Chef Martin Anderson
This week I’m going to double up on the recipes with a choice of two desserts, Baileys bread and butter pudding or pavlova! It’s the usual tradition to break lent on St. Patrick’s day do know yourselves out.
One is off the scales as regards calories and the other isn’t far behind it!
I love the taste of brioche bread , sweet , buttery , a golden crust and perfect for this first recipe .
Make sure the brioche is a few days old or even stale, it will be easier to butter and it will soak up the baileys custard during the cooking process . If you don’t have baileys you may use a cheaper Irish cream liquor or you may even leave the liquor out but where is the fun in that.
Make sure you have a good oven proof dish or you may even make them in individual portions but they must be deep as well you really want to get the layers of bread and custard , leave out the raisins and sultanas if you don’t like them . It’s difficult to give exact measurement for the liquid but you will need at least 1L of milk for a good size dish , use cream to make it really rich , that’s 5 eggs as well.
The second dessert is the all time buffer favourite the Pavlova , named after a Russian ballerina to celebrate her visit to New Zealand , in theory it’s based on a traditional German dessert.
Make sure your egg whites are well chilled and that your mixing bowl and whisk are spotless any trace of dirt or fat will stop them rising . The reason for adding the vinegar is to help the eggs whisk properly some chefs add lemon juice instead but vinegar is best, use white vinegar or malt never use balsamic it will give the mix too dark a colour .
Bailey’s bread and butter pudding
Bread and butter pudding
You will need.
Brioche bread, make sure it is stale.
Real Butter.
Castor sugar.
Cinnamon.
Pouring cream or milk.
1 egg for every 200mls of liquid.
Baileys.
Raisins or sultanas.
Method.
Pre-heat your oven to 180c
Slice your bread and butter each side.
Layer into an oven proof dish, sprinkling with, sugar, raisins and cinnamon, finishing with a layer of bread.
Beat your eggs and milk/cream together adding a dash of baileys liquor
Pour over your bread mix making sure that it is well soaked.
Bake for 30/40 minutes without cover and until the custard is set making sure the bread is golden and crisp.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or vanilla custard.
Pavlova
Pavlova
When making Pavlova allow 50g of sugar per egg white.
You will need.
6 egg whites.
300g of castor sugar.
1 dessert spoon of vanilla essence.
1 dessert spoon of vinegar.
3 dessert spoons of corn flour.
Whipped cream.
Fresh fruits of your choice.
Method.
Pre-heat your oven to 150c.
Grease a piece of parchment paper and place onto a baking tray.
In a clean bowl or mixing bowl whisk the egg whites, slowly adding the sugar, vanilla and vinegar ,continue until the mix becomes thick and stiff.
Fold in the corn flour trying not to knock out the air.
Spoon the meringue mix onto the paper and shape into a circle making sure the Pavlova is even and away from the edges, as it will spread and rise.
Bake until golden and firm (1 ½ hrs approx) turn off the oven and open the door slightly and allow the Pavlova to cool.
When cool, remove the greaseproof paper and place onto your serving dish.
Spoon the whipped cream on top and decorate with your sliced fresh fruit.
Soft fruits are usually the best for this dish, as in strawberries, kiwis, red berries of even sliced dragon fruit.
You can only decorate the Pavlova about an hour before you wish to serve it as the cream soaks through the meringue.
