KITCHEN TABLE
MAKE NO MISTAKE, THESE ARE GOOD!
You might expect sugary-sweet recipes in a book called Sugar, I Love You (Pavilion, $40), but knowing just how much sugar to use is the essence of dessert-making, writes Ravneet Gill. Tons of recipes for sublime desserts, including one for a “Mistake Cake”!
RAS MALAI CAKE
Image credit: Sugar, I Love You by Ravneet Gill.
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of fine salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp neutral oil
1¼ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
Small pinch of saffron threads
1 tbsp ground pistachios
10 roasted almonds, crushed
To serve:
Gently whipped cream
Handful of crushed pistachios
Handful of roasted sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, whisk the eggs gently on medium speed with the sugar until thick and luscious. The mixture should be at ribbon stage (thick enough to hold its shape when drizzled back on top of itself).
In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, salt and flour.
In three batches, sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold it in gently. Drizzle the oil in gradually as you pour, making sure not to over-mix.
Pour the mixture into a 12 x 9-inch foil container and bake for 30 mins. or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, gently warm the milk, cream and sweetened condensed milk with the cardamom, saffron, ground pistachios and crushed almonds until steaming . Take off the heat.
When the cake is baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 mins.
Poke holes with a toothpick all over the cake and pour over the slightly warm (but not hot) milk mixture evenly. Make sure to remove the cardamom pods.
Leave at room temperature until cool, then place in the refrigerator, ideally overnight so the flavours all get used to each other and have time to properly chill out. It will keep in there for up to 3 days.
To finish, top the cake with gently whipped cream, crushed pistachios and sliced almonds. For extra luxury, add saffron to a basic sugar syrup and drizzle generously over the top, before serving chilled.
MISO CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE TART WITH A CRUNCHY CEREAL BASE
Image credit: Sugar, I Love You by Ravneet Gill.
For the tart shell:
3½ oz dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup roasted hazelnuts, lightly crushed
2¼ cups bran flakes cereal, lightly crushed
Pinch of sea salt flakes
For the miso caramel;
3 tbsp superfine sugar
½ tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp white miso paste
For the dark chocolate ganache
1 cup heavy cream
2 oz milk chocolate, chopped
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
Start with the tart shell. Melt the chocolate and butter together in short bursts in the microwave.
In a large bowl, mix together the hazelnuts, bran flakes and salt. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.
Press into a 8-inch tart pan, into the bottom and up the sides. It doesn’t matter if doesn’t reach to the very top of the pan, you want just enough to give you a good edge of roughly 1-inch deep.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for up to an hour.
For the miso caramel, make a direct caramel in a saucepan by placing it over medium heat, sprinkling in the sugar and letting it melt to a dark caramel. Add the butter and whisk well, then pour in the cream and let it bubble for a minute.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the miso paste. Set aside for a few mins.
When the caramel has cooled slightly, pour it into a heat-proof dish and allow to cool further. We want it to be pouring consistency but not hot.
To make the ganache, in the same pan that you poured the caramel from, add the cream and heat until steaming.
Place both the chocolates into a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot cream. Let it sit for a min. before stirring with a whisk from the middle outward until melted and smooth. Pour into the chilled tart shell and let it sit for 2 mins.
Take the miso caramel and drizzle thickly over the ganache. Use a butter knife to drag the caramel through the ganache to form swirls, then place in the refrigerator to set for 4 hrs.
This will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, but is best eaten as soon as the ganache has set.
Sugar, I Love You by Ravneet Gill is published by Pavilion, $40.