Felicity Cloake bakes, steams and sets her way through your wobbliest creations.
I was expecting a feast of jewel-like jellies this week, but wet weather prevailed, so my fridge is full of comfortingly rich, milky treats instead, boasting what reader Rachel Kelly memorably describes as "the shimmy of ... a Rubenesque woman's thigh".
Not that I'm complaining - it can rain until Christmas if I've got Jennifer Turner's caramel mousse on hand to satisfy my nostalgic cravings for butterscotch Angel Delight. The subtler charms of Sophia Real's clever nutty toasted rice blancmange won out in the end - but I'd also heartily recommend Bronwyn Wolfe's luxurious, yet ludicrously easy, breakfast dish.
The winning recipe: toasted rice blancmange
Inspired by one of the dessert courses served at Nuno Mendes's Viajante restaurant in London, this blancmange is very light and similar in texture to a panna cotta, but made with milk instead of cream. Sophia Real, Rome, realsimplefood.wordpress.com
Serves 2
60g rice
250ml whole milk
2-3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
2g leaf gelatine
1 Toast the rice in a dry pan over a medium heat - it should take 3-5 minutes to turn a nutty brown. Keep a little of the rice to one side for later.
2 Pour the milk over the toasted rice and add sugar to taste.
3 After about 30 minutes, strain the milk into a small saucepan and discard the rice. Soak the gelatine in plenty of cold water, until soft, then squeeze out any excess water and add it to the milk.
4 Slowly heat the mixture - just enough to dissolve the gelatine, but not to boil. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
5 Divide between 2 small ramekins and refrigerate for about 5 hours to set. Invert each ramekin on to a plate, and serve as is, or with a fruit compote, or garnished with toasted rice.
Ham and egg delight
Parma ham and eggs, steamed to create yolks of wobbly perfection, make a decadent breakfast or a luxurious lunch, teamed with crusty bread and perhaps a small salad. It's such a great dish, it once won me an ostrich egg. Bronwyn Wolfe, London
Serves 4
4 thin slices of parma ham
4 tsp thick double cream
Leaves from a single sprig of thyme
4 thin curls of parmesan
4 large eggs
1 Line 4 ramekins with a slice of parma ham each, top with a spoonful of cream, then sprinkle with thyme. Add a curl of Parmesan and a good grind of pepper. Break an egg into each ramekin, and cover with clingfilm to stop the tops going rubbery.
2 Steam the ramekins over a pan of delicately simmering water.
3 After about 15 minutes, the white should be just set and the yolks should be like liquid gold.
Quaking pudding
A quaking or shaking pudding was a test of skill for cooks from the 16th to 18th centuries - a lightly boiled batter or custard thickened with breadcrumbs or flour, so fragile it could break into pieces at any time. Traditionally, it was served with a sweet butter and wine sauce, but I prefer mine with a cherry compote. Rhubarb or summer fruits, such as raspberries or redcurrants, would be rather good too.
I have used ground mahleb, which has a hint of almonds and cherries, but you could use nutmeg or cinnamon. Rachel Kelly, London, marmadukescarlet.blogspot.co.uk
Serves 4
Butter and flour for the moulds
400ml double cream
100ml whole milk
½ tsp ground mahleb (sour cherry pits) or equivalent of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
65g vanilla caster sugar
35g ground almonds or breadcrumbs
Pistachios or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 Generously butter 4 large ramekins, and lightly coat with ½ tsp of flour. Preheat oven to 100C/225F/gas mark ¼.
2 Gently heat the cream and milk with the spice(s), but don't let it boil. Set aside to cool slightly.
3 Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly, then pour the warmed cream and milk over the egg and sugar mixture. Add the ground almonds or breadcrumbs and stir well to combine, but don't whisk.
4 Place a clean tea towel in a roasting tin and position the ramekins on top. (The tea towel will keep them in place.)
5 Pour the mixture into the ramekins, not quite to the top, then pour boiling water into the tin, until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cook for 40-45 minutes.
6 Carefully remove the puddings from the ramekins and serve with crushed nuts sprinkled over the top and a dollop of fruit compote.
Wild cherry tea cream
This recipe is definitely one for a beautiful summer's day (blue-skies thinking); it is delicate and subtle but full of seasonal, flavoursome fruits. Dawn Henderson, Edinburgh
Serves 6
6 wild cherry tea bags
2 sachets of gelatine
250g granulated sugar
200ml whole milk
600ml double cream, plus extra to serve
Nectarines, strawberries and cherries to serve and decorate
1 Pour 200ml boiling water over the tea bags and infuse for 5 minutes, stirring after a couple of minutes. Squeeze them with a spoon against the side of the bowl, then discard.
2 Sprinkle the gelatine over the tea. Once the gelatine has melted, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the milk and leave to cool.
3 Whip the cream and fold it into the cooled jelly. Turn into one large mould or several small moulds and chill to set. Once completely set, turn out and chill again, preferably overnight.
4 Trickle some cream over the jelly, decorate with sliced fruit and serve.
Savoury lemon thyme cheesecake with tomato and chilli jam
This wobbly savoury cheesecake is great served warm with a refreshing salad or chilled and cut into wedges. Ricotta is lighter than most soft cheese so, together with the refreshing lemon thyme, it's perfect for spring and summer, while the tomato and chilli jam pairs really well with the goat's cheese. The pecans add a rich and flavourful crunch to the base. Natalie Wong, London, twinnydip.blogspot.co.uk
Serves 8-12
For the jam
1kg tomatoes, very ripe, roughly chopped
2-3 red chilies, deseeded and finely sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1cm ginger, finely minced
200ml white wine vinegar
300g white sugar
For the base
125g oatcakes, crushed
75g pecans, crushed
120g butter, softened
For the topping
500g ricotta
250g soft goat's cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
5 sprigs of lemon thyme, leaves only, plus 1 whole sprig for decoration
1 Put the jam ingredients in a pan and cook on a high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
2 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Mix together all the base ingredients, and press into the base of a 23cm springform cake tin. Chill for 20 minutes, then bake for 15 minutes, or until the base is slightly golden.
3 Beat the ricotta and chunks of goat's cheese together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined. Season and fold in the thyme leaves.
4 Pour on top of the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is just set in the middle but still wobbly.
5 Decorate with a sprig of thyme and some tomato and chilli jam.
Caramel mousse with a wobbly top
I started making this as a quick and cheap alternative to chocolate mousse and found that the mixture separated out, so I decided to make a feature of this. Using a jelly mould made it all look more spectacular. Jennifer Turner, York
Serves 4
5 tbsp caster sugar
3 eggs
1 sachet of gelatine
275ml double cream
1 Heat 1 tbsp caster sugar with 3 tbsp water in a heavy pan until it dissolves and begins to brown. Remove from heat and add 5 tbsp water. Stir well and return to a gentle heat.
2 Beat the eggs and remaining 4 tbsp sugar in a large bowl until thick and creamy. Dissolve the gelatine in 2 tbsp boiling water and slowly add this to the egg mixture, followed by the caramel, beating all the while.
3 In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thick but not rigid. Fold this into the mixture with a metal spoon.
4 Pour into a china or metal jelly mould and refrigerate for about 3 hours (or pop in the freezer for 40 minutes) until set. Invert on to a plate. Some of the mixture will have separated out, but this forms the wobbly top.
Toasted rice blancmange. Photograph: Jemma Watts