Author: bethdoesfood
Maple, Banana & Dark Chocolate Tray Cake
You will never need another banana cake recipe once you have tried this. It’s so easy rustle up and is the perfect way to get rid of the bananas browning in your fruit bowl. The finished result is a sticky sweet banana bread that’s still spongy and light, perfect served hot with ice cream or custard, or enjoy cold with a cup of tea. 130g butter, softened 100g golden caster sugar, plus extra for dusting 2 medium eggs 3 medium ripe bananas, well mashed or pureed using a hand blender 45 ml milk 1 tsp vanilla bean extract 100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks 1 tsp cinnamon 250g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 pinch of salt 3 tbsp maple syrup Preheat your oven to 180C and butter a small deep baking tray. Using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Now crack in the eggs, add the mashed/pureed banana, milk and vanilla extract and beat until until smooth. Into the wet mix pour the chocolate chunks, …
The Perfect French Toast
French toast, or pain perdu, or sweet eggy bread. Whatever you call it, it’s the ultimate brunch, and really easy to rustle up when you know how to do it right; chunky bread that’s dunked in cinnamon custard, then pan fried in butter and covered in syrup and sugar! Translated as ‘lost bread’ in French, the original recipe for pain perdu was created as a way to reclaim stale, unused off cuts of bread. It’s the perfect way to use up the crust of an old loaf as the custard softens any hard bits and gives them a wonderful buttery crunch when fried in butter. I love maple syrup for it’s smokey sweetness but you could use honey or blueberries and yoghurt as a sweet topping, or crispy bacon for American-style. Serves 2 to 4 people (depends how hungry you are) Ingredients 2 eggs 100g soft light brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon powder 200ml full fat milk 4 thick slices of brioche, chollah (Jewish egg-enriched bread) or any leftover bread 40g butter 2 tbsp icing …
Winter Supper Club
Our Winter Supper Club was a celebration of all of the wonderful ingredients that are at their best in the chilly months; an evening of warming spices, live music and great paired wines. Thanks to everyone who came. You were a fantastic crowd and we can’t wait for Spring! Here are some highlights from the night: A #cheeky meal from @bethdoesfood last night #codcheeks and #oxcheeks 👏🏻 plus some quality time with @TonyRoddUK pic.twitter.com/czhNG1FoJR — Sarah McCready (@SarahBMcC) January 13, 2016 @bethdoesfood @markeeeebeeee delicious dinner at the Winter Supper Club pic.twitter.com/wqhOMnp3L1 — Jessica Andrews (@Jessica7Andrews) January 13, 2016 Amazing French toast and black sesame ice cream by @bethdoesfood with @markeeeebeeee pic.twitter.com/GwMoHI09hr — Tony Rodd (@TonyRoddUK) January 12, 2016
Mulled Wine Poached Pear and Berry Cheesecake
This is a cracker of a cheesecake that is absolutely perfect for winterNot the baked type – oh no that’s far too much faf! I like the ones that you just throw together using a packet of biscuits, butter, cream cheese and fruit, then leave in the fridge for as long as you can until set. I’ve put a twist on the classic summer berry cheesecake by adding winter berries and pears, poached in red wine, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves – the classic aromas and flavours of mulled wine. Serves 6-8 people For the base: 100g butter 250g digestive biscuits 100g soft light brown sugar For the cream cheese topping: 180g/ 1 tub of cream cheese 300ml double cream a pinch of sea salt For the mulled wine poached fruit: 1 pear 75g frozen berries (forest fruits/ blueberries/ blackberries etc.) 75g caster sugar 125ml red wine 1 cinnamon stick 5 cloves the zest and juice from ½ an orange Method Peel the pear, cut it in half lengthways then cut each half into 8 long …
Shackfuyu, Old Compton St
Kinako French toast with matcha soft serve (above) must be the most photographed dessert in Western/Asian fusion history. Ever since these snaps began to dominate social media I have been desperate to visit Shackfuyu. On a few occasions I tried to get a table. But the place has become so popular I failed to actually make it through the doors 3 times in a row. Fortunately, sister restaurant Flesh and Buns is just down the road so I still got my fill of great steamed buns and sticky wings. But my heart yearned for that French toast! Now i’m not saying that has become like a religious place or anything, but maybe getting into Shackfuyu is the same as when Charlotte tries to covert Judaism in Sex and The City – you have to show dedication and try three times before being allowed in. Or perhaps I shouldn’t underestimate the powers of Japanese/French toast and soft serve on Twitter in making a London restaurant impossible to get in to. But I’ve gotta hand it to Twitter – without it I wouldn’t have posted a photo of my …
Simple Smokey Chicken Drumsticks & Coconut Curry
A healthy and comforting mid-week meal that’s easy to rustle up on a cold winter evening. Chicken drumsticks are far cheaper than breasts but in my opinion have a much better flavour as the meat is cooked on the bone. When marinaded in warm, smokey spices then oven baked, chicken becomes beautifully soft and is perfect in the rich coconut sauce. This is one of my quick weeknight favourites, and I’m sure it’ll become one of yours too. (Serves 4-5 people) Ingredients 8-10 chicken drumsticks For the chicken marinade 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tsp red chilli powder 20ml coconut oil For the coconut curry 2 banana shallots 1 inch piece root ginger 2 garlic clove 2 hot green chillies 1 tsp coconut oil ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp red chilli powder 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tin reduced fat coconut milk 1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped Method Mix together all the marinate ingredients in a large oven proof dish. Add the chicken legs and rub with …
Salted Peanut & Sesame Dark Chocolate Truffles
All those toasted seeds and nuts give a roasted aroma and the perfect crunchy texture for smooth, buttery chocolate ganache. Although it might sound a bit strange sea salt heightens the wonderful deep flavour of dark chocolate. You cannot beat a good chocolate truffle and they always get demolished by my dinner party guests, even when they’ve just devoured a side splitting 3 courser – I believe everyone has that extra stomach reserved solely for chocolate. The other great thing about truffles is that they are really easy to rustle up. You can make them in advance and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. Serve with post meal coffee, a cup of masala chai, or a sweet dessert wine or dry sherry. Yum! Makes around 50 truffles For the truffles: 300g 70% dark chocolate 50g salted butter 300g double cream For the coating: 6 tbsp sesame seeds 6 tbsp salted peanuts 1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes and put both into …
Mango & Lime Lassi Possets
My inspiration for this dish came from the delicious mango smoothies (lassis) you find all over India, freshly made on the roadside by wallahs who hand pick the sweet mangoes from the trees and hand squeeze them to a pulp. Over in India there are lots of different ways to prepare lassi; sweet, salted fruit based or yoghurt based- but they all contain lots of sweet spices. My favourite combination is mango with earthy cardamom and cinnamon, sharp lime and savoury, salted yoghurt. I’ve taken these key elements and come up with a set dessert for a perfect post spice sweet. It’s rich but still light, and not too sweet. Such a crowd pleaser! Serves 4 Ingredients 100ml mango pulp from a can (works just as well as fresh mango) 2 limes 150g soft light brown sugar 300ml double cream 200g full fat greek yoghurt a pinch of salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cardamom a pinch of ground nutmeg a pinch of dried rose petals (optional) Add the zest and juice from both …
Halwa Spiced Carrot Cake with Condensed Milk Icing & Gold Leaf
Styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) Halwa is the most amazing Indian dessert – it’s a carrot-based, nut ridden version of our rice pudding made with loads of condensed milk, saffron, cardamom and golden sultanas. I thought how amazing it would be to have all of the flavours that make halwa taste so fab baked into a light, spongy carrot cake. So I tried it. And it worked a dream! My fool proof carrot cake recipe has taken many forms in my kitchen (usually depending on what dried fruit and nuts I have in my cupboards) but this version is very special. It has a bold, aromatic taste that works really well with sweet carrots and orange zest. If you can’t get hold of cardamom powder, you can use ground cinnamon or allspice instead. Condensed milk is an essential ingredient in halwa, and here it gives a lovely shine and gooey texture to the icing, which trickles beautifully down the sides of the cake. It’s a perfect wintery treat Ingredients For the …
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