Eccles Cakes with a Stilton and Sherry Butter (makes 8 cakes for 4 portions)

Best paired with Cream Sherry


Ingredients

60g butter
250g Stilton cheese
15g brandy
4g Tabasco

For the cakes

50g unsalted butter
75g caster sugar
100g currants
2g mixed spice (equal parts of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger)
12g red wine vinegar
250g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten


Melt the butter in a saucepot, add sugar and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, stir in the currants and vinegar and allow too cool. Roll out the pastry on a cold surface to 3mm thick. Cut out eight 90mm diameter rings and brush with egg wash. Place filling in centre, fold in pastry to cover filling and press together to seal. Turn each pastry over and slash three times. Rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge then egg wash and bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes. Serve with the Stilton and Sherry butter. Place in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees) and roast for 25 minutes - turning once during the cooking time. Remove from the oven and allow the onions to cool to room temperature.

Sherry Trifle (Makes 4 trifles)

Best paired with Pedro Ximenez

For the syllabub mix for cream topping:

1 strip lemon rind (no pith)
55g sugar
125g cider
60g PX Sherry

Combine all of the ingredients for the syllabub together and mix it all up.  Leave to macerate for 24 hours, and then strain through a mesh strainer.

For the Green Tea Infusion:

10g green tea
195g hot water

Infuse for 5 minutes and strain and reserve.

For the Mix for Soaking Sponge Fingers:

Green tea infusion (from above)
200g  PX Sherry
200g Sugar
30g lime juice
24 sponge fingers

Combine the green tea infusion, the Sherry, sugar, and lime juice.  Stir to dissolve the sugar and pour over the sponge fingers.  Reserve for later.        

For the Custard:

110g sugar
160g egg yolks
375g whole milk
375g double cream
1vanilla bean (split in two)
Pinch saffron

Beat together the sugar and yolks using a whisk for 2 minutes. Place the cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to just a simmer.  Meanwhile have ready an ice bath to strain the custard into.  Take the milk mixture off the heat and whisk over the egg yolks, adding a little at a time, and return to the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon constantly, cook the custard to 80C.  Bring off the heat and stir.  Repeat this 3 to 5 times until the custard is thick.  Once the custard is thick pass through a strainer into an ice bath, stirring so it doesn’t form a skin.
                                                                     
For the filling:

16 strawberries (cut lengthwise in half)
175g syllabub mix (from above)
225g double cream
8 amaretti biscuits (slightly crushed)
Shaved almonds (lightly toasted)
 
To assemble the trifle:

Place two soaked sponge fingers in the bottom of the glass, making sure you push the sponge fingers right into the bottom of the glass flat.  Place the strawberries, cut side facing out, against the glass, on top of the sponge fingers.  Spoon custard on top of the strawberries, going all of the way up the sides and chill for 6 hours.
 
For the topping whip together the syllabub and double cream to soft peaks, being careful not to over beat this.  Spoon the syllabub on top of the trifle. Crush two of amaretti biscuits over each syllabub and sprinkle with the shaved almonds. Serve immediately.