Sweet treats for the judges

The highlight of the summer in Wigtown is the Wigtown Show which takes place this year (2010) at Bladnoch Park on August 4. This has been a highlight of the calender for more than 200 years.

Competition is fierce in all the categories and the hard-working judges are rewarded with The Judges' Lunch. In 2000 expert local cooks were persuaded to share some of their favourite recipes in a little cookbook published to mark the millennium. Here are a couple of selections from “Sweet Success” of the “Judges' Lunch” section.

Orange cake (serves 8)

Six beaten eggs
9oz (250g) ground almonds
9oz (250g) caster sugar
One teaspoon of baking powder
Two large oranges, washed, covered with water and boiled for two hours.

Method. Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan oven), 375F, Gas 5. When oranges are cool, halve, remove any pips and chop roughly. Grease and flour an eight-ounce (20.5cm) spring form tin or place a paper cake liner in an eight ounce tin. Put all the ingredients, plus the oranges, into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool the tin. Turn onto serving plate. Serve sliced into wedges.

The author writes: “This cake makes a superb desert served with a ready made dessert sauce and whipped cream. It freezes well. One portion takes five minutes to thaw on defrost then about 12 seconds on full power should you want to eat it slightly warm.”

Rhubarb and spice and all things nice (serves 8)

Ingredients

12oz (350g) rhubarb, cleaned and sliced, fairly small
8oz (225g) plain flour
Half teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon of ground ginger and half a teaspoon of cinnamon
One teaspoon of baking powder and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
4oz (100g) light brown sugar
3oz (75g) butter
3oz (75g) syrup and 3oz treacle
One piece of stem ginger, finely chopped
Two tablespoons of marmalade
Quarter of a pint (140ml) of milk
One egg
Icing sugar to dust.

Method. Pre-heat oven to 160C (fan oven 140C) 325F, gas 3. Butter a large, deep ovenproof dish. Put the sugar, butter, treacle and syrup into a pan and melt over low heat. Don't boil. Cool slightly and add stem ginger, marmalade, milk and egg. Sieve dry ingredients and add wet ingredients to give a thick batter. Put half the batter into the dish. Lay on the rhubarb, then cover with the remaining batter. Bake about one and a half hours. Dust with icing sugar. “Try to use small, fine rhubarb for this. Serve with lots of cream.”

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