HUGHS PEAR PUDDING CAKE WITH BAKED CUSTARD

Dessert for Mothers day lunch last weekend was courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a pear pudding cake but instead of serving with the usual  cream or ice-cream, I decided to make a baked custard. 

A favourite of my dad's and something I hadn't made in a long time.

Dead easy to cook and not too heavy which is just what we needed

after the roast hogget lunch.

Click here for Hughs recipe

For the baked custard

6 free range egg yokes

75g caster sugar

800ml double cream (eek! How much?! Still, it was Mothers day)

2 tspn vanilla extract

 

Separate the egg yokes from the white into a mixing bowl.

Mix in the sugar and vanilla extract.

Warm the cream to just below a simmer and gradually whisk into the egg mix

Pour into a warm baking dish and then place into the oven in a bain marie.

Bake for 30 mins at 160 degrees or until it has a jelly like wobble to it.

 I didn't but you could add a crunch to the baked custard by giving it a brulee top

Serve it on its own or with a pudding of your choice as we did. 

Use apples or peaches in the pudding cake as an alternative if your not a fan of pears

WILL'S GRANOLA BARS

And whilst we were hard grafting in the garden, Will was busy making Granola Bars.

A much needed tea break!

Ingredients

170g light brown soft sugar

75g golden syrup

75ml apple juice

130g unsalted butter

380g rolled oats

95g sultanas

50g dried cranberries

50g pumpkin seeds

50g sunflower seeds

6 blanched almonds (roughly chopped)

Makes 10-12 bars

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350°C) Gas 4

Put the sugar, syrup butter and apple juice in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients until mixed well and coated with syrup.

Line a 20x30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour the granola mix into it, spreading evenly and gently pressing down.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Lift out the greaseproof paper and lay on a chopping board.

Cut into bars approx 1.5" thick.
Store for up to a week.

FLORENTINES

Another cracking recipe from Isidora Popovic's Popina Book of Baking, again made by Will (Baker junior).

Ingredients

60g unsalted butter

60g golden granulated sugar

60g runny honey

60g plain flour

35g mixed peel

35g dried cranberries

65g sultanas

45g flaked almonds, plus extra to sprinkle

35g shelled walnuts, chopped

35g shelled pecan nuts, chopped

80g dark chocolate

baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper

          

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) Gas 2

Put the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium heat and gently bring to the boil. Do not let the ingredients burn. 

When it reaches boiling point, stir until the sugar has dissolved completely, then remove from the heat. 

Stir in the flour, mixed peel, cranberries, sultanas, almonds,walnuts and pecan nuts. 

Mix until well combined. Leave to cool for a while before handling. 

Take a generous teaspoon of the mixture, roughly roll into a ball and place on one of the prepared baking trays. 

Flatten  it gently, then repeat this process with the remaining mixture spacing the discs apart as they may spread when they are baking.

Sprinkle a few flaked almonds over each florentine.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

In the meantime, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. 

Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water.  Stir until melted.

Dip one side of each florentine in the bowl of chocolate and leave to set, chocolate side up, on a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

No need in our house, they didn't last the weekend!

Nutty chocolate delight!

Makes around 20 florentines

RUSTIC PLUM TART

My son, Will, is a keen baker, in more ways than one and today made this Rustic Plum Tart from Isidora Popovic, Popina book of baking.  It was delightful, was being the operative word as it didn't last long!

Really quick and easy to make and great as a sweet snack with coffee or a warm dessert with a dollop of double cream.

90g golden caster sugar                                  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4
1 Egg                                                                   Put the sugar and egg in a mixing bowl and mix with an
40ml groundnut oil (or any other veg oil)        electric whisk. Add the oil, milk, flour, baking powder and
55ml whole milk (we only had semi skim)      vanilla and mix again until combined.  Transfer to the
140g plain flour                                                 prepared baking tin and spread evenly. Sit the plums, cut
1 teaspoon baking powder                             side up, over the mixture.
A few drops of vanilla oil                                  Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until
6 large plums, stoned and halved                   deep golden.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool for
2 tablespoons apricot jam                               for a few minutes.
to glaze (optional)                                             In the meantime put the apricot jam, if using, in a small
A 20cm springform tin, lined                           saucepan and heat gently until melted and runny.  Brush the
with greaseproof paper                                    jam all over the tart with a pastry brush and leave for a few
                                                                            more minutes before serving.
                                                                          
                                                                            
Makes about six (generous) slices                               

This book is brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone - I got this for my birthday and have already made lots of  tasty treats from it. With this plum tart I used basic caster sugar as an alternative to golden, the only difference is that the cake will be slightly paler in colour after being baked but hardly notices and is easily covered by the apricot jam glaze anyway. No greaseproof paper so buttered around the tin sides instead.

The apricot Jam is optional but I think essential to the presentation and taste of the tart. The plums become slightly wrinkled by the bake and the jam will make the top layer of both the sponge and the apricots moist; also it gives the cake a nice sweet taste - Will