Turning to custard

A bread and butter pudding is hard to beat, especially when it's made with panettone.

I was pleasantly surprised recently to still see passionfruit in my local vegetable market, because with its season about to end, it’s an indication that winter must nearly be over, too. I love tearing the wrinkled passionfruit skin apart with my fingers, puncturing a hole in it and squeezing the intensely ­flavoured fruit directly into my mouth. For baking, when I don’t want the crunch of the seeds as a feature, I scrape the pulp into a strainer set over a bowl and use the back of a spoon to force the seeds and pulp against the mesh to extract the juice.

This early promise of spring affords me the chance to look at desserts, something I have not cooked much this year, despite the bitterly cold weather.

Given the luxury of time, a hot winter dessert is my preference, and a bread and butter pudding is one of those custard-rich desserts that everyone in my house loves. In the past, I have used traditional white bread, brioche or even stale croissants, but I firmly believe the Italian Christmas bread, panettone, is best. Flecked with candied orange, citron and lemon peel, it is traditionally cut into thin slices and served with a dollop of mascarpone accompanied by a cup of tea or a glass of sweet dessert wine.

Although this festive bread is usually served during the northern hemisphere winter, one or two of my suppliers give me some every Christmas. I’m not ungrateful for their kind thoughts, but it seems rather dry and heavy to serve during our summer. For many years, lacking inspiration, I could never find a better use for the panettone, so they would remain beautifully wrapped in my larder.

Without the luxury of time, a soufflé makes a light option. They may appear intimidating to make, so that failure seems a foregone conclusion, but the opposite is true. They are easy, quick and cheap to make. Show your soufflé no fear and success is practically guaranteed, because once in the oven, the soufflé will look after itself. Just don’t overwhip the egg whites or keep the soufflé in the oven too long. And if ­you really need to know whether your soufflé is rising, open the oven door but just don’t slam it afterwards.

Syllabub is a wonderful dessert that usually forms one of the layers of a perfect trifle, the others being sponge and custard (never fruit). It is, however, exceptional on its own. This recipe comes from British food writer Simon Hopkinson, who describes it as “one of the very nicest of traditional English desserts”. It just begs to be served in pretty glass bowls that reflect candlelight. Maybe I am not quite ready to see the end of winter, after all.

Lemon and Ginger Syllabub

375ml medium-sweet white wine

1 globe stem ginger, thinly sliced

Put the wine and ginger syrup into a stainless-steel pan and heat until it has reduced by half. Cool, then add the cognac, ginger wine, lemon rind and juice. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave overnight to infuse. The next day, strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a jug. Put the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat it. Add the wine ­infusion a little at a time, beating gently until all the liquid has been absorbed. Do not overbeat. Gently fold the diced ginger into the mixture, then pile into chilled glass dishes and chill for 1-2 hours. Just before serving, drizzle a little extra ginger syrup over each portion and decorate with a sliver of stem ginger.

Serves 4.

ALTHOUGH IT’S A FESTIVE cake, panettone can be found year round in many specialty food shops. As this dessert slowly bubbles away in the oven, the happy smell gets everyone’s attention.

Panettone Bread and

Butter Pudding

350g panettone

a few drops of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly butter a deep oval porcelain dish. Slice the ­panettone thinly and spread the slices with butter. Place slightly overlapping slices in the dish. Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat lightly. Beat in the milk, sugar and vanilla. Carefully pour over the panettone, then leave for 30 minutes so the custard can soak in. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and just set. Serve warm with a jug of cream.

Serves 6.

I AM NEVER EXACTLY if those people who pronounce this dessert “soo-full” are being silly or not. For the record, ­

it is “soo-flay”. What should be in the ingredients list, but isn’t, is air. Without it, you will have no soufflé, so make sure you get the whisked egg whites nice and firm. I use porcelain soufflé ramekins, but teacups will do.

Passionfruit Soufflé

unsalted butter for greasing the ramekins

icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190°C and lightly butter the insides of 2 x 8cm-diameter soufflé ramekins. ­Sprinkle with sugar, then rotate the dish to make sure the interior is completely coated in sugar. In a bowl cream the yolks with a tablespoon of sugar until pale. Stir in the passionfruit juice, then set aside.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites with a generous pinch of salt and half the second tablespoon of sugar. As the whites reach soft, billowing peaks, add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until the peaks firm. Whisk a ­third of the whites into the yolks, then carefully fold in the rest.

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and smooth the tops. Bake for 12 minutes or until the soufflés are puffed and golden. Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar.

Makes 2 soufflés.