Roast peaches with Sauternes and lavender

Peaches, Sauternes and lavender - all ready for the oven

Sometime you get it right, sometimes you don’t. I’ve cooked a few blah recipes recently. Namely a disappointing almond sponge cake and a creamy rabbit, leek and mustard stew which frankly freaked me out. I managed to convince myself that it tasted “funny” and couldn't eat it. I think this is due to my nostalgic memories of my childhood pet bunny Shadow (whaaaa). Another culinary low light of late was a full on 3 hour recipe for an authentic Bolognese (made with 3 different types of meat and all). Despite all the effort the boyfriend’s verdict on it was “tastes like mince, as in mince and tatties”. Humph. Just when I was about to hang up my metaphorical apron and go sob into a packet of biscuits I pulled this little number out the bag/oven and all in the world was good again.

Flat peaches

Granted this is a very girly dessert but, without wanting to blow my trumpet, it is pretty interesting. Succulent white peaches, rich, sticky Sauternes syrup and the delicate perfume of the lavender. I think this would go lovely with some goat’s milk ice cream. If you don’t have any lavender you could substitute rosemary or thyme. I nicked the lavender from the flowerbed at the end of my street. My take on the English riots/rampage.

Lavender

Roast peaches with Sauternes and lavender

Oven set to 175 degrees celsius

Serves 2-4 depending on greediness and volume of ice cream consumed

6 flat peaches or 4 round peaches

20g butter finely chopped

2 tsp of demerara sugar

a glug of Sauternes, (75-100ml)

2 – 3 springs of lavender (ideally use the sprigs that are just beginning to open up)

Half the peaches and remove the stone, add the pieces to an ovenproof dish so that they fit snugly together.

Scatter over the butter and sugar.

Add a glug of the Sauternes so that the peaches are sitting in a Sauternes bath about 1cm deep.

Add the lavender to the Sauternes.

Pop in the oven for about 50 minutes until the peaches are wonderfully soft and the edges are sweet and crispy.

Enjoy.

Orange and polenta cake

Orange and polenta cake

The first time I had this cake was on a trip to London with my sister. We got the night bus from Glasgow and crawled into Victoria bus station at 6am. Bleary eyed we marched round "the big smoke" for the day before going to see Hefner in a little pub in Noting Hill. Night came and we headed back to the bus station for our second night on the night bus back up to Scotland. Grim.

My sister and I love fancy cakes and going to Fortnum and Mason was always one of those things that we liked to do when we were wee. We liked to pretend we were princesses and buy hairgrips with our birthday money. Anyway, on this lovely sunny May day I bought a slice orange polenta cake from Fortnum’s and sat eating it in Hyde Park watching some posh folk fake boxing with their personal trainers. Even though this was all about 4 years ago it is amazing how the taste of this cake has brought back so many memories. 

It's a great cake, interesting texture, summery but making the most of the orange season coming to its end. Blood oranges are at their best this month, please use them if you are lucky enough to get hold of them. This cake works equally well for dinner with friends or with an afternoon cuppa. On the downside, this cake does go past it's best within 24 hours of making it. I had better get munching...

Orange polenta cake (adapted from BBC food)

250g unsalted butter

250g golden caster sugar

4 large eggs

140g medium milled polenta

200g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

zest of 3 oranges

juice of 1 and 1/2 oranges

syrup

200ml orange juice (approx 1 and 1/2 oranges)

200g golden caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Grease and flour a 23cm springform cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with an electric whisk, it will take about 4 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, be careful not to over mix. 

Add the sugar and polenta and mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. Sift the flour from a height and again mix.

Finally add in the zest and the orange juice. Mix and pour into the tin. It is quite a stiff mix and will settle out in the tin as it cooks.

While the cake is cooking you can get going on the syrup.

Heat the remaining juice and sugar on the hob on a medium heat. It will take about 8-10 minutes to thicken up to the consistency of single cream. Try not to let it go too thick as otherwise it has difficulty penetrating the sponge fully. The colour of the syrup will also turn a slight golden hue when it is ready.

The cake will take 45 minutes to bake and is ready when it is springy to touch.

Whilst it is cooling on a wire rack pierce it with a thin skewer about 20 times and then spoon the syrup over it until all is absorbed. 

Comes recommended with a good dollop of crème fraise and if you are being fancy another few shaving of the zest.