How about a delicious mulberry pudding from the 18th century?

Inspired by a viewer’s email about mulberries being in season, Townsends takes on the challenge to bake a recipe from Hannah Glasse’s classic cookbook, The Art of Cookery.

We start with a simple pie crust. The dough is made with a flour-to-butter ratio of 1:3. The butter is rubbed into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Cold water is then added to bring everything together to form a ball.

The dough is shaped into a bowl and placed inside a boiled and floured cloth. This ensures the pudding releases easily after cooking.

Enough mulberries are added to the dough bowl to comfortably close it up. The amount of berries will depend on the size of your dough ball. The tied-up pudding is then boiled for 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the size.

After boiling, the pudding is dipped in cool water to solidify the outer shell. The top is cut open, and butter and sugar are added.

This delightful pudding is described as a “cobbler in a ball,” with the berries being perfectly cooked and the crust similar to a cobbler topping. The pudding is cut into slices for serving, with each portion containing a bit of the crust and some of the delicious berry filling.

Still reading?

Have you ever dreamt of creating those flaky, airy pastries that grace the shelves of French bakeries?

Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a complete beginner, Chef Bruno Albouze breaks down the process into manageable steps and offers valuable insights and techniques for mastering the art of puff pastry.

Grab your rolling pin and fold that dough!

Unlike commercially produced ice cream, gelato boasts a denser texture, a richer flavor, and a focus on using fresh, high-quality ingredients.

Milk, eggs, and sugar. That’s all you need for making true gelato. And yet, finding this simplicity in Italy may not be as easy as you may think.

Today is all about creating two delightful French desserts: crème renversée au caramel (caramel custard) and apple custard. Both are baked in a mold and coated in a beautiful brown caramel topping.

The key ingredient is, of course, caramel. Julia explains how to make caramel by heating sugar until it reaches a dark brown color. You can use a candy thermometer or the traditional method of constantly checking for the right consistency. Once the caramel is ready, you can line your molds with it.

For the crème renversée au caramel, you’ll need eggs, milk, and some rum. Or maybe you prefer vanilla extract.

To make the apple custard you’ll bake sliced apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and butter. The apples are then folded into a custard mixture and poured into the caramel-lined mold.

Both custards are baked in the oven until set. Caramel custard is a delicate dessert with a silky smooth texture, while the apple custard has a slightly firmer consistency with chunks of tender apples.

Julia also makes candied nuts with the leftover caramel. These can be enjoyed on their own or crumbled over the custards for more texture and deep flavor.

Pâte à Choux translates to “cabbage paste” but don’t be fooled by the name, it doesn’t contain any cabbage at all. It is made with just a few simple ingredients: flour, milk, butter, eggs, and a pinch of salt. The dough itself is very versatile and can be used to make a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

Chef Jacques Pépin gives us a step-by-step demonstration on how to make the dough and then shows us how to use it by making a few different dishes.

Here are some of the many desserts you can make with pâte à choux:

Profiteroles: Cream puffs that are typically filled with ice cream and then drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Éclairs: Elongated pastries filled with pastry cream and then iced on top.
Shū Cream: Japanese cream puffs filled with a light and airy custard cream.
Gougères: Savory cheese puffs that are perfect for an appetizer or snack.
Paris-Brest: A ring-shaped pastry that is filled with praline cream.
Swan Puffs: Puff pastries shaped like swans.

Craving a taste of classic comfort food? Look no further than the humble custard tart! Mr. Paul throws it back to the good old days, taking you on a journey to create a perfectly delightful English-style custard tart.

Forget fancy ingredients and complicated techniques. It’s all about nostalgia and pure flavor. Join Mr. Paul as he guides you through the simple steps to crafting this timeless treat.

First up, we tackle the flaky, buttery pastry crust. With just a handful of ingredients – flour, butter, sugar, egg, milk, and a pinch of salt – you’ll be well on your way to a delicious foundation.

Then, it’s on to the luscious custard filling. This is where the magic happens! Eggs, milk, sugar, and a touch of nutmeg come together to create a creamy, dreamy center that will melt in your mouth. Learn the secret to avoiding air bubbles and ensuring a smooth, even texture.

Finally, we assemble the masterpiece. The chilled pastry is rolled out, nestled into a tart tin, and filled with the heavenly custard. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg and pop it in the oven. In about 25 minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a golden-brown beauty ready to devour.

Have you ever wondered what makes those French pastries so darn delightful? The secret weapon might be hiding in plain sight. Well, you guessed already. It is custard.

Pastry Chef William Joyce, from French Cooking Academy, breaks down custard into its simplest form, revealing the three key types and how to achieve each one.

Get ready to be amazed by the versatility of custard. From the light and luscious texture of a liquid custard perfect for crème anglaise to the rich and creamy sweet custard that elevates cakes and tarts, Chef Joyce guides you through every step. But wait, there’s more! He also dives into the world of pastry cream, the thick and luxurious custard that takes your pastries to the next level.

It isn’t just about following instructions, but about understanding the science behind what makes custard set, the role of each ingredient, and even alternative flavorings you can explore.

You’ll be whipping up impressive custards in no time. Who knows, you might even become the next French pastry champion in your own kitchen!

Join Max Miller on a journey through time, exploring how fruitcake evolved from the ancient treats to the festive staple we know today.

The term itself encompasses a wide variety of baked goods with added fruits. Ancient Egyptians and Romans had their own versions of fruitcake, but they were quite different from the fruitcake we know today.

Sugar and spices, essential ingredients in modern fruitcake, became more readily available in the 16th and 17th centuries, leading to a shift in fruitcake recipes. For the next 200 years, fruitcake leavened with yeast became the standard Christmas cake. Queen Victoria’s fruitcake iced with white royal icing further solidified fruitcake’s association with weddings.

The decline in fruitcake’s popularity can be traced back to the mid-20th century. The rise of chiffon cakes and other lighter, airier cakes overshadowed the dense fruitcake.

However, fruitcake did travel to space! Astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission even had fruitcake with them. And during the American Civil War, fruitcake was a popular treat sent to soldiers fighting on both sides. The reason behind its popularity is its longevity. Unlike the airy sponge cakes we are used today that require yeast, fruitcake was made with baking powder or baking soda, making it shelf-stable for months, or even years.

Did anyone say chocolate?

A wonderful episode of “Handmade” (by Eater) with master chocolate maker Carolina Quijano. She takes us through each step of her process of creating chocolate, from hand-selecting the world’s best cocoa beans to roasting, grinding, sifting, molding, and more.

And if that’s not enough, you can visit her shop anytime (Exquisito Chocolates, 2606 SW 8th Street in Miami’s historic Little Havana neighborhood) or place an order online at Exquisito Chocolates.

Are you a Tiramisu lover? or not yet?
(name comes from the Italian tirami su, lit. ’pick me up‘ or ‘cheer me up‘)

Anyhow, you’ll sure be craving for your plate of this iconic Italian treat in a few minutes. Join renown coffee lover James Hoffmann on a beautiful journey, unveiling stories, recipes, techniques and ingredients about the most known and loved Italian dessert.

I highly recommend the whole series (4 episodes).