Cookery

Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips

For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com

This is a delicious light dessert perfect for the family and I have found even those guests who normally don’t enjoy custard love this! I prefer to make it parev as it is more user friendly! For a shortcut, buy readymade short crust pastry.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 8-10

Ingredients For the Pastry 200g plain flour 75g icing sugar 100g non-dairy margarine 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla essence For the filling 4 eggs 160g caster sugar 6 heaped tablespoons custard powder 1 tablespoon vanilla paste/ essence 750ml coconut milk 6 tablespoons raspberry jam 75g desiccated coconut – toasted ( To toast place in the oven at 200C for about 5 mins or until golden) Garnish: A handful of fresh blueberries and sprigs of fresh mint leaves

Method 1) For the pastry combine all the ingredients in the food processor until they come together as a ball. 2) Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking parchment paper or cling film large enough to fill the base and sides of a 23cm loose based pie tin. (You will have mixture and pastry to make another pie too!) or use a 27cm loose based tin. 3) Cover with foil and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 4) Fill pastry case with foil and baking beans. 5) Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/ Gas mark 6 and bake for 20 minutes. 6) Remove the foil and baking beans – set aside to cool. Then spread the raspberry jam over the base. 7) For the custard, using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick. Then add the custard powder and vanilla essence. 8) Heat the coconut milk in a large saucepan. Gradually add to the mixer to combine and then return to the saucepan. 9) Heat gently stirring continuously until the custard is thick and smooth. Pass through a sieve to remove lumps before transferring to the cooked pastry base. 10) Sprinkle with the toasted desiccated coconut, then chill for at least an hour or overnight to set. 11) To serve cut into wedges and garnish with mint and blueberries.

Coconut milk explored

BY DENISE PHILLIPS

Coconut milk is available in so many different styles, packaging and strengths and since it is incredibly versatile, I thought I would share the options and advantages of what is on offer in the supermarkets. This is an excellent store-cupboard staple food product to have and for the cost of about £1, I feel it is certainly an ingredient you will enjoy using too! It also comes Kosher for Passover – so add it to the shopping list at Pesach.

To clarify, coconut milk is an opaque, milkywhite liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingredient used in Indian, Caribbean and Thai cuisine. Coconut cream comes in blocks, sachets, tins and can also be scooped off the top of a tin. It is the richest part and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes, Soups, curries, stews and even ice cream. You can substitute coconut milk for coconut cream in recipes just add 5:2 hot water to the creamed coconut and stir until the coconut pieces have dissolved and remaining liquid resembles cream. Coconut milk comes in two main types, tinned and in a carton – both ambient and fresh. Though both are technically coconut milk, they are considerably different in their nutritional content and how they are processed. Full Fat Coconut Milk. This is the one you find in a tin. It’s designed for cooking, not for drinking. You’ll want to choose one that has no emulsifiers added to it so the cream will rise to the top inside the tin. When you open the tin, you can use the hardened cream in place of whipping cream or double cream in sauces and desserts. If you’re not planning to use the cream separately, give the can a good shake before you open it. It’s delicious in rice, curries, stews, in a sauce, ice cream and desserts. Low fat Coconut Milk. Also sold in a tin, low fat coconut milk is diluted full-fat coconut milk and sometimes has up to 60% less fat. You can use it in soups, cakes, muffins or smoothies or in with roasted vegetables, chicken in casseroles. It will not whip and become thick. Refrigerated Coconut Milk. This type comes in a carton and bottles and is used in drinks, cocktails and I like to use it in custard-based desserts. Some companies sell it as Barista coconut milk. It may or may not be lightly sweetened and it may contain emulsifiers, added sugar and thickening agents. It’s great for smoothies or as a replacement for dairy milk or other plant-based milks.

The great advantage of whatever coconut milk/ cream product you use is that it is parev and lactose free – it adds creaminess without the dairy!