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| Copyright James E Petts 2011 Creative Commons |
With spring now definitely on it's way, I am all excited about one of my favourite fruits - rhubarb - coming back into season.
(OK so officially it's a vegetable but ...)
This year I am going to stock up in the freezer, preserve some and try out some yummy rhubarb muffins with cinnamon and brown sugar.
We'll also being having loads for pudding but here's the rub ... I am (whispers quietly) ever so slightly fed up with rhubarb crumble!
I think it goes back to the absolute gluts of rhubarb we had in the garden when I was a child. The rhubarb crumble seemed to go on and on week after week.
So, this year I am on the hunt for some more creative ways to make fruit puddings that will do full justice to the rhubarb and all those other delicious fruits to come in summer and autumn.
This is the list that I have come up with so far ... be warned lots of these are good old traditional British puddings ... which are not forgiving of your figure ... and are crying out for big dollops of custard, cream or ice cream.
1. Fruit Cobbler
Cobbler is one of my big faves. Mix together 5oz of flour, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Rub in 2oz of diced butter until resembles bread crumbs. Mix 1 beaten egg with 2 fl oz of milk and add to other ingredients to make a sticky dough. Line an ovenproof dish with your chopped fruit of choice - you can lightly stew with sugar, cornflour, butter and cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger in advance if you like. Pull off blobs of dough and place on top of the fruit. Cook for 20 minutes at 200c.
2. Fruit Cheesecake
Put 5 digestive and 5 ginger biscuits in a plastic freezer bag and bash with rolling pin into crumbs. Mix crumbs with 2oz of melted butter. Put biscuit mixture into a cake tin with removable bottom. Gently stew 12 oz chopped fruit in a pan with 3 oz brown sugar and then beat stewed fruit into 3 beaten eggs. Put fruit and eggs back into pan to thicken over a very low heat. Take the pan off the heat and beat in 6 oz of cream cheese. Activate 2 tablespoons of gelatine powder and when clear add the fruit mixture to it via a sieve to strain out any lumps. Fold 5oz of softly beaten double cream into the fruit mixture, pour the mixture over the biscuit crumbs and leave covered in the fridge for a couple of hours.
3. Bread & Fruit Pudding
Butter half a large, thinly sliced loaf with crusts removed. Layer the bread with 21b of very lightly stewed juicy fruit plus caster sugar and lemon juice to taste. The last layer should be bread buttered side up sprinkled with sugar. Bake at 180c for 35 minutes.
4. Upside Down Pudding
Line a 20cm cake tin (it's need to be deep) with baking parchment. Sprinkle sugar on base of tin. Arrange 8oz of cut fruit on top of the sugar. Cover the fruit with a sponge mixture of 4oz butter, 4oz sugar, 2 eggs and 5oz self-raising flour. You could add orange or lemon juice and zest to the sponge. Bake at 180c for 40 minutes.
5. Fruit Charlotte
Simmer 21b of chopped fruit with 2oz butter, lemon or orange juice and zest and 1 combined teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Line a 2 pint ovenproof dish with fingers of toasted buttered bread with crusts removed (approx 8 slices of bread) or if you prefer sponge fingers. Pour the fruit over the bread or sponge fingers. Cover the fruit with more fingers. Bake at 200c for 30 minutes.
6. Fruit Dappy
Rub 2oz of butter into 8oz of self-raising flour and 1 tsp of baking powder. Add 1/4 pint of milk and mix into a dough. Roll out dough and cover with 11b of chopped fruit mixed with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/2 a teaspoon of combined cinnamon and nutmeg. Roll up the dough like a Swiss roll. Cut into slices and place in a greased ovenproof dish. Make a syrup of lemon juice and zest from half a lemon, 1 oz of butter and 4oz of sugar and 7fl oz of water. Pour the syrup over the fruit and dough slices. Cook at 190c for 30 minutes.
7. Fruit Jelly
Very lightly stew 11b of prepared fruit with ~4oz of caster sugar. Prepare some gelatine (2 x 0.4oz packets). Take fruit off the heat and carefully stir in the gelatine. Put in a large bowl and leave to cool for about 50 minutes. When it goes sticky stir stir in ~14oz of sparkling wine or cordial or combine slightly less wine with e.g. 3 or 4 tablespoons of elderflower cordial. Pour into either a large glass bowl or individual bowls, ramekins or glasses and leave in the fridge until needed.
8. Summer Pudding
Roughly chop 11b of 2 or 3 different fruits - lots of the fruit combinations in my fruit muffin list work well. Very lightly simmer the fruit with zest from 1 lemon and 4oz of sugar. Line a large bowl or small ramekins with ~10 thin slices of white bread with crusts removed.
9. Fruit Fool
Chop 11b of fruit. Heat gently in pan until soft with 4 tbsp of caster sugar. Strain the juice into a separate jug. Whip 14fl oz of double cream until you've got nice soft peaks. Fold the rhubarb (not the juice) into the cream, put into a large bowl or small glasses or ramekins and keep in the fridge until needed, but at least an hour. Serve with the rhubarb juice.
10. Fruit Fumble
This idea is courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
one of my favourite food authors. You basically make a crumble mixture from 8oz of plain flour, 7oz of chilled, unsalted butter cut into cubes, 5oz of granulated sugar and 3oz of oats or ground almonds. Keep rubbing the mixture until it starts to go doughy and then spread "clumps" of dough on a large baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes at 180c. Once cooled, crumble "clumps" on top of the fool as per recipe above. Yum!
I would love to hear about your faves - do come and tell me on Facebook and Twitter. And if you're looking for other meal planning tips check out this Pinterest board ...
Simmer 21b of chopped fruit with 2oz butter, lemon or orange juice and zest and 1 combined teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Line a 2 pint ovenproof dish with fingers of toasted buttered bread with crusts removed (approx 8 slices of bread) or if you prefer sponge fingers. Pour the fruit over the bread or sponge fingers. Cover the fruit with more fingers. Bake at 200c for 30 minutes.
6. Fruit Dappy
Rub 2oz of butter into 8oz of self-raising flour and 1 tsp of baking powder. Add 1/4 pint of milk and mix into a dough. Roll out dough and cover with 11b of chopped fruit mixed with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/2 a teaspoon of combined cinnamon and nutmeg. Roll up the dough like a Swiss roll. Cut into slices and place in a greased ovenproof dish. Make a syrup of lemon juice and zest from half a lemon, 1 oz of butter and 4oz of sugar and 7fl oz of water. Pour the syrup over the fruit and dough slices. Cook at 190c for 30 minutes.
7. Fruit Jelly
Very lightly stew 11b of prepared fruit with ~4oz of caster sugar. Prepare some gelatine (2 x 0.4oz packets). Take fruit off the heat and carefully stir in the gelatine. Put in a large bowl and leave to cool for about 50 minutes. When it goes sticky stir stir in ~14oz of sparkling wine or cordial or combine slightly less wine with e.g. 3 or 4 tablespoons of elderflower cordial. Pour into either a large glass bowl or individual bowls, ramekins or glasses and leave in the fridge until needed.
8. Summer Pudding
Roughly chop 11b of 2 or 3 different fruits - lots of the fruit combinations in my fruit muffin list work well. Very lightly simmer the fruit with zest from 1 lemon and 4oz of sugar. Line a large bowl or small ramekins with ~10 thin slices of white bread with crusts removed.
9. Fruit Fool
Chop 11b of fruit. Heat gently in pan until soft with 4 tbsp of caster sugar. Strain the juice into a separate jug. Whip 14fl oz of double cream until you've got nice soft peaks. Fold the rhubarb (not the juice) into the cream, put into a large bowl or small glasses or ramekins and keep in the fridge until needed, but at least an hour. Serve with the rhubarb juice.
10. Fruit Fumble
This idea is courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
one of my favourite food authors. You basically make a crumble mixture from 8oz of plain flour, 7oz of chilled, unsalted butter cut into cubes, 5oz of granulated sugar and 3oz of oats or ground almonds. Keep rubbing the mixture until it starts to go doughy and then spread "clumps" of dough on a large baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes at 180c. Once cooled, crumble "clumps" on top of the fool as per recipe above. Yum!I would love to hear about your faves - do come and tell me on Facebook and Twitter. And if you're looking for other meal planning tips check out this Pinterest board ...
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