Basics

Common ingredients

Butter is the most commonly used fat when making desserts. It adds flavour, shortness/tenderness and colour. When it is beaten, air is incorporated which, in turn, helps leaven baked goods as they cook. It can also be rubbed into flour or melted and mixed with other ingredients. Unsalted butter is sweeter than salted and gives you more control over the amount of salt in your desserts — you can then add as much as you want. If you are creaming butter, make sure it is softened by standing at room temperature for 30–60 minutes (depending on the room temperature) before using. If rubbing into dry ingredients, make sure it is well chilled.

Cocoa powder is simply the unsweetened ground powder made from grinding the cocoa solids when the cocoa butter (the fat) is removed from cocoa beans. Make sure you sift it before using to remove any lumps. Sweetened cocoa powder is sold as drinking chocolate. Dutch cocoa is considered the best quality cocoa powder, having a rich and intense flavour and a dark colour.

Cream is used extensively in dessert making. The fat content of cream determines how rich it is and also its whipping characteristics — the higher the fat content, the easier it will be to whip and the thicker it will be when whipped (low-fat cream won’t whip at all). Double (thick/heavy) cream has a 48 per cent butter fat content and is the thickest type of cream. Pouring cream, also known as whipping or single cream, has a fat content of 35 per cent. Thickened cream, also known as whipping cream, is pouring cream with gelatine added to thicken it slightly and make it more stable. It is ideal for whipping. Sour cream adds a pleasant acidity, as well as richness, to dishes.

Eggs enrich, give structure, bind, lighten, tenderise and add flavour to desserts. Store them, pointed end down, in their original carton in the refrigerator. Always bring eggs to room temperature before using — if you’re short on time, you can put them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 10 minutes. All of the recipes in this book use 59/60 g (2¼ oz) eggs.

Flour is used extensively in dessert making and provides the basic structure for the majority of baked desserts. Self-raising flour is simply plain (all-purpose) flour with baking powder added. You can make your own by adding 2 teaspoons baking powder to every 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain flour. Sift them together several times before using.

Gelatine is used in many chilled desserts to help them hold their shape. It is a tasteless ingredient and is available in both powdered and leaf (sheet) form. for more information about gelatine.

Honey and golden syrup are used to sweeten desserts. Honey should be selected to suit the type of dessert, such as a delicate floral honey to sweeten a panna cotta. Golden syrup is invaluable in rich hot puddings, tarts and sweet sauces.

Milk forms the basis for many desserts, such as ice creams and baked and stirred custards. Always use full-fat milk unless otherwise specified in the recipe. Buttermilk, a cultured milk, adds a subtle acidity to baked desserts and batters such as pancakes.

Oil is mostly used in dessert making to deep-fry or pan-fry. The oils used generally have a mild flavour, such as sunflower, vegetable and light and regular olive oils.

Sugar adds sweetness, flavour, moisture and tenderness. There are several types of sugars and the most widely used in dessert making is white — granulated, caster (superfine) or icing (confectioners’). Granulated is the most commonly available, but caster sugar, with its fine grains that dissolve quickly, is a better choice for most desserts. Icing sugar is powdered white sugar and is available as pure icing sugar or icing sugar mixture, which has a little cornflour (cornstarch) added to prevent it forming lumps. Brown sugar, sometimes called light or soft brown sugar, is fine, granulated sugar with molasses added to enrich the flavour. Dark brown sugar has even more molasses added. If you want to substitute brown sugar for white, or vice versa, measure out the same weight (grams or ounces), rather than volume (cups).

Vanilla is used in various forms. Natural vanilla extract and vanilla essence are concentrated flavours derived from vanilla beans. Buy pure essence or extract and avoid those labelled with ‘artificial’ or ‘imitation’ as they don’t contain any real vanilla. Thick vanilla bean paste is also available and offers a convenient way of adding vanilla seeds to desserts. If using vanilla beans, wash and dry the pod thoroughly after use and place it in a container of sugar to subtly flavour it.

Equipment

Measuring

Careful, accurate measuring, whether by weight or volume, is essential for success when making desserts, especially for those that are going to be baked. Always use one set of measurements when preparing a recipe — metric (ml) or imperial (fl oz) by weighing, or measuring by volume (cups).

Measuring cups are used to measure dry or non-liquid ingredients. They are generally available in plastic or metal and in sets of 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup), 80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup), 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) and 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) measures. Spoon the ingredient into the cup until heaped, then, without compressing it, run a flat-bladed knife across the top to level. All cup measures in this book are level, not heaped.

Measuring jugs are used to measure liquids. Look for a glass or see-through jug with clear markings and a good spout. A small, heatproof jug is particularly helpful when dissolving gelatine.

Measuring spoons are used to measure small amounts of both dry and liquid ingredients. They are available in sets that generally include a ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon. One teaspoon equals 5 ml in volume. Tablespoons, however, can come in either 15 ml (½ fl oz/3 teaspoon) or 20 ml (½ fl oz/4 teaspoon) volumes. This book uses 20 ml tablespoons. Check your tablespoon volume and if you are using a 15 ml tablespoon, add an extra teaspoon for every tablespoon of the ingredient specified in the recipe. This is particularly important for ingredients such as baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). All tablespoon and teaspoon measures in this book are level — use a flat-bladed knife to level ingredients, as for cup measures.

Scales, electronic versions in particular, are the most accurate way of measuring dry ingredients, such as flour or sugar, and non-liquid, soft ingredients, such as yoghurt or jam. Electronic scales are now affordable and are an invaluable addition to your kitchen. Most give metric and imperial weights, and let you switch between the two. They may also let you ‘zero’ the reading so you can measure several ingredients in the same bowl one after another, which is handy for one-bowl mixes.

Mixing

Bowls are fundamental to dessert making and it is important to have a good selection of sizes. Stainless-steel bowls are versatile and durable and are good conductors of heat and cold. Ceramic and glass bowls are sturdy and are also suitable for heating and melting ingredients. Plastic bowls aren’t a good choice for mixing as they absorb flavours and become greasy over time.

Electric mixers offer an easy, efficient way to cream butter and sugar, whisk egg whites and combine batters.

Hand-held electric beaters have detachable beaters and sometimes whisk attachments, and a range of speeds. They are relatively inexpensive, store easily and can be used to whisk or beat mixtures. They are also needed if whisking or beating a mixture over a saucepan of simmering water. However, they aren’t suitable for heavy-duty mixing, such as for bread doughs, and are not as efficient as the stand versions.

Electric stand mixers are mounted on a stand, as the name suggests, with a bowl that fits into the stand. They usually have a range of attachments such as a beating paddle, whisk and dough hook. They have a range of speeds, like hand-held beaters, but their motors are more powerful and therefore able to cope with larger and thicker mixtures.

Food processors are invaluable when dessert making, from finely chopping or grinding nuts to mixing batters and making pastry.

Again, buy the best quality food processor you can afford, and ensure it has a large bowl. A separate mini food processor that will efficiently cope with small quantities of nuts and spices is also a good investment.

Ice-cream machines are worthwhile kitchen appliances if you are going to regularly make ice cream, sorbet or gelato. There are three main types of ice-cream machines available: free-standing electric machines that have an inbuilt stirring and freezing mechanism (the most expensive of the options and generally with the largest capacity); free-standing churns that have a removable bowl surrounded by a chemical refrigerant that is frozen before using; and stand mixer ice-cream attachments with a bowl (also surrounded by a chemical refrigerant). All of them have a paddle that automatically stirs and aerates the mixture while also scraping the sides of the bowl, preventing ice crystals forming and keeping the mixture smooth while it freezes.

Saucepans, frying pans and crepe pans are used for everything from pan-frying fruit to deep-frying fritters, cooking crepes and pancakes, making caramel, cooking stirred custard, syrups and sauces, and poaching fruit. Have a selection of different sizes for a variety of uses. A heavy frying pan with a heatproof handle is perfect for making tarte tatin as it can be used on the stovetop and in the oven.

Bakers’ friends

Baking beads are small re-usable ceramic or metal weights that are used when blind baking pastry. You can use dried beans or uncooked rice instead, but proper weights are handy.

Cake testers are thin metal or bamboo skewers. Metal ones are available from kitchenware stores and some supermarkets and are the best option as they won’t leave large holes. The skewer is inserted into the centre of a cake and if it’s cooked, it will be clean when withdrawn (unless otherwise stated in the recipe). Some recipes, such as rich chocolate dessert cakes, specify that crumbs will cling to the skewer.

Kitchen blowtorch This is a must if you are passionate about your crème brûlée and creating a perfectly crisp caramel topping with ease. They are relatively inexpensive and can be bought from speciality kitchenware stores.

Large metal spoons are useful for folding dry ingredients into a mixture or folding in whisked egg whites without losing the incorporated air.

Oven thermometers are important kitchen gadgets. Not all ovens are calibrated and are likely to be at least a couple of degrees out. ‘Hot spots’ are also common. A thermometer will allow you to check if your oven is accurate and adjust the temperature if necessary. Move the thermometer around in the oven when set at the same temperature and note the reading to check if you have any ‘hot spots’. There is no need to remove it from your oven between oven uses.

Palette knives can be bought in various sizes and degrees of flexibility. They have a thin flat blade with a rounded end that makes them useful for loosening cakes and puddings from tins and for spreading icing (frosting) and fillings.

Pastry brushes have natural, nylon or silicone bristles and are used to glaze tarts with sugary mixtures, wash down the side of a saucepan to dissolve sugar crystals when making caramel, brush butter onto filo pastry and grease cake tins. Make sure you wash and dry them thoroughly before storing. Avoid cheaper brushes as they tend to shed their bristles.

Rolling pins should be straight, solid and long enough to roll out a full quantity of pastry or dough without marking the surface with the ends. A good size is about 45 cm (17¾ inches) long and 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter. Wood is preferable to ceramic or marble, as it can hold a fine layer of flour on its surface that will help prevent the pastry or dough sticking. The best ones are made of hard wood with a close grain and very smooth finish. Clean it by wiping with a damp cloth — never immerse a wooden rolling pin in water.

Sieves are used to sift flour to help incorporate air, to combine ingredients evenly, such as flour and unsweetened cocoa powder or baking powder, and to dust flour onto a work surface before rolling out pastry.

Spatulas are used for folding and combining mixtures and scraping mixtures from bowls, blenders and food processors. They can be made of silicone, rubber or plastic. Silicone and rubber ones are more flexible, however rubber ones tend to absorb colours and flavours more readily.

Whisks are used to incorporate air into a mixture, remove lumps and combine liquid mixtures, such as eggs and melted chocolate. They come in all shapes and sizes — a large and small wire balloon whisk will usually cover all required tasks.

Wooden spoons are used to mix, beat and stir. They are particularly good for mixtures being heated in a saucepan, such as sauces and sugar syrups, and ‘heavier’ mixtures that require stirring or beating.

Cutting and grating

Graters come in many different shapes and sizes, from the traditional box grater to rasp-shaped Microplanes. They have various perforations of different sizes designed for specific uses, from finely grating citrus zest and nutmeg to coarsely grating chocolate. Look for a grater with a variety of perforations or have a couple on hand for different tasks.

Knives An all-purpose cook’s knife is handy for chopping ingredients such as chocolate, nuts and dried fruits. A paring knife can be used to trim pastry, cut fruit and make small incisions. A long serrated knife is best for cutting cakes into even layers and slices.

Bakeware

Baking trays Choose the largest trays that will fit in your oven and make sure they are solid so they don’t buckle. Have two or more trays so you can cook a few batches at once.

Cake tins come in various sizes, shapes and finishes. They are not only used for baking cakes, but are also effective when freezing frozen desserts and moulding chilled desserts. It is important to use the size and shape specified in the recipe.

All the cake tins in this book have been measured at the base. If a cake tin is marked with a diameter measurement, always measure it to ensure it’s correct (there are spring-form tins available, for example, that are incorrectly marked).

Charlotte moulds are special bucket-shaped metal moulds with gently sloping sides and small handles that help make unmoulding easy. Although they are used specifically for making the classic dessert of the same name, you can also use them for baked puddings and soufflés.

Dariole moulds and ramekins are mostly available in metal or ceramic form and are used to make individual frozen, chilled and baked desserts. Flexible plastic dariole moulds are great for chilled desserts as they make unmoulding easier.

Muffin tins are mainly used in dessert makingfor individual puddings. They generally come in three sizes — Texas or large (250 ml/9 fl oz/1 cup), medium (80 ml/2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) and mini (20 ml/¾ fl oz/1 tablespoon).

Ovenproof dishes are used to cook oven-baked puddings in, and also to make a water bath for delicate desserts that need gentle cooking (roasting pans can also be used for this).

Pie and tart (flan) tins come in a range of shapes, sizes, depths and finishes. They often don’t need greasing before using as the pastry’s high butter content prevents it sticking. Tart tins with removable bases (‘loose-based’) are often used as they allow tarts to be removed easily. Like all cake tins, pie and tart tins should be cleaned in hot soapy water and dried thoroughly (preferably in a low oven) before storing.

Pudding basins are generally used for steamed puddings and are available in ceramic or earthenware form, as well as metal. Metal basins often come with a handy lid that clips into place, while the ceramic or earthernware basins need to be sealed tightly with foil before steaming your pudding.

Spring-form tins have a removable base that is released when a sprung latch on the side is opened. You will need to use a spring-form tin when making delicate cakes, such as flourless ones, or cheesecakes that can’t be upturned onto a wire rack. Make sure the latch is strong so the base and side fit snugly together — this will prevent any leaking. Turning the base upside down before locking it in place will create a base without a lip, which will make removing the cake easier.

Ovens