Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
You are going to want to make these today! That way you will be able to enjoy them at the weekend, but in all truth, these delicious apricots get better tasting with each day that passes and they keep in the refrigerator for a very long time.
I had actually made these the week before Christmas and am only now getting to the point where I have the time to show them to you! They are very simple to make and oh-so-delicious!
A simple syrup is created and infused with green cardamom pods and a vanilla pod. You bruise the cardamom pods first and of course the vanilla needs to be split open.
There is also fresh lemon juice and zest to give even more flavour to the syrup, and I like to add a bit of Limencello liquer, but its completely optional to do that.
Once you have the syrup made you add the dried apricots to it and cook them for just a few minutes, and then leave them for several hours to plump up . . .
Popped into clean and sterile jars, these will keep in the refrigerator for several months.
They make a fabulous light dessert and are also delicious spooned out into fruit nappies and served cold with your breakfast . . . or on top of your morning oats. They are also fabulous served with some unsweetened thick Greek yogurt. Yum yum!!
*Dried Apricots in Cardamom Syrup*
Makes about 2 cups
Place the water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cardamom pods, vanilla
and Limoncello (if using) into a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and
then simmer at a fast simmer for 5 minutes. Add the apricots and then
reduce to the lowest flame and simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Remove from
the heat and set aside for five hours to plump up the apricots.
Transfer to sterile jars and store in the refrigerator. Leave for
several days prior to using if possible. Discard the cardamom pods
before serving or using.
This is a really delicious way to get in one of your five a day! I hope you will give them a go. I do discard the cardamom pods when I serve them so that nobody eats one by mistake. The cardamom and vanilla really infuse the dried fruit with a lovely flavour.
Note - if you cannot find whole cardamom pods, you may use a quantity of ground cardamom. I would not use more than 1/2 tsp.
Bon Appetit!
If you are looking for something a lot different from the Christmas Cakes, puddings and mince pies that you have been enjoying over the past week or so, look no further. Today I have a fabulous Lemon Bread Pudding to share with you!
This pudding is very different than my usual Lemon Curd Bread and Butter Pudding that I make.
This is light and custardy, almost soufflee-like . . .
It puffs up nice and light in the oven, but will sink upon standing, so you will want to serve as soon as possible. But don't worry, it tastes fabulous even when it sinks . . .
It is filled with lovely lemon flavour . . . from thefresh juice and lemon zest used, along with a small amount of Limencello which is totally optional, but if you have it, do use it!
Even Todd who is not overly fond of lemon anything (I know very strange indeed) enjoyed this . . .
There is also a lovely Lemon and Cardamom sauce to serve . . . . warm and spooned over the warm pudding . . . . lashings of cream could also be a nice addition, although we did not avail ourselves of it on the day.
This is seriously delicious. Cardamom and lemon are such beautiful partners . . .
Sweet, tangy and moreish. You cannot ask for much better than that!
*Lemon Bread Pudding*
Serves 6 to 7
A delicious bread pudding with lovely lemon flavour, served with a fabulous warm lemon sauce.
1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter the bottom only of a 2 litre/quart baking dish.
Heat the cream, milk, sugar and butter together to melt the butter. Set aside. Put the bread into a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Toss to coat the bread with the zest. Pour in the milk mixture and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemincello if using. Add this to the bread mixture in the bowl and combine. Whisk together the egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into the bread mixture and then pour into the prepared dish.
Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
While the pudding is baking make the sauce. Whisk together the sugar and corn flour in the top of a double boiler. Whisk in the hot water, lemon juice and Limencello, if using. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the butter and cardamom. Keep warm.
Serve the pudding spooned out into bowls with some of the sauce drizzled over top.
Heat the cream, milk, sugar and butter together to melt the butter. Set aside. Put the bread into a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Toss to coat the bread with the zest. Pour in the milk mixture and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemincello if using. Add this to the bread mixture in the bowl and combine. Whisk together the egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into the bread mixture and then pour into the prepared dish.
Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
While the pudding is baking make the sauce. Whisk together the sugar and corn flour in the top of a double boiler. Whisk in the hot water, lemon juice and Limencello, if using. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the butter and cardamom. Keep warm.
Serve the pudding spooned out into bowls with some of the sauce drizzled over top.
I think a scoop of vanilla ice cream served on top of the warm pudding would also not go amiss! Happy New Year and Bon Appetit!
You might be forgiven if you looked at this next photograph and thought to
yourself that looks like one very perfectly round and delicious oatmeal
cookie . . .
A delicious perfectly round and buttery oatmeal pie stogged full of ground cardamon and oodles of dried sweet blueberries.
A delicious perfectly round and buttery oatmeal pie stogged full of
ground cardamom and oodles of dried sweet blueberries and drizzled with a
moreish drizzle icing glaze . . . flavoured with more scrummy ground
cardamom . . .
This is a keeper. Bet you can't eat just one slice! Bake it today.
It's easy. Quick. Delicious. And Elevenses worthy. Resistance IS futile.
*Oatmeal and Blueberry Cookie Pie*
Makes one 8 inch cookie pie,
cutting into 8 to 12 servings, depending on appetitesMakes one 8 inch cookie pie,
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch round spring form pan, or a pie plate. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, ground cardamom, salt, soda and oats. Set aside.
To make the icing, whisk together all of the ingredients until you have a smooth drizzle. Drizzle over the cold pie and allow to set. Cut into wedges to serve. Delicious!
Absolutely feastworthy, this is one of those simple bakes that your family will be begging you to bake again and again. Served warm and with a scoop of vanilla icecream is another delicious way to enjoy this tasty bake! Bon Appetit!
When it comes to desserts, I try to downsize them as much as possible. This one today would not be too bad for me actually as it is not really high in sugar and if I used whole wheat flour, that would be better, but today it is all about creating a delicious dessert for my honey bun that he can enjoy all to himself!
I find it quite easily actually to cut recipes in half or quarters. For the most part they turn out very well for me, and the Oaty Apple Crumble for One is the perfect example of just such a recipe!
It takes only one apple . . . which I peel, core and chop and then mix with a blend of a tiny bit of sugar and plenty of spice. Cinnamon, ground cardamom and ground cloves. Just a touch of cloves because Todd loves them. The flavour of clove is very strong though so be quite judicious if you add them.
The topping is buttery, sweet and oaty. I love the addition of oats in crumble toppings. They impart a wholesome nutty flavour and I love the extra texture they give.
This is the perfect dessert for just one. You can top it with whatever floats your boat . . . a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, perhaps some whipped cream, or pouring cream . . .
Or like Todd with some warm custard. He is a custard fiend. He loves it with all his desserts. He is so very British in that love! I think Brits are born with custard in their veins. Myself, I prefer vanilla ice cream, but then again what is ice cream, but . . . frozen custard!
*Apple Crumble for One*
Serves 1
1 TBS old fahioned oatmeal
2 tsp plain flour
pinch salt
1 TBS butter
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a
small lightly buttered ramekin or other oven dish small enough to hold
just one serving.
Toss the apples together with the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and cloves. Put into the ramekin.
Rub together the topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over top of the apples.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the apples are softened and the topping is crisp. Serve warm with your favourite topping. (Ice Cream, Custard, Whipped Cream, pouring cream, etc.)
You can also easily double this to feed two people. Just saying . . . Bon Appetit!
I can remember when my kids were babies and I was feeding them baby food. I used to love, LOVE the chocolate arrowroot custard that you could get for them.
I am sure you can't get any such thing now for babies, but forty odd years ago, you could. And it was very good. Yes, I ate it too. Bad mommy. Bad, bad mommy. Very bad mommy.
I am not a huge fan of chocolate milk, or chocolate ice cream for some odd reason, but chocolate pudding? I am all over it, and in this case I mean pudding in the North American sense of the word, not the British.
I mean that milky dessert that you can spoon into your mouth like a smooth sweet delicacy . . . all chocolatey and milky and rich.
Back home you can buy box mixes for it, much like you can get custard mix over here. They come in a cooked version and an instant version, and pretty much that is what I grew up having.
I think it was in school Home Economics class that I tasted my first from scratch chocolate pudding and it was love, Love, LOVE at first taste!
There is nothing so delicious on earth as homemade from scratch chocolate pudding, with no preservatives or additives . . .
Not unless you are talking about homemade butterscotch pudding or vanilla pudding. They are equally as moreish!
I was reading a very old recipe for it the other day from a Woman's Day cookery book on desserts that suggested pouring a very thin layer of heavy cream on top of the pudding after you put it into the serving dishes to help prevent a skin from forming on the top.
Oh boy, I thought, that sounds really good and so I did . . . just that.
Talk about manna from heaven. This was gorgeous. Every last mouthful.
Talk about manna from heaven. This was gorgeous. Every last mouthful.
Make sure you use unsweetened dark chocolate for this, not milk chocolate candy bars. They would be overly sweet.
As Goldilocks would say . . . this is just right. So there! Rich. Milky. Chocolaty. Just right.
*Chocolate Pudding*
Serves 4
Drop the chocolate bits into a saucepan with a heavy base. Add the milk. Cook, whisking, over low heat, heating it gradually and allowing the chocolate to melt slowly. It may appear somewhat grainy, but don't worry, it will smooth out in the finished pudding.
Combine the sugar, cornflour, salt and egg in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the chocolate milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the pan and continue to cook over low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and has thickened, and has begun to boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let stand for several minutes to cool slightly then whisk in the vanilla.
Pour into pudding dishes and cover with a thin layer of heavy cream. (This helps to prevent a skin from forming and tastes delicious.) Refrigerate until well chilled before serving.
Once again, do NOT be tempted to use chocolate chips. They would not give you as glorious a finish as this. Trust me.
Happy eating and Bon Appetit!
Happy eating and Bon Appetit!
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