Cooking with Paula McIntyre

Recipe
Custard Cream
225 ml milk
2 egg yolks
75 g caster sugar
10 g plain flour, sieved
10g cornflour
250ml double cream
Simmer the milk. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and flour and then pour over milk. Whisk well and return to pan over low heat. Stir constantly until custard is thick. Pour into a bowl and cover surface with cling, cool and chill.
Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold in the custard.
Poached rhubarb
4 thin sticks rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
75g castor sugar
150ml water
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Add the rhubarb and grenadine and gently simmer until just done – keep an eye to make sure it doesn’t over cook. Cool.
Pastry Crisp
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
Icing sugar for dusting
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set oven to 180oc.
Dust over the top with icing sugar evenly with a sieve. Place another sheet of parchment on top and then top with a baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden.
Divide into 8 rectangles with a serrated knife.
To assemble
250ml double cream whipped
Fold the custard into the cream.
Spoon a quarter onto 4 of the pastry crisps.
Top with rhubarb
Top with another crisp and dust with icing sugar

Recipe
Peanut butter cake
100g soft butter
50g smooth peanut butter
100g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
75ml natural yoghurt
100g self raising flour
Line a 25 x 20 cm tin with parchment paper and set oven to 180oc.
Mix the butter, peanut butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk well. Whisk in the yoghurt and flour to a smooth batter and spoon into the tin. Bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted skewer. Allow to cool. Turn out onto a tray and remove parchment.
Vanilla Cream
350ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
20g icing sugar
Whisk the cream to peaks and fold in the vanilla and sugar. Place in a piping bag and pipe over the cool cake.
Flamed strawberries
400g strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 tablespoon icing sugar
Place the strawberries cut side up on a metal tray and dust over the icing sugar.
Flame with a blow torch until sugar has melted, Cool and place on cake.

Recipe
Sobrasada buttered tomatoes
75g sobrassada
25g butter
1 red onion finely chopped
200g halved cherry tomatoes
Handful parsley chopped
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the sobrasada in a pan until it melts and add the butter and onions. Cook until the onions are soft and add the tomatoes. Cook for a minute then add the parsley and vinegar. Check seasoning.
Grilled corn
2 ears corn
Oil for brushing
Boil the corn in salted water for 2 minutes then drain and pat dry. Brush with oil and cook on the grill to scorch all over. Remove the niblets and season with salt.
Grilled monkfish
500g monkfish tail
1 tablespoon oil
Seasalt
Trim any skin from the monkfish.
Rub the oil over the monkfish and season with salt. Place on grill and cook for a couple of minutes each side – depending on thickness. Monkfish should feel firm but with a little give. Allow to rest and slice
Serve on the tomatoes with the corn mixed in.

Jerk spiced pork with grilled pineapple salsa
750g pork belly slices
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
25g root ginger, chopped
1 green chilli
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf shredded
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
65g dark brown sugar
Zest and juice 1 lime
Blend the garlic, onion, ginger, chilli, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, bay and thyme to a smooth paste. Mix in the sugar and lime and then rub in all over the pork. Marinate for a few hours. Rub off the marinade and place the pork on a grill. Heat the marinade up in a pan and when the pork is cooked add to the marinade.
Grilled pineapple salsa
1 pineapple
1 red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli
2 limes
25ml olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Peel the pineapple and cut in quarters through the root. Remove stalk from middle and cut each quarter in half.
Place on a hot grill to mark and then chop into 1cm dice. Finely chop the chilli and add with the lime zest. Cut the limes in half and grill until black then squeeze into the mix. Add the oil, sugar, and season with salt.

Recipe
Meringues
3 egg whites
175g castor sugar
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cornflour
Set the oven to 120oc and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks. Slowly add the sugar, whisking all the time. Whisk in the vinegar and cornflour.
Spoon into a piping bag preferably with a star nozzle. Pipe onto the baking tray.
Cook in the oven for about an hour or until firm to touch and allow the meringues to cool in the oven when you turn it off.
500ml double cream
500g strawberries
Half of the meringues above
Lightly oil a loaf tin and line with cling film.
Remove the green from the strawberries and set 8 aside. Finely chop the rest.
Whip the cream. Crush the meringues with your hand coarsely and add to the cream with the chopped strawberries. Spoon the mixture into the tin, cover with cling and freeze for a few hours. Remove from freezer half an hour before you want to serve. Remove from tin and take off cling. Half the remaining strawberries and top the parfait with them and some of the remaining meringues. Slice and serve.