Rhubarb Custard Sandwich Biscuits Food

NADIYA HUSSAIN'S RHUBARB AND CUSTARD BUTTER KISSES

Steps:

• Have two baking trays at the ready, lined with some baking paper and lightly greased. To make the dough, add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla seeds to a bowl and whisk until the mixture is really light and fluffy. Add the flour, the custard powder and the baking powder and mix until it all comes together nicely into a thick paste. Add the food colouring to a corner of the paste and mix the paste carefully in that corner so you are colouring only a quarter. Take a clean spoon and mix the whole thing so you have uneven ripple throughout. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Attach a medium 1.25cm open star-tip nozzle to a piping bag and gently add all the mixture. Pipe 4cm star shapes onto the prepared paper, leaving a 2cm gap in between each, as these do spread a little. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then leave to cool completely on the tray. Make the filling by melting the chocolate and setting it aside. Crush the sweets to crumbs. I crush them so they are mostly fine with a few slightly larger pieces, but you don't want too many large pieces or the biscuits won't sandwich together. Once the biscuits are cool, turn them over so you have the flat bases exposed. Take a half teaspoon of the melted chocolate and spread on the underside of each biscuit. Sprinkle the crushed sweets onto half the biscuits and then take the other biscuits and pop straight on top. Arrange on the tray and leave in a cool place for the chocolate to set, then they are totally ready to eat.

RHUBARB & CUSTARD SANDWICH BISCUITS

Steps:

• To make the jam, put the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 mins, or until the rhubarb has broken down and released its liquid. Blitz using a hand blender until smooth, then simmer for another 5-10 mins until thick and jammy. To test it's ready, run a wooden spoon over the base of the pan - it should leave a trail rather than filling in straightaway. Leave to cool (it will set more as it does), then chill until ready to use. Will keep in a sealed container or jar in the fridge for up to one week.
• To make the biscuit dough, put the butter, both sugars and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to a coarse paste. Scrape down the sides, then add the flour and custard powder and pulse again to a damp, sandy consistency. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and pulse again until the dough comes together into a ball. Add ½-1 tbsp water to bring it together, if needed. Tip the dough out, then wrap and put in the fridge to chill for at least 30 mins.
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a 5mm thickness. Stamp out as many biscuits as you can using a 6mm round cutter - you should get about 32 in total.
• Cut circles or hearts out of the centres of half the biscuits using the wide end of a plain piping nozzle (about 1.5cm), or a small heart cutter. Transfer all the biscuits to lined baking sheets, then transfer to the fridge and chill for 15 mins. You can also cook the cut-out shapes to make mini biscuits - if doing so, put these on their own baking sheet.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6, then bake the biscuits for 8-10 mins until golden (5-6 mins for the mini biscuits). Put on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• Transfer the jam to a piping bag, snip off the end, and pipe a small layer of jam onto the plain biscuits (those without the centres cut out). Or, use a teaspoon. Spread the jam out - it may squidge out of the sides when sandwiching the biscuits, so don't go too far to the edge.
• Sandwich the remaining biscuits over the jam (don't press down too firmly), then transfer to an airtight container in a single layer and leave to set overnight. This ensures the jam won't leak when you bite into them, but they can be eaten straightaway if you can't resist. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days, but the biscuits will start to soften over time.

RHUBARB AND CUSTARD FOOL (MATT PRESTON)

Steps:

• Trim the rhubarb, cutting off leaves and gnarly ends. Rinse, & slice rhubarb into 5cm lengths. Put the rhubarb into a heavy-based pan with a lid. Pour in the orange juice and stir. Place on a low heat and cook. Stirring occasionally to ensure the rhubarb doesn't stick.
• As rhubarb cooks it will break down and release its juice. Stir in the brown sugar. As soon as the rhubarb has broken down to fine threads remove from heat, add rose water, and set aside to cool.
• When Rhubarb is completely cooled ~ whip the cream until it's stiff. Fold in the cooled rhubarb, then fold in the cold custard. The fool should be marbled with rhubarb and custard.
• Serve in glasses with shards of pine nut praline and a savoiardi biscuit with each glass for dunking.
• To make the praline ~ Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over low heat for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• In a small pan melt the 100g sugar over low heat - allow it to dissolve without stirring. Cook until it is a golden caramel, then mix in the toasted pine nuts. Working quickly, spread out the pine nut praline onto a non-stick baking tray or silicon mat to cool. When the praline is cool, crack into thin shards.