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BRINGING PUDDINGS TO LIFE - Lemon Posset with Cardamom Shortbreads
by Chef Phil Vickery

Celebrity chef Phil Vickery cooks up a pudding storm

The famous chef takes us through 6 of Britain's favourite puds. Everybody loves a good pud! From homemade apple pie to granny's spotted dick or mum's treacle tart, everyone's a winner. But how often do you make home-made puds and do you really know where to start?

Although more and more people are experimenting in the kitchen with puddings, one in five Brits have never attempted a home-made pudding, according to new research by Carnation. So what's stopping Brits from getting their hands dirty in the kitchen? Perhaps, if you had a top chef in the kitchen with you, you'd be more inclined to whip up a nice pudding. Well now you can!

Celebrity chef Phil Vickery is here to save the day. Over the coming months he will be welcoming us in to his kitchen to take us through the simple steps to create 6 classic puddings. Click on Podcast below to watch his fifth instalment demonstrating how to make Lemon Posset with Cardamom Shortbreads . . .

Still looking for inspiration? Why not logon to www.carnation.co.uk where you can look through a variety of Phil's tasty recipes and download the pudcasts.

PUDCASTS

To stop the spread of pudding paranoia and encourage the nation to rediscover its taste for homemade puddings, today, celebrity chef Phil Vickery launches a series of Pudcasts; a monthly series of six podcasts showing you how to create simple, yet impressive, desserts. Let's face it, even cook books aren't fool-proof, but you'll be hard pressed to go wrong when you've got the step-by-step directions on a screen right in front of your eyes! So why not harness the power of technology and watch one of Phil's pudcasts - you can't go wrong!

THE SWEET TASTE OF . . .

The fifth Pudcast released in August features Phil demonstrating how to make Lemon Posset with Cardamom Shortbreads. A new Pudcast containing a new recipe will be launched every month until September, showing you how to produce a range of delicious deserts, step-by-step.

Featured recipes:

WHAT YOU GOT COOKIN'?

Cooking's not just about the end result. According to Phil, as well as missing out on the delicious taste of authentic homemade cooking, people are passing up the opportunity to experience the psychological benefits of making something for themselves. Creating your own mouth-watering pudding can be extremely rewarding, especially if cooking for family and friends. To see others really enjoying something you have prepared from scratch can leave you with a real sense of satisfaction and pride.

LEMON POSSET

Ingredients

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk
150ml (¼pt) double cream
finely grated zest and juice of 4 large unwaxed lemons (about 150ml)

To serve:
1tbsp chopped mint leaves
1tsp granulated sugar
squeeze of lemon juice

Method

• Whisk the condensed milk and cream together until thick and very light - 4 or 5 minutes.

• Add the lemon juice and zest and whip for a few seconds only as the mixture will thicken very quickly.

• Spoon the lemon cream into ramekins, or a large trifle bowl and then chill for at least an hour, or overnight.

• To serve, muddle the mint leaves with the sugar and lemon juice and sprinkle a little onto the lemon cream.

Tip:

Most creamy mousses need some sort of setting agent, gelatine being the most popular. Here, the reaction between the acid from the fruit, the condensed milk and the cream, make a great setting combination.

Serve this with fresh raspberries and a crisp shortbread biscuit.

Serves 4 - 6

CARDAMOM SHORTBREADS

Ingredients

225g (8oz) plain flour
115g (4oz) cornflour
225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
55g (2oz) caster sugar
55g (2oz) icing sugar, sieved
12 green cardamoms

Method

• Sieve the flour and cornflour together.

• Beat the butter and sugars together in a bowl until soft and fluffy.

• Split open the cardamom pods and place the seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder. Add the cardamom powder to the butter and sugar mixture along with the flour and cornflour and then knead well to make a dough.

• Shape into a ball then flatten and wrap in cling film. Chill for about 15 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4. Grease 2 baking sheets.

• Roll out the dough to about 5mm (¼") thick then use a 7cm (2¾") diameter cutter to cut out the biscuits.

• Place on the baking sheets then bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Tip:

The use of cardamom in the shortbread, works well with the sharpness of the lemon in the Lemon Posset.

Makes 12

www.carnation.co.uk

Published 18 August 2008