What is suet, where does it come from? (You swiftly google, MMMM YUM, DOESN’T SOUND GREAT FOR CAKES DOES IT?) But real-talk, although not terribly popular, baking with suet has two main advantages; it’s high in fat so therefore high in an ability to provide moisture and flavour, due to it’s high melting point (EVERYTHING HIGH. HIGH IS GOOD). It’s also super easy to work with and LOW MAINTAINENECE, you just need to stir it through a dough or filling without much thought or questions asked- simple (LOW EFFORT. LOW IS GOOD)!
So, for us. When baking with suet the only classic recipe worth making is a jam roly-poly. I’ve ‘elevated’ (aka ‘messed with’) the pastry with custard flavours (But you can use dried spices? Or leave it well alone and keep it ‘classique’) and served it with milk ice-cream because why on earth not? Excessive creativity is fun, right?
RECIPE:
MILK ICE-CREAM
800ml WHOLE MILK (It being whole milk and not semi-skimmed quite important as the fat content will provide smooth texture)
75g CASTER SUGAR
150ml CONDENSED MILK
1 LEAF OF GELATINE
(You can also use shop bought ice-cream here. No judgement, just delicious puds)
RHUBARB ‘JAM’
500g RHUBARB
100g CASTER SUGAR
CUSTARD SUET DOUGH
220g SELF RAISING FLOUR
30g CASTER SUGAR
25g CUSTARD POWDER (You can take this up to 50g if you really wanted this flavour to sing in the dough- just take the weight off the flour so you don’t end up with a dry dough)
115g SUET
1 WHOLE MEDIUM EGG
8 TBSP WHOLE MILK
1 VANILLA POD
BEFORE YOU START…
Preheat your oven to 180c (180c fan oven, 190c for other, less powerful ovens)
Make sure your ice-cream bowl is chilled (if you’re making the ice-cream, perhaps a bit pointless if you’re not…)
METHODS:
FOR THE MILK ICE-CREAM…
Simmer the milk and sugar in a pan to reduce to 600ml. THIS STEP IS ANNOYING BUT KEY TO CREATE THE CORRECT CONSISTENCY. While still hot, stir through the condensed milk and set aside.
Soften the gelatine in cold water (WARM WATER WILL DISSOLVE THE GELATINE, AT THIS STAGE RENDERING IT IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED). Once softened but still retaining its solid texture remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze out any excess water.
Warm through the milk mixture until steaming and dissolve the gelatine inside (AT THIS STAGE WE WANT THE GELATINE DISSOLVED. IF NOT DISSOLVED PROPERLY IT IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS, AGAIN) .
Set aside until completely cool before churning in your ice-cream maker and freezing for a further few hours before serving.
FOR THE RHUBARB ‘JAM’…
Wash and roughly dice your rhubarb. Combine with the sugar and cook on a medium heat until all cooked down and the juices have evaporated (THERE IS SO MUCH WATER IN RHUBARB, WHO KNEW??).
Chill before use (you and the jam) There is enough jam for the inside of the Roly-Poly as well as to serve on the side (bare this in mind when filling and rolling, but I don’t hate it when Jam or fillings ooze out of their rolls, sponges or tart cases so perhaps I’m not the best judge here… I used about half for the filling.)
FOR THE CUSTARD SUET DOUGH…
Combine the flour, sugar, custard powder and suet until everything is evenly incorporated.
Beat the egg and milk together until liquid. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Cover with a bowl and rest on the counter for 30 mins.
Roll out to a 20cm x 30cm sheet . Spread the jam across evenly, leaving a small border all around clean (this helps prevent a messy rolling situation) and roll along the longer sides into a log. Roll over onto the seam and place seam-down onto your baking tray.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the smells of rhubarb and custard fill the room YUM. ISN’T THIS THE BEST PART? THE ROOM BEING FILLED WITH BAKERY SMELLS??
TO SERVE: Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly (maybe when you enjoy your main before this wonderful dessert.) Serve with a scoop of ice-cream, more jam and a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts if you’re feeling…nutty? (Will never make that joke again…)
