Between milkshakes, trifles and mousse, there are so many fantastic recipes that use this dessert staple. It’s not just a garnish anymore and can be used to lighten a dish up or as the bind that holds it all together.
Here is a two-course meal you can enjoy with whipped cream.
Main course:
Salt-crusted whole sea bass with fennel and rocket salad and garlic mash.
Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sea bass
- 1 sea bass, scaled and gutted (about 1.4 kg/3lb 2oz)
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 4 free-range egg whites
- 300g/11oz sea salt
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the fennel salad
- 1 large bulb fennel, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 1 orange, juice only
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch rocket
For the garlic mash
- ½ bulb garlic
- 300ml/11fl oz whipping cream
- 500g/1lb King Edward potatoes, cooked in a pan of boiling salted water until tender, drained and mashed
- 75g/3oz unsalted butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6.
- Dry the scaled, gutted fish with kitchen paper. Stuff the body cavity with the thyme.
- Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold the salt into the egg whites.
- Line a baking sheet or ovenproof serving dish with greaseproof paper and spread one-third of the egg white mixture over the base.
- Lay the sea bass on top of the egg white mixture, and then spoon over the remaining mix to cover the fish completely.
- Bake the sea bass in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the salt crust is crisp.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Break the salt crust with a palette knife. Using a pastry brush, remove the salt crystals from the surface of the fish and from around the fish.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil.
- For the fennel salad, place the fennel, dill, orange juice and olive oil into a bowl and mix together.
- Leave to stand for about ten minutes. Just before serving, add the rocket and mix to coat the rocket leaves.
- For the garlic mash, place the garlic and cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the cream is reduced by half.
- Remove the garlic bulb from the pan, then mix in the mashed potatoes and stir well to combine.
- Add the butter and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To serve, place a spoonful of mash onto each serving plate along with a little of the salad and a quarter of the sea bass for each person.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/saltcrustedwholeseab_85023
Dessert:
Mary Berry’s tipsy trifle
Homemade Swiss roll and soaks up the sherry and adds a special decorative touch to Mary Berry’s slightly boozy, party-time trifle.
Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 10
Dietary
For the Swiss roll
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 100g/3½oz self-raising flour
- 175g/6oz strawberry jam or conserve
For the filling
- 20 ratafia biscuits
- 1 x 800g/1lb 12oz tin pear halves in natural juice
- 250ml/9fl oz medium dry sherry
For the custard
- 3 large free-range eggs, yolks only
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 50g/1¾oz cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 600ml/1 pint whole milk
- 300ml/10½fl oz single cream
To decorate
- 250ml/9fl oz whipping cream
- 25g/1oz flaked almonds, toasted
- 10 cherries
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Grease and line a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
For the Swiss roll, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and frothy and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted out. Sift the flour into the mixture and carefully fold it in. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and give it a gentle shake so that the mixture finds its own level, making sure that it has spread evenly to the corners.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sponge is golden-brown and begins to shrink from the edges of the tin. While the cake is cooking, place a piece of baking parchment a little bigger than the size of the tin on the work surface and dust it with caster sugar.
Turn the cake out onto the sugared parchment and peel off the paper. Trim the edges of the sponge with a sharp knife to give straight clean edges. Make a score mark running down one of the long sides, about 2cm/1in in from the edge, being careful not to cut right through.
Leave to cool slightly, then spread with jam. Roll up the cake firmly from the scored end.
Cut the Swiss roll into 14 slices. Carefully arrange eight of the slices, closely together around the sides of a 20cm/8in, straight sided, glass bowl, with the cut, rolled sides facing outwards.
For the filling, arrange the remaining six slices in the base of the dish. Crumble the ratafia biscuits over the top.
Combine 150ml/5fl oz of the pear juice drained from the tin with the sherry and sprinkle it over the sponge and crumbled biscuits. Level the surface by pressing down with a spoon and leave to soak while you make the custard.
For the custard, put the egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract into a large bowl and whisk until blended. Heat the milk and cream together in a pan until hot, but not boiling. Gradually whisk this into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time, then return the mixture to the pan. Stir over a high heat until the mixture just comes to the boil and the custard thickens. Take off the heat and cover with cling film in contact with the surface to prevent a skin forming.
Drain the pears and cut each half in three lengthways and arrange over the sponges. Pour over the custard, cover and leave until completely cold before transferring to the fridge to chill and set.
Leave three tablespoons of whipped cream aside for final decoration, gently spread the cream over the surface of the set custard and scatter with the almonds. Spoon 10 cream blobs around the trifle, one for each portion. Decorate with 10 cherries and chill until ready to serve.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_tipsy_trifle_21330
