this requirement it’s also much easier to take to work; no icing to melt/squash before lunchtime. read more

Miniature Elderflower Cakes made with Elderflower Sugar

June 12, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 39 Comments

I had grand visions of picking great swarms of elderflowers and returning home to concoct some floral cordial. My imaginings were interrupted with the first (and now unrelenting) rain and my great plan was no more. I had heard that elderflower is not to be picked on a rainy day and I wasn’t about to don my wellingtons and test that theory. So instead of making gallons of cordial I baked some elderflower in to my life.

These little cakes I suppose pay homage to the great elder tree; a plant that doesn’t look like much until it is burgeoning with white flowers and then, if you manage to resist the flowers, festoons itself with beautiful berries. I needed both fresh elderflowers and some cordial for these cakes but try as I might I could not get hold of local elderflower cordial. The elderflowers were relatively easily obtainable, once you’ve negotiated your way through the many cobwebs that is.

You will need:
1 egg
Butter
Elderflower Sugar (see below)
Self raising flour
Elderflower cordial
Icing Sugar read more

Victoria Sponge with Balsamic Strawberry Jam

June 8, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 28 Comments

I love a good cake and they don’t get much better than a classic Victoria sponge. It’s got all you need in a cake; light, sweet, buttery sponge with fruity, slightly sharp jam sticking it all together. It is debated which jam is the best; strawberry, raspberry or even blackcurrant. Strawberry would always win for me and when I saw a lonely punnet of English strawberries at the greengrocer’s I had to buy it. After debating what to make with my edible purchase I set about putting a twist on this traditional cake.

It goes without saying that your sponge must be magnificent but I think the jam is just as important as both the literal and metaphorical glue that holds this cake together. As much as I like the fruitiness and sweetness of strawberry jam I enjoy the faint acidity that comes with it. To increase the tang in my jam I wanted to incorporate some balsamic vinegar.

You will need:
3 eggs, beaten
Butter, at room temperature
Sugar
Self raising flour
Vanilla extract
1 punnet of ripe strawberries
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Strawberry jam read more

Rhubarb and Elderflower Crumble

June 4, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 26 Comments

Elderflower has been an ever present flavour throughout my life. When I was younger it was always such a treat when we had a bottle of elderflower cordial or pressé in the fridge. I would relish the flavour trying to make it last as long as possible. I remember making ice lollies in the summer; orange juice, blackcurrant squash or lemonade but it was always the extraordinary elderflower lollies that got eaten first. Elderflower seemed rare, elusive and exclusive.

Last year on a foraging trip I found some elderberries which meant only one thing: a few more months and I could finally pick fresh elderflowers. I had been waiting to pick some for as long as I can remember and that time has now come. Off I went with my basket on my bicycle to sniff out these delicate flowers.
Every patch of cow parsley set the heart racing, it does look very similar. There was much cycling, stopping, sniffing and looking and finally I found some, not quite where I remember it, proudly bursting forth in flurries of white. After carefully sidestepping the nettles, running away from bees and avoiding the inhalation of small insects I picked three nice blooms. read more

Leftover Sloe Chocolate Truffles

April 17, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 18 Comments

Considering how long these sloes have been hanging around it’s remarkable they’re still able to be made into something delicious. They were picked early Autumn last year and have so far been made into glorious gin and pleasing port. There comes a time in sloe port making where the sloes have to be removed. It’s an emotional time; what can you do now that many sloe avenues have been exhausted? Sloe chocolate truffles. The sloes were to be even further used and improved with deep, dark, luxurious chocolate. As the sloes had been steeping for several months in various alcohols I was under the impression they would be soft, plump and easy to extract the stones out of. After much ricocheting around the kitchen I managed to tame the sloes with a pestle and mortar. The stones were put back under the sloe tree, I’m not sure what effect alcohol has on sloe germination.

You will need:
A large handful port soaked sloes, de-stoned (recipe for making sloe port here)
150g dark chocolate
150ml double cream
25g butter
Cocoa Powder

Heat the cream up gently until almost boiling, stirring often so it doesn’t catch.

While the cream heats up, grate the chocolate into a bowl, cut the butter up and put this in the bowl too. To be honest I did this before I heated the cream otherwise I knew the cream wouldn’t get the attention it deserved and I’d still be cleaning the kitchen now. read more