Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles

This is a rhubarb recipe you can make with only two stalks of rhubarb and it will feed a family of four.  I usually have a pack of trifle sponges or some sponge fingers in my cupboard as I find that a trifle will stretch the most meagre of ingredients into a feast.

Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles
Serves 4

4 trifle sponges
2 tbsp Madeira, Sherry or orange juice
2 stalks of rhubarb
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp caster sugar
250g ready made custard
150 ml double or whipping cream
20 g flaked almonds

1. Chop the rhubarb into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the ginger and the sugar, heat gently until the juices run and the rhubarb is soft.  Put the rhubarb to one side to cool.
2. Place one trifle sponge in the base of each of the ramekins, pour 1/2 a tbsp of Madeira, Sherry or orange juice over each one. 
3. Divide the poached rhubarb between the ramkeins along with any of the remaining juices.
4. Cover the rhubarb with custard.
5. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, either pipe it on top or spoon it over the custard.
6. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan until they start to turn golden, let them cool.  Just before serving sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the trifles.

Labels: cream, custard, Ginger, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up, trifle

posted by Janice @ 19:33 8 Comments

Easy Rhubarb Millefeuille for the Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up

The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round Up Linky Party opened on Saturday and is proving very popular.  I'm not quite sure why we have such an affection for these acidic pink stems.  I can only imagine that it is because they are the first 'fruit' of the year and a harbinger of spring.


There is a local rhubarb connection here in the south west of Scotland as James Mounsey, a Scot who had been the doctor to Tsar Peter III, fled for his life back to Dumfriesshire when the Tsar was assassinated. He brought rhubarb seeds with him and from these he successfully grew fields of high quality rhubarb.  The house he fled to is only about half a mile from where I live, so it is perhaps, not so surprising that our rhubarb is prolific and that our plants must be nearly 50 years old.


I thought a lot about the recipe I would make for The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up, I changed my mind several times. I wanted to make something impressive, that didn't need a huge amount of rhubarb and that was easy enough for anyone to make, here is what I came up with:


Easy Rhubarb Millefeuille
Serves 4

125g filo pastry (half a 250g pack)
50g butter, melted
125g caster sugar
6 to 8 slim stems of rhubarb
200ml thick and creamy vanilla custard (I got mine at M&S)
150ml double cream
tablespoon of icing sugar, sifted

1. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on to a baking sheet covered with baking paper, brush with melted butter and sprinkle over a little caster sugar.  Cover with another 3 sheets of filo, each brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar, press down.
2. Cut into even rectangles, you will need 12 rectangles in total (3 for each portion)
3. Bake at 160C for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, leave on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling tray until cold.
4. Measure the length of the pastry rectangles, then cut your rhubarb into lengths to match.  You will need 24 lengths of rhubarb (6 for each portion). Place the rhubarb into a baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining sugar (75g), roast the rhubarb in the oven at 160C for around 12 minutes or until you can easily pierce the stalks with a knife but before the rhubarb starts to disintegrate. Remove and leave to cool. 
5. Whip the double cream and until very thick and stiff, fold in the custard and load the mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle (Wilton 1M).
6. Place the pastry rectangles onto the serving plates, pipe cream in three rows, place three stalks of rhubarb on top, then place another pastry on top and repeat the cream and rhubarb.  Top with the final pastry rectangle and dust with icing sugar.

I hope you will join me and Karen from Lavender and Lovage by sharing your rhubarb recipes and enjoying the inspiration of the great entries we have already received.

Labels: cream, custard, filo pastry, Lavender and Lovage, Millefeuille, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up

posted by Janice @ 19:53 17 Comments

Creamy Butterscotch Pudding from Vanilla Table

Do you remember Butterscotch Angel Delight?  Well this is nothing like that, it is rich, creamy and sweetly caramel flavoured, a really indulgent treat.  It comes from a beautiful book called Vanilla Table: The essence of exquisite cooking from the world's best chefs.


Vanilla Table is curated by Natasha MacAller who has a passion for Vanilla and hopes to inspire home cooks, students and chefs to try this exotic but familiar ingredient in a wide range of dishes.  It includes recipes from Natasha and 33 other chefs from around the world including David Lebovitz, Anton Mosimann, Yotam Ottolenghi and Peggy Porchen.

About the Author: NATASHA MACALLER is known worldwide as the “Dancing Chef”. A former professional ballerina, after thirty years of performing with companies such as New York’s Joffrey Ballet, the Boston Ballet and on the stages of Broadway, she decided to move on to what she considered another performing art: cookery. She used her seasonal layoffs from ballet to become a professional cook and eventually set up her own catering business, Dancing Chef Catering, which served TV, theatre, film and food industry folks. In 1996, after graduating number one in her class from The Colorado Culinary Institute, Natasha went from strength to strength, and she now holds her own culinary classes and has become an international chef consultant.

About the Photographer: MANJA WACHSMUTH is a Danish photographer who, while currently residing in New Zealand, comes out of the Scandinavian photographic tradition. Specialising in food photography, she has her own boutique photographic studio and works with some of New Zealand’s favourite magazines and chefs, as well as with clients in Denmark, UK and Australia.


Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye:

Starters: Shaved Fennel and KeriKeri Orange Salad, Caramelised Orange Salad, Pate au Poulet with Tipsy Cherries and Heirloom Tomato Bisque.

Main Plates: Slow Roasted Oxtail Pot Pies, Vanilla Lacquer Duck Leg, Seared Scallops with Vanilla Parsnip Puree, Chicken Stroganoff with Chanterelles and Vanilla.

Blue Plates* and Brunch Plates: Coronation Chicken on Squashy Poppyseed Buns, Crunchy Cornflake Fried Chicken and Apricot, Almond and Vanilla Clafoutis.

*Blue plates are a US invention, literally a plate made up of three compartments - one each for main, side and dessert. 

Sharing Plates:  Island Crab cakes with vanilla-grapefruit remoulade,  The Tonga Trifle, Devilish Eggs with vanilla candied bacon and Saturn Peach, Onion and Blue Cheese Pie.

Dessert Plates: Vanilla Spiced Pineapple Roast, Quince Tarte Tatin, Raspberry Meringue Martinis, Creamy Butterscotch Pudding with Tash's English Toffee and The Anna Pavlova.

Cake Plates: Pure Vanilla Layer Cake, Caramelised Pineapple Carrot Cake, Two-Tone Chocolate Malt Cake and Bittersweet Chocolate Torte.

The Cookie Plate: Chocolate Sticky Bits, Espresso Brownie Bites, Gold Ingots, Cranberry Tweed Cardigans and Black Pepper Chai Truffles.

Bevvies and Bar Snacks: Toasty Coconut Chips and Nuts, Vanilla Passion Martini, Pink Ginger Zinger, Carrot Vanilla Gougeres.

Vanilla Pantry: Vanilla Sugar, Vanilla Salt Flakes, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Aioli, Raspberry Vanilla Vinegar and Scooter Pastry Cases/Pie Shells.

Vanilla Plate concludes with Notes, Weights and Measures, All Sorts of Sources and biographies of the Contributing Chefs.

Who is this for?
This is not a beginners book, it is a book for confident cooks who would like to produce restaurant style dishes.

Pros:  Each recipe is well laid out with a paragraph about the story behind the recipe, a table showing the ingredients and clear instructions.  The photographs by Manja Wachsmuth are outstanding and help you understand how the dish should look as well as tempting your taste buds.

Cons:  Some of the recipes are quite complex or include ingredients that are difficult to source although the majority seem fairly straightforward.


I chose to make the Creamy Butterscotch Pudding which is essentially a caramel custard made with dark brown sugar, cream  and butter.  I am not entirely sure why the egg yolks were added when the pudding also contains cornflour to thicken it, they seemed a little surplus to requirements to me.  Whether you add the eggs or not, it is a gorgeous dessert and would be perfect for a dinner party or other event as you can make it beforehand and keep it in the fridge until required.  The taste is well worth the many pots and bowls that it requires to make it.

Creamy Butterscotch Pudding
6 servings

475 ml whipping cream
225 g unsalted butter, softened
45 g cornflour/cornstarch
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
480 ml milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
15 ml pure vanilla extract
1 tsp rum (optional)
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. In a small saucepan, heat 300 ml cream until warm (or microwave in a small jug until warmed). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium stainless steel saucepan over low heat.  Simmer 2 minutes, stirring with a spatula until bubbly. Add warmed cream and stir until smooth.
3. Combine cornflour and salt in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk in 1/4 of the cold milk until cornflour dissolves.  Add this mixture to the pan with remaining milk.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Stir about 2 minutes until you see steam rise from the surface and the pudding thickens.  Slowly stream in egg yolks, whisking constantly.

4. Switch to spatula and continue to gently stir until bubbles form on top of pudding.
5. Remove from heat and stir in 2 1/2 tsp vanilla, rum (if using) and the vinegar.  Quickly strain into a jug , to make pouring easier, and then immediately pour into 6 individual serving dishes or glasses.
6. Tightly cover each one with a piece of cling-film to keep a skin from forming.  Chill 3 hours or until softly set.  Can be made a day in advance.

To serve whip remaining cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form.  Place a dollop of the whipped cream on top of each pudding.  Garnish with a toffee shard.


As you can see I didn't serve mine with whipped cream but topped with thin slices of banana and finely grated chocolate.  Banana and butterscotch is a great combination and gave a different texture.


Vanilla Table by Natasha MacAller
Published by Jacqui Small in March 2015
RRP £25

I have one copy of Vanilla Table to giveaway, follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter to enter (UK/EU only) GOOD LUCK!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: Butterscotch, Cook book review, creamy, custard, dessert, pudding, Vanilla, Vanilla Table

posted by Janice @ 06:30 22 Comments

Ration Book Cooking with Great British Bakeware by George Wilkinson- Saturday 10th November

Only a couple more days to go on my rations and I must say I won't be sorry when it is over,  it's a bit of fun to try to cook with rations for a week but British Families had 14 years of these strictures, I can only imagine how much people must have craved something different.

I was lucky that last night I attended a Gala Dinner and was able to feast on three courses of delicious food which I didn't have to cook and which featured strawberries, blueberries, ratatouille and a lovely boef bourguignon.  Back to 'old clothes and porridge' as we say here!

Menu for Saturday 10th November

Breakfast - Porridge

Lunch - Lentil Soup, slice of Wartime Loaf

Supper  - Beef Stew with Dumplings, Blackberry and Apple Pie with Custard

No dumplings yet!

 I didn't use a war time recipe as it's just a basic beef stew/casserole with lots of root veg added to bulk it out, I had some celery in the fridge so threw that in too in the interests if thrift.

Beef Stew with Dumplings (serves 4)

0.6 kg Stewing steak
5 Parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 small swede, peeled and cut into chunks
2 oxo cubes
salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings
50g suet
100g self-raising flour
5 tbsp cold water

 1. Heat a little oil (lard) in an ovenproof casserole, cut the stewing steak into chunks and brown in the fat.
2. Add the sliced onion and cook for a minute, then add all the other vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Cover the meat and vegetable mixture with hot water from the kettle and add the two stock cubes and the seasoning.
4. Bring to the boil, put the lid on and then cook at 150C for 11/2 to 2 hours, checking every now and then to make sure it doesn't dry out.  You need to be sure you have enough liquid in the stew to steam cook the dumplings.

5. About 15 minutes before serving, mix the flour, suet and water together and form into 8 balls.
6.  Bring the stew to a simmer on the hob and add the dumplings, put the lid on and cook for 10-15 minutes until they have fluffed up.
7.  Serve with mashed potato and a green vegetable.

Blackberry and Apple Pie with custard

Blackberry and Apple pie

Made with Bramley cooking apples, delicious blackberries and cinnamon, this pie is truly irresistible. Cooking times will vary depending on how fresh your apples are. For best results, cook them until they soften first.

Great British Bakeware by George Wilkinson

To help make my pie a success, I was lucky enough to receive this Deep Pie Plate from the latest collection from British bakeware manufacturer George Wilkinson, Great British Bakeware features a superior new coating, GlideX, guaranteed not to flake or scratch.

The ultimate performing non-stick, pies will simply glide out of the plate and best of all will need a simple rinse to clean, eliminating the need for heavy duty scrubbing, especially molten fruits and jams leftover from your wonderful winter pies.

The GlideX coating is virtually indestructible and has been bonded directly onto the bakeware to ensure it performs like new with each use – perfect when nothing else will do but a piping hot bowl of comforting pie.  Prices from £7.00

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry my usual recipe but 25g butter/25g margarine/25g lard
50g butter, plus extra for greasing
100g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 large Bramley apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 16 wedges
4 Cox apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
150g blackberries
1 large egg, beaten
 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Roll out pastry, wrap in cling film and rest it in the fridge for at least half an hour.

• Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan and when the butter has melted, add the apples. Slowly cook for 15 minutes with a lid on, then add the blackberries, stir and cook for 5 more minutes with the lid off. 

• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Dust the work surface with flour, cut the pastry in half and, using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces out until it’s just under 1cm thick. Butter your pie dish and line with the pastry, trimming off any excess round the edges carefully with a knife.

• Tip the cooled apples and blackberries into a sieve, reserving all the juices, then add to the pie dish. Spoon over half the reserved juices and brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg.

• Roll out the second piece of pastry and lay it over the top of the pie. Trim the edges and crimp them together with your fingers. Brush the top of the pie with the rest of the beaten egg, sprinkle generously with sugar and the cinnamon, and make a couple of slashes in the top of the pastry.

• Place the pie on a baking tray and then put it directly on the bottom of the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

  To serve, slice the pie into portions and serve with a generous dollop of custard.

I love how making the filling in this way creates a really well filled pie.  The bakeware performed really well, as you can see there is nothing left stuck to the tin. On the other hand my 'wartime' pastry was not particularly well behaved, it was very short, so broke and crumbled.  The decorations were to cover up the gaping holes that the cracked pastry created!

What's left?


I received the Deep Pie Plate from Great British Bakeware by George Wilkinson to review, I was not obliged to give a good review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Labels: Apple and Blackberry Tart, Beef Stew, custard, dumplings, Lentil Soup, Porridge, Ration Book Cooking, The Wartime Kitchen

posted by Janice @ 17:08 4 Comments

Warm Rhubarb and Raspberry Meringue Trifle

After making the Iced Cranachan with Raspberry Coulis and Oat Crumble for Best of British, I was left with 3 egg whites, some Raspberry Coulis and a little Oat Crumble.  So I decided that I would combine these with some rhubarb and custard and create a warm trifle.


Warm Rhubarb and Raspberry Meringue Trifle

3 long stalks of outdoor grown rhubarb
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 trifle sponges
3 tbsp raspberry coulis (if you don't have any you can spread them with jam)
1 litre milk
2 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp sugar
3 egg whites
125g caster sugar

1. Cut the rhubarb into even sized pieces and place in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or baking tray, sprinkle with 1 tbsp caster sugar and roast at 200C for about 10-15 minutes until soft.

2.  Place the trifle sponges in the base of an ovenproof dish, pour the raspberry coulis evenly over the trifle sponges and then cover them with the rhubarb and the juices that have gathered in the bottom of the dish.


3.  Scatter over the remaining oat crumble (optional).


 4. Make the custard according to the instructions on the packaging and pour over the rhubarb.

5. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, gradually whisk in the sugar until glossy.  Pile the meringue on top of the custard and bake in the oven at 160C for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Labels: Best of British, custard, meringue, raspberry, rhubarb, Simple and in Season, trifle

posted by Janice @ 20:22 2 Comments

Rhubarb Bakewell Tart and a Giveaway!

There is some dispute on line as to whether there is a traditional food to celebrate May Day.  However, although some recipes appear, there doesn't seem to be any one dish that defines May Day.


Applicances Online have agreed to give one of you £30 of Amazon Vouchers for telling me what your May Day Dish would be.  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post.

So what would you make to celebrate May Day?

Apologies if your comment does not show, it will still be counted through the Rafflecopter widget.  I'm having a little bit of trouble with the Google 'no follow' ettiquette!
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Labels: almonds, Amazon, Appliances Online, Bakewell Tart, custard, giveaway, May Day, Rafflecopter, rhubarb

posted by Janice @ 08:56 18 Comments

Dan Lepard's Sweet Sherry Plum Pudding

In last Saturday's Guardian Magazine, I spied Dan Lepard's recipe for Sweet Sherry Plum Pudding.  I love Christmas pudding so, as Dan Lepard is 'the man of the moment' as far as baking is concerned,  I thought I would give this a go.

The recipe is full of lovely rich dark stuff, butter, muscovado sugar, black treacle, honey, sherry, prunes, currants and nuts (I used walnuts), it is also lightened by wholemeal breadcrumbs and a grated apple. There is only 75g of flour in the whole recipe.

Labels: breadcrumbs, Christmas, custard, Dan Lepard, Guardian, plum pudding, prunes

posted by Janice @ 21:07 9 Comments

Baked Chilli Chocolate Custards

I topped it with some whipped cream. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the look of the custard, but when you break through the top...you hit the rich, gooey chocolate custard with just a hint of chilli heat.  I would probably add more chilli next time, but I am definitely making these again with or without chilli.

Labels: chilli, chocolate, cream, custard, Great British Bake Off, Mary Berry, Supper for a Song, Tamasin Day-Lewis, We should Cocoa

posted by Janice @ 21:00 14 Comments

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb

Yes, the rhubarb season is well and truly upon us!  Loads of the stuff growing in the garden so you may be seeing quite a lot of recipes featuring those rosy stalks.  Today it is another version of a crumble, Rhubarb and Orange with Amaretti Crumble.

Peel about an inch off a clementine, scraped off the pith and diced it into tiny pieces.

Chop up about four stalks of rhubarb and put them into a dish with the orange zest. Add a tablespoon of granulated sugar (or to taste).


Mix the crushed amaretti with about 4-5 tablespoons of crumble mix.
Spoon the mixture over the rhubarb and bake in the oven at 160C for 30-40 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and the rhubarb is bubbling through.

Serve with custard (yes, it's Birds Custard again).  The hint of orange flavour brought out the rhubarb, and the almond flavour enhanced the crumble and gave it a bit of added texture too.

Labels: amaretti, custard, orange, rhubarb

posted by Janice @ 19:05 8 Comments

Rhubarb, Pineapple and Ginger Crumble

Served with custard, not fancy, egg home-made custard, but made with Birds Custard Powder just like we always had as children!  I have to say that the combination was delicious and the pineapple flavour stood up well to being crumbled.

Labels: crumble, custard, pineapple, rhubarb

posted by Janice @ 20:24 10 Comments