A proper boozy soak is an assured way of introducing an incredible depth of flavour without any hassle
For me, the end of childhood came when the number of candles on my birthday cake no longer reflected my age, around 19 or 20. From then on, each candle came to represent an entire decade. And then there comes a point where you ditch the candles entirely in favour of an ingredient that allows you to simply set the whole cake on fire: booze. It's a brilliant short cut. No need to purchase, count out and arrange all those candles: just sprinkle on some Grand Marnier or brandy, strike a match and let the festivities begin.
It's also a short cut when it comes to flavour. A proper boozy soak introduces an incredible depth of flavour. It has the same effect as a good stock or grated parmesan: you benefit from the slow maturation and intensified aromas without having to work very hard or wait particularly long.
When it comes to late summer puddings, I smother my desserts with alcohol. As well as giving a dish a sense of occasion, the sweetness offsets the tartness of the fruits it is often paired with: cooking apples with calvados; spiced pears in red wine or port; chocolate, cherry and Cointreau trifle.
Booze is also great when it comes to turning childhood favourites into respectably mature classics. What is zabaglione if not custard with an edge? Or strawberries romanoff if you don't lift it with a good measure of orange liqueur? Tiramisu, crepe suzette, trifle – the list goes on.
Of course, there is a case for more family-friendly and alcohol-free banoffee pie and tiramisu; an orange flower water syrup is a lovely alternative to the Grand Marnier in crepes suzettes, and a bit of espresso coffee can replace the marsala wine in a zabaglione. But, just sometimes, it's the big kids who should be allowed to have their cake and eat it.
*Stewed blackberries with bay custard and gin
*
Serves four.
*480g blackberries*
*40g caster sugar*
*1½ tsp rosewater*
*2½ tbsp gin*
*90g savoiardi biscuits, in 2cm pieces *
*360g vanilla ice-cream*
For the custard
*90ml double cream*
*70ml whole milk*
*3 bay leaves*
*1 egg yolk*
*15g caster sugar*
First make the custard. Place the cream, milk and bay in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar until well combined. While whisking, slowly add the milk mix, continuously whisking, until it is all combined.
Return the liquid to the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens into a custard (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon). Remove from the heat, cool and refrigerate.
Place 300g of the blackberries in a small saucepan along with the sugar and simmer on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft but holding their shape and lots of liquid has come out. Leave to cool.
Strain the juices from the blackberries and stir through the rosewater and gin. Soak the biscuits in the juices until absorbed.
To serve, scoop large portions of ice-cream into four glasses or tumblers. Top with soaked biscuits and pour over the custard. Add the stewed blackberries and the remaining fresh blackberries and serve.
*Olive oil cake with grilled grapes and sauternes sauce
*
Makes one loaf cake, enough to serve four, plus extra cake which you can keep, wrapped, for five days.
*140g unsalted butter, diced (90g at room temperature; 50g refrigerated) plus extra to grease the tin*
*4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
*170g caster sugar*
*2 eggs, beaten*
*1 tsp each grated lemon and orange zest *
*1 tsp vanilla extract*
*250g plain flour*
*1 tsp baking powder*
*¼ tsp baking soda*
*½ tsp salt*
*500ml sauternes or another good dessert wine*
*400g seedless red grapes, on the vine, divided into 4 bunches*
*1½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed*
*80g clotted cream*
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Grease and line a one-litre (2lb) loaf tin. In an electric mixer, whisk the 90g butter, three tablespoons of the olive oil and the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, until incorporated. Add the zest and vanilla. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and slowly add a third to the egg mix. Pour in 100ml of the sauternes and another third of the flour, beating in between each addition. Pour in another 150ml of sauternes and the last of the flour. Beat until smooth.
Pour the mix into the lined loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook for another 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. If serving the next day, wrap when fully cool.
When ready to serve, place a heavy-based frying pan on medium-hot heat. Add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and the grapes – careful, they will spit – and cook for three to four minutes, turning as the grape skins char and burst. Add the fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Use tongs to remove the grapes.
Stir in the last of the sauternes and simmer until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly add the cold butter, whisking, until the sauce has emulsified. Remove from the heat. Cut four even cake slices, each 1-2cm thick, and place on individual plates. Place a bunch of grapes alongside and drizzle lots of sauce over the cake and grapes. Add a dollop of clotted cream and serve.
*Baked chocolate truffle with pernod figs
*
The components for this luscious dessert can be made up to three days in advance and kept in the fridge. Remove them from the fridge an hour before serving. Serves eight.
*200g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces*
*130g unsalted butter, diced*
*1 whole egg*
*2 egg yolks *
*90g caster sugar*
*150g soft dried figs, cut in half*
*150ml Pernod or another aniseed-flavoured liqueur*
*200ml red wine*
*3 strips of shaved orange zest, plus a little grated zest to finish*
*4 sprigs of thyme*
*12 fresh figs, tips removed and cut in half lengthways (500g net)*
*240g crème fraîche*
Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl that sits over the pan, without touching the water. Reduce the heat to a very light simmer and, stirring with a spatula, melt the chocolate and butter. Take the bowl off the heat and set aside to come to room temperature. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolks and 40g of the sugar for four to five minutes. Gently stir the cooled chocolate mix into the eggs.
Grease an ovenproof dish, about 15 x 10cm, and pour in the chocolate mix. Bake in the oven for six minutes, until slightly risen but wobbly in the centre. Remove, leave to cool, then put in the fridge for at least an hour.
Prepare the figs. Place the rest of the sugar in an even layer in a sauté pan. Put on medium-high heat. Don't stir, just twist the pan as the sugar turns to caramel. As soon as this is formed, add the dried figs and stir. Pour in the Pernod, red wine, orange zest and thyme, reduce the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh figs to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, until the figs are soft and you get a thick compote consistency. Remove from the heat and cool.
Dip an ice-cream scoop in boiling water, then use to scoop a portion of chocolate on to each plate. Serve the figs with crème fraîche alongside. Finish with grated orange zest.
• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and * *Nopi in London.* *
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall returns on 21 September Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
For me, the end of childhood came when the number of candles on my birthday cake no longer reflected my age, around 19 or 20. From then on, each candle came to represent an entire decade. And then there comes a point where you ditch the candles entirely in favour of an ingredient that allows you to simply set the whole cake on fire: booze. It's a brilliant short cut. No need to purchase, count out and arrange all those candles: just sprinkle on some Grand Marnier or brandy, strike a match and let the festivities begin.
It's also a short cut when it comes to flavour. A proper boozy soak introduces an incredible depth of flavour. It has the same effect as a good stock or grated parmesan: you benefit from the slow maturation and intensified aromas without having to work very hard or wait particularly long.
When it comes to late summer puddings, I smother my desserts with alcohol. As well as giving a dish a sense of occasion, the sweetness offsets the tartness of the fruits it is often paired with: cooking apples with calvados; spiced pears in red wine or port; chocolate, cherry and Cointreau trifle.
Booze is also great when it comes to turning childhood favourites into respectably mature classics. What is zabaglione if not custard with an edge? Or strawberries romanoff if you don't lift it with a good measure of orange liqueur? Tiramisu, crepe suzette, trifle – the list goes on.
Of course, there is a case for more family-friendly and alcohol-free banoffee pie and tiramisu; an orange flower water syrup is a lovely alternative to the Grand Marnier in crepes suzettes, and a bit of espresso coffee can replace the marsala wine in a zabaglione. But, just sometimes, it's the big kids who should be allowed to have their cake and eat it.
*Stewed blackberries with bay custard and gin
*
Serves four.
*480g blackberries*
*40g caster sugar*
*1½ tsp rosewater*
*2½ tbsp gin*
*90g savoiardi biscuits, in 2cm pieces *
*360g vanilla ice-cream*
For the custard
*90ml double cream*
*70ml whole milk*
*3 bay leaves*
*1 egg yolk*
*15g caster sugar*
First make the custard. Place the cream, milk and bay in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar until well combined. While whisking, slowly add the milk mix, continuously whisking, until it is all combined.
Return the liquid to the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens into a custard (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon). Remove from the heat, cool and refrigerate.
Place 300g of the blackberries in a small saucepan along with the sugar and simmer on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft but holding their shape and lots of liquid has come out. Leave to cool.
Strain the juices from the blackberries and stir through the rosewater and gin. Soak the biscuits in the juices until absorbed.
To serve, scoop large portions of ice-cream into four glasses or tumblers. Top with soaked biscuits and pour over the custard. Add the stewed blackberries and the remaining fresh blackberries and serve.
*Olive oil cake with grilled grapes and sauternes sauce
*
Makes one loaf cake, enough to serve four, plus extra cake which you can keep, wrapped, for five days.
*140g unsalted butter, diced (90g at room temperature; 50g refrigerated) plus extra to grease the tin*
*4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
*170g caster sugar*
*2 eggs, beaten*
*1 tsp each grated lemon and orange zest *
*1 tsp vanilla extract*
*250g plain flour*
*1 tsp baking powder*
*¼ tsp baking soda*
*½ tsp salt*
*500ml sauternes or another good dessert wine*
*400g seedless red grapes, on the vine, divided into 4 bunches*
*1½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed*
*80g clotted cream*
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Grease and line a one-litre (2lb) loaf tin. In an electric mixer, whisk the 90g butter, three tablespoons of the olive oil and the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, until incorporated. Add the zest and vanilla. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and slowly add a third to the egg mix. Pour in 100ml of the sauternes and another third of the flour, beating in between each addition. Pour in another 150ml of sauternes and the last of the flour. Beat until smooth.
Pour the mix into the lined loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook for another 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. If serving the next day, wrap when fully cool.
When ready to serve, place a heavy-based frying pan on medium-hot heat. Add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and the grapes – careful, they will spit – and cook for three to four minutes, turning as the grape skins char and burst. Add the fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Use tongs to remove the grapes.
Stir in the last of the sauternes and simmer until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly add the cold butter, whisking, until the sauce has emulsified. Remove from the heat. Cut four even cake slices, each 1-2cm thick, and place on individual plates. Place a bunch of grapes alongside and drizzle lots of sauce over the cake and grapes. Add a dollop of clotted cream and serve.
*Baked chocolate truffle with pernod figs
*
The components for this luscious dessert can be made up to three days in advance and kept in the fridge. Remove them from the fridge an hour before serving. Serves eight.
*200g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces*
*130g unsalted butter, diced*
*1 whole egg*
*2 egg yolks *
*90g caster sugar*
*150g soft dried figs, cut in half*
*150ml Pernod or another aniseed-flavoured liqueur*
*200ml red wine*
*3 strips of shaved orange zest, plus a little grated zest to finish*
*4 sprigs of thyme*
*12 fresh figs, tips removed and cut in half lengthways (500g net)*
*240g crème fraîche*
Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl that sits over the pan, without touching the water. Reduce the heat to a very light simmer and, stirring with a spatula, melt the chocolate and butter. Take the bowl off the heat and set aside to come to room temperature. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolks and 40g of the sugar for four to five minutes. Gently stir the cooled chocolate mix into the eggs.
Grease an ovenproof dish, about 15 x 10cm, and pour in the chocolate mix. Bake in the oven for six minutes, until slightly risen but wobbly in the centre. Remove, leave to cool, then put in the fridge for at least an hour.
Prepare the figs. Place the rest of the sugar in an even layer in a sauté pan. Put on medium-high heat. Don't stir, just twist the pan as the sugar turns to caramel. As soon as this is formed, add the dried figs and stir. Pour in the Pernod, red wine, orange zest and thyme, reduce the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh figs to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, until the figs are soft and you get a thick compote consistency. Remove from the heat and cool.
Dip an ice-cream scoop in boiling water, then use to scoop a portion of chocolate on to each plate. Serve the figs with crème fraîche alongside. Finish with grated orange zest.
• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and * *Nopi in London.* *
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall returns on 21 September Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.