Sarah McGahon's signature dish from Heat 2 of MasterChef
Ingredients
- 100 g preserved ginger (about 6 or 8 pieces)
- 90g self raising flour
- 1\3 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1\3 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1\3teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1\4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1\2 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
- 1 egg
- 40 g soft butter
- 55 g dark soft brown sugar
- 1 tblsp golden syrup
- 1 small pear, peeled and chopped into small dice
- 90 ml warm water.
- for the ginger wine and brandy sauce
- 90 g soft dark brown sugar
- 55 g unsalted butter
- 2 tblsp ginger wine
- 1 tblsp brandy
- 1 pieces of preserved ginger in syrup.
- 70 ml pouring cream
- for the walnut praline:
- 50 g finely chopped walnuts
- 100 g caster sugar
- ingredients for the vanilla ice cream:
- 300 ml cream
- 100 ml full fat milk
- 1 fat vanilla pod
- 3 egg yolks
- 50 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
Method
- Make the Praline:
- Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or baking paper. Place the chopped walnuts on the mat. Place the sugar into a heavy based saucepan, heat until the edges start to melt, swirl the pan until the sugar has turned a golden colour and pour over the chopped walnuts, coating them quickly. Allow the praline to set until hard.
- Make the Vanilla Ice Cream:
- Heat the milk and cream over a low heat.
- Split the vanilla pod lengthways and drag a small knife down the inside of the pod to gather all the seeds.
- Add the seeds and the split pod to the milk and cream mixture, bring it to a simmer, turn off and leave aside.
- Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour with a balloon whisk until its pale in colour. Then pour the infused cream mixture over the egg mixture and continue whisking.
- When all combined, pour back into the saucepan, put back onto a gentle heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
- You need to cool this mixture before you put it into the ice cream maker, I put it into a sink of cold water for 10 minutes or as long as you have.
- Remember to remove the vanilla pod before you pour this into the ice cream maker.
- While the mixture is cooling in the sink
- Make the puddings:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Butter the four mini pudding bowls.
- Sift all the dry ingredients together into a bowl, the flour, spices, baking powder and bi-carb. Add the eggs, softened butter and golden syrup and whisk until all creamed together. Stir in a few pieces of the finely chopped preserved ginger and the finely chopped pear.
- Divide the mixture into the four bowls, filling them to just over the half way mark.
- Put the four bowls onto a baking tray and put into the oven for 30 minutes.
- Check after 25 minutes as ovens vary. If the pudding springs back when you press the centre of it and a toothpick comes out clean, then they are done.
- Remember to put the ice cream into the maker and churn while the puddings are in the oven.
- Take out the puddings and let rest for 10 minutes.
- To Make the Sauce:
- Melt the butter and sugar in a small saucepan, keep stirring with a balloon whisk, when the sugar granules have dissolved, whisk in the ginger wine and the tablespoon of brandy and continue to stir for a few minutes. Add the cream and stir until thickened.
- To finish the praline, now that its gone hard, break it up into a food processor with the blade attachment and blitz until crumb like in texture.
- To Plate up:
- Spoon some of the praline onto a plate, turn out the pudding and cover with the sauce, spoon a large quenelle of the ice cream to the side and place some of the finely sliced preserved ginger over the ice cream or even stir it into the ice cream before making the quenelle.
