Month: Apr 2022

Rhubarb, apple and almond pudding

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Warm, comforting, fragrant. Tangy with fruit and richly sweet with almond sponge.

1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 small eating apple, peeled, cored and diced
400g rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
3 heaped tbsp soft light brown sugar
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
1 tsp cinnamon
140g ground almonds
140g unsalted butter at room temperature
140g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. Place the apples and rhubarb into a ceramic baking dish
  3. Throw in the brown sugar, cornflour and cinnamon and toss the fruit until coated
  4. In a big bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy
  5. Beat in the eggs a bit at a time until well combined
  6. Then fold in the ground almonds
  7. Dollop big spoonfuls onto the fruit and then spread the mixture evenly
  8. Bake for 1 hour and leave to stand for 15 mins before serving warm with custard

Bun cha

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Succulent little balls of pork and herbs, simple to throw together and perfect with a cold beer. A Vietnamese name, but without any claim to authenticity. Serve with fine rice noodles, chilli sauce and lettuce leaves to wrap if you want to make them into a meal. Makes around 10.

  • 400g minced pork
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 5 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
  1. Thoroughly mix everything together in a bowl
  2. Cover and leave to rest for 30 mins in the fridge. Then lightly scoop up and roll into golfball-sized balls without overworking or compressing the mixture too much
  3. Grill, fry or barbecue for 10 mins until cooked through and serve straight away