Recipe: Blackberry & Damson Meringue Roulade

The ability to make meringue is one of the key skills in any home cook’s repertoire and once you have mastered it you will be whipping up all manner of delectable desserts. Think Pavlova, Queen of Puddings etc. I also like to make meringue roulades which always look stunning. I must have made hundreds of pavlovas and meringue roulades over the years and they still remain the most requested thing that I cook or bake.

INGREDIENTS:

Meringue Roulade:

4 large egg whites

225g caster sugar

50g flaked almonds

Damson, Blackberry & Port Compote:

6-8 damsons, stoned and chopped into 3cm chunks

150g fresh (or frozen) blackberries

50g caster sugar

50ml port

To Finish:

A little icing sugar

250ml fresh cream, whipped

 

METHOD:

Meringue Roulade:

1. Preheat the oven to Fan Oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Line a large swiss-roll tray/tin (33cm x 24cms approximately with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.
3. Place the egg whites into a large spotlessly clean mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
4. Add in the sugar gradually, mixing well after each addition to create a stiff and glossy meringue.
5. Spread the mixture into the prepared tray and sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until lightly browned and then remove and allow to cool in the tin.

Damson, Blackberry & Port Compote:

1. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a moderate to low heat and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat marginally an cool until the mixture reduces slightly and becomes jammy (about 10 minutes or so). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

To Finish:

1. Upturn the cooled meringue roulade onto a large sheet of non-stick baking parchment dusted with icing sugar so that the almond side is facing down.
2. Spoon over the cooled compote and spread out evenly. Spread the freshly whipped cream on top of the compote.
3. Roll up the roulade from one short end to the other in one fluid motion using the baking parchment to assist.  Carefully transfer the roulade to a serving plate and refrigerate for half an hour before serving.

Serves 8-10.

 

Recipe: Fudgy Chocolate Brownie with Homemade Popcorn Ice-Cream and Toffee Popcorn

This is totally sinful and I make no apologies for it because once-in-a-while we all need something a little naughty and self-indulgent.

 

It may sound hard to believe but I can take or leave chocolate and tend to gravitate towards citrus or fruit desserts instead. Having said that, I have always been partial to chocolate brownies and spent many happy hours in my kitchen trying to perfect a recipe for what I consider to be the ultimate brownie; one with an intensely chocolaty taste and a chewy, almost fudgy, centre. These brownies do use quite a lot of sugar, so make sure to counterbalance this with a good (slightly bitter) dark chocolate. The other key thing is not to over-bake the brownies. If they still seem slightly unset in the middle at the end of the baking time, they are probably ready because they will continue to cook and set as they cool.

 

I have also included my recipe for popcorn ice-cream which is an amalgamation of various recipes that I came across on the internet. To make it, I experimented using freshly popped corn and – horror of horrors – butter-flavoured microwave popcorn and without a doubt, the microwave popcorn made the best ice-cream. As such, I would recommend putting all preconceptions aside and doing the same. My state-of-the-art ice cream maker was irreparably broken a few months back and as a stop-gap I bought an inexpensive ice-cream maker from Lidl… and I love it! Ever since I acquired it I have been experimenting with different and unusual flavours of ice-cream/sorbet. This popcorn ice-cream is definitely one of my favourites.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Chocolate Brownies:

265g chocolate (minimum 70% solids)

225g butter

430g caster sugar

150g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

 

Popcorn Ice-Cream:

320ml double cream

240ml milk

1 bag of butter-flavoured microwave popcorn, made according to instructions

4 egg yolks

100g caster sugar

A pinch of sea salt

 

Toffee Popcorn:

50g popcorn kernels

1 tblsp vegetable oil

50g light brown muscovado sugar

2tblsp golden syrup

50g butter

A pinch of salt

 

METHOD:

 

Chocolate Brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan oven 150C/Gas Mark 3. Line a 35cm x 24cm x 5cm baking tray/tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.
2. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of lightly simmering water making sure that you do not let the base of the bowl touch the bubbling water. Stir the chocolate mixture occasionally.
3. Remove the bowl once the chocolate has melted and add the sugar, stirring well until fully incorporated.
4. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together and stir into the chocolate mixture making sure that no ‘pockets’ of dry ingredients remain. Lastly add the eggs and stir these in so that they too, are thoroughly incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the brownies are flaky on top but still a little squidgy in the centre.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.

Makes 24.

 

Popcorn Ice-Cream:

1. Place the cream and milk in a medium-sized saucepan over a moderate heat and bring up to the boil over a moderate temperature. Remove from the heat and add the bag of popcorn. Set aside and allow to steep for 60-90 minutes to infuse the popcorn flavour into the cream/milk.
2. Strain the popcorn mixture through a fine-mesh metal sieve into a clean saucepan. Press the popcorn firmly against the sieve with the back of a metal spoon to extract as much of the cream/milk as possible and set aside.
3. Place the eggs and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk together until well combined.
4. Separately bring the popcorn cream mixture up to the boil and remove from the heat. Pour the warm cream mixture onto the eggs whisking all the time and then return everything to the saucepan and set over a moderate-to-low temperature. Stir continuously (about 15-20 minutes) until the mixture thickens and forms a custard. Add the salt and remove from the heat. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating for a couple of hours.
5. Churn the popcorn custard in an ice-cream maker according to the instructions.

Makes 600ml approximately.

 

Toffee Popcorn:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a moderate-to-high heat and add the popcorn, swirling the pan to make sure that the popcorn kernels are coated in oil. Cover with a tight fitting lid. The popcorn will start to pop… quite furiously at first before slowing down. Once it starts to slow down, take the saucepan off the heat.
2. Meanwhile place the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and a dark golden toffee forms. Tip in the popcorn and stir so that it so that it is all coated in toffee. Tip the popcorn out into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray, separating out the popcorn as much as you can, and allow to cool.

 

To serve:

1. Place a warm brownie on a plate and top with a scoop of ice-cream and a handful of toffee popcorn. Add a drizzle of chocolate sauce or some salted caramel sauce if desired.

Recipe: Baked Cheesecake with Spiced Plums & Blackberries

Is it just me or do cheesecakes seem to have fallen out of fashion? At one time they seemed to be a permanent fixture on many dessert menus but they are not seen as regularly these days. When they are offered, they tend to be ‘deconstructed’ which always leaves me a little underwhelmed and although this seems to be the fashion these days, I have to admit that I have always preferred a no-nonsense-style wedge of cheesecake.

There are two main types of cheesecake; those that are uncooked and set with gelatine and those that are baked. I like both but will admit that I find it impossible to resist the baked variety which for me is best typified by a classic New York Baked Cheesecake with its topping of a thin layer of sour cream.

This recipe is for a baked cheesecake with a biscuit base and is fairly simple to make.  It is important not to over-beat the filling as this creates air bubbles which can cause the cheesecake to crack when it cools. Whilst this will not affect the flavour, it will affect the look of the finished cheesecake.

I like to serve the cheesecake with stewed or roasted stone fruits and at this time of the year nothing beats plums which are plentiful and inexpensive, so I have also included my recipe for Spiced Plums & Blackberries.

Baked Cheesecake

 

INGREDIENTS:

150g ginger biscuit crumbs

65g butter melted

360g Philadelphia Cream Cheese

175g caster sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

30g plain flour, sifted

200ml sour cream

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to Fan Oven to 160C/Fan Oven 140C/Gas Mark 2. Grease and base line a 22-24cm round loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Place the biscuit crumbs in a medium bowl. Pour the melted butter onto the crumbs and mix well. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared cake tin and chill in the fridge while you make the cheesecake filling.
3. Place the cream cheese and caster sugar in a clean mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer and beat together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on a low speed until they are just incorporated.
4. Stir in the sifted flour, sour cream, lemon zest and juice and then pour the mixture into the cake tin on top of the chilled biscuit base.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes and then switch off the oven but do not remove the cheesecake. Allow to cool in the oven and then remove and chill until ready to serve.

Serves 10-12

Spiced Plums & Blackberries

 

INGREDIENTS:

10 plums, halves and stoned

50g Demerara sugar

1 orange peeled zest and juice

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 vanilla pod split

125g blackberries, each halved lengthways

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to Fan Oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Place the plums in a baking dish cut side upwards and sprinkle over the sugar. Break the cinnamon stick in half and add to the plums along with the vanilla pod, star anise and orange peel. Pour over the orange juice.
3. Place in the preheated oven  for 15-20 minutes until the plums have softened and the cooking juices have reduced. Remove from the oven and mix in the halved blackberries and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe: Gin & Tonic Drizzle Cake

Great British Bake Off is back and my Wednesday night viewing is sorted for the next few weeks. This year the competition is going back-to-basics and whilst the challenges set may be easier, judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have said that they are going to judge the bakes to the highest standards ever.

 

I have been a huge fan of the programme ever since it first came on our screens in 2010, finding it a rich source of baking inspiration. After watching the first episode, I’m delighted that this year looks as good as ever. In the opening challenge the contestants were tasked with making their version of a drizzle cake. Amongst the various offerings was a Gin & Tonic Drizzle Cake but unfortunately the judges weren’t too keen on it as its baker Tom was a little heavy-handed with the alcohol.

 

Here is my interpretation of that cake but flavoured with a syrup made with gin so that most of the alcohol burns off but the flavours remain. I have baked the cake in a plain bundt tin but a 900g (2lb) tin will also work and I have topped the cake with citrus crisps made from thinly sliced lemons and limes.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Citrus Crisps:

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 limes, thinly sliced

Icing sugar for dusting

 

Cake:

250g butter, softened

250g caster sugar

3 large eggs, lightly whisked

250g self-raising flour, sifted

Finely grated zest of 3 lemons

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

100ml tonic water

 

Gin & Tonic Syrup:

125ml gin

Juice of 1 lemon

150ml tonic water

100g caster sugar

 

Icing:

150g icing sugar

2 tblsp gin

 

METHOD:

 

Citrus Crisps:

1. Preheat oven to 80C/Fan Oven 60C/Gas Mark ¼. Place the lemon and lime slices spaced apart onto a silicon mat. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
2. Remove from the oven. Turn the slices over and dust with icing sugar. Return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes until crisp but don’t allow to brown too much.
3. Dust with more icing sugar and allow to cool. The crisps can be made in advance and stored in an air-tight container.

 

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan Oven 150C/Gas Mark 3. Grease a plain 23cm bundt tin with butter and dust with self-raising flour - shaking out any excess - and set aside.
2. Place the butter and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl and cream together using a hand-held electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the milk, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add the sifted flour and fold in along with the finely grated citrus zests. Finally mix in the tonic water to create a soft batter.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smoothing out the surface a little and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

 

Syrup:

1. Place all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then increase the heat to high. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and set aside for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, using  a thin skewer, poke holes all over the top of the still-warm cake and then carefully spoon over the syrup allowing into soak into the cake. Allow to cool completely.

 

Icing:

1. Mix the icing sugar and gin together in a small bowl to achieve a pouring consistency. Spoon this over the cake, letting it drizzle down the edges of the cake. Let the icing set a little and then decorate the top of the cake with the citrus crisps.

 

Serves 10-12.