FOODFruity treats, both savoury and sweet, to keep everyone in the family happy, writes Domini Kemp
NOW THAT I'M well into my second month of being a married old hag, I've been told I had better "buck up" and start making some desserts. (The daughter, rather than the hubbie, told me this.) It seems that the cake-baking gene is missing from my genetic make-up, and I just don't cut a dashing picture in a flowery apron. My daughter is a little concerned that feminine charms are directly, and even crucially, linked to cookie-cutting skills. She may have a point.
But no amount of savoury treats has changed her lowly opinion of my sickly-sweet tart attempts. She spends plenty of time pointing out that allowing her to make Rice Krispy treats isn't quite enough effort on my part. Then she drop kicks me into cream bundom and mentions the words "school cake-sale".
Sure, I feel a little guilty when there's a cake-sale at school, and instead of making something myself, I pick up some brownies and cookies from the Itsa Bagel kitchens. The pastry chefs may grumble, and my family call me a cheat, but for me, it's all about the winning. To hell with taking part.
Cake sales, in general, send me into panic mode. Children roam about, stinking of cheese and onion crisps, their mouths a fluorescent colour from sucking on hideous amounts of radioactive sweets, searching out 10 cent bargains. Cakes and cookies are only purchased after they've been through copious amounts of mauling and squashing. The kids also see nothing wrong with tasting stuff they have no intention of purchasing, while spitting out anything they don't like. Forget the Michelin inspectors. These kids are tough.
Anyway, that Oisin fellow I've mentioned before and who cooks very well, made a delicious apricot, almond and lemon tart which was from the River Café cook book. It has to be made with fresh apricots, and as I knew I'd miss the boat on that particular fresh fruit purchase, I decided to make a hardier cake version instead, using dried apricots. I'm serving it with the lovely honey and mascarpone cream recipe he also gave me, which is dead simple and so much nicer than plain old cream. Because apricots started to emerge as a common theme this week, I decided to make one of my very favourite stews: a daube of pork with apricots, which has been heavily simplified from a Marcus Wareing recipe.
Apricot and almond cake
150g dried, soft apricots
225g butter
225g caster sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
80g ground almonds
3 eggs
100g flour
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Using a standard 20cm-25cm spring-back, non-stick cake tin, lightly butter the sides. If you want, you can line it with baking paper, but if it's non-stick, you really don't need to. Roughly chop the apricots. If you have an electric beater or food processor, beat the butter and sugar till it is light and fluffy. (You can do this by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon and lots of elbow grease.) Add the lemon zest, juice, almonds and eggs. Beat more until well mixed and if it looks like it's going to curdle, don't worry. Fold in the flour and apricots. Mix well and pour into the cake tin. Put the tin on a baking tray and cook for about 30 minutes. Check that a skewer inserted comes out clean. The cake should feel firm.
Allow it to cool and serve cold with a big blob of the cream (recipe below).
Honey, mascarpone cream
150ml cream
3 tablespoons mascarpone
1 tablespoon honey
Whisk the cream until it is frothy, add the mascarpone and honey and then whisk until thick and creamy. Chill and serve as required.
Daube of pork with apricots
(serves 4-6)
You can make this a very long-winded Michelin star way, or else keep it easy and snappy, like I've tried to do here.
Splash of sunflower oil
1kg fillet of pork, or boned pork shoulder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
500ml red wine
1-2 heads of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
200ml olive oil
1 tin tomatoes
Pinch each of mustard seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds
Few sprigs thyme
12 apricots
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Heat the oil in a large saucepan that can go in the oven, and cut the pork into large chunks. Brown the pork until it is golden brown in colour, and season it well. Add the onions and continue to brown, then deglaze the pan with the wine and add 500ml of water.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring up to the boil, cover with a lid or tinfoil and then move to the oven and cook at 180 degrees/gas four for two hours. After about an hour, I usually remove the lid so that the cooking juice starts to reduce and you get a really concentrated flavour. The pork should be super-tender. Check the seasoning and reduce the cooking liquor further in a saucepan before serving, if necessary.