Recipes: Desserts with a Herb Flavour

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and black pepper

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and black pepper

A classic dessert:

Try enhancing these flavours with the subtle clove-like notes of basil. If you don't like vinegar, use fresh lemon juice instead.

Slice or quarter 300g strawberries into a bowl and add 1tbsp balsamic vinegar + 1 ½ tbsp caster sugar.

Take 8 large basil leaves and roll them together to make a cylinder, then thinly shred them widthways and add to the strawberries.

Add 4 – 5 grindings of black pepper and gently mix everything together.

Leave to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. Toss gently before serving and garnish with basil sprigs.

This is a sweet / savoury combination that can either be served with a spread of salads or as a dessert with ice-cream and maybe some shortbread on the side.


For a sweeter combination this is the ideal time of year to try combining strawberries with that summer classic herb, lavender. This gives surprising depth to the fruit flavour. First extract the lavender flavour and aroma:

  • Warm 60 ml of gin in a very small bowl and add 1 tbsp English lavender flowers — Hidcote is lovely as it imparts a beautiful dark purple colour.
  • Cover the bowl tightly to preserve the lavender aromas and leave to marinate for 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile slice or quarter 300g strawberries into your serving dish and sprinkle over 50g icing sugar.
  • When the gin is ready, strain off the spent flowers, and add the liquid to the strawberries, tossing gently to mix and dissolve the icing sugar.
  • Leave to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours.
  • Toss gently before serving and garnish with fresh lavender heads.

Serve this with vanilla ice-cream or some clotted cream, or just lovely on their own!


Sage and Apple Dessert Cake


Sage and Apple Dessert Cake

This is a really easy recipe — quick and no trouble to prepare.

It can served traditionally as a cake with your coffee or at tea-time, or warm with cream or ice-cream it makes a great pudding.

We have used cooking apples in the recipe but any robust apple like a Cox or Granny Smith would make a good substitute.

  • 225g caster sugar
  • 225g self raising flour
  • 1 rounded tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g unsalted butter — melted
  • 300g cooking apples — prepared weight (Peeled, cored and thickly sliced)
  • 2 heaped tbsp chopped sage leaves
  • 30g flaked almonds

Method:

  • Grease a 20cm loose bottomed tin with a little of the butter, and line the base with a circle of baking paper.
  • Preheat your oven to Fan 140°C / 160°C / Gas Mark 3.
  • In a medium bowl combine the first five ingredients and after an initial mixing beat well for a minute.
  • Spoon half of the mixture into your prepared tin and spread out to cover the base.
  • If the apple slices are very large cut them in half and the pile on top of the cake mixture in the tin. If possible keep them mainly in the centre leaving a space around the edge of the tin.
  • Sprinkle the chopped sage evenly over the apples.
  • Carefully spoon the remaining mixture over the apples — concentrating on covering the apples in the centre.
  • As the cake starts to cook the mixture will spread out to the edges.
  • Finally sprinkle the almonds over as decoration.
  • Bake for 1hour 15 minutes until the cake is golden brown.
  • Test with a skewer to make sure that the centre is cooked through and if needed it can stay in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes.

Cool the cake in its tin on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the cake tin sides. The cake is rather fragile when it is hot, so leave to cool completely on the cake tin base before transferring to a serving plate and dusting with icing sugar.

Eat and enjoy - or wrap tightly in foil and freeze!


Bergamot Fruit Salad

This is a great summer fruit salad to make when there is loads of soft fruit available, the bergamot syrup really enhances the flavours of the fruits.

  • 5 or 6 large bergamot leaves
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 180 ml water
  • 150 ml orange juice
  • 100 g redcurrants or blackcurrants if these are not available
  • 300 g strawberries
  • 200 g raspberries
  • Bergamot petals to decorate

Warm together the juice, water, sugar and bergamot leaves over a low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved increase the heat to a boil for 5 minutes until the syrup has reduced. Remove the bergamot and add the redcurrants. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes then leave to cool.

Remove the green tops from the strawberries and halve them. Put into your serving dish with the raspberries and pour over the cooled redcurrant syrup. Decorate with the bergamot petals as an edible garnish.


Thyme and Lemon Crème Brûlée

Makes 4 ramekins.

  • 350 ml double cream
  • 120 ml milk - full fat is best if not substitute semi-skimmed
  • zest of a large lemon
  • 6 long sprigs of thyme
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 60 g sugar
  • brown granulated sugar for the caramelisation of the tops.

Chop the lemon zest and add it to a pan with the thyme sprigs, cream and milk. Bring just to the boil and then remove from the heat and leave for the flavours to infuse for 30 minutes. After the flavours have been extracted strain through a sieve to remove the zest and thyme sprigs, return to the pan and reheat to hot but not boiling.

Fill a roasting tin which will hold your 4 ramekins with 1cm boiling water, place in the oven and preheat to 325F, Gas Mark 3, 160C (140C fan).

In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the 60g sugar and add a little of the lemon zest and thyme leaves from the strainer. Beating constantly, add the cream mixture to the egg yolks a little at a time until it is all incorporated. Divide the mixture between 4 ramekin dishes, make sure that you fill each dish well as the filling tends to shrink after cooking. Place in the pan of hot water in the oven. The water should reach no more than half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are set and the centres are just a little wobbly. The time may vary according to your oven - oven temperatures being notoriously unreliable! Turn off the oven and leave the brûlées inside for a further 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool. Refrigerate until required.

When you are ready to serve, sprinkle each ramekin with the brown sugar - about 1 tsp each or more to taste. If you have a special cook's blowtorch then you are well away, but for the rest of us... Preheat the grill to as hot as possible. Heat the ramekins for a few minutes until the sugar is melted and caramelised, taking care that they do not burn.

Serve immediately decorated with a sprig of thyme.


Rhubarb and Sweet Cecily Yorkshire Pudding

Serves 4 - 6

  • 350 g young rhubarb (5 - 6 stalks)
  • 90 g sultanas or raisins
  • 25 g chopped young sweet cecily leaves
  • 40 g butter
  • 2 heaped tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs corn oil - or another unflavoured oil
  • 120 g plain flour
  • 180 ml milk
  • 4 eggs

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 400F, Gas Mark 6 or 200C (180C fan).
  • Cut the rhubarb into 2 - 3 cm lengths and put in a bowl, cover with boiling water.
  • Leave for 1 minute and then drain, this softens the rhubarb.
  • Add the sultanas and sweet cecily to the rhubarb and set aside.
  • Heat the butter, oil and sugar in a small pan over a low heat until the sugar melts then pour the mixture into the bottom of a small roasting tin. Heat the tin in the oven until the oil just starts to bubble.
  • Make a batter by beating together the flour, milk and eggs and pour this quickly into the roasting tin on top of the butter and sugar mix.
  • Sprinkle the rhubarb mix down the centre of the pan leaving a 3 cm gap around the edge to puff up whilst it cooks.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, watching during the last 5 minutes in case the edge of the pudding becomes burnt.
  • Serve traditionally with custard or with greek yoghurt.

Lavender Flower Icecream

  • 8 tbs vodka or gin
  • 3 tbs lavender flowers
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 125 ml lavender honey (or runny honey)
  • 250 ml thick double cream

Warm the spirit until hand hot in a small bowl and add the flowers. Leave for one hour to infuse, with a lid on the bowl. Strain well through a tea strainer, squeezing the flower heads to extract all the scented spirit.

Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with an electric beater. Heat the honey to boiling and slowly pour onto the egg yolks whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until cool, and then stir in the lavender flavouring.

Fold in the thick cream, whipped double cream maybe used instead. Transfer to either a freezer proof bowl or an ice-cream machine and freeze.

Serve decorated with lavender petals.


Refreshing Fruit and Mint Sorbet

  • 200 ml fruit juice (grapefruit, orange and pineapple are all good)
  • 50 g sugar
  • 150 ml water
  • 5 large sprigs of lime mint
  • 1 egg white
  • lime mint flowers or leaves as decoration

Boil the sugar and water together until the sugar is dissolved. Chop the mint leaves finely and add to the syrup, leave to one side to cool for 30 minutes. Add the chosen juice to the mint mixture and strain into a freezerproof bowl or an ice-cream maker.

Freeze until semi-frozen, this will take 45min to 1hour in the freezer - times in an ice-cream machine will vary according to the model.

At this point, beat the egg white stiffly and fold into the semifrozen mixture.

Refreeze until firm but not completely solid.

Serve decorated with the lime mint flowers or leaves.


Chocolate and Violet Sorbet

  • 30 sweet violet flowers
  • 175 g caster sugar
  • 50 g cocoa powder
  • 125 g high quality dark chocolate

Warm 500 ml of water in a saucepan with the caster sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, do not allow the syrup to get too hot. Add the washed violet flowers to the warm syrup and leave to infuse for up to 1 hour.

Remove the violets with a slotted spoon, and rewarm the syrup in the pan. Add a little syrup to the cocoa in a small bowl and blend well before returning the cocoa mixture to the pan. Break the chocolate into small pieces and add to the pan, whisking well to dissolve the chocolate.

Bring the mixture to the boil, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and place in a pan of iced water for at least 15 minutes.

When the mixture is completely cold pour into an ice-cream maker and churn until set, then transfer to a plastic container and freeze overnight before serving garnished with violet flowers.

This sorbet is lovely at the end of a rich meal and can be served with a raspberry sauce easily made by processing raspberries with a squeeze of lemon juice in the food processor and then straining the sauce through a sieve to remove the seeds before serving with the sorbet.


Creamy Summer Fruit Salad

  • 500 g summer fruit
  • (strawberries, raspberries, cultivated blackberries can all be used either alone or mixed)
  • 250 ml double cream
  • 2 tbs golden castor sugar
  • 125 ml greek yoghurt
  • 3 tbs orange juice
  • 20 lemon balm leaves – finely chopped
  • the leaves from 5 sprigs of pineapple mint – finely chopped

Mix together the sugar, yoghurt and orange juice and fold the mixture into the whipped cream. Stir in the fruit and the herbs and spoon into a decorative serving dish.

If the ingredients were not chilled, then refrigerate before serving, garnished with sprigs of the herbs.


Midsummer Fruit Salad

  • 3 nectarines – halved, stoned and sliced
  • 250 g seedless grapes
  • 2 thin skinned oranges – peeled and sliced
  • 250 g seasonal soft fruit i.e. loganberries, raspberries, strawberries.
  • 125 g blueberries.
  • 3 tbs brandy
  • 250 ml orange juice
  • 1 tbs each of thyme, lemon balm and fruity mint (lime or pineapple) – chopped

The fruit content of this salad is infinitely variable, according to the season.

Put the prepared fruit into a pretty serving bowl and sprinkle over the herbs. Pour over the juice and the brandy and mix gently. The juice maybe sweetened if desired before adding to the fruit.

Chill the salad in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.


Raspberry and Basil Cream Pots

An unusual and delicious dessert.

  • 500 ml double cream
  • 6 – 8 stalks of basil – leaves and stalks torn roughly into pieces
  • (cinnamon basil is lovely but any type of basil can be used)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 tbs caster sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 150 g raspberries

Start the night before you need to dessert!

Very gently warm the cream in a small pan, but do not allow it to boil. Add the torn basil and cool, refrigerate overnight in the pan.

The next day beat the sugar with the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Reheat the cream, but do not boil, strain through a sieve onto the egg mixture, mix the cornflour with a little water and stir this into the cream and egg mix.

Place the bowl containing the basil flavoured cream over a pan of boiling water and heat gently, stirring all the time, until the cream has thickened. This will take about 10 minutes.

Divide the mixture between 4 individual ramekin dishes. Sprinkle over the raspberries and leave to cool. Either serve immediately or refrigerate until required.


Mint Chocolate Mousse

(Serves 4)

  • 225 g good dark chocolate (with a high % cocoa solids)
  • 4 eggs – separated
  • 2 tbs brandy
  • 2 tsp finely chopped grapefruit mint leaves
  • whipped cream and grapefruit mint flowers to decorate

Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or over in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth. Beat the egg yolks together and add to the chocolate. Beat thoroughly and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Whip the egg whites to the soft peak stage and fold gently into the mousse.

Spoon the mixture into 4 pretty glass bowls and chill for 2 hours. Just before serving, decorate with swirls of whipped cream and mint flowers.