Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (33 page)

Press a layer of mango into the clingfilm-lined tin, covering all gaps, then top with a layer of strawberries, sprinkling tarragon with each layer. Make sure you don’t
leave any gaps and keep layering until there is no fruit left and the layers are slightly higher than the top of the tin. You should finish with a layer of mango. Fold the clingfilm over the top to
seal the fruit in. Pierce the clingfilm with a sharp knife.

Place the 22cm cake tin on top of the filled tin. Turn both tins over so the tin with the mangos and strawberries is now on top. Place the tins on the baking tray and place a
heavy weight, such as a full milk carton or cans of tomatoes, on top and put the baking tray into the fridge for 24 hours. The juice should drain through the pierced clingfilm.

Meanwhile, make the strawberry ice cream. Put the strawberries in a heatproof non-metallic bowl with the caster sugar. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place on top of a
saucepan of boiling water, as if you were melting chocolate. Turn the heat down to low and leave the strawberries to stew for 30–40 minutes, until they are very soft and break down.

Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the strawberries to a blender and purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl and leave to cool.

Mix 500g of the strawberry purée and the single cream together. Pour the mix into an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the
mixture to a freezerproof container and freeze until needed.

The next day, when you are ready to serve, remove the clingfilm from the pressed fruit and reserve the drained juices. Cut the fruit into serving portions. A bread knife works
best, but otherwise use a long, thin knife. Thinly sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar and use a blowtorch to melt the sugar and make a crispy caramelised top. Serve the pressed fruit with a
scoop of the strawberry ice cream, and the reserved juice, if you like.

Pressed mango and strawberries with strawberry ice cream

A classic baba is traditionally soaked in rum, but I like to make it with amaretto, because the almond flavour works well with peaches. There is a lot of work to be done here, but
you are rewarded with a memorable dessert.

Makes 8

For the rosemary-poached peaches

To make the dough for the babas, put the flour, 30g of the sugar, yeast, eggs and salt into a freestanding food mixer with the dough hook attached and mix until a rich, elastic
dough forms. Pour in the melted butter and mix again. Cover the mixer’s bowl with clingfilm and leave to one side at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume. This will take at
least 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your room.

Meanwhile, make the rosemary-poached peaches. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and place a bowl of iced water next to it. Drop the peaches into the boiling water and
count to 10. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and put straight into the iced water to refresh. Peel the skin from the peaches, then cut each in half from top to bottom and remove
the stone. Place the peaches on to a tea towel and pat dry. Transfer the peaches to a deep baking tray and leave to one side.

In a separate pan over a high heat, bring the water, caster sugar and the rosemary sprigs to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour this over the peaches, then cover the
baking tray with clingfilm and leave the peaches to cool at room temperature. When they are completely cool, transfer them to the fridge if you aren’t using them immediately.

Butter eight 10cm savarin moulds and lightly dust with flour, tipping out the excess. Leave the moulds to one side.

Once the baba dough has risen, knock it back and put it into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe the dough into the moulds, only filling them halfway. Transfer the
moulds to a baking sheet and leave to rise again for 30 minutes, or until the dough reaches the top of the moulds.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the babas for 8–10 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove the babas
from their moulds and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Place the 250ml water, remaining sugar and amaretto in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place the babas on a tray with a rim,
pour the boiling syrup over them, cover the tray with clingfilm and leave the babas to soak up the syrup like a sponge.

Serve the babas warm with 2 peach halves each, drizzled with runny honey, sprinkled with thyme leaves and a nice dollop of crème fraîche on the side.

Tom’s Tip

Any leftover babas freeze very well, or if you have any raw dough leftover, put it in a piping bag and deep-fry thin strips of it to make fantastic churros to serve with chocolate
sauce.

Easy and so clean tasting, this is a fantastic alternative to lemon meringue pies.

Makes 8

For the pastry

For the grapefruit curd filling

For the meringue topping

To make the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, then sift over the flour and mix just until the pastry comes
together. Wrap it in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. After the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is about ½cm thick. Cut out 8 circles of dough,
each large enough to line a 10cm tart tin with a removable base. Reroll the trimmings as necessary. Line the tins, press a piece of clingfilm in each, then fill with baking beans or rice. Place the
pans in the oven and bake the pastry cases for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.

Remove the pastry cases from the oven, remove the clingfilm and beans or rice and leave them to cool on wire racks still in the tins.

Meanwhile, make the grapefruit curd filling. Put the grapefruit zest and juice in a saucepan over a high heat and boil until the juice reduces to a glaze. Add the sugar and
butter and return to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour in the whole eggs and the yolks, whisking constantly and vigorously, until the mix thickens and looks like it will almost split.
When it is thick, remove the pan from the heat and leave the curd to cool, whisking occasionally. Once the curd is completely cool, transfer it to a food processor and blend until smooth. Cover the
curd and chill in the fridge until needed.

To make the meringue topping, put the egg whites in a bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat until stiff peaks form. Mix the sugar, water and glucose syrup together in a saucepan
over a high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and heat until it reaches 118°C on an instant-read thermometer. With the mixer running, pour the syrup on to the egg whites and continue mixing
until the meringue is cool.

Divide the grapefruit curd between the tart cases, then arrange the grapefruit segments on top of each. Pipe the meringue on top of each, like a hedgehog. Use a blowtorch to
lightly colour the meringues, then serve immediately.

Tom’s Tip

If you’d rather make one large tart, roll out the pastry as above and line a 25cm tart ring on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment or a 25cm tart tin with a removable
base. Press a piece of clingfilm in, then fill with baking beans or rice and bake as above for 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Gently transfer the pastry case to a wire rack to cool.
Make the grapefruit curd and meringue topping as above.

Creamy junket is an English classic you don’t often see anymore, but junkets are so easy to make. I serve this version with macaroons, sandwiched together with a rich coffee
ganache, to give a little texture and depth to the dessert. I sometimes serve these with crème fraîche on the side, too. Leftover macaroons will keep in a sealed container in the
fridge for a couple of days.

Serves 4 (makes about 40 filled macaroons)

For the coffee macaroons

For the coffee ganache

To make the coffee meringues, line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment and leave to one side. Sift the ground almonds, icing sugar and instant coffee through a fine sieve into
a bowl. Pour half of the egg whites on top and just fold together gently, then set aside.

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over a high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and boil until it reaches to 118°C on an instant-read thermometer. Place the
remaining egg whites in the bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat until soft peaks form. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the hot sugar mix and continue mixing until the meringue is
cool. Fold the cooled meringue into the almond and coffee mix, trying not to knock too much air out. Put the mix into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe blobs the size of 10-pence pieces on
to the baking sheet. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the mix form a skin.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. After the meringues have formed their skin, put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes until they have
a crisp shell on the outside, but are still sticky in the middle. Remove the meringues from the baking sheet and cool them on a wire rack. At this stage you can freeze them for up to a month.

To make the coffee ganache, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan of simmering water without the bottom of the bowl touching the water and melt,
stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the pan and tip out the water. Bring the cream and instant coffee to the boil in the pan, then stir the coffee-flavoured cream into the melted chocolate.
Pour the mix into a piping bag and leave to cool to a sticky piping consistency that isn’t too runny.

When the meringues are cool, stick them together in pairs, using the coffee ganache. Leave to one side if you are serving soon, or place in the fridge for up to a day.

About 2 hours before you want to serve, make the junket. Place the milk and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and heat until it reaches
37°C on an instant-read thermometer. Pour in the rennet and rum. Pass the junket through a fine sieve into your serving bowls and leave to set at room temperature, which will take about an
hour. Freshly grate nutmeg over the tops and put into the fridge for 45 minutes.

Serve the bowls of junket with the macaroons.

Tom’s Tip

You’ll find small bottles of rennet in the baking section of supermarkets.