Michelle Darmody: Comforting baking recipes that feel like a warm hug
The chocolate and cherry pudding is best eaten warm.
Most of us could do with a big comforting hug right now. Hopefully, these recipes will be a warm, sweet, tasty hug of sorts. The focus is on comfort and ease. Crumbles are my midweek go-to if I want a quick dessert. I have added a recipe for a crumble pie here but you can leave out the pastry base and just bake the fruit and topping if you wish.
The first milky, pink shoots of forced rhubarb are appearing in shops around the country and they are the perfect crumble ingredient. The stalks of rhubarb, like the first daffodils peeping through their papery shells, are a sign that the year is turning and brighter days are ahead. They are delicate in flavour and may need a little more sweetening. Simply taste the rhubarb after it is gently heated with the honey and if you need a little more sweetness you can add it here.
There was an overabundance of banana bread in the first lockdown, according to many media reports. The Chocolate banana and peanut butter crumble is another way to use up an excess of bananas. The combination of flavours is a winner. The chocolate and cherry pudding should be gooey in the centre when you are removing it from the oven, if it is left in too long it will resemble a sponge which is not what you want. It is best eaten warm.
- 200g butter, melted
- 290g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 50g cocoa powder, sieved
- 75g plain flour, sieved
- 90g dark chocolate, broken into small even size pieces
- 400g frozen cherries, allowed to warm to room temperature and any excess liquid drained
Preheat your oven to 190°C and grease an ovenproof dish that is about 8x10 inches.
Mix the hot butter with the caster sugar until the sugar is melted. Slowly beat in the eggs, cocoa powder and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop the mixture into your prepared dish. Sprinkle the cherries on top.
Bake for 35 minutes. The pudding should be gooey in the centre with a light crisp forming around the edges. Allow to cool slightly and eat warm.
for the pastry
- 225g flour
- 140g cold butter, cut into cubes
- 55g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 egg and 1 extra egg yolk beaten
For the filling
- 550g rhubarb, leaves removed, and stalks cut into inch-long segments
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- For the crumble
- 155g plain flour
- 100g demerara sugar
- 110g cold butter, cubed
- 30g porridge oats
- 20g slivered almonds
To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like rough breadcrumbs. Stir the sugar and zest into the egg, mix it lightly and add to the flour and butter with a fork. Bring the pastry together with your hands then rest it for at least an hour in the fridge or overnight if you wish.
Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and flour four a 10-inch tart tin, preferably one with a loose base.
Roll the pastry to about 3mm in thickness into a circle larger than the tin. Gently ease the pastry into the tin, prick the base a few times with a fork and cover with parchment and either baking beans or clean coins. Bake blind for 20 minutes and remove from the oven and remove the beans.
Lightly brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg yolk and return to the oven for 2 more minutes to seal. Sealing it will help stop the rhubarb soaking into the pastry during baking. Set aside to cool You can tidy up the edges of the pastry while it is still warm if you wish.
To make the filling place the rhubarb, honey and rosewater into a large heavy-based saucepan. Simmer on a low heat for about eight minutes until. the rhubarb is beginning to soften but still holds its shape quite well. Set aside.
To make the crumble mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the porridge oats and slivered almonds.
Scoop the rhubarb into the pastry case, leaving behind any excess juice. You can use this to serve with the crumble pie at a later stage if you wish. Sprinkle the crumble on top.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the pastry and crumble are golden and the fruit is bubbling. Set aside to cool in the tin.
Ingredients
For the crumble:
- 155g plain flour
- 100g demerara sugar
- 110 cold butter, cubed
- 30g porridge oats
- 30g pecan nuts, chopped
- 50g dark chocolate, broken into small even-sized pieces
For the filling:
- a knob of butter
- 450g bananas, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 50g dark chocolate, broken into small even-sized pieces
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
To make the crumble mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the porridge oats, pecan nuts and chocolate chips. Set aside.
To make the filling heat the butter in a frying pan and add the bananas. Sprinkle in the sugar and shake the pan so it coats the bananas. It should take a few minutes to caramelise. After it does transfer the banana and any liquid to an ovenproof dish and dot the peanut butter and chocolate in with the banana.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top and bake for 30 minutes until the crumble is golden.
