Egg Whites: Friend or Foe?

I generally try to avoid recipes that heavily involve the use of egg whites. Soft peaks, firm peaks, stiff peaks.....if I see those words, I automatically flick over to the next page.

Determined to get over my egg whites phobia, I recently tried two egg white based recipes.

The first was Angel cake from the Hummingbird Bakery book "Cake Days".

The cake was not as light as I hoped bit it did give me the opprtunity to use my new Bundt tin!

I thought "Fallen Angel" cake was a better description. The cake was just too dense, not light and airy like I had hoped.

But, the recipe had no butter or caster sugar so is good for those watching their waistlines.

Next up was Passionfruit Pavlova.

I used the Nigella recipe from "Kitchen".

Good old Nigella.

It really was the perfect pav.

The egg whites were whipped until stiff. You add the sugar whilst it is whipping which turns the mixture lovely and glossy.

Spread the mixture into a round disc-like shape and then bake in a low oven.

Just out of the oven!

I then topped with lightly whipped double cream and the pulp of five passionfruits.

The tartness of the passsion fruit against the cream works so well.

MMmmmm!

The meringue has a marshmallow texture to it - quite the opposite to shop bought meringues.

I don't think that I have gotten over my fear of egg white recipes quite just yet, but I'm getting there!

Nxx

Salted Caramel Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is my favourite dessert. EVER.

I cannot resist ordering it from the menu and I always make it when we have people over for dinner.

I always make Nigella's Sticky Toffee Pudding as it never fails me (apart from one occasion which resulted in sticky toffee pudding on the kitchen ceiling but we won't go there...)

I decided to try this variation for a change which I found in a copy of the "You" magazine supplement a while ago.

For the Sponge:-

150g of pitted dates chopped

250ml water

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

75g unsalted butter diced

125g light muscovado sugar

2 medium eggs

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g plain flour sifted

For the Salted Caramel sauce:-

100g light muscovado sugar

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

100g unsalted butter

150ml double cream

Method:-

1. Pre-heat over to 190 degree centigrade / 170 degree fahrenheit / GM 5. Butter a baking tin measuring 27cm - 30cm x 18cm - 20cm.

2. Bring the dates and water to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will froth up.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the eggs one at a time, then the syrup and then the vanilla and then the flour. The beat in the date mixture in two batches.

4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes until set and the pudding has risen.

5. While baking, put all the sauce ingredients into a pan to melt and whisk together until smoot. Pour half the mixture onto the pudding and serve the rest separately with double cream.

10/10 for this recipe!

Adding salt to the caramel sauce gave it another dimension.

I made it for Mr G and my Mum for Mother's Day and they both loved it too.

Nxx

Nigella's Jumbleberry Crumble

I love Apple Crumble.

LOVE IT.

I have never made a crumble before though.

I had a craving the other day, and alas I had no apples in the house!

Nigella came to the rescue though. I was watching an episode of Nigella Express on the UK food channel, and she made Jumbleberry Crumble in about two minutes flat.

Problem solved.

Crumble craving sorted.

Crumble Topping

Ingredients:-

6oz plain flour

4 oz unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Method:-

1. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder.

2. Rub the butter in using your fingertips.

3. When the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs - you're done.

Jumbleberry Mix

Ingredients:-

A mix of any berries that take your fancy.

I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

4 tsp caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

Method:-

1. Place the berry mix into a ovenproof dish

2. Add the the sugar and cornflour and mix well

3. Spread the crumble mix on top.

4. Sprinle some golden caster sugar and cinnamon on top of the crumble mix.

5. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes (Gas Mark 4 / 180 degrees fahrenheit)

6. Serve warm with cream or custard

The crumble was delish!


Mr G insisted on having two helpings with lots of cream!

Within half an hour, this was all that was left!

xx

Banana Cake with Toffee Sauce

You know when you have bananas that have gone too soft to eat?

This recipe is perfect for that.

The recipe was given to me by a former work colleague.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:-

4oz unsalted butter

6 oz caster sugar

1 egg

6 oz self raising flour (sifted)

2 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 fl. oz milk

Method:-

1. Grease an 8inch pan and pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Cream the butter and then add the sugar and vanilla. Beat in the egg.

3. Mash the bananas and add to the creamed butter mixture.

4. Fold in the sifted flour.

5. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into the milk and add to the mixture. Stir in gently.

6. Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for 40 minutes.

Now for the toffee sauce....

Toffee Sauce

Ingredients:-

100ml cream

4oz light brown sugar

4 oz unsalted butter

Method:-

1. Melt butter in pan together with the sugar

2. when the sugar is dissolved, stir in the cream.

3. Serve immediately.

The cake was yummy with the toffee sauce.

I had used a 9 inch cake tin so the cake was a little flat but it still tasted lovely.