Mix together the dried fruit and sugar and soak in the hot tea. Cover and leave overnight so the fruit becomes plump. Add the egg to the mixture and beat well. Stir in the flour. Line a ½ kg/1lb loaf tin. Put the mixture into the tin and bake in a preheated oven 160 C, 325 F, Mark 3 for about 1½ to 1¾ hours.
# Put the milk, double cream, coffee and opened vanilla pod into a sauce pan and bring to the boil. # Whisk the eggs, yolks and caster sugar together. # Slice the croissants in half lengthwise. # Use 1oz butter to grease an ovenproof dish. # Using 3oz butter, spread this on the cut sides of the croissants. # Lay half of them on the base of the dish, butter side up. # Sprinkle with raisins and lay croissants on top. # Let the boiled cream cool a little, pour onto the egg mixture while stirring all the time. # Put back onto heat and stir to start to thicken, take off immediately. # Strain half over the croissants mixture and allow to soak in for 15 minutes gradually straining over the rest of the mix until all is in the dish. # Cook until set. # Take out and allow to cool for 10 minutes. # Pipe a line of whipped cream up the middle of the pudding, sprinkle the grated chocolate over the cream and dust the whole thing with icing sugar, serve.
# Trim the rhubarb and cut it into 2.5cm (1 in) strips. Put into a pan, and add about 2 tbsp water. Add the butter, sugar and ginger, and slowly simmer away until cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger, and allow the rhubarb to cool. # Take out a third of the rhubarb and drain through a sieve or colander, keeping the resulting juice. Put the juice on to the heat to reduce by about two-thirds, then cool. # Meanwhile, divide the drained rhubarb between four glasses. # Take the remaining rhubarb and purée in a blender or processor; do not make a fine purée, leave some texture. # Whip the cream to soft peaks do not over-whip then sweeten with icing sugar to taste. Fold in the rhubarb purée. Using a piping bag with a 1cm (1/2 in) nozzle, pipe the fool mixture in a circular fashion into each glass. Chill for 2 hours only. # Pour the reduced juice over the top of each glass, and serve.
# To cook the beetroot, wrap each one in foil and place in a baking dish. Bake in the oven at 200ºC until soft (test by inserting a sharp knife). This can take anything from 45 minutes to 1½ hours, depending on the size of your beetroot. # Remove from the oven, leave until cool enough to handle, unwrap the foil, then rub off the skins; they should come off easily (wear a pair of rubber gloves to keep your hands from turning pink if you like). Blitz the beetroot in a food processor until smooth. # Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin, leaving about 2cm of baking parchment above the rim of the tin, as the mixture rises quite high while baking. # Preheat your oven to 180ºC. # Put the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl, fitted snugly over a pan of barely simmering water. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool. # While the chocolate is cooling, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in another large bowl until light, pale and voluminous. This will take 4-5 minutes with a handheld electric mixer. # Add the ground almonds, almond essence and puréed beetroot and stir to combine. # Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk and beetroot and stir gently until all the mixture is combined. # Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form soft peaks, then, using a slotted metal spoon, fold a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. # Carefully combine it in until you can't see any white bits, then very gently fold in the rest, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible. Make sure no white bits remain. # Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the mixture has risen well, and still has a bit of a bounce to it when pressed. It may have cracked slightly, this is normal. # Remove from the oven, leave to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack before transferring to your serving plate. # Dust over a mixture of cocoa powder and icing sugar to serve. It will sink slightly as there's no flour in the mixture and will be gooey in the middle if you eat it the same day, and slightly firmer after 24 hours. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.
Make the most of zingy rhubarb by teaming it with two of its classic flavour combinations, orange and ginger. The gingerbread keeps well in an airtight container for a few days (if you have any leftover, which is unlikely!). Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm brownie (baking) tray, one which holds 1.2 litres (2 pints) of liquid. Put the treacle, milk, butter and sugar in a saucepan and gently heat until the butter and sugar has melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, for about 5 mins, then stir in the beaten eggs. Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Tip in the egg/sugar mixture and gently stir until all the ingredients are combined. Pour into the baking tin and bake for about 45 mins, until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. To make the fool, put the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and zest in a large pan. Gently heat for about 10-15 mins, until the rhubarb is tender (test by inserting a sharp knife). Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Whisk the cream in a large bowl (don't over-whisk, just do enough so that it is forming soft peaks). Add the rhubarb mixture and gently fold into the cream. Serve the gingerbread cut into squares with a dollop of fool on the side.
To start, rub together the plain flour, caster sugar and butter. This will create a breadcrumb effect. Whisk 1 egg and slowly add it to the mixture, it will start to make a dough, add a little water at a time until the desired dough consistency is met. The dough should then be rested for half an hour in the fridge to make it easier to roll out. After the dough has been rested, roll it out to fill a 12" quiche tin, ensuring the tin has been greased with butter. The pastry should then be blind baked at 160ºC until golden brown. To make the filling, whisk together 10 Eggs with the other ingredients to a smooth thick consistency. Once the mixture has been mixed, pass it through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps. Place the filling into the pre baked pastry base giving it a grating of nutmeg on the surface before returning it to the oven to cook at 120ºC for 40 minutes or until set.
Delicious served with fresh fruit or for something different try crumbling Side Oven Honey Toasted Muesli or Granola on top. Whip the egg whites to a soft peak consistency, add sugar and whip together. Fold in egg yolks, lightly whipped cream and lemon cordial. Pour into a freezer-proof container and freeze. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before eating to allow the ice cream to soften before serving.
Pre Heat your oven to 170C (Not fan) Combine all the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together until a smooth batter is formed. Grease and line 2x 20cm Circular cake tins and pour in the batter spitting equally between them both, place in the oven and cook for 20-25 mins or until a cooked. (mention how to test this if you are with the other cakes) Leave for a few mins then remove from the tins and allow to cool on a cooling rack. When the cakes are cooked whip the double cream until firm. Add in the icing sugar jsut at the end of whipping. Firstly spread the jam generously over one of the cakes, followed by the cream. For a bit of extra luxury scatter in the chocolate chips if using the place the second cake on top.
1. Lightly grease the sides of a round cake tin with a small amount of olive oil. 2. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for at least 5 minutes 3. Crush the biscuits and add the melted butter 4. Compact the biscuit as much as possible into the cake tin 5. Chop 12-13 strawberries in half and slot these around the sides of the cake with the flat side of the strawberries touching the side of the tin 6. Place the cake tin in the fridge to set the biscuit base 7. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pods and mix in with the cream cheese and caster sugar 8. Whip 300ml double cream 9. Heat 100ml of cream just before boiling point 10. Squeeze out as much water from the gelatine as possible and add to the hot cream. 11. Add the hot cream and gelatine mix to the cheese, vanilla and sugar mixture 12. Add the whipped cream and then fold into the mixture 13. Remove the cake tin from the fridge and add in the cheesecake mixture. 14. Use a spatula to create a smooth flat surface. 15. Place the cheesecake in the fridge and leave for at least 4 hours 16. When releasing the cheesecake from the cake tin, simply use a flat pointy knife and carefully go around the sides of the cheesecake 17. Lightly push down on the top of the cheesecake and slowly release the cheesecake 18. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with the rest of the berries however you like.
Start by generously buttering 4 soufflé moulds and then covering the buttered moulds with caster sugar - tilt the mould to the side so you cover the bottom and the side, which will help the soufflé to rise. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add 20g of the butter; melt and add the pears, sauté until soft and golden brown and finish by adding the lemon juice. Place the pear mix into a food processer & make a smooth purée, then pop the mixture in to a large bowl and leave in the fridge for an hour or so before making the soufflé batter. Whisk the egg yolks into the pear mixture and heat over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes - careful not to boil the mixture. In a mixer whisk the egg whites and the remaining caster sugar until soft peaks. Lightly fold the whites into a cooled pear mixture to make a batter like mixture. Pour the batter into the 4 sugared moulds and bake in a preheat oven at 180c for 15 minutes. Finish by dusting with icing sugar
Equipment - mixing bowl - sharp knife - microplane - measuring jug - whisk - wooden spoon - spatula - 25cm cake tin - rolling tin - chopping board Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Grease and line a 25cm lose-bottomed cake tin. 2. Cut two thirds of rhubarb into pieces about 5cm long. Place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with 55g of caster sugar. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender. 3. Meanwhile, cut the remaining rhubarb into pieces about 7.5cm long, place in another ovenproof dish with a tablespoon of caster sugar and roast until just tender but still holding their shape. Set aside to decorate the cheesecake. 4. To make the biscuit base, place the ginger biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin, leaving the mixture quite rough. Place the biscuit crumbs in a bowl, mix in the melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared cake tin. Place in the fridge while you make the cheesecake mixture. 5. Beat the cream cheese with the remaining 125g caster sugar and the lemon zest, then add the soured cream and egg yolks and beat until smooth. 6. Spread the rhubarb onto the chilled biscuit base. Whisk the egg white until they hold soft peaks then fold into the cheese mixture and pour on top of the rhubarb. 7. Bake in the oven for about one hour, reducing the heat to 180°C/Gas 4 once the cheesecake has risen. The top should be firm to the touch but still slightly wobbly. Leave the cheesecake to cool then remove it from the tin, arrange the reserved rhubarb on top and dust with the icing sugar.