Fat Friday #11 Sweetcorn Cream Dessert with a Caramel Ice-Cream and Popcorn Brittle

Week 11, who have thought it? This weeks Fat Friday is quite an unusual dessert. Its a sweetcorn cream which is almost like a pannacotta like dessert. Its based on gastronomy type of thinking and its got an interesting taste. Want to try it yourself? The recipe is below!

 Recipe: Makes 4 (plus extra ice cream and popcorn brittle) (Recipe kindly provided by my pastry tutor)

For the Caramel Popcorn Ice-cream

• 50ml sunflower oil
• 30g pop corn kernels
• 300ml milk
• 200ml double cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 75g sugar
• 2 teaspoons of liquid glucose
• 30g unsalted butter
• Salt

For the sweetcorn cream

• 400g sweetcorn, cooked and cut from the cob
• 400ml milk
• 250ml double cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• 2 ½ leaves of gelatine

Popcorn Brittle

• 200g sugar
• 25ml water
• 100g double cream
• 100g butter
• 300g freshly popped pop corn

Equipment:

• Saucepan with a lid
• Sieve
• Whisk
• Bowl x 3
• Sugar thermometer
• Ice cream machine
• Knife
• Baking sheet lined with 4 Chef circle moulds lined with cling film at the bottom
• Blender
• Silicone matt

For the ice cream

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the popcorn. When it starts popping shake the saucepan constantly until the kernels are cooked. 

2. Place the milk, cream and popcorn in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Gently bring to the boil again. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 2 hours.
3. Strain through a sieve, pushing hard to get most of the liquid goes through. Bring to a boil again.
4. Whisk the eggs, sugar and glucose until pale and creamy. Pour half the popcorn liquid onto the eggs whisking to combine. Pour this back into the saucepan.
5. Stir the liquid until it reaches 84c on the sugar thermometer, whisk in the butter, salt and strain through a sieve. Leave to cool and place in an ice cream machine.

For the sweetcorn cream

1. Place the sweetcorn, milk and cream in a large pan and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer for 3 minutes then transfer to a blender and liquidize. 3. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
4.Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. 5. Add half of the liquidized sweetcorn to the creamed yolks and whisk until combined.
6. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat for about 1 minute. Meanwhile squeeze the water out of the gelatine.
7. Remove from the heat, add the gelatine and mix.
8. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Allow to rest to allow the bubbles to rise.
9.  Put in the moulds and refrigerate until set.

Popcorn Brittle

1. Put the water and sugar in a pan, allow to boil until the colour changes from clear to a golden brown. Don’t be tempted to stir.
2. Mix in the popcorn to evenly coat.
3. Tip onto a silicone matt and allow the brittle to set.
4. When set break up into small pieces. Store in an airtight container.

To serve:

1. Carefully unmold the sweetcorn cream onto a plate. 2. Arrange the popcorn around the sweetcorn cream.
3. Drizzle the caramel artfully and scoop a little of the caramel ice cream on the top.

Have a great weekend! Happy Baking!
 

Fat Friday #6 Mint Ice Lollies Dipped with Dark Chocolate

Totally made it to week 6! Who have thought?! Ha! I'm typing this just under 24 hours until me and my other half fly off on holiday to Tenerife. Aww don't get jealous, I'll be instagramming all the way, that's the time to get green-eyed. I'll see you when I get back from holiday! Woo! I'll do my best to keep posing while I'm away!
Right back to this week,  I thought I'd go with some ice lollies to cool you down in the fading summer sun. This are mint infused creamy ice lollies don't have to be made with whole milk. They can be made with different types of milk and cream. Soy products and other dairy free options can be substituted but it will affect the end lolly result in terms of creaminess. (Please note i couldnt get my 10 year old laptop to work so no introduction photo. Will have to wait for now. Sorry :/) 

Recipe: (Recipe adapted from the Telegraph Website)

• 40 fresh mint leaves 
• 560ml whole milk 
• 150ml double cream 
• 130g granulated sugar

Equipment: 

• Saucepan
• Fine Sieve
• Spoon
• Ice Lolly Mold (Best I've lolly mold ever used. Also comes with 24 lolly sticks)
• 10 wooden Lolly Sticks
• Freezer
• Bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Large Airtight Container lined with baking paper (make sure it can fit in the freezer! I made that mistake and this resulted in half melted lollies) 
• Baking paper
• Scissors

1.Crush the mint leaves a little with the back of a spoon. This will squish the juices out of mint to create a super mint lolly. 

2.Put the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring almost to the boil. 

3.Remove the pan from the heat and add the mint leaves. Cover and allow to cool. This allows the mint leaves to infuse. The longer you do this the better the mint leaves will infuse and the minter (is that a word?) the lollies will be. 
4.Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down on the leaves with the back of a spoon again to get all the minty-ness out. 

5.Fill the ice-lolly moulds enough so you leave about 1/4 cm gap. This is to allow the mixture to expand but not split the lolly mold. 

6. Place the the ice-lollies in the freezer for about 1 hour and then insert the sticks. Place back into the freezer for about 8 hours. 

7. Check the ice-lollies are completely frozen. If they are, then melt the chocolate in a bowl, over a pan of hot water or in the microwave. 
8. Line a few air tight containers with baking paper, and cut out extra squares if you are putting lollies on top of other lollies. This is so that they don't stick together. 

9. Get a sheet of baking paper and remove the lollies from the molds by dipping them in warm water. Drizzle the chocolate with a spoon to make really cool zig-zag patterns. 
10. Quick as you can put the lollies in the prepared air tight containers and place back into the freezer. 

What is your favourite cold treat on a hot day? See you when I'm tanned! 

Pastry Class: Creme Caramel, Tiramisu and Lemon Syllabub/Posset

Sometimes a recipe can have an air of arrogance about them.
They sound too hard or too posh to make. Which is why I have added another baking rule- Never be discouraged!

In this pastry class, I'm going to be focusing on classic cold desserts, that have stood the test of time and can be used to impress at a dinner party.  

Creme Caramel will always be an old school dessert which, frankly never thought would never grace my plate. I think its the jiggy-wiggly of it or maybe the overdose of cream but it's not my favourite dessert but I'm happy to give anything a go. It wasn't as bad as I thought but I'd much prefer a cupcake.
However, I think there are still people in the world who have a soft spot for this dessert.
Essentially, this recipe is similar to a French creme brulee which is egg custard with a burnt sugar top. The difference is that the egg custard is turned out onto a plate with a layer of caramel on top. But see for yourself, do you think this traditional dessert deserves to be in spot light? Or has it had it's day? You be the judge! (I had to make Creme carmel for my pastry assessment. Read about it in my Matcha Diary Day 7 ) 

Creme Caramel

Recipe: Crème Caramel (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)

Ingredients: Caramel

·       100g sugar

·       125ml water

Ingredients: Cream

·       ½ litre of double cream

·       4 eggs

·       50g sugar

·       3 drops of vanilla

Equipment

·       Saucepan x2

·       Measuring jug x 2

·       Dario moulds/Christmas pudding moulds x 4

·       Whisk

·       Bowl

·       Roasting tin filled with half-filled with warm water

1.    Get your Dario moulds near where you are making the caramel. This makes life a lot more easier.

Step 2. Boil the water and sugar together

Step 2. It will turn a golden brown to brown colour

2.    Place ¾ of the water into a saucepan with sugar on a medium heat. Don’t be tempted to stir. Let the liquid bubble from a clear colour until it turns to a golden brown colour. At this point add the remaining water. The sauce will sizzle and make a lot of noise. Reboil the liquid.

Step 3. Move as quickly as possible. 

Step 3. Leave to set.

3.    As quickly as you can, pour the caramel into the moulds. Once all the moulds have a good layer of caramel in set aside to set. (A little tip, once you’ve finished with the saucepan, put some warm water into it so it doesn't stick to the saucepan)

4.    Place the double cream into another saucepan, on a medium heat.

5.    While the cream is heating, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl until combined.

6.    Once the cream is just heated, pour the cream slowly into the egg mixture whilst whisking until the mixture is completely combined.

7.    Make sure that your caramel is set before pouring the cream into the moulds.

8.    Place moulds into the roasting tray filled with warm water and cook in the oven at 160c/325f/ Gas Mark 3 for 40 minutes.

9.    When cool remove from moulds by loosen with fingers and turn out on plate.  

Tiramisu translates as "Make me happy", which I think is appropriate for something which has coffee and booze in it. There are many variations on this Italian dessert but the main ingredients are cream, coffee, eggs and savoiardi biscuits or Lady fingers.

Classic tiramisu to the left of the picture 

Ingredients: Tiramisu (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)

·       125g mascarpone cheese

·       250g whipping cream, plus a little extra to garnish

·       50g/ 2 egg yolks (or pasteurised egg if you can get it)

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

·       60g caster sugar

·       1 tsp Ameretto liquor/ marsala wine

·       A packet of Savoiardi Biscuits

·       2 tsp instant coffee

·       Chocolate, chopped as finely as you can (I used milk chocolate but dark is just as good.)

·       Cocoa powder, to garnish

Equipment:

·       Small bowl

·       Serving glass/(aka Coupe in the business-thanks Faye!)

·       Whisk

·       Bowl

·       Chopping board

·       Knife

·       Palette knife

·       Sieve

1.    Mix the coffee and liquor with a little water. Dip the biscuits into the liquid. Just enough to make a thick biscuit base into a serving glass.

2.    In a large bowl whisk all of the other ingredients, apart from the chopped chocolate, until the whole thing is holding its shape.

3.    Spoon a layer of the creamy mixture into the glass on top of the biscuit layer.

4.    Sprinkle a thick layer of chopped chocolate into the creamy mixture.

5.    Spoon a little whipped cream on top of the chocolate layer and even out using a palette knife.

6.    Chill in the fridge until set.

7.    Dust a little cocoa powder on top to garnish.

Syllabub (pronouned Silla-bub) is cream and sugar based English dessert which has routes in the Tudor period. It can often be called a posset It's often made with fruit such as raspberry and in this case, lemon. 

Lemon syllabub to the right of the picture

Recipe: Lemom Syllabub/Posset (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)
Ingredients:

·       550ml double cream

·       225g caster sugar

·       The juice and zest of 2 lemons

Equipment:

·       Saucepan

·       Grater

·       Measuring jug

·       Wooden spoon

·       Serving glasses/(aka Coupe in the business)

Step 1.  Boil the ingredients

1.    Boil the double cream, sugar, juice and zest together in a saucepan on a low heat.

Step 2. Stir occasionally.

2.    Stir occasionally until reduced by about 1/3.

3.    Once reduced, let the cream cool down a little.

4.    Spoon a little into a serving glass.

5.    Chill in the fridge until set.

Have an excellent weekend.
Bake On!