Fat Friday #18 Rice Pudding Terrine served with a Salted Liqorice Parfait and Bitter Chocolate Sorbet

Welcome to Novembers last Fat Friday. This quite an usual dessert, it sounds like something that would grace the table of a nice little kitch restaurant. Well for now it will grace this blogs Fat Friday #18. I was not convinced to start with, but tasting the finished dessert was sweet, salty and creamy all in one. Its a great dinner party dessert and will impress dinner guests. Tuille is a type of very thin biscuit that can be shaped as soon as it comes out of the oven. However, in this recipe they are kept straight for height. Also for future reference, a parfait is a type of mousse and as Donkey says: "Everybody like parfait!"

Recipe: Makes 1 terrine, which will serve 6-8 people (recipe kindly  provided by my pastry tutor).

Rice Pudding:

·       50g sugar

·       75g risotto rice

·       350ml milk

·       100ml double cream, plus 100ml extra lightly whipped cream

·       1 ½ leaves gelatine

·       1 vanilla pod split lengthways

Pastry Cream:

·       100ml milk

·       75ml double cream

·       40g sugar

·       1 egg yolk

·       5g cornflour

Rice Tuilles

·       35g egg whites

·       40g icing sugar

·       100g reserved rice pudding

Salted Liquorice parfait

·       200ml double cream

·       100ml water

·       150g sugar

·       6 egg yolks

·       40ml liquorice essence

·       Fine sea salt

Bitter Chocolate Sorbet

·       750ml water

·       250ml milk

·       50g sugar

·       75ml glucose

·       100g cocoa powder

·       240g bitter chocolate

Equipment:

·       Saucepan

·       Rubber spatula

·       Bowl x 3

·       Blender

·       Pastry brush

·       Baking sheet

·       Whisk

·       Measuring jug

·       A square container that is suitable for freezing x 2

·  Ice cream machine

·  Fine sieve

 

For the rice pudding

1.    In a saucepan, simmer the pods, milk, cream, rice and sugar for 20 minutes until thick and creamy. 

2.    Remove from the heat and reserve 100g of the rice pudding for tuilles.  

3.    Place the gelatine in cold water until it is soft and add to the remaining rice pudding. Place both the rice puddings in the fridge to cool.

For the pastry cream:

1.    Bring the cream and milk to the boil.

2.    Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and flour.

3.    Combine the two mixtures and return to the pan until thickened. Leave to cool

For the rice tuille:

1.    Place the egg whites, sugar and rice pudding into a blender and puree to a smooth-ish texture.

2.    Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

3.    Brush onto a sill matt using a pastry brush into a thin strips and bake on gas mark 3/170c/ 325f for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

For the parfait:

1.    Whisk the cream to ribbon stage. So almost whipped but not quite there.

2.    Place the sugar and water into a pan and cook to a deep caramel.

3.    Whisk the egg yolks until pale.

4.    Once the caramel is ready, slowly add the eggs whilst whisking.

5.    Fold in the cream and essence and place into a square shaped container and freeze.

Bitter Chocolate sorbet:

1.    Place the water, milk, sugar and glucose in a pan and bring to the boil.

2.    Whisk the cocoa powder into the milk mixture and pour the hot liquid over the chocolate to melt it. Whisking as you go.

3.    Strain through a fine sieve and freeze in an ice cream machine.

To Serve:

1. Cut the rice pudding into a rectangle on a plate.
2. Cut the parfait into a rectangle shape and place directly place on top of the pudding. Make sure its not too thick.
3. Scoop a little of the ice cream and place on top of the parfait.
4. Quickly place a tuille biscuit on top. Nom.

So would you order this dish? What do you think of the combination?

Fat Friday #17 Autumn Strudel

Welcome to that time of the week! It's Fat Friday! This weeks recipe is a great recipe to do with a friend, as you'll need some help with the strudel pastry. Its tons of fun to stretch and play with!

Recipe: Makes 4 large or 8 small strudels

Strudel Pastry:
·       250g Plain flour, sieved
·       1 egg
·       30ml vegetable oil
·       25g melted butter, plus a little extra
·       113ml water
·       100g poppy seeds

Spiced Apples:

·       3 apples cored, peeled and cut into chunks
·       20g raisins
·       20g apricots cut into pieces
·       100g granulated sugar
·       30g water
·       A pinch of cinnamon

Equipment:
·       Chopping Board
·       Saucepan
·       Wooden Spoon
·       Measuring Jug
·       Teaspoon
·       Tablespoon
·       Timer
·       Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
·       Pastry Brush
·       Fork
·       Loaf tin lined with silicone paper
·       Knife

Apple Filling

1.Place all of the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook until apples are cooked through and the mixture is slightly mushy.
2.Put aside in bowl to cool and place into the strudel pastry.

Strudel pastry

1.Sieve the flour into a bowl.
2.Add the egg, oil, water and butter and mix with your hands to form a dough.
3.Knead for 5 minutes until elastic.
4.Rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5.Once rested, roll the pastry out on a floured surface until ½ inch thick.
6.Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/ 170c/325f
7.Stretch the dough by hand until it is as thin as paper.
8.Brush the pastry with a little melted butter

9.Cut the pastry into long oblongs. Spoon in the apple filling across a little of the pastry and roll into a cracker shape.
10.Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
11.Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes

What other flavours do you like in strudel?

Baking Basics 101: Blind Baking Pastry

Its Baking Basics 101! Sorry its been a little while since I've done a baking basics, I've been waiting for the appropriate moment in pastry class to sharpen my skills. This week its blind baking. This method is used to pre-cook pastry cases and avoid the dreaded soggy bottom!

Ingredients list:
Use the following recipes:
Pate Brisee (sweet pastry ideal for tarts)
Short Crust Pastry (for a quiche)
Pate Sucre (Crisper sweet pastry)

Equipment:

·Baking beans
·Baking sheet lined with silicon paper
·Cling film
·Fork
·Appropriate sized baking ring

Method
1.Make the dough according to the recipe.
2Preheat oven to the appropriate temperature.
3.Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, until about 2 mm thick.
4.Line the metal cases with the dough and roughly chop any remaining edges. Prick the dough base lightly with a fork this allows the steam to escape.
5.Place a little clingfilm into the dough cases and fill with baking beans.
6.Blind bake for 18 minutes or until completely cooked through.
7.Take the baking beans out of the tart, check the base to see if a little soggy. If it is bake a little longer to dry the cases out.
8. Fill the case with your chosen filling and bake according to recipe.

So that's it pastry fans, do you have a different method for baking blind?

Fat Friday #16 White Treacle Tart

*In cockney accent* "Alright treacle? Its Fat Friday. Fancy a bit of treacle for my treacle?" ... Ok lets just get on with it. Happy Fat Friday and happy baking! (Again sorry about the lack of pictures, its pastry class moment again...)

 

Ingredients:

For the pate sucre

·260g plain flour, plus a little extra
·100g icing sugar, plus a little extra
·30g ground almonds
·125g unsalted butter
·3 eggs, 1 egg yolk to wash the bottom of the tart
·1 tsp milk

For the white treacle filling:

·60g unsalted butter
·1 egg
·1 egg yolk
·3 tbsp double cream
·6g salt
·450g golden syrup
·120g white bread crumbs

Equipment:
·Saucepan
·Whisk
·Mixing bowl
·Fork
·Wooden spoon
·Sieve
·Rolling pin
·Knife
·9 inch baking ring
·Baking sheet
·Baking beans
·Cling film

For the pate sucre:

1.Place the flour, icing sugar, almonds and butter in a mixing bowl, rub the mixture together.
2.Add the 2 eggs and mix well. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3.Preheat oven to 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4.
4.Dust the work surface with icing sugar. Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick.
5.Line the tart ring with the pastry, letting it hand over the sides. Cover with cling film and fill the tart base with baking beans.
6.Bake blind for 20 minutes or until the case is cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the baking beans and cling film.
7.Brush the bottom of the tart with a little egg yolk to crisp up the bottom.
8.Place the tart back in the oven for 5 minutes to crispy up the base.

For the filling:

1.Melt the butter, cream and golden syrup in a saucepan until liquid.
2.Once melted put in a separate bowl to cool. Whisk in the eggs a little at a time.
3.Mix in the breadcrumbs into the liquid ingredients.

To Finish:

1.Pour the treacle mixture into the tart case and bake for 20 minutes on Gas Mark 4/180c/350f.