Creme brulee, burnt cream, Trinity cream… this classic dessert has had many names but remains a deliciously elegant way to finish a meal. In Emma Macdonald’s recipe, the sweet creamy custard is matched with the tart flavour of rhubarb, and it;s best made a day in advance (which means you don’t have to rush after the main course). Who could possibly turn down rhubarb and custard?
Rhubarb and Custard Creme Brulee Recipe
Serves: 4
Preparation Time : 15 minutes, plus chilling
Cooking time: 45 minutes
For the Creme Brulee
300ml/10½fl oz/scant 1¼ cups double cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
4 large egg yolks
2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
For the Rhubarb Compôte
200g/7oz rhubarb, cut into chunks
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp orange juice
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. First make the rhubarb compôte. Mix the rhubarb, sugar and orange juice in a non-metallic pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and has broken down. Leave to cool.
2. Heat the cream in a pan with the vanilla pod until it almost comes to the boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale, then whisk in the hot cream. Strain the custard through a sieve into a jug. (Rinse the vanilla pod, dry well and insert into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar.)
4. Spoon the rhubarb into four 170ml/5½fl oz/⅔ cup ramekins. Pour the custard over the top until almost to the top of the ramekins. Put the ramekins in a roasting tin and pour in enough just-boiled water to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the top of the custard is just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Cover with cling film and chill overnight (or a minimum of 2 hours, if you can’t wait).
5. Preheat the grill to high. Sprinkle a thin layer of caster sugar over each custard and place under the hot grill until the sugar bubbles and starts to caramelize. You can use a blowtorch but take care either way as the sugar can easily burn. Leave the sugar to harden and cool slightly, then serve your creme brulee immediately.
Having grown up on the family’s delicious, homemade Cucumber Relish, Emma Macdonald had the simple idea that full-flavored, quality chutneys and preserves needed to be brought to the specialty sector. In The BayTree Home Deli Recipes she reveals all her deli-ingredient making secrets and shows you how to create delicious meals from them.
“These days, staying in is the new going out, and homemade deli is the way to eat gourmet!”
The Bay Tree Home Deli Recipes by Emma Macdonald
224 pages • Illustrated • £20.00
AUS $32.99 NZ $42.00
£20 | Buy the book now!
Mushroom Wellingtons with Camembert and Membrillo make a perfect Friday night supper dish
These days, staying in is the new going out, and homemade deli is the way to eat gourmet! Emma Macdonald, a trained chef and founder of The Bay Tree – the UK’s premier deli ingredient company – shares her celebrated culinary secrets for the first time in her book The Bay Tree Home Deli Recipes. Try her delicious recipe for a vegetarian wellington – perfect for a Friday night supper.
“The intensely fruity, ruby-red membrillo, or Spanish quince paste or “cheese”, is perfect combined with melting Camembert in these individual baked filo pastry wellingtons. Use a Camembert that is just ripe so that it melts but doesn’t run away during baking.” suggests Emma.
Mushroom Wellingtons with Camembert and Membrillo
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 35 minutes
olive oil, for greasing and brushing
4 large portobello or field mushrooms, about 250g/9oz total weight
2×150g/5½oz small Camembert cheeses
4 tbsp membrillo
6 sheets of filo pastry, each about 48x25cm/19x10in
40g/1½oz butter, melted
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
new potatoes and green salad, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and lightly oil a large baking tray. Brush both sides of each mushroom with olive oil and put them cap-side down on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, slice the rind off the top and the bottom of the Camembert; you can leave the rind around the sides. Cut each Camembert in half crossways to give 4 pieces.
2. Put a piece of Camembert on top of each mushroom and top with a tablespoonful of the membrillo. Leave to one side.
3. Cut each sheet of filo in half vertically. Place 3 halves of filo on top of one another, brushing each layer with a little melted butter. Keep the remaining filo covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent it drying out. Sit the stuffed mushroom in the centre and draw up the corners of the filo to meet in the middle and make a parcel. Twist the top of the filo to seal and brush the parcel with more butter. Repeat with the remaining stuffed mushrooms and filo.
4. Place the mushroom wellingtons on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 25–35 minutes until the filo is golden and crisp. Leave to cool slightly to allow the Camembert to firm up before serving with potatoes and salad.
Having grown up on the family’s delicious, homemade Cucumber Relish, Emma Macdonald had the simple idea that full-flavored, quality chutneys and preserves needed to be brought to the specialty sector. In The BayTree Home Deli Recipes she reveals all her deli-ingredient making secrets and shows you how to create delicious meals from them.
“These days, staying in is the new going out, and homemade deli is the way to eat gourmet!”
The Bay Tree Home Deli Recipes by Emma Macdonald
224 pages • Illustrated • £20.00
AUS $32.99 NZ $42.00
£20 l Buy the book now!
