A Complete & Utter Disaster

Last weekend was a bank holiday one here in Dublin and so we decided to invite some people over for dinner on the Sunday.  With invitations extended and accepted we set about preparing the food.  Having decided on 2 desserts for the menu I made the first and placed it in the fridge to set.  With plenty of time to spare and the pair of us feeling rather pleased with ourselves I calmly set about making the second sweet offering. 

The recipe was for a custard tart from Delia Online and I planned to top it with some lovely cherries.  I set about the recipe with some confidence as I have made both custard and pastry many times before and didn't envisage any major problems.  I made the pastry and lined the tin as directed.  Then Delia suggests cutting some leaves from the scraps of pastry to trim the edge with.  I decided as it was summer I would use my mini butterfly cookie cutter as it is of a similar size to the leaves trimming Delia's pastry.  I lovingly cut each one out and placed them around the edge.  I was very proud of the pretty little creation lying in front of me.

The next phase of the recipe called for the pastry to be baked for 20 minutes.  When I read this at first I questioned it as there was no blind baking required.  I shrugged off my doubts thinking, "sure Delia would know more than me about these things", and popped it into the oven.  Four minutes later the timer beeped for me to check the pastry was not bubbling and rising and to my dismay when I opened the oven it had indeed shrunk and all of my lovely butterflies were nothing but a gooey mess.  *Sob* I threw it in the bin and started again whilst cursing myself for not trusting my instinct.

This time instead of just pricking the base with a fork I pricked it all over, the sides and each butterfly was forked, just to be sure to be sure.  Again when checking it after 4 minutes for bubbling the case had shrunk, but not quite as much so I salvaged the case and continued to bake it.  After 20 minutes I had a beautiful golden pastry case although sadly without my lovely butterfly trim as this had once again slipped into the case.  Not to worry, I could live without that at this stage in the game.

I set about making the custard filling.  The instructions for this were easy peasy so I had it done in a jiffy.  I carefully poured it into the pastry case, dotted it with butter and toddled off while the cooker worked it's magic.  Luckily I had a little of the custard filling left over so I popped it in a ramekin to bake for Mr. Boo as he is a bit of a custard lover.  After 30 minutes I checked it and it looked pretty similar to Delia's, lightly browned on top and a little puffy, so I took it out of the oven and set aside to cool.

A few minutes later Mr. Boo came into the kitchen and enquired was the ramekin 'his' custard.  I confirmed that it was and he set about making a dent in it.  Two spoonfuls later and I knew we had a problem.  His face read more yuck than yum so I asked was the custard nice.  He said a meek yes and placed the dish down so I decided to investigate for myself.  It wasn't good, there was no sweetness, and in hindsight only 50g of sugar would explain that.  And the texture wasn't quite the smooth, thick custard I had imagined, more a blancmange.  The bin got it's second feed of the day.  I followed the recipe so I am not sure where I went wrong on this one.  I am going to write this one off and continue the search for a custard tart recipe.  When I have a bit of time I may even play around a little and try to come up with my own from the ideas I have in my head.

With not long to go we did a mercy dash to the supermarket and bought some ready made pastry which I baked and filled with custard but naturally that didn't set enough in the short time frame.  I topped it with cherries, raspberries and strawberries and no one complained when the custard oozed out as each slice was cut.  All I can say is thank God I always make more than one dessert as that saved the day.  So there you have it, kitchen disasters happen everywhere and all of the time, I have had more than my fair share but thankfully I usually manage to salvage things to an edible standard.   What was your worst kitchen disaster, if you are brave enough to share leave me a little comment.

Also on the menu on Sunday was:

Starter:
Smoked Salmon Salad

Mini Organic Spelt Soda Bread Loaves (I used this recipe and baked in a mini loaf pan)
Ciabatta

Main:
Roast Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary & Maldon Sea Salt cooked over gratin of Potato
Leeks & Baby Carrots with Pancetta
Blanched Sugar Snap Peas and Green Beans tossed in Herb Butter
Hasselhoff (formerly known as Hasselback) Potatoes

Dessert:
Triple Chocolate Flower Pots
Delia's Custard Tart (the bin loved it)

Chocolate dipped strawberries
Top Secret Chocolate Treat (brother in law harrasses me before he comes to make sure this is made, everytime)

I pity the fool!

I remember pots of rhubarb stewing on the hob at home for my dad when I was growing up.  I even remember my dad growing some in our back garden (if you saw the size of our garden you would be impressed by this achievement) for a few years.  But I never actually tasted it back then.  My dad would have a bowl of it swimming in custard but something about it just never really appealed to.  I spotted some bunches of rhubarb on Sunday while I was buying some fruit and knowing that Mr Boo enjoys all things fruit related I picked up a bunch to try.

I started with a basic rhubarb fool recipe and then made a couple of additions and the result was pretty good if you ask me.  You didn't?  Well, I'm telling yiz anyway so whist.  The fool recipe I used required double cream to be whipped but both himself and myself were in agreement (for once) that this was a little too heavy so I am going to use single cream for the recipe below. 

Rhubarb Fool with Custard Crunch
(Serves 4)

5 or 6 Stalks of Rhubarb
300g Caster Sugar
500g Tub of Single Whipped Cream
150g Ginger Nut Biscuits
500g Tub of Custard

1.  Preheat the oven to 190°C/374°F/Gas 5.
2.  Roughly chop the rhubarb and put into an ovenproof dish.
3.  Scatter the sugar over the rhubarb and cover the dish with foil (you do not need to add any water to this mix).

4.  Place the rhubarb and sugar into the preheated oven for between 45-60 mins until the rhubarb is nice and soft.
5.  Once the rhubarb is cooked remove the dish from the oven and strain the resulting syrup from the dish into a jug.  Set the syrup aside to cool but do not refrigerate it as it may crystallise and loose it's colour.

6.  Puree the rhubarb until smooth and set aside to cool.

7.  Place the ginger nut biscuits into a zip lock bag and pound with a rolling pin to crush.

8.  Once the rhubarb and the syrup have cooled place the whipped cream into a bowl.
9.  Add the rhubarb and half of the syrup (retain the other half for serving if people require more) to the cream and gently fold through to give a raspberry ripple effect, don't combine completely.
10. In a sundae glass or similar serving dish place a good dollop of custard into the bottom.
11. Place a layer of the crushed ginger nut biscuits on top of the custard.
12. Place a layer of rhubarb fool on top of the biscuits followed by another layer of biscuits.
13. Continue this pattern until the glass is full.
14. Garnish with a small sprinkling of biscuits and a drizzle of the reserved syrup.

This would make an ideal summer dessert for dinner or even Sunday lunch.  The prep work can be done in advance and assembly prior to serving to save time.

If you yield a very large amount of syrup from this recipe you could try adding some to some Champagne or Prosecco for a nice summer cocktail.

And for dessert madam? One large slice of memory please

When I am in a restaurant and the dessert menu happens to find itself in my mits I follow the same process everytime, EVERYTIME.  I open said menu, do a quick scan, locate the word chocolate, read the description of the chocolate offering and then disregard everything else.  To some this may seem boring or habitual, to those who know me it is regarded as normal, without question.  I am a chocoholic so any fruity options to me are just blah.

My husband is the opposite as are some of my friends and would favour a sweet, tangy crumble or pie over the dense, rich, smooth indulgence of chocolate.  For me chocolate is pure, decadent luxury and as such is the perfect way to finish a delicious culinary experience.  I would feel it a waste of a fine dining experience to come away having not sampled the pastry chefs chocolate creation, an insult almost to there time and effort toiling in the heat of the kitchen.

My husband and I enjoy entertaining in our home meaning our guests reciprocate and cook for us in their home.  Such invitations are always accepted with enthusiasm as we are blessed with a network of friends all of whom are very skilled in the culinary department.  I do however always feel a pang of anxiety depending on the house to be visited regards dessert.  You see some people like myself (I always have at least two desserts to choose from in an effort to suit all tastes) will plan their menu according to the tastes of their guests, others however suit their own tastes.  It is in these house I know I will be offered up poached fruit or some such confection which is perfectly delicious but give us a birra chocola pulease!!!

Two weeks ago myself and the hubby attended Sunday lunch in the home of the parents of our sister in law.  My husband is not backward in coming forward and harrasses the poor woman every time he sees her for an invitation to Sunday lunch for some of her famous mushy peas.  So it would seem that he wore her down and she finally told our sis in law to invite us.  It was a delicious mammy's dinner.  Full of flavour, every mouthful a little bit of comfort on a fork and each plate groaned under the weight of enough food to feed a small family.  Then dessert was brought to the table, two deep filled apple tarts.  I smiled politely and enthused that they looked delicious whilst inwardly whinging at the thought of NO FRICKIN CHOCOLATE!

My manners are impeccable so I accepted my plate with much thanks and politely proceeded to spoon some into my mouth.  Bang.  I had tasted this deliciously perfect apple tart before, fresh from my mams oven and many, many years ago.  However, following years of dismissal of such caca milis I had completely eradicated all traces of it from my memory right up until this moment.  It brought the warmest of smiles to my face to remember happily tucking into large wedges of apple tart, still warm and smothered in cream on many Sunday afternoons, my mam standing over the kitchen table ensuring everyone happy and contented before she sat down to hers, wiping her hands on her orange and yellow ditsy floral print apron.  The day of this magical epiphany, Mothers day, how apt as she so vividly flooded my consciosness and a love of apple tart long forgotten was reborn.

For that reason I have, as best I can, recreated a version as closely matched to my mam's as I can remember.  I hope to enjoy this many times again, and that many others will too.

Apple Tart

For the pastry:
175g/6oz Butter (softened)
50g/2oz Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
250g/9oz Plain Flour (sieved)
For the filling:
700g/1&1/2lbs Bramley Cooking Apples
150g/5oz Caster Sugar

1.  For the pastry cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy using a a hand held electric whisk with dough hooks.
2.  Add one egg and continue to beat.
3.  In a seperate bowl beat the second egg and add half to the butter/sugar mixture, reserve the rest for later, continue to beat.
4.  Sieve in the flour and beat until the mixture forms a ball of dough.
5.  On a clean work surface knead the dough for a couple of minutes.
6.  Divide the dough in to two pieces, flatten each into a round, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
7.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
8.  Lightly grease a baking dish/tin with butter.
9.  Peel and slice the apples and toss in the caster sugar.
10. Once chilled place the dough onto a floured work surface and roll each round to a depth of 3mm.
11. Line the prepared dish/tin with one sheet of pastry dough and trim any excess from the edges.  Brush some of the reserved beaten egg around the rim.
12. Fill the pastry case with the apples, layering them evenly throughout.
13. Place the second sheet of pastry over the top of the apples, press down on the rim and trim any excess.  Brush all over with the remaining beaten egg.
14. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50mins or until golden brown on top.
15. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy with fresh cream, custard or ice cream.

The Night Before Christmas

Well, the big day has come and gone and sadly we must wait a whole year now for the revelry and goodwill to envelope us all once again. The build up this year seems to me to have been a mammoth task and bar the last two days I have not had a minute to myself. Exhaustion has set in, but it is a happy kind of exhaustion coupled with backache from basting the glorious bird and paper cuts from endless gift wrapping.

I must admit that Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the season. I find that this is the day when excitement reaches its most heightened point. Santa Claus is so close that you can almost smell him and yet you are still wondering what delights he may have safely stowed away on his sleigh for you. And then the children around you are positively beside themselves with anticipation of the whole situation, not knowing what to do with their little selves. Their faces tense with a mixture of emotions, hoping that they have indeed been good enough to receive the gifts they have been dreaming of for so long now.

This Christmas Eve was no exception and did not disappoint in any way. I did panic slightly when I woke up late having slept through my alarm but a little rushing around got me back on track. First we visited my parents in law who were also playing host to my husbands sister's and their families. This was manic of course with children opening presents, children fighting over presents, children fighting over empty boxes and fifty different conversations taking place all at once.

From there it was down to my Dads local to have a drink with him and my sister, and have a look at the decorations. The landlord turns what could be viewed as a somewhat dreary, lacklustre bar into a magical Christmas Grotto each year and my Dad insists we all meet up to admire them. This was a fairly sedate hour spent colouring with my niece and watching her do ballet up and down the pub regardless of who was in her way (man in wheelchair included). Then it was a quick stop off at my Dad's to collect a pot of his mouthwatering stuffing. This batch also proved a little eye watering as he had plied it with so many chillies!

Then the hunt was on for a suitable bath for Dustin who was to be brined as per Nigella's instructions. An eleventh hour dash to the shopping centre proved fruitful and so we could relax and make our final port of call of the day. And so to the pub to meet my brother in law and his wife before we headed for our traditional Christmas Eve Indian. After stuffing our gills with food and bubbles and laughing ourselves sick it was time to head home and get to bed before the big man arrived.

At this stage my bed was calling but unfortunately there was a ham to cook, a spa bath to prepare for the turkey and last minute presents to be wrapped before I dressed in my new Christmas p.j.'s and slippers, gave the house a final once over and headed to bed for visions of sugar plums to dance round in my head.

For once I jumped out of bed as soon as the alarm sounded on Christmas morning. I was expecting my whole family for dinner and had both the dinner and dessert to prepare before making myself beautiful. With all of my rushing around over the previous few days I was unfortunately not as prepared as I would have liked to be and so had not made my desserts in advance. This called for either a miracle or some quick thinking and having prepared all of the meat and veg for the main event I had to think on my feet and so I made a 5 minute trifle and adapted an ice cream bomb to turn it into a rather delicious cake. So, if you have any further entertaining to do over this festive season and like me find you are running dangerously short on time give these a try and I am sure that neither you or your guests will be disappointed. Enjoy and may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

5 Minute Trifle

1 Packet of Niece Fingers/Trifle Sponge
1 Tin of Ready Made Custard
2 Punnets of Raspberries(reserve some for decorations)
4oz of Sherry
100ml of Whipped Cream

1. In a glass bowl place a layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle Sponge on the bottom and around the sides. Overlap where necessary to ensure there are no gaps.
2. Pour over 3oz of sherry ensuring you soak all biscuits/sponge.
3. Place a layer of raspberries onto the sponge layer.
4. Place a layer of custard on top of the raspberries.
5. Place another layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle sponge on top of the custard.
6. Pour the remaining sherry on to the sponge layer and then repeat the raspberry and custard layers.
7. Finish of by pouring the whipped cream over the top and decorate with the reserved raspberries.
8. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Bailey's Bomb Cake
1 Litre Vanilla Ice Cream
3 Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Bars
2oz Baileys Irish Cream
100g good quality Plain Chocolate
100g Rice Krispies
50g Milk Chocolate Buttons (optional)

1. Remove the ice cream from the freezer to allow to soften.
2. Melt the plain chocolate over a pan of gently simmering water.
3. Crush the Honeycomb bars to large crumbs.
4. Once the plain chocolate has melted add the Rice Krispies and stir to coat. Place into the bottom of a silicone* baking tin and place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
5. When the ice cream has softened stir in the Baileys and crushed honeycomb bars.
6. Pour the ice cream mixture on top of the chocolate Krispie base. Decorate with the chocolate buttons and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

*If you do not have a silicone baking tin simply line a standard tin with grease proof paper. A silicone one works well in this recipe as the cake just peels away from the sides and stops the ice cream does not stick.