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Nick Nairn’s top puds

Michelin star chef Nick Nairn shares two of his never-fail classic desserts
Michelin star chef Nick Nairn shares two of his never-fail classic desserts

Nothing beats finishing a meal with a good dessert. Tiramisu is a classic pudding but all too often it’s done badly – oversweet, sickly and with too much cream.

The recipe below has been a favourite with those attending Cook School classes for 15 years so has been well and truly tried and tested. It’s that classic combination of sponge, coffee and custardy mousse which just works and makes it continue to be a favourite pud which can be eaten all year round.

My second dessert, Frozen Chocolate and Hazelnut Pud with Salted Caramel and Creme Fraiche is another favourite. It originated in Nairn’s in Glasgow in 1993.

Jim Kerr who was my manager, and had been head chef at One Devonshire Gardens, came up with the idea and John Webber, who works as a tutor at the Cook School, made a few changes with it, coming up with this more user-friendly recipe.

We put it on as a class when we opened at Port of Menteith  in 2000 and here we are 16 years later and it’s still going strong. It’s absolutely brilliant for dinner parties as it can be prepared in advance and just needs a few wee touches to finish it off at the last minute.

TIRAMISU

SERVES 4

yl-nairnfood1100g caster sugar

2 whole eggs

250g mascarpone

240g double cream

16 Amaretti biscuits

1 vanilla pod, seeds removed

60ml Amaretto liqueur

4tsp instant coffee, diluted with 2tbsp warm water and 1tsp sugar

A dusting of cocoa powder or freshly grated chocolate

Place a metal whisking bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the eggs and caster sugar to the bowl and whisk until they become thick and foamy. The mixture will become pale and roughly double in volume. Take care not to overheat the egg mixture as it will turn to scrambled egg. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, add the vanilla seeds to the mascarpone and gently mix and soften using the back of a fork. In a third bowl, gently whisk the double cream until just beginning to leave a light ribbon on the surface.

When the egg mix has cooled, fold in half of the Amaretto liqueur to slightly loosen. Fold the remaining half of the Amaretto into the mascarpone mix, again to loosen.

Fold the egg mixture into the mascarpone and thoroughly mix. Finally gently fold in the double cream to the mix. (Do not over mix as this may curdle).

Crush the Amaretti biscuits and dissolve the coffee. Now you are ready to construct the dish. We like to serve these in individual glasses, which is simple for serving and looks great.

You could also construct this as a single larger dessert. Place a small amount of the crushed biscuits in the bottom of each glass and pour over some coffee.

Add a layer of the tiramisu cream and repeat these layers until the glass is full. Place in the fridge to set for two hours.

To serve, dust with cocoa powder or fresh grated chocolate.

 

FROZEN CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT PUD WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND CREME FRAICHE

SERVES 8-10

yl-nairnfood4

BISCUIT BASE

120g Amaretti biscuits

45g unsalted butter

30g chopped hazelnuts

25g muscovado sugar

8 cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely ground

SALTED CARAMEL

300g caster sugar

150ml water

150ml double cream

75g butter

1/4tsp plus 1/8tsp table salt

FILLING

300g plain chocolate (65-70% cocoa solids)

300g caster sugar

300g unsalted butter

150ml strong espresso

6 large free range egg yolks

TO SERVE

Crème fraiche

Pistachio nuts, finely chopped

Pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt

Icing sugar

Line a square 9in baking tray with greaseproof or baking paper. Using a small food processor grind the hazelnuts then add the Amaretti biscuits and muscovado sugar and process until fine but not powdered. Add the ground cardamom seeds.

Melt the butter then mix evenly into the dry mass. Pour the mix into the tin and spread to about 4mm deep. Gently press the mix evenly into the base of the tin then chill to set while the filling is made.

For the filling, break the chocolate into a bowl, add butter and set over a pan of warm water to melt, then mix in the espresso and sugar. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Beat in the chocolate mixture.

Pour this mix into a shallow pan and cook gently on the stove as if you are making a custard. Heat, stirring, to 78°C-80°C then strain into a clean bowl and let cool before pouring into the tin.

Place on a level surface in the fridge to cool completely then cover and store in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for three months.

Next make the caramel: The sugar will be very hot so be careful – rubber gloves are a good idea. Pour the sugar into a wide shallow pan and place on a medium heat and warm until the sugar begins to melt.

Don’t hurry the process or you may burn the sugar and don’t stir it or it will form icebergs of sugar; just a gentle shake is all that’s needed. When most of the sugar has melted stir to melt down the last few crystals.

Once all melted, turn up the heat slightly and watch the pan. Have the water, cream and butter ready. When the sugar is caramelising a ring of foam will appear and a light blue haze will come off the pan.

Quickly add the water to cool the pan closely followed by the cream. Be careful as the steam can burn. Stir gently and work in the butter. Strain into a heatproof jug and let cool.

Check the consistency of the sauce once cooled; if it’s too thick add a drop of boiling water to thin it. The sauce will also freeze perfectly, giving us the whole dessert from the freezer!

When ready to serve, warm the sauce to a flowing consistency. Cut the cake directly from the freezer at minus 18°C. If your freezer is colder sit the pud in the fridge for a few minutes before cutting.

Remove from the tin, trim the edges then cut the slab in half and slice each side into four or five rectangles. Place each portion onto a plate and let stand at room temp for 10 minutes to warm to a silky texture.

Spoon caramel sauce on one side and sprinkle the pud with a little Maldon salt. Set a scoop of crème fraiche on the caramel. Sprinkle chopped pistachio nuts over the crème fraiche and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.