Apple Crumble Souffle Recipe

Apple Crumble Souffle (Serves 4)

A traditional, British dessert refined into a souffle...

Ingredients: 1/2 Vanilla Pod (Seeds Scraped Out)
                          200ml Full-Fat Milk
                          1 Egg
                          6 Egg Whites
                          95g Plain Flour
                          30g Butter
                          15g Cornflour
                          220g Caster Sugar
                          3 Cox Apples (Peeled, Cored & Diced)
                          1 Cinnamon Stick

Method:

1. For the crème patissière, put the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg in a large bowl and then, continuously whisking with a hand-held electric mixer, slowly add 35g caster sugar, then 20g of flour and, finally, 5g of cornflour. Once the milk has come to the boil, pour it onto the egg custard, mix and whisk. Transfer back to the pan and cook on a medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes or until thick. Pass it through a fine sieve.

2. To make the apple purée, slowly cook 2 of the apples, cinnamon and 50g of sugar together with 50ml of water in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes or until the apple turns to mush. Pass through a sieve, watering it down if it seems a little thick, and keep warm. Whisk together the apple purée and 40g of caster sugar in a saucepan and then simmer over a medium heat until reduced by half. Mix 10g of cornflour with a little water to form a paste and add to the purée. Increase the heat to high and cook the purée until it has thickened. Transfer to a food processor and blend, then strain and leave to cool.

3. For the crumble, preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Rub 75g of flour, 65g caster sugar and butter together in a bowl to form crumbs, then spread on a baking tray and cook in the oven, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and then blend in a food processor. Increase the oven temperature to 180 degrees Celsius.

4. Make the meringue by whisking together the egg whites and 30g of caster sugar in a bowl to stiff peaks.

5. To make the soufflés, butter four 275ml moulds then quickly swirl sugar around the moulds so that it adheres to the butter. Mix 240g of the fruit reduction with 320g of the crème patissière. Then gently fold in half of the meringue mix, followed by the rest of the meringue. Add 1 tablespoon of the crumble and 1 tablespoon of the diced cox apples. 

6. Spoon the mix into the moulds, sprinkle more crumble on top and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or so until risen and golden. Serve the soufflés immediately, scattered with some more of the crumble.

Passionfruit Ice Cream Recipe

Passionfruit Ice Cream 

A zingy, tropical dessert- a wonderful twist from standard ice cream flavours... 

Ingredients: 300ml Full-Fat Milk
                          300ml Double Cream
                          100g Caster Sugar
                          6 Egg Yolks
                          12 Passion Fruits (Pulp Scraped Out)

Method:

1. In a medium sized saucepan, pour in the cream, milk and passion fruit pulp. Simmer on a medium heat and leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.

3. Before pouring over the hot passionfruit mix into the bowl, pass the mix through a sieve to discard the seed. Whisk the hot passionfruit cream into the eggs and sugar to incorporate all the ingredients together and to avoid the egg from scrambling.

3.Pour the ice cream mix back into the saucepan and continually whisk on the heat until the mix starts to thicken. 

4. Allow to cool, before churning in an ice cream maker for 25-30 minutes.

5. Store in an airtight container and consume within 1 month.

Vanilla Pannacotta served with Roasted Pineapple Recipe

Vanilla Pannacotta served with Roasted Pineapple (Serves 4)

An elegant dinner party dish, which can be prepared well in advance...

Ingredients: 250ml Double Cream
                          250ml Full-Fat Milk
                          1 Vanilla Pod
                          4 Gelatine Leaves (Soaked in Cold Water)
                          1 Ripe Pineapple (Peeled, Quartered, and Cored)
                          1 Star Anise
                          1 Cinnamon Stick
                          260g Caster Sugar
                          300ml Water

Method:

1. In a medium based saucepan pour in the cream and milk and add 60g of caster sugar half the vanilla pod. Bring to a simmer on a medium heat.

2. Once up to a simmer, squeeze out the excess water of the softened gelatine and whisk into the pan until the gelatine is fully dissolved. Pass the contents through a fine sieve or shinois into a jug. Pour into 4 round moulds and set in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

3. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

4. Place the sugar and spices into a heavy-based pan and pour the water over the top. Bring the mixture to the boil on a high heat and stir thoroughly until the sugar dissolves. 

5. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and resembles syrup. Strain the mixture into a jug, getting rid of the whole spices and set aside the mixture to cool.

6. Lay the quarters of pineapple on a roasting tray and drizzle over two thirds of the sugar syrup before placing in the oven. Roast the pineapple for 8-10 minutes and baste regularly with the remaining sugar syrup.

7. Allow the pineapple to cool, before placing in an airtight container into the fridge to cool.

8. To serve, allow a quarter of pineapple per person, and slice it thinly arranging the slices in the middle of the plate. De-mould the pannacotta and place on top before drizzling any leftover syrup from the pineapple around the plate. 
              
                          
              

Gingerbread Recipe

Gingerbread

A lovely treat for any occassion...

Ingredients: 450g Plain Flour
                            1 Teaspoon Salt
                            3 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
                            3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
                            1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda
                            225g Demerera Sugar
                            175g Unsalted Butter
                            175g Treacle
                            175g Golden Syrup
                            250ml Milk
                            1 Egg

Method:

1. Grease and line a 10" cake tin with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius.

2. Sift the flour, salt, ginger, baking powder and bicarbonate soda into a bowl.

3. Meanwhile in a medium sized pan warm the sugar, butter, syrup and treacle until melted on a medium heat but do not allow to boil.

4. Take the pan of the heat and mix the milk and egg into the sugar/butter mix thoroughly.

5. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the liquid gradually, mixing together until fully incorporated.

6. Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hour an 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.

7. Cool immediately on a wire rack and portion once fully cool.

Spiced Rhubarb Crumble served with Vanilla Custard Recipe

Spiced Rhubarb Crumble served with Vanilla Custard (Serves 4)

A Great British classic, with a spicy twist...

Ingredients:

1 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Vanilla Pod
800g Rhubarb (Chopped Roughly)
1 Orange (Juice & Zest)
260g Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Grenadine
100g Flour
100g Porridge Oats
100g Unsalted Butter
4 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Cornflour
250ml Double Cream
250ml Full-Fat Milk

1. In a medium based saucepan soften the rhubarb with the sugar, grenadine, cinnamon stick, 1/2 a vanilla pod, star anise and the zest/juice of an orange on a medium heat.

2. Poached for 5-10 minutes until the rhubarb has softened and transfer to an ovenproof dish.

3. Meanwhile, for the crumble topping rub the butter and flour in together with your fingers to a crumb, before adding the sugar and oats. Incorporate all ingredients evenly before placing on top of the poached rhubarb.

4. Cook in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble top is golden brown.

5. Meanwhile, make the custard by using a medium sized pan on a low to medium heat get the cream, milk and vanilla pods up to a simmer.

6. Whilst, in a separate bowl whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour before adding the cream/milk mix whisking thoroughly to prevent the eggs from cooking too quickly.

7. Get the custard mix back on the heat, whisking constantly until the custard thickens up. When at the desired consistency, take off the heat and pass through a sieve or shinois.

8. Serve immediately.