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2. To make the egg dip, shell the eggs and cut in half. Take out the egg yolks, mash with a fork and mix together with the fromage frais, cream or milk and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Chop the egg white finely and stir in.
3. To make the garlic dip, peel the garlic and push through a garlic press. Drain the capers and chop finely. Mix together the garlic and capers with parsley, chives, fromage frais and yogurt and season with salt and pepper.
4. To make the orange-horseradish dip, wash the orange in hot water, wipe dry, cut into halves, peel one half very thinly using a sharp knife and cut the peel into thin strips or peel with a lemon zester. Then press this half orange, producing 11⁄2–2 tablespoons of juice. Stir the orange juice into the fromage frais and horseradish. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the strips of orange peel.
5. To make the crème fraîche dip, mix together the crème fraîche, tomato ketchup and herbs, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
6. Serve the celery with these dips.
Tip: You can also use these dips with other raw vegetables cut into strips (e.g. carrots, cucumbers, peppers or kohlrabi). To make the crème fraîche dip, you can also use 1 pack (25 g/1 oz) deep-frozen mixed herbs instead of fresh ones.
ADVICE
Desserts
Blancmange
A blancmange is made from cornflour (cornstarch), sugar, milk and eggs. There are also many custard powders available on the market which make the dish even easier to make. If you add stiffly beaten egg white to the blancmange, it must be beaten stiff enough that it can be cut with a knife and then folded into the boiling hot mixture, otherwise it liquefies and the blancmange becomes runny. You can use a mould or 4 small ramekins but first rinse under cold water before filling with the blancmange mixture, then leave in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Loosen the edges with the point of a knife to make it easier to turn out of the mould.
Instant blancmange
Cold liquid is thickened with a thickening agent, gelatine or vegetable gelling agent. These blancmanges are made without cooking and can be consumed immediately. Be careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the packet.
Fruit pudding
To make a fruit pudding (for instance, red fruit pudding, green fruit pudding), berries or other fruit diced small, are brought to the boil together with fruit juice and thickened with cornflour (cornstarch), stirring continuously. Another method that preserves the vitamins in the fruit consists of first thickening the juice for pudding, then adding the fruit to the thickened fruit juice but without bringing to the boil. This method preserves the aroma and intense colours of the fruit. If using deep-frozen fruit, the juice must be thickened slightly more than with fresh fruit and the frozen fruit must be added to the boiling hot thickened juice (without bringing it to the boil again).
Ice cream and sorbet
The basic ingredients of ice cream are sugar, eggs, milk or cream and flavouring ingredients such as vanilla, chocolate, lemon or strawberries. The ingredients are first whisked together in a hot bain-marie, then allowed to set by freezing. It is important to use exact quantities because the ice cream will be grainy if there is too little sugar, while if too much sugar is added, it will not set.
Sorbet is made with fruit purée, sugar syrup and sometimes stiffly beaten egg whites. The ingredients are then frozen. It is important to stir it occasionally during the freezing process to ensure a creamy consistency.
Owners of an ice cream maker can use it to make both ice cream and sorbet, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Fruit salad
Only ripe fruit should be used to make fruit salad. Ripe fruit is very sweet and therefore needs no added sugar. First, pour some freshly squeezed grapefruit or orange juice into a bowl, add the prepared fruit and mix well. Instead of using separate juice you can also use fruit that provides its own juice, such as grapes, melon and strawberries. The acid in the juice means that a delicate fruit, such as banana or apple, will retain its colour and not become brown. With fruit salads it is important to use fruit that differ in consistency, colour and taste, such as a juicy peach, a crisp apple, a creamy banana and a tart kiwi fruit.
Preparing oranges
Using a sharp knife, cut around the top at the stalk end and the bottom of the orange as far as the flesh. Place the orange on a chopping board and, using a knife, cut off the skin all around thick enough to also remove the white pith. Then carefully cut out the segments from between the membranes surrounding them. Reserve the juice – it may be used in the recipe.
Gelatine
Gelatine is used mainly as a gelling agent in creams and fruit jellies because it has a neutral taste. It is available ground or in leaves. As a rule of thumb, use 6 gelatine leaves or 1 pack of ground gelatine to set 500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) liquid. Follow the instructions on the packet when making gelatine.
• Soaking: Soak the leaf gelatine in cold water for about 5 minutes. Stir the ground gelatine in 6 tablespoons of cold liquid (depending on the recipe) in a small saucepan and leave to swell for up to 5 minutes.
• Dissolving: Squeeze the swollen leaf gelatine lightly, put in a small saucepan, soak and stir over low heat to dissolve. The swollen ground gelatine should be dissolved over low heat, stirring continuously.
• Setting cold liquids or mixtures: Add 2–3 tablespoons of the liquid or mixture to be set to the lukewarm gelatine solution and stir well to even out the temperature. Then mix this gelatine mixture into the liquid or mixture to be set, using a whisk.
• Setting hot liquids: Add the swollen, squeezed leaf gelatine or swollen ground gelatine undissolved to the hot but not longer boiling liquid and stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved.
• Cooling and setting Let the dish cool for several hours in the refrigerator if possible. If left in a cool room (for instance, the cellar) it will take much longer before it sets.
Tip
• Only fold in whipping cream or egg whites when the mixture containing the gelatine begins to set.
• A few fruits (e.g. pineapple, kiwi, figs and papaya) must be blanched before use. When raw they contain a proteolytic enzyme that affects the gelling property of gelatine.
Little glossary
Cactus fig
The cactus fig is a reddishgreen fruit with very fine prickles and inedible skin. The reddish-yellow flesh contains numerous edible seeds and has a fresh, aromatic taste. Green cactus figs are not yet ripe. Peel the fruit very carefully or cut in half and eat with a spoon.
Cape gooseberry
Cape gooseberries have a paper-thin hull that contains a round, light-yellow to yelloworange fruit. The flesh is light coloured with a slightly sour taste, reminiscent of pineapple. Both the seeds and skin are edible. Cape gooseberries can be eaten raw and are best when they are yellow and fully ripe.
Dates
The oblong-oval fruit are reddish brown on the outside and white inside with a hard, inedible stone in the middle. Dates have a sweet, honey-like taste.
Figs
Figs are very delicate fruit which are found in various colours. The reddish flesh contains numerous small edible seeds. Only ripe figs are aromatic. Figs cannot be stored for a long time and most figs available on the market are dried.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit has a yellow to orange-coloured skin and yellow to pinkish flesh. It is very juicy with a slightly sour-bitter taste. Cut the fruit in half and eat with a spoon, press, or cut into peeled segments like an orange in fruit salads.
Guava
The guava is a round, oval or pear-shaped fruit with yellowish skin. It has a sweet-sour taste and is very rich in vitamin C.
Kiwi
Kiwi fruits have a slightly hairy, inedible olive-brown or golden yellow skin. The light green or yellow flesh that contains edible seeds has a slightly sharp taste. Peel the fruit or cut in half and scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Kiwis will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Kumquat
The kumquat is a very small citrus fruit that is eaten with the skin. It is a highly aromatic fruit rich in calcium and vitamin C.
Lime
The lime is a citrus fruit with greenish fruit that is very juicy, highly aromatic and usually seedless. It is slightly less sour than a lemon but just as versatile.
Lychee
Lychees are the same size as plums with a wrinkled, redbrown inedible skin. The flesh is pale coloured and juicy with an inedible brown-black stone in the middle. They have a sweetish-sour, slightly nutty taste. The skin is easily crushed and removed when the fruit is ripe. Lychees are available in shops during the winter months.
Mango
The mango has an inedible, smooth, greenish-red to yellow skin and yellow, juicy flesh with a inedible stone in the middle. Ripe mangoes have a very intense aroma and a skin which gives slightly when pressed. The flesh is sweet and tangy.
Melon
There are many varieties of melons with various sizes and colours. The skin is inedible. The flesh is very juicy and aromatic, the taste ranging from slightly sweet (watermelon) to very sweet (Honeydew and Galia melons). The seeds and fibres inside are not edible. Melons are ripe when the area around the stalk end is slightly soft. Ripe melons are intensely fragrant.
Papayas
Papayas have a greenish-red or greenish-yellow leathery skin which is inedible. The yellow flesh is sweet with small inedible seeds. Papayas are an ideal fruit for fruit salad. They are ripe when the skin has become yellow and gives slightly when pressed with a finger.
Passion fruit
Passion fruit is greenish-yellow or greenish-red with shrivelled, inedible skin. The reddish-orange flesh which contains a large amount of seeds has a sweet aromatic taste. The skin becomes very shrivelled when the fruit is ripe.
Persimmon
The persimmon is a tomatolike, round fruit with smooth, shiny orange-coloured skin that is not edible. The slightly transparent flesh has only a few seeds. When ripe it is juicy and sweet, but when unripe it is terribly woody and stringy. It is ideally suited to purée, and as an ingredient in curd cheese-based dishes. Persimmons are slightly squarish in shape and can be eaten in the hand like an apple.
Pineapple
Pineapple is covered with inedible brown scales. The more developed the scales, the more fragrant the fruit. Ripe pineapple is very aromatic and juicy. When a pineapple is ripe the green leaves at the top are easily pulled off.
Pomegranate
This round fruit weighing up to 500 g/18 oz has a leathery skin and jelly-like flesh containing numerous edible seeds, separated into compartments by white membranes (which are bitter and not edible).
Star fruit or carambola
The star fruit or carambola is a yellow fruit that has a starshaped appearance when cut in half. It is usually eaten fresh and often used as decoration because of its attractive shape.
DESSERTS
172 | Bavarian pudding
Classic (4–5 servings)
Preparation time: about 40 minutes, excluding cooling time
1 vanilla pod
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) milk
6 leaves white gelatine
yolks of 3 medium eggs
75 g/3 oz sugar
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) chilled whipping cream
Per serving:
P: 8 g, F: 24 g, C: 21 g, kJ: 1383, kcal: 330
1. Cut open the vanilla pod. Scoop out the flesh with the back of a knife, put in the pan together with the milk and bring to the boil. Soak the gelatine in cold water, following the instructions on the packet.
2. Beat together the egg yolk and sugar in a stainless steel bowl or saucepan using a whisk. Now stir the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture. Put the bowl or saucepan in a bain-marie and heat while whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and turns white (neither the water nor mixture should be allowed to boil or the mixture may curdle). Remove the mixture from the bain-marie.
3. Squeeze the gelatine to remove as much water as possible and dissolve in the mixture while it is still hot. Then strain the mixture through a fine sieve and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.
4. As soon as the mixture begins to set, whip the cream until stiff and fold into the setting mixture. Take 4–5 ramekins or cups, each with a capacity of 150–200 ml/5–7 fl oz (5⁄8–7⁄8 cup). Rinse them in cold water, fill with the mixture and refrigerate for about 3 hours until set.
5. Carefully loosen the pudding along the edges with the point of a knife. Place the ramekins or cups briefly in hot water and turn the puddings out onto the plates. Garnish to taste.
Tip: Serve Bavarian pudding with whipped cream and fruit, fruit purée or chocolate sauce.
Variation 1: Bavarian cappuccino cream pudding. Dissolve 5 teaspoons instant espresso powder with the gelatine in the egg yolk and milk mixture and continue as described above. Fill cappuccino cups with this mixture and refrigerate. Before serving, beat 125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) whipping cream, put on top of the pudding to imitate the froth of a cappuccino and sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Variation 2: Bavarian orange cream. Add 3 teaspoons orange liqueur to the strained egg yolk and milk mixture and proceed as indicated above. Put the mixture in glass bowls or glasses, garnish with strips of orange peel (from 2–3 oranges) and refrigerate.
Variation 3: Bavarian chocolate cream. Chop up 150 g/5 oz plain chocolate, add to the egg yolk and milk mixture before adding the gelatine and dissolve into the mixture while stirring. Then dissolve the gelatine (use only 4 leaves because the pudding would set too firmly otherwise) and proceed as described above. The quantities make 6 servings of 150 ml/5 fl oz (5⁄8 cup) each.
DESSERTS
173 | Semolina pudding
For children
Preparation time: about 15 minutes, excluding cooling time
1⁄2 vanilla pod
500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) milk
75 g/3 oz sugar
grated peel of 1⁄2 untreated lemon
50 g/2 oz soft wheat semolina flour
1 medium egg
Per serving:
P: 7 g, F: 6 g, C: 34 g, kJ: 925, kcal: 221
1. Cut open the vanilla pod lengthways and scoop out the flesh with the back of a knife. Add the sugar, lemon peel, vanilla pod and flesh to the milk in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the semolina to the milk, stirring continuously. Bring to the boil and cook for about 1 minute while stirring.
2. Take the pan from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. Separate the egg and stir the egg yolk into the milk and semolina mixture. Beat the egg white stiff and fold carefully into the hot pudding.
3. Rinse the mould, bowl or ramekins in cold water and fill with the semolina pudding. Leave to cool and then refrigerate for about 3 hours.
4. Carefully loosen the pudding around the edges and turn out onto a plate.
Note: Only use very fresh eggs; check the sell-by date! Keep the pudding refrigerated and eat within 24 hours.
Tip: Serve semolina pudding with fresh fruit and whipping cream, stewed plums or puréed apricots.
Because the semolina mixture can spatter while cooking, it is advisable to use a spoon or whisk with a long handle for stirring.
Variation 1: Polenta pudding. Add sugar, lemon zest, vanilla pod and flesh to the milk together with 20 g/3⁄4 oz (11⁄2 tablespoons) butter and bring to the boil. Use polenta flour instead of semolina and proceed as described above.
Variation 2: Semolina curd cheese pudding. After you have added the stiffly beaten egg white, fold in 125 g/41⁄2 oz curd cheese into the lukewarm pudding; add more sugar if desired.
Variation 3: Semolina pudding with cinnamon. Use 1 cinnamon stick instead of the vanilla pod.
DESSERTS
174 | Vanilla blancmange
Classic (4–5 servings)
Preparation time: about 15 minutes, excluding cooling time
40 g/11⁄2 oz cornflour (cornstarch)
60 g/2 oz sugar
500 ml
/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) milk
yolks of 2 medium eggs
1⁄2 vanilla pod
1 pinch salt
white of 1 medium egg
Per serving:
P: 6 g, F: 7 g, C: 30 g, kJ: 858, kcal: 205
1. Mix together the cornflour and half the sugar. Add the egg yolks and at least 6 tablespoons of the milk little by little, and stir to make a smooth consistency. Cut open the vanilla pod and scoop out the flesh with the back of a knife.
2. Add the salt, vanilla pod and flesh to the rest of the milk and bring to the boil. Take the pan from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. Stir in the cornflour and milk mixture. Cook for at least 1 more minute while stirring, then remove from the heat.
3. Beat the egg white stiff together with the rest of the sugar, fold into the hot cornflour and milk mixture, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Rinse 4–5 cups or ramekins, size about 200 ml/ 7 fl oz (7⁄8 cup) each, in cold water and fill with the mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4. Carefully loosen the pudding around the edges with the tip of a knife. Place the cups or ramekins briefly in hot water and turn out of the mould onto dessert plates.
Tip: Only prepare in a glass bowl if you do not want to turn it out. To prevent a skin from forming, sprinkle with a little sugar or place clingfilm directly on the blancmange.
Serve the blancmange with whipped cream and fresh or stewed fruit.
Variation 1: Almond blancmange. Fry 70 g/3 oz chopped peeled almonds in a pan without fat over low heat until golden brown. Leave to cool down and stir into the mixture before folding the stiffly beaten egg white into it.
Variation 2: Pistachio and orange blancmange. Add 1 small (25 g/1 oz) pack of shelled, chopped pistachio nuts and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest from an untreated orange. Stir in 1–2 tablespoons orange liqueur if desired before folding the stiffly beaten egg white into the blancmange.
