Jane Lovett Cookbook Giveaway! - Festive Ginger Creams With Pistachio Brittle

With the festive season upon us and lots more mouths to feed, we are always on the lookout for quick, easy and delicious recipes that can feed an army. Jane Lovett is our go-to woman for this, and if you follow us on Instagram you may have noticed that we have been fans of hers for a while. Her book 'Make it Easy' has been like a bible for us on many a cooking job in Scotland, especially as she specialises in foolproof do-ahead recipes that always go down a treat. Jane has recently re-released her book, and has kindly sent us one to giveaway to YOU our readers! Either give it to a loved one as a Christmas gift, or use it yourself and impress friends and family with some delicious dishes over the festive period. To enter the giveaway head over to our Instagram page by clicking HERE and find all the details over there - GOOD LUCK!

Here is one of our favourite festive puddings from the book - Jane's Ginger Creams are ideal Christmas Party showstoppers as they are easy and can be made well in advance, yet look as impressive as a classic Crème Brûlée. The combination of fiery ginger, smooth cream and crunchy pistachio brittle is also heavenly...enjoy!

To make 8 you will need...

6 tbsp ginger preserve

6 egg yolks

450ml double cream

175g granulated sugar

3 tbsp water

100g roughly chopped pistachio nuts

Icing sugar

You will need to...

- Preheat the oven to 180C. Place 8 ramekins into a deep roasting tin and boil a kettle of water in preparation. 

- Whisk the ginger preserve and egg yolks together in a mixing bowl until pale. Bring the cream to just below boiling point and pour over the egg mixture, whisking all the time.

- Once the mixture has thickened slightly transfer into a jug and pour into the ramekins. Put the roasting tin with the filled ramekins into the oven and carefully pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. 

- Cook for 20-25 minutes or until just set with a slight wobble in the middle (custard continues to cook when removed from the oven!) Remove the ramekins from the water, allow to cool then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

- To make the brittle start by lightly oiling a baking sheet. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and cook over a low heat, giving the odd gentle stir, until the sugar has dissolved. 

- Turn up the heat and boil fast until the sugar caramelises into a deep golden colour. Quickly add the pistachios, stir, and tip out immediately onto the pre-prepared baking sheet. Spread the mixture out as thinly as possible and leave to cool.

- Serve the creams straight from the fridge dusted with icing sugar. Bash, snap, or break the brittle into random sized pieces, and scatter over the top with the occasional shard sticking out as you desire. 

Enjoy! C & Z x

Two Types Of Biscotti

This recipe for biscotti, a twice-baked Italian biscuit, is incredibly versatile, and once you have the basic dough (I use a Paul Hollywood recipe for this) you can tailor the additional flavours to suit your preferences by altering the type of nuts, dried fruits or citrus that you choose to include. These two recipes are my personal favourite combinations - I couldn't choose between the fresh lemon and the rich chocolate versions so had to include both! Despite looking both authentic and impressive, biscotti is really simple and easy to make. Although the Tuscans traditionally serve them at the end of a meal with a glass of Vin Santo, in our slightly less sun-drenched autumnal England I think they are best enjoyed as a tea-time treat, or a tasty accompaniment to a mid-morning coffee.

Chocolate, Almond and Cherry

Lemon, Pistachio and Cranberry

 For About 30 Biscuits You Will Need...

Basic Dough

250 g plain flour (280g if making the chocolate biscotti)
1/2 tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
3 free-range eggs, beaten

Lemon, Pistachio & Cranberry Flavour

Zest of 1 lemon
100g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped
120g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
125g dried cranberries, roughly chopped

OR

Chocolate, Almond & Cherry Flavour

50g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
50g chocolate chips
50g dried sour cherries, chopped
100g blanched almonds, roughly chopped

You Will Need To...

- Preheat oven to 160C/325F.

- Make the biscotti base by combining the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then gradually add the eggs and stir until it forms a dough. You probably won't need to use all the beaten egg so add it slowly - you don't want the dough to be sticky.

- Once you have a basic dough add in your additional flavours by stirring then kneading gently by hand until combined. If making the chocolate biscotti, add the melted chocolate along with the eggs and stir until the dough is evenly brown.

- Knead the mixture gently on a floured surface then cut in half and roll into two logs, each about 4 cm in diameter. Place on a lined tray about 5cm apart as the mixture will spread, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.

- Remove from oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then cut into slices and lay flat back on the tray. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until dry throughout, turning over halfway through.

- Put the kettle on and enjoy!

C x