Cookery

Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips

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

Everyone will love these individual baked Alaskas. A hassle-free delight as they are made in advance, kept in the freezer and need only 7 minutes in the oven before serving

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 7 minutes. Plus 1 hour 10 minutes freezing time and 4 hours final freezing Serves: 8 Can be made in advance. Will freeze. Can be Parev. Pesach friendly

Ingredients For the Chocolate Base 225g digestive biscuits or use Pesach biscuits 2 tablespoons plain chocolate drops 85g butter or margarine For the Ice-Cream 570ml chocolate ice cream or use a non-dairy equivalent for the parev option For the Meringue 4 egg whites 200g caster sugar Pinch of salt Cocoa powder, to dust

To make the Biscuit Base 1. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2. Melt the butter or margarine. 3. Place the biscuits and chocolate drops in a food processor and whizz. 4. Stir in the hot, melted butter. 5. Continue processing until combined. 6. Using a 6.5cms round pastry cutter as a template, press the mixture into 8 rounds on the baking sheet. 7. Freeze for 10 minutes.

To make the Baked Alaska 1. Dip an ice-cream scoop into hot water. 2. Scoop a ball of ice-cream onto each biscuit base. 3. Return to the freezer for at least one hour. 4. Whisk the egg whites, with a pinch of salt, until very very stiff. 5. Add the sugar, 1 tbs at a time, whisking after each spoonful. 6. The mixture should be thick and glossy. 7. Spoon or pipe a thick layer of meringue to fully cover the base and ice cream of each Alaska. 8. Return to the freezer for at least four hours, or overnight. 9. Bake the Alaska at 220ºC (425ºF/gas mark 7) for 5 - 7 minutes until golden. 10. Serve immediately dusted with cocoa powder.

Frozen Desserts

BY DENISE PHILLIPS

One of the best ways of easing the burden when holding a dinner party is to use desserts that you can make in advance and freeze, ready to be pulled out just when you need them, with no last panics or rushing to the shops.

Ice cream, sorbets, semi-freddo, sundaes are naturally the most popular choices for frozen desserts, but here are some variations on a theme that you might like to make.

• Baked Alaska, one of my signature recipes. A base of crushed chocolate biscuits, topped with ice cream and then pipped meringue covers the ice cream. Freeze and then bake for 7 minutes. It is a real showstopper. • Avocado ice cream, a little different but something delicious for your vegan friends. Using smashed avocado, coconut milk, maple syrup, ripe bananas.

Combine together and transfer to a lined loaf tin. Freeze for 4 hours. • Roulade base. This is a sponge base mixture. Once it is has cooled spread whipped cream/ non dairy options work too like ‘cream cheese’, soya cream. Spread inside the cooled sponge, roll up and freeze. • Ice cream sandwiches. You can make your own biscuits and fill with spreadable ice cream and then re freeze. Or use bought biscuits – Oreo’s work well,

separate them apart, add the filling to the slightly defrosted ice cream. Mix and assemble. Return to the freezer to set and take out 5 minutes before serving. • If kids are involved, make your own

Lolly pops. Add a stick to an open pot of small yoghurt such as Petit Filous, freeze and then invert. • Make a biscuit base using crushed biscuits and melted margarine that is very often used for cheesecakes. I like to bake this for 15 minutes at 200C.

Freeze this and then add your topping of choice. Ice cream, yogurt, whipped cream, or nut butter, using your favourite like almond, pecan butter mix with yogurt. All can be frozen. Defrost for 10 minutes and if you wish – add fresh, dried fruit or chopped roasted nuts.