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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Summer Fruit Charlotte

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Raspberries, Blackberries and BlueberriesThis dish takes four hours for it to set, so make sure you prepare it well in advance – but it is well worth the wait.

The soft sponge fingers with the soft creamy yoghurt and fresh fruit inside make such a beautiful change to some other desserts, especially since it’s so light!

To Serve 8

100g Caster Sugar

300g Strawberries

250g Raspberries

1 pack of Sponge Fingers

2 sheets of Gelatine

500g 0% Fat Greek Yogurt

½tsp Vanilla Extract

1.       Place 75g of the Sugar in a small pan with 100ml of water. Heat gently, and stir until the Sugar has dissolved.

2.       Slice 250g of the Strawberries, and add these as well as 175g of the Raspberries to the water, and mash lightly.

3.       Take off the heat, and cool for fifteen minutes. Strain into a shallow dish, keeping the fruit to one side.

4.       Dip the Sponge Fingers into the Sugar water one at a time, and line the base of a one litre pudding basin, cutting them to fit.

5.       In a different pan, soak the Gelatine sheets in four tablespoons of cold water until they are soft (it should take around five minutes). Heat the pan up gently until melted.

6.       Place the Yogurt in a bowl with the Vanilla Extract and the remaining 25g of Sugar. Beat in the melted Gelatine. Place half into the Sponge-lined basin, add the fruit then cover with the rest of the Yogurt mix and any of the remaining Sponges.

7.       Drizzle any remaining Syrup around the edge of the basin, and then place in the fridge to chill for at least four hours until set.

8.       To serve, place a plate across the top of the basin, and turn upside down, then top with the extra berries.

Photo Courtesy of: Renee Silverman

Fruity Meringue Sandwiches

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It usually takes ages for Meringues to cook. For these little bites of heaven, you can forget that – they’ll be cooked in just thirty minutes!

Experiment with different fillings to act as the sandwich fillings – a mix of different berries are great, as are fresh fruits, jams or using a variety of sauces as dips.

To serve 4

2 Large Eggs

115g Caster Sugar

Vanilla Extract

150ml Double Cream

300g Strawberries

1.       Preheat the oven to 140 C or Gas Mark 1, and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

2.       Separate the eggs, and put the whites into a large bowl. Whisk until they form peaks – easiest with an electric whisk. As soon as they start to form peaks, you should stop, you don’t want to over-beat the whites.

3.       Start to add the sugar slowly, whisking all the time, and with the last amount, add a few drops of Vanilla Extract.

4.       Using a small spoon, place small piles of the mixture onto a baking tray, leaving plenty of space between each meringue. You should have enough mixture for around thirty meringues.

5.       Cook in the oven for twenty five minutes before checking if they are able to be lifted off the paper. If any are still sticking, cook for five minutes longer.

6.       Whip the double cream until it is thick, slice the strawberries and lay them out for people to either make into their own sandwiches, or make up already for people to eat off of serving trays

Photo Courtesy of: ZoyaChubby

Rhubarb Crumble

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A Classic British dessert. Serve fresh out of the oven, with a large portion of Vanilla Ice cream, or swimming in a pool of Custard. The crisp, crunchy crumble on top is a delight when cooked just right – a heavenly treat for anyone.

The tartness of the Rhubarb, coupled with the sweet Ice cream, coupled with the range of textures, this dessert will become a firm favourite once you’ve tried it, and you can slightly adjust the quantities – for a sharper taste, add less sugar, and for a sweeter one, simply increase the amount of sugar included.

To serve 4

300g Flour

150g Demerara Sugar

250ml Orange Juice

60g White Sugar

500g Rhubarb

1.       In a bowl, rub the Flour and Demerara Sugar together, until they begin to look like Breadcrumbs.

2.       In a pan, mix 250ml of Orange Juice with the White Sugar and heat, but do not boil.

3.       Add the Rhubarb to the pan, and poach until slightly soft. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/ Gas Mark 4

4.       Strain the Rhubarb off, keeping five or six tablespoonfuls of the poaching mixture.

5.       Lay the Rhubarb in either a large ovenproof dish, or, alternatively into 4 smaller individual dishes. Pour one tablespoonful over each dish, or all into the one large dish.

6.       Top with the crumble mixture, and put in the oven for around thirty or forty minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling slightly around the edges

7.       Serve with a ball of Ice Cream.

Photo Courtesy of: SecretLondon123