White Chocolate and Forest Fruits Bread and Butter Pudding.

Today I made White Chocolate and Forest Fruit Bread and Butter Pudding 


I remember the very first thing I made by myself when I was 8 was Bread and Butter Pudding. I saw some chef make it on tv and decided to make it from memory. I'm pretty sure that was the day I fell in love with baking. I'll never forget the look on my fathers face as he ate this dessert his child just made, and so began my love of feeding people. Even to this day I have very fond memories of making this dish. My recipe has developed over the years, I now have about twelve different Bread and Butter Pudding Recipes that I chop and change depending on who I'm making it for and for what occasion. The one I made today is probably my favourite, well definitely in my top three.

The one I made today doesn't actually use bread, so it's kinda of like my cheat bread and butter pudding like another recipe of mine using Brioche. This recipe uses Croissants as a substitute for the bread. The Croissants give you a light and almost fluffy pudding, which really lightens a normally stodgy, filling dessert. The normal add-in in a Bread and Butter Pudding are raisins or more recently dried apricot. I like to go another way with this dessert in particular and pimp it out with creamy White Chocolate and Forest Fruits. The White Chocolate melts into the custard creating an irresistible sweet and creamy sauce while the mixed berries pack a tangy punch,

Ingredients:

• 6/8 Croissants
• 50g Butter
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 100g White Chocolate
• 100g Mixed Berries
• 400mls Milk
• 40g Granulated Sugar - To Sprinkle

Instructions:

To Make The Custard:

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat at a medium temperature until it's just below boiling point. 

2.  Separate the three eggs and put the egg yolks into a glass bowl - You can save the Egg Whites to make meringues or an Egg White Omelet. Whisk in the Caster Sugar until it's all incorporated.

3. When the milk is heated pour half of it into the Egg and Sugar mixture while stirring constantly. When the Milk is stirred through you can them pour the Sugar and Egg mixture into the other half of the milk in the pan and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes it will start to look frothy on top - that's how you know it's ready.

For the Pudding:

4. Cut all the Croissants in half and lightly butter each half, line them up in a oven proof dish, I normally line them up crust side up as it looks prettier.

5. Cut up the White Chocolate into chunks, I like to leave the pieces quite large so they melt and you get little pockets of White Chocolate Sauce within the pudding. 

6. Sprinkle the White Chocolate Chunks all over the Croissants, I normally push a few of the chunks down to the bottom so they're all evenly dispersed. 

7. Then add on your mixed berries of choice. I like to use Forest Fruits as it's a great combination of Raspberries, Cherries, Strawberries and Blueberries.

8. When you have all your White Chocolate and Forest Fruits added in you can then pour in the Custard you've made, the custard should fill up to top. You can leave the croissants sit in the custard for some time so they soak up all the custard-y goodness. I normally make this dessert before I start making dinner so it has plenty of time to soak up. 

9. Put the Oven proof dish into a baking tray and fill the baking tray with some boiling water, this steam helps to cook and set the bottom of the custard. Before you place in the oven sprinkle the top of the pudding with Granulated Sugar. 

10. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180°C until the top of the Pudding is golden brown and crispy and the custard has set. I normally serve this dish with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream  and dusted with Icing Sugar.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” 

Coconut and Cranberry Scones

Today I made Coconut and Cranberry Scones. 

Some mornings it's difficult to face the same old bowl of cereal or plain toast, you need a little something special. These little beauties are perfect for those exact mornings. I normally make these guys on a lazy Sunday morning. They also freeze perfectly so you can freeze some of them in a little plastic container and have them in the freezer for mid-week morning emergencies. Most places I go for coffee are limited to just plain or raisin scones which can become tedious when you go for coffee as often as my family does. A number of years ago I started playing around with making scones myself. The regular plain and raisin scones started to bore me. So I started to play around with different ingredients.

These scones are made with a basic scone recipe spiked with Lemon and Lime zest and packed full of Dried Cranberries, Grated White Belgian Chocolate and Desiccated Coconut. The Lemon and Lime Zest really lifts what could be a heavy and boring scone dough. You don't need much sugar in this recipe as the White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries add to the sweetness. The coconut really gives a great texture to the scones. These scones cook out with a crisp and crunchy outside and a marshmallow-y softness on the inside.An extra bonus to these scones, your house will smell like a bakery for the whole day. 

 Ingredients:

(Makes 12)

• 375g All Purpose Flour
• 125g Unsalted Butter
• 70g Sugar
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 eggs - Room Temperature
• 120mls Milk
• 100g Dried Cranberries
• 100g Desiccated Coconut
• 60g Grated White Chocolate
• Zest 1 Lemon
• Zest 1 Lime

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mats.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add in the pinch of salt and the sugar and mix. Make a well in the center of the flour and add in the egg. Whisk in one egg and half the milk and work it through, add in enough milk to bring the mixture into a ball of dough. 

3. Add in the Desiccated Coconut, Grated White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries and work in with your hands until everything is mixed together.

4. When it is brought together turn out on to a floured surface. Work the dough a little so it looks smooth and has no cracks.

5. On your floured surface roll out the mixture till it's 11/2 inches in thickness. Using a cookie cutter cut out your scone shapes. When you have gotten as many out of your dough rework the dough back into a ball and roll out again repeat till you have used all dough. 

6. Place scones onto your baking sheets. Whisk the other egg and brush the top of each scone with the beaten egg. I normally like to sprinkle a little Golden Brown Sugar for an added crunch.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 till golden brown. You can check if the inside of the scones are cooked like you would check if bread is cooked, by turning one scone over and tapping the bottom of it. If it sounds hollow then they are cooked.

8. Leave to cool on the baking trays for 7/8 minutes then transfer to a wire wrack. Serve warm with topping of choice, I like just pure strawberry jam, or jam and cream.

"You'll go Coco-nuts over these"

Chewy Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Today I made Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

These cookies like my "Chocolate Chip Cookies" are melt in the mouth. Having problems making your cookies super soft, thick and chewy is a thing of the past. The addition of Cornstarch to your cookies dough is the answer to all your Cookie Woes. Think about it, Cornstarch is often used to thicken sauces and soups, it only makes sense it would do the same to Cookies. The lack of high levels of Gluten will mean the texture of your cookies and cakes are much lighter. The most important thing about these cookies is the Baking Time. Take the cookies out of the oven after 8/9 minutes, I normally don't leave the kitchen while they are baking as one or two minutes over and the cookies will lose the texture you're looking for. The cookies will appear soft and underdone when you take them out but they will continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheets. I normally leave them rest of the baking sheets for 8 minutes so they can firm up slightly and start to cool down before moving them to a wire wrack.

There are certain food combinations that are just meant to be and White Chocolate and Cranberries are definitely one of them. Those tangy little berries are truly the soul mates of sweet, creamy White Chocolate. It's a spin off of the typical Sweet'n'Sour combination that we are so familiar with. Each bite hits you with a zingy burst as you bite down on a Cranberry then you are soothed by the sweetness of the White Chocolate. White Chocolate is my favourite add-in to nearly all of my baked goods but especially in cookie Recipes. Cranberries not only add a great texture and flavour but also a burst of colour. I always think of Cranberries as the pretty sister in the dried fruit family. Ardkeen Quality Food Store have an impressive Dried fruit and Nuts section including dried Cranberries, Raisins, Sultanas, Crystalised Ginger and a wide variety of different nuts which feature a lot in my baking.

Ingredients:

(Makes 24) 

• 170g Unsalted Butter
• 150g Light Brown Sugar
• 50g Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg - At room temperature
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence 
• 250g All purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 100g Dried Cranberries
• 100g Callebaut White Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking parchment or silicone baking 

mats.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together, you can do this by hand with a spatula or whisk or with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla and mix again.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed. When the egg and vanilla are incorporated you can start to add in the flour, Cornstarch and Baking Soda. I normally put all the dry goods into a sieve together so everything gets incorporated evenly. 

4. Stir in the white chocolate chips and Cranberries. I normally add in half of each first and work that in before adding the remainder. Try to evenly disperse the White Chocolate and Cranberries so that every cookie will get little of everything. 

5. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least half an hour, the dough can also be chilled for up to three days in case you need to make it ahead of time. 

6. When the dough is chilled, take out of the fridge. Take up about 11/2 teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll into a ball in your hands. Place the balls of dough on the baking trays with a 1 inch gap in between them. Press down slightly on each to flatten the top and bottom. 

7. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to go golden brown around the edges. I really recommend not cooking any longer than 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire wrack.

"Chocolate Doesn't ask questions. Chocolate understands."

Raspberry And White Chocolate Muffins

Today I made Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins. 

A lot of muffins these days seem to be just cupcakes in disguise, two bites and they are gone leaving you with a taste of wanting more. That's not the case with these guys, they are large and in charge. There's no fussing around with icing either, once they are made they are good to go, the piping bags can sit this one out. They also require no mixer so you save on the wash up, which leaves more time for well... eating them. 

All the ingredients I used today I bought in Ardkeen Quality Food Store, Waterford City. I'm so lucky to live so close to a store that stocks products of such a high quality and that always have everything I ever need. If you're not from Waterford I recommend finding a store that stocks local produce as well as being reliable. Using fresh raspberries and a high quality chocolate means great tasting muffins. I wouldn't recommend using frozen raspberries, even if you don't defrost them there is still a lot of juice loss into the batter resulting in a garishly pink batter - maybe something to keep in mind for Valentines Day. 




I used Callebaut Belgian White Chocolate drops as I find with a lot of the generic brands there is very little taste to the chocolate and the texture can be a little grainy for my liking. There are two things Belgium do especially well, Beer and Chocolate. These chocolate drops have a creamy high quality taste with a smooth finish which is perfect in these muffins. The creaminess of the chocolate compliments the tartness of the Berries perfectly. The Raspberries I used were Total Produce Raspberries which are sourced in Ireland. I leave them whole so you get a burst of zingy flavour but you can cut them into smaller pieces if you wish. I always try to buy Irish Ingredients where possible. Mostly they taste better and you don't have to worry about the ever increasing carbon footprint of your shopping list. 

 Ingredients:

• 375g Plain Flour
• 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Large Eggs - Room Temperature
• 200g Granulated Sugar
• 240mls Milk - Room Temperature - you can also use soy milk, almond milk or low fat milk.
• 120mls Vegetable Oil 
• 120g White Chocolate Chips
• 215g Fresh Raspberries
• Granulated Sugar - To Sprinkle

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. If you are using a metal muffin tin, spray with some non-stick spray, or rub a little bit of oil around the inside of each mould. I used a silicone muffin tray, they say that these are non-stick but I always oil lightly just to be safe.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until combined. In another bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Then mix in the milk and oil - The mixture should be a pale yellow colour.

3. Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix by hand. Only mix until everything is combined as if you over mix this results in tough, dry muffins. The mixture should be quite thick. I normally do this step with a metal spoon as the thin edge of the spoon cuts through the mixture better than a wooden spoon allowing you to do the job in half the time.

4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Make sure to fill the tins right up to the top. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Filling right up to the top helps with getting such a rise out of these muffins - excuse the pun. The sugar on the top is completely optional but it does leave an extra sparkle on top as well as giving a contrasting crunch before you hit the soft sponge center. 

5. Fold in the Belgian Chocolate Chips and Raspberries, be careful with the raspberries not to break them up while you mix as this will cause them to leak colour. 

6. Bake initially at 220°C for five minutes, this allows the muffins to rise rapidly and start the crusting process which stabilises them, lower the temperature to 190°C and cook for a further 25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden. You can test the muffins my inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffins, if it comes out clean - free from any mixture then your muffins are ready. 

7. Allow to cool for 10-12 minutes before you attempt to free them from their tin - This is always the part I struggle with as I'm excited to see how they turned out and I normally have people waiting to eat them. But it's worth the wait, believe me. 

These muffins taste best fresh on the same day as baking and normally they all get eaten moments after they're ready, but if by some miracle they last a second day store them at room temperature in an airtight container and they can last for up to five days.

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with cake.”