Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts

Sunday, 23 March 2014

Magpie Make & Do ~ Snickerbocker Shake

I'm not an out-and-out milkshake fan, I'll be honest. Much as I wish I did, I just don't like milk, so milkshakes for me always have to be one part milk to nine parts anything but! I don't even want to think about how many calories there are in this devilishly naughty concoction, but frankly, it tastes so good that I'm willing to overlook it, and so should you.

Sunday, 9 February 2014

Magpie Make & Do ~ Sugar Plum Syllabubby Mess

This heavenly hotchpotch of deliciousness is essentially Sophie Dahl's take on Eton Mess, entitled, Christmas Sugarplum Syllabubby Mess. Since I feel it would be sacrilege to confine this scrumptious dessert to the festive season, I hope the lady in question will forgive me for dropping the Christmas bit.

As part of my goal to follow at least one new recipe from each of my 29 cookbooks before I turn 30, I turned to the lovely Miss Dahl last week for something light but sweet. Both the Mr and I have a very sweet tooth, but I'm not always able to squeeze in a stodgy pud after a meal; this recipe is perfect for those occasions, satisfying the sugar craving without sitting in one's stomach like a brick!

I have both Sophie Dahl's recipe books, and love them in equal measure. I enjoy her writing and the photography as much as the recipes, and would recommend them to anyone who loves simple, wholesome food, whimsical writing and the vintage vibe.



Monday, 13 August 2012

Chocolate Truffle Filo Tulips

I featured a photo of these little beauties a couple of Smörgåsbords ago, promising the recipe at a later date. Well, here it is!


Ingredients (makes approx. 15 cups)

For the filo cups:
3-6 sheets filo pastry
45g/1.5oz unsalted butter, melted
caster sugar

For the truffle mixture:
250ml/8fl oz double cream
225g/8oz good quality chocolate (I like to use Green & Black's, 125g 70% dark chocolate and 100g milk)
55g/2oz unsalted butter
30ml/2tbsp amaretto or other liqueur


Method

1. Prepare the truffle mixture. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to the boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until melted. Beat in butter and add amaretto. Pour into a bowl, straining if necessary. Refridgerate for one hour (approx.) until thick enough to pipe.

2. Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Grease a bun tray(/s) with indents c.4cm/1.5" deep. Place filo sheets on a work surface. Cut each sheet into 6cm/2.5" squares. Cover with a damp tea towel. Keeping filo sheets covered, place one square on a work surface. Brush lightly with melted butter, turn over and brush reverse. Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar. Butter another square, and place it over the first at an angle; sprinkle with sugar. Butter a third square and place over the first two, unevenly, so that the three squares form a star shape. Press the layered filo squares into the tray. Continue in this way until you have around 15 filo cups (I made 12, but had truffle mixture to spare at the end).

3. Bake the filo cups for 4-6 minutes until golden. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack whilst still in the tray. Remove from tray to cool completely.


4. Stir the chocolate mixture. It should be just thick enough to pipe. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a medium star tip, and pipe a swirl into each cup.


5. Decorate to your taste. I used raspberries, but you may prefer a twist of orange zest, a shaving of contrasting white chocolate, or a sugar flower, for example. Finish off with a dusting of icing sugar and enjoy!