cakepusher

Rum and Raisin Ice cream

This Sumptuous, velvety homemade Rum and Raisin ice cream recipe is easy to prepare and won't last long on a hot day!  You may have to hide this one from the kids!

• 120g (3/4 cup) Raisins, chopped
• 100ml (5 Tablespoons) Rum
• 250ml (1 cup) Full-cream milk
• 100g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 450g liquid cream (30% fat)

1. Pour rum onto raisins, cover and leave to stand overnight.
2. Heat the milk in small saucepan, while beating the eggs and sugar in a jug separately.
3. Slowly  pour the hot milk onto the mixed eggs and sugar while stirring.
4. Pour all the mixture into the saucepan and heat it without boiling but stirring all the while until it starts to thicken like smooth custard. (Use a whisk to do this - no lumps!!)
5. Allow to cool at room temperature.
6. Mix in the cream and put the mix in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
7. Turn on your icecream maker and pour in the prepared mixture. As it starts to thicken, add the rum-soaked raisins and leave it mixing until appliance beeps and stops automatically.
8. Use supplied spatula (strong plastic) to scrape icecream into sealable storage container for freezing. 

TIP!  Make a low-fat ice cream by replacing the liquid cream with a thick, vanilla low-fat yoghurt. 

Don't have an ice cream maker yet?  Take a look at the Krups model below, which I personally own myself, and have made many a successful batch with.  They're easy and fun to use and cleaning up is simple.

"=""Nothing spells gourmet like chunky & colourful homemade ice cream. Do it the easy way with this fabulous Krups Ice Cream Maker, complete with recipe book so you can get cooking � or freezing � immediately! With stylish brushed stainless steel aesthetics as well as LCD and countdown timer � it's the perfect summer accessory!"""

Fruity Bread and Butter Pudding

Oranges, almonds and fresh cream combine with fruit-bread to create a lusciously-zesty variation on a home-cooked favorite!

• 1 loaf sliced fruit bread
• 150g melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 200g orange marmalade
• 500ml cream
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 orange, rind zested
• A handful of flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 350deg F/180deg C

Remove crusts from bread and interweave across a greased casserole dish.

Beat together eggs, orange rind, cream and sugar. Pour over bread.

Heat the marmalade lightly on a stove and gently stir in orange segments. Interweave segments through bread.

Spoon this over bread, sprinkle with brown sugar and place in oven for 30-40 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with almonds in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Serve warm with fresh cream or vanilla icecream.

                   

Tiramisu

Traditional Tiramisu - a favourite Italian dessert is given an Irish twist. serves approx 6-8.                  

                Ingredients

Note! There are two different liqueurs used in this recipe: The Bailey's Irish Cream is not used in the first step, but later in the recipe.

• 500ml (2 cups) espresso coffee, (or strong black coffee) at room-temperature.
• 1/3 cup coffee-flavoured liqueur + 1/3 cup chocolate sauce
• 2 packs savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits) toasted
• 4 eggs, separated
• 110g (1/2 cup, firmly packed)brown sugar
• 500 g (2x 250g) containers mascarpone, at room temperature
• 250ml (1 cup) Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur
• Coarsely grated dark chocolate, to serve

TIP! Before you begin, lightly 'toast' your savoiardi in oven, on baking trays for 5-10 minutes @ 375F /190C and allow to cool.

Method
1. Mix chocolate sauce and coffee-liqueur in a bowl. Combine with strong coffee.
2. Line half the biscuits, tightly-packed, in a baking dish. Drizzle half the coffee-mixture over the biscuits. 
3. Use an electric beater to beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and creamy. Add softened mascarpone and Baileys and beat until well combined.
4. Use clean electric beaters to whisk the egg whites in a chilled metal bowl until soft peaks form. Use a metal spoon to fold half the egg white into mascarpone mixture. Fold in remaining egg white until combined.
5. Spoon half the mascarpone mixture over layered biscuits, smoothing gently with a spatula. Sprinkle some grated dark chocolate over top.
6. Repeat a layer of toasted savoiardi, sprinkling the remaining coffee-mixture evenly over to soften.
7. Top with the rest of the mascarpone-mixture.   Sprinkling generously with cocoa powder.  Garnish with more grated dark chocolate or chocolate curls.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours to chill. Sprinkle with whipped cream and mini chocolate curls to serve.

TIP!  The longer you chill tiramisu, the softer and more cake-like the savoiardi layers become.  Can be prepared a day ahead, if you prefer a very soft texture.

Lemon Meringue Pie

"This tangy yet sweet dessert with its mountain of crunchy meringue topping is always well-received". 

           PASTRY:                                   

• 1oz/25g ground almonds
• 2 1/2 oz/75g unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• drop of vanilla essence
• 4oz/125g plain flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
• pinch of salt

1.  In a food processor, place ground almonds, butter, egg and vanilla essence.  Blend until butter has softened.  Blend again, gradually adding the flour, icing sugar and salt.  Continue to blend until the pastry forms itself into a ball.  Remove dough, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.

2.  Roll pastry on a lightly-floured surface, large enough to line your pie dish.  To reduce risk of dough breaking apart enroute, roll pastry around rolling-pin and unroll it again across top of pie dish.  Press into dish and trim edges.   

3.  Line pastry with baking paper and spread some dried beans or rice on top to keep in place.  Bake for approx 10 mins in preheated oven @ 425F / 220C.  Remove paper and bake a further 10 minutes or until lightly golden.  Allow to cool.

FILLING:

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2oz/60g unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

METHOD:            (Pre-heat oven to 425F/220C)

1.  Bring water and butter to the boil in a saucepan.

2.  In a bowl mix together caster sugar, cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and rind.

3.  Mix in the hot water and butter, then pour back into the saucepan. 

4.  Bring back to the boil, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens.

5.  Pour into the pastry shell.  While this is cooling, prepare meringue....

MERINGUE TOPPING:

• 4 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons water
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup caster sugar

1.  Beat egg whites, water and salt on high speed in cold metal bowl until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, beating until it is dissolved.

2.  Spoon on top of lemon filling, spreading the meringue to seal all edges.  Make 'peaks' in your meringue with a knife.

3.  Bake in a moderate oven (400F/200C) for 5-10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned and crisp.

4.  Cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

NOTE!  For a ravishing variation, try switching the lemon juice and rind for that of a mandarin.   

Maple Pecan Pie

This delectable pie can be served warm or cold, with silky maple spice cream (See below).

For crunchier nuts in your pie, toast them first in the oven on a baking tray for approx 5-10 minutes @ 375°F / 190°C. 

         

                         PASTRY:                                       

• 1oz/25g ground almonds
• 2 1/2 oz/75g unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• drop of vanilla essence
• 4oz/125g plain flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
• pinch of salt

In a food processor, place ground almonds, butter, egg and vanilla essence.  Blend until butter has softened.  Blend again, gradually adding the flour, icing sugar and salt.  Continue to blend until the pastry forms itself into a ball.  Remove dough, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.

            

                      PIE INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2oz/60g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups lightly-toasted pecans (see note above)

         

                       METHOD:            (Pre-heat oven to 425°F/220°C)

1.  Roll pastry on a lightly-floured surface, large enough to line your pie dish.  To reduce risk of dough breaking apart enroute, roll pastry around rolling-pin and unroll it again across top of pie dish.  Press into dish and trim edges.   

2.  Line pastry with baking paper and spread some dried beans or rice on top to keep in place.  Bake for approx 10 mins in preheated oven @ 425°C / 220°C.  Remove paper and bake a further 10 minutes or until lightly golden.  Allow to cool.

3.  Place brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, eggs, butter,vanilla and flour in a medium-size bowl.  Beat with electric beaters until smooth and well-combined.  Fold in pecans. 

4.  Pour into pastry case and decorate with pecan halves.

5.  Bake in oven for approx 40-45 minutes or until firm and golden. If pastry edges are cooking too quickly, cover them with strips of aluminum foil. Take care not to spill the hot filling when removing pie from oven.

MAPLE CREAM: in small glass bowl, whip 1 1/4 cups of cream until thick and smooth.  Gently fold in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice. 

Serve pie warm or cool with a dollop of maple cream.

Mille Feuille au Chocolat

In french, mille feuille literally means "a thousand leaves".  In the case of this delectable dessert, the term refers to a thousand leaves or sheets of flaky pastry.                    

          INGREDIENTS

• 1cup milk
• 300 ml cream
• 125g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 40g cornflour
• vanilla essence
• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 1-2 tablespoons grand marnier

1.  Preheat the oven to 220c / 425F (gas mark 5-6). Heat the milk and one-third of a cup of the cream together in a saucepan.  Add the chocolate and stir over low heat until melted.

2.  Mix the egg, sugar and cornflour together.  Beat well.  Pour the chocolate mixture over, stirring constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over a low heat until it thickens and boils.

3.  Remove from the heat and add 1-2 drops of vanilla essence.  Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave to cool.

4.  Place the sheets of pastry on a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.  Leave to cool.

5. Carefully split each sheet of pastry in half.  Trim the edges and cut 24 rectangles, each measuring approx 3 x 4 inches (8 x 10 cm).

6.  Whip the remaining cream with the liqueur until thick, but not stiff.

7.  To assemble: place a piece of pastry on a serving plate and spread with a little chocolate custard, followed by some cream.  Reapeat to make three layers, finishing with a layer of pastry.  Dust with icing sugar.

NOTE: Liqueur can be replaced with a different flavoured liqueur of your choice - e.g. Kahlua, Tia Maria or Bailey's Irish cream.