Festive Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

This Lemon Meringue Ice Cream is one for those of you who perhaps want a change from the filling mince pies and rich christmas puddings one tends to overindulge in at this time of year.  Another recipe to take the weight of your shoulders at christmas, you can prepare it well is advance leave it in the freezer and produce it as a refreshing alternative pudding over the festive period.

There is no need for an ice cream machine or even to mix twice, once its in the freezer the ice cream can stay there until served. Another short cut is to use shop bought meringues they don't seem to compromise the flavour or texture at all, in fact they are easier to break up than the slightly gooey home made ones.

The flavour is a good balance of sweet and sharp. I served the ice cream at a dinner party and this was a pudding that someone who doesn't normally like puddings devoured and then had second helpings of- so it is guaranteed to be a hit with hungry guests at christmas.

To serve six you will need...

-50g Meringue 

-300ml Double cream

-Zest and juice of one lemon

-Half a jar of home made or shop bought lemon curd

-One 900ml pudding basin or pyrex bowl and some cling film

You will need to...

-Line the pudding bowl with cling film so there is enough to cover the ice cream in the freezer

-Break the meringues into smallish chunks, I put them in a freezer bag and hit them with a rolling pin

-Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks

-Fold in the lemon juice, rind and lemon curd to the cream and pour into the lined pudding basin

- Cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer for at least six hours

Enjoy Z x

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

Spinach and Gruyere Quiche

This quiche is always a winner. It can be served hot for dinner or cold at lunch time with salad, I used this recipe a few times while I was cooking in the lodge in South Africa and it always seemed to go down well with the guests. 

Having lots of spinach breaks up the egg giving it a lighter and more varied texture but make sure you drain your spinach well after wilting it otherwise the excess water makes the pastry soggy. Another thing to be aware of is not to add too much salt as the bacon does this for you! To prepare in advance you can make the pastry the day before and keep in the fridge covered with clingfilm or alternatively you can make the whole quiche cook it, leave it to cool, and it will freeze for up to 2 months. I tend to make this quiche in a china Flan dish as I like to make the filling quite deep, this also prevents any of the filling leaking through any holes that may be in the pastry. 

To serve 8 You will need... 

A round flan dish roughly 30cm diameter

For the Pastry

-225g of plain flour

-100g of butter

-1 egg yolk

-2-3 tbsps of water 

For the Filling

-350g of bacon pieces chopped 

-1 large onion chopped

-350g fresh spinach (I usually use baby spinach) or 450g of frozen leaf spinach thawed and drained

-5 eggs and 1 egg white (If using bought pastry just use 5 eggs)

-300ml double cream

-300ml milk

-175g Gruyere Cheese grated. 

You will need to...

-Preheat the oven to 180C

-Rub the butter and flour together in a bowl until you have a breadcrumb texture. Add the egg yolk and water until a dough is formed. You can do this in the food processor. 

-Wrap the pastry in clingfilm an put in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour.

-Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so it is slightly larger than the dish then flute the edges, then blind bake at 180C using baking paper and baking beans for the first 15 minutes then remove the baking beans and cook for a further 5-10 mins or until pastry is golden. 

- Fry the bacon pieces over a high heat until browned, lower the heat and add the chopped onion until softened 

- Wilt the spinach in a saucepan remove from the heat and make sure you drain properly. 

-In a bowl whisk the eggs cream milk and seasoning. 

-Scatter the bacon, onion and spinach over the pastry, sprinkle half the gruyere cheese and then pour the mixture over. 

-Finally sprinkle the other half of the gruyere on top and place in the oven at 180C for 35-40 mins or until the filling is set and golden. 

Enjoy! Z x