{ Mélanger :: to mix }

In my quest to refamiliarise myself with the desserts of my childhood, I stumbled across a thought.  In a world where so much changes, it is heartening to encounter something that has stood the test of time.  Crumbles.  Trifles.  Puddings.  They have been a part of British life for hundreds of years, and are still firmly entrenched.  It is a comforting feeling.

I feel blessed that I will be able to share these desserts with baby Mélanger one day. As a start, here are a few of the recipes that I tackled this month.  I am sure this will not be the last of my experiments at home.

(And thank you Mum for all your tips and hints! x)

{ Rhubarb, strawberry & ginger crumble tarts } Rhubarb is synonymous with English desserts.  Growing up, I recall my mother creating a number of desserts that incorporated rhubarb.  Not to the extent that I eventually had to throw a hand to cover my eyes, and gesture any oncoming fruit ladened dish away, but to know that this humble fruit was versatile, practical and a hint towards winter.  { Read more here … }

{ Sticky toffee bread & butter pudding } Combining the essence of two favourite British desserts, the essence of the bread and butter pudding was sustained  using a homemade spice ladened bread, and the rich, buttery butterscotch sauce, made for a slightly more self-indulgent pudding.  A perfect treat for the cooler Brisbane winter evenings.  { Read more here … }

{ Marmalade & golden syrup steamed puddings } The sweet, steamed pudding descends from the traditional boiled pudding – a favourite at Christmas time.  The basic steamed pudding recipe is easy to play around with. It is one of the most simple and comforting desserts to make.  { Read more here … }

{ Chocolate & orange trifle ’sandwich’ } Less traditionally sandwiched, or classically layered in a serving dish, the combination of chocolate and orange is hard to beat.  Inject orange through a delicate glazing of Grand Marnier, a caramelised orange sauce, plus fresh oranges.  The richness of the cake, the only chocolate offering, is sufficient to complement this orange trifecta.  { Read more here … }

{ Bakewell Tart } This tart is very easy to make.  It is essentially a very simple sweet short crust pastry, topped with jam and then a deliciously rich frangipane (almond paste).  I made this tart with blackberry jam, but would love to experiment further.  Perhaps create little individual tarts next time that showcase a variety of flavours.  { Read more here … }

{ Lemonade Scones } These scones are light (thanks to the lemonade), and take on a nutty flavour (from the wholemeal flour), and with the addition of fruit, you may be fooled into thinking you are eating something moderately healthy – just ignore the cream quotient!  Perfect with a lovely cup of tea!  Very British. { Read more here … }

{ Pumpkin Scones } Scones are the quintessential afternoon tea.  They are the perfect level of sweetness for an afternoon (or morning!) pick-me-up.  Scones come in a variety of flavours – plain, sweet or savoury – and all are delicious.  Scones are a very quick baked treat to make.  They are light, flaky and creamy, and if not over-handled, will melt in your mouth! { Read more here … }

How could sweet, creamy layers of cake soaked in liqueur and topped with seasonal fruit and homemade custard be considered insignificant or frivolous?  But trifle it is.  But trifle it is not.

Perhaps it was the incongruity of the word association that threw me led me to experiment.  Or perhaps it was simply the preparation process.  With my components ready for assembly, I noticed how I had sliced up my chocolate loaf.  Like bread.  Slices of bread that were ready to make a sandwich.  So I mused, why not use slices of cake to make a sandwich?  A trifle sandwich.

And the rest, as they say, ….

It was all a bit of fun, but to be honest I do like my puddings a trifle more traditional.  But really, it only comes down to the assembly.  Same ingredients.  Different construction.

Less traditionally sandwiched, or classically layered in a serving dish, the combination of chocolate and orange were hard to beat.  The orange was injected through a delicate glazing of Grand Marnier over the cake, a caramelised orange sauce, plus fresh oranges.  The richness of the cake, the only chocolate offering, was sufficient to complement this orange trifecta.

I did take some liberty in the ingredients.  The more traditional vanilla sponge was swapped for a deliciously rich, chocolate pound cake.  But I think, if you want to celebrate a dessert, as exemplary of British desserts as the trifle, I think you can include your own twists.

{ Chocolate & orange trifle }

If you prefer the more classic styling of a trifle, simply follow the directions below.

* Ingredients *
Chocolate pound cake, recipe below
Grand Marnier
Caramelised oranges, recipe below
Vanilla custard, recipe below
Whipped cream, optional

* Directions *
Slice the chocolate pound cake and layer the bottom of glass serving bowl.  Brush over the Grand Marnier so it soaks into the cake.  Top with the caramelised oranges.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  Top the cake and oranges with the vanilla custard.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.  When ready to serve, top with whipped cream.  Alternatively, you can create multiple layers of cake, orange and custard.  Just simply refrigerate as appropriate at each stage.

{ Caramelised Oranges } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

* Ingredients *
3 oranges
1/4 sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

* Directions *
Segment the oranges and set aside in a bowl.  Bring sugar and orange juice to the boil in a small saucepan until the mixture starts to darken.  Add Grand Marnier and remove from heat.  Pour syrup over the prepared oranges and set aside to cool.

{ Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake } recipe by Sur La Table’s, The Art & Soul of Baking

* Ingredients *
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/1/4 cups (8-3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon water, at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (2 ounces) unsifted unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup (4 ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature

* Directions *
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and position an oven rack in the centre.  Lightly coat the pan with melted butter, oil, or high-heat canola-oil spray and fit it with parchment paper to extend up both long sides to the top of the pan.

Cream the butter and sugar:  Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium-high until light – almost white- in color, 4 to 5 minutes.  You can also use a hand mixer and a medium bowl, although you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve the same results.  Scrape down the bowl with the spatula.

Add the eggs: In the small bowl, stir together the water and espresso powder until smooth.  Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat to blend.  With the mixer running on medium, add the eggs to the butter mixture about 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to completely blend in before adding the next.  About halfway through, turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl, then continue adding the eggs.  Scrape down the bowl again.

Add the dry and wet ingredients alternately: With the fine-mesh strainer, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into the medium bowl and whisk to blend.  With the mixer running on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, beginning with one-third of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk; repeat, then finish with flour mixture.  Scrape down the bowl and finish blending the batter by hand if necessary.

Bake the cake:  Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.  When cool, remove from the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and serve.

{ Vanilla Custard } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

* Ingredients *
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

* Directions *
Prepare a bowl filled with ice and top the ice with another clean bowl.  Put to the side together with a fine sieve.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.  Set aside.  Gently heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edges.  Remove from the heat, and add ½ cup of the mixture to the eggs whisking together immediately.  When blended, add the egg mixture back to the milk over a low to medium heat.  Keep whisking as the mixture starts to thicken.  Be careful not to overheat the mixture or the eggs will curdle.  For accuracy, measure the temperature and remove from the heat when you reach 80C /176F.  Without delay, pour the hot custard through the sieve into the prepare bowl.  The ice will help cool down the custard and ensure it does not overheat.  Allow to cool, and then refrigerate.
Makes 1 ½ cups

As I get older, I am accepting my memory is deteriorating.

Well, at least I think it is.

When recollections of my childhood are patchy, I can exhaust a number of frustrated hours trying to piece together rough detail in my mind.  In the process, I am sure I create memories based on what seems most logical.

I was struggling to remember the most common breakfast spreads that formed my childhood pantry.  I blanked.  Was Vegemite a staple in the pantry when I was little?  Not sure.  I remember the odd jar of English marmite finding its way in there, but not the all-Australian yeast extract version.  I remember conserves and jams, but not the specific flavours that were favourites.  I probably could confidently say there was no peanut butter in the pantry when I a child.  But what about honey?  Not sure.

Fortunately, even with this doubt, I do remember two items.  Two items that seemed to always be in the pantry.  A hefty jar of orange marmalade and the distinctive green tin of Lyle’s golden syrup.

Well, at least I think there was.

Perhaps again I have created this memory, and if so it is quite a delicious fortune, for it is the impetus behind this dish for ‘British Desserts’ month.  Marmalade and golden syrup steamed puddings.

I have to admit that the sound of a steamed pudding sounds insipid and bland, but a British steamed pudding is anything but.  The sweet, steamed pudding descends from the traditional boiled pudding – a favourite at Christmas time.  The basic steamed pudding recipe is easy to play around with.  Typically you use one part fat, one part sugar and two parts flour.  (Puddings traditionally included suet as the fat component and partial breadcrumbs as a flour substitute, too.)

It is one of the most simple and comforting desserts to make.

{ Marmalade & golden syrup steamed puddings } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

This syrup-soaked pudding is made richer when served with a creamy vanilla custard.

* Ingredients *
90 g or 3/4 stick unsalted butter
90 g or  1/2 cup less 2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 eggs
180g or 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons marmalade
2 tablespoons golden syrup

* Directions *
Grease 4 x 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) pudding moulds.  Drop 1 teaspoon of marmalade into the base of each mould, and then cover with ½ tablespoon of golden syrup.  Set aside.  Mix together the butter and sugar until pale, and then add the eggs.  Add in the remaining marmalade and mix until combined.  Then gently fold in the flour and baking power.  Add enough orange juice to produce a dropping consistency similar to a pound cake.  Divide mixture up evenly between the pudding moulds.  Cover each pudding mould with non stick baking paper, pleating around the edges if preferred, or simply securing with kitchen twine.  Using a saucepan/steamer insert combination, steam for 45 minutes over a low heat.  To check the pudding has cooked, remove the cover and gently press the pudding to check it is firm.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the moulds, then turn out and serve with custard.

Makes 4 individual puddings

Along comes another British dessert where its origins are based on frugality.  The bread and butter pudding.  This crafty little pudding, popular not only in Britain but around the world, was apparently created back in medieval times as a way to use up old, stale bread.  Who knew that thriftiness could be so tasty?

In its simplest form, bread and butter pudding is made with plain white stale bread, raisins or currants, milk, egg and a sprinkling of nutmeg.  For something more decadent, you can substitute a rich, buttery brioche or croissant for the bread, some cream for the milk, and spike with alcohol for a more grown up version.

The traditional version of this dessert was a regular pudding in my household growing up.  And a favourite.

For my version to showcase as part of ‘British Desserts’ month, I wanted to give a nod to the flavours of another of my favourite British dessert, the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  So instead of using a store-bought bread, I baked up a version of my own sweet bread, injecting all the date and spice flavour typical of this popular pudding.  The final baked pudding was then served with a healthy dose of homemade butterscotch sauce.

The result?  The essence of the bread and butter pudding was importantly sustained, but the spice ladened bread, and the rich, buttery butterscotch sauce, certainly made for a slightly more self-indulgent pudding.  A perfect treat for the cooler Brisbane winter evenings.

{ Sticky toffee bread & butter pudding } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

Quick note  – do not confuse the humble bread and butter pudding with its heavier and richer cousin, the bread pudding.  Both are equally delicious, but they are different desserts.

* Ingredients *
6 slices of spiced date bread (recipe following)
Butter to spread
2 cups of milk
2 eggs

* Directions *
Butter the bread, and cut into slices.  Place buttered side up, in layers, into a greased overproof dish.  Warm the milk to almost boiling point.  Whisk the eggs and lightly pour the warmed milk onto them, stirring at the same time.  Strain the mixture over the bread.  Bake at 180C/350F for 30-40 minutes, or until set and lightly browned.  Serve with butterscotch sauce.

Serves 4

{ Butterscotch sauce } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

* Ingredients *
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
125g / 1 stick butter
1 cup (250ml) cream

* Directions *
Combine the sugar and butter into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat.  Once butter has melted and the sugar starts to dissolve, stir in the cream.  Bring the sauce to almost boiling point, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.  While simmering keep stirring to ensure a smooth consistency.  Serve warm.

{ Spiced date bread } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

This recipe takes around four hours from beginning to end.  You will need to plan accordingly but the taste will be worth the effort.

* Ingredients *
1 cup milk
¼ cup water (110F/45C)
3.5g / ½ package dried yeast
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon mixed spice
4½ to 5 cups of plain, all purpose flour
¼ cup / ½ stick of butter, melted
1 cup chopped, fresh dates
Glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten

* Directions *
Warm the milk in a saucepan until bubbles appear around the edge.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 110F/45C.  In the meantime, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.   Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, beaten eggs, spice and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat the mixture until smooth.  Add 2 more cups of flour and continue to beat.  Continue until the dough is glossy.  Add the melted butter and stir well.  Add a further 1½ cups of flour and continue to beat well.  Stir in the remaining ½ cup of flour bit by bit until the dough is stiff – you may not need to add it all.  Knead in the chopped dates.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.  Then knead the dough lightly until it is smooth and glossy.  Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, lightly spraying the top of the dough with oil to prevent drying.  Allow to double in size, about 1½ to 2 hours.  Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled, about 1 hour.  Turn out onto a floured surface.  You should have roughly have between 2.4-2.6lb / 1.1-1.2kg of dough in total.  Divide into three equal parts and shape to make three separate loaves, and place into lightly greased loaf tins.  Let rise for 20-30 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350F/180C.  Brush each loaf lightly with egg and then bake for 20-30 minutes.

Rhubarb is synonymous with English desserts.  Growing up, I recall my mother creating a number of desserts that incorporated rhubarb.  Not to the extent that I eventually had to throw a hand to cover my eyes, and gesture any oncoming fruit ladened dish away, but to know that this humble fruit was versatile, practical and a hint towards winter.

Given its tart flavour, rhubarb adapts well when cooked with sweet fruits such as apples and strawberries.  It also loves to be spiked with a little hint of spice, be it cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger.  Stewed, in a pie or made into a delicious jam, the strength of the rhubarb will ensure it remains popular for quite some time.

As soon as I decided on ‘British Desserts’ month, the idea of including rhubarb and a crumble was fait accompli, in a way.  But knowing the rhubarb crumble was a dish many had already seen, how could I give it a little Mélanger twist?  Just a little ….

I originally decided to sweetened my rhubarb with orange, and add some uncrystallised ginger for a little zing.  But after walking by my local fruit store recently, and catching the subtle aroma of the new season strawberries, I knew the orange had to be parked.  (Just for a while.)  So rhubarb, strawberry and ginger was decided!

Given the weather has cooled here slightly, I was also itching to make some pastry.  In particular, a zesty cream cheese pastry that complements fruit fillings perfectly.  But I admittedly did hesitate.  The crumble apparently was created as a way to compensate for war time rationing in Britain.  A way to replace the impossible quantities of flour, butter and sugar required to make a traditional sweet pastry shell, but still provide some melt in your mouth, buttery texture.  The traditional crumble topping, using just a fraction of the very same ingredients (note – no oats included), was the clever solution.

Although this crumble tart, with its rich pastry casing, really defies the idea of the humble crumble, I create this dish in celebration how blessed I am to not face the same rationing that sparked its origins.

Enjoy.  Cheers!

{ Rhubarb, strawberry & ginger crumble tarts } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

Plan ahead and almost on a whim, you can produce this tart, bubbling with hot, delicious fruit, in a snap.  The pastry can be made ahead, and the good news is it does not need to be blind baked.

Baking uncooked rhubarb allows some shape to be retained through the cooking process, but still provides a soft texture.  Switch the strawberries for apples if you choose.  And feel free to omit the ginger.

It also would not be a British dessert without a serving of homemade custard on the side.  Recipe follows.

* Ingredients *
Pastry
1 ½ cups of plain flour
½ cup caster sugar
125g / 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small squares
240g / 8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon chilled ice water
Filling
600g / 20oz rhubarb, cut into small chunks
300g / 10oz strawberries, quartered
45g / 1 ½ oz uncrystallised ginger
2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch
¼ cup sugar
Crumble
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
125g / 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter cut into smalls squares

* Directions *
For the pastry, combine the flour and sugar into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to combine.  Next add the butter and pulse gently until the mixture starts to resemble very coarse breadcrumbs.  Immediately add the cream cheese and blend until the pastry starts to come away from the sides.  Add the chilled ice water as needed to bring the pastry together.  On a floured board, knead the pastry gently into a ball.  Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  For the filling combine the rhubarb, strawberries and ginger into a bowl.  Add in the cornflour and sugar and combine well.  Set aside.  For the crumble, mix the flour and sugar into a bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, or the tips of your fingers, blend in the butter so you achieve a very rough texture.  Set aside.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.  To prepare the tarts, divide the pastry into six equal portions.  Roll out each piece separately to measure larger than the size of your tart tins.  Cut a neat circle and line the tin with the pastry.  When all six are completed, pile in the fruit mixture remembering that as the fruit cooks, it will reduce in volume – so be generous in your portions.  Finally, liberally spread over the crumble mixture to fully coat each tart.  Pop the tarts onto a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Makes 6 mini tarts

{ Vanilla Custard } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

* Ingredients *
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

* Directions *
Prepare a bowl filled with ice and top the ice with another clean bowl.  Put to the side together with a fine sieve.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.  Set aside.  Gently heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edges.  Remove from the heat, and add ½ cup of the mixture to the eggs whisking together immediately.  When blended, add the egg mixture back to the milk over a low to medium heat.  Keep whisking as the mixture starts to thicken.  Be careful not to overheat the mixture or the eggs will curdle.  For accuracy, measure the temperature and remove from the heat when you reach 80C /176F.  Without delay, pour the hot custard through the sieve into the prepare bowl.  The ice will help cool down the custard and ensure it does not overheat.  Allow to cool, and then refrigerate.

Makes 1 ½ cups

As a child, I was always appreciative of what my parent’s provided for me.  Even though I grew up in a modest household, and there were always plenty of families around with (seemingly) more, I truly did feel grateful for what I had.

I knew of the challenges my parents faced as children themselves.  Growing up in war-torn London during WWII.  I remember the stories.  About the night bombings.  Carrying gas masks to school.  The daily air raid sirens and shelters.  The food rationing.  Waking up and discovering half of the houses in your street were missing … replaced by rubble.

In comparison, I lived in nirvana.  I felt lucky.

My childhood was full listening to these stories, and of the connections to London and, of course, to England.  Food was one of those connections.  Whenever we did have dessert, or ‘afters’, it was invariably British.  I did not necessarily realise that for the longest time.  It was all I knew.  It was just what my mother made.

Right now, I feel blessed.  I am happy, healthy, have a loving husband and my own family on the way.  I think back on my own childhood, and of what childhood memories I will help shape, for baby Mélanger.  Food will certainly be the focus of a number of those memories.

What an absolute honour and privilege it will be to be part of that influence.

The food of my childhood is firmly rooted in English origins.  This month, I am excited to create a few traditional British desserts, but in my own little way.  Last month, Finnish desserts.  This month, British desserts.  The discovery continues to find even more desserts that will certainly be popular in the  Mélanger soon-to-be-expanded home.