WINTER DESSERTS

The perfect time to indulge

RASPBERRY AND CHOCOLATE CROISSANT AND BUTTER PUDDING

It’s difficult to take a good classic dessert and make it even better, but this is a winner. My number 1 winter dessert.

• 8 chocolate croissants
• 100 g softened butter
• 6 extra large eggs
• 150 g castor sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, split and deseeded
• 500 ml milk
• 500 ml cream
• 100 g each frozen raspberries and blueberries, thawed
• 100 g flaked almonds
• 100 ml marmalade

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a large ovenproof dish with butter.

TO MAKE THE PUDDING

1. Slice each croissant in half and spread the butter onto one side of each piece. Be generous with the butter. Arrange the croissants in the prepared dish, overlapping the slices.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds until fluffy and light in colour. Whisk in the milk and cream. Pour the mixture over the croissants, scatter with raspberries, blueberries and flaked almonds, and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Bake for 40 minutes, until the custard has set and the croissants are golden and crispy. Melt the marmalade and brush over the top of the dessert. Serve immediately.

AUTHOR’S TIP: I absolutely love cinnamon ice cream, and it is delicious with this dessert. Buy a good quality vanilla ice cream, soften it slightly and fold in sweet spiced sugar (see page 14) to taste. Freeze and serve.

Serves 10

APRICOT AND LITCHI COBBLER

Cobbler is the ideal winter pudding – use canned fruit for this recipe. This baked fruit dish with a light scone-like topping is perfect to serve at a brunch.

• 2 × 410 g cans apricots halves, drained
• 1 × 410 g can halved litchis, drained
• 20 ml sweet spiced sugar (see page 14)
• 30 ml cake flour
• 125 ml desiccated coconut
• 125 ml ground almonds
• 4 egg whites

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C and have a 22 cm ovenproof cast-iron pan or dish ready.

TO MAKE THE COBBLER

1. Place the apricot halves and litchi halves in the pan or dish and sprinkle with the sweet spiced sugar.
2. Mix together the cake flour, coconut and almonds. Whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage, then fold into the dry ingredients.
3. Spoon dollops of the mixture onto the fruit, leaving gaps. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until the topping is golden-brown and cooked through.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Serve the pudding hot from the oven and place on a large wooden board, with a textured cloth underneath the pan or dish. Cover the handle with the cloth as it will be extremely hot. Serve with a jug of Crème Anglaise (see page 16) or double thick cream on the side.

Makes 6

PEAR AND ALMOND TART

This dessert has a beautiful natural almond flavour.

• 250 g shortcrust pastry (see page 12)

FRANGIPANE

• 150 g ground almonds
• 2 extra large eggs
• 30 ml softened butter
• 5 ml vanilla paste or 10 ml vanilla essence
• 60 ml brown sugar
• 3 pears, cored and quartered
• 30 ml melted apricot jam
• a handful of toasted almonds

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Grease 10 × 6 cm round quiche pans with butter.

LINING THE TARTS AND BLIND BAKING

1. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper. Using a round pastry cutter slightly larger than the pans, press out rounds and line the base and sides of each pan. Make sure the pastry is pressed into all the edges.
2. Refrigerate until cooled. Line the cases with baking paper and fill with beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 °C and then bake the pastry cases for 10 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven, remove the paper and beans and set aside to cool.

TO MAKE THE FRANGIPANE

1. While the pastry is baking, make the almond mixture. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Divide the mixture between the pastry cases. Thinly slice each pear quarter and fan out onto the almond mixture. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

BAKING THE TARTS

1. Bake the tarts for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and glaze with the melted apricot jam. Decorate with the toasted almonds.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Warm the tarts, and spoon a scoop of home-made ice cream into the centre. Serve immediately. Try the home-made Amarula ice cream (see page 138).

Makes 10

PECAN PIE

I love pecan pie because it is tasty and so easy to make.

• 250 g sweet shortcrust pastry (see page 12)
• 250 ml butterscotch sauce (see page 14)
• 3 extra large eggs
• 100 ml cream
• 300 g pecan nuts
• icing sugar, for dusting

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease a 25 cm quiche pan.

TO MAKE THE PIE

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry, line the pan, trim the edges and refrigerate for about 20 minutes to cool. Whisk the butterscotch sauce and while whisking add one egg at a time. Stir in the cream and pecan nuts and pour into the pastry shell.

BAKING AND SERVING

1. Place the tart on an oven tray and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 °C and bake for a further 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan until cooled. Serve hot or cold. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Make the shortcrust pastry and butterscotch sauce in advance. The pastry can be kept in the freezer and the sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. This means you’ll always be able to rustle up a fuss-free dessert.

Serves 8–10

CHOCOLATE TART

If you love dark chocolate, you will love this flop-proof recipe. It is so rewarding and easy to make, and gives a WOW factor to the end of a meal.

• 250 g shortcrust pastry (see page 12)
• 1 extra large egg white, whisked
• 300 g good-quality dark chocolate
• 75 ml milk
• 225 ml cream
• a generous handful of fresh mint
• 2 extra large eggs, beaten

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease and line a rectangular tart pan.

LINING AND BAKING

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry, line the quiche pan and trim the edges. Cover the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Blind bake for 10 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove the beans and paper and brush the pastry with egg white before returning to the oven for a further minute to seal. Remove and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 130 °C.

TO MAKE THE TART FILLING

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large glass bowl. Place the milk and cream into a saucepan. Bruise the mint and add to the milk and cream mixture, then heat the mixture until just before boiling point. Strain the mixture through a sieve and discard the mint. Add the hot milk and cream mixture to the chocolate and stir until smooth. Temper (see page 5) a little of the hot cream mixture with the beaten eggs, then slowly add the remaining cream mixture. Strain the mixture again to ensure that there are no strands of cooked egg in it – this will result in a silky smooth mixture.

FINAL BAKE

1. Place the tart pan onto a baking tray and pour in the chocolate tart filling as close to the rim as you can. Bake for 25 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave to set for a further 5 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Decorate with berries and mint leaves or figs, if preferrred. I always serve this tart with something acidic to balance the flavours. Try serving it with winter berry or lime sorbet.

Serves 8

MY MALVA

A traditional dessert, with a tangy twist.

• 200 g castor sugar
• 2 extra large eggs
• 30 ml marmalade (see page 8)
• 5 ml white wine vinegar
• 30 ml butter, melted
• 150 g cake flour
• a pinch of salt
• 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
• 125 ml cream
• 100 g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

SAUCE

• 200 ml cream
• 200 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 100 g sugar
• 100 g butter

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease an ovenproof dish with butter.

TO MAKE THE MALVA

1. Cream together the sugar and eggs until thick, pale and fluffy. Stir in the marmalade, vinegar and butter. Sift together the dry ingredients and fold into the egg mixture.
2. Stir in the cream and dark chocolate. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden-brown on the top and cooked through.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE

1. While the malva is baking make the sauce. Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and pour the sauce over it immediately.

AUTHOR’S TIP: This is also a very attractive dish to make as individual puddings. I like to make them in mini traditional pudding bowls. If you can’t find them you can use small ovenproof bowls or ramekins. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.

Serves 8

CHOCOLATE ROULADE

The ultimate roulade. If you don’t trust me, just try it.

• 200 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 60 ml water
• 5 extra large eggs, separated
• 200 g castor sugar
• 250 ml whipping cream
• 400 g fresh raspberries
• icing sugar, for dusting

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a Swiss roll pan with greaseproof paper.

TO MAKE THE ROULADE

1. Melt the dark chocolate with the water in a glass bowl positioned over a saucepan of simmering water. When the chocolate is completely melted remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick, pale and fluffy. Mix in the melted chocolate.
2. Whisk the egg whites to the stiff peak stage. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated, and then fold in the remaining egg whites.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the roulade is crisp on the outside. Set aside to cool. Cover the cake with baking paper and turn out onto a clean tea towel.

ASSEMBLING AND ROLLING

1. Whip the cream and spread over the whole cake, leaving a 1 cm frame clear around the edge. Scatter with fresh raspberries and roll up the cake using the baking paper. (You can roll it either way depending on how many servings you need.)

AUTHOR’S TIP: Top with fresh berries of your choice. Keep some whole and halve others: be generous! Just before serving dust with a little icing sugar and decorate with fresh mint leaves.

Serves 12

QUINCE AND PEAR CRUMBLE

You will definitely crumble after eating this dessert.

FILLING

• 500 g poached quinces,
• 50 ml reserved poaching liquid (see page 18)
• 1 × 500 g can pear quarters, drained
• 100 g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

CRUMBLE

• 200 g softened butter
• 100 g castor sugar
• 100 g rolled oats
• 1 vanilla pod, spilt and deseeded
• 100 g granola
• Crème anglaise for serving (see page 16)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Have 8 small ramekins ready for the filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. Arrange a mixture of the poached quinces, pears and dark chocolate pieces in each ramekin. Pour the quince poaching liquid over and mix lightly.

TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE

1. Place the butter, sugar, oats and vanilla seeds into a blender and pulse 5 times. Remove from the blender, add the granola and sprinkle over the filling. Bake for 30 minutes until the crumble is golden and crunchy on top.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Make sure you have filled the ramekins to the brim – the juices will run down the sides of the ramekins when baked and create a delectable oozing effect. Serve on different vintage saucers and spoon some Crème Anglaise on top of each just before serving.

Serves 8

PLUM TARTE TATIN

An upside-down tart with caramelized plums and a crisp puff pastry base. When baked, the plums turn the tart into something exquisite.

• 150 g granulated sugar
• 50 ml butter, softened
• 7 medium plums, halved and pips removed
• 250 g puff pastry (see page 13)
• 1 large egg, beaten

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Have a 22 cm round cake pan ready.

TO MAKE THE CARAMEL

1. Place the sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until it just starts turning into caramel. Remove from the heat and pour into the cake pan. Place the plum halves, cut side down, onto the caramel, covering as much caramel as possible.

ASSEMBLING THE TARTE TATIN

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a circle a little bigger than the cake pan. Place the pastry over the plums, crimp the edge and press it into the pan so that it fits snugly around the plums. Brush with a little egg and place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

BAKING THE TARTE TATIN

1. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Reduce the temperature to 150 °C and bake for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn the tarte tatin out onto a large round platter – plums facing upwards. Serve immediately.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Place a generous dollop of crème fraîche in the middle of the tarte tatin and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Serves 8

PASSION FRUIT BRÛLÉE

Crème brûlée is a sure-fire way to win a gentleman’s heart. Gary absolutely loves it.

• 500 ml pouring cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split and deseeded
• 8 extra large egg yolks
• 100 g castor sugar
• zest of 2 limes
• pulp of 3 granadillas
• castor sugar for topping

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 130 °C. Place 6 ramekins into an ovenproof dish.

TO MAKE THE CUSTARD

1. Scald the cream with the vanilla seeds and pod (see page 5). Strain and discard the pod and seeds. Stir the egg yolks, sugar and lime zest together. While stirring, slowly add the cream to the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat slowly over low heat until the custard is hot, but not boiling.

BAKING THE BRÛLÉES

1. Strain the custard through a sieve, stir in the granadilla pulp and pour into the ramekins. Place the ramekins into an overproof dish and pour boiling water into the dish to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are still a bit wobbly.
2. Remove from the oven, and refrigerate to set. Dust with castor sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch or under the grill. Serve immediately and enjoy!

AUTHOR’S TIP: I like to serve my brûlées topped with Cape gooseberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Makes 6

SALTED CARAMEL FONDANTS

The most delectable dessert – the rich chocolate pudding and saltiness of the caramel has the perfect balance.

• 180 g good-quality dark chocolate
• 200 g softened butter
• 100 g castor sugar
• 4 extra large eggs
• 4 extra large yolks
• 115 ml cake flour
• 80 ml salted caramel (see page 18)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease and line the base of 8 × 7 cm dariole moulds and place them onto a baking tray.

TO MAKE THE MIXTURE

1. Place the chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water. Cream the butter and sugar until thick, pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. Slowly add the melted chocolate and mix well.
2. Sift the flour and fold into the chocolate mixture. Half-fill the dariole moulds with the chocolate mixture then spoon 10 ml of the salted caramel into the centre of each. Fill each mould with the chocolate mixture to three-quarters full.

BAKING AND SERVING

1. Bake for 12–14 minutes until well risen. Remove form the oven and leave to stand for 2 minutes. Loosen the edges, turn out onto plates and serve immediately with ice cream. Decorate with pomegranate rubies and raspberries.

AUTHOR’S TIP: I like to serve this rich dessert with something slightly acidic. Try it with coconut and lime sorbet (see page 98).

Makes 8