BOX OF DELIGHTS
Culinary gifts created with care are welcome at any time of year. These simple and delicious recipes are sure to please
Simple and delicious ideas for culinary gifts that are sure to please
SALTED CARAMEL MERINGUES
Preparation 25 minutes Cooking 1 hour Makes 16 You can find caramel extract at lakeland.co.uk. A selection of vintage tins is available at hisforhome.com.
4 medium egg whites 225g white caster sugar 1 tsp caramel extract 2 tbsp salted caramel spread
1 Heat the oven to 110°C (90°C fan oven) gas mark ¼. Draw 16 x 4cm circles on baking parchment and use this to line 2 large baking sheets.
2 Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in the sugar until thickened and glossy, followed by the caramel extract.
3 Top each meringue with ¼ tsp of the caramel spread, then gently swirl in, but only at the tip – if you swirl through completely, it will leak out during baking.
4 Bake for 45-60 minutes until the meringue is crisp on the outside and peels away easily from the paper. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside with the door ajar for at least 30 minutes. Due to their sugar content, meringues can absorb moisture from the air if the weather is humid or wet, so transfer to an airtight container as soon as they are cold to keep them crisp and dry.
Preparation 30 minutes, plus drying Makes 35-40 Make sure you use the more intense rose extract rather than rosewater; both are available from delis and supermarkets.
450g icing sugar, sifted few drops of rose extract 2 medium egg whites rose or pink food-colouring paste crystallised rose petal pieces
1 Put the icing sugar in a bowl with a few drops of the extract – don’t add too much as the flavour will be too strong; you can include more later if necessary.
2 Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add about twothirds to the icing sugar and, using a fork, work in thoroughly. Be patient and don’t be tempted to add all of the egg white – it will come together within a minute or so. Once the mixture looks like large flakes, add a few dabs of food colouring using the end of a cocktail stick – again, not too much initially as the colour will be strong and you can always add more. Bring together with your hands and knead until smooth and the colour is even – it should be very stiff. If you add too much egg white, the dough will be sticky and harder to roll out. But if that happens, simply add a little more sifted icing sugar.
3 Roll out to a thickness of 5-7mm. If you have a cake smoother, use this to smooth over the top of the dough. With a 3-4cm cutter, stamp out circles. Re-knead and re-roll the cuttings.
4 While the sweets are still tacky, press in a few petal pieces. Leave to dry for 24 hours on baking parchment set on a wire rack in a cool place. Keep for up to a month in an airtight container.
LEMON VERBENA LOAF CAKE
Preparation 35 minutes Cooking 1 hour Makes 2 x 900g cakes If you don’t grow your own verbena, you can order the dried version from healthysupplies.co.uk. It can also be used to flavour syrups, sorbets and jellies or enjoyed as a tea.
335g lemon verbena-infused caster sugar (see recipe on page 156) 355g softened butter 6 medium eggs, beaten 225g self-raising flour 110g ground almonds 500g icing sugar, sifted 4-6 tbsp lemon juice zest of 1 lemon
1 Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Grease and line two 900g loaf tins .
2 Beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy and lighter in colour. Gradually add in the eggs. Fold in the flour and almonds.
3 Turn the mixture into the prepared tins, level with the back of a spoon, then bake for about 45-60 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
4 When the cakes have cooled, remove from their liners. Gradually blend enough of the lemon juice into the icing sugar to make a thick but spreadable icing. Spread on top of the cakes and decorate with lemon zest. To gift, put the cakes into a clean loaf liner, then a Cellophane bag. Tie with ribbon. Eat within five days.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MADELEINES
Preparation 20 minutes, plus standing Cooking 8 minutes Makes 22 You could also make scented versions using the floral sugars overleaf – omit the cocoa powder and increase the amount of flour to 100g.
100g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing 65g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 35g cocoa powder, sifted ¾ tsp baking powder 100g caster sugar 2 medium eggs melted white and milk chocolate, for drizzling
1 Liberally brush madeleine moulds with melted butter, then chill until it has set. 2 Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Beat the sugar and eggs for 5 minutes until thick and light in colour. Fold in the flour mixture, followed by the butter. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes in a cool place until the mixture firms up. 3 Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Dust the madeleine moulds with flour, tapping out the excess. 4 Fill each mould with a heaped teaspoon of mixture and bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes until firm and risen. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes in the tins to firm up before transferring to a wire rack. 5 When the madeleines are cold, drizzle with melted chocolate using a teaspoon or dust with icing sugar.
FLORAL SUGARS
Preparation 10 minutes, plus infusing Makes 3 x 500g These pretty sugars are so simple to make and add a distinctive scent and flavour to baked goods.
1.5kg white caster sugar 5g dried rose petals 5g dried lemon verbena 5g dried lavender
1 Divide the sugar between 3 sealable jars. Stir the rose petals into one jar and the lavender into the second. Tie the lemon verbena into a muslin square and bury into the sugar in the third jar.
2 Seal and leave for at least a month in a cool dry place. Replace with more sugar as you use it.