How to Prepare Baked Fruit With Mascarpone and Vanilla Sugar

In the ‘Chef’s Night Out’ which was episode one of the whole Jamie Oliver phenomenon i.e. the Naked Chef, he did baked fruit with vanilla sugar and mascarpone cream as the dessert. We’d already been treated to seeing roast leg of lamb with sage and rosemary marinading, and roasted red onions with butter and thyme but then came along this simple recipe. I mention it now because it seemed a very fitting and simple idea to serve up something that was sweet and acidic to complement the fattiness of the main course (entree).

Make sure the fruit is washed well to remove dirt.

Good quality vanilla pods should be slightly sticky rather than dry. It’s all about how they have been transported and looked after.

It’s very simple to do this dessert and there have been lots of variants but I think it’s largely about using ripe stoned fruit, figs when in season and bananas. The vanilla sugar is superb with this although not that ‘outrageous’ – might have been back in 1999. The description of vanilla sugar looking ashy coloured might not appeal to everyone but it does mean quality and versatility in flavour.

Still one of the best ways to serve up a range of fruit without going overboard on cost. The use of brandy with the generous sprinkle of sugar makes the fruit slightly syrupy. Put the mascarpone cream on the table so that eaters can serve themselves.

Ingredients:

• Handful each of plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, pears – halve or quarter this fruit and remove the stones from the big fruit, destone the cherries
• Strawberries – a good handful with the bottoms cut off so they stand up right.
• Ripe figs – cut about halfway down to create a star.
• a couple of sticks of rhubarb – sliced and cut thinly
• 1 tablespoon of brandy or sweet wine
• Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the vanilla sugar over the fruit.

Preparation:

1. Place the fruit in a shallow heatproof dish – earthenware or glazed.
2. Sprinkle plenty of vanilla sugar over the fruit.
3. Add the brandy.
4. Grill or roast in the oven at your highest temperature. Keep an eye on them as they are done when the fruit has softened and slightly caramelised  but is ‘not a load of old pulp’. It seems too easy to burn them but 15 minutes might be best. The rhubarb does take longer by just a few minutes.
5. Serve with vanilla ice-cream, or the sweetened mascarpone and vanilla sugar.

Vanilla Sugar

Ingredients:

• 1 kg or 2lb caster sugar
• 4 vanilla pods – chop into 4 or 5 pieces.

Preparation:

1. Place the vanilla pods in a food processor. Blitz and remove any scrapings from the size but repeat blitz.
2. Add the sugar and repeat blitz. Stir in any lumps in the process.
3. Sieve just to remove any unbroken lumps but these can be processed again just to recover any vanilla.
4. Store in an airtight container – it does store well for quite a long time as long as its airtight.

Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 90z/260g mascarpone cream or if none available, use double cream.

Mix the sugar into the cream for serving with the fruit.