PARFAIT RECIPES UK RECIPES

Steps:

• For the crumble, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter.
• In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, mix well, then set aside.
• To make the filling, place the whole pears in a pan, cover with water and add 50g/1¾oz of the sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Drain well and set the pears aside to cool. Remove the pear cores and chop the flesh.
• Spoon one-quarter of the pears in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared ovenproof dish. Scatter one-quarter of the blackberries over the pears and then sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the remaining caster sugar. Repeat the layering process until all the pears, blackberries and sugar have been used.
• Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling.
• Meanwhile, make the custard. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale.
• Place the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour onto the egg mixture, whisk well, then return to the pan. Heat gently, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
• To serve, divide the crumble between serving bowls and pour the custard over.

Steps:

• For the soda bread, preheat the oven to 230°C/fan210°C/gas 8. Mix the wholemeal and plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, caraway seeds and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in just enough buttermilk so that everything comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
• Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly and briefly until it comes together into a ball. Don’t over-knead the dough as this will make the bread heavy. Shape the mixture into a short, fat sausage shape, then drop into a lightly buttered and well floured 900g loaf tin (about 11cm x 22cm). Slightly flatten the top so it fills the corners, then make a shallow slash lengthways down the centre of the loaf with a small, sharp knife.
• Sprinkle with a little plain flour.
• Bake the loaf on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and bake for another 25 minutes or until it’s well risen with a rich, golden brown crust. Turn the loaf out of the tin straightaway. It should sound hollow when you tap the base. Cool on a wire rack.
• For the pâté, put the cream cheese, crème fraîche, lemon zest, lemon juice and horseradish into a food processor and whizz together until smooth. You can also do this in a bowl, by hand or with an electric hand mixer. Add the smoked salmon and the dill, then process using the pulse button to make a coarse pâté. If doing by hand, finely chop the salmon and dill, then stir in. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve spread onto slices of the soda bread.