...
Warm Desserts to Keep You Cosy on Cold Nights

Apple Pear and Plum Crumble


Ingredients


For the Crumble

100 grams Plain Flour

4 tbsp Rolled Oats

2 tbsp Demerara Sugar

1 pinch Ground Cinnamon

50 grams Butter Chilled and cut into Cubes

50 grams cashew nuts chopped


For The Filling


2 large apples cored and sliced

4 large Plums de-stoned and cut into chunks

1 large Pear cut into chunks

6 tbsp Caster sugar

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1/2 whole lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 small nob butter


Method

-Pre-heat the oven to 180’c

-Heat a small nob of butter in a pan with the caster sugar until it caramelises. Add the remaining filling ingredients and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour into an oven-proof dish and set aside.

-To make the topping, place the flour, sugar, cashew, butter and cinnamon in a bowl together and rub with your fingertips until it has formed breadcrumbs. Add the granola and stir until well combined. Scatter the crumble mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden.

-Serve hot with custard, cream or ice cream.


Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce



Ingredients


225 g pitted dates

75 g softened butter

200 g demerara sugar

225 g self-raising flour

2 medium eggs

2 tbsp. golden syrup

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

Toffee Sauce

75 butter

75 dark brown muscovado sugar

250 ml double cream

2 tbsp. golden syrup


Method


-Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of an 18 x 25.5cm roasting tin with baking parchment. Put dates into a food processor and pour in 300ml of just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 5min. 

-Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat together butter, demerara sugar, flour, eggs and golden syrup with an electric hand whisk until smooth. 

-Whiz the date mixture to a purée, then pulse in bicarbonate of soda. Fold date purée into the batter until well combined. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

-Meanwhile, make the toffee sauce: melt butter in a medium pan. Add sugar, double cream and golden syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and simmer for 3-5min until thickened. Serve warm cake in squares, drizzled generously with sauce (reheat if needed) – and ice cream if you like!


Bread And Butter Pudding


Ingredients

250ml Full Fat Milk

300ml Double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 whole large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

3 tbsp golden caster sugar

8 slices of day-old white crusty bread

50g  slightly salted butter softened plus extra for greasing

75g mix sultanas and currants or other dried fruit

zest 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp demerara sugar


Method


-To make the custard, heat the milk, and cream in a saucepan to just below boiling point. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and yolk with the caster sugar in a jug. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture, over the eggs, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract now.

-Lightly butter an ovenproof dish approximately 20cm x 25cm x 5cm. Cut the crusts from the bread slices, then butter both sides of the bread and cut into triangles. Lay half of the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so that they are slightly overlapping. Mix the dried fruit with the lemon zest and sprinkle half of the mix over the bread. Layer the rest of the bread on top then sprinkle over the remaining

-Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Pour the custard over the pudding. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes, or longer in the fridge, if you like. Sprinkle over the demerara and bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and puffed up.