It is Easy to Follow Simple Pear and Chocolate Tart Recipe

Baking used to be something which was popular and almost every girl was taught how to bake and cook. These days it seems that the art of baking is fading away and many people find it difficult to manage even the simplest cooking. This is why I was glad to see my nephew trying out some baking in the holidays and he produced some amazing results by following an easy clotted cream recipe along with a homemade toffee apples recipe. This is the simplest pear and chocolate tart recipe which he perfected.

Ingredients

• 1 round shortcrust pie pastry
• 1 large can of pear halves in light syrup
• 12 ounces sweetened dark chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
• Fit the pastry to a tart pan or pie tin and pierce the bottom in several dozen places with the tines of a fork. Drain the pears and slice them into 1/8 inch slices.
• Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes or so. Check as you go to see if the chocolate has melted. Stop the microwave as soon as it is all melted.
• Pour and scrape the melted chocolate into the pastry shell. Arrange the pears on top of the chocolate in an attractive overlapping pattern.
• Beat the eggs with the sugar and then the cream. Pour this on top of the pears.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.
• If you wish, sprinkle the tart with two tablespoons of sugar and place it under the grill just until the sugar just starts to caramelize.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

One of the most impressive desserts which he conjured up was the ice cream bombe which looked great and professional but was amongst the easiest things to make. There is not just one ice cream bombe recipe which you can use and they are all easy. You start off with a bowl in which you can either make one large dessert, or small individual dishes which can make an impressive talking point at a dinner party. An ice cream bombe is an impressive yet easy-to-make French frozen dessert, made of layers of ice cream and frozen in a spherical mold such as a bowl. Any flavour of ice cream will do but you can also make bombes with sorbet or a mix of ice cream and sorbet.

Start by spreading the first layer of ice cream on the cling film which you have placed on the inside of the bowl and freezing it thoroughly. Once this has hardened, add the next layers of ice cream or sorbet and you can even add nuts and fruit to the layers. Freeze each layer and once the centre if full, turn out on a plate and serve. This is a very simple ice cream bombe recipe and you can adapt it to different flavours and textures.

Reading a Caramelised Bananas Recipe Bought Back Memories of a Holiday

I love the way that certain things can bring back the memory of another time or place with such speed and accuracy. Nothing is as fast as thought and we can be transported anywhere else with just a whiff of fragrance or the sound of a tune or even just the sight of a word. This is what happened last week when I was reading about a caramelised bananas recipe I came across in a magazine and I was immediately back on the most wonderful holiday I had enjoyed a few years earlier.

We were in Cornwall and staying at a lovely little hotel which had a great restaurant. This was where I first tasted caramelised bananas which were served in a dessert with a biscuit base and a strong ginger taste. It was accompanied by a butterscotch crunch ice cream and the taste was so divine that even now I can taste the sweetness and smell the ginger! Although I have had similar desserts since then and have even made my own variations at home, that food memory has yet to be beaten.

Another dessert which has long been a favourite in our household is the simple but elegant apricot tart recipe which I have been following for years. Although you can use tinned apricots for this dessert, just make sure that you drain all the juice out first.

Ingredients

• 175 g (7 oz.) plain flour
• 125 g (5 oz.) butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

For the filling

• 2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 170 g can evaporated milk
• 50 g (2 oz.) icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 25 g (1 oz.) white breadcrumbs
• 8 – 10 fresh, ripe apricots, halved and stoned
• 5 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed and sieved, to glaze

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
• Place the flour, butter and 1 tablespoon of icing sugar in a food processor and process until crumbs form; alternatively rub the ingredients together by hand. Press into the base and sides of a 20.5 x 28cm (8 x 11 inch) loose-bottomed flan tin. Chill for 20-30 minutes. Bake blind for 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4.
• Whisk together the eggs, Carnation Milk, icing sugar and nutmeg.
• Scatter the breadcrumbs over the base of the flan case and arrange the apricots on top. Pour over the milk mixture. Bake the tart for 50 minutes or until the apricots have softened. Brush with the jam and serve warm.

Any dessert, especially a hot or a baked one, can usually be accompanied by ice cream and this apricot flan is no exception. You can use any flavour ice cream but good old simple vanilla is one which you just cannot go wrong with. With other desserts which are simpler, such as fruit, jelly or various pies, I like to serve a delicious butterscotch crunch ice cream which adds texture as well taste to the dessert.

Trying Out A Scotch Pancakes Recipe in Time For Shrove Tuesday

I recall that when we were at school we used to look forward to Shrove Tuesday because it was the day when we knew we would be eating pancakes which were a treat for us then. Now that I can cook very well I know that pancakes are easy enough to have on a regular basis and this year I wanted to try a new scotch pancakes recipe I had found. A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. In Britain it is made without a raising agent, and is similar to a crêpe. In America, a raising agent is used such as baking powder and the American pancake is similar to a Scotch pancake or drop scone.

Pancakes may be served at any time with a variety of toppings or fillings including jam, fruit, syrup, chocolate chips, or meat. In America, they are typically considered to be a breakfast food. In Britain they are associated with Shrove Tuesday, commonly known as Pancake Day, when perishable ingredients had to be used up before the fasting period of Lent began. A scotch pancakes recipe will include flour, eggs, sugar, buttermilk or milk, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. Smaller than American or English pancakes at about 3.5 in / 9 cm in diameter, they are made by the traditional method of dropping batter onto a griddle. They can be served with jam and cream or just with butter and in Scotland pancakes are generally served at teatime.

Another delicious tea time treat is the apple tarte tatin which is basically a pastry case and caramelised apples but the apples are at the top instead of the pastry. There is more than one simple apple tarte tatin recipe and you can experiment until you find the one you prefer. Shortcrust pastry is traditional, but many modern recipes use butter puff pastry. They will take about the same amount of time to cook, but the puff will produce a lighter, flakier base while the shortcrust will have more bite. It is all a matter of taste as to which you choose. Use caster sugar, because it melts and caramelises quickly and evenly and your pan should be clean and unweathered. It is also important to heat the oven to 190c so that both the pastry and the apples cook at the same time.

Another sweet treat which also makes use of fruit is the summer pudding which is a British dessert made of sliced white bread, layered with fruit and fruit juice. It is left to soak overnight and turned out onto a plate. Using slightly stale bread helps the fruit juices soak through the bread and typical fruits used are:

• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Blackcurrants
• Redcurrants
• Blackberries

You can adapt the summer pudding recipe in keeping with the types of fruits which are available to you at the time, although berries are the most popular fruits which are used.

Try These Treats at Home, Especially the Scotch Pancakes Recipe

Scotch pancakes are one of many Scottish cakes cooked on a flat bake stone or griddle. A pancake was a ‘cake’ cooked on a heated flat-surface; historically a bake stone and then eventually a pan. Scotch pancakes are also known as ‘drop’ or ‘dropped scones’, because soft dollops of mixture are dropped onto the cooking surface.

Simple Scotch Pancakes Recipe

120g self-raising flour
small pinch salt
30g caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 pint milk

1. First grease your griddle with oil butter and heat.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt and sugar.
3. Whisk in the egg, add to milk.
4. Pour this liquid into the dry ingredients, and mix to a smooth batter.
5. Test with a teaspoon of batter. It should cook in less than a minute.
6. For the pancakes, use a tablespoon to drop the batter onto the girdle.
7. When the surface has become covered in bubbles, flip them using a palette knife. Serve hot.

Simple Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

The tarte tatin is an upside-down tart in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. There are conflicting stories concerning the tart’s origin, but the most common is that Stephanie Tatin, at the Hotel Tatin, started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven.

• 4 ounces light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/2 package of puff pastry, thawed, one sheet

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease the bottom of a 9″ cake pan with butter or use a non-stick pan. Cover the bottom with the brown sugar. Press down so it is firm. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the sugar.
• Arrange the apple slices over the cinnamon, fanning them out from the centre and overlapping the slices.
• Lay the sheet of puff pastry over the pan and cut to fit. Tuck down evenly over the apples.
• Cook for 40 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
• Flip over to serve hot with ice cream.

Simple Summer Pudding Recipe

This is a delicious and easy treat for a summer dessert, made with fruit and bread.

• 2 tbsp. water
• 5oz / 150g sugar
• 1lb/450g washed, berries and fruit
• 4 – 6oz/100 -150g  sliced white bread, crusts removed

Method

• Bring water and sugar to a gentle boil. Stew the fruits until softened but retaining their shape.
• Line a 1½ pint pudding basin with bread allowing no gaps. Fill with stewed fruits and cover with more bread slices.
• Place a saucer with a weight on top and leave overnight in a cool place.
• Turn out of the moulds and serve with custard or cream.

This is the simplest summer pudding recipe although there are variations.

Searching for the Best Homemade Toffee Apples Recipe Was Worth It

Visiting a fun fair with the children last week set me back a pretty penny. It seemed that every ride, stall and treat was thrice the price that we had expected and at the end we realised that we had spent a fortune and ended up with children who still expected more! This was when I decided that I wanted to try and find a few recipes to match the things that the children enjoyed and one of the easiest was the homemade toffee apples recipe. Once I had perfected this, the children were very happy with the results and I was very happy with the reduced expense.

Toffee apples are whole apples covered in a hard toffee or sugar candy coating, with a stick inserted as a handle. These are a common treat at autumn festivals in Western culture in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night because these festivals fall in the wake of the annual apple harvest. Candy apple is made by coating an apple with a sugar layer. The most common sugar coating is made from sugar, corn syrup, water, cinnamon and red food colouring. The sugar syrup is created by boiling the ingredients in a saucepan. The liquid should reach about 300 °F (150 °C) on a candy thermometer. Dip the apple with the sugar in the “hard crack” stage. The sugar will harden within an hour but humid weather prevents the sugar from hardening.

Another thing that I tried last week was any easy clotted cream recipe which resulted in a luxurious treat that the kids enjoyed with scones. Properly made clotted cream is thick and rich and unctuous and the slow and gentle cooking renders it sweet and slightly darker. It spreads like butter and tastes like luxury. Take fresh milk, give it a shake to evenly distribute your cream and pour some into a covered casserole. Place into your oven at 180. Leave it there for twelve hours or so. It will be slightly darker at the edges and thickened. Chill thoroughly for about eight hours.

The third successful item was the ice cream bombe recipe which was popular with both children and adults alike. This looks so much harder than it really is and the results are delicious and suitable for placing in front of guests.

What is an ice cream bombe?

An ice cream bombe recipe, if done well, is an impressive yet easy-to-make French frozen dessert, made of layers of ice cream and frozen in a spherical mould such as a bowl. Any flavour of ice cream will do but you can also make bombes with sorbet or a mix of ice cream and sorbet. You can also add nuts, fruit and other toppings. Experiment with flavours, such as coffee and chocolate, strawberry and pistachio, or try using Neapolitan ice cream. You basically add the different flavours to a mould and freeze them each time till the mould is full and then turn out the bombe.

The Taste of Cornish Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream Has Yet To Be Beaten

A holiday is supposed to be memorable for many reasons but for me the surprising highlight of a recent vacation to Cornwall was the desserts. The fact that many of these included Cornish cream and Cornish clotted cream probably added to the sublime taste of the various sweet treats which we enjoyed. These were in addition to the Cornish clotted cream ice cream which was served as an accompaniment to other desserts.

Cornwall is probably best known for its pasties, but ice cream is also a local speciality. It’s distinctively pale yellow in colour and deliciously rich in flavour. A key ingredient is Cornish clotted cream, which has protected geographical status – so it can’t be made anywhere else. No trip to Cornwall is complete without indulging in a Cornish Cream Tea, whether you enjoy it on the coast, on the moors, in the valleys or in the comfort of your own home. A couple of oven-fresh scones sliced in two, topped with generous dollops of jam and clotted cream and washed down with a couple of cups of Britain’s amber nectar provide the perfect treat for any occasion.

However, beneath the creamy, calorific exterior lies a sticky debate over its origins and indeed its confection. Even the pronunciation of ‘scone’ is often fuel for discussion. In Cornwall, the cream tea was traditionally served with a “Cornish split”, a type of slightly sweet white bread roll, rather than a scone. The warm roll would first be spread with strawberry jam, and finally topped with a spoonful of Cornish clotted cream. Cornish clotted cream ice cream is rich and creamy all on its own, but if you’re after a fruity finish try serving it with warmed berry compote – ideal for a winter treat. Try finely chopped kiwi fruit and strawberries, or any fruit of your choice. For a quick, easy dessert with a difference, drizzle over good quality balsamic vinegar.

Native to the West Country, Cornish clotted cream is a sturdy, pale yellow cream is made by heating unpasteurized milk in shallow pans floated on boiling water so that it ‘scalds’, whereupon it thickens and the cream rises to the top forming the ‘clots’. Pedants will insist that the milk come from West Country herds in order to produce the genuine article, and a number of companies specialise in just that. However, clotted cream’s international popularity and availability prevent such puritan rules and it is enjoyed the world over sometimes making a tasty substitute to butter in baking.

Personally speaking, I have to admit that for me the taste of Cornish dairy vanilla ice cream has yet to be beaten. This is coming from someone with a very sweet tooth and who has tried multitudes of ice cream companies and ice cream flavours. Even Cornish clotted cream ice cream in other flavours just does not seem to taste as rich or as creamy. I took an immediate dislike to the chocolate flavoured Cornish clotted cream ice cream but did enjoy the strawberry.

Clotted Cream Ice Cream – the Frozen Treat That’s Perfect All-Year Round

There aren’t many of us who don’t like ice-cream. And for most people the frozen treat conjures up images of long days down on the beach or a cool after-dinner dessert in the summer. Along with strawberries and cream, fish and chips and long picnic lunches it’s one of the amazing Great British summer foods. But thanks to our new-found appreciation of some classic flavours, including clotted cream ice cream is now more than just a seasonal treat.

More and more of us are enjoying luxurious clotted cream ice cream all year round, including in the cooler and winter months. And it’s not surprising when you consider the love and amazing local produce that goes into making this English classic.

Here at Kelly’s of Cornwall we’re one firm that knows a thing or two about making fantastic clotted cream ice cream – which you can enjoy whenever the fancy takes you. As one of the UK’s oldest producers, we’ve been leading the clotted cream ice cream business for more than a century and we’re understandably proud of our reputation for creating great quality, great-tasting food.

Our heritage is as rich and appealing as our amazing produce. Our Cornish clotted cream enjoys Protected Designation of Origin status, which means to be considered authentic it has to be made from milk produced in Cornwall, which has at least 55 per cent fat content.

At Kelly’s of Cornwall we pride ourselves on doing that in style. Based in the picturesque area of Bodmin, we use only the finest Cornish clotted cream and milk to create our world-famous frozen treats.

All our rich, luxurious tasting clotted cream ice cream is made using fresh milk supplied by the lovely cows at the local Trewithen Dairy – using the recipes and methods we’ve perfected over decades. The dairy is just 22 miles from our Kelly’s of Cornwall HQ meaning the milk and clotted cream we use is as fresh as it gets.

In the height of summer they regularly supply us with a staggering 17,000 of best-quality milk to help us meet demand but don’t worry, we work with them and their extensive network of 20 trusted, local farmers to make sure we can make our clotted cream ice cream all year round too.

Our partnership with these amazing local producers means we can always deliver what we believe is the UK’s best-tasting clotted cream ice cream – a taste that’s truly unique – luscious, local and totally Cornish – whatever the season. So whether it’s at the height of summer, the depths of winter or in the lead up to a busy Christmas season, our customers can enjoy great-tasting clotted cream ice cream whenever the fancy takes them.

Comparing Recipes for Clotted Cream with an Old Friend

Competition is often strongest among people who have a history between them, such as old friends, siblings and ex-spouses. This can lead to each party trying to outdo the other in order to be the winner, often going to extreme lengths. Last month I met an old friend and as we sat catching up, the conversation turned to the summer we had spent in the south west of England. It was here that we had discovered the recipe for clotted cream and had spent a lot of time perfecting it.

If you are one of those people who struggle to correctly follow a recipe clotted cream is one of the simplest things to make. There are various recipes for clotted cream which are available and most of them are very easy to follow. My friend and I had tried out different ones over the years and now we sat there comparing which ones had worked out the best.

Clotted cream has been around for such a long time but some people have never even heard about it, let alone tried it. For the uninitiated, the first taste can seem to be a taste of heaven, or feel too rich and heavy, depending on the individual preferences. Clotted cream produced commercially in Devon Cornwall and Somerset England. It is a thick, rich, yellowish cream with a scalded or cooked flavour that is made by heating unpasteurized milk until a thick layer of cream forms on its surface. The milk is then cooled and the layer of cream is skimmed off. Clotted cream has 55-60 per cent fat content and is so thick it does not need to be whipped.

If you do decide to try out a recipe for clotted cream at home, then begin by taking unpasteurized cream and letting it stand for about 12 hours (during the winter months) or 6 hours (during the warm summer months). Then to sterilize the cream; place the cream over very low heat (do not boil) until rings form on the surface of the cream. Store in a cold place for at least 12 hours and then skim the thick clotted cream from the surface of the cream. This is the clotted cream and the content that is left can be used in baking instead of being wasted. The clotted cream will keep in the fridge for a few days and make sure that you keep it in an airtight container so that it does not absorb any smells from the fridge.

Using recipes for clotted cream which have been tried and tested is the best way to get good results. The clotted cream that you will end up with should be thick and yellowish in colour. The taste is very rich and it is also a sweet cream. The perfect place to use this is as an accompaniment to homemade scones which are still warm from the oven and served with strawberry jam as an option for the traditional English cream tea.

Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream Is Not To Everyone’s Taste

The tongue is a very important part of the body and is often overlooked when we are thinking about taking care of ourselves. You don’t notice how essential it is until you have a problem such as I did a while ago, where I first burnt my tongue with chocolate and then had a very painful ulcer on it for two weeks. I could not taste anything, not even my favourite blackcurrants ice cream. This was made even worse by the fact that during this time, I had to attend a wedding and a birthday party, where I was annoyed at not being able to taste the lovely food.

There are so many different types of desserts around that the humble ice cream is often not even considered as an option, especially at a fancy event. However, these days ice cream is far from humble since there are now so many varieties and flavours available on the market, not to mention the amount of combinations which can be concocted at home. Apart from the popular blackcurrants cream ice cream, in my house at least, a favourite is rhubarb crumble ice cream, something which did not go down well with some guests we had over for dinner recently!

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to, or instead of, the natural ingredients. The mixture of chosen ingredients is stirred slowly while cooling, in order to incorporate air and to prevent large ice crystals from forming. The result is smoothly textured semi-solid foam that is malleable and can be scooped.

Ice cream became popular throughout the world in the second half of the 20th century after cheap refrigeration became common. There was an explosion of ice cream stores and of flavours and types and vendors often competed on the basis of variety. Ice cream can be mass-produced and thus is widely available in developed parts of the world. Ice cream can be purchased in large cartons from supermarkets and grocery stores, in smaller quantities from ice cream shops, convenience stores, and milk bars, and in individual servings from small carts or vans at public events.

In homes all over the world, ice cream is served up as a quick and easy dessert option and is often served with various types of sauces and toppings. Some popular toppings are nuts and fresh fruit, which give the illusion that this dessert is healthier that it actually is. The most popular flavour is vanilla which seems to go down well with people of all ages and then the next two favourite flavours are strawberry and chocolate. You can also have boozy ice cream and for the kids, toppings such as sweets and syrups can make even rhubarb crumble ice cream seem to be tasty.

Even Just the Name of Cornish Clotted Cream is Lovely

It has been said that words have the power to move mountains and I have certainly learned that words can evoke so many different feelings in different people. Some words and names just sound good or bad, no matter what the situation. Anything that is related to desserts seems to have special connotations for many people and I know a guy who almost drools if words such as Cornish clotted cream and Cornish clotted cream ice cream are mentioned within his hearing.

Clotted cream is the traditional accompaniment to the scones and jam which are a part of the quintessential English cream tea which is now served all over the country, but originated in Devon, in the South West of England. In May 2010, a campaign was launched at the Devon County Show to have the name “Devon cream tea” protected within the European Union under Protected Designation of Origin rules. In 1998 the term Cornish clotted cream became a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) by European Union directive, as long as the milk is produced in Cornwall and the minimum fat content is 55%.

There are regional variations as to how a cream tea should preferably be eaten. The Devonshire method is to split the scone in two, cover each half with clotted cream, and then add strawberry jam on top. Traditionally it is important that the scones be warm (ideally, freshly baked), and that clotted (rather than whipped) cream and strawberry jam, rather than any other variety, is used. Butter is generally not included, and the tea should be served with milk. In Cornwall, the cream tea was traditionally served with a “Cornish split”, a type of slightly sweet white bread roll, rather than a scone.

The reason that butter is not needed on the scones if you are using Cornish clotted cream is that the Cornish cream is in itself almost as rich as butter and the taste is just as creamy and lovely as butter is. I am one of those people who believe that everything tastes better with butter and I use it in almost everything. However, even I found that adding butter to a scone along with Cornish clotted cream is overkill and just does not taste right. The strawberry jam is essential to add that delicious fruity and sweet flavour, adding a different taste and texture to the scone. The only place where I break with tradition is the fact that I do not actually like tea and so to the disgust of my friends and family, I have coffee instead.

Cornish cream is used for the making of Cornish clotted cream and then in turn this is used for the making of Cornish clotted cream ice cream. This is another product which is as delicious as it sounds and is rich and creamy. There are many flavours available and you can add toppings, but for me, the best is just a couple of scoops of this plain ice cream, with some fruit.