butter pudding that my mum used to make for me as a special treat, particularly if I was feeling under the weather. The banana flavour isn’t overpowering, it just adds a delicious sweetness.
SERVES 4–6
VEGETARIAN
2 tbsp chocolate spread
12 slices of white bread, crusts removed
350ml (12fl oz) single cream
350ml (12fl oz) milk
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 bananas
2 tbsp granulated sugar, for topping
TO SERVE
Cocoa powder
Softly whipped cream (optional)
1 Spread a very thin layer of chocolate spread on the slices of bread. Arrange four slices, chocolate-side down in a 25cm (10in) square or similar rectangular gratin dish, or a similar-sized dish. Top with another four slices of bread, chocolate-side down, and finish with the last four slices, also chocolate-side down.
2 Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to just under the boil.
3 While they are heating up, whisk the eggs, salt and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Mash the bananas on a plate with a fork and add them to the eggs, then whisk in the hot cream and milk. Pour this custard over the bread and leave to soak for 10 minutes. When you are ready to cook, sprinkle the sugar over the top.
4 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.
5 Place the gratin dish in a bain-marie (a larger ovenproof dish that has enough water in it to go 2.5cm [1in] up the sides of the gratin dish) and cook in the oven for 45–50 minutes or until it feels just set in the centre. Remove from the oven and serve warm with a light dusting of cocoa powder and some softly whipped cream, if you wish.
Rachel’s handy tip
If you want to prepare this pudding a day ahead of serving, don’t heat up the cream and milk – just pour it cold over the bread and store in the fridge until ready to cook.
‘Balloons’ are like doughnuts and are one of my husband, Isaac’s, very favourite childhood treats. This is a recipe from Isaac’s grandmother, Myrtle Allen, who used to make these with her own mother when she was a child. She made them regularly for all the Allen grandchildren, and she still quite often makes these for the little guests staying at Ballymaloe for children’s tea (and occasionally still for Isaac!). They’re very simple and quick to make.
MAKES ABOUT 12 BALLOONS VEGETARIAN
140g (scant 5oz) plain flour
2–4 tsp caster sugar, plus 25g (1oz) for tossing the balloons
Pinch of salt
1 level tsp baking powder
200ml (7fl oz) milk
1 Heat a deep fat fryer to 190oC (375oF). Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the milk gradually, whisking all the time until you have a thick batter.
2 When the oil is hot in the deep fat fryer, take a dessertspoonful of the mixture and push it off gently using another spoon, so that it drops in a round ball into the oil. Repeat with the remaining batter to make about 12 balloons. Fry until deep golden, about 4–5 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. Remove, drain on kitchen paper and toss in caster sugar (I sometimes add some ground cinnamon to the sugar), and serve warm.
Rachel’s handy tip
If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, you can fry the balloons in a wide sauté pan in the same way as the Sesame Goujons of Fish on page 42.
Rhubarb and custard make such a great old-fashioned combination, and I love making them into a tart. As a child, we always made this with our own rhubarb, fresh from the garden. We always knew summer was approaching when the first rhubarb appeared.
SERVES 4–6 VEGETARIAN
FOR THE PASTRY
150g (5oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) icing sugar
100g (4oz) butter
1 egg, whisked
FOR THE FILLING
4 egg yolks
4 generous tbsp honey (about 100g/4oz)
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
225g (8oz) rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 2cm (3/4in) lengths (if the stalks are very wide, cut them in half lengthways first)
1 First, make the pastry. Place the flour and icing sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Rub in the butter, then add most of the egg (you probably won’t need it all) to make the dough come together. Add a tablespoon of water to the remaining egg to make egg wash, and reserve. Slightly flatten the pastry, cover and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer), until chilled.
2 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm (9in) shallow tart tin with a removable base with a little butter.
3 When you are ready to roll out the pastry, remove it from the fridge and place between two sheets of cling film that are larger than your tart tin. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry until it’s about 5mm (1/4in) thick and large enough to line the base and sides of the prepared tin. Remove the top layer of cling film and place the pastry upside down (cling film side facing up) in the tart tin. Press into the edges, cling film still attached, and, using your thumb, ‘cut’ the pastry on the edge of the tin to give a neat finish. Remove the cling film and pop the pastry in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
4 Next, ‘blind bake’ the pastry case to partially cook it before adding its filling. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper (leaving plenty to come up the sides), fill with baking beans or dried pulses (you can use these over and over), and bake for about 10 minutes in the oven, until the pastry feels dry. Remove the paper and beans, brush with a little egg white and return to the oven for 4–5 minutes. Take out of the oven and put to one side while you prepare the filling.
5 In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the yolks with the honey, add the cream and mix. Pour the custard into the case almost to the top, then arrange the rhubarb on top. It can be easier to do all this while the case is sitting on a rack in the oven to avoid spilling the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Let cool to room temperature.