Tea Soaked Figs

Ingredients

125g sugar

½ a lemon
2 whole cloves
½ a cinnamon stick
2 vanilla pods, split and scraped
10 figs cut in half
500ml water
3 sachets of earl grey tea
150ml strega liquor (Italian digestive liquor)

Method

Mix the sugar, lemon, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla into the water and bring to the boil.  Remove from the heat and infuse the tea for 30 minutes.  Pour the strega liquor onto the figs, remove the tea bags from the syrup and pour onto the figs. Soak the figs for 3 days in the liquid, and store them in the fridge. These can be served with either a sweet or savoury dish, but I personally recommend serving these delights with something sweet. Maybe even something as simple as clotted cream, or a vanilla bean ice cream.

For those who have never come across strega liquor before, here are some interesting facts about it. The recipe is a mix of 70 herbs and spices which include Samnite mint, Ceylon cinnamon, Florentine iris, Italian Apennine juniper, fennel, and saffron. The saffron is the key to Strega's signature yellow color and the mint and juniper are two of the most pronounced flavors within the herbal mixture. It is aged in ash barrels which allow the flavors and aromas to develop.

Bon Appétit

Apple and frangipane Tart

Ingredients

8 large apples, cored, peeled and halved
250g unsalted butter
400g sugar
400-500g puff pastry
Flour for dusting
Frangipane

375g soft butter

375g icing sugar
370g ground almonds
37.5g flour

7 eggs

Method

Cut the puff pastry into discs that are the size you desire, I usually use a coffee cup as an indicator for the disc size. Line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper, and pace the disc onto the tray. Place the tray into the fridge to let the puff pastry rest until you need it again.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°c full fan (gas mark 6). 

Meanwhile melt the butter and sugar in a pan and cook on a low heat until they turn an amber colour and caramelise (if the heat is too high the butter will spilt out of the sugar). Add the apples to the pan, continue to simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes until the apples are lightly coloured.

Remove the apples and caramel from the heat, and with a slotted spoon arrange the apples onto the puff pastry discs, but try not to get too much liquid onto the puff pastry disc while doing this. You want to try and create a ‘fan’ effect with the apples.

Prepare the frangipane but creaming together the butter and sugar, and then adding all the other ingredients until it is combine. Press a layer of frangipane on top of the apples

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through and the frangipane starts turning a nice golden brown colour.

Serve this with vanilla bean ice cream, maple syrup and come apple puree.

Bon Appétit

Chocolate Fondant Recipe

 

 

This is one of my favourite desserts to prepare, and I serve in a variety of ways. The vanilla bean ice cream is on a bed of honeycomb dust, and the fresh raspberries were soaked in a sugar syrup that was also used when I served the dessert.

Ingredients

Melted butter, for greasing
cocoa powder, for dusting
275g (9.5oz) dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
225g (8oz) unsalted butter
400g (14oz) caster sugar
0.5tsp vanilla extract
5 large free-range eggs, beaten
200g (7oz) plain flour, sifted
you will need
8 metal pudding bowls or ramekins

Preparation

Heat the oven to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4. Brush the pudding moulds sparingly with melted butter, dust with cocoa powder and shake out the excess. Set aside. Melt the chocolate and butter gently in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Leave to cool slightly.

Whisk the eggs into the mixture a little at a time, then fold in the sifted flour and a little salt until you have a smooth mixture.

Divide between the moulds – each one two thirds full. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 12 minutes exactly. Remove from the oven, run a knife round the edges, invert and tip out on to serving plates. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and fresh seasonal berries.