Roasted figs with pistachios and Soreen

 A life of a foodie blogger has its own perks as well as lovely surprises. In the last month I received two unexpected parcels with Soreen products. No note enclosed, no tasks given, a total mystery. A sliced original malt-flavoured Soreen was quickly demolished, toasted and buttered (I love to use the salted butter on Soreen for a delicious sweet & salty combination).

My guys were particularly pleased with a new Toffee Apple Soreen renamed Scream for the coming Halloween. It is a delightful squidgy apple-flavoured loaf with toffee pieces.

Orange Soreen is another tasty variety of the British icon cake. It is much lighter in colour than the original malt loaf, generously speckled with juicy raisins. I wanted to use it in a dessert of roasted figs.

Roasted figs with pistachios and Soreen
Ingredients:
6 figs
4 thick slices of Orange Soreen
a handful of pistachios (about 2 per fig), chopped
2tbsp maple syrup
100ml Pimm's

First make the Soreen croutons, by slicing the loaf in thick 1cm slices, then cutting into cubes. Place them on a tray in the oven preheated to 180C for about 7 minutes.

Slice each fig in quarters, not quite all the way down, so that you can open it and put chopped pistachios inside. Place all the figs in a small roasting tin or ceramic dish. Drizzle with the maple syrup and pour Pimm's in. Roast for about 20 minutes at 180C. Add the Soreen croutons, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with custard or cream, or even ice cream.
You get the soft figs with crunchy nuts and crisped Soreen croutons. Simply lovely.

If you liked this recipe suggestion, you might like to try Grilled peach and Soreen with ice cream.

Grilled peach and Soreen with ice cream

Soreen has been a staple of the British cuisine since the late 1930s, when Mr Sorensen created it in 1938. Is it a cake? Is it a bread? Whatever it is, this squidgy, squishy cakey bread has become a British icon. Nowadays, apart from the original malt flavour, Soreen offers a wide range of fruit snacks including the Banana loaf, Cinnamon and Raisin loaf and several other fruity flavours.
I was recently asked to create a recipe, using one of Soreen fruity loafs. I confess that until recently I have only tried the Original malt loaf, and was very curious to test and taste a Banana flavoured loaf.

What did I think of it?
It's very moist, soft and with a dense texture. The smell is lovely, and the banana flavour is quite pronounced. It is something in between a fruit cake and a banana bread. It is very nice with a cup of tea.

It could also be used as an ingredient for a dessert like the one I made a few days ago. This is not exactly a recipe, more of a recipe suggestion, but believe me, it is a very moreish dessert.

Grilled Peach and Soreen with ice cream
Ingredients (per each person)
1 peach, quartered
2 slices of Soreen
a scoop of Kelly's clotted cream ice cream
a drizzle of chocolate sauce (I used Choc Shot liquid chocolate)
Grill the slices of Soreen as well as peach slices on a grill pan for 5-7 minutes, turning over. Assemble your dessert: place one slice of Soreen in the middle of a plate, add the peach slices. Scoop some vanilla or clotted cream ice cream in the middle, top up with another slice of Soreen and drizzle with some liquid chocolate.

Mmm, mmm, how tasty is that! You can experiment with fruit and use apricots or nectarines instead, or even ripe pear slices. Greek style yogurt instead of an ice cream would be a healthier choice. This is a lovely combination of flavours and textures. Try it!
What's your favourite way to eat Soreen?

If you liked my recipe suggestion, you might be interested in watching a video on how to make a delicious Chocolate Soreen Flapjack.





Disclosure: I received a selection of Soreen products for the purposes of creating a blog recipe. I am not paid for posting the video, but thought you might like the recipe.

Lovely Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews has come up with three delicious ideas in her post Quick desserts using Soreen Malt Loaf. Check them out!