Pear Sorbet

I made this Pear Sorbet for our recent Cook Club as we were celebrating not only two Birthdays(!) but 5 Years of Cook Club! It's quite an achievement considering in those past 5 years we have seen 1 Wedding, 2 New Houses, New Jobs and Promotions and the Birth of 5 babies!! That's a busy 5 years for the 6 of us but we still manage to make Cook Club a regular event and always have such a great time catching up over good food and wine.

I served this Pear Sorbet as a palate cleanser between courses and it was a hit. The flavour of the pear is matched perfectly with vanilla and crisp Sauvignon Blanc, making it so delicate yet really flavourful and elegant. You could serve it as a did or it would make a wonderful light dessert for finishing off a heavy meal over Christmas. It is really simple to make especially if you have an ice cream maker.

This recipe is courtesy of Thomas Keller and his book Bouchon and I honestly wouldn't change a thing! The finishing touch of edible gold and silver leaf isn't in the recipe but for a special occasion (such as an elegant Christmas or New Year Meal) I couldn't resist. If you have some certainly use it but don't go out of your way to buy some especially – unless you are really trying to impress!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Both my husband and Wee One absolutely love Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream and every weekend (more or less!) for a special treat after dinner that is exactly what Wee One asks for (complete with Chocolate Sauce and Sprinkles!), so I decided for a change to make some Mint Chocolate Cupcakes instead. Light and moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a lovely fresh tasting mint buttercream creating the perfect popular flavour combination! It is my basic cupcake recipe and is so simple to make that even Wee One helped out, both with the cupcakes and decorating (unfortunately his finished cupcakes didn't quite make the photography session!!).

If you are a fan of Mint Chocolate you will love these and they are special enough that they would make a delicious fun dessert to offer at your next dinner party.....the only problem I had was that they didn't even last until the weekend!

Nigella's Nutella Panna Cotta

After posting my review of Nigella's most recent cookbook 'Nigellissima' I couldn't not share this recipe with you! This “cheeky little number” as she likes to call it is courtesy originally of Angela Harnett (if you are unfamiliar with her you can check out my review of one of her books here) but my praise goes to Nigella since this is her slightly adapted version taken from her book. I have changed nothing as I thought it was perfect as it was so here it is – Nigella's Nutella Panna Cotta in all it's glory. Easy to make even easier to eat!

Curtis Stone's New York Cherry Cheesecake

Just after I posted my review of Curtis Stone's new book What's for Dinner? I couldn't resist trying his amazing looking New York Cherry Cheesecake for a family meal. I'll be honest this is one serious cheesecake and not for anyone counting their calories, but my-oh-my it is worth every single one!! Loaded with cream cheese and eggs it still manages to stay light and super creamy and the touch of lemon gives it the perfect balance to the sweetness. If you like cheesecake and are looking for a new recipe to try I can't recommend this enough, especially since cherry season is just getting started. Try it and you will see what I mean!

Mini Eclairs

These little eclairs are the perfect treat to make for a special occasion. They aren't as time consuming as normal eclairs since they are filled with vanilla whipped cream rather than a custard filling, but they taste every bit as good and make a delicious change to traditional chocolate eclairs. Now they might not look perfect but they are homemade and made with love so for those of you in the UK why not treat your Mum this weekend and make up a batch of these to celebrate Mother's Day. She'll certainly thank you for them!

This recipe is the same as my recipe for Profiteroles I've just changed the quantities of cream filling and the topping.

Toffee Apple Tarts

Autumn and apples go hand in hand so these little tarts are the perfect Autumnal dessert. Crisp, slightly sharp apples mixed with creamy, sweet caramel sauce make these the perfect indulgent treat. They are a great alternative to Toffee Apples and are an ideal end to a Bonfire party, but they are also elegant enough to serve for a dinner party dessert. Serve accompanied with some whipped cream or for an extra special treat some ice cream and you have a beautiful, decadent and delicious treat.

Since I use bought pastry shells for these tarts they take no time to make at all so can be made up in half an hour. If you prefer though, you could easily make your own pastry.

Serves 6

6 pastry shells

4 tbsp dulce de leche (or similar caramel sauce)

2 apples

Sprinkling of cinnamon (optional)

Small handful of pecans

Preheat the oven to 375F/ 190C.

Peel and core the apples then cut into small pieces. Pop into a pan along with 1 tablespoon of water and the cinnamon then cook over a medium heat for roughly 15 minutes until the apples have softened and look like a chunky puree. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking place the pastry shells on a baking tray and spoon in a good teaspoon of the dulce de leche so that the bases are completely covered.

Once the apples have cooled slightly spoon them evenly into each pastry case the sprinkle over the chopped pecans. Bake in the oven for 23-25 minutes until the edges of the tarts are golden brown and the caramel bubbling. Carefully remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before drizzling over a little extra dulce de leche then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm as they are with a cup of tea or with cream or ice cream for an special after dinner treat.

Rose Cupcakes for a Wedding

 I've been meaning to post these cupcakes for a while since they were part of the Wedding Cake my Mum and I made for my sister's wedding. She decided that they wanted cupcakes for their wedding which delighted me as I love making cupcakes! That was the only instructions we were given by the relaxed bride to be and groom – the rest was up to us!

Since the reception was in my parent's garden we decided to make three different flavours of cakes – Vanilla, Lemon and Rose.....light and Summery and perfect for a garden wedding. The Rose Cupcakes were also chosen since her flowers all featured beautiful roses so it worked perfectly. The day before the wedding Mum & I set to work baking 144 cupcakes which we then filled with a little buttercream (flavoured to match the cake) then topped with either fondant or royal icing and finished with one of three decorations! It was a busy day to say the least but we did it and the final results turned out pretty well, if I say so myself!

Flower Pot Ice Cream Sundaes

When I was doing some research and looking for ideas for my sister's Harry Potter Grand Feast I came across some pictures on the internet of these fantastic Flower Pot Ice Cream Sundaes and I knew I had to make them. They look amazing – the perfect touch to a whimsical feast – but even better, they are super easy to make and of course, who doesn't want some ice cream during a feast!?!

For the party I was unfortunately unable to get some traditional terracotta pots so instead used some gold cups (which were used for the feast anyway) and they looked pretty good. But as soon as I bought these super cute individual flower pots (actually muffin cases which I'm sure you will see a lot more of on upcoming posts!) I knew I had to use them! So now I can make 6 individual flower pots – the perfect treat for a party for both children and adults alike!

The 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day 7: Pomegranate Sorbet

Day 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas and I couldn't resist making a beautiful sorbet using seasonal pomegranates – a favourite in our house! This makes a lovely and light dessert or you could serve it as a palette cleanser during courses. Simple to make, delicious to eat!

125g sugar

125ml water

500ml pomegranate juice

Squeeze of fresh lemon

Pomegranate seeds for serving (optional)

Put the sugar and water in a small pan and gently heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes to make a sugar syrup then set aside and allow to cool completely.

Pour the pomegranate juice into a large jug and add a good squeeze of lemon juice (I would say roughly half a lemon). Once cooled add some of the sugar syrup – the amount needed will depend on the tartness of your pomegranate juice and your own individual tastes - and taste to see if it needs more lemon. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and churn following your manufacturers instructions until frozen and smooth. Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-proof container and keep until needed.

Remove the sorbet from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to serve to allow it to soften a little then serve in individual glasses. Top with some fresh pomegranate seeds if you like and for total extravagance top up with some sparkly wine for the ultimate light and easy sparkly dessert!

*If you don't have an ice cream maker simply put the juice mixture into a freezer-proof container and put in the freezer. After a couple of hours take it out and mix it up really well then return it to the freezer. Repeat that process then allow to freeze completely.

Ice, ice baby!

Well after last week’s menu featuring Pavlova, I had to do these recipes next. Pavlova requires six egg whites meaning conveniently that you have six beautiful egg yolks left over, just pleading to be made into a delicious, velvety smooth ice cream! And as if I needed any more excuses, it is summer and you can’t have summer without ice cream! Ok, enough said, I am more than convinced.

Although the thought of making ice cream can be daunting, it really isn’t bad. I will be honest however and say that if you have an ice cream maker it certainly makes life a lot easier when it comes to freezing and churning the ice cream, however it can still be done without one, it just requires a little extra work.

There are two pieces of advice I can give when it comes to making ice cream. The first is to make sure that when it comes to stirring the custard, you can allow yourself up to 20 minutes of complete peace and quiet - in other words, absolutely no interruptions. With that said you must also not be in an inpatient mood as it does take time. Instead you want to be in the sort of tranquil mood where you are happy to stand and serenely stir the custard watching it slowly change from a thin liquid to a pale yellow, velvety smooth, custard.

The second piece of advice is, although eating ice cream is probably at its most appealing on a hot summer day, making it on a hot summer day certainly isn’t. I’ve fallen into that trap a couple of times and each time I think to myself, why on earth am I standing at a hot oven constantly stirring away and therefore surrounding myself in heat for 20 minutes when I’m already hot!! If you have no choice and are at the mercy of the weather then I can only suggest making it early in the morning, or late in the evening when it isn’t quite so hot. Of course if you are one of the lucky few that have air conditioning in your home, you can ignore this second piece of advice completely and I can be very jealous of you!

So there you go – advice dispensed! Having said that, I also have to say that really making ice cream isn’t that complicated and with the exception of needing uninterrupted time, it is very relaxing and definitely rewarding.

When making ice cream for the first time I suggest starting with a classic Vanilla ice cream. That way you can get used to the recipe and make sure it works for you and that it tastes good. My mum always says that you can tell the sign of a good ice cream judged by the quality of the vanilla….. While I do have to agree with her, I am still more of a decadent chocolate ice cream kinda’ gal! Having said that though, it is definitely a very good starting point so without further ado here it is - my recipe for a really good vanilla ice cream!