Regula Ysewijn's Bakewell pudding

A sample recipe from food writer and photographer Regula Ysewijn's Pride and Pudding which I really hope will make you want to buy this brilliant new book.

It's a labour of love that revives your faith in cookbooks - erudite, original, beautifully written, gorgeously shot and styled - something you'll definitely want to own and leaf through. If it doesn't win one of next year's food writing and/or photography prizes I'll be amazed.

Regula writes: "All of the 1830s recipes for Bakewell pudding are quite different in character, which makes it hard to define the ‘real’ Bakewell pudding. There are also very strong similarities with a Sweet-meat Pudding from Eliza Smith’s book The Compleat Housewife (1737).

Some Bakewell puddings have a layer of jam, others have a layer of candied peel and preserves as in the sweet-meat pudding. Some use bitter almonds, others do not. It leads me to believe that the Bakewell pudding wasn’t a pudding invented in an inn in Bakewell, as the popular myth likes people to believe; it was an existing pudding that was renamed thus to attract customers in the nineteenth century. And because it became famous in that locality, it disappeared in the rest of the country, making it a regional dish.

The version with just a layer of jam is the one that the Bakewell bakeries adopted as the true recipe. But if you would like to taste the earlier sweet-meat pudding version, here it is. I use powdered raw sugar, as early recipes often ask for loaf sugar, powdered, and it works better indeed. If you have a heatproof plate that will go into your oven, use that instead of a pie dish, as I believe this was the original vessel used to bake this pudding.

Makes 2 puddings in 23 cm (9 inch) shallow plates

25 g (1 oz) bitter apricot kernels (available online or in health food shops)

1 teaspoon rosewater

110 g (3¾ oz) clarified butter, melted

110 g (3¾ oz) raw sugar, powdered in a food processor

5 egg yolks

1 egg white

1 quantity puff pastry (see page 344)

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

50 g (1¾ oz) candied lemon peel, cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Blanch and skin the apricot kernels by pouring boiling water over them to make the skins come off. Rinse under cold water and dry them using a clean tea towel (dish towel) to rub off the last of the skins.

Using a mortar and pestle, pound up the blanched apricot kernels with the rosewater. This will prevent the apricot kernels from producing oil and also will add a heavenly scent. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the clarified butter and the sugar, whisking until creamy. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Don’t be alarmed if the filling seems runny to you, it is normal.

Line a pie dish or plate with the puff pastry rolled out as thin as you can manage and spread the raspberry jam over it, leaving a 2 cm (¾ inch) border that will become the rim. Neatly arrange strips of candied lemon peel over the jam, then gently pour in the filling mixture.

Bake in the bottom of the oven for 15 minutes, then move to the middle of the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Serve on its own or with fresh raspberries and maybe a little whipped cream.

What to drink: I happen to know that Regula is a beer fan so am thinking that a Belgian or Belgian style raspberry beer would be a lovely match for her tart. You could also try a regular dessert wine - I'd go for a muscat - or maybe a glass of ratafia.

Extracted from Pride and Pudding by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books, £20). Photography by Regula Ysewijn.

Rustle up a Red Nose Pudding!

If you’re organising a Red Nose Day tasting tonight here’s a zany idea for a pudding that I devised for a Sainsbury’s magazine feature a couple of years ago when I interviewed TV presenter Phillip Schofield for Comic Relief.

It’s based on the classic French cherry dessert Clafoutis, a crisp sweet batter with cherries - or rather, red noses . . .

serves 8-10

2 x 425g cans of black cherries
3 tbsp of kirsch, cherry brandy or brandy (optional but good!)
4 medium eggs
60g (2 1/2 oz) caster sugar
110g (4 oz) plain flour
A pinch of salt
400ml(14 fl oz) whole milk (i.e. not skimmed or semi-skimmed)
Finely grated rind of one medium unwaxed lemon
A little flavourless oil for the tin
Icing sugar to serve

You will need a shallow rectangular cast iron dish or baking tin about 30cm x 20 cm or 1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) in capacity

Get the cherries and batter ready two to three hours before making the pudding. Drain the cherries and place in a bowl with the kirsch or cherry brandy, if using. Mix lightly together with a metal spoon and leave to macerate, stirring the cherries into the juice a couple of times. To make the batter put the eggs in a food processor or liquidiser with the sugar, flour, salt and half the milk. Whizz together until smooth then gradually add the rest of the milk. Add the lemon rind and whizz again then pour the batter into a large jug, cover, and leave in the fridge until ready to use.

To bake the pudding preheat oven to 190°C/375° F/Gas 5. Brush the baking dish or tin lightly with the oil and put in the oven for 5 minutes to heat up. Drain the cherries (reserving the juice - a treat for the cook!) and tip into the base of the dish. Give the batter a final stir, pour over the cherries and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until nicely puffed up and brown. (Check after 20 minutes and if it seems to be browning too quickly turn down the heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.) Sift icing sugar over the pudding and serve with pouring cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recommended match: A cool cherry-flavoured fruit beer (Kriek) would be the perfect match with this although you could drink a southern French Muscat or other dessert wine.

Don't forget a number of retailers are selling wine in aid of Wine Relief which is contributing to the Red Nose Day charities. You can find my pick of what's on offer in the Guardian though some are no longer available as part of the promotion.

The photograph which is not of my recipe but one very like it is © Lilyana Vynogradova - Fotolia.com

Strawberry tiramisu

This is a slight adaptation of a fantastic recipe from Italian cookery writer Valentina Harris which I first tasted on one of her cookery courses in Tuscany and included in my book Food, Wine and Friends.

Serves 6
400g (14 oz) ripe strawberries
5 hard amaretti biscuits
2 large eggs, separated
40g (1 1/2 oz) caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp white rum
250g (9 oz) mascarpone cheese at room temperature
3 tbsp whipping cream
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) pressed apple juice
1/2 a 200g pack of savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)

You will need a medium to large, deep glass bowl

Hull the strawberries. Weigh out 100g and chop them finely. Slice the remaining strawberries and set aside.

Put the amaretti biscuits in a plastic bag, seal then bash them with a rolling pin until they are the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with electric hand held beater or a whisk until pale yellow and fluffy, gradually adding the caster sugar as you go. Add the vanilla extract and a tablespoon of the white rum.

Tip the mascarpone cheese into a large bowl, beat with a wooden spoon to soften then gradually add the eggs and sugar and beat until smooth.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until they just hold a soft peak.

Fold the chopped strawberries into the mascarpone cheese mixture, then carefully fold in the egg whites.

Whip the whipping cream to a similar consistency then fold that in too together with a third of the crushed amaretti biscuits.

Mix the remaining rum with the apple juice. Dip some of the biscuits in the apple-rum mixture and lay across the base of your bowl.

Reserving some strawberries for decoration, arrange a layer of sliced strawberries over the biscuits then cover with a layer of mascarpone cream. Repeat with one or two more layers of soaked biscuits, strawberries and mascarpone cream, finishing with the mascarpone cream.

Cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours. About an hour before you serve up sprinkle the remaining amaretti biscuits over the top of the trifle then decorate with the remaining strawberries. Return the tiramisu to the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

Note: this recipe includes uncooked egg

What to drink: A well chilled glass of Moscato d'Asti would be perfect.