Lime and Mango Panna Cotta

Last night I cooked a dinner party for 20 people and this Lime and mango panna cotta was definitely the star of the show. It was the first time I had followed this Jane Lovett recipe,  I saw and tasted this panna cotta prepared by Jane at one of her cooking demonstrations last month. You can prepare this pudding up to 3 days in advance which is helpful when cooking for a large crowd! I used ramekins to serve the panna cotta however you can also use martini glasses or one big bowl for people to help themselves to. The subtle lime flavour contrasts well with the sweet mango pulp topping; you can either buy the mango pulp in a tin or make your own from fresh mangos which is what I did.

 

 

To serve 8 you will need...

 

One 400ml tin of coconut milk

400ml double cream

5 tbsps caster sugar

3 limes

4 leaves of gelatine

1 ripe mango or 400ml of tinned mango pulp

1 tbsp icing sugar

Raspberries or strawberries and mint leaves to decorate

 

 

 

You will need to...

 

-Put the gelatine leaves into a large flat dish for five minutes to soften.

- Put the coconut milk, cream and sugar into a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil stirring occasionally and simmer for a minute or two. Add the juice of 3 and zest of  1 lime and remove from the heat.

- Remove the gelatine from the water squeeze out any excess water and add to the cream mixture, (do not boil the gelatine or it wont set) pour into ramekins, glasses or a bowl. Cool cover and refrigerate until set- it is best to leave them over night.

- To make the mango puree peel and slice a mango into a food processor, add icing sugar to taste and process until smooth.

- Decorate with strawberries or raspberries or lime zest.  

 

 

 

 Enjoy Z x

Strawberries & Cream Victoria Sponge

With the Wimbledon finals taking place this weekend, it seems very appropriate to bring out this classic Victoria Sponge filled with strawberries & cream. A pairing that has stood the test of time, you can't really go wrong with strawberries and cream, especially when the cream is laced with fragrant vanilla seeds. This would be an ideal centrepiece for any summer gathering, a welcome addition to an afternoon tea or a decadent way to round off a barbecue. It is also a good excuse to show off the latest addition to my kitchen - this beautiful vintage glass cake stand from RE in Corbridge, Northumberland. This hidden gem of a shop is well worth a visit if you like rooting through unusual and interesting bits and bobs, with their stock ranging from kitchenware to french soaps and gardening equipment. Here is the link to their website if you want to have a look: http://www.re-foundobjects.com

You Will Need…

175g caster sugar

175g butter

175g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

And for the filling…

200ml double cream

1 generous tsp vanilla bean paste or the scraped seeds from one vanilla pod

Half a punnet of strawberries

Icing sugar for for dusting

You Will Need To…

- Preheat your oven to 180C.

- Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

- Beat in the eggs and vanilla essence, and then fold in the sieved flour and baking powder.

- Pour into two round, greased and lined cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

- Cool your sponges on a wire rack whilst you prepare the filling…

- Chop your strawberries into quarters, reserving a few for decoration if you like.

- Whip the cream until soft peaks, then fold in your vanilla paste.

- Spread your berries onto one of the sponges, top with the cream and then place the second sponge on top. 

- Serve on your prettiest plate and dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy! C x

Valentine's Day Delight: White Chocolate Mousse

This is not strictly a Valentine's Day recipe, infact I usually make it in the summer when the strawberries are at their juiciest. However, it doubles up as a romantic pud so why not see if you can impress the other-half or alternatively indulge your single friends! I am aware that the average student house does not contain a set of mousse rings, so I have developed my own tactics for this recipe, which involves cutting up cream or yoghurt pots to make DIY mousse rings. This is a Mary Berry classic adapted to be more student-friendly, and of course if required it has a romantic decorative twist for Valentine's Day...

For six mousses you will need...

50g dark chocolate

75g hobnob biscuits

200g white chocolate

200ml double cream

200ml crème fraiche

225g strawberries

6 mousse rings if you have them, or if not,  DIY using yogurt pots (see below)

             

You will need to...

- Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie.

- Meanwhile, bash the hobnobs with a rolling pin in either a freezer bag or large mixing bowl. When they are finely crushed, stir in the melted dark chocolate. 

- Lay the mousse rings on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. 

- Press the biscuit base into the mousse rings using the back of a metal spoon. Make sure that they are all even and not too thick.

- Chill in the fridge to set whilst you make the filling.

- Melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie, then stir in the crème fraiche and double cream.

- Chop the strawberries into even, thin slices, then remove the bases from the fridge and line the mousse rings with your sliced strawberries.

- Spoon the white chocolate mixture into the middle of each ring - make sure they are only filled to about 2/3 full otherwise it will not hold when the ring is removed.

- Put the mousses back into the fridge and leave to set for about 4 hours.

- When ready to serve, carefully remove the mousse rings and serve with a romantic heart-shaped strawberry slice for Valentine's Day, or on other occasions, a sprig of mint or spoonful of fruit coulis will suffice!

Enjoy! Z x 

Summer Strawberry Tart

Inspired by the sunshine, this is a quick and easy but impressive looking pudding from the Great British Chefs website. Marinating the strawberries in rosé, sugar and Honey makes this tart irresistible. A sweet pastry and delicious crème patissière complement the sharp taste of rosé coated strawberries. Only a small amount of preparation is needed for the marinating and pastry making. This is a simple and straightforward recipe to follow with an impressive and tasty outcome. As you can see from the photos, I tried using both a rectangular and circular tin, both of which I think worked equally well.  

Sweet pastry

You Will Need...

125g of butter

60g of icing sugar

1 egg yolk

125g of plain flour, plus more for dusting

75g of ground almonds

2g of baking powder

1 pinch of salt

3 sprigs of lemon thyme, leaves picked

Crème patissière

You Will Need...

200ml of milk

40g of sugar

2 egg yolks

14g of cornflour

1 vanilla pod, cut and deseeded

Marinated strawberries

18 strawberries, roughly quartered

30ml of rosé wine

1 tsp of caster sugar

1 tbsp of clear honey

You Will Need To...

1. Mix the butter and sugar together to form a smooth paste. Add flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder. Rub the mixture between your fingertips to form a sand-like texture

2.Add the egg yolk and the chopped thyme and continue to work the mix until it comes together to form a dough. When your dough is ready, wrap it in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for 2 hours

3.Once the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas mark 3. Lightly dust a workspace with flour and roll the dough to 1/2cm thickness. Place the dough into a shallow spring form tin, and use the excess dough to build a 1cm side for the tart

4.Bake for 13 minutes until lightly golden. Once cooked, leave the pastry to cool in the tin

5.For the crème patissière, put the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to the boil

6. Meanwhile, mix the sugar and the egg yolk in a separate bowl until you reach a creamy, smooth consistency. Add the cornflour and continue to whisk

7.Once the milk has come to a steady boil, pour half of the milk into the bowl, whisking thoroughly. Whisk the milk and the eggs in the bowl then return the mixture to the pan and continue to whisk on a low heat, returning to a steady boil. Continue to cook for 3 minutes after boiling

8. Put the crème patissière in the fridge in a cold bowl, and cover it with cling film. Once chilled, gently whisk until smooth and return to the fridge until ready to serve

9. For the marinated strawberries, place the cut strawberries into a bowl. Add the caster sugar, rosé wine and honey. Mix until glazed

10.Before serving, spread a generous 1cm layer of crème patissière across your cooked tart and cover with the marinated strawberries. Once covered, spoon the excess marinade on top of the tart to glaze.

Enjoy! Z x