SOMETHING SWEET TO FOLLOW THE MEAT

The British love their “puddings” – sometimes called “Desserts”, “Afters” or “Sweets”. Today, you get pretty good meals of two or three courses in any home, but time was when you dreaded the main course, but looked forward to what came after. My late mother-in-law not only cooked good roasts and stews, but always made as many as four different “puddings” when we went to see her. We weren’t always so lucky – I remember a veal stew at a neighbour’s house, which “had been slow cooking all day”, in which the so-called veal could have been an old leather horse collar.

Having been so strongly influenced throughout my life by the “Mediterranean” kitchen, which does include pastries but more generally offers fruit after the main course, I only make a “sweet” now and then, but it’s such a treat when I do. I have two of my favourites for you this week.

The first recipe is based on one by a famous English magazine cook of the 1960s, Katie Stewart. She delighted readers of The Times and several women’s magazines for many years with what I would call Modern British cooking.

I got to know Katie when I had just started working for myself and one of my first clients was a well known saucepan brand called “Crown Merton”. One task was to “place” these pans, which has the name on the side, in the kitchens of magazines, TV studios and so forth, so that they were used in photography, and therefore, visible to readers or viewers. In 1972 Katie’s The was published, a classic, of which her obituary

said:

in 30g /1 oz butter 6 digestive biscuits 1 225g /8 oz carton cottage cheese 1 225g / 8 oz fresh cream cheese 125g /4 oz castor sugar 3 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence 30g /1 oz corn flour 1 carton soured cream Takes 2 hours. Best to bake the day before serving. 1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and draw off the heat. 2. Crush the biscuits to crumbs and, using a fork, stir into the butter. 3. Blend the mixture well, then spoon into the base of a buttered, 20 cms /8-inch, round cake tin. It is essential to choose a tin with a spring-clip side. 4. Spread the crumbs evenly over the base of the tin and press down firmly. 5. Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve into a large mixing basin, add the cream cheese and beat well to mix. On no account should a processed cream cheese be used in a recipe such as this. 6. Add the sugar and beat again. 7. Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the cheese mixture and placing the whites in a separate basin. 8. Beat the yolks into the mixture along with the vanilla essence. 9. Sift the cornflour over the surface and fold in, then add the soured cream. 10. Beat the white until stiff and then fold in gently and thoroughly. 11. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Place just below centre of a slow oven (150C) and bake

Leave this cheese cake to stand for 24 hours before cutting, if possible, as this will improve the texture and flavour. 4 rounded tablespoons golden syrup 4 heaped tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs Rind of 1/2 lemon 1 tablespoon lemon juice Time: 1 1/2 hours

1. On a lightly-floured board roll out the prepared pastry to a circle slightly larger than a 7- or 8-inch tart tin or flan ring set on a baking tray.

2. Line with the pastry and leave in a cool place while preparing the filling. Reserve any pastry trimmings.

3. Warm the syrup saucepan until thin runny.

4. Stir in the breadcrumbs and leave to stand for 10 minutes to allow the crumbs to absorb the syrup.

5. Check the consistency and, if the mixture looks too stodgy, add a little more syrup. If it looks thin and runny, add a few more crumbs.

6. Stir in the finely grated lemon rind and lemon juice to in a and taste, and spread the mixture in the unbaked pastry case.

7. Re-roll any pastry trimmings and cut into thin strips. Use these to make a criss-cross lattice over the top.

8. Place above centre in a hot oven (200C) and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to moderately hot (375F, 190C or Gas No. 5) and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the tart is cooked — total baking time should be about 25 minutes.

9. Serve warm or cold with cream. Heat oven to 180C/350F 1. Spread chopped walnuts on a baking pan; toast until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. 2. Transfer to a bowl to cool. 3. Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F.

4. Generously butter a 23cms x 32cms (9” x 13”) baking pan, and set aside. Bring a medium sauce- pan of water to a simmer.

5. In a heat-proof bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Set bowl over the simmering water until the chocolate mixture has melted. Remove from heat, and set saucepan aside.

6. Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler. Set over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate mixture has melted. Remove from heat; set aside.

7. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and espresso at high speed for 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add the melted-chocolate mixture and the vanilla; beat until combined. Slowly add the flour and salt; beat just until incorporated. 8. Remove the bowl from mixer, and fold in the chocolate chips and toasted nuts. 9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges are dry but the centre is still soft, about 30 minutes.

10. Remove brownie from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 3-inch squares.