Copyright

HarperCollinsPublishers

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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

FIRST EDITION

© Martha Collison 2017

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers

Cover photograph © Laura Edwards

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Martha Collison asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN 9780008238636

Ebook Edition © June 2017 ISBN 9780008238643

Version 2017-05-31

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

How to use this book

Equipment

Ingredients

Citrus

Understanding Citrus

Limoncello Brandy Snap Curls

Lemon and Pistachio Cheesecake Pots

Coconut and Lime Teacup Puddings

Caramelised Marmalade French Toast

Lime and Ginger Drizzle Cake Traybake

Lemon and Poppy Seed Pancake Stack

Orange, Pistachio and Pomegranate Cakes

Grapefruit and White Chocolate Possets with Shortbread

Lemonade Marshmallows

Lemon Meringue Profiteroles

Preserved Lemon and Olive Focaccia

Lemon and Lime Battenberg

Fruit

Understanding Fruit

Mini Doughnut Muffins

Quick Berry Crumbles

Mango and Prawn Filo Cups

Honey Scones with Rhubarb Compote

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

Sweet and Sour Apple Crisps

Passionfruit Viennese Whirls

Raspberry Crêpe Cake

Blackcurrant and Peanut Macarons

Persian Fruit Cake

Coconut Custard Tart with Caramelised Pineapple

Cherry and Marzipan Pie

Nut

Understanding Nuts

Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread

Honey and Sea Salt Roasted Nuts

Peanut Butter Cookies

Coffee Bean and Almond Brittle

Amaretti Biscuits

Sticky Maple Pecan Pudding

Frangipane Puff Pastry Pies

Pecan Praline Brownies

Flourless Hazelnut Torte

Baklava

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Roulade

Peshwari Naan Breads

Nutty Chocolate Babka

Spice

Understanding Spices

Plain Popcorn

Oriental Satay Popcorn

Piri-Piri Popcorn

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Fire Fries with Raita Dip

Gingerbread Blondies

Spiced Milk and Honey Cake

Speculoos Cookies

Speculoos Cookie Spread

Chilli Chocolate Churros

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Cumin and Sesame Crackers with Whipped Goat’s Cheese

Sugar and Spice Doughnuts

Chilli and Garlic Flatbreads

Chai Tea Panna Cotta

Cardamom Knots

Eggnog Layer Cake

Chocolate

Understanding Chocolate

Gooey Sharing Cookie

Lacy Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

Mint Chocolate Mousses

Toasted Marshmallow Flapjacks

Brigadeiros

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Earl Grey, Caramel and Chocolate Loaf Cake

Mississippi Mud Pie

Triple Chocolate Éclairs

Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

Death by Chocolate Cake

Mocha Cruffins

Caramel

Understanding Caramel

Salted Caramel Sauce

Hot Chocolate with Caramel Pretzel Bites

Brown Sugar Beignets

Honeycomb Cups

Salted Caramel Cornflake Bars

Giant Stroopwafels

Caramel Madeleines with Buttered Rum Sauce

Brown Butter Caramel Tartlets

Malted Millionaire’s Slices

Butterscotch Thumbprint Cookies

Treacle Tart

Burnt Caramel Banana Bread

Coffee Caramel Monkey Bread

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

Cheese

Understanding Cheese

Baked Époisses Fondue with Prosciutto Dippers

Parmesan and Chipotle Crisps

Smoked Cheddar Welsh Rarebit

Tartiflette Potato Skins

Triple Cheese Gougères

Butternut Squash and Feta Empanadas

Cherry and Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

Cheese and Marmite Sausage Rolls

Mini Pork and Stilton Pies

Fig and Manchego Loaf

Gouda and Smoked Paprika Pretzels

Stuffed Bagelballs

Alcohol

Understanding Alcohol

Tiramisu Pots

Bramble Crêpes Suzette

Amaretto Syllabubs

Brandy Butter Bread Pudding

Whiskey Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bourbon Biscuits

Cherry Kirsch Soufflés

Pisco Sour Angel Food Cake

Mai Tai Rum Babas

Espresso Martini Cheesecake

Mulled Wine Pavlova

Irish Cream Pretzel Cake

Gin and Tonic Lime Pie

List of Searchable Terms

Acknowledgements

About the Publisher

Introduction

I have loved food for as long as I can remember. I was the child who looked forward to grocery shopping because I loved to see all the fresh fruits piled precariously in displays and to marvel at the number of intricately shaped pasta varieties in their colourful packets. Trailing slowly behind my mum, I’d wander through the aisles trying to sneak the new foods that I was curious to try into the trolley. I couldn’t (and still can’t) make it home with an intact baguette, as resisting the temptation to tear off the knobbly end and sink my teeth into the golden crust encasing the soft, chewy bread was beyond me. I’d spend Sunday afternoons thumbing through my mum’s Nigella collection, devouring the pages with my eyes and picking out recipes to try to persuade my parents to let me make.

I was the girl who always had a hot school dinner because I hated the mundane predictability of a packed lunch. Taking my plastic tray up to the hatch and choosing a meal that I felt like eating was an experience to which I would look forward with great anticipation. The food may not have been incredible, but I had the choice of what I ate, and I loved it. In restaurants, I’d always ask for a spare plate rather than a meal of my own so I could sample everyone else’s food at the table instead. I adored having a little taste of everything. I remember being sorely disappointed when I became too old for the empty-plate approach to be socially acceptable and had to order my own food. I couldn’t relate to fussy eaters, as the thought of not knowing how a new food sitting on my plate tasted was an alien concept to me. I’ve been fascinated by flavour and had a thirst to understand food for longer than I’ve been able to cook it.

My earliest memory of a craving (embarrassing as this is for a baker who valiantly aims to champion homemade cooking) is butterscotch Angel Delight. I was transfixed by the kitchen magic that occurred; how whisking a beige powder with cold milk would transform it into a thick, cloudy mass with an unnatural, gelatinous texture. My sister and I adored it, and the artificial buttery flavour evokes a certain nostalgia that I’ve struggled to replicate. We crave the things we love; the foods that make us happy. That’s how the idea for this book was born.

Crave is a book focused on my love affair with food; on glorifying ingredients in their purest form as well as showing how to combine flavours to create sensational bakes. Living in an age crammed full of dieting and healthy-eating cookbooks, I was desperate for a change, and I hope Crave offers just that. This is a book that should speak to that inner voice we all have which asks ‘What do I really feel like eating?’ It is aimed squarely at loving, appreciating and celebrating food for what it is, without an ounce of guilt for indulging the body and mind in what they desire. By no means am I suggesting that you throw healthy eating out of the window and base your diet on these recipes; I am fully supportive of eating a balanced, nutritious diet. However, I am also a firm believer in the importance of treating yourself every now and again. Food, especially baking, should be fun! This book is full of recipes that will satisfy your cravings on those self-indulgent days.

Cravings are a curious phenomenon. What starts as an insignificant little niggle at the back of your mind, gently hinting at the kind of food needed to hit the spot, can quickly grow into a compulsion that demands to be satisfied. The kind that drives you out of bed in the middle of the night to raid the fridge for a morsel of cheese, or causes you to sneak away from your desk in a desperate hunt for a square of chocolate to go with your coffee. This book is organised into chapters focused on eight of the most common cravings: Citrus, Fruit, Nut, Spice, Chocolate, Caramel, Cheese and Alcohol. Starting with recipes for refreshing citrus breakfasts to start the day with vigour, through ambrosial caramel delights to satisfy even the sweetest tooth, and ending with dark and devious ways to imbue delectable bakes with alcoholic tipples, there is something here to sate every appetite.

In the words of Virginia Woolf:

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’

Crave is everything I love about baking. I bake to please, to nurture, to comfort, to entertain and, most importantly, to enjoy, and I hope that radiates through these pages.

How to use this book

I bake with immediate consumption in mind. I’m an impatient baker, and I want to be rewarded for my toils as quickly as possible – whether that is with a super-quick bake or by sneaking a spoonful of hot gooey brownies fresh from the oven before they have had the chance to cool. The three categories of recipes represent the different amounts of time needed to create bakes to satisfy your cravings. You’ll notice the headers at the top of each recipe page.

These recipes take less than 20 minutes. They are go-to quick treats that can be rustled up in next to no time when you need something to hit the spot. You’ll find clever tips and shortcuts to help speed up your favourite bakes.

Taking less than an hour to create from start to finish, these include everything from amazingly quick cakes to biscuits and savoury snacks. These are the recipes that you can always sneak a bite from while they cool, if you can’t wait any longer.

These recipes take over an hour, allowing plenty of time for more lengthy baking processes, such as proving and rising, and for flavours to steep right into bakes. These are recipes that truly reward the patience you expend and will not disappoint you.

The key to fitting these recipes into the allotted time is preparation. Set out and measure all your ingredients before you begin so you don’t waste time scouring the kitchen for a missing item or get halfway through and realise you’ve run out of something vital. Do the same with your equipment, so that once you are in the swing of things, everything is within easy reach. Remember to preheat the oven before you start, too. I have timed and tested these recipes vigilantly to make sure they are achievable in the time specified. Some might take a little practice at first, but your go-to recipes will soon become second nature.

Some flavours are perfect partners and it’s a regular occurrence for me to find myself craving not one but two (or even more!) flavours and ingredients – dark chocolate and orange, warming spices and caramel, or savoury cheese with sweet fruit. I’ve flagged these classic combos with small icons on the recipe pages.

Equipment

My kitchen is bursting at the seams with equipment, some that I use every single day and couldn’t bear to be without, and some that sits gathering dust for most of the year. This is a list of my essential kit, the things I use on a regular basis that aid my baking.

Electric mixers

Electric hand-held whisks and stand mixers are a godsend. They make cake making so much quicker, and are essential for tasks like whipping egg whites and making light buttercreams. Electric hand-held whisks are more affordable than stand mixers, but if you bake a lot, a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood kMix is a worthwhile investment: it will revolutionise the way you bake.

Wire cooling racks

Often overlooked, wire racks are really important in making sure whatever you’ve put time and effort into baking yields the very best results. Elevating a hot bake allows air to circulate and prevents condensation from forming, avoiding sogginess and helping the bake cool evenly and quickly.

Baking tins

Perhaps the most essential kit. They come in all shapes and sizes, so it can be daunting choosing which ones to invest in. The tins I regularly use and recommend purchasing are round 18cm and 20cm deep loose-bottomed tins, ideally three of each so you don’t have to bake in batches for a multilayered cake. A 20 × 20cm square tin, 450g loaf tin, 12-hole muffin tin, 24-hole mini muffin tin, pie dish and a 20 × 35cm traybake tin are also useful.

Baking trays and baking sheets

Although they are very similar, baking trays and sheets serve different purposes so I have both in my kitchen. Baking trays have a lip around the edge to prevent whatever you’re baking rolling off the edge (ideal for roasting nuts). Baking sheets are completely flat, so there is more surface area to bake cookies or biscuits.

Jars, bags and boxes

I always have an array of glass jars, presentation bags and cake boxes on hand so that anything I bake can be easily packaged as a gift. Jars need sterilising before you fill them. To do this, simply wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse with clean water then dry them completely in an oven preheated to 110°C/90°C fan/gas ¹/₄ (this will take 5–10 minutes) before filling.

Food processors

These are handy for both sweet and savoury cooking. They cut the time it takes to chop nuts and create purées, and can even make pastry without you getting your hands dirty. Powerful processors are expensive, so for a more budget-friendly option, go for a mini food processor or stick blender with a chopping bowl attachment, which are perfect for blitzing small quantities of nuts, dough or praline for ‘instant’ recipes.

Ice-cream scoops

I use ice-cream scoops for so much more than scooping ice-cream. In fact, it is probably one of my most-used pieces of kitchen equipment. I have three sizes and they are ideal for making even-sized cupcakes, perfectly circular cookies and distributing batters between cake tins.

Palette knives

To get a beautiful, smooth finish on iced cakes, you will need a palette knife. I have a larger one for smoothing the edges of my cakes, and a mini offset knife for adding detail to the top of cakes.

Piping bags and nozzles

I use disposable piping bags as they’re so handy – you can snip off the end of the bags once filled, creating holes of various sizes without always needing to use a nozzle. Where I suggest a disposable bag, do use a reusable piping bag if you prefer. For icing cupcakes and large cakes, my favourite nozzles are open and closed stars, as they create a beautiful ruffled effect.

Baking parchment and baking sheet liners

I find lining tins time-consuming and a real chore, so I buy pre-cut circles of baking parchment the same sizes as my round tins. They reduce preparation time and are ideal for my ‘Instant’ and ‘Soon’ recipes. I cover baking sheets with a reusable non-stick baking liner to save the need to grease them.

Digital scales

Reliable, good-quality digital scales are a must. Baking is a science that requires accuracy to obtain good results, so inaccurate scales will limit you.

Measuring spoons

A common measurement people get wrong is teaspoon and tablespoon measures, as it is very easy to overestimate or underestimate spoon measures if you’re weighing by eye or using ordinary cutlery. Get hold of a cook’s measuring spoon set.

Ingredients

Fresh, good-quality ingredients raise an average bake to a great one and really make it sing. These are my top storecupboard ingredients which I make sure I always have in stock.

Eggs

The humble egg is the most versatile ingredient in baking. It can be used to bind mixtures, aerate puddings, thicken custards and set into firm structures like meringue. I use medium free-range eggs in my recipes unless otherwise stated. Fresh eggs yield the lightest, fluffiest bakes, so use your freshest eggs for making cake batters. Slightly older eggs will make brilliant meringues or macarons. Store your eggs at room temperature for baking – egg whites and yolks combine much more easily at room temperature and will disperse through batter more smoothly.

Butter

Butter is my favourite ingredient by far to use in baking. Its rich, full flavour is what makes caramels so moreish and ganache so smooth. I always use salted butter in baking unless otherwise specified. I find the saltiness is the perfect partner for sweet and savoury recipes and it’s what I spread liberally on my toast, so its something I always have to hand. Unsalted butter is necessary in some cases – buttercreams and delicate pastries can be overwhelmed by salt, so keep this in mind. Use the butter at the temperature that the recipe states – cold for pastry and room temperature for sponge or buttercream – as this can make or break a bake.

Milk

Many chefs specify whole milk for baking, but if you don’t normally have it in the fridge, don’t buy it especially unless the recipe specifies it. Whole milk has a high percentage of butterfat (a minimum of 3.5%) so can yield a creamier result, but semi-skimmed milk (1.5–1.8% butterfat) will still do the job. I often use semi-skimmed milk to make bakes, and it works perfectly.

Raising agents

Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are the two raising agents I use to make bakes rise or spread out. For any chemistry geeks like me who want to know how they work, here’s a brief explanation. A reaction between an acid and a base creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which cause a cake mixture to rise. Bicarbonate of soda is a base, so an acidic ingredient needs to be present in the mixture for it to react with to create the bubbles. Lemon juice, buttermilk or cocoa powder, among many others, do the trick. Baking powder is a combination of bicarbonate of soda (a base) and cream of tartar (an acid), so both the acid and base required for the reaction are already present, and your bake will rise with no further assistance.

Salt

There are many different kinds of salt available, so it can be confusing to know what’s best for baking. Fine table salt is generally what’s called for, as its fine texture can evenly disperse throughout bread dough and cake batter. Sea salt has a better flavour and is perfect for adding a final flourish to caramels, breads and snacks.

Sugar

From clouds of white icing sugar to clumps of moist, fudgy, soft, dark brown sugar, there are so many varieties of the sweet stuff that, when used in baking, produce completely different results. Caster sugar is the most commonly used in this book as its fine texture and neutral flavour provide a great base for most sweet recipes. I try to buy Fairtrade sugar to ensure that it is grown and harvested ethically (it is rarely pricier than standard sugar).

Yeast

I use fast-action dried yeast (also known as instant, easy-blend or easy-bake yeast) in baking as I find it the easiest to work with. It doesn’t need to be activated with warm water or milk, it can just be added straight to dry ingredients and will work perfectly. Always check the use-by date on packs of yeast, as out-of-date yeast may fail to make your bread rise.

Flour

I use a mixture of self-raising flour and plain flour in this book, as I always seem to have a glut of both flours, and it seems a shame to let one go to waste. If a recipe specifies self-raising flour but you don’t have any, you can easily substitute it by adding ¹/₂ a teaspoon of baking powder to 100g plain flour and using this in its place. Strong bread flour is essential in bread-making and some pastries as it contains a higher level of gluten necessary for maintaining structure.

Understanding Citrus

Nothing awakens a half-asleep body like a morning sip of sharp orange juice or soothes illness like warmed lemon and honey. A glass of ice-cold lemonade is all you need to feel summery, and an afternoon making marmalade in the Seville orange season in January and February is a midwinter ray of sunshine.

My grandma starts her day with half a grapefruit, cutting into it with a spoon and bursting through the segments, creating a spray of juice that showers everyone at the table. I once thought I could handle it, but the tart, tangy flavour was overwhelming for my young taste buds. I’ve since learnt that citrus juice can be variously mellowed, perhaps adding sugar to make drizzles for cakes or incorporating it into creamy cheesecakes or possets.

Slicing into citrus fruits reveals a complex network of brightly coloured, almost translucent segments packed with tiny juice sacs that glisten in the light. They are held together by geometrically satisfying strips of white pith, which allow the fruits to fall apart neatly when peeled and split into segments.

When selecting citrus fruits for baking, choose firm, brightly coloured specimens that feel heavy for their size, as they should yield the most juice. If you are going to grate or pare the zest (which I recommend, as it contains the citrus oils that characterise each fruit), be sure to buy them unwaxed, as the protective wax coating applied to fruits has a bitter flavour and tough texture. If you can’t find unwaxed fruits, remove the wax by washing them in hot water and scrubbing them with a brush. Before juicing fruits, roll them on a worktop. The pressure of rolling bursts open some of the segments inside, which makes them easier to juice.

Limoncello brandy snap curls

Once you try making your own brandy snaps, they will no longer be condemned to the folder marked ‘difficult bakes’. These delicious retro treats are made with storecupboard ingredients and can be whipped up quickly if you make a small quantity. The key here is to be vigilant when you’re weighing the ingredients; being a few grams out really does make a difference in this recipe. I’ve paired the snaps with a limoncello cream because I love the way it brings out the citrus flavour in the brandy snap, but if you’d rather make alcohol-free brandy snaps substitute the limoncello for lemon juice or just dip them into plain whipped cream.

MAKES 8 BRANDY SNAP CURLS

PREP TIME: 10 MINS PLUS COOLING

COOKING TIME: 6–8 MINS

Oil, for greasing

25g butter

25g soft light brown sugar

25g golden syrup

Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and 1 tsp juice

25g plain flour

LIMONCELLO CREAM

100ml double cream

1 tsp icing sugar

1 tbsp limoncello

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4, line 2 baking trays with baking parchment and grease a rolling pin or long, thin bottle with oil.

2 Stir the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest, reserving a pinch to garnish the limoncello cream.

3 Sift the flour into the saucepan and beat it into the mixture until a smooth dough forms.

4 Using a teaspoon, drop about 4 heaps of mixture on to each tray. It will be fairly runny, but this is normal. Make sure that you leave space between the heaps, as they will spread out when they bake.

5 Bake for 6–8 minutes until golden brown, spread out and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute so they mould easily without tearing. As they cool they take on their signature lacy pattern.

6 Wedge the greased rolling pin or bottle between a couple of heavy objects so it is stable when you place the snaps on it. Use a palette knife to lift the warm snaps on to the rolling pin and gently press them down so they bend around the cylinder to make curls. Leave to set until cool and crisp.

7 Whisk the cream, icing sugar and limoncello in a bowl until the mixture forms soft peaks then spoon it into a small serving bowl. Top with the reserved lemon zest. Use the brandy snap curls to scoop the lemon cream as a treat to share or as a dessert.

Lemon and pistachio cheesecake pots

No-bake cheesecakes are one of my guilty pleasures. I used to make these pots for my sister and me when we were young, and she’d always be in awe of how quickly I could create a cheesecake. We’d try different flavours, depending on what we had in the cupboard, but this is my favourite: creamy lemon and vibrant green pistachios with a layer of luscious lemon curd peeking through in the centre. Try this recipe with any combination of curd or nuts to tailor it to any fussy family member!

MAKES 2 CHEESECAKE POTS

PREP TIME: 15 MINS PLUS CHILLING TIME

COOKING TIME: 2 MINS

BASE

25g butter

60g digestive biscuits

40g pistachio nuts, plus extra to decorate

FILLING

200g full-fat cream cheese

Grated zest and juice of ¹/₂ unwaxed lemon

2 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon curd

1 To make the base, melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Place the digestive biscuits in a small food processor with the pistachios and blitz until the biscuits and the nuts are crushed. If you haven’t got a food processor, crush the biscuits to a powder by putting them in a bag and bashing them with a rolling pin. Finely chop the nuts with a sharp knife and combine them with the crushed biscuits. Place the ground biscuits and nuts in a bowl and stir in the melted butter. Divide the mixture between 2 small glasses and press it down into an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to chill.

2 Beat the cream cheese for the filling with the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Stir through half the lemon zest, reserving the rest for decoration.

3 Divide half the cream cheese mixture between the biscuit bases, then top with the lemon curd. Finish with the rest of the cream cheese mixture. Top with the rest of the lemon zest and a few chopped pistachio nuts. You can eat these desserts straight away or make up to 3 days ahead and keep them in the fridge.

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