THE SWEETEST THINGS

fireside weetestS THE THINGS

Delicious and indulgent puddings for a seasonal celebration

MERINGUE WREATH

One Christmas I had guests who didn’t like rice pudding, so I made this instead. It is so indulgent and beautiful that I just had to include it here as it’s a great alternative to rice pudding and it has the same flavours. Add the filling just before serving to prevent the meringue going soggy.

SERVES 6–8

PAVLOVA MERINGUE BASE 4 egg whites 125g icing sugar 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or extract 11/2 teaspoons cornflour FILLING 200ml whipping cream 150ml pastry cream (see below) 50ml pistachio liqueur (I use Serravinci Pistacchino) ready-made cherry sauce or fruit filling (adding a dash of lemon juice to take off the sweetness and a dash of water if it’s too thick) 50g chopped, toasted pistachio nuts PASTRY CREAM 1 egg yolk 50g/1/4 cup caster sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour 250ml/1 cup whole milk seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod 15g/1 tablespoon butter a pinch of salt

2 piping bags Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a very clean bowl. Add the icing sugar one spoon at a time, whisking continuously – do not stop whisking! Whisk for about 5 minutes, or until you have a very stiff mixture. Stir in the vinegar and vanilla. Add the cornflour and fold in. On a piece of baking parchment, use a pencil to lightly draw a circle of around 20cm diameter, then a circle inside that, around 10cm diameter. Place the parchment on a baking sheet. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and cut a large opening at the end – be quick and careful doing this. Pipe into a circle on the parchment using the pencil lines as a rough guide. It doesn’t need to be exact, you just need to end up with a uniform circle. Form a slight trench around the middle of the meringue circle, around 2cm wide and 1cm deep. This will help to keep the filling in place. Turn the oven down to 120°C/gas 1/2. Place the meringue on the lowest shelf and bake for 1 hour, maybe even a little longer. The meringue is done when it looks pale and dry, but the middle bit is still sticky (carefully insert a skewer to check). Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside with the door ajar for at least a few hours, or overnight if possible. TO MAKE THE PASTRY CREAM. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolk, sugar and cornflour. Place the milk in a pan with the vanilla seeds, bring to the boil, then take the pan off the heat and pour one-third into the egg mixture while whisking. Once whisked, pour back into the pan and bring back to the boil, whisking continuously. Let it thicken for a minute, making sure it does not burn, then remove from the heat and stir in the butter and salt. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool (place baking parchment on top to stop a skin forming). Use only when cold. TO MAKE THE FILLING. Whip the cream to form soft peaks, then fold in the pastry cream, followed by the pistachio liqueur. Spoon the cream into a piping bag, snip off the end and use the trench on the meringue to guide you as you pipe the cream on. Drizzle over as much cold cherry sauce as you like, but don’t go overboard – serve the rest in a bowl for people to help themselves. Sprinkle the toasted pistachios over the top and serve immediately.

EASY CHOCOLATE ROLL chokladrulltårta Sometimes simple things work the best. I often make this with the kids and simply amend the fillings according to what I have in the cupboard. There are times when I add fruit and berries, other times more chocolate. When we make this roll for Christmas, we turn it into a log and go overboard with the chocolate decorations. You can also replace the cocoa with equal quantities of plain flour to make a vanilla roll instead – this recipe is versatile.

SERVES 6–7

4 eggs 120g caster sugar 90g plain flour 30g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting 1/2 teaspoon baking powder a pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or extract 25g butter, melted and cooled 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped, for the topping FILLING 300ml whipping cream brandy or walnut liqueur (optional) 75g toasted, chopped walnut pieces

Swiss roll pan, approx. 30 x 20cm Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Line the Swiss roll pan with baking parchment and non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and the sugar and whisk until they reach the ribbon stage (this may take several minutes on full speed). It’s done when you can see ribbon traces on the surface when lifting the whisk from the bowl.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and vanilla together, then sieve into the egg mixture and fold gently until combined. Add the melted butter and fold in, being careful not to knock the air out.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven until just baked through – the time will depend on your oven, but it is around 10–12 minutes. It is done when it is slightly springy to the touch.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel, then turn the cake out onto the tea towel. Carefully remove the paper backing. Gently roll the log around the tea towel while it is still warm – this should prevent the roll from cracking later when filled. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, for the filling, whip the cream to form stiff peaks. When the roll has cooled, unroll carefully and brush with the brandy or walnut liqueur, if using. Add the whipped cream in a thin, even layer and top with the chopped walnuts. Carefully roll it back around the cream and place on a serving tray.

Dust the roll with cocoa powder. Melt the chocolate in a bainmarie or microwave. Add to a piping bag and snip the end off, then pipe the chocolate all across the roll and serve.

SEA BUCKTHORN CRÈME BRÛLÉE crème brûlée med havtorn We have a family tradition of making crème brûlée on New Year’s Eve, and tart berries such as the sea buckthorn can really lift a creamy dessert. Sea buckthorn grows all across Scandinavia, and in some sandy areas of England and Scotland, among other places. The orange berries are quite sour when raw but fabulous once cooked (try sea buckthorn jam or compote). Ideally, make these the day before serving them.

MAKES 4 GENEROUS DESSERTS (OR 5 SMALLER ONES)

450ml double cream 50ml milk 80ml pure sea buckthorn juice 50g sugar 5 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or extract (or vanilla pod, if you prefer) demerara sugar, for the topping sea buckthorn berries (optional)

high-sided roasting pan 4 large ramekins (or 5 smaller ones) that can fit easily inside the pan cook’s thermometer cook’s blowtorch

Recipes taken from ScandiKitchen Christmas – recipes and traditions from Scandinavia by Brontë Aurell. Photography by Peter Cassidy. Published by Ryland Peters & Small. Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas 1. Boil a full kettle of water. In a saucepan, add the cream, milk and sea buckthorn juice and start to heat up.

In a bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla (if using a pod, add it to the saucepan instead) until the mixture turns a lighter colour.

Bring the cream mixture to boiling point (don’t whisk it, just stir), then take off the heat. Pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg mixture while stirring. Make sure it is incorporated, then repeat a few times with just a dash of the hot cream each time. This is to ensure the egg does not scramble.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan of cream and gently whisk together. Try not to create any air bubbles, as these will end up on top of each crème brûlée, spoiling the smooth surface. Pour the crème into the ramekins and place in the roasting pan. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan until the ramekin sides are covered to at least a depth of 1.5cm. Be careful not to splash any of the crèmes. Cover the roasting pan with foil and make a few air holes.

Bake in the preheated oven until set – depending on your ramekins, this should take around 25–30 minutes. Use a cook’s thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the crèmes has reached 77–79°C. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, extract the ramekins and leave for 20 minutes to cool down. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge until the next day.

Before serving, add a generous spoonful of demerara sugar to the top of the crèmes, then, using a cook’s blowtorch, grill the tops until they’re melted and a caramelised crust has formed. If you can get hold of some sea buckthorn berries, make a compote with berries and sugar and add it to the top of the dishes as decoration.