Gooseberry Custard Meringue Tart

Gooseberries are such a great fruit, with an elusive taste, hard to describe. There are citrus and floral elements and depending on the variety eaten, they sometimes can be slightly reminiscent of cooking apples. The one thing that is definitely true about gooseberries is that they are tart and definitely need a little added sweetness in order to enjoy them to them at their best. I absolutely love them and each year I look forward to eating them when they come into season.

I love gooseberry pies, adore gooseberry crumble and go weak at the knees for gooseberry fool, but in the interests of expanding my culinary and gastronomic repertoire, I have been considering other ways in which gooseberries could be used.

 

Because of their tartness, gooseberries work very well as a sauce to serve alongside certain rich savoury dishes. One of the best known combinations is that of gooseberries with mackerel, where the tartness of the gooseberries cuts through the richness of the oily fish. I love this pairing, but have to admit, that what I was most interested in exploring were different and unusual ways of serving gooseberries in sweet dishes.

 

As is well established at this stage, I love lemon desserts – ANYTHING sweet with lemon in it! High on my list of favourite lemon desserts is lemon meringue pie because when well made, there is a flavour balance between the sour tartness of the lemons and the sugary fluffy meringue. I did a bit of research on the possibilities of using gooseberries in the place of lemons and indeed, I came across a number of gooseberry meringue pie recipes on the internet and was tempted to develop my own version and do a little experimentation.
 

I also came across many recipes for gooseberry custard tarts and this really began to get my taste buds going in anticipation; gooseberries go really well with custards, cream and yoghurt where the creaminess of the diary products mitigates the sharpness of the gooseberries somewhat.

 

The idea of a gooseberry and custard tart really appealed to me, but I was not ready to let go of the meringue idea completely… so I decided to marry the two ideas and this tart was born. I subsequently came across a recipe that Allegra McEvedy had written for The Guardian which was similar to the one that I present here. In fact, I rather liked her crème patisserie recipe which used cornflour rather than flour, so decided to borrow it.

 

I was extremely pleased with how this tart turned out and it is one that I will definitely make again. There is something just so summery about it and I defy anyone who is a self-proclaimed loather of gooseberries to try out the recipe and not be swayed a little in favour of the old goozgog!

Ingredients:

Pastry:
175g plain flour
50g icing sugar

100g butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

Crème patisserie:

250ml milk

2 egg yolks

45g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste/extract

20g cornflour

Gooseberry filling:

500g gooseberries, topped and tailed

100g caster sugar

2tblsp water

Meringue:

3 large egg whites

175g caster sugar
 

Method:

Pastry:

1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the diced butter and using your fingertips, rub into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and water and mix using a fork until everything comes together. Turn out on to a lightly floured work-surface sand knead briefly to form into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.

3. Place the milk in a medium sized saucepan and bring just up to boiling point. Separately, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla paste together in a medium sized bowl until light and creamy. Add in the cornflour and mix again until fully incorporated. Gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Return this mixture to the saucepan and set over a moderate eat. Bring up to the boil, whisking continuously until the mixture starts to thicken. Allow to bubble for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and using a spatula, scrape the crème patisserie into a clean bowl. Directly cover the surface of the crème patisserie with some cling film and allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until solid.

To blind bake the pastry:

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5.

5. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured work-surface. Use to line a 20cm round x 4cm deep tart tin with removable base.

6. Prick the pastry several times with a fork. Place some non-stick baking parchment on the pastry and then fill with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, removing the parchment and baking beans for the final 5 minutes. The pastry should be cooked and a light golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 100C/Fan Oven 80C/Gas Mark ¼.

Gooseberry filling:

7. Put the gooseberries in a saucepan with the sugar and water and place over a moderate heat. Bring to a simmer, and then increase the heat so that they are vigorously bubbling. Stir regularly to ensure that they don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Allow to bubble until the mixture is almost jam-like in consistence (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meringue:

8. Place the egg whites in a large clean bowl and using a hand-held electric whisk to the soft-peak stage. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar to create a stiff glossy meringue mixture.

9. Pile (or pipe) the meringue on top of the gooseberry mixture making sure that it is covered completely. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes and then remove and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

To finish:

10. Remove the crème patisserie from the fridge and give it a light whisk to loosen it up a little. Spread over the base of the blind baked pastry shell. Next place the gooseberry filling on top, of this spreading it out to the edges. Finally, pipe or spoon the meringue on top of the gooseberry filling making sure that it is completely covered. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until the meringue is crisp and a pale creamy colour. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Serves 6-8.
 

Spice Bread

This bread is, in truth, more like a spicy cake but to me it is bread in the same way that tea brack or soda bread, although cake-like, are breads. Despite its fairly unassuming and plain looks, this bread is packed with delicious flavours and its almost austere appearance belies its delightfully delectable qualities. The crumb is not as delicate as a sweet cake would be and in texture is more like a gingerbread cake or a freshly baked brown soda bread.

What I present here is essentially the same as a French pain d’epices and whilst lovely to eat on its own with a refreshing cup of tea, it is incredible versatile and also makes a great accompaniment to a range of dishes.

I love it gently fried in a little butter and served with some pan-fried apple or pear wedges and a caramel sauce. Although calorific and perhaps not great for the arteries, this is an incredibly delicious and self-indulgent treat to eat every once in a while.

The finished flavour of the bread also depends very much on the choice of honey used as different types will produce subtly different results. The inclusion of ground cloves and allspice give the bread an almost bitter edge on the palate. This is not in any way unpleasant and means that the bread is a perfect partner to rich ingredients, such as foie gras or blue cheese.

The aroma of the bread as it cooks reminds me so much of my kitchen at Christmastime and also brings back fond memories of the bustling activity in my grandmother’s kitchen as she prepared for the annual festivities.

Finally, I should mention that this bread stores incredibly well and is still extremely good to eat a few days after having been baked – just store it in an airtight tin.
 

Ingredients:

250g runny honey
125g light brown Muscovado sugar
75g butter

175ml water

225g plain flour

1tblsp baking powder

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground allspice

A generous pinch of ground cloves

1 large egg, lightly beaten

30g flaked almonds
50g raisins, chopped

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 orange
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Line a 25cm x 10cm loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.
2. Place the honey, butter and sugar into a saucepan and add the water. Place over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring up to the boil and then remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a large mixing bowl and slowly add the honey mixture and the beaten egg, mixing well to ensure that there are no little pockets of flour.

4. Finally, add the flaked almonds and chopped raisins, mixing well to distribute evenly. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.

Serves 10-12.

 

Pear & White Chocolate Cake

I am not a huge fan of white chocolate as it can be cloyingly sweet, but there is something about its inclusion in this cake which really brings out the flavour of the pears. I love pears and believe that quite often they are a fruit that really come into their own when cooked or baked. This is certainly the case where this cake is concerned.

Yes… this is an undeniably sweet cake, but it really does taste fabulous and is perfect served as a dessert, though I wouldn’t say no to a slice if offered it as a treat to eat with a cup of tea. The pears cut through some of the sweetness of the white chocolate and add a welcome juicy fruitiness. All too often fresh fruit added to a cake seems to almost lose some of its characteristic taste, but this is definitely not the case here; this is most definitely packed full of pear flavour.

The cake has a dense crumb, but is not heavy; in fact it has an almost chocolate truffle like texture and is very moreish. I was extremely pleased with how it turned out. The white chocolate in the cake perfumed my kitchen with a gentle caramel smell which was incredibly tempting; it took every ounce of self-restraint I had to stop myself from cutting a slice and devouring it as soon as it emerged from the oven. Actually, this cake is lovely if served slightly warm or allowed to cool to room temperature, with a generous dollop of lightly whipped fresh cream on the side. Happy days!

Ingredients:

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced into 1cm chunks
1tblsp of pear liqueur

180g white chocolate, chopped

350g butter

575g caster sugar

375ml milk

300g plain flour

100g self-raising flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

To finish:

1 pear sliced very thinly from top to bottom, with a sharp knife

Juice of half a lemon

A little icing sugar for dusting

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C/Fan Oven 140C/Gas Mark 3. Line a 22/23cm round cake tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

2. Place the reap chunks in a small bowl and pour over the pear liqueur. Set aside.

3. Place the chocolate, butter, caster sugar and milk in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

4. Sift the self-raising flour and flour together and gradually add to the chocolate mixture so that it is fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Add the eggs, mixing well so that they too, are fully incorporated. Finally, fold in the liqueur soaked pears. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 1½ - 1¾ hours until risen and a thin skewer inserted, comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.

Pear crisps:

5. Dip the pear slices in a little lemon juice and place on a baking tray covered with non-stick baking parchment. Place into an oven at its lowest setting for approximately 2 hours until dried out and crisp.

To finish:

6. Dust the cooled cake with some icing sugar and arrange the pear crisps on top. Serve.

Serves 10-12.
 

Vanilla Butter Cookies (made with cookie press)

My cookbook collection continues to grow and I will admit that it’s starting to reach an embarrassingly large size. You know you have a problem and that an obsession is reaching a point when it’s almost out of control when you feel that you have to hide it from others. I am now at the stage where I sneak newly acquired cookbooks into the house, hoping that no-one will notice that another book has been added to the shelves.

 

In my defence, I rarely buy new cookbooks; instead I scour the internet for cheap second-hand books and have been delighted with many of my purchases, which have been relatively inexpensive to buy. This is just as well really, because I think that I am going to have to seriously consider the possibilities of having an extension to my home built to house them all.
 

If this was my only cookery related obsession, it would probably be tolerable to my nearest and dearest, but unfortunately, I also find it hard to resist buying kitchen gadgets! Now the term ‘gadget’ encompasses a great many things… pasta makers, ice-cream makers, whisks cookie cutters, piping nozzles – the list goes on and on. I justify these purchases by convincing myself that the use of these pieces of equipment will improve my cooking immeasurably, save time and make the food I create look so much more professional. Whilst there is a certain truth in this, the reality is that most of these gadgets and pieces of equipment languish at the back of the kitchen cupboard for most of the time.

One piece of cooking equipment that I was recently seduced by was a cookie press, from which I imagined myself making hundreds of perfectly formed cookies and biscuits at break-neck speed. The reality is that there is a certain knack to producing the cookies, but once you get a feel for it, you will be churning out tasty little shortbread cookies by the dozen. I found that it is better not to use non-stick baking parchment as the cookies don’t stick to the paper when you oppress them out. Greaseproof paper works relatively successful, but I found using reusable silicon mats produced the best results.

These cookies are rather like the Danish butter cookies that are readily available at Christmas. I liked the vanilla flavour of these biscuits, but you could easily ring the changes by using lemon zest or spices instead.

Ingredients:

100g butter, softened
70g icing sugar
150g plain flour

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract/paste

To finish:

Caster sugar for sprinkling
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper or silicone baking sheets.

2. Place the butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together until fully incorporated, to create a soft dough.

3. Spoon the dough into a cookie press (or into a disposable piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle). Following the manufacturer’s instruction, use the cookie press (fitted with the chosen cookie shape attachment) to create individual cookies or pipe out individual cookies using the piping bag.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. The cookies are ready when they are still pale but tinged a light, golden colour.

5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Makes 40 (approximately).