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26 Aug 2011 No Comments

How to: make & assemble a summer dessert with Mike Zeller on BBC Radio Cumbria

The Lodore Falls‘ Head Chef Mike Ward has become a monthly regular on BBC Radio Cumbria after his recipes have become a hit with listeners and radio presenters alike.

Mike Zeller from BBC Radio Cumbria & his very own self-assembled dessert

Today Mike appeared on the Mike Zeller Show to demonstrate how to make and assemble a classic summer dessert; Raspberry Shortbread Tower, With Chantilly Cream & Raspberry Coulis.

Chef Mike offers some simple tips on the show such as:

When mixing the flour, butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla together, handle it as lightly as possible and avoid working it too much so that the shortbread doesn’t become too tough.

When rolling out the pastry, place it between two sheets of baking paper to stop it from sticking to the work surface and rolling pin. This saves the mess of using flour.

Listen to Mike and Mike on BBC Radio Cumbria (available to listen until 1 September 2011).

Fancy trying out one of Mike Ward’s fantastic meals but don’t want to make it yourself? Why not visit the Lodore Falls Hotel for lunch or dinner one day?

Now for the important part…

How to make and assemble a Raspberry Shortbread Tower, With Chantilly Cream & Raspberry Coulis

Makes six portions (allow approx ½ punnet raspberries per person)

Vanilla Shortbread

• 250 g Flour
• 200g Butter
• 100g Icing Sugar, sifted
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla pod or a few drops of vanilla extract

Method

1. Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl, add salt and diced butter
2. Work lightly with finger tips, to a fine crumb stage. Add seeds from ½ vanilla pod or the extract, mix together
3. Note:  light handling is essential to keep shortbread nice & light, don’t over work the dough.
4. Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours
5. Shortly before you want to roll out the shortbread, take the dough out of the fridge and leave at room temperature until pliable
6. Roll out on a lightly floured work surface (or between two sheets of non stick baking parchment), to approx 3mm (1/8 inch) thick.
7. Cut with a round 6cm approx cookie cutter (18 in total) and place on non stick baking sheet.  Bake in a pre heated oven 160˚C/ 325˚F/ Gas 3 until golden, approx 8 mins in convection oven, or 15 mins in a conventional oven.
8. Carefully place on cooling rack and leave until cold, then store in an airtight container

Chantilly Cream

• 300ml Double cream
• 1 tsp Icing Sugar
• Seed scraped from ½ vanilla pod or a little vanilla extract

Method

1. Whip cream until soft peaks form, add sugar and vanilla, stir together
2. Do not over whip or the cream will be too stiff
3. Place in a piping bag with small/med star nozzle

For the plates

• 250ml Raspberry coulis (shop bought, or make your own by liquidizing fresh raspberries and icing sugar to sweeten.  Then pass through a fine sieve)
• 1x small carton natural yogurt

To assemble

1. When ready to serve, make a pool of raspberry coulis on each plate. Move plate around to spread coulis evenly.
2. Shake yogurt carton to mix well then pierce a small hole near the rim of the lid, leaving the rest intact and closed.
3. Turn the carton upside down over the coulis, squeezing gently, make a line of yogurt towards the outer edge of the coulis.  Using a cocktail stick, create a swirling pattern through the yogurt and coulis.
4. Then place a small swirl of cream from piping bag in the centre of the plate and place the first disc of shortbread on top.  (This will help to hold it in place).  Then assemble the tower by making a swirl of cream in the centre of the shortbread, then place raspberries around the edge, place the next disc of shortbread and repeat to form second layer.
5. Top with final disc, dust with icing sugar, garnish with cream, raspberry and mint leaf.  Serve!

If you had a go at making this dessert then why not let us know how it went and even post a photo of it on our Facebook page.

by Dani in Food and Drink, Lodore Falls Hotel News, Mike Ward recipes for BBC Radio Cumbria Tags: BBC Radio CUmbria, Food and Drink, head chef, how to, Lodore Falls Hotel, mike ward, mike zeller, radio, recipe, tips