Crave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes

Crave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes Martha Collison We all know the feeling. What starts as an insignificant little niggle, gently hinting at a kind of food, grows into a demanding craving. The kind that drags you out of bed in the middle of the night on a search for cheese, or causes you to break away from your desk in a desperate hunt for chocolate.Crave is the second book from Sunday Times bestselling author and Great British Bake Off contestant, Martha Collison. Using brilliant food science and delicious flavour combinations, she provides go-to recipes incorporating 8 of those things we so often hanker for: citrus, fruit, nut, spice, chocolate, caramel, cheese – and alcohol! There are ‘Instant’ recipes such as Lemon Cheesecake Pots – your super quick treats to be rustled up in next to no time. There are ‘Soon’ recipes that are ready to snaffle in under an hour, like Chilli Chocolate Churros. And you’ll find ‘Worth the Wait’ recipes, too. Think Olive & Preserved Lemon Focaccia and Caramelised White Chocolate Cake – a collection of bakes where patience yields intense flavours and sumptuous textures.Creative, inspiring and imaginative, these are the recipes you just have to have. Copyright (#ulink_a495db34-0f13-5f7f-811f-9ad0690cfd20) HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk) First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017 FIRST EDITION © Martha Collison 2017 Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Cover photograph © Laura Edwards A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Martha Collison asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. 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Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green Source ISBN 9780008238636 Ebook Edition © June 2017 ISBN 9780008238643 Version 2017-05-31 Contents Cover (#u3766b20f-64a2-5001-b5cf-3240a231c4e7) Title Page (#ufa09f1b4-0e99-51be-80a7-eb35919d9414) Copyright (#ulink_c43e5dbd-2f52-5621-85a7-c41cda39f3ad) Introduction (#ulink_028b27a9-e553-55fb-9a42-d326e835367f) How to use this book (#ulink_529757a8-5d45-5e0b-bdc4-3f30b530be93) Equipment (#ulink_57e2a75c-b5a6-5c3d-a8d2-8c6d496a4fb7) Ingredients (#ulink_08ed000a-f8af-51bc-a14f-62b778f02f12) Citrus (#ulink_4591c3fd-2670-552b-899f-dd456debd34d) Understanding Citrus (#ulink_da035d8c-0230-5888-89fc-56c1620763ac) Limoncello Brandy Snap Curls (#ulink_afda322e-ef59-53cb-be35-b695bfc1ac99) Lemon and Pistachio Cheesecake Pots (#ulink_94418c53-0de7-57b4-baec-eca61300dee5) Coconut and Lime Teacup Puddings (#ulink_65c47a73-1c6c-57b9-a8d6-b784c5dffd31) Caramelised Marmalade French Toast (#ulink_640d9945-f353-5798-a8e6-d270b9cc0d2a) Lime and Ginger Drizzle Cake Traybake (#ulink_b1846c91-9ac6-57f6-8593-6c0779bff076) Lemon and Poppy Seed Pancake Stack (#ulink_86c95d7e-530b-5eab-95b0-664d3e8f4dcd) Orange, Pistachio and Pomegranate Cakes (#ulink_fb1ec91d-1e4a-5a31-9fa6-363785c49d32) Grapefruit and White Chocolate Possets with Shortbread (#ulink_ffdcae8f-b666-55a1-9337-8619e45bc6c7) Lemonade Marshmallows (#ulink_adca7aad-864e-59a4-aee7-aae09f3b7c3e) Lemon Meringue Profiteroles (#ulink_7f6a2f8d-e195-526f-a714-e9b7991392fc) Preserved Lemon and Olive Focaccia (#ulink_d7a9ecde-443f-5f54-997c-ce1dac618d12) Lemon and Lime Battenberg (#ulink_7f25f368-82b3-50ce-a42d-8e7ef2d3614f) Fruit (#ulink_520ba045-37a8-509f-ac07-9ad27c15dc68) Understanding Fruit (#ulink_b468d808-ade7-59ae-8270-00dd28ee7af1) Mini Doughnut Muffins (#ulink_929ff45b-a547-5e0d-baf3-7421f24f3d6b) Quick Berry Crumbles (#ulink_1b957a9c-7c06-5e6d-ad9d-017772023b42) Mango and Prawn Filo Cups (#ulink_357a644f-5442-56f7-9725-a6140fd97292) Honey Scones with Rhubarb Compote (#ulink_e505a756-4f7a-50f0-933b-e46f07743ada) Peaches and Cream Cupcakes (#ulink_18066e4c-df1e-531a-a5a4-4f30118890f6) Sweet and Sour Apple Crisps (#ulink_9cb7c50a-b8d0-59e2-ba99-fbb7d3b883fb) Passionfruit Viennese Whirls (#ulink_8d4d8bcd-975b-575b-87e1-5583ece803fc) Raspberry Cr?pe Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Blackcurrant and Peanut Macarons (#litres_trial_promo) Persian Fruit Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Coconut Custard Tart with Caramelised Pineapple (#litres_trial_promo) Cherry and Marzipan Pie (#litres_trial_promo) Nut (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Nuts (#litres_trial_promo) Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread (#litres_trial_promo) Honey and Sea Salt Roasted Nuts (#litres_trial_promo) Peanut Butter Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Coffee Bean and Almond Brittle (#litres_trial_promo) Amaretti Biscuits (#litres_trial_promo) Sticky Maple Pecan Pudding (#litres_trial_promo) Frangipane Puff Pastry Pies (#litres_trial_promo) Pecan Praline Brownies (#litres_trial_promo) Flourless Hazelnut Torte (#litres_trial_promo) Baklava (#litres_trial_promo) Chocolate and Peanut Butter Roulade (#litres_trial_promo) Peshwari Naan Breads (#litres_trial_promo) Nutty Chocolate Babka (#litres_trial_promo) Spice (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Spices (#litres_trial_promo) Plain Popcorn (#litres_trial_promo) Oriental Satay Popcorn (#litres_trial_promo) Piri-Piri Popcorn (#litres_trial_promo) Snickerdoodle Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Fire Fries with Raita Dip (#litres_trial_promo) Gingerbread Blondies (#litres_trial_promo) Spiced Milk and Honey Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Speculoos Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Speculoos Cookie Spread (#litres_trial_promo) Chilli Chocolate Churros (#litres_trial_promo) Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (#litres_trial_promo) Cumin and Sesame Crackers with Whipped Goat’s Cheese (#litres_trial_promo) Sugar and Spice Doughnuts (#litres_trial_promo) Chilli and Garlic Flatbreads (#litres_trial_promo) Chai Tea Panna Cotta (#litres_trial_promo) Cardamom Knots (#litres_trial_promo) Eggnog Layer Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Chocolate (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Chocolate (#litres_trial_promo) Gooey Sharing Cookie (#litres_trial_promo) Lacy Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce (#litres_trial_promo) Mint Chocolate Mousses (#litres_trial_promo) Toasted Marshmallow Flapjacks (#litres_trial_promo) Brigadeiros (#litres_trial_promo) Chocolate Crackle Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding (#litres_trial_promo) Earl Grey, Caramel and Chocolate Loaf Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Mississippi Mud Pie (#litres_trial_promo) Triple Chocolate ?clairs (#litres_trial_promo) Caramelised White Chocolate Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Death by Chocolate Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Mocha Cruffins (#litres_trial_promo) Caramel (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Caramel (#litres_trial_promo) Salted Caramel Sauce (#litres_trial_promo) Hot Chocolate with Caramel Pretzel Bites (#litres_trial_promo) Brown Sugar Beignets (#litres_trial_promo) Honeycomb Cups (#litres_trial_promo) Salted Caramel Cornflake Bars (#litres_trial_promo) Giant Stroopwafels (#litres_trial_promo) Caramel Madeleines with Buttered Rum Sauce (#litres_trial_promo) Brown Butter Caramel Tartlets (#litres_trial_promo) Malted Millionaire’s Slices (#litres_trial_promo) Butterscotch Thumbprint Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Treacle Tart (#litres_trial_promo) Burnt Caramel Banana Bread (#litres_trial_promo) Coffee Caramel Monkey Bread (#litres_trial_promo) Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Cheese (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Cheese (#litres_trial_promo) Baked ?poisses Fondue with Prosciutto Dippers (#litres_trial_promo) Parmesan and Chipotle Crisps (#litres_trial_promo) Smoked Cheddar Welsh Rarebit (#litres_trial_promo) Tartiflette Potato Skins (#litres_trial_promo) Triple Cheese Goug?res (#litres_trial_promo) Butternut Squash and Feta Empanadas (#litres_trial_promo) Cherry and Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies (#litres_trial_promo) Cheese and Marmite Sausage Rolls (#litres_trial_promo) Mini Pork and Stilton Pies (#litres_trial_promo) Fig and Manchego Loaf (#litres_trial_promo) Gouda and Smoked Paprika Pretzels (#litres_trial_promo) Stuffed Bagelballs (#litres_trial_promo) Alcohol (#litres_trial_promo) Understanding Alcohol (#litres_trial_promo) Tiramisu Pots (#litres_trial_promo) Bramble Cr?pes Suzette (#litres_trial_promo) Amaretto Syllabubs (#litres_trial_promo) Brandy Butter Bread Pudding (#litres_trial_promo) Whiskey Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies (#litres_trial_promo) Bourbon Biscuits (#litres_trial_promo) Cherry Kirsch Souffl?s (#litres_trial_promo) Pisco Sour Angel Food Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Mai Tai Rum Babas (#litres_trial_promo) Espresso Martini Cheesecake (#litres_trial_promo) Mulled Wine Pavlova (#litres_trial_promo) Irish Cream Pretzel Cake (#litres_trial_promo) Gin and Tonic Lime Pie (#litres_trial_promo) List of Searchable Terms (#litres_trial_promo) Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo) About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo) Introduction (#ulink_82a9d1c0-59cb-57c3-be40-99317b21cbcf) I have loved food for as long as I can remember. I was the child who looked forward to grocery shopping because I loved to see all the fresh fruits piled precariously in displays and to marvel at the number of intricately shaped pasta varieties in their colourful packets. Trailing slowly behind my mum, I’d wander through the aisles trying to sneak the new foods that I was curious to try into the trolley. I couldn’t (and still can’t) make it home with an intact baguette, as resisting the temptation to tear off the knobbly end and sink my teeth into the golden crust encasing the soft, chewy bread was beyond me. I’d spend Sunday afternoons thumbing through my mum’s Nigella collection, devouring the pages with my eyes and picking out recipes to try to persuade my parents to let me make. I was the girl who always had a hot school dinner because I hated the mundane predictability of a packed lunch. Taking my plastic tray up to the hatch and choosing a meal that I felt like eating was an experience to which I would look forward with great anticipation. The food may not have been incredible, but I had the choice of what I ate, and I loved it. In restaurants, I’d always ask for a spare plate rather than a meal of my own so I could sample everyone else’s food at the table instead. I adored having a little taste of everything. I remember being sorely disappointed when I became too old for the empty-plate approach to be socially acceptable and had to order my own food. I couldn’t relate to fussy eaters, as the thought of not knowing how a new food sitting on my plate tasted was an alien concept to me. I’ve been fascinated by flavour and had a thirst to understand food for longer than I’ve been able to cook it. My earliest memory of a craving (embarrassing as this is for a baker who valiantly aims to champion homemade cooking) is butterscotch Angel Delight. I was transfixed by the kitchen magic that occurred; how whisking a beige powder with cold milk would transform it into a thick, cloudy mass with an unnatural, gelatinous texture. My sister and I adored it, and the artificial buttery flavour evokes a certain nostalgia that I’ve struggled to replicate. We crave the things we love; the foods that make us happy. That’s how the idea for this book was born. Crave is a book focused on my love affair with food; on glorifying ingredients in their purest form as well as showing how to combine flavours to create sensational bakes. Living in an age crammed full of dieting and healthy-eating cookbooks, I was desperate for a change, and I hope Crave offers just that. This is a book that should speak to that inner voice we all have which asks ‘What do I really feel like eating?’ It is aimed squarely at loving, appreciating and celebrating food for what it is, without an ounce of guilt for indulging the body and mind in what they desire. By no means am I suggesting that you throw healthy eating out of the window and base your diet on these recipes; I am fully supportive of eating a balanced, nutritious diet. However, I am also a firm believer in the importance of treating yourself every now and again. Food, especially baking, should be fun! This book is full of recipes that will satisfy your cravings on those self-indulgent days. Cravings are a curious phenomenon. What starts as an insignificant little niggle at the back of your mind, gently hinting at the kind of food needed to hit the spot, can quickly grow into a compulsion that demands to be satisfied. The kind that drives you out of bed in the middle of the night to raid the fridge for a morsel of cheese, or causes you to sneak away from your desk in a desperate hunt for a square of chocolate to go with your coffee. This book is organised into chapters focused on eight of the most common cravings: Citrus, Fruit, Nut, Spice, Chocolate, Caramel, Cheese and Alcohol. Starting with recipes for refreshing citrus breakfasts to start the day with vigour, through ambrosial caramel delights to satisfy even the sweetest tooth, and ending with dark and devious ways to imbue delectable bakes with alcoholic tipples, there is something here to sate every appetite. In the words of Virginia Woolf: ‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’ Crave is everything I love about baking. I bake to please, to nurture, to comfort, to entertain and, most importantly, to enjoy, and I hope that radiates through these pages. How to use this book (#ulink_7bef5f41-a369-57bb-95ae-3377160fb79e) I bake with immediate consumption in mind. I’m an impatient baker, and I want to be rewarded for my toils as quickly as possible – whether that is with a super-quick bake or by sneaking a spoonful of hot gooey brownies fresh from the oven before they have had the chance to cool. The three categories of recipes represent the different amounts of time needed to create bakes to satisfy your cravings. You’ll notice the headers at the top of each recipe page. These recipes take less than 20 minutes. They are go-to quick treats that can be rustled up in next to no time when you need something to hit the spot. You’ll find clever tips and shortcuts to help speed up your favourite bakes. Taking less than an hour to create from start to finish, these include everything from amazingly quick cakes to biscuits and savoury snacks. These are the recipes that you can always sneak a bite from while they cool, if you can’t wait any longer. These recipes take over an hour, allowing plenty of time for more lengthy baking processes, such as proving and rising, and for flavours to steep right into bakes. These are recipes that truly reward the patience you expend and will not disappoint you. The key to fitting these recipes into the allotted time is preparation. Set out and measure all your ingredients before you begin so you don’t waste time scouring the kitchen for a missing item or get halfway through and realise you’ve run out of something vital. Do the same with your equipment, so that once you are in the swing of things, everything is within easy reach. Remember to preheat the oven before you start, too. I have timed and tested these recipes vigilantly to make sure they are achievable in the time specified. Some might take a little practice at first, but your go-to recipes will soon become second nature. Some flavours are perfect partners and it’s a regular occurrence for me to find myself craving not one but two (or even more!) flavours and ingredients – dark chocolate and orange, warming spices and caramel, or savoury cheese with sweet fruit. I’ve flagged these classic combos with small icons on the recipe pages. Equipment (#ulink_d63ba96f-1ebc-5b4a-82a5-28cbac051d90) My kitchen is bursting at the seams with equipment, some that I use every single day and couldn’t bear to be without, and some that sits gathering dust for most of the year. This is a list of my essential kit, the things I use on a regular basis that aid my baking. Electric mixers Electric hand-held whisks and stand mixers are a godsend. They make cake making so much quicker, and are essential for tasks like whipping egg whites and making light buttercreams. Electric hand-held whisks are more affordable than stand mixers, but if you bake a lot, a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood kMix is a worthwhile investment: it will revolutionise the way you bake. Wire cooling racks Often overlooked, wire racks are really important in making sure whatever you’ve put time and effort into baking yields the very best results. Elevating a hot bake allows air to circulate and prevents condensation from forming, avoiding sogginess and helping the bake cool evenly and quickly. Baking tins Perhaps the most essential kit. They come in all shapes and sizes, so it can be daunting choosing which ones to invest in. The tins I regularly use and recommend purchasing are round 18cm and 20cm deep loose-bottomed tins, ideally three of each so you don’t have to bake in batches for a multilayered cake. A 20 ? 20cm square tin, 450g loaf tin, 12-hole muffin tin, 24-hole mini muffin tin, pie dish and a 20 ? 35cm traybake tin are also useful. Baking trays and baking sheets Although they are very similar, baking trays and sheets serve different purposes so I have both in my kitchen. Baking trays have a lip around the edge to prevent whatever you’re baking rolling off the edge (ideal for roasting nuts). Baking sheets are completely flat, so there is more surface area to bake cookies or biscuits. Jars, bags and boxes I always have an array of glass jars, presentation bags and cake boxes on hand so that anything I bake can be easily packaged as a gift. Jars need sterilising before you fill them. To do this, simply wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse with clean water then dry them completely in an oven preheated to 110°C/90°C fan/gas / (this will take 5–10 minutes) before filling. Food processors These are handy for both sweet and savoury cooking. They cut the time it takes to chop nuts and create pur?es, and can even make pastry without you getting your hands dirty. Powerful processors are expensive, so for a more budget-friendly option, go for a mini food processor or stick blender with a chopping bowl attachment, which are perfect for blitzing small quantities of nuts, dough or praline for ‘instant’ recipes. Ice-cream scoops I use ice-cream scoops for so much more than scooping ice-cream. In fact, it is probably one of my most-used pieces of kitchen equipment. I have three sizes and they are ideal for making even-sized cupcakes, perfectly circular cookies and distributing batters between cake tins. Palette knives To get a beautiful, smooth finish on iced cakes, you will need a palette knife. I have a larger one for smoothing the edges of my cakes, and a mini offset knife for adding detail to the top of cakes. Piping bags and nozzles I use disposable piping bags as they’re so handy – you can snip off the end of the bags once filled, creating holes of various sizes without always needing to use a nozzle. Where I suggest a disposable bag, do use a reusable piping bag if you prefer. For icing cupcakes and large cakes, my favourite nozzles are open and closed stars, as they create a beautiful ruffled effect. Baking parchment and baking sheet liners I find lining tins time-consuming and a real chore, so I buy pre-cut circles of baking parchment the same sizes as my round tins. They reduce preparation time and are ideal for my ‘Instant’ and ‘Soon’ recipes. I cover baking sheets with a reusable non-stick baking liner to save the need to grease them. Digital scales Reliable, good-quality digital scales are a must. Baking is a science that requires accuracy to obtain good results, so inaccurate scales will limit you. Measuring spoons A common measurement people get wrong is teaspoon and tablespoon measures, as it is very easy to overestimate or underestimate spoon measures if you’re weighing by eye or using ordinary cutlery. Get hold of a cook’s measuring spoon set. Ingredients (#ulink_7442bb6f-6236-5fef-a762-a954da7fdb54) Fresh, good-quality ingredients raise an average bake to a great one and really make it sing. These are my top storecupboard ingredients which I make sure I always have in stock. Eggs The humble egg is the most versatile ingredient in baking. It can be used to bind mixtures, aerate puddings, thicken custards and set into firm structures like meringue. I use medium free-range eggs in my recipes unless otherwise stated. Fresh eggs yield the lightest, fluffiest bakes, so use your freshest eggs for making cake batters. Slightly older eggs will make brilliant meringues or macarons. Store your eggs at room temperature for baking – egg whites and yolks combine much more easily at room temperature and will disperse through batter more smoothly. Butter Butter is my favourite ingredient by far to use in baking. Its rich, full flavour is what makes caramels so moreish and ganache so smooth. I always use salted butter in baking unless otherwise specified. I find the saltiness is the perfect partner for sweet and savoury recipes and it’s what I spread liberally on my toast, so its something I always have to hand. Unsalted butter is necessary in some cases – buttercreams and delicate pastries can be overwhelmed by salt, so keep this in mind. Use the butter at the temperature that the recipe states – cold for pastry and room temperature for sponge or buttercream – as this can make or break a bake. Milk Many chefs specify whole milk for baking, but if you don’t normally have it in the fridge, don’t buy it especially unless the recipe specifies it. Whole milk has a high percentage of butterfat (a minimum of 3.5%) so can yield a creamier result, but semi-skimmed milk (1.5–1.8% butterfat) will still do the job. I often use semi-skimmed milk to make bakes, and it works perfectly. Raising agents Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are the two raising agents I use to make bakes rise or spread out. For any chemistry geeks like me who want to know how they work, here’s a brief explanation. A reaction between an acid and a base creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which cause a cake mixture to rise. Bicarbonate of soda is a base, so an acidic ingredient needs to be present in the mixture for it to react with to create the bubbles. Lemon juice, buttermilk or cocoa powder, among many others, do the trick. Baking powder is a combination of bicarbonate of soda (a base) and cream of tartar (an acid), so both the acid and base required for the reaction are already present, and your bake will rise with no further assistance. Salt There are many different kinds of salt available, so it can be confusing to know what’s best for baking. Fine table salt is generally what’s called for, as its fine texture can evenly disperse throughout bread dough and cake batter. Sea salt has a better flavour and is perfect for adding a final flourish to caramels, breads and snacks. Sugar From clouds of white icing sugar to clumps of moist, fudgy, soft, dark brown sugar, there are so many varieties of the sweet stuff that, when used in baking, produce completely different results. Caster sugar is the most commonly used in this book as its fine texture and neutral flavour provide a great base for most sweet recipes. I try to buy Fairtrade sugar to ensure that it is grown and harvested ethically (it is rarely pricier than standard sugar). Yeast I use fast-action dried yeast (also known as instant, easy-blend or easy-bake yeast) in baking as I find it the easiest to work with. It doesn’t need to be activated with warm water or milk, it can just be added straight to dry ingredients and will work perfectly. Always check the use-by date on packs of yeast, as out-of-date yeast may fail to make your bread rise. Flour I use a mixture of self-raising flour and plain flour in this book, as I always seem to have a glut of both flours, and it seems a shame to let one go to waste. If a recipe specifies self-raising flour but you don’t have any, you can easily substitute it by adding / a teaspoon of baking powder to 100g plain flour and using this in its place. Strong bread flour is essential in bread-making and some pastries as it contains a higher level of gluten necessary for maintaining structure. (#ulink_edd28170-3cbf-59b7-945a-7e66c96e90a3) Understanding Citrus (#ulink_af2ae2d7-7d52-55c2-b9c6-756ffdfedd4b) Nothing awakens a half-asleep body like a morning sip of sharp orange juice or soothes illness like warmed lemon and honey. A glass of ice-cold lemonade is all you need to feel summery, and an afternoon making marmalade in the Seville orange season in January and February is a midwinter ray of sunshine. My grandma starts her day with half a grapefruit, cutting into it with a spoon and bursting through the segments, creating a spray of juice that showers everyone at the table. I once thought I could handle it, but the tart, tangy flavour was overwhelming for my young taste buds. I’ve since learnt that citrus juice can be variously mellowed, perhaps adding sugar to make drizzles for cakes or incorporating it into creamy cheesecakes or possets. Slicing into citrus fruits reveals a complex network of brightly coloured, almost translucent segments packed with tiny juice sacs that glisten in the light. They are held together by geometrically satisfying strips of white pith, which allow the fruits to fall apart neatly when peeled and split into segments. When selecting citrus fruits for baking, choose firm, brightly coloured specimens that feel heavy for their size, as they should yield the most juice. If you are going to grate or pare the zest (which I recommend, as it contains the citrus oils that characterise each fruit), be sure to buy them unwaxed, as the protective wax coating applied to fruits has a bitter flavour and tough texture. If you can’t find unwaxed fruits, remove the wax by washing them in hot water and scrubbing them with a brush. Before juicing fruits, roll them on a worktop. The pressure of rolling bursts open some of the segments inside, which makes them easier to juice. Limoncello brandy snap curls (#ulink_3bd0a46a-1f1a-5b8b-8f7c-42e6eddfd0dc) Once you try making your own brandy snaps, they will no longer be condemned to the folder marked ‘difficult bakes’. These delicious retro treats are made with storecupboard ingredients and can be whipped up quickly if you make a small quantity. The key here is to be vigilant when you’re weighing the ingredients; being a few grams out really does make a difference in this recipe. I’ve paired the snaps with a limoncello cream because I love the way it brings out the citrus flavour in the brandy snap, but if you’d rather make alcohol-free brandy snaps substitute the limoncello for lemon juice or just dip them into plain whipped cream. MAKES 8 BRANDY SNAP CURLS PREP TIME: 10 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 6–8 MINS Oil, for greasing 25g butter 25g soft light brown sugar 25g golden syrup Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and 1 tsp juice 25g plain flour LIMONCELLO CREAM 100ml double cream 1 tsp icing sugar 1 tbsp limoncello 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4, line 2 baking trays with baking parchment and grease a rolling pin or long, thin bottle with oil. 2 Stir the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest, reserving a pinch to garnish the limoncello cream. 3 Sift the flour into the saucepan and beat it into the mixture until a smooth dough forms. 4 Using a teaspoon, drop about 4 heaps of mixture on to each tray. It will be fairly runny, but this is normal. Make sure that you leave space between the heaps, as they will spread out when they bake. 5 Bake for 6–8 minutes until golden brown, spread out and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute so they mould easily without tearing. As they cool they take on their signature lacy pattern. 6 Wedge the greased rolling pin or bottle between a couple of heavy objects so it is stable when you place the snaps on it. Use a palette knife to lift the warm snaps on to the rolling pin and gently press them down so they bend around the cylinder to make curls. Leave to set until cool and crisp. 7 Whisk the cream, icing sugar and limoncello in a bowl until the mixture forms soft peaks then spoon it into a small serving bowl. Top with the reserved lemon zest. Use the brandy snap curls to scoop the lemon cream as a treat to share or as a dessert. Lemon and pistachio cheesecake pots (#ulink_1be56354-071d-5c77-887f-c519a5dcee6a) No-bake cheesecakes are one of my guilty pleasures. I used to make these pots for my sister and me when we were young, and she’d always be in awe of how quickly I could create a cheesecake. We’d try different flavours, depending on what we had in the cupboard, but this is my favourite: creamy lemon and vibrant green pistachios with a layer of luscious lemon curd peeking through in the centre. Try this recipe with any combination of curd or nuts to tailor it to any fussy family member! MAKES 2 CHEESECAKE POTS PREP TIME: 15 MINS PLUS CHILLING TIME COOKING TIME: 2 MINS BASE 25g butter 60g digestive biscuits 40g pistachio nuts, plus extra to decorate FILLING 200g full-fat cream cheese Grated zest and juice of / unwaxed lemon 2 tbsp icing sugar 2 tbsp lemon curd 1 To make the base, melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Place the digestive biscuits in a small food processor with the pistachios and blitz until the biscuits and the nuts are crushed. If you haven’t got a food processor, crush the biscuits to a powder by putting them in a bag and bashing them with a rolling pin. Finely chop the nuts with a sharp knife and combine them with the crushed biscuits. Place the ground biscuits and nuts in a bowl and stir in the melted butter. Divide the mixture between 2 small glasses and press it down into an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to chill. 2 Beat the cream cheese for the filling with the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Stir through half the lemon zest, reserving the rest for decoration. 3 Divide half the cream cheese mixture between the biscuit bases, then top with the lemon curd. Finish with the rest of the cream cheese mixture. Top with the rest of the lemon zest and a few chopped pistachio nuts. You can eat these desserts straight away or make up to 3 days ahead and keep them in the fridge. Coconut and lime teacup puddings (#ulink_ad9d09b8-8e04-5cea-ba97-6aae852439d8) This is a sophisticated, tea-party twist on a mug cake. The liquid poured over the top serves two purposes: it keeps the sponge moist, which is really important in a microwaved sponge as they have a tendency to dry out, and it soaks through the pudding, creating a surprise citrus sauce at the bottom of the cup. MAKES 2 PUDDINGS PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOKING TIME: 2 MINS IN THE MICROWAVE OR 12–14 MINS IN THE OVEN 50g butter, plus extra for greasing 50g self-raising flour 50g caster sugar 1 egg Grated zest and juice of / unwaxed lime 25ml coconut milk from a shaken can 25g granulated sugar 1 Grease 2 oven-safe porcelain teacups or ramekins with plenty of butter and set to one side. 2 In a small food processor, blitz the butter, flour, caster sugar and egg together until they resemble a smooth, thick batter. (You can do this by hand in a large bowl, but it will take a little longer.) Fold through the lime zest and divide the mixture between the 2 teacups or ramekins. 3 Mix together the coconut milk, lime juice and granulated sugar in a small jug. Pour this mixture over the puddings so the top is covered in liquid. 4 Cook in the microwave on full power for 2 minutes until the cake is risen and the top is springy. Alternatively, bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 for 12–14 minutes until they are risen and golden. 5 Allow to cool for a minute or two before turning out on to a plate or enjoying straight from the cup or ramekin. Caramelised marmalade French toast (#ulink_68df8a3c-bfc5-58a4-8aec-65f751dc6662) Perennially popular French toast is a fantastically fast and impressive-looking breakfast dish. It’s a great way to use up slices of leftover bread, too – I use brioche here for its rich, sweet flavour but any type of bread will work. This is my favourite way to eat French toast: sticky and caramelised in the marmalade, with an oozing melted chocolate centre. Bitter orange with rich chocolate and sweet brioche is a combination to die for. PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOKING TIME: 10 MINS SERVES 2 1 egg 125ml whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange and juice of / 25g caster sugar / ? 400g brioche loaf 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips 25g butter 2 tbsp orange marmalade 1 Beat together the egg, milk, vanilla extract and orange zest in a wide dish that is large enough to accommodate a slice of brioche comfortably. Add the sugar to the mix and beat again. 2 Cut 2 thick slices from the brioche loaf and slice each piece diagonally in half to make 4 triangles. Make a small horizontal incision in the side of each slice using a sharp knife and stuff the cavity with a few chocolate chips, then pinch the edges together to seal. 3 Melt the butter in a large frying pan or griddle pan over a medium–high heat. Dip each stuffed slice of brioche into the egg mixture and allow to soak briefly until saturated. Fry each slice until browned and caramelised on the bottom, then flip over and cook for a further 1–2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you fry the remaining pieces. 4 Heat the marmalade and orange juice together in the frying pan until bubbling. Allow to bubble for 1–2 minutes, then return the French toast slices to the pan with the marmalade and coat them in the glaze. Serve immediately. Lime and ginger drizzle cake traybake (#ulink_d657291d-e484-532d-b731-684fb79d20a1) Changing the type of drizzle on a cake is now commonplace, but don’t forget that you can change the cake, too – don’t just stick to vanilla sponge! Ginger cake is already deliciously moist, but drenching it in lime juice mixed with demerara sugar only improves it further. Citrus flavours like lemon or lime lighten warm spices like ginger and make each square of this cake really refreshing. MAKES ABOUT 16 SQUARES PREP TIME: 15 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 30–35 MINS 200g butter, plus extra for greasing 250g soft dark brown sugar 50g treacle 100g golden syrup 100ml milk 2 eggs 1 ball stem ginger from a jar in syrup, finely chopped Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime 250g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground ginger DRIZZLE Juice of 3 limes 100g demerara sugar 25g crystallised ginger, cut into small cubes (optional) You will also need a 20 ? 20cm cake tin. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4, grease the cake tin and line it with baking parchment. 2 Place the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large saucepan over a medium heat and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved. 3 Remove from the heat and pour the milk into the saucepan of hot butter and sugar mixture, whisking until combined. This will cool the mixture down before you add the egg, preventing it from scrambling. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time, then stir in the chopped stem ginger and most of the lime zest, reserving some for decoration. 4 Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in a large bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the saucepan and beat until well combined. 5 Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 30–35 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 6 While the cake is baking, prepare the drizzle. Mix the lime juice and demerara sugar together in a small jug. Just 5 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven, while it’s still in the tin, pour over the drizzle and spread it right to the edges of the cake. Sprinkle over the crystallised ginger cubes (if using) and remaining lime zest, then leave to stand for at least 15 minutes so the drizzle can soak into the sponge properly. Remove from the tin and cut the cake into squares. This cake will keep for up to 1 week. Lemon and poppy seed pancake stack (#ulink_9d7efd35-d014-5ada-9eaa-dd11bae54f30) This is lazy weekend food, for those times when towering stacks of fluffy pancakes dripping in syrup are the only thing worth crawling out from under the duvet for. The lemon juice in the batter serves two functions: it gives the pancakes a beautiful flavour, and its acidity reacts with bicarbonate of soda to make them rise up into soft pillows. MAKES 8 PANCAKES PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOKING TIME: 15–20 MINS 150g plain flour / tsp bicarbonate of soda / tsp baking powder 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 egg 100ml milk 100g natural yoghurt Grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon 1 tbsp poppy seeds 25g butter, plus extra for frying (if needed) Whipped cream or mascarpone cheese, to serve LEMON SYRUP 100g caster sugar Juice of 1 lemon Small knob of butter 1 tbsp double cream 1 In a small bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and sugar. Beat together the egg, milk and yoghurt in a large jug, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and poppy seeds. 2 Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add it to the pancake batter and mix until smooth. 3 When you’re ready to fry the pancakes, use an ice-cream scoop or simply transfer the batter back into the jug and pour roughly 8cm-diameter discs into the buttered frying pan. Try to make each pancake the same size, so they stack neatly on top of each other. Fry each pancake for about 1 minute on each side over a medium heat, waiting until the top of the pancake is bubbly but feels dry before turning it. Add a very small amount of butter between frying each one if the pancakes start to stick. Put the cooked pancakes on a baking tray in a low oven, covered with a sheet of tin foil, so you can serve all the pancakes warm at the same time. 4 While the pancakes are frying, make the lemon syrup. Place the caster sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over a low heat and let it boil until the sugar dissolves. When the syrup is thick and bubbling, stir in the butter and double cream. 5 Stack the pancakes up on a plate, then pour the syrup over the top of the pancakes so it drips down the sides. Top with a little whipped cream or a spoonful of mascarpone cheese, then serve immediately. EXPRESS Make the pancake batter in advance and store it in the fridge, covered with a sheet of cling film. Fry the pancakes whenever you get a craving for something light, fluffy and citrusy! The batter will keep for up to 3 days. Orange, pistachio and pomegranate cakes (#ulink_a448fd88-c88e-5326-adec-91f73a7f89f6) Combining fruits with nuts in baking is a timeless, tried-and-tested combination that you can rarely go wrong with. I’ve added citrus to the mix in the form of partially caramelised juicy orange, which adds another dimension to the cakes. Glossy, colourful fruit sits proudly on top of a moist pistachio cake, and the syrup created from the fruit and sugar soaks into the sponge, making these cakes incredibly moreish. MAKES 9 CAKES PREP TIME: 20 MINS COOKING TIME: 30–35 MINS 170g caster sugar 2 medium oranges Seeds from / pomegranate 75g unshelled pistachio nuts, shelled 125g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 2 eggs 50g plain flour / tsp baking powder You will also need a 12-hole muffin tin. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and grease the muffin tin with butter. Divide 45g of the caster sugar between 9 of the holes (a teaspoon/5g in each). 2 Use a sharp knife to cut the top and bottom off each orange, then slice off the skin, keeping as much of the flesh intact as possible. Slice the oranges into cross sections, then quarter each section and place two segments into each hole of the tin opposite each other, with the curved edge sitting against the sides. Fill the remaining quarters of each hole with a layer of pomegranate seeds. Bake the fruit in the oven for 10 minutes so they start to caramelise. 3 Blitz the pistachio nuts in a food processor until they resemble a fine powder. Cream together the butter and remaining sugar in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour, baking powder and ground pistachios to the bowl and continue to beat until the mixture is smooth. 4 When the fruit has baked for 10 minutes, remove the tin from the oven. Divide the cake batter among each hole, spreading it right to the edges, and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cakes comes out clean. 5 Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then run a knife or palette knife around the edge of each cake to make them easier to remove, then turn the whole tray out upside down over a board. A bit of hot syrup might escape as you turn the tray, so be very careful. Serve the cakes hot, with a big scoop of ice-cream, or cold with a cup of hot coffee. Grapefruit and white chocolate possets with shortbread (#ulink_2efee6cd-5014-59ce-9e08-9299731c5ec0) The science behind posset is fascinating. When you add acidic lemon juice to milk, it curdles, but cream’s higher fat percentage limits its ability to follow suit. Instead, the acidified cream thickens and becomes silky and smooth. I add white chocolate to my posset as its creamy sweetness really lifts the sharp yet fragrant grapefruit to a new level. MAKES 6 POSSETS AND 10–12 BISCUITS PREP TIME: 15 MINS PLUS CHILLING COOKING TIME: 20–22 MINS 500ml double cream 150g caster sugar 100g white chocolate, chopped Juice of / lemon Grated zest and juice of 1 small unwaxed pink grapefruit Icing sugar, white chocolate curls and grapefruit zest, to decorate GRAPEFRUIT SHORTBREAD 115g plain flour 35g caster sugar 75g cold butter, cubed Grated zest of 1 small unwaxed pink grapefruit 1 Pop 6 shallow glasses into the freezer to chill. You can use any style of glass for this recipe, but the deeper the glasses, the longer the posset will take to set. 2 Pour the cream into a large heavy-based saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over a low heat, stirring, until the grains of sugar have dissolved, then turn up the heat and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The boiling cream will double or triple in size, so make sure you’ve chosen a large enough saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped white chocolate. 3 Keep stirring until no lumps of chocolate remain, then pour in the lemon juice and the zest and juice of the grapefruit, and mix thoroughly. The mixture will thicken as the acid is added to the milk. 4 Pour the posset mixture into the chilled glasses and place the glasses in the freezer for 45 minutes to set, then enjoy immediately or transfer to the fridge until you’re ready to serve. If you’re making these ahead of time you can keep them in the fridge without using the freezer, where they will take around 3 hours to set. Dust the top of the set possets with icing sugar then decorate with white chocolate curls and grapefruit zest. 5 While the possets are chilling, make the shortbread. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the flour, caster sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture begins to clump together, then add the grapefruit zest. You could do this in a large bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour. Tip out on to a large sheet of cling film, then roll into a log and freeze for at least 15 minutes. 6 Unwrap the dough and slice into 10–12 rounds using a sharp knife. Arrange on the lined baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes, until a pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and then leave to cool completely. Serve the shortbread with the chilled, set possets. Lemonade marshmallows (#ulink_ad71fef5-e80b-5966-a1c0-492cf606eb65) There is nothing better than relaxing with a refreshing glass of homemade cloudy lemonade on a warm summer’s day, and these little marshmallow bites recreate that holiday feeling. You can adapt this recipe to suit your taste by using any kind of drink as the base for the marshmallow. Pink lemonade or cream soda work especially well or try champagne for a special occasion. They make great gifts. MAKES 25 LARGE SQUARES PREP TIME: 30 MINS PLUS SETTING TIME Oil, for greasing 125ml cloudy lemonade Grated zest and juice of / unwaxed lemon 2 ? 12g sachets gelatine powder 450g caster sugar 150g golden syrup 100g icing sugar 2 tbsp cornflour You will also need a sugar thermometer 1 Line a baking tray with oiled cling film and set to one side. 2 Pour the lemonade and lemon juice into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and sprinkle over the gelatine powder. Set aside to allow the gelatine to absorb all the liquid. 3 While the gelatine is soaking, put the caster sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan with enough water to cover (around 150ml). Cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved. As soon as there are no visible grains of sugar, stop stirring, turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan and once it reads 1300C take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute until the mixture is no longer bubbling. 4 Start whisking the gelatine and lemonade mixture with an electric hand-held whisk or in a stand mixer on a medium speed. Add the syrup mixture, slowly pouring it down the side of the bowl, whisking all the time. Try to avoid pouring it directly on to the whisk or you will get grainy lumps of sugar in the marshmallow. After a few minutes, the mixture should become pale and grow in volume like a very stiff meringue. 5 Once all the syrup has been added, continue to whisk for 5–10 minutes, until the marshmallow mixture becomes really thick. The mixture is ready when the outside of the bowl feels just slightly warm and the marshmallow is starting to get really sticky. 6 Use an oiled spatula to spread the mixture into the lined baking tray, then leave it to set for 2–3 hours at room temperature or until the marshmallow feels firm. Sift the icing sugar and cornflour together into a bowl and stir through the lemon zest. Turn the marshmallow out of the tin, peel off the cling film, then dust the whole marshmallow slab with the powder. Cut into small cubes using a sharp, oiled knife. The marshmallows will keep for 1–2 weeks in an airtight container. Lemon meringue profiteroles (#ulink_3412a382-b077-517c-bd93-c0cfdeea6877) This is my take on a lemon meringue pie – choux-style! Deliciously light pastry stuffed with zingy lemon cream, entirely enrobed in Italian meringue. Whenever my family hosts a spontaneous dinner party or family lunch, profiteroles are one of my go-to recipes. You can replace the lemon curd with any kind of curd – lime, orange or passionfruit all work really well. MAKES ABOUT 30 PROFITEROLES PREP TIME: 45–50 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 20–25 MINS PASTRY 75g butter, diced 1 tsp caster sugar 50g plain flour 50g strong bread flour 3 eggs LEMON CREAM FILLING 250ml double cream 100g lemon curd, plus 2 tbsp for drizzling Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon ITALIAN MERINGUE TOPPING 150g caster sugar 2 egg whites You will also need three disposable piping bags, a sugar thermometer and a blowtorch. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. 2 To make the pastry, place the butter, sugar and 125ml of water in a small saucepan over a medium–high heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and when all the butter has melted add the flours and vigorously beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball of dough forms. 3 Keep the pan on the heat and continue to cook the dough, stirring rapidly, for a further minute. Tip the dough into a bowl and leave it to cool until it has stopped steaming, to avoid scrambling the eggs. 4 Beat the eggs together briefly in a small jug. Add the eggs to the cooled dough in three separate additions, beating well between each one with a wooden spoon or spatula, mixing until it turns into a thick paste. You might not need to add all the egg so when you are adding the final amount, add it slowly. Your mixture should fall off the spoon or spatula easily and leave a ‘V’ shape. Spoon the choux pastry into one of the piping bags. 5 Snip the end off the piping bag and pipe the dough into about thirty 2.5cm balls on the baking sheets, leaving enough space for them to spread out. Use a wet finger to smooth over any peaks. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until risen, golden brown and hollow, then turn off the oven and leave them in the oven (with the door closed) to cool completely. This will dry out the pastry. 6 While the pastry is drying, make the lemon cream filling. Whip the cream in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks, then fold it through the lemon curd and lemon zest. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, and set it to one side. 7 To make the meringue topping, put the sugar in a small saucepan with 75ml of water over a medium heat and stir until the grains of sugar have dissolved, then bring the mixture to the boil and put a sugar thermometer in the pan. 8 While the syrup is heating up, whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl using an electric hand-held whisk or a stand mixer until they form soft peaks. 9 When the sugar syrup reaches 1180C, pour it gradually down the side of the bowl into the whites, whisking all the time. Try to avoid pouring the syrup on to the beaters, as this will create hard sugar crystals. Continue to whisk the meringue for 10 minutes until it is really thick and glossy. Spoon the meringue mixture into the third piping bag so it is ready to use. 10 Pierce a small hole in the bottom of each cooled profiterole, snip the end off the lemon-cream piping bag and fill the profiteroles with the lemon cream. Arrange about 10 profiteroles on a large serving plate as the bottom layer. Construct a pyramid, using a little meringue as glue. 11 Pipe the meringue mixture around the profiterole stack. Use a blowtorch to brown the meringue to get the full lemon-meringue effect! Drizzle lemon curd over the top of the stack as a finishing touch. Preserved lemon and olive focaccia (#ulink_8b1fec22-769a-5321-94cc-ce6afa928c9c) Preserved lemons originate from North Africa and have recently grown in popularity here in the UK. Soaking lemons in salt water doesn’t sound like a radical concept, but it utterly transforms the often harsh flavour of lemon into something much mellower. You can bite straight into a slice of preserved lemon without any of that jaw-clenching sharpness, which allows you to enjoy the aromas and textures of lemon in a new way. I also use lemon-infused oil, which you can buy from good supermarkets, as the main oil in this dough, which disperses a gentle lemon flavour throughout. MAKES 1 LOAF PREP TIME: 30 MINS PLUS PROVING TIME COOKING TIME: 20 MINS 500g strong plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 ? 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 2 tsp fine salt 30ml lemon-infused oil (or olive oil), plus extra olive oil for greasing 300ml lukewarm water 2–3 preserved lemons 100g pitted green and black olives Sprig of fresh thyme, leaves stripped Sea salt, for sprinkling 1 Place the flour in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment and add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other. If you put the salt directly on the yeast it may kill it, which will stop your dough from rising. 2 Add the oil and 225ml of the water to the flour and stir the ingredients together using your hands or the dough-hook attachment until a rough dough forms. Gradually add the remaining water. The dough will be very wet, but don’t worry – this is what creates the irregular holes in a focaccia. 3 Liberally grease your worktop with oil and turn the dough out on to it (or leave it in the stand mixer, if using). Knead for about 10 minutes, in the mixer or by hand, oiling your hands and the surfaces as necessary, until the dough is really smooth and stretchy. I find that using a dough scraper helps stop the dough sticking to the worktop. When you pull the dough apart, the strands should stretch, not break. Grease the bowl with oil and place the dough back into it (if you were kneading it on the worktop), cover with clingfilm and leave to rise at room temperature for 1–3 hours until doubled in size. 4 While the dough is rising, thinly slice the preserved lemons and set aside. Generously grease a baking tray with olive oil. 5 Carefully remove the dough from the bowl and turn it out on to a lightly floured worktop. You don’t want to handle the dough too much, so don’t knead it, just stretch it out to a large rectangle, then place it on the baking tray. Spread it right to the edges and use your fingers to make indentations over the surface of the dough. 6 Press the olives into some of the indentations and arrange the preserved lemon slices and thyme leaves on the top. Cover the dough loosely with oiled cling film and leave to rise for another 30 minutes. When the focaccia looks puffy, it’s ready to bake. 7 Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. When the focaccia is risen, use your fingers to press a few more indentations into the dough, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the tray and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing. Lemon and lime Battenberg (#ulink_44516acd-a38f-557f-b62e-3a9947ca53b3) Whatever flavour you use in a Battenberg has to complement the almond it is encased in, which both lemon and lime do strikingly well. This is a unique and slightly peculiar British cake; you’d be hard pressed to find another baked good with the same psychedelic squares and level of geometric satisfaction. The unusual green-and-yellow-coloured squares are a refreshing change from the soft pink and yellow, and I love that the flavours match the colours. It’s not as hard as it looks to get a perfectly formed chequerboard, but you will have to succumb to getting out the ruler and vigilantly measuring each section of cake. A great baker’s perk here is gobbling up the offcuts, so keep trimming the sponge until you are happy with the dimensions. PREP TIME: 45 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 20–25 MINS SERVES 10 225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 225g caster sugar 4 eggs 225g self-raising flour 50g ground almonds Grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon Yellow and green gel food colourings Grated zest and juice of 1 lime 4 tbsp fine-cut lime marmalade Icing sugar, to dust 500g block of marzipan You will also need 20 ? 20cm cake tin. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4, grease the cake tin and line it with baking parchment, allowing the parchment to overhang at the edges. Divide the tin cavity in half by pulling up the centre of the parchment and folding a tall pleat to separate the halves. Make sure the pleat is as close to the centre as possible. 2 Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl for 4–5 minutes, using a stand mixer or an electric hand-held whisk, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1–2 tablespoons of the flour if the mixture curdles. 3 In a separate bowl, combine the flour and ground almonds. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until a thick batter forms, then scoop half the mixture into a separate bowl. 4 Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and a little yellow food colouring to one half of the batter, and do the same to the other half with the lime juice, lime zest and green food colouring, mixing until fully combined. 5 Spread the lemon mixture into one half of the tin and the lime mixture into the other half, with the parchment dividing them, and bake for 20–25 minutes or until risen and golden. Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 6 Use a serrated knife to trim the edges off the cooled sponges. Carefully cut the sides that have coloured in the oven, as they can look off-putting if used in the Battenberg. Measure the height of the baked sponge with a ruler and slice the cake into strips the same width as the height, forming a square cross section. Mine are usually 2 ? 2cm. This will create perfect squares that stack properly on top of one another. 7 Gently warm the lime marmalade in a small saucepan to loosen it and make it easier to spread, then pass it through a sieve. Stick one lemon strip of cake and one lime strip together using some of the lime marmalade, then stack the alternate colour on top of the bottom layer to create the chequerboard effect with the four strips. 8 Lightly dust the worktop with icing sugar, then roll out the marzipan into a large rectangle, trimming the edges so the rectangle is approximately 18 ? 20cm. Brush the top and sides of the assembled cake with the remaining marmalade, then place top-side down on to the marzipan along the short edge. Brush the face-up side of the cake with more marmalade before tightly rolling it up in the marzipan until it is covered. Press in the final section of marzipan or trim if it looks too long. 9 Trim the ends of the cake using a serrated knife and transfer the Battenberg to a plate or cake stand. The cake will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container. (#ulink_787e4480-2520-5962-bf59-cd19d6a4a557) Understanding Fruit (#ulink_1b77b1a1-a771-547f-99a7-ee2b1df698d9) Orchard, stone, berries and exotic fruits are perfect for when your body craves something refreshing and nourishing but not quite as powerful as citrus fruits – anything from creamy bananas or powerful cherries to mellow, sweet peaches or vibrant berries. Stone fruits include some of my all-time favourites. Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and cherries are luscious and juicy with tender flesh and a gentle honeyed nectar. Whether shiny or fuzzy-skinned, at optimum ripeness they are delicate and sweet, perfect for poaching or eating just as they are. Vibrant and small, berries are not to be underestimated as they can pack a punch in the flavour department. Raspberries, blackberries and cranberries are sharp and work brilliantly to lighten heavy, rich or sweet bakes. Strawberries and blueberries provide a much more fragrant flavour, which is heightened when baked. Most berries work wonderfully in jams and jellies, thanks to the high levels of pectin they contain. Exotic fruits add a bit of a tropical twist to your baking. From punchy passionfruit to floral lychees, there is a wealth of different fruits to get stuck into and experiment with. I try to shop locally and check what fruit is in season before planning recipes that include it. While it’s possible to purchase fresh produce all year-round, blueberries in February will be more expensive and less flavoursome than their late-summer relatives. Mini doughnut muffins (#ulink_1a4f628d-341a-57ab-9459-5f72da7b4b29) Fresh doughnuts are one of the things I crave most, but making yeasted doughnuts is a lengthy, involved process that I often don’t have time to undertake. Doughnut muffins are my solution. Jammy and bite-sized with none of the wait, once you’ve made them a few times you won’t even have to look up the recipe. You can use any type of jam to fill these or simply eat them plain. MAKES 24 MINI MUFFINS PREP TIME: 12 MINS COOKING TIME: 7–8 MINS 100g butter 75g caster sugar, plus extra to dust 100g plain flour / tsp bicarbonate of soda 50g natural yoghurt 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tbsp raspberry jam 1 tbsp apricot jam You will also need a 24-hole mini muffin tray and two disposable piping bags. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a pan over a medium heat and use a pastry brush to grease all the holes of the muffin tray with some of the melted butter. 2 Place the sugar, flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and combine. 3 In a small jug, mix the remaining melted butter with the yoghurt, egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold them together until just incorporated. 4 Divide the mixture among the 24 holes in the muffin tray using a teaspoon, then bake for 7–8 minutes or until golden brown and risen. 5 While the muffins are baking, spoon the jams into the 2 piping bags and snip the end off each with a pair of scissors. Remove the hot doughnuts muffins from the oven and roll them in caster sugar, then make a small hole with a skewer in the bottom of each and pipe raspberry jam into the centre of half the doughnuts and apricot jam into the rest. These are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. Quick berry crumbles (#ulink_67953ff0-c1f2-52e4-a593-86fea606892a) Crumble is a proper winter warmer. This is the kind of pudding that you should eat wrapped in a blanket by the fire on chilly days. You can use any type of fruit as the base of the crumble, but berries work particularly well as they soften and cook really quickly. Frozen berries can be used in place of fresh, but they will take slightly longer to soften. PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOKING TIME: 10 MINS SERVES 4 100g strawberries, hulled and quartered 250g mixed berries (such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or blackcurrants) 2 tbsp runny honey 1 tbsp butter Cream or hot vanilla custard, to serve CRUMBLE TOPPING 75g plain flour 75g butter, chilled and cubed 50g soft light brown sugar 25g rolled oats 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Have 4 large ramekins or heatproof tapas dishes ready on a baking tray. 2 Combine the strawberries, mixed berries, runny honey and butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook gently until the berries have softened and the juices reduce a little. 3 While the berries are softening, make the crumble topping. Place the flour, butter and sugar in the bowl of a mini food processor (I use a stick blender with a chopping attachment) and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together, then stir in the rolled oats. If you don’t have a food processor or stick blender, make the crumble by hand by rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, before adding the oats. 4 When the fruit is soft and slightly reduced, divide the mixture among the 4 ramekins or dishes. Top each with the crumble mix and bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10 minutes until the crumble topping is golden brown and the fruit bubbling. Serve immediately with cream or hot vanilla custard. Mango and prawn filo cups (#ulink_523f1766-e059-5faf-8964-107c71d1aa42) Fruit complements savoury flavours really well, especially in bite-sized canap?s, where they offer a burst of freshness among rich, heavy platters. Of course, pairing sweet and savoury is not revolutionary; we’ve embraced the retro delight of cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks for years. Using filo pastry to create cups makes a great base for a range of different canap?s as you can fill the cup with whatever you like. I fill mine with juicy mango, homemade sweet chilli sauce and prawns for a little mouthful with big, powerful flavours. MAKES 24 CANAP?S PREP TIME: 8–10 MINS COOKING TIME: 10–12 MINS / ? 270g pack filo pastry (pack cut in half) 50ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing, or melted butter 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 2 tbsp runny honey Juice of / lime / small ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into small chunks 200g cooked shelled prawns 1 tbsp soy sauce Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season You will also need a 24-hole mini muffin tin. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and use a pastry brush to brush a 24-hole mini muffin tin with oil. 2 Lay the 6 filo sheets on top of each other on the worktop and cut them into 16 squares. Brush each square with oil or butter and lay it in the muffin tin until each hole has 4 layers of filo. Push the filo down into the hole to form a little cup. 3 Bake the filo cups for 10–12 minutes until golden brown and crisp. 4 Place the chilli in a small saucepan, add the honey and lime juice, and stir briefly. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for a few minutes, then add the mango to the pan along with the cooked prawns and soy sauce. Cook for a further 5 minutes, making sure the prawns are heated through and well coated in the glaze. Remove from the heat, season well, then spoon into the filo cups just before serving. The cups can be served hot or cold. Honey scones with rhubarb compote (#ulink_fc8af88b-50d7-5f00-9320-7e216b088ea8) While visiting Scotland and Northern Ireland, I found that the humble scone is quite the centre of attention. Our simple jam-and-cream offering, with the occasional raisin thrown in, doesn’t quite cut it compared with the likes of treacle, cinnamon or cherry scones. This is a simple scone with a bit of a makeover: glazed with sticky honey and generously smothered in clotted cream and tart rhubarb compote. MAKES ABOUT 9 SCONES PREP TIME: 30 MINS COOKING TIME: 12–15 MINS RHUBARB COMPOTE 200g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into small pieces 50g caster sugar 100ml orange juice HONEY SCONES 300g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 75g cold butter, cubed 25g caster sugar 2 tbsp runny honey, plus extra for glazing 125ml whole milk Clotted cream, to serve You will also need a 6cm-round pastry cutter. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 Place the rhubarb in a saucepan with the sugar and orange juice. Simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb pieces have completely broken down and the mixture is thick and sticky. Spoon into a small jar or ramekin and leave to cool. 3 To make the scones, place the flour in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter. Quickly rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. 4 Pour the honey into the centre of the well, then gradually add the milk, stirring it into the mixture using a round-ended knife. A soft, rough dough will form. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured worktop and knead very briefly to smooth out the dough. Over-handling the dough will make your scones tough and flat, so knead as little as possible. 5 Gently roll the dough out to a thickness of around 3cm. Cut into rounds using a 6cm pastry cutter, cutting straight down and not twisting, as twisting prevents the scones from rising properly. Very gently re-roll the remaining dough, taking care not to handle it too much, and punch out more scones – you should get 9 in total. Arrange the scones on the lined baking tray and brush the tops with a little extra honey. 6 Bake for 12–15 minutes or until risen and golden brown. Serve warm from the oven, split in half, with big dollops of clotted cream and rhubarb compote. Peaches and cream cupcakes (#ulink_d12ea10b-97e3-5f49-bef6-65a0a832f7b5) One of the things I love most about summer is biting into ripe, juicy peaches that drip down your chin in an undignified manner. Adding fruit pur?e to sponges locks in moisture, which makes for a delicious soft sponge, but if you prefer you can leave the peaches in small chunks for a different texture. You can use fresh or tinned peaches to make these, but fresh will have a superior flavour. MAKES 18 CUPCAKES PREP TIME: 20 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 20–25 MINS CUPCAKES 200g peeled, halved and stoned peaches (fresh or from a tin) 125g butter, softened 200g caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 250g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder TOPPING 300ml double cream 2 tbsp icing sugar 1 ripe peach, halved, stoned and cut into 18 slices, to decorate You will also need 2 ? 12-hole muffin tins and 18 paper muffin cases. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and line the muffin tins with 18 muffin cases. 2 Cut the peaches into chunks and place them in a food processor or a stick blender with a processor attachment. Pur?e until smooth. 3 Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl using an electric hand-held whisk or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until really pale and fluffy – this is what will make the sponge light. 4 Add the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mix then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this point – it should blend together after the flour is added. 5 Combine the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. With the whisk or mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, followed by all the peach pur?e, then the remaining flour, mixing well between each addition until the mixture is smooth. It will form a very thick batter. 6 Divide the mixture evenly among the cases and bake for 20–25 minutes. The cakes should be springy to the touch and a metal skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cakes should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. 7 While the cakes are cooling, make the topping. Whisk the cream and icing sugar together in a bowl until the mixture just holds its shape when you lift the whisk. If the cream is too stiff it won’t spread smoothly. 8 When the cakes are at room temperature, decorate them with the cream topping using a palette knife. Put a tablespoon-sized dollop on the top of each cupcake, then smooth it down into the edges to form a cone shape. Use the rounded end of the spatula to create a swirl at the top. Decorate with a slice of fresh peach and keep chilled until ready to serve. Sweet and sour apple crisps (#ulink_cb6f8c38-9eaa-527e-a5f4-1443b9a094fa) Fruit crisps are one of my favourite ways to enjoy fruit on the go. Drying out thin slices of apple concentrates their flavour into intense, crispy morsels, which make a fantastic snack. I like to use a combination of different types of apple; you’d be amazed how much the flavour differs between each variety. Tart Granny Smith or Bramley apples create sour, refreshing crisps, while sweeter varieties like Pink Lady or Gala have beautiful pink edges that look stunning when they curl up in the oven. You can dust the finished crisps in sugar and cinnamon, but I prefer to eat them just as they are. MAKES ABOUT 50 CRISPS PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOKING TIME: 40–50 MINS 1 Granny Smith apple or other cooking apple 1 Pink Lady apple or other sweet dessert apple Juice of / lemon (optional) 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional) 2 tsp caster sugar (optional) 1 Preheat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/gas 1/2 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. 2 Wash and dry the apples and remove the stalk from each. Use a mandoline to carefully slice the apple horizontally into very thin slices (1–2mm thick). If you don’t have a mandoline, use a sharp knife to cut slices as thinly as you can. Pop out and discard any pips. If you’re not baking the apples immediately, submerge the slices in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them browning. 3 Arrange the apple slices on the baking tray, trying not to overlap the slices or they won’t be so crisp. Bake for 40–50 minutes until the apples frill up at the edges and feel completely dry. They will still be fairly soft and pliable, but they will firm up and quickly become crisp as they cool. 4 Transfer the cooked apple slices to a wire rack and leave them to cool. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar (if using) before serving. The crisps will keep in an airtight container for a few days, but they are best eaten while they’re still fresh as they lose their crispness over time. Passionfruit Viennese whirls (#ulink_9799bb8a-7116-5127-9c9d-cd937f0693e5) If the idea of a passionfruit-flavoured, deliciously crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth biscuit doesn’t make you hungry, then nothing will do! Viennese whirls are one of the bakes I can’t resist. Using fine powders like icing sugar and cornflour in the biscuit dough creates a melting texture unlike that of any other biscuit, as the small particles stop the formation of gluten, which can toughen them. The biscuit will break apart in your mouth easily, making it incredibly moreish. I’ve used a tart passionfruit filling in my whirls because I find the usual jam and buttercream cloyingly sweet. It cuts through the buttery biscuit and sugary filling perfectly. MAKES 16 WHIRLS PREP TIME: 25 MINS PLUS COOLING COOKING TIME: 10–12 MINS PASSIONFRUIT FILLING 2 passionfruits 25g caster sugar BISCUITS 100g butter, softened 25g icing sugar 100g plain flour 25g cornflour 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract 1 tsp milk BUTTERCREAM 25g unsalted butter 50g icing sugar 1 tbsp lemon juice You will also need a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle. 1 Scoop the flesh out of both passionfruits and place it in a small saucepan with the caster sugar. Simmer over a medium–high heat for 1–2 minutes or until bubbling and slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and set to one side to cool. 2 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 3 To make the biscuits, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the plain flour and cornflour until a thick paste forms, then beat in the vanilla and milk to loosen the mixture slightly. 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