Tag Archives: dessert

Strawberry Panna Cotta

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When I was growing up in Kent – otherwise known as the garden of England – we ate everything in season. In early June the local strawberries were ready and there were a few places where you could pick your own. They were cheap and plentiful, so we ate big bowls full, with a dollop of double cream and a sprinkling of sugar, just to add a little crunch. Now, thanks to imports from warmer climes you can buy strawberries pretty much all year round wherever you live in the world. But they never taste the same as when you pick your own and eat them the same day.

Like bacon and eggs, strawberries and cream is a marriage made in heaven. As I was looking for something to serve at a dinner party recently I came across this beautiful dessert on a site called Home Cooking Adventure.

You can make them the day before, so they’re perfect for entertaining.

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta:
400ml milk
400ml cream
½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 Tbs gelatine
4 Tbs water
Strawberry Sauce:
750g strawberries
2-3 Tbs sugar, to taste
2 Tbs water

Place milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile place gelatine and water in a small bowl then zap in the microwave briefly to dissolve. Mix gelatine mixture and vanilla into cream then cool a bit and divide among 8 attractive glasses such as Martini glasses. Chill overnight.

Save four nice strawberries then wash and hull the rest. Cut into four and place in a saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Blend until smooth in a blender, then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Chill overnight.

To serve, divide strawberry sauce among the 8 glasses. Top each with half a strawberry.

Serves 8

Variations: use raspberries instead of strawberries.

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

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We were staying with Catherine in Newcastle for a few days when she said “Oh by the way, we’re invited to a BBQ lunch tomorrow and we’re taking a dessert. What shall we make?”

We found cream cheese, cream and 2 punnets of raspberries in the fridge and a few other ingredients in the pantry. The result was this delicious no-bake cheesecake which was popular with the adults and kids alike.

Make this the day before serving.

IMG_0695300g white chocolate
500g Philadelphia-style cream cheese (at room temp)
300ml thick cream
3 Tbs caster sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
½ cup red jam (preferably raspberry)
About 12 sweet biscuits or sponge fingers
To serve:
1-2 cups fresh raspberries
Honey to drizzle

Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. In another bowl, with electric beaters, beat cream cheese, cream and sugar until smooth. Add melted chocolate and mix well.

Line a loaf tin with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang. With a fork, mash 1 cup raspberries with the jam on a plate. Spread half the cream cheese mixture in the loaf tin. Spread the berry mixture over the top. Then spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the jam mixture. Arrange a single layer of biscuits or sponge fingers over the surface, pushing them in slightly – this will be the base. Rectangular or square ones are easier than round ones. Bring excess plastic wrap over the top to cover, then refrigerate overnight.

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

To serve, tip cheesecake onto serving plate and remove plastic. Arrange raspberries over the top and drizzle with honey.

Serves 12

Variation: use strawberries instead of raspberries

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

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You have to add quite a bit of sugar to rhubarb to make it palatable. But a friend told me recently that she cooks it with a little salt instead of sugar and eats it with Greek yoghurt.

So as we had rhubarb in the garden I decided to experiment. I mixed all the rhubarb pieces with a little melted butter (or you could use olive oil) then rolled half in some raw sugar and arranged them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. I then added a little salt to the remaining rhubarb, mixed it well and arranged the sticks on the other half of the baking sheet. I baked them in a hot oven for about 15 mins or until they were “al dente”.

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The sweet ones were, as you would expect, quite sweet and delicious served with meringues and whipped cream. Interestingly the salty ones were not unsweet – the salt having brought out the natural sweetness of the fruit. Serve for breakfast or dessert with thick Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey if you need more sweetness. They would also go well as a garnish for duck. chicken or pork.

My third experiment was to cook the rhubarb with some fruit cordial such as Ribena – an idea I read somewhere once and filed away in my head. The result was a delicious ruby red compote. Rhubarb and strawberries go well together, so I used the compote to make a tasty variation on a traditional rhubarb crumble.

500g rhubarbunnamed (1)
½ cup blackcurrant or raspberry cordial (see note)
1 punnet strawberries
125g butter
4 Tbs brown sugar
4 Tbs self-raising flour
4 Tbs rolled oats
4 Tbs slivered or flaked almonds
1 tsp vanilla essence

Wash and trim rhubarb and cut into 2- 3cm lengths. Place in a bowl, add the cordial and mix. Cover and microwave for 5 mins or until cooked but not mushy. Meanwhile wash and hull strawberries and cut them into quarters. Grease a small round or oblong pudding dish. Mix strawberries with rhubarb and spread over base. Melt butter then mix in sugar, flour, oats, nuts and vanilla. Spoon evenly over the fruit, using a fork to close any gaps and give an even covering. Can be made ahead to this stage.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, cream or labneh flavoured with a little icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence.

Serves 4-6

Notes: if preferred double the rolled oats and leave out the nuts or double the nuts and leave out the oats. Instead of using fruit cordial to cook the rhubarb, use a little water and sugar to taste.

Chocolate and Ginger Cheesecake

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Chocolate and Ginger CheesecakeWith a food processor this dessert is quick to make. Really chocolatey and not too sweet.

Crust:
125g Ginger Nut biscuits
50g butter
Filling:
250g mascarpone or sour cream
500g ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2-3 Tbs sugar, to taste
150g dark chocolate, melted in microwave
2-3 Tbs crystallised ginger, chopped
To serve:
Labneh
Icing sugar
Crystallised ginger or stem ginger in syrup, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 170°C. Place biscuits in food processor and process until fine. Melt butter in microwave, mix in biscuit crumbs then tip into a 20cm (8″) springform pan which has been greased and bottom lined with baking paper. Press the mixture evenly over the base of the tin. Bake for 10 mins.

While biscuit crust is cooking make filling. Wipe out the food processor. Place all ingredients except ginger in processor and mix till well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides halfway. Add chopped ginger and process briefly, just to combine.

When ready remove biscuit base from the oven tip in the filling and smooth the top. Return to the oven for 30 mins or until just set, but still a bit wobbly when shaken. Cool cheesecake, then refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Dust the top of the cheesecake with icing sugar. Serve with Labneh or whipped cream, with some chopped ginger and a little icing sugar mixed in.

Serves 10-12

Pear Pecan and Caramel Puddings with Ginger Ice Cream

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This delicious dessert is adapted from one which appeared recently in Gourmet Traveller. On a cold winter’s day it just hits the spot.

Pear Pecan and Caramel Puddings with Ginger Ice Cream6 small ripe pears
Poaching liquid:
1 litre water
2 Tbs sugar
1 stick cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, split
Pudding mix:
1 cup pecan nuts (or walnuts)
1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup brown sugar
125g butter
6 rounded Tbs Caramel (see note below)
¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
Ginger Ice Cream:
2 cups whipping cream
1 can condensed milk
3 tsp powdered ginger
½ cup crystallised/glacé ginger, chopped

Peel pears and leave whole. Place water, sugar, cinnamon stick and vanilla pod in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Add pears and simmer for 25 mins or until cooked. Drain pears and discard syrup.

Preheat oven to 180C. While pears are cooking blitz the nuts in food processor, then add flour, vanilla, cinnamon, eggs, milk and melted butter and mix till combined. Grease six one and a half cup ramekins or small pudding bowls. Divide pudding mixture between the bowls. Place a rounded tablespoonful of caramel in the middle of each, then sit a pear on top and push it down into the pudding. If liked, sprinkle with a little raw sugar. Bake for 25-30 mins or until puddings are golden brown and well risen. Dust with icing sugar and serve topped with a scoop of Ginger Ice Cream.

Ice Cream: with electric beaters, whip cream until soft peaks then add condensed milk and powdered ginger and continue to whip until combined. Fold in crystallised/glacée ginger with a rubber spatula then scrape ice cream into a plastic container with a lid. Cover and freeze for several hours or until firm.

Serves 6

Note: use a can of Nestlé Top and Fill Caramel or in South America use Dulce de Leche (Manjar) or make your own from a can of condensed milk (see Banoffi Pie recipe). Instead of six small pears you can use 3 very large ones peeled and cut vertically in half.

Lemon Drizzle Cake Salvation Creek

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As we were heading off to Europe last year for an extended holiday my friend Karen lent me a few good books.

We thoroughly enjoyed The House at Salvation Creek, a delightful memoir by Susan Duncan, but soon realised that it’s actually a sequel to her first book. So when we got back I borrowed the first one, Salvation Creek, from the local library.

Pittwater, where the narrative takes place, is described by Wikipedia as “a tide-dominated drowned valley estuary 40 km north of Sydney.” Duncan’s descriptions of the native flora and fauna are exceptional. A friend in Denmark to whom I recommended the books said “Susan Duncan brought some warm Australian sunshine into the bleak, grey days of a Danish winter.”

Duncan’s relationship with her ageing mother is something many readers will relate to. And of course I loved all the references to what she was cooking. This is her recipe for Lemon Drizzle Cake. Very easy and a real crowd pleaser.

Zest of 1 large lemon
250g caster sugar
250g butter (at room temp)unnamed
4 large eggs
250g SR flour
Pinch salt
1 level tsp baking powder
Syrup:
Juice of 1 large lemon
150g sugar

Preheat oven to 160ºC and prepare a round or square cake pan. I used a 22cm (9″) square silicone pan, so there was no need to grease and line the bottom with baking paper, which you need to do with a metal pan.

Place lemon zest and sugar in food processor and blitz for 1-2 mins. Add butter and mix for a minute then add the eggs, sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Mix for 1- 2 mins then stop to scrape down the sides and mix for another minute. Scrape into cake pan, spread out evenly and bake for 30-40 mins or until golden and well risen. Test cake with a toothpick inserted in the middle, which should come out clean, but don’t overcook the cake. Remove from oven and pour over the syrup while hot, using a knife to distribute it evenly. If liked serve garnished with flowers e.g. potato vine as in photo.

Syrup: heat lemon juice and sugar together in a small saucepan to form a syrup.

Serve for afternoon tea or as a dessert with whipped cream and some berries. Duncan suggests mixing some icing sugar and passionfruit pulp into the cream.

Serves 16

Notes: The original recipe says to cook the cake for 30-35 mins but mine took 40. The recipe can be doubled and it makes very good cupcakes. She says it freezes well.

 

 

Banoffee Pie

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Condensed milk which has been cooked until it turns into a thick caramel is called Dulce de Leche in South America.

It’s popular all over the region and sold commercially in large quantities. I first came across it when we were living in Chile, where they call it Manjar. Many traditional desserts in Chile use Manjar and some people eat it like jam on bread or toast. It’s sold in supermarkets in various sizes, in toughened plastic or foil bags.

Here in Australia Dulce de Leche is sold in a few specialty shops, but it’s easy, if a little time-consuming, to make. Place two unopened tins of condensed milk in a large saucepan, cover with water and boil for two to two and a half hours. The tins must be fully submerged at all times because, as Nigella Lawson says, you don’t want to have to clean caramel off the ceiling. Nigella suggests you boil a few tins at a time as they keep indefinitely until opened. But if you can’t be bothered making your own Dulce de Leche, buy Nestlé’s caramel filling instead. It’s not quite the same, but it’s close.

With biscuits and caramel in the store cupboard, cream in the fridge and a couple of bananas in the fruit bowl, you can whip up a Banoffee Pie in a jiffy.

Banoffee Pie200g Digestive biscuits (plain or chocolate coated)
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 tin Dulce de Leche (see method above) or use Nestlé’s Caramel Filling
½ cup cream
2 large bananas, sliced
300ml thickened or whipping cream
Chocolate to grate

Crush biscuits until fine in food processor. Mix with melted butter then spread evenly over the bottom of an 8″ (20cm) pie or flan dish and press down firmly. Chill in the fridge until set.

Heat Dulce de Leche or caramel filling in a small saucepan with the half cup of cream and whisk till smooth with a hand whisk. Allow to cool, then spread caramel over the biscuit base. Slice bananas and arrange over the caramel. Whip cream until soft peaks form then spread or dollop over the bananas. Decorate with grated chocolate. If preferred spread the whipped cream on first with the banana slices on top, then the chocolate, which is what I’ve done in the photo.

Serves 6-8

Alternative presentation: layer crumbs, caramel, whipped cream, banana and grated chocolate in short whisky tumblers. This free-form method makes it easy to halve the recipe which will serve 4-6, depending on size of the tumblers. If you want to cut down on fat and calories, just use biscuit crumbs in the bottom and leave out the butter.

Quick Apple Cake

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My mother used to make a dessert called Eve’s Pudding which consisted of stewed apples topped with a simple butter cake mixture. It was a family favourite when I was growing up in England.

This quick and easy recipe combines the same simple ingredients, but instead of being underneath the cake the apples are mixed through. You can use oil or butter, although butter always gives a better flavour.

Served warm with cream or ice cream it’s sure to please the whole family. Any leftovers are perfect for school lunch boxes.

Quick Apple Cake2 eggs
1¾ cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
2 cups Plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder
(Or 2 cups self-raising flour)
4 tsp cinnamon
6 eating apples, peeled and sliced

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and oil or melted butter until well combined. Fold in the sifted plain flour and baking powder (or self-raising flour) and cinnamon. Add the apples and mix to coat thoroughly. Tip mixture into a well-greased 22cm (9 inch) cake pan or pudding dish. Bake for 50 mins or until well risen and golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold

Serves 8-10

Seven Quick Desserts

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We all need a few desserts in our repertoire which can be made in a jiffy.

The secret is to have a few basic ingredients on hand. For the Blueberry Parfait, for example, you need some Lemon Curd in the fridge and a packet of bought meringues (which keep for ages) in the pantry. Just add berries and cream to your shopping list, or nip down to the corner shop.

When I served this dessert recently and said “Would anyone like any more?” everyone said “Yes please”, so I had to re-load all the glasses!

In Australia you can buy a whole pavlova in a box and I used chunks of that instead of meringues because it’s softer and more marshmallowy. But either will do.

  • DSCF0886Blueberry Parfaits – in tall parfait glasses or tumblers place a dollop of whipped cream or thick Greek yoghurt, a dollop of Lemon Curd (preferably home-made), some crumbled meringue, more cream or yoghurt, then a few fresh blueberries. Repeat layers and serve immediately.
  • Mocha Mousse – dissolve 2 tsp instant coffee in 2 Tbs hot water. Mix into 1 cup Nutella chocolate spread. Whip 1 cup cream in another bowl and fold in. Lightly toast ½ cup skinned hazelnuts or almonds and chop coarsely. Break 8 sponge fingers into 6 to 8 small wine or Martini glasses. Drizzle with some Kahlúa or Bailey’s Irish Cream, top with half the chocolate mixture, half the nuts, then repeat. Dust tops with sieved cocoa. Chill before serving.
  • Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding – keep some brioche or croissants in the freezer to make this in one large dish or individual ones.
  • Blancmange – mix 6 slightly rounded tablespoons cornflour with 1 Tbs sugar and a little cold milk. Bring 1 litre milk and ½ cup cream to the boil then add the cornflour mixture and 1-2  tsp vanilla essence, stirring till thick. Pour into coffee cups which have been rinsed out with cold water. Refrigerate till set. To serve dip quickly in hot water and tip onto serving plates. Meanwhile thaw half a kilo of frozen raspberries with some sugar (to taste) and serve this compote with the blancmanges with some thick cream.
  • Mangoes with Ginger Wine – peel and slice 4 mangoes and place in serving dish. Heat ¼ cup Stone’s Ginger Wine with 2 Tbs finely chopped glacé ginger until hot, then pour over mangoes. Chill before serving.
  • Baked Apples – Use a large biscuit cutter to cut 4 circles from 4 slices of bread. Place in a buttered shallow baking dish, top each circle with a whole unpeeled apple, cored. Mix equal quantities melted butter, dried fruit/nuts and brown sugar – a couple of Tbs of each. Add juice and grated rind of an orange then use mixture to stuff the apples. Bake for an hour at 160ºC, basting often. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or cream. The bread goes all crunchy and delicious.
  • Moroccan Fruit Salad – in a small saucepan heat the rind and grated juice of an orange with ¼ cup brandy or rum, ¼ cup honey, ½ cup water and a broken cinnamon stick. Pour over 4-6 cups mixed dried fruit such as sultanas, apricots and sliced figs and leave to macerate for several hours or overnight. Serve with toasted pine nuts and Labneh.

Sweet & Salty Cheesecakes with Cherries & Crumble

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Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, these Sweet and Salty Cheesecakes with Cherries and Crumble are delicious. The saltiness of the feta cheese and the final drizzle of olive oil gives this dessert the sophisticated Mediterranean flourish I have come to expect from recipes by this innovative chef.

The three components can be made in advance and the dessert put together at the last minute, making it perfect for entertaining. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge if they’re not polished off sooner by family members foraging for sustenance.

Instead of cherries you could use any fresh or poached fruit, such as sliced strawberries, poached rhubarb or peaches. For maximum impact serve in Martini or tall parfait glasses, although Ottolenghi just serves it scooped onto small flat plates.

Choose your best, fruity Extra Virgin olive oil to drizzle on top. You may be thinking “Olive oil, on a dessert?” but just try it.

Sweet & Salty Cheesecakes with Cherries and CrumbleCream Cheese Mixture:
200g feta cheese
250g cream cheese (at room temp)
Grated rind and juice 1 large lemon
2-3 Tbs caster sugar, to taste
250ml thick cream (1 cup)
Cherry Compote:
680g jar Morello cherries in syrup (see note below)
1 Tbs sugar
Juice 1 large lemon
4 whole star anise
3 Tbs Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)
1 rounded Tbs Arrowroot + 3 Tbs cold water
Crumble:
125g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup Plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup slivered or flaked almonds
1 Tbs sesame seeds (preferably black ones)
Good pinch salt
To serve:
A few fresh berries (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive oil

Place feta, cream cheese, sugar, lemon rind and juice in food processor and mix till smooth. In a small bowl, whip cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Scrape cream into food processor and mix for a few seconds, just enough to thoroughly combine with the cheese mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides. Scrape into a container with a lid and refrigerate till serving time.

Drain and reserve cherries. Place juice in a small saucepan with sugar, lemon juice and star anise. Simmer for 5-10 mins then strain and discard the star anise. Put back in pan with the cherries. Add combined arrowroot and water and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add liqueur, pour into a container with a lid and refrigerate till serving time.

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Place flour, butter and brown sugar in food processor and process until it starts to clump together. Add nuts, sesame seeds and salt and process briefly to combine. Line a biscuit tray with baking paper. Tip out the crumble and spread out evenly. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until evenly golden brown. After 10 minutes move the crumble around with a fork, bringing the more cooked sides into the middle. Cool then store in a container with a lid.

To serve, place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in 6-8 glasses. Top with some of the cherries, a few fresh berries (optional) and lastly sprinkle with crumble. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Note: I used a jar of cherries from Aldi, but in season you can use fresh cherries, stoned and cooked with a little more sugar, or frozen ones if you can find them. The fruit will probably make enough juice as it cooks, but if not add a dash of water. Arrowroot is sold in the baking section of most supermarkets.

Variation: instead of using cherries slice a couple of punnets of strawberries and put them in a bowl. Add sugar to taste and a splash of white balsamic vinegar and leave to macerate for an hour or so.