Egg custard tart

Easy peasy, and very pleasant, this variation ont he old english classic while surprise you with its simplicty. Feel free to add berries such as rapberries, gooseberries, logan, blue or cranberries to make an even more enjoyable tart.

You will need: (makes 2)

2x30cm blind baked sweet pastry tart cases

12 Whole eggs

750ml of Milk

750ml of Double cream

2 Vanilla beans, opened

Nutmeg

240g of Caster sugar

Whisk eggs and sugar till pale

Warm milk and cream with the vanilla beans

Add the two mixes together, very gradually  while whisking

Pour into 2 30cm flan tins lined with blind baked sweet pastry, do the pouring by the stoves or oven as to prevent spillage while transporting to the stoves

Bake for 40 minutes at 170 degrees

Lemon Mousse / Raspberry confit / flaked almonds

image courtesy of the englishkitchen.blogspot.co.uk

*part of the sizzling staffordshire menu series*

This mousse is gentle, pleasurable and enjoyable. Providing the classic citrus element through lemon, it presents an uplifting and pleasing dessert that is light and also, moderately healthy.The health conscious of you will also benefit from the antioxidant greatness that raspberries present, with the added nutrients of the almonds also. those of you who don't care all that much, will enjoy it nonetheless.

You will need (makes roughly 8):
175g caster sugar
2 sheets of leaf gelatine
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
2 medium egg whites
200ml reduced fat creme fraiche


Raspberry confit:


250g raspberries, washed
3 tbsp caster sugar or honey
2-3 tbsp lemon juice (obtained from the lemons above)

Combine the raspberries and sugar in a pan and heat gently together until the sugar has dissolved and the blueberries have begun to fall. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.transfer to a bowl and chill.



The doing bit:

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes to soften. in the meantime add the lemon juice to a measuring jug and top up with water to 200ml. Add to a saucepan then add half the sugar, and simmer on a moderate heat to dissolve the sugar. simmer for about a minute then take off the heat. Drain the gelatine leaves and squeeze out any excess water, then add the gelatine to the lemon syrup. Leave to cool completely.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until the form soft peaks. Add the remainong sugar one tsbp at a time continuously beating until all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is firm.

In another bowl lightly beat the creme fraiche then stir into the cooled lime mixture. fold the egg white mixture into this until uniform then decant the mix into 8 equal glasses. Place in fridge few a few hours until they have set, then use the raspberry confit, lemon zest and flaked almonds to garnish.

Poached Pears in red wine with yoghurt sorbet

Image courtesy of actden.com

*part of the sizzling staffordshire menu series*

Here we present another fruit dessert, with a rather enjoyable sweetness that is luxurious and enjoyment but ultimately quite healthy. Its quite warming in a winter sense, but is acceptable year round as a light dessert.

You will need (serves 4):

750ml bottle of red wine
4tbsp caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 slices of orange
1 stem ginger in syrup halved
4 ripe but firm pears

Pour the red wine and sugar into a saucepan with the orange slices, cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger. Slowly bring to a simmer stirring occasionally, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Peel the pears leaving on the stork and de core them pears using a teaspoon or a melon baller. Lower the pears into the wine, and place a piece of crumpled greaseproof paper with a small hole cut out of the centre on the top. This will help keep the pears submerged.

Poach the pears for about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer, and pierce with a cocktail stick or similar to test if soft all the way through.

Transfer the pears and liquor to a bowl and allow to cool. Cling film and refrigerate preferrably overnight, or until required.

Serve warm, either by reheating in a pan or even using a microwave, alongside a scoop of yoghurt sorbet.

Baked Plums with crushed amaretti

Image courtesy of pictureshunt.com

*part of the sizzling stafforshire menu series*

Fruit desserts in my opinion are often overlooked in favour of heavy dairy and chocolate fixes. it's a shame because there is a hell of alot of natural flavour in fruit, and can balance well with a variety of other flavours also.

This dessert is unwavering in its simplicity, and provides a means of a cheap and quick, and very fulfilling dessert that is also extremely healthy. Its kind of halfway towards a crumble, without the guilt factor. With this in mind, you can do alot with this dish to change it if you wish, and develop it further.

You will need (serves 4):

500g ripe plums (make sure theyre firm and not too soft)
1/2 tsp for each plum
3 tbsp sherry, marsala or even creme de cassis.
30g amaretti biscuits
Natural yoghurt to serve
Optional herbs for aromatics

heat the oven to 200C. cut the plums in half and remove the stones, arrange the plums hole side up, in a lightly greased baking dish. Drizzle over the sherry. At this point i like to add a few springs of rosemary into the dish just to give an extra dimension of flavour, you can also use lavender.

crush the amaretti either manually or using a food processor for a very short burst. Sprinkle over the plums. Put small amount of butter on each plum and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve warm with a dollop of each yoghurt.

Strawberry Clafoutis (On mothers day)

Clafoutis is probably to the french in terms of sunday lunch, what Yorkshire pudding is to us British with beef. Its one of those favoured and savoured dishes thats looked forward to and is often held almost a symbol for homliness in terms of hearty food.

Before I reap great criticism, yes I am aware that clafoutis is traditionally made with cherries. That said, I think this variation works phenomenally well - coupled with the fact that my mum likes strawberries and the store around the corner had them reduced. It was almost as though fate was telling me something.

Its quite cakey yet light in texture, extremely enjoyable and very moreish. Trust me, you wont be disappointed

You will need:

200ml Milk
100ml double cream
75g ground almonds
2-3 drops vanilla essence
4 large eggs
150g caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
25g butter
500g strawberries, halved
2 tbsp brown sugar
50g  flaked almonds (optional)
icing sugar, for dusting

The doing bit:

Preheat oven to 180C. In a pan combine milk, cream and vanilla and boil for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Beat together sugar and eggs until fluffy, add the flour to the mixture gradually. Add the ground almonds in the same fashion until uniform paste. Add the cooled milk mixture.

Grease a baking deep baking dish or sealed cake tin. Add the strawberries and brown sugar then add the mixture slowly. Dust with flaked almonds.

Cook in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean with a pierecing test.

Remove from oven when done and dust with icing sugar.

Devour.

Creme Brulee

image courtesy of bbcgoodfood.com

Probably one of the most frequent of custard desserts present on any menu is the creme brulee. It literally means "toasted cream" and is a good "vehicle" dessert platform for a variety of flavours, from simple fruit additions to diverse spice blends and other subtle infusions such as cardomom, cloves, and bay (thinking along the lines of bechamel).

You will need


750g of Double cream
15 eggs yolks
120g of Caster sugar
2 Vanilla beans split (or vanilla essence)

Cream the sugar and egg yolks till pale

Add cream and vanilla beans (or essence)

Cook the mixture out in a bain marie, whisk for 20 minutes until thick.

Once thick, pour into ramekins dishes and set in the fridge

Glaze with icing sugar and a sprinkling of water

This mix can be blended with bayleaf, these to be introduced at cook out stage

before serving toast the sugar on the top with a blowtorch to create a crunchy glaze. Alternatively they can be placed under a hot grill :)

Ideally they are well served with tuile, or similar wafer or biscuit for dipping value.

Sweet Pastry

Sweet pastry isn't much different to the standard shortcrust pastry, although it utilises an egg to give a glossy and smoother texture and helps it to raise a small amount giving a lighter texture. You can use sweet pastry in a variety of ways, for tarts, tartllets or even for little parcels. Its also possible to make sweet dumplings out of if you so wish.

Makes a 400g mix (enough for one large tart with a bit leftover)

250g flour
125g butter or baking spread
80g sugar
1 egg
few drops vanilla essence

You can also add things to the pastry to complement your dish, such as cinnamon, cocoa powder, nutmeg etc. If adding syrups be sure to adjust the flour accordingly to texture.

Method:

Rub the flour and butter and sugar together into a breadcrumb texture then add the egg. Form into a uniform dough but do not overwork. If necessary chill the pastry wrapped in clingfilm for 20 mins before use. Otherwise use straightaway.

Dutch Apple Tart

Image courtesy of ifood.tv

Upon request for Kelvyn (and for the express benefit of Pip), I hereby present one of my favourite incarnations of apple pie - the Dutch apple tart. It presents a topped presentation approach to the apple pie, which differs from the usual apple pie that we all know and love - but do not be fooled - this recipe is just as (if not more) delicious, and can be presented and devoured in similar ways. Its pretty cheap to produce, and if you can come accross free apples *cough* then its even better. I do however reccomend you try eating this dish with cinnamon & cognac anglais, or butterscotch sauce. Normal custard varieties will suffice as an accompaniment, but these sauces will maximise your pleasure.

Hope this serves you well Kelv & Pip. It's delicious.

Ingredients (makes a medium sized apple tart in a flan dish)

250g sweet shortcrust pastry (or a prebought flan dish)
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cooking apples, peeled and sliced (or 6-8 eating apples)
shot of brandy
3 tbsp brown sugar
tbsp butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 180C

Roll out the sweet pastry and add to a greased flan dish. Blind bake the flan case and allow to cool and dry. Cut each apple in half vertically, then slice up the apples into even slies and layer on top of the flan case, overlapping as they go. You'll build a veritable mountain of apple slices, here - make sure they line the outside as evenly as the middle - the tip here is to work inwards. When all your apples are added, sprinkle with cinnamon , then put in the oven for about 20 mins, until apples begin to soften and colour. At this point leave the tart in the oven, and in a pan add the butter until metled then fold in the sugar until a uniform paste is reached. add the brandy and cook until alcohol has burned off (about 20 seconds). Pull out the tart and glaze with the sauce, then return to the oven for a further 10-15 mins until cooked. Pull out and allow to cool.

Portion and serve. If you need ot reheat each slice just sprinkle a littel sugar and a tsp of butter and return to oven until warm.

Brandy Snaps

Image courtesy of kinbaskitchen.com

This recipe for brandy snaps is a simple one. I've seen some complex ones in my time and often wonder why so much effort and complexity is applied to something so simple - they always taste the same. Granted some have a netter depth of flavour, but in the long run i dont think it matters an awful lot to the home cook. Even professionally, little things like brandy snaps are a "job on the side".

Surprisingly theres no brandy. Theres no means to say you cant add a tabslepoon or two to the mix, just be mindful of the wetness of it when using it. If you want the curled professional "tuile" appearance of these brandy snaps, by all means use a stencil for the paste. If you prefer the more rustic approach, by all means folow the directions below.

Be sure to treat yourself to a brandy whilst making these. It is after all a festive treat.

Ingredients (makes a very generous batch)

250g of Soft butter
250g of Golden syrup or Glucose
250g of Flour
250g of Sugar
Pinch of ground ginger

Melt together the butter, golden syrup and sugar
Blend in the flour bit by bit and ginger

Place a tablespoon full on a silicone mat and bake at 190 C for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. While still warm allow to cool further curled on a rolling pin for a tuile finish. Otherwise just leave flat. Its up to you. If youw ant to go the whole hog, while almost cool but still malleable, by all means roll and mould around a wooden spoon. For top notch presentation on service pipe cinnamon & honey creme fraiche or chantillly cream into them. Oh, and have a glass of brandy also. It would be rude not to.

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Galia Melon Pearls in Pink Champagne Jelly

This dessert is often also used as a starter as it crosses those borders as many fruit dishes tend to do. That said it is a bit of a crowd pleaser and service wise it means preparing beforehand and then simply pulling out of the fridge. The recipe isn't set in stone, you can easily add other fruits that complement melon quite well, and you don't have to use galia melons either. You can use cantelope or honeydew if you wish, or a combination of them, for a variety of colours and textures.

More often than not this appeared on our xmas menus, basicaly because its one of those things that can be done in advance, and during service it was a case of getting it out of the chiller, and dressing up (which could be left to service & waiting on staff, whilst we tackled bigger fish that we had to fry - sometimes literally).


Makes about 6/7 so divide by two for family sized servings

Ingredients

700ml of warm stock syrup (heated water & sugar - would reccomend about 200g sugar)
150ml of 14% abv Pink Cava (or similar)
24 Gelatine leaves soaked
Mixed Melon balls ½ Cantaloupe and Galia if winter time use Rock melons. You can buy these frozen to cheat / save time. Bear in mind though that fresh melon tastes alot better.

Optional Garnish Ideas
Sprig of lavender per flute for garnish. You can use rosemary for an alternative or mix the two.
Orange / lemon / lime zest
Strawberries
Black / Maraschino cherries
Cranberries
Pomegranites
Raspberries
Blueberries
Hibiscus flowers

Lavender flowers can be used atop the flutes, as can twists of orange, lemon or lime. The fragrance sets the tone for the dish quite well also, in combination with strawberry roses or other garnishes it is quite a sensory treat.

Equipment:

Champagne flutes
Melon baller
Saucepan

Melt soaked gelatine into the syrup

Use melon baller to pearl melon flesh after de-seeding. Any left over melon flesh put to one side for fruit salads or fruit soups.

Place melon pearls into flutes along with the lavender sprig and any other garnishes you want set into the Jelly.

Add Cava to the gelatine mixture

Pour over the melons and leave to set for about 3 or 4 hours.

Serve.

Chocolate "Nemesis" Torte

Image courtesy of ITV food

Definitely one not for the fainthearted - calling all chocolate lovers out there....

This is probably one of the more ultimate of chocolate desserts, comprising enough dark chocolate to cause offence, and a luxurious sweetness that demands to be loved. Its a beautiful recipe, and the origins of this recipe cannot be revealed (lest i be shot down in flames from the catering community). Ill say this, it was a dessert from the secure confines of a well known French chef. And that's more than I'm willing to divulge...

Ingredients

1 sweet pastry case blind baked (1.5 in deep x 10 in reccommended)

405g of dark chocolate
345g of caster sugar
270g of butter
6 eggs
150ml of water

Preparation


Cream eggs with 1/3 of the sugar

Boil the water add to this the remaining sugar, heat till the sugar is dissolved

Add the chocolate stir till chocolate is melted

Add butter and blend

Cool then add to the egg mix

Pour into a pastry case and bake at 140 degrees for 1 hour then turn the oven off then leave for another hour

Allow to cool, then devour.

Chocolate Mousse

Image courtesy of the bbc food website :)

For all chocolate lovers out there, here is one of my favourite chocolate mousse recipes that for me has stood the test of time. It includes a nutty element such as hazelnut and amaretto to further enhance the sweetness of the chocolate. It also makes it infinitely more luxurious.

Posted here at the request of Sam Fisher (hugs) for a hassle free chocolate mousse recipe.

In my humble opinion chocolate mousses is usually a hassle free dessert anyway, however there are a few things to bear in mind - the most important of which being that you must wait until the chocolate is cool before you add it to the mix, otherwise any work you have done to fluff up eggs and cream will be rendered useless.

Ingredients


125g of Dark chocolate
20g of hazelnut paste or nutella
25ml amarretto
2 eggs
40g of caster sugar
250ml double cream

Method:

Melt the chocolate with half the cream and the hazelnut paste

Once melted add the amaretto, allow to cool

Whisk the sugar and eggs till they are pale and have doubled in volume

Whisk cream till it forms a soft peak

Once chocolate mix is cool pour into the egg mix and fold

Fold in the cream

Pour into mould allow to set in a fridge for at least three hours before service.

Enjoy.