Cuisine with a cherry on top
This dish is for the cherry lovers - dark cherry fondant is by far my favorite dessert.
Perfectly cooked with a crisp exterior, then dig your spoon in to find the most silky soft melting cherry centre. Complimented with salted caramel sauce and cherry ripple ice cream. We use local family run business Woody’s of Glaston ice cream. Their ice cream I my opinion is by far the best available locally.
Preparation time is less than 30 mins and cooking time is 10 minutes. Serves six.
For the soufflé: 50g melted butter, for brushing; cherry and coco powder, for dusting; 200g good quality dark cherry puree; add cherry essence to enhance flavour; eight large free range eggs ( white only); 20g cornflour; 200g golden caster sugar; six ramekin moulds.
For salted caramel sauce: 8oz dark brown sugar; oz of salted butter; 8oz golden syrup; half vanilla pod; 300ml of double cream; two tsp salt.
For the peppered tuille biscuit: One tsp cracked pepper; 110g salted butter; 150g icing sugar; three large free eggs, whites only; 110g gluten free plain flour; half a vanilla pod; disposable piping bag.
For the chantilly cream: 300ml double cream; 2oz caster sugar; half vanilla pod.
For the cherry ripple ice cream: One litre tub of Woody’s ice cream; cherry, orange sorbet or vanilla ice cream.
Pre- heat oven to 170c fan assisted oven.
For the soufflé: Place egg whites a clean dry bowl, whip until soft peak.
Add sugar slowly as if making meringue.
Add corn flour, when all added and meringue will have a sheen and you can turn bowl above your head and meringue mix stays in bowl its ready.
Slowly and gently fold in the cherry puree. Place in ramekin and fill level with top, bake and watch rise out ramekin by inch or so. serve immediately.
For the caramel sauce: Place golden syrup, salt, sugar, butter, vanilla pod in a medium size pan and bring to boil, simmer till all the sugar granules have dissolved.
Take off heat and cool for ten minutes.
Then add the double cream, whisk gently and its ready to serve. ` For the tuille biscuits: Cream the sugar, pepper and butter in mixing bowl, then gradually had the egg whites with a wooden spoon or spatula.
One mixture has bound together fold in the flour and then place in a piping bag and chill.
Place a silicone/ greaseproof mat on to a tray and take the piping bag and snip a small hole at the tip.
Pipe 15cm lengths of mixture on mat and repeat this leaving two inch gap between lines, place in oven for 7- 8 minutes till golden brown bring out and whilst mixture still hot wrap them round the handle of a wooden spoon to create a spiral or round a rolling pin to create circles, hold and mixture will harden within 30 seconds.
For the chantilly cream: Place cream, sugar and vanilla pod in bowl and whisk till whipped.
To serve – place ramekin onto a plate and then smoother in butterscotch sauce; serve a scoop of ice cream on the peppered tuille biscuit.
Slice the kumquats up they balance the sharpness and sweetness of the dish and finish with some Chantilly cream and fresh mint.
Next week I will continue my festive recipes with one of my favourite meals that I enjoy preparing, who needs traditional turkey with all the trimmings, I will be offering a Chris Steele twist on festive dining that I hope you will be able to use on the big day.