Pavlovas With Rasberry Cream

These take a bit of time to cook but are very yummy.

Ingredients:

(Makes 5)

For the meringue:

200g caster sugar

4 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

A little butter of greasing

Method:

First make the meringues:

Pre-heat the oven to 120 C

Grease 12 of the cupcake cases with butter so they flatten and put on a baking tray

Whisk the egg whites and vanilla into soft peaks

Then slowly add the sugar and whisk until stiff

Pipe a large blob on each of the cupcake cases you prepared earlier

Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours

Once the meringues are baked and cooled make the topping:

Whip the cream in a large bowl until it starts to thicken

Whip in the 100g of the raspberries

Pipe the cream topping onto the cooled meringues

Decorate with the rest of the fruit

Serve immediately

Custard Tarts

My fiance absolutely loves custard tarts so I had a go a making some. With a bit of help from the BBC food website here is my attempt:

Ingredients:
(makes 12)

For the pastry:
200g ready-made puff pastry
30g  unsalted butter plus a little extra for greasing

For the filling:
125g caster sugar
30g cornflour
3 egg yokes
300ml single cream
50ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
1tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Roll out the puff pastry in a square until it is about 5mm thick
Spread the butter evenly over the pastry then cut in half
Place one half of pastry on top of the other then roll into a sausage
Cover the pastry and butter sausage and place in the fridge to cool

While the pastry is cooling make the filling:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C
In a pan, heat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour over a low to medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened and well combined
Add the vanilla seeds and vanilla essence
Then add the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick, smooth
Take the pan off the heat and continue to stir occasionally while it cools.

Grease a cupcake tin with butter
Take the pastry sausage out the fridge and cut into twelve equal slices
On a lightly floured surface roll each disk out until it has about a 7cm diameter
Press each pastry disk into the greased cupcake tin then fill with filling
Bake in the oven for about 20 mins until golden brown.

Cream Tea Cupcake

I wanted to create a classic cupcake for afternoon tea based loosely around the a victoria sponge.

Ingredients

(makes 12)

For the cupcakes:

100g self-rasing flour

100g caster sugar

100g margarine

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

For the cream topping:

200ml double cream

1 tbs strawberry jam

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C

Whisk together all the ingredients of the cupcakes in a large bowl until smooth

Spoon the cupcake mix into cupcake cases

Bake for about 15 mins then allow to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling make the topping

Whip the cream in a large bowl until it starts to thicken

Whip in the strawberry jam

Pipe the cream topping onto the cooled cupcakes.

Pink Brandy and White Chocolate Truffles

I absolutely adore CHARBONNEL ET WALKER Pink Marc De Champagne Truffles so I decided to try and make something similar, here is my attempt.

Ingredients

(makes about 40)

250g white chocolate plus about 50g grated white chocolate

25ml double cream

75ml brandy

1/2 tsp red food colouring

Melt the white chocolate in a bain marie until liquid then turn the heat right down.

Quickly stir the cream into the white chocolate.

Then stir in the brandy little by little.

Finally stir in the food colouring

Once made place in the fridge for at least 12 hours to cool and set.

Once the truffle mix has set take a teaspoon full and roll it into a little ball 

Then roll the truffle ball in some grated white chocolate to finish.