Sarahs Kitchen Travels

Category: Sweet Treats and Baking

A collection of free sweet treats and baking recipes from Sarah’s Kitchen Travels by Sarah Gurung

  • Sesame ice cream with date and coffee ripple

    makes 650ml
    sesame ice with date ripple

    I wish I could tell you some wonderful tale of how I was inspired to make this but I don’t have one. I’ve long known that coffee soaked dates are a Middle Eastern classic and delicious too, I’m also a big fan of sesame in all it’s forms. This recipe was born out of a burst of creativity with no particular direction other than self-indulgence.

    Ingredients

    Step one
    • 100g | 3 ½oz fresh pitted medjool dates
    • 100ml | 3 ½ fl oz very strong espresso coffee
    • 15 green cardamom pods, roughly crushed
    • ½ cinnamon stick.
    • Zest from one lemon

    Pour the coffee over the dates and cardamon and leave to infuse for 24 to 48 hours, the longer the better.

    Step 2
    • 200g | 7oz tahini
    • 200g | 7oz fresh double cream
    • 200g | 7oz condensed milk
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons of milk

    Method

    Make a puree by pressing the date and coffee mixture through a sieve with the back of a spoon discarding the skin and spices set the puree aside in the fridge until needed

    In a large bowl mix the tahini, cream, condensed milk, salt, and milk together, the mixture will thicken slightly as the tahini meets the cream. If you have an ice cream maker, pour the sesame mixture into your ice cream maker, and churn until it’s creamy and almost doubled in size, this ice cream won’t set hard. Once the ice cream is ready, pour half of it into a freezer-proof container, and add half of the date mixture on top. Run a spoon through the sesame ice cream and date puree for a ripple effect, repeat the process with the remaining ice cream and date mixtures. Place the ice cream into the freezer and freeze for at least six hours before serving.

  • New York French Toast

    Serves 4
    Crispy fluffy French toast

    It was a the cliche New York morning when I first tasted something similar to this.  A line of yellow cabs outside a very busy average looking diner hinted that this was probably a good place to eat.  I ordered their ‘Ultimate French Toast’.  What arrived was sliced bread, dipped in egg and cornflakes then covered with vanilla sugar.  The concept blew me away and I had to play around with the idea.

    Ingredients

    • 4 slices brioche loaf roughly 1 inch thick
    • 3 eggs egg 
    • 3 tablespoons milk
    • 30 grams | 1 ¼ oz cornflakes
    • Flavourless vegetable oil for shallow frying

    Method

    Whisk the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Roughly crush the cornflakes and spread them out on a plate.

    Gently heat the oil in a shallow frying pan to medium or until a small piece of cornflake sizzles when dropped in the oil. Dip a brioche slice, at a time,  into the egg mixture then into the cornflakes, gently pressing the cornflakes onto the brioche. Shallow fry slice until the underside is golden and crispy.  Turn the slice over and fry on the other side until golden and crispy.  Remove from the pan and drain on a piece of kitchen paper, repeat for the remaining brioche slices. 

    Serve this toast with fresh fruit compote and cream or yoghurt

  • Peach melba swiss roll

    fluffy swiss roll filled with soft whipped cream, fresh peaches and raspberry jam

    Fluffy swiss roll filled with soft whipped cream, fresh peaches and raspberry jam. if ever the UK gets a sunny summers day this is the cake to go for.

    Ingredients

    • 4 large eggs
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz granulated sugar
    • 100 grams |3 ½ oz self raising flour
    • 2 tablespoons cornflour
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon cider vinegar

    For the filling

    • 300 ml | 10 ½ fluid oz double cream
    • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 ripe peaches cut into wedges.
    • 6 tablespoons seedless, raspberry jam, or to taste

    Method

    • Pre-heat oven to 180°C | 160°C fan, 350°F
    • Grease a swiss roll tin, and line it with grease proof paper

    Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the sugar, vanilla extract and cider vinegar over them. Using a hand blender, blend them slowly for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the speed on the mixer to high and continue to whisk until the mixture has doubled in size, it should be a pale custard colour. Sieve the flour and cornflour together, then add them to the egg mixture and gently fold them in, you need to take care to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.  Once all the flower is folded in pour the mixture into the Swiss roll tin.  Tip the tin from side to side until the batter is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan.

    Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, take care not to overbake the cake as your swiss role will split when you roll it, the cake should be pale and spongey to the touch.  Once cooked, take the cake from the oven and immediately sprinkle 2 tablespoons of castor sugar over the top.  Place a fresh piece of greaseproof paper on the top, followed by a cooling rack upside down then tip the whole thing over the right way up. Remove the tin and peel the original greaseproof paper that you lined the tin with, off the cake. While the cake is still warm make a slight cut about 1 inch in from the end of the cake of the short side.  Gently roll the cake from the short side keeping the greaseproof paper in place and leave the cake to cool.

    In a bowl, stir the cream, caster sugar and vanilla extract together, then whisk to the soft peaks stage.

    Once the cake has gone completely cold, unroll it and spread it with the raspberry jam, then cover the jam with the cream mixture. Place the peach wedges in lines across the short side in equally spaced lines. Carefully roll the cake back up this time removing the greaseproof paper as you go until you reach the end.  Let the swiss roll stand for 5 to 10 minutes before you serve.

  • Prosecco syrup

    Makes approximately 500 ml | 17 fluid oz
    Prosecco syrup is delicious as a drizzle over ice-cream or fresh berries also brilliant in a cocktail

    I’m sorry, honestly I really am but I need to confess that I don’t like Prosecco. This recipe came about because I felt guilty throwing away opened bottle that someone had kindly given me. This syrup keeps indefinitely in the fridge and is delicious poured over berries for a guilt free dessert.

    Ingredients

    • 700 ml | 24 ½ fluid oz Prosecco
    • Zest of one orange
    • One star anise
    • 350 grams | 12 oz white sugar

    Method

    Bring the Prosecco, orange zest, and star anise to a rolling boil. Boil the prosecco until it has reduced by half to 350 ml. Add the sugar and bring the prosecco and sugar mixture back to a fast boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove* the star anise and set it aside to cool. Once it’s cooled strain into a screw up bottle and use as you like. I like this drizzled over fresh berries.

    *Be very careful not to burn yourself when you remove the star anise, the syrup will be very hot at this stage.

    Prosecco syrup always sounds so impressive but in truth it’s ridiculously easy. You don’t need to open a new bottle of Prosecco to make this. Every time you open a bottle and have a little leftover pop it into a freezer proof bag and freeze it until you have 700 ml | 24 ½ fluid oz. This recipe is just as good made with frozen Prosecco.