The Boy Who Bakes at London’s Athenaeum

The Pudding Parlour at the athenaeum on Piccadilly in London is featuring recipes From Edd Kimber, The Boy Who Bakes.

At the risk of jumping on the band wagon wheel we can’t help but notice Britain has become bake-off barmy. During British Baking Week the award-winning London’s athenaeum launched their evening Pudding Parlour with Edd Kimber, winner of BBC’s The Great British Bake-Off 2010, who will add a new and special ‘Pudding Of The Month’ to the menu.  We were lucky enough to meet Edd and he is just as sweet as we hoped. Great British Bake Off’s presenter Sue Perkins says “I still have dreams about his macarons.”

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This – Edd showed us how to make the damson-jammed (from his own garden) almondine, all under the watchful eye of the athenaeums’s accomplished French pastry chef Marion – who always carries a spoon in her top pocket but, on launch night, a rolling pin – don’t forget she’s still the boss!

The home made almondine from Edd himself is divine, with a bakewell tart taste, equally matched by the delicious sticky toffee pudding, raisin-free bread and butter pudding, champagne jellies, rhubarb crumbles, lemon meringues, hot pink macarons and the triangles of pleasure that are the too-good-looking-to-eat fresh fruit tarts tucked in by a buttery pastry. Each month Edd will change the pudding, we’ve heard it’s going to be Deliciously Creamy Curd Tart (November),  Traditional Home Made Mince Pies (December), Apple and Pecan Tart (January) and White Chocolate & Matcha Mousse (February). Edd’s just done a consumer test on mince pies and the biggest complaint was the tiny amount of filling in the ones he tried – so we expect his December home made mince pies will win again.

Part of the pleasure for us is, of course, a pudding has to be matched by a wine and the wonderful Ronny Wilbald, the F&B Manager, will guide you through a white Hungarian Tokaji, dark ports for chocolates or a tongue trembler champagne (watch the gorgeous Vitalie Taittinger find her tinkle here).

We love this place for a date!

The Pudding Parlour in the athenaeum’s garden room is open every evening (Monday to Friday from 8pm – 11pm and Saturday from 9pm – 11pm) but closed on Sundays. There’s a changing array of treats, cakes and tarts  – but the classics will stay, all temptingly lit, on the glass island table. The price is £10 per visit, £15 including a glass of Pudding Wine.

A late night sweet treat – just like Edd himself!  

Here’s a Pudding of the Month Recipe by Edd Kimber

Crumble Topping
60g plain flour
40g Demerara sugar
40g unsalted butter, cold
Frangipane
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds
Few drops of almond extract
2 eggs
100g cornflour 
Damson or Plum Jam

Preheat oven to 180C/350F and lightly grease a standard 12-hole muffin pan and set aside.To make the crumble rub the butter into the sugar and flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Refrigerate until needed. For the frangipane beat the butter until smooth and creamy, add in the sugar and almonds and beat until just combined. Beat in the eggs and almond extract then fold in the cornflour. Divide the frangipane mix amongst the prepared muffin tray, smoothing the mix down with a spoon. Sprinkle crumble topping around the edge and place a small spoonful of your choice of filling in the centre. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle (avoiding the filling) comes out clean.

Please let us know how it turns out if you try this one at home – as for us, we’ll be back for many more visits and are plotting how we can best stack the plate topped off with a signature melty chocolate lollipop.

Buy the Book! The book is out now – it’s also in the USA, and as one of Edd’s favourite places he’s hoping for a book tour there and we were surprised to hear the book is big in Brazil – they must love their cakes too.  Recipes include Peaches and Cream Upside Down Cake, Chocolate Pecan and Salted Caramel Tart, Mango and Passionfruit Pavlova and the ultimate Fudge Brownies, and the recipe he was forbidden to change, Nanna’s Gingerbread – although she sadly died when he was a child, he says her memory lives on through this recipe.

www.theboywhobakes.co.uk

And just for the record it is ‘Edd’ with a double d – he loved Edd The Duck as a kid and the name just stuck.

 Here's the map for the athenaeum or just follow the crumbs...

A little red robin tells us that Curzon Members will receive a complimentary glass of pudding wine selected to accompany a delicious dessert.