“These little sandwich cookies are the Mauritian version of the much-adored jammy dodger. Crumbly-short biscuit encloses a sweet jam and is topped with an even sweeter duvet of icing. Traditionally, the biscuit dough is made using just butter and flour, but it’s a little difficult to work with - I’ve opted for an enriched version using sugar and egg yolk to help bind everything together.”
Rhubarb and ginger napolitaines (Mauritian sandwich biscuits)
RECIPES: JOHN WHAITE. FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS: CLARE WINFIELD. FOOD STYLING: JEN BEDLOE AND SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. STYLING: VICTORIA ELDRIDGE
MAKES ABOUT 16. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN,
OVEN TIME 8-12 MIN, PLUS CHILLING,
COOLING AND SETTING
MAKE AHEAD
Make the dough up to a day ahead. The biscuits will keep for up to 2 days.
FOOD TEAM’S TIPS
Flatten the dough into a disc about 2cm thick before chilling - you won’t need to roll it for as long. Make sure the dough stays cool - using short, sharp rolls will help prevent it breaking up. Lightly whisk the unused egg white with a pinch of salt, then freeze.
FOR THE DOUGH
• 175g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 40g light brown muscovado sugar, sifted
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 130g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1 large free-range egg yolk (see tips)
TO FINISH
• 16 tsp (about 68g) rhubarb and ginger jam (we used Rosebud Preserves)
• 250g icing sugar
• Pink food colouring (optional)
YOU’LL ALSO NEED…
• 5.5cm round cookie cutter; 2 baking sheets lined with compostable baking paper
USEFUL TO HAVE…
• Dough scraper
1 To make the dough, put the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and toss. Rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and cut in with a dough scraper or butter knife until the mixture starts to clump together, then use the heel of your hand and fingers to bring it together into a smooth dough. Wrap, flatten into a disc, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (see tips).
2 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. On a well floured worktop, roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Cut out with the cookie cutter, then re-roll any scraps and repeat. Put the discs on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Leave to cool on the sheets.
3 Take half the biscuits and turn them over. Add 1 tsp jam to each, then top with the remaining biscuits. Set on a wire rack.
4 For the icing, mix the icing sugar with water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a thick but pourable icing. If using food colouring, add just enough for it to blush. Pour the icing over the biscuits, letting it drip down the sides so it covers the biscuits (apart from the base, of course). Allow the icing to set before devouring.
PER BISCUIT (FOR 16) 188kcals, 7.2g fat (4.4g saturated), 1.3g protein, 29.3g carbs (20.8g sugars), 0.3g salt, 0.5g fibre
HOT ON THE SHELVES - AGAIN!
John used Billington’s caster sugar as well as its (fairly traded) molasses sugar and light brown muscovado sugar. The ‘special sugars’ haven’t been in the shops for a while, as the production plants had to close to ensure safe distancing measures could be implemented, but you can find them again now in all major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose.
Spiced molasses chicken wings with mango salad
SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 50-55 MIN
MAKE AHEAD
Assemble the salad up to a day ahead and chill, covered, until ready to serve.
FOR THE SALAD
• 150g firm mango, peeled, stoned and finely sliced
• 150g cucumber, finely sliced
• ½ small red onion, finely sliced
• 25g fresh ginger, grated
• 1 red chilli, very finely sliced
• 2 tsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
FOR THE CHICKEN
• 1kg free-range chicken wings
• Sunflower oil to drizzle
• 120g molasses sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 30g fresh ginger, grated
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
1 For the salad, mix the mango, cucumber, onion, ginger, chilli, sugar, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Cover with a plate, then chill until ready to serve (see Make Ahead).
2 Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Put the chicken wings on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 45 minutes until lightly golden.
3 Meanwhile, make the glaze: put the molasses sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a small pan. Add the ginger, chilli flakes and a small pinch of salt. Set over a high heat and stir as the mixture comes to the boil. As soon as it does, remove it from the heat and pour into a bowl.
4 Once the chicken has roasted, remove it from the oven and turn up the heat to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 8. Using tongs, dip hot wings in the glaze one at a time, coating each as liberally as possible, then setting it back on the tray. Return the tray to the oven to roast for 5-10 minutes more until the wings are dark and crispy on the outside. Keep any leftover glaze for drizzling. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve it with the cool salad, drizzled with extra glaze if you like.
PER SERVING 559kcals, 26.2g fat (5.8g saturated), 38.7g protein, 40.9g carbs (39.5g sugars), 2.1g salt, 2.2g fibre
“These sticky, spicy chicken wings are joy-inducing - but make sure you have plenty of napkins on hand to mop up. The crisp, refreshing salad is the perfect counterpart.”