Dessert – Page 6 – The Food Wife

Jazzies

14th March 202228th March 2022
by thefoodwife

Who doesnâ€™t love a jazzy? Little pools of chocolate covered in colourful sprinkles. Living the dream!

These are as simple to make as it gets and I had fun making these with my two little ones.

Ingredients:

100g chocolate (your choice of white, milk or dark)

1-2 tbsp Colourful sprinkles

Step 1: Begin by lining a tray or baking sheet with grease proof paper. Ideally it needs to be able to fit flat inside a fridge or freezer.

Step 2: Melt the chocolate. You can either do this in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensure the bowl is not in direct contact with the water) or in a microwave. If doing this in the microwave do it in 30 second bursts to ensure the chocolate does not burn, stirring after each burst.

Step 3: Use a teaspoon to carefully make little puddles of the chocolate on to the lined tray. Leaving a gap between each one to ensure they stay separate.

Step 4: Next sprinkle your sprinkles on to the puddles. Allow to cool (a fridge or freezer is best) and then peel them off the grease proof paper and you have your finished jazzies!

Raspberry Coulis

8th June 202128th June 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 12 servings

The perfect accompaniment to lots of different puddings. Fresh and zingy it adds a real brightness. I love it with Burnt Basque Cheesecake and it also goes well with lemon or chocolate desserts.

Ingredients:
500g (frozen is fine) raspberries
1 lemon, juiced
Caster sugar to taste (I use about three tbsp)

Step 1: Place all ingredients in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Allow to break down until you have a broken down sauce. Check your sweetness now and add sugar if required.

Step 2: Remove from the heat and start passing the sauce through a sieve. This will take some time. Keep pressing the sauce with a metal spoon and scrap the bottom of the sieve to get every bit of seedless sauce you can. The result will be a beautiful pinky-red smooth sauce. Chill and keep in the fridge until needed (a few days will be fine). It also freezes well.

Jaffa Cheesecake

9th October 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 12

Here is a cheesecake recipe inspired by the classic jaffa cake. There are several steps to this and its best to start it the night before you intend to eat it in order to ensure the jelly layer is fully set.Â Â

For an added citrus hit you could stir a tablespoon of marmalade into the jelly when it is still liquid. And if you want to make it a bit boozy use an orange liqueur to taste, in place of the orange extract.

Iâ€™ve included some tips to help you if things donâ€™t quite go to plan (they should save you from any disasters, but if worst comes to worst itâ€™ll still taste good!)

I made this gluten-free by using appropriate biscuits.

Ingredients:

For the base:

200g digestive biscuits, crushed to resemble bread crumbs (gluten-free if required)

75g butter, meltedÂ

For the cheesecake filling:

150g best dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids)Â

500g mascarpone (bring out of the fridge 20 minutes before using)

200ml double cream (bring out of the fridge 20 minutes before using)

100g icing sugar

2 tsp orange extract

For the orange jelly:

135g orange flavoured jelly block, cut into small piecesÂ

Boiling water

For the ganache topping:

100g best dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids)Â

100ml double cream

Step 1: Start the night before by making the jelly disc. Melt the jelly in boiling water (make up to 300ml – although if you want a thinner layer of jelly try 225ml) and then pour in to an 8 inch cake tin lined with clingfilm. Allow to set, by transferring to the fridge once cooled.

Step 2: The next day, make the base by mixing the digestive biscuits with the butter until combined and then press in to the base of a nine-inch spring release cake tin. Level out with the back of a spoon and put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to set.

Step 3: Begin to prepare the filling by carefully melting the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Ensure the base of the bowl does not touch the water, nor should any liquid go in to the chocolate otherwise it will seize up and you will have to start again. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool.

Step 4: Whist the chocolate is cooling, in a separate bowl, sieve the icing sugar and add the double cream and orange extract. Whisk until it forms stiff peaks.

Step 5: Only once the chocolate has cooled but still liquid (this is very important as you do not want the chocolate to seize up) beat in the mascarpone cheese using a spoon or whisk. Mix until smooth and combined evenly. If the mix does seize up (it will remain pale coloured and have tiny flecks of solid chocolate through it) sieve in two tablespoons of cocoa powder and beat until smooth.

Step 6: Gently fold in the orange cream mixture until smooth.

Step 7: Spread evenly over the set biscuit base, loosely cover and return to the fridge to set.

Step 8: To make the ganache topping, break the remaining dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Heat the remaining cream until just boiling and then pour over chocolate. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes and then stir; the chocolate should melt into the cream and begin to thicken as it cools. (If the ganache splits, try adding a little bit of warm milk and whisking until smooth. You can eat the ganache split it just isnâ€™t as aesthetically pleasing!)

Step 9: Carefully transfer the jelly disk onto the top of the cheesecake. Once the ganache is cool, spread evenly over the jelly and cheesecake top and return to the fridge to fully set (about an hour).

Once ready to serve, carefully remove from the tin but allow to be out of the fridge for 20 minutes to soften slightly before serving.Â

Whatâ€™s Cooking?

21st May 201923rd May 2019
by thefoodwife

If youâ€™re looking for some culinary inspiration hereâ€™s a round up of some of the recipes from The Food Wife that weâ€™re having this week.

Pizza, The Food Husbandâ€™s favourite, has been off the menu for a while as he’s eliminating gluten from his diet, but I made up a batch of sourdough pizza bases with the addition of two teaspoons each of garlic powder and dried oregano to the dough. I had a go at a potato base for a gluten-free version, which was a big hit (think giant gnocchi base). Watch this space for the recipe as I try to recreate it next time pizza is on the menu.Â Â

Weâ€™re still working our way through the jars of wild garlic pesto I made recently, and tomorrow weâ€™ll be enjoying it simply with pasta and green beans for a light and summery meal.Â Â Iâ€™ll also be adding it as a topping to a salmon fillet before roasting it in the oven another evening this week.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten either. Still in the quest to smuggle more vegetables into his diet (he can spot a pea from the other side of the room) Iâ€™ve batch-cooked a tomato and carrot pasta sauce and a three bean chilli along with a double batch of cheese and vegetable scones for the freezer. This time using grated parsnip, carrot and broccoli along with chopped spinach and sundried tomatoes, he devours them without the knowledge that Iâ€™m getting sneaky veg inside him!

And finally if, like me, you love rhubarb, then youâ€™ll be loving the abundance of it at the moment. Why not give my rhubarb crumble traybake a go, or if you can wait a while, have a go at my rhubarb gin. Itâ€™s worth the wait!

Lemon Posset

5th April 20195th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 6

Lemon posset has been my go-to dessert of late. Itâ€™s something that can be made the day before (it needs a decent amount of time to set in the fridge so making it a day ahead is preferable anyway). Iâ€™ve also opted to go for one serving dish but these can, of course, be poured into individual glasses or ramekins.

I always leave the zest in the posset, but you can strain it out at the start of step 3 if you prefer.

The quantities can be easily scaled up or down, but due to its richness aim for 100ml of cream per person.

Ingredients:
600ml double cream
130g caster sugar
3 unwaxed lemons, juice and zest

Step 1: Place all of the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently bring to the boil.

Step 2: Boil for five minutes and then remove from the heat.

Step 3: Pour into your serving dish(es) and allow to cool before covering and putting in the fridge for a good 12 hours.

I like to serve this with a berry compote (simply heat berries, fresh or frozen, with caster sugar to taste, until the berries break down and release their natural juices, then allow to cool) and ginger biscuits such as my gluten-free ginger cookies Iâ€™ve previously shared.