Blood orange ice cream

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog regularly will be well aware of my obsession with citrus fruits. The arrival of crate upon crate of these sunny, weighty fruits to our winter markets makes me all kinds of happy. I love them because just a squeeze of juice or a grating of zest can perfectly season a dish. And, no less importantly, I love them for bringing some much-needed tang and vitamin C during these lean winter months.

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SALTED CHOCOLATE CRÈME BRULEE

I was outraged this week to hear crème brulee described as 'a little eighties.' I resort to verbatim because, as any aspiring Elle Woods's will know, your case needs evidence to stand up in a court of law.

My distress here is twofold: firstly, tarnishing anything with the glittery, permed brush of 'eighties' will do it no favours. And secondly, what's so bad about the eighties anyway? Photographic evidence suggests that my dad wore some oversized specs that would go down very well in East London these days, and I know few people of good taste who would turn down Tiramisu or a Black Forest Gateaux. Case closed.

If you're wary of brulee, please don't be. It's so delicious and you don't need to buy a blowtorch either which, unless you've got a spot of welding that needs doing, is a big tick in my book.

The chocolate was inspired by a version at my favourite splurge-spot, Bob Bob Ricard. An unoriginal choice I know but what can I say, I'm a sucker for novelty buttons and a good namesake (Bob has twice the shares, in case you were wondering).

My recipe is adapted from this version by delicious. magazine. You'll need to use a heavyweight dark chocolate for this one, and I found that Green&Blacks 80% cocoa was just the ticket.

 THE INGREDIENTS

100g Green&Blacks 80% dark chocolate

400ml double cream

4 egg yolks

1 tsp fine sea salt

25g caster sugar

 caster sugar & sea salt to finish

THE RECIPE

Begin by chopping your chocolate into small pieces, and setting aside in a large bowl. Put the cream in a saucepan, and gently bring to the boil. Allow it to bubble for a few seconds, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir the ganache until the mixture is smooth, and all the chocolate has melted.

Separately, whisk the yolks, sugar and salt until pale and slightly foamy. Add to the chocolate mixture, then return to a clean pan and heat through for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into small pots, teacups or ramekins and leave to cook in the fridge.

When you're ready to serve them, make a caramel with 100g caster sugar and a generous pinch of sea salt. Gently heat until the sugat has melted and the caramel is golden brown. Gently and carefully pour a layer of caramel over each brulee, and allow to harden before serving. 

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FIRST BIRTHDAY DOUGHNUTS

New Year's Eve seems to get a lot of bad press. It's become one of those times of year that everyone looks forward to and quietly dreads simultaneously, worried perhaps that it will fall a little flat after all the hype. My Dad rejects it entirely - he goes to bed early in favour of a dawn walk on New Year's Day. Maybe he's onto something there.

While I've had my fair share of limp new year celebrations, I love the sentiment that the end of December brings. In Islam, New Year celebrations fall in late October, and constitute a time of fasting and reflection on past events in history. This might seem a strange bridge for a glutton such as myself, but I think it's easy to forget the significance of a new year amid all the angst about having a good time.

While fasting won't play a part in my celebrations, I think it's so important to reflect on the year gone, and get excited about the year ahead. A new year can be the clean page that we often need to kick bad habits or, more importantly, prompt us to start that thing we've been meaning to do all year and never quite got around to.

On 1st January 2015, Pudding Lane Blog will be one year old. This time last year, I was frantically attempting to code and trying to get this little page perfect. While I'm still striving for perfection, I am so happy, proud and quite frankly, surprised at how far this little blog has come in it's first year of online life.

While many of you favoured Gin and Tonic Cake, Pudding Lane's debut recipe was the seasonally-fitting Post-Christmas Couronne. Other 2014 favourites included Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, Overnight Oats and Sweet Potato Brownies.

Since hitting 'publish' in a freezing, damp Stockwell kitchen on New Year's Day, Pudding Lane has hosted 44 posts (only 8 weeks of negligence then), gathered 500 Facebook likes and welcomed just over 400,000 pageviews. I don't go in for the numbers side of things often but, as this is a time for reflection, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you that has stopped by and helped Pudding Lane get into gear. It really does mean the world to me.

Blogging has been my escape, solace and often, my sanity over this last year. My own life has come a little way too - along side a lot of tears and tonsilitis (sigh), I've navigated a house move, a promotion and a lovely new relationship. To anyone toying with the idea of starting their own little online playground - do it. You have nothing to lose, and there's never been a better time of year to give it a go.

For my last recipe post of 2014, I've gone a little European in terms of tradition. I read recently that doughnuts and other round pastries are eaten in Germany and Holland on New Year's Eve. Some say the shape represents the circularity of life, others say the opportunity to fill them with mustard instead of custard was too good a prank to miss.

Whichever your preference, here is my Doughnut recipe, which makes 6 and is adapted from Mr Paul Hollywood's. I've filled mine with custard because I love it, but feel free to substitute for jam (or mustard). Until next year - thank you. I hope you're able to enjoy these last few days of holiday with the people you love.

 THE INGREDIENTS

250g strong white flour

7g fast action yeast

5g salt

25g butter

25g caster sugar

1 egg

75ml warm milk

50ml warm water

oil for frying

150g caster sugar

for the creme patissiere filling

250ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

50g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

25g cornflour

THE RECIPE

Weigh all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, with the yeast on one side, the salt and sugar on the other. Add the butter, egg, milk and water to the middle. Using a gentle scrunching motion, stir with your hands until a slack, sticky dough is formed. Knead in the bowl until the dough is stretchy and some of the stickiness is gone. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for ten minutes until the dough is smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and allow to rise for around an hour.

Once the dough is doubled in size, tip onto a floured surface and knead to knock all of the air out. Divide into 6 equal pieces, and roll each one into a ball. Place on a lined baking tray, cover, and allow to rise for a further hour. Seperately, pour the caster sugar into a shallow bowl and set aside.

Fill a pan with oil, and use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. The oil need to be at 180C. Once the doughnuts have risen, lower them one at a time into the pan with a slotted spoon. I do two at a time, and cook them for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Carefully remove with the slotted spoon, and transfer into the bowl of sugar, rolling to coat. Repeat until all the doughnuts are cooked and coated in sugar, and allow them to cool before filling. 

If you are filling your doughnuts with custard, make the creme patissiere. Pour the milk and vanilla into a small pan, and heat until just boiling. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl. When the milk is just boiling, carefully pour half over the egg mixture, beating quickly until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and beat until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan, and whisk constantly over a medium heat until thickened - be careful not to leave it too long, or it will curdle.

Pour into a bowl, cover in clingfilm and leave to cool. Once cool, transfer to a piping bag, and pipe into the core of each doughnut. 

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CHOUX CHRISTMAS WREATH

I have just come back from a beautiful long weekend in Paris. An eclectic mix of old and new, Paris never ceases to blow me away as it continues to ooze culture and romance at every corner. Whether your artistic taste leads you to the Louvre or the Moulin Rouge, the French capital is chic and addictive - and that's even at a measly 4 degrees above freezing.

Paris has been immortalised in classical and popular culture alike, and I found myself thinking of numerous favourites of mine as we perused the streets of the city. From Carrie Bradshaw to Ernest Hemmingway; Paris charmed them all.

Hemmingway once described Paris as 'a moveable feast' and, while he undoubtedly had the city's legacy in mind, this writer was a literal interpretation of this assertion as I gave into the fat girl inside of me and gorged on moules, baguette, steak and macaroons.

It's probably no bad thing that our trip was just three days long, but we still managed to squeeze in a trip in Laduree on the Champs Elysées. It's crowded, expensive and far from undiscovered, but boy oh boy do they do patisserie well. While queuing for my macaroons I had a chance to inspect a smorgasbord of religiuse, fruit tarts and gateaus.

I came home with Paris in my heart and choux pastry in my head, and so it was that my Christmas choux wreath was born. I've never dared to make a croquembouche, but this might be a good starting place if you're tempted. Choux has a bad name in the pastry industry, but it really is easier than you'd think. Filled with homemade crème patissiere and covered in caramel and chocolate, this wreath is the perfect way to bring a little Parisian charm to your Christmas table.

 THE INGREDIENTS

choux pastry

75g butter

75g plain flour

2 medium eggs

crème patissiere 

250ml whole milk

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

30g sugar

15g cornflour

10g plain flour

to finish

100g caster sugar

50g white chocolate

25g dark chocolate

10-15 hazelnuts (optional)

THE RECIPE

Preheat your oven to 220C, and line a baking tray with parchment. Put the butter in a pan with 150ml of water, and heat over a medium heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat when the mixture is just boiled. Tip in the flour, and stir quickly until the mixture comes into a soft ball. Return to the heat for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

When cool, add the eggs and beat well, the spoon the shiny paste into a piping bag and pipe into even round disks on the paper, smoothing any peaks with a damp finger. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190C and cook for 12 minutes more. Remove the buns and piece each with a skewer to release the steam, then return to the cooling oven for 4-5 minutes to allow them to dry completely. 

To make the filling, pour the milk and vanilla into a pan, and slowly bring to the bowl. Meanwhile in a freestanding mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale, then add both flours and whisk until smooth. When the milk is just boiling, pour into the egg mix and whisk quickly. Transfer the whole mixture into the pan, and return to the heat. Whisk constantly for a minute or so, and as it thickens pour into a bowl. Cover with paper or cling film and leave in the fridge to chill. 

When the creme patissiere is cold, spoon into a piping bag. Fill each choux bun with the custard. Next, pour 100g caster sugar into a pan, and heat until the sugar has formed a deep golden caramel. Carefully dip each choux into the caramel, and use it to fix the buns together into a wreath. If you are making spiked nuts to decorate, fix each hazelnut to a skewer, dip into the caramel, and lay over a work surface to allow a spike to form. Make sure you protect your flooring with kitchen paper first! 

Finally, melt the chocolates and use them to decorate the wreath. Finish with caramel nuts or other festive decorations. 

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RHUBARB AND CUSTARD KISSES

 Life is what happens when you are busy making plans

I don't wish to start another blog post with a complaint about being busy, but I am sorry that I've been a little neglectful. My excuses are boring, although I will say that our long, cold January evenings have a lot to answer for when it comes to the never-ending pipeline of birthdays that I've been celebrating lately.

That said, I know I am not the only person juggling and, without any offspring or animals relying on me, I need to learn to manage my time better. "I have nothing going on at the moment" said no person ever, after all.

I have had the best few weeks and, despite being 23 and evidently barely albe to care for myself, I did manage to hot foot it down to the BBC Bakes and Cakes Show in Angel a few weeks ago. I took my Mum along for the ride, and we had the best time floating from one demo to the next, and spending all our pocket money on gorgeous kitchenware from the likes of Lakeland and Simply Vintage. Thanks so much to the lovely girls at Good Food for inviting us - we had the best time.

This weekend I've finally had a chance to get back in my kitchen, and I couldn't be happier. Grand plans of smugly presenting recipes for Halloween and Bonfire Night proved immaterial, so instead here is a recipe that won't require a special shop, and can be whipped up in less than an hour.

You don't need to make your own jam at all, and of course you can use any flavour that you like.

 

THE INGREDIENTS

biscuits

120g soft butter

25g icing sugar

25g custard powder

100g plain flour

jam

250g rhubarb

250g caster sugar

1 lemon

THE RECIPE 

If you are making your own jam, start this first. Put a small plate in the freezer, then chop up the rhubarb, then add to a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat through on a medium temperature until the rhubarb begins to breakdown, then boil for ten minutes. 

If you're using a thermometer, watch for the jam to come to 150C. If not, judge by eye. When you think the jam is ready, spoon a small amount onto the frozen plate and leave it for a minute or so. Push it with your finger, and if the surface wrinkles the jam is ready. Transfer to a sterilized jar, and allow to cool before you use it.  

For the biscuits, preheat your oven to 180C, and line two baking trays with parchment. Beat the softened butter until it's creamy, then add the custard powder and icing sugar and beat until well mixed. Add the flour, and mix for 1-2 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and pipe into small swirls. Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. 

Allow the biscuits to cool on the tray for ten minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely - take care, as they're delicate little souls. Once the biscuits are cooled through, sandwich two together with a good dollop of jam. 

 

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RASPBERRY AND CUSTARD CAKE

I have been baking longer than I can remember. Descended from a long line of keen bakers, i've learnt from two of the best in the business (I may be biased, but that doesn't make me wrong). My granny and mum are both absolute whizs in the kitchen, and it's taken me a whole lotta practice to meet their standards. While not without our quarrels, us three share a love of baking and a wicked sense of humour. My great-grandad described it as 'custard pie' humour - and this cake encapsulates us perfectly.

While I've just about got the hang of this baking business, I leave jam making to the professionals. Granny's jam is, quite simply, the best jam in the world. I'm never without a few jars of her raspberry and redcurrant, which makes me one very lucky granddaughter. 

With granny's jam, mum's victoria sponge, and creme patissiere courtesy of yours truly, this cake is a little celebration of my brilliant baking family.  

THE INGREDIENTS

CAKE

3 eggs, weighed in their shells

equal weights of

caster sugar

self-raising flour

unsalted butter

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp custard powder

CREME PATISSIERE

250ml milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

50g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

20g cornflour

20g butter

TO FINISH

150g homemade raspberry jam

100g icing sugar

freeze dried raspberries, to decorate

THE RECIPE

Grease and line a 6 inch cake tin, and preheat your oven to 180C. Begin by weighing your eggs in their shells, noting down the exact weight. Set them aside, then weigh out an equal amount of butter and sugar. Cream together until light and pale, then crack in your eggs, adding 1 tbsp of the flour. Beat until fully incorporated (the flour should prevent the mixture curdling). Sieve in the remaining flour, custard powder and baking powder, and fold to mix. Once the mixture is light and pale, pour into the prepared tin. Level the mixture, then baking in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, removing once it is golden and cooked through.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then tip onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. To make the creme patissiere, put the milk in a small pan with the vanilla, and bring to the boil gently.Once it has bubbled a little, remove from the heat and set aside. In a clean bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour. Pour in a little of the hot milk, whisking continuously. Gradually add all the milk, continuing to whisk as you go. Return to the pan, and cook over a gentle heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble. At the point, remove it from the heat and sieve into a clean bowl. Add the butter and stir to melt through. Cover with clingfilm and allow it to cool completely in the fridge. 

Carefully slice the cake into two, then spread with the jam, and dollop on the custard. spread this evenly, then gently add the second cake.  

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