Kitchen Tip - Cream

When you have finished a cake or dessert using whipped cream

and you have a fair amount left over, 

what do you do with it? 

Here's a simple way to use it without it going to waste.

Pipe over parchment paper and freeze... 

Use when needed in ice coffee, desserts and much, much more..!

Roast Pork Belly with Apple Cream Sauce

This roast belly of pork with its crispy crackling is utterly delicious when served with the perfect accompaniment – apple cream sauce!

Ingredients:

15 ml Dijon mustard
200ml Water
1 KNORR Chicken Stock Pot
30 ml Apple juice
1 Red apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
½ Red onion, finely chopped
10 ml Margarine
900 g Rolled pork belly
15 ml Olive oil
15 ml Robertsosn Atlantic Sea Salt
5 ml Robertsons Thyme
80ml Cream
5 ml Cornflour

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Combine thyme, sea salt and olive oil in a bowl.

Dry the skin of the pork belly well with paper towel. Using a sharp knife make criss-cross incisions along the skin of the pork belly without cutting into the meat. Rub the olive oil mixture over the pork belly and place into a roasting tray.

Roast in a preheated oven at 180°C for 2-2 ½ hours or until the juices run clear then remove from the oven and allow to rest before slicing.

In the meantime melt the margarine in a pan and gently fry the red onion until soft then add the diced apple and fry for 2 minutes. Add the apple juice and then allow to KNORR Chicken Stock Pot to melt in the pan before adding the water and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes then stir in the Dijon mustard.

Mix the cornstarch with a little water to form a smooth paste and then stir this into the sauce and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Serve sliced pork belly drizzled with apple cream sauce and roasted potatoes.

Creamy Mustard Pork with Apples

This one pot wonder is so easy to make and it tastes fantastic! All you have to do is prep a few ingredients, chuck it all in a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes. EASY! 

It’s a comforting winter dish, 

which would be great with nectarines or peaches instead of the apple.

Serve it with mash potatoes, cooked veggies 

or any side dish like polenta, rice or even pasta also work well.

Ingredients:
4 x pork chops
2 x apples (cored and sliced)
2-3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
1tsp dried sage leaves
15ml whole grain mustard
30ml water
30ml olive oil
200mls cream

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Place the pork chops in a large baking pan, scatter around the apples, garlic, and sage.

Mix the mustard with the water then pour it mainly over the chops. Lightly dress everything with the olive oil and bake for 30mins.

Lastly pour the cream over everything in the pan, and return it to the oven to cook for another 10mins.

Cream of Courgette Soup

The colour of this soup is beautifully delicate, which really suits its rich and creamy texture and subtle taste. If you enjoy a pronounced cheesy flavour, use Gorgonzola instead of Dolcelatte.

Ingredients:

30ml olive oil

15g butter

I medium onion, finely chopped

900g courgettes (zucchini), trimmed and sliced

5ml dried oregano

600ml vegetable or chicken stock

115g Dolcelatte cheese, rind removed, diced

300ml single cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh oregano and extra Dolcelatte, to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened, but not brown. Add the courgettes, oregano and seasoning and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stirring. Lower the heat, semi cover the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the diced Dolcelatte until melted. Process the soup using a stick blender or food processor, then press through a sieve into a clean pan. Add two-thirds of the cream and stir over a low heat until hot, but not boiling. Check the consistency and add more stock if the soup is too thick.

Taste for seasoning, and pour into heated bowls. Swirl in the remaining cream. Garnish with oregano and extra Dolcelatte cheese just before serving. 

Curried Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower head (1-1.5kg)
1 large onion diced
15ml grated fresh garlic
15ml grated fresh ginger 
1 can coconut milk
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
10ml curry powder
2.5ml red chilli powder to taste
5-10mll lime juice  
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Cut cauliflower into small bite size pieces.  Place all ingredients except for coconut milk  and lime juice into soup pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is very tender.

Add lime juice then cream the soup using a hand held blender or in batches in a food processor. 

Add coconut milk and simmer to heat through for 2-3 minutes, stirring well.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Adjust as needed.  

Serve hot.  Enjoy. 

Creamy Avocado Soup

Ingredients:

30g butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1L chicken stock

5ml lime juice

2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed

250ml cream

2.5ml ground cumin

60ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30seconds.

Add the chicken stock, lime juice and avocados and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 7 minutes.

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, adding the cream, cumin and seasoning. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped coriander and serve warm.

Tarragon Cream Chicken with Grapes

Tarragon Cream Chicken with Grapes

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

15ml olive oil

100ml white wine

142ml pot of double cream

125g green grapes, halved

30ml fresh or 10ml dried tarragon

Method:

Season the chicken breasts lightly. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side. Pour over the white wine and allow to simmer for 1 minute.

Add the cream and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring in the grapes and tarragon in the last 30 seconds of cooking.

Serve with boiled rice and a green salad on the side.

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Banana Split Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups digestive biscuit crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
16-oz sour cream
3 bananas, sliced
20-oz can crushed pineapple
Maraschino cherries, with or without stems, for garnish
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Whipped cream or cool whip
Grated chocolate, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 170 C.

In a 13x9 baking dish, melt butter in microwave, then add digestive biscuit crumbs and mix well, pressing the mixture onto the bottom; set aside.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in another mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until completely blended.

Spread this mixture evenly over the crust and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, spread the sour cream over the cream cheese mixture, and bake for 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

While base is cooling, drain crushed pineapple and slice bananas into 1/4" slices; gently toss pineapple and bananas together.

When cool, layer the pineapple and banana mixture over the sour cream and then spread the whipped cream evenly over the top.

Dust with grated chocolate, if desired, then sprinkle with the chopped pecans and the cherries.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form - texture should be billowy.
Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Use immediately.

Banana Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Banana Doughnuts

500ml flour

5ml bicarbonate of soda

5ml cinnamon

10ml baking powder

5ml salt

65ml vegetable oil, plus 30ml milk of choice

10ml pure vanilla extract

125ml white sugar

juice and zest of 1 lemon

15ml more sugar

500ml tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing)

Cream Cheese Frosting

125ml cream cheese, softened

65ml butter, softened

5ml vanilla

750ml icing sugar

Method:

Banana Doughnuts

Preheat oven to 180C

Combine dry ingredients, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry (Mix by hand, and don’t over-mix.)

Grease a doughnut pan and pour in batter.

Cook 27 minutes (the original recipe said 30-35 minutes, but 27 was perfect for me)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.

Gradually add a cup of powdered sugar and beat.

Continue adding a cup of powdered sugar at a time, until well combined.

Frost each banana doughnut.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients:

250g cream cheese

60ml sugar

300ml flour

125ml sugar

60ml light brown sugar, firmly packed

7.5ml baking powder

2.5ml baking soda

7.5ml ground cinnamon

5ml ground ginger

5ml salt

2 large eggs

125ml water

80ml vegetable oil
100g walnuts, chopped

250ml grated carrots, lightly packed (about 2 medium-large carrots)

12 walnut halves

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Place cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on low power for 40 seconds.

Stir in 60ml sugar.

Stir until smooth and set the filling aside while you make the muffin batter

Whisk together the following: flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt.

In a separate small bowl, add the eggs, water, and vegetable oil and whisk until well combined.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Add the chopped nuts and grated carrots and stir to combine.

Place paper muffin cups in a cupcake pan and grease the paper cups.

Put about 2 Tablespoons of muffin batter in each muffin cup and spread to cover the bottom.

Drop a heaping tablespoonsof cream cheese filling on top of the muffin batter.

Cover the cream cheese filling with enough muffin batter so the muffin cups are very full.

Add a half a walnut to the top of each muffin.

Bake for 18-22 minutes.

When they are done, a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) will come out clean and the tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

Remove the muffins from the oven. Wait 30 minutes or so for the muffins to cool and for the filling to stiffen up before removing from the pan.

Steak and Baked Potatoes with Chilli and Garlic Cream Sauce

Now that we are into July, we are also into the full swing of summer with wonderful warm days and long balmy evening. What better way to enjoy these amazing days and extended evenings than to take out the Weber and have a braai. - or barbecue for those of you who are not aversed with South African English...

So many people seem to think that a braai or barbecue is just for sausages, burgers or kebabs, but not in our household; we like to have steaks, chops, even roasts.

I concocted this steak dish to utilise a chutney I bought at a food fair that was held in Ellesmere not so long ago, and even if I say so myself, it turned out divine!

The chutney came from Heather's Harvest, a one-woman home-production outfit in Shrewsbury, UK - not so very far from where we live.

Ingredients: Serves 2

2 large baking potatoes
2 sirloin steaks
steak and chop seasoning

For the Sauce:
30ml olive oil
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
5-10ml chilli and garlic chutney - Heather's Harvest
...... depending on how hot you like it
50ml soured cream
50ml double cream
10ml sugar
5ml Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:
Parboil the potatoes in their skins for about 10 minutes until just beginning to soften, then warp in foil and put on the prepared charcoal fire for about 15-20 minutes, turning from time to time.

Season the steaks on both sides with Steak and Chop Seasoning and grill over a prepared charcoal fire until done to your specifications. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare the sauce, put the onion, garlic and chutney into a mini-blender and blend to a smooth paste. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the prepared paste. Cook gently until a wonderful aroma arises and the paste begins to become translucent. Add the soured cream and blend into the mixture in the pan, followed by the double cream, stirring gently all the time. Mix in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to amalgamate the flavours.

When ready to serve, remove the potatoes from the foil, cut across the top and push the potatoes on the sides to expose the soft flaky flesh. Place a potato and a steak on each plate and cover them with the thick, creamy sauce - and enjoy!

Angels and Demons Strawberry Love Pie

This is a recipe that came to me through my mother-in-law. The angels refer to the meringue with its crisp crust and gooey centre; the demons are represented by the wickedly alcoholic chocolate sauce laced through it. It's a wonderful representation of human nature; we all wish to be good like angels, but even angels can fall. There is a little wickedness in all of us, no matter how good we think we are, but love is what matters; represented by the strawberry, love conquers all.

Ingredients:
For the Meringue:
6 egg whites
a pinch of salt
500ml caster sugar
10ml vanilla extract
10ml lemon juice

For the strawberry filling:
150g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
30ml caster sugar
a pinch of salt

For the Cream Filling:
250ml double cream
2ml vanilla extract
15ml caster sugar

For the Chocolate Sauce:
300g dark chocolate, at least 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
150ml double cream
30ml Bramley and Gage Strawberry Liqueur or other strawberry liqueur you may have available

Method:
Preheat the oven to 120C. Grease a 10 inch pie plate.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, but not dry. Very gradually add 250ml of sugar, beating well after each addition. Now add the vanilla and lemon juice and finish beating in the rest of the sugar until all the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very stiff.
Place the meringue in the pie plate, making it higher in the middle in a dome shape. Bake for 90 minutes in the prepared slow oven, then increase the oven heat to 150C for 30 minutes. The meringue will puff up, then when taken out of the oven it will crack as it cools and the centre will sink. Cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile macerate the strawberries in the sugar and a pinch of salt until required.

When the meringue is completely cooled, whip the cream with vanilla and sugar until the stiff peak stage.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate, cream and liqueur in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

To assemble the pie, put a layer of a third of the cream into the meringue shell, then a layer of half the strawberries, drizzle over the chocolate sauce, then repeat the layer - cream, strawberries, chocolate sauce - and finish with the remaining cream.

Serve the pie with any remaining chocolate sauce - over each serving dribble it, pour it, drench it, depending on how wicked you like it!

Favourite Indian Sweets

There are a great variety of Indian sweets and desserts, the wide range ensured by the profuse use of rice, vermicelli, ground wheat, milk and a host of other ingredients. Traditionally Indiand serve a sweet at the beginning of a meal as a gesture of goodwill, although today in many South African Indian homes, this custom is falling away. In keeping with the western influence, the sweet dish may be served at the end of the meal as the hostess endeavours to lull the most voracious of appetites into quiet appreciation and to placate those with a sweet tooth. There are many western sweet dishes that are great favourites on Indian tables. Halwas and lagans may be called the equivalent of western puddings and mithais may be compared to fudge, although strictly there can be no comparison as they are quite different, and who could ever forget Burfee once they have tasted it?

My first introduction to Indian sweets came the year I started work and our Indian staff members brought Diwali cakes to share at work. Having an unbelievable sweet tooth, I could have eaten the lot in one go. I loved them! My plan is to share some of them here, the easier to make ones that is as some are very complicated to make. My absolute favourite has to be Gulaab Jamun, or Indian Doughnuts.

Galaab Jamun - Indian Doughnuts

Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
325ml flour
3ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml baking powder
30ml semolina
3ml finely ground cardamom powder
30ml ghee
1 tin condensed milk
Ghee or vegetable oil for deep frying

For the syrup:
250ml water
375ml sugar
5ml rose water

Method:
Put the dry ingredients and the cardamom powder in a bowl. Rub in the ghee then blend in the condensed milk to make a soft dough. Roll the dough into a thick sausage and cut off 1 cm pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage the length and thickness of a forefinger. These can also be made as round balls if you prefer.

Deep-fry these in batches over medium heat. The fat should not be too hot or the doughnuts will not swell. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon when golden brown and drain on kitchen paper. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup.

Boil together the water, sugar and rose water until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is beginning to thicken. Reduce the heat to very low so as to just keep warm.

Once the doughnut balls have drained off any residual oil, plunge them into the syrup for about 30 seconds. Remove from the syrup with a clean slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Allow them to cool before serving.

Marie Biscuit Date Delights

Marie Biscuits are one of the favourite biscuits in South Africa,
the UK equvalent of which would be Sweet Tea Biscuits.

Ingredients:
2 packets of Marie Biscuits, crushed in chunks, not crumbled
250g butter
250ml sugar
750g pitted dates, chopped
1 egg, beaten
30ml coconut

Method:
Place the butter and sugar in a pot and melt together. Add the chopped dates and simmer gently until the mixture is soft and well blended. Allow to cool slightly before adding the egg. Add the beaten egg, blending into the mixture quickly so the egg does not scramble. Finally add the crushed biscuits.

Spread the mixture on greased baking trays, flattening smoothly. Sprinkle the top with desicated coconut. Leave in the fridge for about an hour to set. Cut into slices or squares.


Larwa - Almond Balls
Ingredients:
For the syrup:
500g suagr
250ml water
For the Lawa Balls:
500ml chana flour
7.5ml baking powder
10ml solid ghee
250ml water
10ml egg yellow colouring
slivered almonds
Method:
To make the Syrup:
Put the sugar in a pan with the water and heat to disolve. Simmer until the syrup becomes sticky, but does not form threads. Remove it to the side of the stove so that it keeps warm.
To make the Lawa Balls:
Mix together the chana flour and baking powder and rub in the ghee. Add the water and mix to form a thick batter. Press this through a meat mincing machine on a small setting and transfer the 'worms' to a pan of hot oil to fry until golden. Transfer the bhoondis, or worm shaped fried larwa bits, to the hot syrup and steep them until all the syrup is absorbed. Cool and set aside for a couple of hours, then mould the resulting dough into balls about the size of golf balls. Roll these balls in the slivered almonds.

Burfee - Indian Fudge

As you will find, if you attempt this delicacy, I've left the best till last. Burfee is the closest to fudge you can get in Indian sweets. It's creamy and almost sickeningly sweet, but is a firm favourite with those who enjoy sweetmeats. Although it is quite a difficult thing to make, I believe all good things are worth taking the trouble over!

Ingredients:
For the Mawa:
3 litres milk
For the Burfee:
500g mawa
40ml double cream
30ml ground almonds
250g full-fat milk powder
500ml water
360g sugar
2.5ml fine ground cardamom powder
15ml rose water
icing sugar for dusting
Method:
To make the Mawa:
Using 500ml at a time, boil the milk rapidly over high heat, stirring all the time to make sure it does not catch on the bottom of the pan, until a hard lump remains. Remove this hard lump and set aside. Continue with the rest of the milk until you have 500g of mawa.
To make the Burfee:
The mawa will be hard and lumpy so cut it up into pieces and put it into a mixing bowl. Add the cream, almonds and milk powder and blend well. Leave aside for a few hours to dry. Put in a fodd processor and blitz, then set aside again for an hour or two.
In a saucepan, make a syrup with the water and sugar, stirring till all the grains of sugar are disolved in the water. Bring the syrup to the boil, then lower the heat and continue to simmer until the syrup is reduced by about a third in volume and is thickened, but not sticky. Add cardamom and rose water.
Add the cream and milk mixture to the syrup over low heat and stir till the syrup is absorbed into the cream and milk mixture. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Leave for a couple of hours before patting it into ice cube size blocks. Dust with icing sugar and leave to dry.

Creamed Haddock on Toast with Leek, Asparagus & Spiced Cashew Nuts

Enriching smoked haddock with leek, asparagus and cream gives the fish a sumptuous silky texture, while the nuts add a sweet spicy tang that cuts through the richness perfectly.

Ingredients:
450g smoked haddock fillets
30ml olive oil
1 large leek, white parts only, trimmed and finely sliced.
350g asparagus spears cut into half inch pieces
300ml double cream
grated nutmeg
4 slices of country bread (eg. Poppy Seed Bloomer)
30-50g Spiced Cashews, roughly chopped

Method:
Bring a wide, shallow pan of water to the boil and add the haddock fillets, skin side down. Poach gently for 3-4 minutes until the flesh is just cooked and flakes easily. Using a fish slice, carefully transfer the fish to a plate and leave to cool for a few minutes. While still warm, flake the fish, discard the skin and remove any pin-bones.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the leek and sweat for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute for another 3 minutes. Pour in the cream and simmer to reduced and thicken the sauce. Fold through the flaked fish. Grate over the nutmeg and check seasoning. You may bot need to add salt as smoked haddock is usually quite salty. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Toast the bread slices and place on warm plates. Pile the smoked haddock mixture onto the toast slices and sprinkle over the spiced cashew nuts. Serve at once.

Creamed Asparagus Soup

Simple and yet sophisticated, this elegant soup is a culinary classic. It can be served fresh, or it can be frozen for a later date. For freezing, prepare up to the puree stage, leaving the cream out until it is defrosted and heated up for serving.

Ingredients:

350g green asparagus

25 g butter

25g plain flour

450ml milk

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

150ml double cream

pinch of nutmeg to garnish

Method:

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and discard. Bring 300ml water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the asparagus and simmer for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

Cut tips off the asparagus and set aside 8 for garnish. Cut the stems into short lengths.

Melt the butter in a large pan and stir in the flour. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk, whisking as the milk is added. Return to the heat and cook, stirring until thickened. Stir in half of the asparagus cooking liquid. Add the stems and spare tips. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Puree the soup with a hand blender. (If you are going to freeze the soup, this is the point at which to put it away.)

Reheat and stir in the cream. Serve garnished with reserved asparagus tips and a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg.

Lamb in Asparagus Cream

Thanks to the Romans' penchant for asparagus, we have this delectable seasonal vegetable in Britain. It has always been a luxury affordable to the rich, but with today's extensive farming of this crop, it is available to almost everyone, even if it's only once in a while. After all, it is only available for two months of the year, so as they say, "make hay while the sun shines"; spoil yourself and graze some 'sparrow grass'.

I've been looking for all the ideas I can get for using this amazing little veg and was amazed to find this classic recipe in one of my old cookbooks. Who would have thought to put creamed asparagus in a stew?! The original recipe comes from the Argenteuil region of France, just north-west of Paris, where asparagus is grown, but the tender early British asparagus gives just as good a flavour to this succulent lamb stew.

Ingredients:
1kg asparagus
1 kg boned shoulder of lamb
4 small onions
30g butter
30ml flour
5ml steak and chop seasoning
125ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
juice of half a lemon

Method:
Wash the asparagus, but do not trim. Cook in a large pan of lightly salted water for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and set the cooking liquid aside. Cut of the tips about 3 inches down the spears and set aside. Put the rest of the spears in a liquidiser or blender and puree. Pass the puree through a sieve and discard any course and stringy bits.

Cut the lamb into 1-2 inch cubes. Toss in seasoned flour to coat evenly. Peel and roughly chop the onions.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and brown the meat. Once the meat is seared on all sides add the onions and cook together until the onions are browned. Gradually blend in about 250ml asparagus cooking liquid, stirring continuously until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Simmer for about an hour until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates too much, cover the saucepan with a lid.

When the meat is cooked and tender, stir the asparagus puree and cream into the sauce. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon juice. The sauce should be fairly thick.

Arrange the asparagus tips around the edge of a warm serving dish and spoon the meet and sauce into the middle. Serve with boiled baby potatoes in their jackets with a parsley butter sauce.

Warm Asparagus and Herb Mousses

If you're looking for a spectacular starter for a special meal then this is simply marvelous!

A good specimen of asparagus should be as fat as a ladies index finger; those that are thin and spindly are great for making this delicious starter and no one will be the wiser that you have used undersized scrawny asparagus, but they are bound to be wowed by your culinary proficiency.

Cook's Tip

To remove the woody ends of asparagus simply hold the spear about a third of the way down the spear below the tip and at the base of the woody end then bend the spear. It will snap where the woody base joins the soft succulent part of the spear.

To trim asparagus, use a vegetable peeler and remove only the outer hard tissue with sharp little leaves on the lower end of the spear. Always peel from the tip end to the base and try to get uniformity in look. Much of the flavour and goodness is in the skin, so you anly want to remove the outer tough layer. The succulent tip needs no paring.

Ingredients:
75g butter
450g small asparagus spears, trimmed and woody ends removed.
3 large eggs and 2 egg yolks
10ml freshly chopped tarragon
10ml freshly chopped chives
560ml double cream
Sea salt and freshly ground balck pepper to season
2 shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
150ml dry white wine
150ml vegetable or chicken stock
Sprigs of fresh tarragon to garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180c.

Melt 25g butter and grease 6 x 150ml ramekins and chill them.

Set aside 12 of the best asparagus tips, cut about 2 inches long, and roughly chop the rest.

Bring to the boil a large pan of salted water, add the chopped asparagus and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Make sure you don't boil them for too long or they will loose their colour. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking and keep the colour. Drain again and transfer to a food processor with the eggs and egg yolks and blend until smooth. Sieve and stir in the chopped herbs and 450ml of the cream. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook the reserved asparagus tips for 1-2 minutes, drain and put to one side.

Pour the asparagus mixture into the chilled ramekins and put in a large roasting pan with enough boiling water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins. cover the whole roasting pan with tin foil and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until just set.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan, add the finely chopped shallots and cook over low heat, stirring, for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the wine and stock and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining cream, season and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Just before serving, reheat the reserved asparagus tips in the prepared sauce for about 1 minute. Turn the ramekins out onto six heated plates, spoon round the sauce and decorate each mousse with a couple of asparagus tips. Garnish with tarragon sprigs.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

This scrumptious cheesecake has a subtle hint of whiskey and creamy chocolate, all the more delectable served with butterscotch sauce.

Ingredients:
For the biscuit base:
125g butter
250g digestive biscuits

For the filling:
450g full-fat cream cheese
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
750ml double cream
5 sheets leaf gelatine
125ml full-fat milk
125ml Irish cream liquer

Method:
For the biscuit base:
Melt the butter in a pan.
In a plastic bag, crush the biscuits until they are of the texture of breadcrumbs.
Melt the melted butter and crushed biscuits together and pour the mixture into a 12 inch spring form cake tin. pressing it to cover the base firmly.
Chill for at least 10 minutes, or better still, for about half an hour.

For the filling:
Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
In a separate bowl, semi-whip the double cream.
Soften the gelatine in half the milk in a saucepan by warming it over gentle heat. Once melted, pour in the remaining milk and allow to cool.
Fold the double cream into the cream cheese mixture. Mix the gelatine and milk and Irish cream into the cream and cheese mixture.
Pour the filling onto the biscuit base and place in the fridge to set for 3-4 hours.

Syllabub

The story told regarding the origin of this ancient dessert tells that it was created by milking a cow directly into a bowl of cider, or wine. Early recipes can be traced back to Tudor times, where thickened cream was served floating on sweet wine. Making syllabub involves dissolving sugar in lemon juice and sweet wine or brandy, adding a long curl of orange peel then leaving it to infuse overnight. The following day, double cream is introduced and beaten until thick. Infusing the sugar and alcohol with the citrus probably seems a bit mystical, but don’t leave out this bit: the flavour is smoother if you let the mixture steep overnight. The essential ingredients is not something you add to the mixture, but something you do to it; whether this dessert stands or falls, is all in the whipping of the mixture. Beat slowly with a large balloon whisk or electric mixer right to the bottom of the mixture. Watch the texture vigilantly, stopping as soon as you sense a heaviness on the whisk and the mixture sits in soft folds the mixture starts to feel heavy on the whisk, when it will creases in soft folds, like a warm fluffy blanket. The mixture will split if whipped too much.

Ingredients:
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1-2 curls of orange peel, cut with a vegetable peeler without going into the white pith
50ml caster sugar
60ml sweet wine
15ml brandy
300ml double cream

Method:

Dissolve the sugar in the lemon zest and juice, sweet wine and brandy. Add one or two curls of orange peel cut with a vegetable peeler without going into the white pith and leave the mixture to steep overnight.

In the morning, add the double cream and whip until the desired thickness is achieved.

Good as it is, the odd embellishment is no bad thing with this recipe. A drop of Eau de vie, perhaps Framboise or Kirsch adds a welcome kick, as does some crushed ginger in syrup, or even a spoon of ginger marmalade. I have had it with a hint of nutmeg, a little rhubarb and flavoured with lime juice and zest. For a particularly fragrant twist use Cointreau, orange flower water and rose water, to give it a Turkish feel.

Here’s a version based on the concept of syllabub with a British-South East Asian fusion twist. Without all the rigmarole of steeping over night, this syllabub can be made in a hurry.

Elderflower Lemon and Ginger Syllabub

Ingredients:
15ml bottle green ginger and lemon grass cordial
15ml bottle green elderflower cordial
30ml sweet sherry or sweet white wine
50ml sparkling water
4 lady finger biscuits
250ml double cream
60ml icing sugar
125ml lemon curd
30 ml chopped crystallised ginger
Sprigs of mint to garnish

Method:

Mix together the cordials, sherry and sparkling water.

Break up the biscuits in the base of each of 4 sundae glasses. Drizzle over 15ml of the cordial-sherry mixture into each glass.

Pour the cream into a bowl and add the icing sugar. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form.

Fold in the remaining cordial-sherry mixture.

Add the lemon curd and lightly fold through, leaving a marbled effect.

Spoon the cream mixture into each of the glasses. Top with the chopped crystallised ginger and a sprig of mint.

Serve chilled.

Leek and Haddock Tart

Leek and haddock go so well together, especially when gussied up as a tart. With a bit of spice and a cream and cheese custard, this makes an interesting change to the common fish pie.

Ingredients:

350 g short crust pastry

225g baby leeks, thinly sliced

25 g butter

2 tsp curry powder

1 bay leaf

1 tsp peppercorns

175 g undyed smoked haddock

175 g cod

small bunch of chives, snipped

3 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped

For the Custard:

3 eggs

284 ml carton double cream

black pepper

3 tbsp finely grated parmesan

Method:

Set the oven to 180°C.

Roll out the pastry to line a 25 cm tart tin, cover the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Blanch the leeks for 5 minutes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, drain well.

Heat the butter in a frying pan and add leeks, fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes. Add curry powder and stir together for a further minute.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil add the bay leaf, peppercorns, haddock and cod, and then simmer uncovered for 4 minutes until just cooked through. Remove the fish and leave to cool. Break the fish into chunky flakes, discarding any skin and bones.

Lower the oven temperature to 170°C.

Place the leeks in the tart shell, sprinkle over the chives and the flaked haddock and cod. Scatter the chopped boiled eggs evenly over the top.

Make the custard by whizzing the eggs and the cream together in a blender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle the custard into the tart case and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until just set and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly, and then serve immediately.