Basil and Buttermilk Pudding with Poached Figs By Mark Dodson
There’s no better way to end a Provençal meal than with this fresh and aromatic dessert and we’re delighted that Mark Dodson is sharing it with us. The basil brings a touch of sweet aniseed to this buttermilk pudding served with poached figs, a simple shortbread and raspberry coulis the combination is a taste sensation!
Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com
Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 40 minutes, plus setting time
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200ml double cream
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
- 100g caster sugar
- 10g basil leaves
- 5g gelatine leaves
- 250ml buttermilk
- Edible flowers, to garnish
Figs
- 4 ripe figs
- 500ml water
- 250g sugar
- 1tsp cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
Shortbread
- 125g butter, cold and diced
- 180g flour
- 1tsp lemon zest
- 65g caster sugar
Raspberry coulis
- 125g raspberries
- 25g caster sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced
Cooking Method
- Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Bring the cream, basil, vanilla pod and seeds and sugar to a simmer in a pan over a medium heat. Lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes.
- Squeeze the gelatine to remove the excess water and whisk into the cream mixture until dissolved. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug with the buttermilk and stir. Decant into moulds or glasses and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
- For the figs, use a pin to prick the figs all over and neaten up the stalks with a knife. Bring the water, sugar, cardamom and star anise to a rapid boil in a pan, then add the figs. Bring back to the boil then remove from the heat. Cover the pan with cling film and set aside to cool.
- For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Combine the butter, flour, lemon zest and sugar in a mixing bowl until a dough forms, then roll out until 1cm thick. Use a circular cutter to create 4 biscuits, then transfer these to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, then set aside to cool.
- For the coulis, place the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a squeeze bottle and set aside to cool.
- Once the bouillon has been simmering for a few hours remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan and reduce by one-third. Check for seasoning and set aside to reheat later.
When ready to serve
Bring the figs back to the boil, then remove them from the syrup (allow the syrup to continue cooking until thickened). De-mould the puddings by dipping them in hot water for a few seconds, then loosen the edges and upturn them onto plates. Halve the figs and brush them with a little of the syrup, then arrange them around the pudding. Place the biscuits on the side and place dots of the raspberry coulis around. Drizzle with a little more syrup and garnish with edible flowers.
