WHISKY-YUZU SAVARIN WITH SCORCHED LEMON
SERVES 12
“Japanese whisky and yuzu combine in a syrup to soak this feather-light savarin, while scorched lemon cuts through the sweetness. If you want to up the booziness, add a splash more whisky to the syrup.”
140ml lukewarm milk
21/2 tsp dried yeast
2 cups (300g) plain flour
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
100g melted butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lime and 1 lemon (reserve juice for the syrup)
300ml thickened cream
200g creme fraiche
WHISKY-YUZU SYRUP
21/3 cups (515g) caster sugar
1 small lemon, sliced as thinly as possible
3/4 cup (180ml) whisky, such as Japanese whisky
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (reserved from the savarin)
1/3 cup (80ml) yuzu juice (available from Asian grocers)
Grease base and side of a 22cm ring pan.
Combine milk and yeast in a small bowl, and set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until foamy. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix flour, sugar and 11/2 tsp salt flakes on medium speed to combine, then add egg and yeast mixture and mix until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add butter, mixing until combined. Add zest and increase speed to high and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic (dough will still be very sticky and runny).
Spoon mixture evenly into prepared pan, cover and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1-11/2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fanforced. Bake cake for 30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve pan.
For the whisky-yuzu syrup, preheat oven grill to high. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Scatter 1/3 cup (75g) sugar on a plate. Press lemon slices into sugar, coating both sides, then arrange in a single layer in a large ovenproof frypan (discard remaining sugar left on the plate). Grill for 6-7 minutes, turning once, until caramelised. Using tongs, transfer lemon slices to prepared tray (be careful, as the caramel will be very hot).
Place frypan over medium-high heat and add 2 tbs whisky, scraping bottom of pan. Add lime and lemon juice, remaining sugar and 2 cups (500ml) water and cook, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes until a light syrup forms. Remove from the heat and add yuzu juice and remaining whisky.
Return the savarin to its pan, gradually pour over half the syrup and stand for 30 minutes to soak. Simmer remaining syrup for 5 minutes or until reduced.
Place both creams in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until soft peaks.
Carefully loosen savarin from pan and turn onto a serving platter. Top with whipped cream and scorched lemon, and drizzle with reduced syrup to serve.
SERVES 4
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour 2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
30g unsalted butter, chopped 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
1 egg
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
WHISKY-MAPLE SAUCE
185g brown sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) maple syrup 1/2 cup (125ml) whisky
30g unsalted butter, chopped 2 tsp finely grated ginger
Combine flour, sugar, ground ginger and 1 tsp salt flakes in a bowl. Add butter and rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk milk and egg in a jug to combine, add to the flour mixture and mix to just combine.
For the whisky-maple sauce, combine all ingredients and 11/4 cups (310ml) water in a large deep frypan and bring to the boil, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Using 2 soup spoons, drop heaped spoonfuls of batter into the whisky-maple sauce in a single layer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or foil) and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Turn dumplings in the sauce, cover, and simmer for a further 10 minutes until just firm. Serve dumplings and sauce with scoops of ice cream.
into two discs, one using three quarters of the dough, one using one quarter. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to rest.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced.
For the honey-roasted pears, combine honey, sugar, whiskey, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Place pears, cut-side up, in a roasting pan that fits the pears snugly in a single layer. Pour over honey syrup and roast, turning pears occasionally in the syrup, for 35-40 minutes, until pears are tender and syrup is sticky and reduced. Set aside, and when cool enough to handle, puree 4 pear halves and 1 tbs honey syrup in a food processor. Refrigerate puree, remaining pears and syrup until required.
Meanwhile, for the burnt butter frangipane, cook butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling pan occasionally, for 5 minutes or until nut brown. Refrigerate until just firm, then transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add sugar and honey. Beat until pale and fluffy, then beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between additions. Add almond meal, flour, whiskey, reserved lemon zest and 1 tsp fine salt, and beat to combine. Set aside.
Reduce oven to 170°C/150°C fanforced. Place a baking tray in the oven to preheat (the preheated baking tray helps prevent a soggy bottom), and line another baking tray with baking paper. Roll out the larger piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and use to line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular tart pan, pressing pastry into the corners of the pan. Roll out remaining pastry to 3mm thick and transfer to baking paper-lined tray. Refrigerate both pastry portions for 30 minutes to rest, then trim pastry edges of tart case. Cut pastry sheet into rough diamonds, about 2cm x 3cm. Set aside.
Spread half the frangipane in base of pastry-lined pan, then spread over the pear puree and top with the remaining frangipane. Scatter pastry diamonds over the top to form a rough patchwork, leaving some gaps. Brush with reserved egg white, scatter with flaked almonds and place on the baking tray in the oven. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown and the centre feels firm when pressed. Rest in pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Serve warm or at room temperature with honey-roasted pears and syrup and flaked almonds, with creme fraiche for dolloping.
SALTED WHISKY CHOCOLATE FUDGE
MAKES ABOUT 20 PIECES
“Shards of bitter chocolate and whisky-soaked shortbread give this soft-textured fudge pleasing contrast, while the warmth of whisky adds a grown-up flavour. We used a Highland whisky, but you can use whatever happens to be your favourite.” Begin this recipe a day ahead.
150g shortbread, cut into small pieces 70ml whisky, such as Highland whisky 250g couverture dark chocolate
(55%), coarsely chopped
200g couverture dark chocolate (78%), coarsely chopped, plus 100g extra, broken into shards 395g can sweetened condensed milk 160g salted butter, chopped
1 tbs liquid glucose or honey
Spread the shortbread on a tray, sprinkle evenly with 1 tbs whisky and set aside to dry out. Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan and line with baking paper.
Combine both chocolates (reserving extra 100g) in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just-simmering water (make sure base of bowl doesn’t touch the water), stirring occasionally until just melted.
Meanwhile, combine condensed milk, butter, glucose and remaining 50ml whisky in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth (mixture should be about the same temperature as the melted chocolate). Cool slightly, if needed, before combining.
Add the condensed milk mixture to the melted chocolate in three batches, stirring each to incorporate before adding the next – don’t worry if the mixture starts to look split, it will come together. Add 1 tsp sea salt flakes, then beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes – the mixture will look oily to begin with, but will come together in a beautiful glossy, almost elastic texture. Beat for another minute to thicken.
Spread one-third of the fudge into the prepared tin. Scatter with one-third of the shortbread and one-third of the extra chocolate and extra salt flakes, if you like. Repeat layers twice more. Refrigerate overnight to firm.
Place fudge in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to cut, then remove from pan and cut into pieces with a hot, wet knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
FOR MORE WARMING WINTER DESSERTS: delicious.com.au