|
A selection of dessert recipes from An Irish Country Kitchen by Mary Kinsella, published by Appletree Press. A further selection will be available very shortly...
DESSERTS
EVERYDAY SWEET
A kind of soda apple cake, which can use stale bread for an inexpensive dessert.
Serves: 4–6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Oven Position: centre
Cooking times: 40 minutes
Oven temperature: gas 4, 180°C, 350°F
Ingredients: 6 slices bread
2oz butter or margarine 50g 1/4 cup
1lb cooking apples 500g 4–5 apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2oz sugar 50g 1/4 cup
2 eggs
3/4 pint heated milk 250ml 2 cups
Method:: Butter bread with half the butter and cut into 2-inch squares. Peel, core and slice the apples. Heat remaining butter and soften apples in it. Grease pie dish; arrange a layer of bread in the bottom then a layer of apples; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Continue layering apples and bread, finishing with a layer of bread. Beat the eggs and pour the heated milk onto them. Beat eggs and milk well, and pour over bread and apples. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Serve hot.
SHORTBREAD PIE
An apple tart often served as dessert pie on Sundays used to be made in a very deep aluminium plate. Today we would make it in a flan sponge tin or flan ring.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Oven Position: centre
Cooking times: 35–45 minutes
Oven temperature: gas 5, l90°C, 375°F
Ingredients: 9oz plain flour 250g 21/4 cups
pinch of salt
6oz butter or margarine 175g 3/4 cup
3oz sugar 75g 3/8 cup
2 egg yolks
2 large cooking apples
2oz demerara sugar 50g 1/4 cup
2oz sultanas 50g 1/3 cup
2 rounded tablespoons bramble jelly
whipped cream or custard sauce
Method:: Sieve flour and salt into a bowl, rub in fat with finger tips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar and egg yolks. Knead the mixture, reserve one-third. Line an 8-inch flan tin or cake tin with the remaining pastry. (If using a flan ring put it on a serving plate.) Peel, core and slice apples, mix with the demerara sugar and raisins. Spread base on short bread with bramble jelly and cover with apple and raisins. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture (pastry) over fruit, press down lightly and bake for 55 minutes. Remove flan ring and serve hot or cold, with topping of lightly whipped cream or custard sauce.
CROWNED RHUBARB
Rhubarb can be bitter during its season and so sugar is generally added during cooking.To sweeten it still further, it is served with a sponge cake or – for a really dressy presentation – under a meringue as in this recipe.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking times: 30–35 minutes
Oven Position: centre
Oven temperature: gas 5, 190°C, 375°F
Ingredients: 6oz fleur pastry 175g 3/4 cup
filling: 4–6 sticks rhubarb
2oz granulated sugar 50g 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon water
2 egg whites
3oz caster sugar 75g 1/2 cup
2oz almond flakes 50g 1/3 cup
Method:: Make pastry; roll it out and line a 9-inch flan ring set on a plate. Wipe rhubarb with a damp cloth, cut into 1-inch lengths, put into saucepan with granulated sugar and a little water; stew for 10 to 15 minutes over a gentle heat, when it should be a fine pulp; then put through a sieve. Pour rhubarb into pastry shell. Beat egg whites until firm, add half the sugar and continue beating until meringue stands in peaks; then fold in the remaining sugar. Arrange meringue on top of rhubarb. Sprinkle with almonds and set into oven 30 to 35 minutes until meringue is golden. Serve hot or cold.
Watchpoint: Rhubarb is best at the beginning of the season because it is tender then.No peeling is necessary: just a rub of a damp clean cloth before cutting up. Towards the end of the season when it is inclined to be tough, it is best to peel back the skin and remove the coarse strings before cooking.
FLAN EIREANN
This is a rich creamy pastry flan, filled with fresh egg custard, with almond added for extra flavour and richness.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking times: 25 minutes
Oven Position: top
Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F
Ingredients: 6oz fleur pastry 175g 3/4 cup
filling: 1/2oz cornflour 15g
3 egg yolks
3/4 pint milk 450ml 2 cups
1oz caster sugar 25g 11/2 tablespoons
3oz ground almonds 75g 1/2 cup
a few drops vanilla essence
1/4 pint whipped cream 150ml 1/2 cup
1oz grated almonds 25g 1/6 cup
4–6 glacé cherries
Method:: Roll out pastry and line an 8-inch cake tin, line with greaseproof paper and cover with rice. Bake in oven for 25 minutes. Remove rice and paper from pastry when pastry is almost baked; put pastry back into the oven for 5 minutes to dry out. Blend cornflour with egg yolks. Add a little of the cold milk. Put remaining milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour heated milk onto the egg yolks and cornflour stirring all the time. Rinse saucepan in cold water. Pour the liquid back into saucepan, bring back to boiling point over a gentle heat stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Add sugar, ground almonds and vanilla essence. Pour into pastry shell. Allow to cool. Decorate with roses of cream, almonds and cherries.
HEARTOF IRELAND
I remember when I was a child seeing fine tarts, pies and cakes being baked over an open hearth fire on a big flat baking sheet. They always had a lovely brown crust. For those who have plenty of fruit available this is a splendid equivalent.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking times: 35–45 minutes
Oven Position: top
Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F
Ingredients: 6oz shortcrust pastry 175g 3/4 cup
1lb fruit (gooseberries, chopped apples and rhubarb)
3oz sugar 75g 1/2 cup
a little beaten egg or milk
Method:: Cut the pastry in two, roll out each piece to cover a 9-inch round plate. Lay one round piece of pastry on the plate. Arrange half of the fruit on the pastry, sprinkle with the sugar and pile the remaining fruit on top. Damp the edge of this bottom round of pastry with cold water. Cover with the second round of pastry. Press the edges well together. Trim edges and decorate. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake for 35–45 minutes.
Watchpoint: If using a glass or ceramic plate for cooking, set it on a baking sheet to attract additional heat and brown the bottom of the tart.
Further Dessert Recipes from An Irish Country Kitchen to follow in the next few weeks.
|
