by Jamie Oliver
APPLE PIE
SOUR CRANBERRIES, BLOOD ORANGE, VANILLA, & CINNAMON
I love cooking a nice apple pie, and this is my super-solid, go-to, classic recipe. Of course you can embrace other seasonal fruit, such as pears and quince, but it’s really good to always keep in the sour cranberries to contrast the fresh fruit.
SERVES 8–10
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
PLUS CHILLING & RESTING
PASTRY
1 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (cold), plus extra for greasing
2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
FILLING
3 lbs apples (I like a mixture of Bramley, Russet, Braeburn, Cox, and good old Granny Smith)
1 blood or regular orange
1 vanilla bean
3½ oz unsweetened dried cranberries
½ cup light muscovado or light brown sugar
1 good pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
TOPPING
1 large egg
1 tablespoon demerara or raw sugar
To make the pastry, chop the butter into ½-inch cubes and pop into the freezer until super-cold. Put the flour, a good pinch of sea salt, the superfine sugar, and cold butter into a food processor and pulse until just combined but still a little chunky. Pour in 6 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of ice-cold water and pulse again until it just forms a rough dough. Use clean hands to bring the dough together into two equal flat rounds, wrap them in plastic wrap and pop into the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, for the filling, peel and core the apples, then cut 3 apples into eight wedges and the rest into ¾-inch chunks so you end up with a range of textures. In a large pan, toss them with the orange juice, then cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until slightly softened, and remove from the heat. Halve the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then add to the pan with the cranberries, muscovado sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Chop and add the butter, then stir until the apples are evenly coated.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a clean flour-dusted surface, roll out one piece of pastry, turning and dusting with flour as you go, until it’s around 1⁄8 inch thick. Grease a 10-inch pie dish with butter, then loosely roll the pastry around your rolling pin and unroll it over the top. Gently ease the pastry into the shape of the dish and trim the edges neatly, then pile in the dressed warm apples.
Now it’s time to get creative! Roll out the remaining piece of pastry. You can either simply cover the pie with it in one piece, crimping the edges and cutting a cross in the center, or you can cut enough ¾-inch-wide strips to lattice the top of the pie, weaving and criss-crossing as you go, or have a bit of fun with cutters and shapes and do a mixture, like me and Anna did in the picture. Trim off any excess, then press the edges to seal. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg, also using it to help you stick on any pastry decorations you’ve cut out. Scatter over the demerara sugar, then bake at the bottom of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and the apples are soft and delicious. Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then serve with lashings of custard or cream.
TIRAMISÙ
CHOCOLATE, ORANGE, VIN SANTO, MASCARPONE, & SILKY RICOTTA
This is my Christmas take on the undeniably decadent yet simple, classic Italian dessert of tiramisù. Jools prefers this version, as it doesn’t contain raw eggs, and I’ve lightened it up by pairing mascarpone with glorious ricotta cheese.
SERVES 12
40 MINUTES
PLUS SETTING
¾ cup + 5 teaspoons heavy cream
3½ oz quality dark chocolate (70%), plus extra to serve
3½ oz sponge fingers
2⁄3 cup good hot strong sweetened coffee
¼ cup Vin Santo or sweet sherry
1 lb ricotta cheese
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
3 tablespoons liquid honey
1 orange or clementine
To make a ganache, pour the cream into a pan and gently bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Add a pinch of sea salt, snap in the chocolate, and stir until melted, thickened, and smooth, then remove from the heat and leave to one side.
Line a dish (12 × 8 inches) with the sponge fingers (or Genoese sponge, if you’ve made it), carefully pour over the hot sweetened coffee, and drizzle over the Vin Santo or sweet sherry. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top in an even layer.
In a food processor, blitz the ricotta, mascarpone, vanilla bean paste, and honey until super-smooth. Spoon this creamy mixture evenly on top of your chocolate layer. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, to set. Serve with a good grating or shaving of chocolate and a fine grating of orange or clementine zest. Heaven.
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GET AHEAD
Make this delicious dessert a day or two in advance, or even freeze it and defrost it overnight in the fridge, when needed.
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WINTER BOMBE
CHOCOLATE, CHERRIES, VIN SANTO, PANETTONE, & PISTACHIOS
Get-ahead desserts are great. I make this frozen classic every year without fail. It looks amazing, is crazy delicious, and is a clever assembly job. It’s a sort of cross between a summer pud and an Arctic roll, and it’s sure to wow.
SERVES 12
20 MINUTES
PLUS FREEZING
2 × 1-lb tubs of quality vanilla ice cream
2 lbs panettone
½ cup Vin Santo
3 heaping tablespoons quality raspberry jam
3½ oz canned cherries, in juice
2½ oz candied clementines (or other candied fruit)
1 clementine
1¾ oz unsalted shelled pistachios
10 oz quality dark chocolate (70%)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Get the ice cream out of the freezer so it can soften a little while you get things ready. Line an 8-cup pudding bowl with three layers of plastic wrap. Use a serrated knife to slice four ¾-inch-thick rounds off your panettone, then cut them in half. You’ll have some panettone left over, so keep this for another day. Arrange six of your panettone slices in a single layer around the inside of the bowl, pushing them down if they overlap. Drizzle some of the Vin Santo onto the panettone so it soaks in, then use the back of a spoon to spread the jam all over it.
Drain the cherries, and thinly slice the candied clementines. Finely grate the fresh clementine zest and put aside, then peel and finely slice the clementine into rounds. Spoon one tub of ice cream into the bowl, spreading it around in a thick layer. Sprinkle in the pistachios, cherries, and candied fruit, then layer on the clementine slices. Add the other tub of ice cream. Spread it out, working quickly so the ice cream doesn’t completely melt. Put the remaining two panettone slices on top of the ice cream, drizzle over the rest of the Vin Santo, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Press a plate down on top to push and compact everything down, pop a weight on, then freeze overnight, or until needed.
Around 20 minutes before you want to serve it, unwrap your amazing winter bombe, carefully turn it out onto a beautiful serving dish, then leave to thaw slightly (I tend to transfer my bombe from the freezer to the fridge just before serving up the main to give it a head start). Snap up the chocolate, place in a heatproof bowl with the butter over a pan of gently simmering water on a low heat, and leave to melt. Once nicely melted, stir in the reserved clementine zest, then pour the chocolate over the pudding so it oozes down the sides and looks super-tempting and delicious. Serve up any extra sauce in a little pitcher.
BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING
CHOCOLATE, MARMALADE, CUSTARD, & PANETTONE GALORE
OK guys, we all know we love bread and butter pudding, but it’s time for a change. This version is super-fun—ripping up a panettone, layering it with chocolate, marmalade, and custard, then baking it until golden and gorgeous in a tart pan.
; SERVES 12–14
1 HOUR
PLUS COOLING
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
¼ cup demerara sugar
1½ lbs plain panettone
1 vanilla bean
1¼ cups whole milk
1¼ cups heavy cream
5 large eggs
½ cup superfine sugar
2 oz quality dark chocolate (70%)
2 oz quality bitter orange marmalade
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 11-inch loose-bottomed tart pan with butter. Bash 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar in a pestle and mortar until fine, then mix with the remaining demerara so you have a range of textures. Tip into the tart pan and shake around to coat. Tap gently, then tip any excess back into the mortar for later. Cut ½-inch slices off the edges of the panettone and use them to line the base and sides of the tart pan, pressing down hard to compact them and create a pastry-like shell.
To make a custard, halve the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then put both bean and seeds into a pan on a medium heat, along with the milk, cream, and butter, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the butter has melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and superfine sugar for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Whisking constantly, add the hot cream mixture to the bowl until combined, then discard the vanilla bean.
Pour one-third of the custard into the tart case. Tear up all the remaining panettone into rough chunks, soak them in the remaining custard for 2 minutes, then spoon the mixture into your case, interspersing the spoonfuls with chunks of chocolate and bombs of marmalade. Pour over any leftover custard, leaving it to soak in if necessary, then sprinkle with the last of the demerara sugar. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until golden and set. Allow to sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then release and serve with cream, custard, or ice cream.
ICELANDIC RICE PUDDING
CREAMY VANILLA RICE RIPPLED WITH TANGY BERRY JAM SAUCE
Us Brits are big rice pudding lovers, but it’s also a really big dessert in Iceland. They like to serve it with a sharp fruit sauce, which cuts through the richness of the creamy sticky pudding beautifully—clever and absolutely delicious!
SERVES 6
45 MINUTES
SAUCE & TOPPING
5 oz mixed dried fruit, such as cranberries, sour cherries, blueberries
¼ cup vodka
6 teaspoons crème fraîche
5 oz redcurrants or other berries
PUDDING
1½ cups short-grain rice, such as pudding rice or arborio risotto rice
6 cups reduced-fat (2%) milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons liquid honey
1 stick of cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
Put the dried fruit and vodka into a large pan and add just enough water to cover. Cook gently for 10 minutes on a medium heat, then tip into a blender with 5 tablespoons of cold water and blitz until smooth, to make your sauce.
Place the rice, milk, cream, honey, and cinnamon stick in a deep pan. Score the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds, adding both bean and seeds to the pan. Gradually bring to a boil, then simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed, the rice is just cooked through, and it’s lovely and oozy.
Spoon the rice pudding into a serving dish or across a large platter, ripple through the tangy fruit sauce, and top with crème fraîche. Scatter with fresh redcurrants or other berries and serve right away.
PANNACOTTA
LIGHT, WOBBLY, CREAMY VANILLA HEAVEN
A good pannacotta should never be underestimated. Easy to make, these keep well in the fridge, look dramatic when you serve them, whether in or out of the mold, and they allow you to embrace all kinds of seasonal flavors on the side.
SERVES 10
25 MINUTES
PLUS SETTING
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2⁄3 cup superfine sugar
2 vanilla beans
5 sheets of gelatin
Pour the milk and cream into a pan and add the sugar. Halve the vanilla beans lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then add both beans and seeds to the pan. Place on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for a few minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, drain the gelatin, squeeze out the excess liquid, and stir into the cream until dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then strain through a fine sieve into a pitcher, discarding the vanilla beans. Whisk again to evenly distribute the vanilla seeds, then divide between 10 small pudding molds or ramekins. Place on a pan, cover, and set in the fridge for at least 3 hours, where they’ll sit happily for up to 2 days.
To serve, simply half dip each mold into a bowl of hot water for 5 seconds, give the mold a little shake to ease the pannacotta away from the sides, and plop out onto your plate. Here are some of my favorite things to serve them with:
Mulled ruby fruits, 8 oz of sour dried fruit simmered in a little mulled wine until plump, served with a drizzle of the syrup and an almond biscotti on the side
A generous sprinkle of candied violets, half a shot of quality vodka, and a fine grating of lemon zest per pannacotta
Affogato style, with half a shot of espresso and 1 almond biscotti per pannacotta
Sweet poached rhubarb, 14 oz of sliced rhubarb, poached with 1 ball of stem ginger, ¾ cup + 5 teaspoons of Prosecco, 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar, and a fine grating of orange zest, served with baby mint leaves and crushed nuts or almond biscotti
A tangy tropical sauce, made from the liquidized ripe flesh from 1 big mango, 2 sieved wrinkly passion fruit, and a squeeze of lime juice
A simple chocolate sauce, made by melting 3½ oz of quality dark chocolate (70%) with 6 tablespoons of milk until super-smooth and glossy
BANOFFEE ALASKA
ALMOND PASTRY, CARAMEL, BANANAS, & VANILLA ICE CREAM
I had this idea to marry off two of my favorite desserts—banoffee pie and baked Alaska, which means you get creamy cold vanilla ice cream in the middle of a delicious warm tart. And let me tell you, this marriage is blooming amazing!
SERVES 12
1 HOUR
PLUS COOLING & FREEZING
11 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), plus extra for greasing
1 orange
11⁄3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ cup ground almonds
6 large eggs
1 pint quality vanilla ice cream
¼ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
11⁄3 cups superfine sugar
2 large ripe bananas
1 lime
1 tablespoon Camp coffee syrup
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a deep, 10-inch loose-bottomed tart pan. To make the pastry, finely grate the orange zest into a food processor, add the cold butter, the flour, almonds, and 1 egg, then blitz until it comes together into a ball of dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out on a clean flour-dusted surface until just under ¼ inch thick, then loosely roll up around the rolling pin and unroll over the tart pan, easing it in and pushing it carefully into the sides. Trim off any excess, patch up any holes, then prick the base with a fork, cover, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (use any leftovers for mince pies). When the time’s up, line the pastry case with quality plastic wrap (non-PVC), then fill with rice, making sure you pack it right out to the sides. Bake blind for 15 minutes, remove the plastic and rice, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until lightly golden, then leave to cool. Soften your ice cream in the fridge.
Once the pastry case is cool, spread the dulce de leche or caramel across the base, scoop over the ice cream, and freeze until frozen solid—you could get it up to this stage a day in advance. Turn the oven up to 425°F. To make your meringue topping, separate the remaining 5 eggs (keep the yolks for another day). In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt until they for
m soft peaks. Place the sugar and 1⁄3 cup + 1 teaspoon of water in a pan on a high heat. Use a sugar thermometer to monitor it getting up to 230°F, then reduce the temperature to low. Let it gently bubble until it gets up to 250°F. Remove from the heat and let the bubbles settle for 30 seconds, then very gradually pour it into the egg whites, whisking constantly on a low speed. Leave it whisking for 10 minutes to cool and thicken the mixture. Meanwhile, peel and slice the bananas, finely grate over the lime zest, and squeeze over the juice, then toss together.
Get your tart out of the freezer, arrange the bananas over the ice cream, then pile on the meringue in nice peaks. Use a fork to ripple through drips of Camp coffee syrup. Bake on the bottom of the oven for just 4 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly golden, leaving the ice cream frozen inside. Remove from the pan, and serve.
ARCTIC ROLL
BLACK FOREST STYLE WITH CHOCOLATE SPONGE, KIRSCH, & CHERRIES
Here’s a wonderful Germanic nod to the classic Arctic roll of my childhood. It’s easy to make, even weeks before you need it, always fun and dramatic to tuck into, and great for feeding a crowd. Stick a sparkler in it, and you’re winning.
SERVES 10–12
1 HOUR 15 MINUTES
PLUS FREEZING
SPONGE
unsalted butter, for greasing
3 large eggs
½ cup superfine sugar, plus extra for dusting
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup quality unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
FILLING & TOPPING
1 pint quality chocolate ice cream
1 clementine
kirsch
heaping ½ cup quality black cherry jam
1¾ oz blanched hazelnuts
6 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste