Mixed Berry Coulis

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Mixed Berries Coulis

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Serve sauce with cake, ice cream, pancake, custard, yogurt, cheesecake, over more fruit or just add ice water and drink it up!

You can use either fresh or frozen berries or a combination of both. Choose whatever berries you like and add them in any ratio. Just keep the orange juice, zest and cinnamon stick in the recipe. 

I like it best over Bread and Butter Pudding over homemade Vanilla Sauce. So bad for my waistline but so good for my taste buds! For yummy, Bread and Butter Pudding and Vanilla Sauce recipes, click here. 

MIXED BERRY COULIS FOR ANY DESSERT                   

Prep:	20 minutes
Cook:	5-10 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Makes:	3 cups
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Keeps well refrigerated up to 5 days.

Just the ingredients 5 cups of any combination of soft berries either fresh/ frozen or a combination 1/2 cup orange juice (~ 2 oranges) 1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (~ 2 oranges) 1/2" cinnamon stick OR 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1/2 cup of sugar A little water (if necessary)

Ingredients

5 cups of any combination of soft berries either fresh/frozen or a combination

I used frozen blueberries, fresh raspberries and strawberries. I have used on a separate occasion, a tiny bit (~3 Tablespoons) of frozen cranberries. It gives a rather nice tartness. If you do add cranberries, add additional sugar to adjust for the tartness.

1/2 cup orange juice (~ 2 oranges)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (~ 2 oranges)

1/2" cinnamon stick

OR

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Do not increase. You want a subtle hint only.

1/2 cup of sugar

Adjust the sugar to suit your taste. The 1/2 cup is a conservative amount. Do not make it overly sweet though or it will taste like liquid jam.

A little water if necessary 

Method

Wash the fresh berries and drain.

No need to defrost frozen berries.

In a pot, add the orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and sugar. Add the berries over it but hold back 1 cup of a softer fruit. Set that 1 cup aside. I usually choose to hold back blueberries or frozen fruits over fresh fruit. 

Over medium high heat, bring the contents to a simmer and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the fruits are soft. We do not want to cook the fruits too much.

Once you are happy with the taste, add the remaining 1 cup of reserved berries and turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the burner while it cools down.

Adding the remaining 1 cup of berries at this point helps to bring down the temperature of the fruits so that it does not overcook and retains the fresh taste of the berries.

Once the simmered fruits have cooled down sufficiently, remove the cinnamon stick, puree the fruits in a blender or use a hand held blender.

Strain to get a smoother sauce. Better to strain into a measuring jug to make it easier to transfer later into a storage bottle. 

If you think the sauce is too thick, dilute with a little water. 
When completely cooled, decant into storage bottle and refrigerate.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                              

It is time to put some of my recipes in order. Some of my posts have bonus recipes. 

I have been requested to separate them so that those bonus recipes will be easier to access. Good idea. Even I have trouble remembering where I had posted my recipe for a refreshing pineappleade. There are quite a few recipes.

In the next few weeks I will be working on tidying things up for your easy reference. 

These recipes (and more) will soon have their own posts:

• Pineappleade

No wastage here. This cool drink is made from pineapple peel and core!

• Chai Tea/Masala Tea

A good Chai/Masala tea is a comforting drink to sip on. I add ground cardamons and a touch of cloves.

• Beetroot Salad With Blue Cheese Capers And Pickled Sweet Onions

I like the combination of flavours in this salad. Salty cheese over earthy roasted beetroots. 20-minute pickled sweet onions and salty tart capers. It is best served with crusty white bread.

Creme Anglaise, Custard Sauce, Vanilla Sauce

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Creme Anglaise, Custard Sauce, Vanilla Sauce

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

I could eat this sauce by the spoonfuls and I mean with a very big spoon! It is such a smooth tasting sauce, made from egg yolks, equal amounts of milk and cream and some sugar. 

Not only does it taste heavenly, you don't have to wait too long to eat it. In just 10 minutes, you can have a spoonful of this most delicious, creamy sauce in your mouth. 

This soft yellow sauce can be used over a range of desserts and fruits. It is so versatile. 

You might recall Creme Anglaise being served with Bread and Butter Pudding, Steamed Puddings, Poached Pears, Chocolate Molten Lava, etc. 

Years ago, I stepped into a hotel coffee house renown for its cakes. I ordered my then favourite dessert, a Mille Feuille also known as a Napoleon (think alternating layers of puff pastry and pastry cream). It arrived served on a delicate pool of what I now know as Creme Anglaise. 

I knew then that Mille Feuille would no longer be my favourite sweet when without realising it, I cleaned up all the Creme Anglaise without even touching the Mille Feuille. I would go back to the hotel just to have the Creme Anglaise, forget about the Napolean even though that was good too. 

Those repeated hotel visits happened before I taught myself to cook. I realised that with my fanatical fascination for seeking out and eating good things, it would make more sense, economical and otherwise to learn to cook.

I like this sauce so much, I only make it on the rare occasion. If I was not concerned about my waist line, sugar and cholesterol levels, I would be drinking this sauce from the bottle.

CREME ANGLAISE, CUSTARD SAUCE, VANILLA SAUCE 

Prep:	5 minutes
Cook:	5 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Moderately easy
Makes:	2 cups of Creme Anglaise
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated.

Ingredients

5 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

200 ml whipping cream

200 ml whole milk (do not use skim or low fat milk)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

In a deep bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar to incorporate. No need to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.

In a non stick saucepan and over medium heat, warm up the whipping cream and milk until bubbles forms around the circumference. Watch the milk as it will boil over very quickly if you let it. Turn off the heat, transfer saucepan from the burner onto work surface.

Use a long ladle to spoon and add in the hot milk/cream into the egg yolk/sugar mixture whilst whisking all the time. You must whisk or you might end up cooking bits of your egg yolks. Repeat 3 more times or until you have added 1/3 of your milk/cream into the egg yolk/sugar mixture. 

Pour the mixture in the bowl, back into the saucepan and return it to the burner. Turn the heat back to medium and use a wooden spoon* to stir continuously.

Do not leave the stove and continue stirring, as the sauce will start to thicken very quickly, likely within a minute. 

Remember to reach all the bottom surface of the saucepan with the wooden spoon including the bottom circumference of the saucepan.

Within 3 to 5 minutes of stirring, you should have a very light, pourable sauce that has a slightly thicker viscosity than whipping cream. 

To check if the sauce is ready. Use your finger to trace a line on the back of the wooden spoon. It should leave a clear trail as pictured below. 

At any point, if you think your sauce is thickening too fast for you to manage, take it off the heat and continue stirring, then put it back on the heat until you reach the stage where you can leave a drawn line at the back of the spoon. 

There is a very narrow margin for error. Remember, it is better to under cook the sauce, so take it off the heat to be on the safe side. You can always put it back on the burner to cook further. Once you overcook the sauce and it starts to form little lumps, you will have to start all over again.

I myself take the saucepan off the heat two or three times, just to be sure I do not end up with scramble eggs.

Once the sauce is done, remove from the burner and continue stirring for 2 minutes to bring down the temperature and to make sure the bottom doesn't start to scramble.

Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract. Stir it in. 

Strain the sauce into a container. Let the sauce cool a little. Either serve it warm or cold. Cover the surface of the sauce directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate if you are not using it anytime soon.

*If you choose to use a silicon spoon to stir, please be aware that when you trace a line on the back of that spoon, it might not leave that distinct a line for you to realise that the sauce is ready. Use the silicon spoon to stir but test with either a metal or wooden spoon to check if the sauce is done.

Tips


Creme Anglaise can be served with:

Almost any cake. Either leave a jar of it out for your diners to help themselves or pour it over, under or alongside the cake. I find the sauce especially good with

• Bread and Butter Pudding
• Chocolate Molten Lava Cake or any Chocolate Cake
• Sponge Cake
• Fruit Cake
• Spotted Dick (a traditional British steamed pudding that has dried fruit and uses suet - beef/mutton fat)
• Stewed Fruits
• Poached Pears  (I have a recipe for Coffee Poached Pears)
• Mille Feuille
• Apple Crumble

Almost any fruit. Here are some suggestions:

• Any berries
• Figs
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Canned/bottled peaches, pears and nectarines, drained of syrup

Add brandy, liqueur or a flavouring of your choice to make this sauce the way you like it.  Add it after the sauce is cooked. I like the following flavourings:

• Brandy,
• Sweet sherry
• Limoncello
• Cointreau

What to do with the egg whites?

Pavlovas

Chocolate Pavlovas

Chocolate Eton Mess

Angel Food Cake

Egg white omelette, quick and easy.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                             

We are inching towards the last quarter of the year. Before you know it, there will be the perennial deluge of year end parties to attend and to throw! I love the year end festive period. It is my favourite time of the year.

In keeping with the festive and party spirit, I will begin posting a varied series of possible party food ideas that you could try out and then decide how to plan your party menu.

To start off, let me start with a menu that you might not be familiar with but is so suitable for convivial entertaining.

Not too long ago, I hosted a meze dinner inspired by the regional cuisines of North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Dining meze style is always a fun option for entertaining. The dining is casual and relaxed. A good spread of often savoury dishes are laid out. Guests eat how much of whatever they want, when they want. The same goes with the wine. Diners should not be surprised that a main course might not be served. Why would you need one? There will be enough of a selection of meze to keep everyone happy, indulged and full.

For the host, most of the cooking can be done ahead which leaves you free to mingle, entertain and enjoy the evening with your guests. It liberates you from the kitchen stove and that is always a good thing.

So which recipe should I post first?

The Moroccan inspired wholemeal bread featured in the background of the photograph above or should I start with the savoury dishes pictured below? Why don't you decide.

Meze, A Selection Of Wonderful Little Bites

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; 
Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan Inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta