Summer berry puddings
Summer berry mascarpone tart
This is perhaps the easiest fruit tart in the world. You could use any plain biscuits, but crumbly rich ones make a rougher, more interesting base. The best results come from coarse, buttery biscuits such as Duchy Originals ginger or orange biscuits.
Serves 8-10
for the base:
butter - 100g
lemon, orange or ginger biscuits - 375g
for the filling:
egg - 1 large
golden caster sugar - 2 tbs
mascarpone - 500g
vanilla extract
a little grated orange zest
for the fruit:
cherries - 250g
ripe black, white or redcurrants - 150g
ripe blackberries - 150g
You will need a shallow, loose-bottomed tart tin, about 22cm in diameter.
To make the crumb base: melt the butter in a small pan, crush the biscuits to fine crumbs (in a food processor or by putting them in a plastic bag and hitting them with a rolling pin) then stir the crumbs into the butter. Tip the crumbs into the tart tin and push them out over the base and up the sides. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
To make the filling, separate the eggs, put the yolks into a food mixer with the sugar and beat till smooth, then mix in the mascarpone, a drop or two of vanilla extract and a teaspoon or so of grated orange zest. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them gently into the cheese mixture with a large metal spoon. Scoop the filling into the tart case, cover with clingfilm and chill for 2 hours.
Stone the cherries and pull the currants from their stalks. Mix the fruits together and place them carefully on the tart. Cover gently with clingfilm and return to the fridge for 30 minutes (longer will not hurt). Serve in small wedges. The tart will last for a day or two in the fridge as long as it is covered.
Ricotta cake
A rich summer cake - just a thin slice is lovely with fresh berries or maybe a purée of raspberries.
Serves 8-10
for the apricot sponge:
butter - 250g
unrefined caster sugar - 250g
eggs - 4 large
the grated zest and juice of a lemon
ground almonds - 50g
plain flour - 100g
soft-dried apricots - 100g
for the ricotta filling:
ricotta - 150g
mascarpone - 250g
icing sugar - 2 lightly heaped tbs
grated zest of an orange
finest vanilla extract - a few drops
whipping or double cream - 280ml
icing sugar and fresh berries, to serve
To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar in a food mixer until truly light and fluffy. It should be very pale and creamy. Set the oven at 180°C/gas 4. Line the bottom of a 20-22cm shallow square cake tin with a sheet of baking parchment.
Beat the eggs lightly and add them in three or four goes to the butter and sugar. They might curdle slightly - don't worry, just keep beating. Add the lemon zest, reserving the juice, then mix the ground almonds and flour together. Slowly fold in the flour and almonds, then add the reserved lemon juice and dried apricots. At this point you should treat the mixture gently.
Smooth the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove, and turn upside down on a cake rack to cool.
Put the ricotta in the bowl of a food mixer with the mascarpone and the icing sugar. Beat thoroughly to a thick and relatively smooth cream. Beat in the orange zest and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, softly whip the cream. Stop while the cream is still in soft folds, before it gets thick enough to stand in peaks, then fold it gently into the ricotta mixture.
To assemble the cake, line the bottom of a long, thin cake tin, about 28cm x 8cm (though you can improvise with other dimensions easily enough, just use what you have).
Cut the sponge into three long strips, then cut each half into two horizontally. Line the bottom of the tin with a slice of the sponge, using some from a second one where you need to. Spoon one half of the mascarpone mixture on top of this, smoothing it gently. Cover this with another layer of sponge and a second layer of mascarpone cream. Finish with more sponge, patching any gaps where necessary. Tightly cover in clingfilm and refrigerate for a good two hours (overnight will not hurt). You will inevitably have some sponge left over after this, but it will no doubt soon disappear.
Run a palette knife around the edges and turn the cake out on to a long flat plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve with the berries.
Meringues with summer berries and strawberry sauce
Meringue is always easier to make in large quantities. You will find you have a few meringues left over for the next day. They will keep in an airtight container quite well.
Serve 4 (with several left over for tomorrow)
egg whites - 5
caster sugar - 300g
cornflour - 1 heaped tbs
for the sauce:
strawberries - 250g
the juice of half a lemon
for the filling:
double cream - 300ml
raspberries - 400g
redcurrants - a few sprigs
Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment. Set the oven at 200°C/gas 6.
To make the meringues, whip the egg whites until firm and fluffy then fold in the sugar and lastly the cornflour. Place large heaped spoonfuls of mixture on the baking sheet, leaving room for the meringues to spread and puff up a little. Bake for about 40 minutes, turning down the heat if they are browning too much - you want them to be a pale honey colour. When the meringues are crisp on top, remove and let them cool. The ideal is that they remain fudgy inside.
Make the sauce by whizzing the hulled strawberries in a food processor with the lemon juice. Chill.
Whip the cream until it will just about keep its shape; it shouldn't be so thick that it will stand in peaks. Press the centre of each meringue with the back of a spoon so that you make a hollow. Pile the cream inside, scatter with the berries and a sprig or two of currants. Put the sauce in a jug to pour over as you serve.
Raspberry 'tiramisu'
OK, this is about as much a tiramisu as I am, but the principle of booze-soaked sponge and mascarpone cream is the same. It may make your heart sink that it needs to be made the day before, but that is the only way to get the sponge and cream cheese layer to marry successfully. Rush it and you will be disappointed.
Serves 8
white wine - 100ml
cassis - 80ml
sponge finger biscuits - 1 packet
raspberries - 400g
mascarpone - 500g
eggs - 3, separated
caster sugar -3 tbs
double or whipping cream - 200ml
You will need an oval or rectangular dish about 35cm in diameter.
Mix the wine and cassis. Dip the biscuits in this and lay them snugly in the dish. Pour over half of the remaining liquid. Scatter half of the raspberries over the sponges.
Whisk the mascarpone, the egg yolks and the sugar together with a hand-held electric whisk. Rinse the beaters, dry them thoroughly then beat the egg whites till they are stiff and hold in firm peaks.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, breaking up any lumps of egg white as you go. Spread all over the infused sponge fingers.
Whip the cream, but only until it will sit in soft folds. If it stands in peaks you have gone too far. Scatter over the remaining raspberries and cover tightly with kitchen film. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, scatter with rose petals should you wish, and serve.
Puddings with shortcuts
Rice pudding
Serves 4
arborio or pudding rice - 8 heaped tbs
milk - 300ml
double cream - 300ml
vanilla pod, 1, split in half lengthways, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
water - 6 tbs
butter - 1 large knob
caster sugar - 4 tbs
Put the rice in a medium-sized, heavy-based pan, then pour in the milk, cream, vanilla pod or extract and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then turn down the flame until the milk is bubbling gently. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes. Add the butter, no more than an ounce, whip out the vanilla pod, and then stir in the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, the pudding is ready.
A simple passion fruit cheesecake
There is little that can compete with the famous American-style cooked cheesecake, but the ultimate creamy cheesecake is the 'refrigerator' rather than 'oven' version. Though the appearance of passion fruit is unusual, it is necessary, so that the sharp fruit prevents the cake from cloying. This is a very soft cheesecake. To make it easier to serve, chill the cake thoroughly overnight before serving.
Serves 8
for the base:
butter - 120g
ginger biscuits - 400g
for the filling:
mascarpone - 250g
icing sugar - 75g
vanilla pod - 1
crème fraîche - 400ml
double cream - 300ml
ripe, wrinkled passion fruit - 4
whitecurrants - 8 sprigs (optional)
Melt the butter in a small pan. Crush the biscuits to fine crumbs and stir them into the melted butter. Tip them into a 22cm, loose-bottomed cake tin and smooth them flat. Refrigerate for an hour or so until firm. You can speed the process by putting them in the freezer if you wish.
Beat the mascarpone and icing sugar in a food mixer until smooth. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod with the point of a knife and stir into the mascarpone with crème fraîche.
Whip the cream until it stands in soft folds, then stir it gently into the mascarpone mixture. Scrape the mixture into the cake tin and cover with kitchen film. Leave to chill for a good hour.
To serve, remove the cake from the tin, cut the passion fruits in half and squeeze the seeds and juice over the cheesecake. Add a few sprigs of white currants, if you wish.
Poached pears with praline ice cream and chocolate sauce
A seductive contrast of textures here - silky pears, heavy with syrup, cold, nubbly ice cream and warm, velvety chocolate sauce. One can't help thinking all desserts should be as sumptuous as this.
Serves 4
golden caster sugar - 2 tbs
vanilla pod - 1
juice of half a lemon
pears - 4
praline ice cream, to serve
fine, dark chocolate - 200g
Pour a good litre of water into a deep, wide pan, then add the sugar, vanilla pod and the lemon juice, and bring to the boil. Peel the pears and tug out their stalks, then halve the fruit and scoop out the cores with a teaspoon.
Drop the pears into the sugar syrup and let them simmer for 10-15 minutes until they are translucent and tender. Leave the pears in the syrup to cool. During this time they will become silkily soft and soaked through with syrup.
Take the ice cream out of the freezer. Chop the chocolate. Bring 150ml water to the boil then whisk in the chocolate, removing from the heat as soon as it has melted - a matter of seconds.
Place two pear halves on each of four dishes, add a ball of praline ice cream, then pour over the warm chocolate sauce.
Cheat's summer pudding
Proper summer pudding should be weighted and left overnight for the juices from the raspberries, red and blackcurrants to soak through the bread. But the different flavours of the berries have already been married in the cooking pot and anyone can soak bread in purple-black juice. So here is a quick version that has much the same flavour, and the same soggy, fruity bread. The only count it fails on is that it just won't stand up. So? Serve it from the bowl, with cream.
Serves 4
blackcurrants - 175g
redcurrants - 175g
raspberries - 175g
caster sugar - 75g
white bread - 4 slices
Remove the stalks from the currants. Put the fruit and sugar in a stainless steel saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water. Bring to the boil, then cook gently until the currants burst their skins and form a rich, purple-red syrup. This usually takes 5-7 minutes.
Cut the crusts from the bread and cut it into small triangles, about four from each slice. Place a few of them in the bottom of a 23cm shallow china dish and cover with some of the warm fruit. Make another layer of bread and another of fruit. Continue like this until all the bread and fruit is used up, finishing with a layer of bread if you can.
Spoon the warm juice over the bread, pressing gently down with the back of a spoon until the bread is completely soaked.
Set aside for as much time as you have - 15 minutes should do it. Don't attempt to turn it out of the dish.
Spoon into bowls and serve with cream.
Peaches with rosewater
Serves 4
ripe peaches - 4 large
water - a litre
elderflower cordial - 3 tbs
sugar - to taste
rose petals
Wipe the peaches and put them in a stainless steel pan. Pour in the water, stir in the elderflower cordial and at least 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently until the peaches are completely tender. Turn off the heat and leave the peaches in their syrup to cool. When they are cold, chill thoroughly.
Serve a peach per person, skinned if you wish, with some of the chilled syrup and a few scattered rose petals.
Cheat's ice cream
Almost instant chocolate ice cream
I use bought custard from the chiller cabinet at the supermarket for this. Check the ingredients carefully though, some brands are better than others.
Serves 4-6
fine quality dark chocolate - 200g
a small espresso - about 50ml
fresh custard - 400g
whipping cream - 250ml
Put the chocolate, broken into pieces, and the coffee in a heatproof basin set over a small pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Once the chocolate has melted, stir gently once or twice and turn off the heat. Pour the custard into a jug, then stir in the cream and chocolate. Scoop the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen.
No ice-cream machine? Then pour the mixture into a plastic box and place in the freezer, removing it and beating the mixture with a hand whisk every couple of hours until it's almost frozen. (You will need to do this two or three times.)
If you leave it in the freezer overnight, then place it in the fridge for an hour or so before serving to allow it to soften.
Two great brioche puds
Toasted chocolate brioche
Brioche is both rich and featherlight. Toasted, and served with a cappuccino, it is a tender mid-morning pick-me-up, but is wonderfully decadent when stuffed with shavings of chocolate and toasted till the filling melts. Brioche loaves are not as easy to track down here as they are in France, but most major supermarkets have them. I found mine at Waitrose.
Makes one sandwich
dark, smooth chocolate - 60g
brioche - 2 thin slices
Heat a ridged, hob-top griddle or toasted sandwich maker. Lay the bread flat on a work surface. Grate or shave the chocolate so that the pieces are small and thin enough to melt quickly. Spread them over one slice of the bread, almost to the edge.
Toast the bread on the hot griddle until the underside is toasted, then carefully turn it so that the filling doesn't escape, and toast the other side. It is ready when the chocolate has melted and is starting to ooze out.
Blueberries with toasted brioche
Fresh fruit, toasted brioche and ice cream, a once-in-a-while treat that can be made as an ice-cream sandwich with fruit sauce on the side, or if you break the brioche into pieces after toasting, as a sort of ice-cream sundae in a tall glass.
Serves 2
blueberries - 300g
caster sugar - 1-2 level tbs
brioche rolls - 2, or 2 thick slices of brioche loaf
vanilla ice cream
Rinse the blueberries and put them into a small saucepan with the sugar and 4 tablespoons of water. Bring slowly to the boil and remove once the sugar has dissolved and the berries have started to burst. Set aside.
Split the brioche rolls in half and toast until golden. Put them in shallow serving bowls and add generous scoops of ice cream. Spoon over the blueberry sauce and serve.
Ice cream-based puds
Lemon ice cream tart with gingernut crust
Enough for 8
butter - 120g
ginger biscuits - 400g
white wine - 150ml
brandy or Marsala - 2 tbs
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
grated zest of 1 orange
caster sugar - 4 tbs
double cream - 500ml
You will need a loose-bottomed tart tin with a diameter of about 21cm.
Line the base of the tin with a single piece of greaseproof paper. Melt the butter in a small pan. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or bash them in a plastic bag. You want them to be a coarse powder. Stir the biscuits into the butter. Line the base of the tin with the buttered crumbs, pushing some as far up the sides as you can. It doesn't matter if the edges are rough. Put the crumb-lined tin in the freezer.
Pour the wine into the bowl of a food mixer. Add the brandy or Marsala and the grated zest of the lemons and the orange. Squeeze the lemons and add the juice (reserve the orange juice for another occasion).
Add the sugar and cream to the wine and zest mixture, then beat slowly until thick. The consistency needs to be soft and thick, so that it lies in soft folds rather than standing in stiff peaks. Scrape the mixture into the crumb-lined tin and freeze for at least four hours.
Remove the tart from the freezer 15 to 20 minutes before you intend to serve it. I find it easier to remove the cake from the tin while it is still frozen, running a palette knife around the edge first.
Vanilla ice cream cake with strawberry sauce
You could, of course, make your own sponge cake for this simple ice cream dessert. But then, if you are going to that much trouble you might as well make your own ice cream, too. Most major food shops sell really buttery plain sponge cakes. If they are made with ground almonds, all the better.
Serves 6
plain sponge cake - 275g
vanilla ice cream - 1 litre
strawberries - 200g
caster sugar - 2 tbs
You will need a loaf tin, approximately 22cm x 12 cm, lined with clingfilm or greaseproof paper.
Slice the sponge thinly and use it to line the bottom and sides of the loaf tin. Leave enough to put a layer on top later. Patch it where you must, but try to keep the splices as large as possible.
Let the ice cream soften slightly in its tub, but it mustn't melt. Spoon the ice cream into the loaf tin, pushing it right into the corners. Smooth the top then cover with the remaining slices of sponge cake. Cover tightly with cling film then freeze for a good hour. (It can stay frozen for several days if tightly wrapped.)
Bring the cake out of the freezer a good 20 minutes before you need it to let the sponge soften. To make the sauce, blitz the strawberries and sugar in a food processor until they are a runny purée. Serve the cake in thick slices, with the sauce in a small jug.
