The Secrets of Aga Puddings [Hardcover]

 

 

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I love Lucy Young's Secrets of Aga Cakes and so this, her latest offering, is a delightful second helping! The recipes are simple and easy to follow and not just for Agas (I don't have one) as conventional oven cooking instructions are included. Great for anything from simple family desserts to dinner-party stunners.

Following on from the highly successful 'Secrets of AGA CAKES', Lucy Young sets out to:-

'provide expert advice on how to make all the lovely desserts we want to indulge in, but may find tricky to get quite right in the Aga.....'

in her new book, Secrets of AGA PUDDINGS.

Durable board covers open to 160 high quality, shiny pages, split over main chapters:-

Rainy day puddings (pg 10-33)

Tarts & pies (pg 34-53)

Wicked chocolate (pg 55-71)

Express puds (pg 73-93)

Chilled desserts (pg 95-117)

Little pots & glasses (pg119-137)

Naughties (pg139-152)

Sauces (pg153-155)

sandwiched between an introduction and a concise index.

From the foreword, by Mary Berry:-

'This is the first and only illustrated book dedicated to making puddings in the Aga. Lucy has meticulously tested each and every recipe, giving instructions for 2,3, and 4 oven Agas.......

Lucy knows all the tricks of the trade.....

From her years of giving Aga demonstrations she is an expert at giving clear advice, with foolproof recipes, and each recipe has a 'secret' - a coveted tip, giving you the perfect results......

There is no pudding you cannot make in the Aga.....

Everyone who owns an Aga should make a place for this modern, classic book in their kitchen.'

AND.........the recipes have conventional cooking instructions, too, so everyone can indulge!

The introduction includes a general section on Aga cooking, including tips, equipment and ingredients.

Each chapter opens with a double page spread - an illustration on one side with the chapter title and a short relevant paragraph on the other.

Each recipe is clearly laid out, headed up with the title, followed by an opening paragraph, sometimes humorous and often including a relevant tip, e.g. whether suitable for freezing.

The number of servings and the list of ingredients(s) are next, then the method.

The cooking instructions are given for the various Aga ovens then the conventional ones, as previously mentioned.

A footnote includes a 'secret', or two, and any variations are also given.

My favourite to date......tried and tasted...... is the very first recipe in the book, the glorious picture egging me on from the very start, so to speak!

'Half-time Rum and Cherry Desserts'

'Lovely Lucinda, who helps me test recipes and give demonstrations, gave me the idea for this recipe as she ate something similar at half time while watching her football team at their stadium. She wanted me to name the recipe after her team but I can't bring myself to do it as they are the London rivals of my Man U, favourites!

Closely followed by:-

'Rhubarb Pie with Crispy Pastry',

a truly delicious pie, made with short pastry, hence the crispiness and, an extra bonus......it freezes really well, on the rare occasions one can't manage it all in one go!

My only overall criticism is that not all the puds are pictured.....but, having said that......the ones that are..... are......well, simply mouth-watering!

A small taste of the other recipes included:-

Sticky Toffee Pudding

New York Vanilla Cheesecake

Autumn Fruit Crumble

Creamy Rice Pudding

Open Treacle Tart

Traditional Christmas Pudding

Luxury Mincemeat

Fluted Plum Tart

The Very Best Banofee Pie

Devil Wears Chocolate

White Chocolate and Blueberry Mousse

Crêpes with Orange and Caramel

Refreshing Elderflower Jelly

Cranachan

Aga Brandy Snaps with Orange Cream

Classic Meringues

Lemon and Lime Sorbet

Sticky Pear Delight

Tiramisu and Strawberry Mousse

Crème Caramel

Fresh Strawberry Soufflé

Biscotti

Scottish Tablet (this one really tested my ability, not to mention nerves!)

Peppermint Creams

Luxury Brandy Sauce

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Sauce

not forgetting:-

Gin and Tonic Jelly (page 137):-

'OK girls, this one is for you!

This is perfect for a girlie night and as well as being seriously potent, it is luminous to boot.......'

..........'As this is a fun dessert, use unusual shaped moulds instead of ramekins'

.......which tempted one of my more creative culinary colleagues, who made this sweet, (which hails not from the 'Naughties' chapter - as one might expect - but from 'Little Pots & Glasses') in......shall we say...... questionable.......fashion for a recent 'Hen Party'......and, I think, I have probably said enough!

I'm really enjoying making these puddings, and most of the ingredients are readily available if not already in the cupboard. The luxury lemon bread and butter pudding is a real treat. The only draw back is that with such a range of lovely ideas it's hard not to get carried away.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. Highly recommended.
I love puddings - but don't enjoy cooking them. I've usually run out of steam (or time) before getting to the last course. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Lizzie

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