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124 THE ENGLISH HOME THE ENGLISH HOME 125### RICOTTA CAKE WITH### CARAMELISED CLEMENTINESBrimming with Christmassyclementines, this is a moist, dense cake,with a subtle hint of star anise. The cakeitself freezes well in a sealed container.Once topped with the barely cookedclementines and syrup, it is best eatenwithin a day, or two days at most.``````Serves 8140g unsalted butter, at roomtemperature, plus extra to greasePlain flour, to dust140g caster sugar375g ricotta3 medium eggs, separated, plus2 extra egg yolksFinely grated zest of 3 clementines,plus 3 tbsp juice175g self-raising flour, sifted1 tsp baking powderPinch of fine sea salt4-5 seedless clementines100g caster sugar4 star anise75ml clementine juice or orangeLiqueur, such as Grand Marnier orCointreauWhipped cream to serve (optional)- Preheat the oven to 160°C. Lightlybutter a 23–24cm springform caketin and dust with flour.- Cream the butter and sugar togetherusing an electric whisk until pale andfluffy. Whisk in the ricotta, the 5 eggyolks and the clementine zest and juiceuntil evenly combined. Sift the flour,baking powder and salt togetherinto another bowl. - In a clean bowl (with clean beaters), whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. In alternate batches, fold the egg whites and sifted flour mix into the ricotta mixture until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. - Ten minutes before the cake will be cooked, make the topping. Peel the clementines, removing all pith, then slice crosswise into 1cm rounds and remove the pips. - Put the sugar and star anise into a dry heavy-based pan over a high heat. When the sugar begins to melt and caramelise, tilt the pan to swirl the syrup so that it colours evenly. As soon as it reaches a terracotta brown colour, add the clementine juice or liqueur, standing well back as the hot caramel will splutter. Some of it will harden on contact with the juice, so stir over a medium heat until it melts to a thick, glossy caramel. Remove from the heat, add the clementines and toss to coat in the caramel. - Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 15 minutes (it will sink slightly on cooling). Carefully unmould and transfer it to a serving plate or cake stand. Whilst the cake is still warm, lightly prick the surface all over with a skewer then drizzle over some of the caramel. Arrange the clementine slices on top and drizzle over the rest of the caramel. Leave to cool completely. - Slice the cake to serve and accompany with whipped cream, if desired.### STUFFED DATES WITH HONEY### AND PISTACHIO MARZIPANI was inspired to make these after a tripto Dubai, where sweet, luscious datesare a treat. They are fabulous as canapés.``````Makes about 30100g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts1 tbsp caster sugar1½–2 tbsp clear runny honey1½ tsp lemon juice½ tsp rosewater, or to tasteIcing sugar, to dust28–30 Medjool or Deglet Noor dates- Put the pistachios and caster sugarinto a food processor and pulse untilthe mixture resembles coarsebreadcrumbs. Do not over-process,otherwise the nuts may release theiroils and become greasy. Drizzle inthe honey, lemon juice and rosewaterand blend until the mixture startsto clump together.- Turn the marzipan mixture ontoa surface dusted with icing sugar andknead lightly until soft and smooth.- Halve the dates lengthways andremove the stones. Take about ateaspoonful of the pistachio marzipanand shape it into a roll slightly shorterthan the length of the date you arefilling, dusting it with a little icingsugar to prevent the paste from stickingto your hands.- Insert the marzipan into the slit andpress the date gently to encase thefilling. Once stuffed, place the datesin small waxed paper cases to serve. TEH UK DEC15 Food book extract.indd 125 22/10/2015 15:02