I’ve used Rachel’s coconut yogurt as it’s really rich and creamy (although vanilla also works really well). Simply churn the yogurt in an icecream machine for 40 mins, then pop it the freezer for a couple of hours, or until ready to serve. Top with fresh passion fruit and let your lucky love marvel at your creation.

If you don’t have an icecream machine then it’s a bit more work but don’t be put off. Simply put your yogurt in a tupperware container and pop in the freezer. Check it after 45 mins and give it a good whisk and return to the freezer. You’ll need to check and whisk it every 30 mins until it becomes resistant to whisking. Leave for 2-3 hours until set in the middle.

The post A passionate pudding appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.

Simple frozen yogurt, using some lovely seasonal berries. Click ‘more’ for the recipe.

I used an ice cream machine for this one, 1 punnet of seasonal berries (around 350g), washed and whizzed to a pulp in a blender (put a small amount aside to use as a topping). Add 200ml of natural yogurt, 100ml of skimmed milk and 50g of caster sugar. Add to an icecream machine and churn for around 30/40 mins. Serve with whole seasonal berries of your choice or some of the blitzed fruit puree.

All photography copyright 2013 Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson

 

The post Easy berry frozen yogurt appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.

Are we allowed to admit that summer is officially over now? Yes? Ok, phew, so I hope you won’t mind if a share a suitably autumnal post with you.

The post Blackberry ice-cream appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.

Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries is one of my most cherished cookery books, and I find myself returning to it again and again for inspiration. His warm, and somewhat magical, writing style and beautifully simple recipes tick all the right boxes for me.

There’s rebelliousness to Nigel’s cooking that I really admire. He inspires me to feel that cooking is an adventure and perfection is never the aim. Preparing meals to please yourself and your loved ones – that’s what it’s all about. I say hooray for Nigel. I bloomin’ love him!

Anyway, enough of the Nigel love-fest and on with the cooking. This is one of my favourite recipes from Kitchen Diaries 1. Rather than using the almond or orange biscuits that Nigel suggests, I opted for crushed shortbread (shortbread fingers, to be exact).  So what I ended up with was a version of a strawberry shortcake tart – and my goodness did it taste good!

The tart makes an ideal dessert, but my preference is as an afternoon treat accompanied by a glass of chilled prosecco.

You can find Nigel’s recipe here.

The post Strawberry mascarpone tart appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.

Forced Rhubarb:  available January – Feb/March

I really like rhubarb but hadn’t ever tried the ‘forced’ variety before, so I eagerly bought a big bagful when I spotted it in my local fruit and veg shop.

Forced rhubarb, as the name suggests, it is literally forced to grow. The plants are grown in long sheds where they are subjected to heat and darkness so that the young shoots grow quickly in a desperate search for light. Apparently, it was originally cultivated to fill a gap in the vegetable calendar when there wasn’t much else available.

I wanted to try something a bit different from the usual rhubarb crumble (yawn), so decided to have a go at making a semifreddo. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

The ginger is the first of the flavours to come through, followed by the rhubarb – it’s almost like they politely take it in turns to tickle your taste buds.

The rhubarb flavour is a lot stronger in the sauce and balances the richness of the mascarpone cheese well.

PS: fellow Brightonians, I got my rhubarb from Taj in Western Road.

You will need
For stewing the rhubarb
200g forced rhubarb
Juice and zest of 1 large orange 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g caster sugar
2 pieces of stem ginger (about the size and thickness of a 2p piece), finely chopped


For the semifreddo:
4 eggs, separated
500g mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

1.) Roughly chop your rhubarb and place in a saucepan with the orange juice, orange zest, 100g caster sugar and chopped ginger. Then add enough water to the pan to just about cover your rhubarb.
2.) Bring to the boil and simmer for about 7 minutes until the rhubarb is soft.
3.) Sieve the rhubarb over a clean bowl.  Set the juice aside and pop it in the fridge when it’s cooled.
4.) Next, whip the egg whites into soft peaks with a pinch of salt.
5.) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla for a few minutes and then add the mascarpone cheese.
6.) Whisk the cheese and egg yolk mixture for a couple of minutes until smooth, then stir in your stewed rhubarb (not the juice).  Add one tablespoon of the egg whites and stir in with a metal spoon.
7.) Carefully add the cheese and rhubarb mixture to the egg whites and stir gently. Take care not to knock the air from the beaten egg whites.
8.) Line a freezer-proof container with cling film and pour in the mixture. Freeze for around 4 hours (or overnight).
9.) Remove the semifreddo from the freezer and leave to stand for around 5 mins while you make the sauce.
10.) For the sauce, pour the chilled rhubarb juice into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and cook down until it thickens.
11.) Carefully lift out the semifreddo using the cling film, place it upside down on a serving plate and remove the cling film.
12.) To serve, cut even portions of the semifreddo and drizzle each the sauce. To finish, sprinkle with crushed amaretto biscuits (optional).

All images © Heather Wilkinson 2014

The post Forced rhubarb, mascarpone and ginger semifreddo appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.

The post Greek yogurt and warm berries appeared first on Breakfast by the sea.