Disclaimer! The recipes have been translated into Laura-speak [with a few comments added]
| Ingredients |
Method
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Pavlova
[from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course and deliaonline.com]
This recipe involves no more than whisking and waiting, and is my pièce de resistance! |
For the base
3 large fresh egg whites
6oz (175g) caster sugar
For the top
10 fl oz (275ml) double cream, whipped
12oz (350g) prepared mixed soft fruit (I use ½ packet of frozen Fruits of the Forest per pavlova– don't forget to defrost in advance!)
1 baking tray with baking paper or silicon liner (silicon is fantastic!)
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Preheat oven to Gas mark 2/300°F/150°C.
Whisk the egg whites until reasonably firm peaks appear (don't over-beat – although I've suffered from underdoing it, but never from overdoing it...).
Whisk in the sugar, approximately 1oz (25g) at a time.
Use spoons to place dollops of meringue in an 8-inch (20cm) circle on the paper/silicon sheet. Fill the circle into a mound with the remaining meringue.
Use a fork or skewer to make artistic swirly peaks.
Bake for an hour, then turn the oven off but don't open the door. Wait for several hours or the next morning before taking it out.
To serve Delia suggests that you add the whipped cream and fruit and serve immediately. I always add them and put the pavolva in the fridge while I'm preparing/eating the first course, which I think is beneficial to the outcome of the pavlova. |
Tarte Tatin
[I have compiled this recipe myself using ideas from Delia Smith and Antony Worrall Thompson, in an attempt to take as many short cuts and cheat as much as possible...] |
100g caster sugar
(or ½cm or ¼" layer)
2-3 apples (peeled and chopped)
ready made puff pastry
1 x 7" cake tin (lined)
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Preheat oven to Gas mark 4/200°C, or as directed on the puff pastry packet.
Spread sugar evenly over lined cake-tin base.
Arrange bits of apple beautifully on top.
Cover with rolled out puff pastry.
Bake for 30 min, or as directed on the puff pastry packet.
Very carefully and quickly, invert the cake tin onto a plate. The sugar will have melted and be very liquid indeed.
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Crumble
[From Mary Berry's Cookery Course by Mary Berry, p159]
You can make crumble mixture ahead and freeze it, which makes assembly very quick and easy. |
4oz (100g) flour
2oz (50g) butter
3–4oz (75–100g) sugar
1lb (450g) fruit (eg sliced apples)
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Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6
Rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips to make fine crumbs. Stir in 1oz (25g) sugar.
Place the fruit in an ovenproof dish and sweeten to taste with the remaining sugar.
Tip the crumble mixture over the top and press down lightly.
Bake for 30–40 min. Serves 4.
You can make this with tinned apricots or similar, or banana and chocolate. The recipe for that is probably about 3 decent-sized bananas and 100g packet of chocolate chips; layer sliced banana, chocolate chips, more banana, more chocolate chips, crumble topping (sprinkled with chocolate chips).
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