When the plan comes together

  This is the final chapter of the pudding you've been hearing so much about, but not the end of the story. Maybe it's just the end of the volume and... (Just get on with it! -Ed.) The good news is that not only has the fat lady sung but she had a large slice of cake and came back for seconds.

  Below is a view of what got sung around as well as a glimpse of the interior. Though it was very well received, it was not the star of the show. But more of that later. What you see is a lemon genoise cake sponge atop a summer pudding. If you're unfamiliar, that's a mound of summer berries, in this case, straw, blue, black and rasp, all encased in sourdough bread, while the whole thing was glued together and iced with sweetened marscapone.

  This was the firs time I'd done this, and the changes for next time will be a richer sponge, (there's not much butter in a genoise so I might go victoria instead) and a return to brioche instead of sourdough. The marscapone worked though I'll probably sweeten the berries a touch more now I think about it. Practice makes perfect, don't you agree?

  The dessert followed a massive smorgasbord of BBQed delights that filled the table to creaking, as well as various accompaniments. These included some home brewed kimchi and a simple dipping sauce that turned out to be the aforementioned star of the show. When I asked what I could bring, a request was place for a marinade/glaze for the BBQ. I obliged willingly.

  It's a really easy concoction of harissa, runny honey and a dash of lemon juice and it was used to coat the chicken thighs before they got grilled. As I made a load more than I needed for the chick, the rest was put in a bowl, mixed with mayo and added to the spread on the groaning table. Word got out very quickly that this was not just the condiment of choice but the source of many enquiries. High praise indeed.

Kirk out

RevoltingFood.com