Phil Vickery's retro desserts: Jam roly poly and Arctic roll
Take yourself back and there were far fewer options when it came to pudding. Two retro desserts that always rank top are now back on the menu for Brits, the jam roly poly and arctic roll. Sales for these two classics are up nearly 150%. Today YOU decide which one should be crowned Britain's Favourite Retro Dessert (and the one Phil makes live in studio).
Vanilla arctic roll
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
4 medium eggsPinch of salt140g caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle35g plain flour35g cornflour70g unsalted butter, melted750g vanilla ice cream, not soft scoop6 tbsp sieved raspberry jam, mixed really well
For the raspberry sauce: 226g fresh or good-quality frozen raspberries 100g caster sugar1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Soften the ice cream slightly.
2. Lay out a 40cm x 30cm piece of cling film. Spoon the ice cream down 1 edge of the clingfilm.
3. Quickly roll up and squeeze in both ends then twist the ends over until you have a nice 6-7cm diameter cylinder, about 22cm long. Re-freeze until very firm.
4. Line a Swiss roll tin, about 34 x 24cm with silicone paper.
5. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar together over a pan of simmering water until they are very thick and creamy and hold their own weight
6. Fold in the sieved flours and then the melted butter, carefully.
7. Spread onto the lined Swiss roll tray then bake in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, until set and very slightly shrunken away from the sides of the tray.
8. Meanwhile place a large piece of parchment paper onto a tea towel and sprinkle caster sugar over.
9. Immediately the cake is cooked, turn the tray out onto a clean tea towel, the sponge should fall out of the tray cleanly. Flick about 2-3 tsp cold water over the back of the paper and spread over lightly with your fingers.
10. Carefully peel away the paper taking care not to rip the sides of the sponge away. Leave to cool.
11. Spread the jam evenly over the sponge. Lay the ice cream on one short edge, and carefully roll up until the edges meet, then press down well.
12. Wrap in cling film and freeze again.
13. To make the raspberry sauce, place the frozen raspberries in a pan with the lemon juice and sugar. Heat through gently until the raspberries are soft and the sugar has dissolved. Adjust the sweetness if necessary. Push through a sieve. The sauce can be served warm or chilled.
14. Slice the Arctic roll and serve with the raspberry sauce.
Blackcurrant jam roly poly
Serves: 4
Ingredients
115g unsalted butter225g self-raising flour1 eggDash of cold waterPinch of salt6 tbsp blackcurrant jam 55g Bird’s custard powder600ml full cream milk2 tbsp golden syrup
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
2. Place the cold butter and flour into a food processor and blitz until you have a fine breadcrumb - alternatively you could rub in by hand.
3. Add the egg and water and bring together gently. Mould the mix into a ball and then carefully roll out into an oblong, roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper. The paste must be fairly firm, because it will expand during cooking.
4. Spread over the jam, taking care to go right to the edges. Make sure you always have a thick layer of jelly (you may need to add a little more).
5. Carefully roll up like a Swiss roll, not too tightly, as the pastry will expand when baking.
6. Lightly grease a large piece of silver foil, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
7. Place the roll on one side and carefully roll up - keeping it loose as the sponge will expand. Make sure the seal is on the bottom of the roll, to ensure it doesn’t unravel, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until firm and well risen. Once cooked, remove from the oven, and leave for 10 minutes in the roll to cool slightly and set.
8. Meanwhile, make the custard: add 2-3 tbsp of milk to the powder then mix well to dissolve. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil, and then pour the boiling milk over the slaked custard powder and stir well.
9. Return the mix to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time until the custard just boils. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the syrup to taste.
10. To serve, slice the roll on an angle, place in a bowl, and spoon over plenty of custard.