Posts Tagged ‘strawberries’
Summer pudding
Monday, August 9th, 2010
This quintessentially British pud, packed with juicy summer berries, is so much easier than it looks, perfect for beginners.
Ingredients
* 300g strawberries
* 250g blackberries
* 100g redcurrants
* 500g raspberries
* OR 1.25kg/2lb 12oz mixed berries and currants of your choice
* 175g golden caster sugar
* 7 slices day-old white bread , from a square, medium-cut loaf
Method
1. Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper – keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves – stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
2. Prepare the bread: Line the basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. overlap two pieces in the middle of the bowl as it’s easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
3. Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin’s sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can’t quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn’t matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.
4. Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top – trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.
Try
Spiced apple berry pudding
Use spiced fruit loaf instead of white bread to line the basin. Heat sugar and water together, then gently cook 2 large peeled cored and chopped cooking apples for 5 mins until softened. Add 850g mixed blackberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and raspberries and 1⁄2 tsp mixed spice and cook for a few mins until the fruit softens. Build the pud and serve with vanilla ice-cream.
Berries over cooked or white patches?
The best thing to do is add more berries, strawberries are best. If your bread is patchy, take the spare juice and spoon it over – people will never know.
Apricot berry brioche pudding
For a decadent twist, add 3 tbsp crème de cassis or framboise to the sugar in the pan instead of water. Gently cook about 650g halved and stoned apricots in the syrup for 5 mins, then add about 650g mixed raspberries, blackberries and currants and cook for a few mins more. Line the basin with cling film as before then layer up the fruit and juice- soaked slices of brioche from a large loaf, rather than lining the sides with it. Wrap and weight down the pudding.
The sugar in the pan won’t dissolve?
It takes a lot longer than you might think to dissolve caster sugar. Be patient and keep the heat low. It’s ready when there’s no grittiness at the bottom when you stir.
Tags: blackberries, currents, mixed berries, raspberries, redcurrents, strawberries
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Neapolitan semifreddo
Monday, August 9th, 2010
Ingredients
* vegetable oil or other flavourless oil for the tin
* 175g caster sugar
* 2 large egg whites
* 600ml pot double cream
* 1 vanilla pod , seeds scraped out
* 200g ripe strawberries , plus more to serve
* 100g raspberries , plus more to serve
* 1 tbsp icing sugar
* 75g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
Method
1. Lightly oil then line a 900g loaf tin (about 11cm x 22 cm when measured across the top) with clingfilm, leaving plenty of overhang. Put the caster sugar in a pan with 4 tbsp water, then heat very gently until it has completely dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil for 2 minutes.
2. As the sugar comes up to temperature, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in a separate bowl. When the hot syrup is ready, carefully pour it into the egg whites a little at a time, with the beaters still running, whisking until it has all been mixed in. Beat for 2 minutes to cool, then set aside. The mix should look like shaving foam.
3. Softly whip the cream and vanilla seeds in another bowl. Fold the cream into the whites, in three goes, to make the ice cream base. Split the mix three ways, making one batch a little smaller than the others.
4. Blend the berries and icing sugar until smooth. Pass through a sieve onto the smaller batch of ice cream, then fold in until evenly pink. Spoon into the lined tin, level it, then cover the surface with a rectangle of baking parchment. Freeze for 30 minutes or until just firm.
5. Remove the paper and spoon over a layer of plain vanilla mix. Again, level, cover and freeze. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, then leave until cool but still runny.
6. Fold the chocolate into the final third of the ice cream. Layer it and freeze, again covering the top with a clean piece of paper.
7. Freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight before serving, and give the semifreddo 10 minutes or so out of the freezer to soften a little before turning out to slice.
Tags: eggs, raspberries, strawberries, vanilla pod
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Lemon tart with summer berries
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Ingredients
* 5 unwaxed lemons
* 6 eggs
* 250g golden caster sugar
* 200ml double cream
* icing sugar , for dusting and decorating
* 375g block dessert pastry
FOR THE SUMMER BERRY SALAD
* 4 tbsp icing sugar
* 300g strawberries , hulled, halved or quartered
* 350g raspberries
* 150g blueberries
* 1 tsp sherry vinegar
* handful mint , leaves, finely shredded
Method
1. Finely grate the zest of 3 of the lemons into a bowl. Halve all the lemons, then use a fork to squeeze out all the juice and pulp into the bowl with the zest – don’t worry about the seeds. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk in the caster sugar until completely combined. Whisk in the cream and lemon juice mix, then set aside.
2. Place a 23cm tart ring or loose-bottom flan tin on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift onto a rolling pin, then drape over the tart ring or flan tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edge. Carefully press the pastry into the sides with a small ball of pastry. Put in fridge or freezer for 20 mins to allow pastry to chill.
3. While the pastry is chilling, heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Prick the base of the pastry case, line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans, then bake the case for 5-10 mins more until it is biscuity brown and crisp. Lower oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
4. Use a ladle to push the lemon custard through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Skim the bubbles from the surface of the custard, then pour the custard into a jug. Pull the tart out of the oven slightly, then pour in the custard so it comes to the top. You may have some left over. Push tart back in, then bake for 35-40 mins until the top forms a light crust and the custard is just set. Leave to cool, then chill.
5. While the tart is cooling, make the berry salad. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and scatter the icing sugar over the base. Heat until the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Throw in the berries, toss with the sugar, then splash in the sherry vinegar. Bubble for a min until everything is just starting to soften, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool slightly.
6. Use a serrated knife to trim away the pastry and make a neat edge. Dust the tart lightly with icing sugar, then use a blowtorch to caramelise the top. Leave the top to set, then repeat the process so that you get an extra-thick layer of caramel. Stir the mint through the berries. Serve the tart in slices with a bowl of the berry salad on the side.
Tags: Blueberries, lemons, mint, raspberries, strawberries
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Strawberry cheesecake
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Ingredients
* 250g digestive biscuits
* 100g butter , melted
* 1 vanilla pod
* 600g soft cheese
* 100g icing sugar
* 284ml pot double cream
FOR THE TOPPING
* 400g punnet strawberries , halved and stoned
* 25g icing sugar
Method
1. EQUIPMENT: 23cm loose-bottomed tin, baking parchment, plastic food bag, rolling pin, large bowl, dessert spoon, chopping board, kitchen knife, electric mixer, spatula, serving plate, blender or food processor, sieve
2. Make the base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly.
3. Remove the vanilla seeds: Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.
4. Make the filling: Place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
5. Un-moulding and topping: Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 mins before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Purée half the strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1 tsp water, then sieve. Pile the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over purée.
If you find the cake difficult to un-mould, then either let it sit for a little longer, or wipe the outside of the tin with a warm cloth. This heats the edges and should allow you to remove the tin easily.
To ensure the base sets properly, the melted butter must be thoroughly mixed through the biscuit crumbs. Make sure you also leave it in the fridge to firm up for at least 1 hr before adding the filling so that the crumbs do not mix into the soft cheese mixture.
Try a different flavour
Lemon: Beat the finely grated zest & juice 2 lemons with the soft cheese & icing sugar instead of the vanilla seeds. Top with lemon curd & leave to chill. Raspberry: Replace strawberries with fresh raspberries. Passion fruit & mango: Make a delicious passion fruit sauce by sieving the pulp of 4 passion fruit and sweetening to taste with a little icing sugar. Top the cheesecake with chopped mango, then pour over the sauce, dotting the top with a few of the passion fruit seeds.
Tags: lemon, mango, passion fruit, raspberries, strawberries
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