Caramel Apple Cakelettes

I was flicking through a cook book looking for inspiration for a quick dessert and came across a pear and ginger cake. It looked delicious but I wanted something lighter and a bit more dainty and so moved on, but I couldn’t get the cake out of my head so I decided to alter it by using apples and cinnamon instead.

I hit upon the idea of baking them in individual tart tins and placing the apple in the base instead of on the top, turning them into upside-down mini cakelettes. I also added a layer of caramel syrup to the base, to create a sort of take on tarte tatin only with cake instead of pastry.

For the apple I used Red Delicious as its deep red skin and firm flesh make it ideal for maintaining its shape and colour during cooking. I’m not a fan of the apples to eat raw as they can sometimes be a bit fluffy, but this they were perfect. Golden syrup formed the base of my caramel syrup which does away with the need for a sugar thermometer and speeds up the process no end.

Once baked, I nervously upended the cakelette onto a plate (with the help of rubber gloves) and it came out perfectly – hurrah! It looked so pretty and smelt gorgeous, all apple, cinnamon, moist sponge and sweet sticky caramel.

Caramel Apple Cakelettes
For the sponge
110g self raising flour
100g butter
75g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 level tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 eating apple (I used Red Delicious)

For the caramel syrup
2½ tbsp golden syrup (100g)
55ml single cream or whole milk
10g butter

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and arrange 4 small tart tins on a baking tray.
First make the caramel syrup. Add the golden syrup, milk and butter into a small pan and heat gently, stirring until all the ingredients have melted together.
Then increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil and allow to bubble for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the sponge, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and beat again. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and beat together along with the vanilla.
Then cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and slice into very thin slices, so you end up with crescent shaped apple slices.
Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the syrup over the base of the cake moulds, until the bottom is covered, but leave a couple of spoonfuls left over for decoration.
Arrange the apple slices neatly in the syrup, so that they overlap slightly. Remember, this will become the top once they are turned out.
Spoon over the sponge mixture in small blobs, spreading it out into an even surface right to the edges of the tin to form a seal. If possible make sure the syrup does not rise up above the sponge layer.
Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes and golden and springy to the touch.
Allow to cool for 3 minutes before running a knife around the rim of the tin and turning out the cakes onto a plate, bottom side up. (Wear rubber gloves to hold the moulds)
Decorate the plate with a few dots of the remaining syrup and serve straight away.
They also taste great cold.
Serves 4

Oaty Melting Moments

These cookies are very light and tender. They have a crisp outer edge and a soft crumbly centre that melts in the mouth. The slightly unusual twist to these cookies, compared to other melting moment cookies I have seen, is that the dough is kept soft and sticky so that mounds of cookie dough can be generously rolled in oats before baking. This helps gives the cookies their crisp outer edge and a slightly nutty flavour.

I have fond memories of baking these with my mum when I was very young. We used to call them cornflake cookies as we often rolled them in lightly crushed cornflakes instead of oats. Either way they are delicious and must always be topped with half a glace cherry.

I’m now living back in Sheffield and in my final year of Uni and I’m sharing a flat with a lovely photography student called Amie. I am really excited by this as she has all the photographic know-how when it comes to taking pictures, as well as a nice camera, so we have agreed that if I help her learn to bake, she will help me out with some photos and afterwards we both get to eat the goods – it’s the perfect arrangement. It was dark outside when we had finished baking (we got the late night munchies) but Amie took these pics for me and I love how the cookies in the background fade into the distance while the front ones are still in focus. I have camera envy. If I pick up any good tips, I’ll be sure to pass them on.

Oaty Melting Moments
Ingredients
100g butter
75g caster sugar
½ egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
170g self raising flour
5-6 glace cherries
Rolled oats or lightly crushed cornflakes for coating

Method
Heat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Crack the egg into a bowl, whisk until combined and then add half to the butter mix along with the vanilla or almond extract. Beat again until well incorporated.
Sift over the flour and mix well.
Scatter a layer of oats or cornflakes over a plate.
Take tablespoons of the batter (it will be sticky) and shape into rounds. Roll the dough in the oats/cornflakes until well coated.
Transfer to the baking trays and flatten slightly. Leave a 2inch gap between each one.
Cut the glace cherries in half and poke a half into the centre of each cookie.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden and just firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool.
Makes 10-12 cookies

Daring Bakers September Challenge: Lavash Crackers

I was excited when I saw this months challenge was for Lavash Crackers as I had about them and seen them around on a few blogs but never tried making them myself. They are thin crispy little crackers often topped with seeds or spices and make a great accompaniment to dips. We were given free rein over the toppings we used and were also told to create a dip of our choosing to accompany our crackers. As an extra twist the dip also had to gluten free and vegan friendly.

We were given the option to make gluten free crackers too, but I decided to stick with the wheaty version. I also used 75% white flour and 25% wholemeal for some added extra fibre. I was initially surprised that the crackers included yeast, but this makes sense as it allowed the dough to become nice and subtle and roll out thinly without tearing.

As the dough had to be rolled out very thinly, I had enough to split the dough in half and made two different sheets of crackers. I started with a seeded one which involved sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and lots thyme which I always think gives a wonderful flavour to savoury foods.
On the second cracker sheet I went for spices – cumin seeds, curry powder and smoked paprika which gave the crackers a dusty red hue with just a tingling of heat.
For my dip I initially thought of making a salsa but then I hit upon the idea of making red pepper houmous as I had some tahini and roasted red peppers sitting in the fridge clamoring to be used. I love the orangey-red colour the houmous turned and it tasted wonderful, nutty and sweet and was very dip-able with both varieties of cracker and can be made in a matter of moments in the food processor.
I really enjoyed making and munching these crackers and will definitely be making them again as nibbles for when I next have friends round. Be sure to check out the blogroll to see other bakers Lavash Crackers. And our hosts, Natalie from Gluten A Go Go and Shel from Musings From the Fishbowl.

Lavash Crackers
Recipe from The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Ingredients
190g strong white bread flour (I used 150g white and 40g wholemeal)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
75-110ml warm water
Seeds, herbs or spices of your choice

Method
In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and kneed the dough for 10 minutes until it become smooth and elastic when stretched.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm.
Allow to rest at room temperature for 90 minutes, until double in size.
Preheat the oven to 180C
Cut the dough in half and lightly oil a work surface with oil and roll out each dough half until almost wafer thin.
Transfer the dough onto a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray and lightly brush the surface with water to help the toppings stick.
Scatter over the toppings of your choice and mark the dough into long bars using a sharp knife, but do not cut all the way through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Bake for 15 minutes until the crackers and crisp and a deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire wrack to cool before breaking the cracker sheet into bars along the pre-scored edges.
Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
Serve with a variety of dips and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Red Pepper Houmous
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
1 roasted and skinned from a jar
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp tahini paste
½ tsp salt
Ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic

Method
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz together until smooth.
Store covered in the fridge until required.
Eat with 4 days.

Banoffee Pie

I made this dessert a few weeks back for a family BBQ. It was very quick and easy to make, mainly because it was more a matter of putting components together rather than baking, especially as I cheated slightly with the toffee sauce. I used Dulce de Leche rather than make my own, which saved time.

I did make my own pastry and used a third of the recipe given here for cinnamon hazelnut pastry as I thought these flavours would go well with the toffee and bananas. After the pastry had blind baked it was simply a matter of adding the toffee sauce, some sliced bananas, fluffy mounds of whipped cream and a light shaving of chocolate to finish the dish. You could speed up the process even more by using ready made pastry or even just a crushed biscuit base.

Banoffee Pie

Ingredients
400-500g shortcrust pastry
400g Dulce de Leche
200ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 large ripe bananas
20g dark chocolate

Method
Roll out the pastry and line a 9inch/22cm fluted tart tin with it. Then place in the fridge to firm up for 15-20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200C.
Prick the base of the pastry and blind bake (with baking beans or a bag of rice) for 12 minutes before removing the baking beans and baking for 10 minutes more until crisp and golden in colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Spread a thin layer of the toffee sauce over the base of the tart.
Slice the bananas into thick rounds and arrange over the toffee sauce.
Spread the remaining toffee sauce over the bananas until they are well covered.
Add the vanilla to the cream and whip until soft peaks forms. Spread over the filling and decorate the top with a little grated dark chocolate.
Refrigerate until required.


If you want to make your own toffee sauce, here’s how:
Ingredients
115g butter
115g light brown sugar
400g sweetened condensed milk
Method
Place all the ingredients into a pan and heat gently, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients well incorporated.
Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly until it changes to a deep caramel colour.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool before using.
DO NOT touch the caramel it will be extremely hot!

Coconut Choc Chip Biscotti

I wanted to post some cookies to a friend and decided that biscotti would be the most likely to arrive intact and still tasting fresh thanks to their long shelf life. As I was had a rummage through the cupboards for some chocolate chips and my eyes settled on a bag of desiccated coconut and I knew I had to try adding that into the mix too. I was a little unsure if the coconut would make them too crumbly but the dough came together without any problems.

They went into the oven formed into little logs but they grew and spread while baking into wide fingers which I was at first alarmed with but this actually made them turn out a perfect biscotti shape when sliced.

The biscotti were very light and quite crumbly due to the coconut strands, but this meant they were perfect for munching on without having to dip them first. The little dots of dark chocolate worked perfectly with the toasty coconut flavour. I wrapped the best biscotti into bags, labeled them and sent them on their merry way and I’m pleased to say the recipient informs me they survived intact and still perfectly crisp. So if you want to post someone some cookies, biscotti would make an excellent choice; they adapt so well to different flavour combinations so you can create a biscotti to suit the recipients tastes.

Coconut Choc Chip Biscotti
Ingredients
280g plain flour
60g desiccated coconut
50g dark chocolate chips
150g caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
100g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Melt the butter and set to one side.
Place the flour, coconut, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.
Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla into the butter and pour over the flour mixture.
Beat together until well combined.
Add the chocolate chips and mix once more until they are evenly distributed.
Cut the dough into two and, with floured hands, shape each one into a long log shape about 2inches/5cm wide. Place on the baking tray, leaving a good 3inches/7.5cm gap between them.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden in colour and spread.
Remove them from the oven, leave to cool and firm up for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack. Spray the tops of the biscotti with water to make slicing easier and leave for 5 minutes more.
Then slice the biscotti log into 1cm slices and lay them back onto the baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 more until crisp and golden in colour.
Transfer the biscotti to a wire wrack to cool and repeat with the remaining log.
If stored in an airtight container they will keep for 2 weeks.
Makes 35-40 biscotti

Special Spiced Carrot Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Icing

It was my Grandmothers birthday a few weeks ago and I had promised to bake her a cake. Like me, her favourite cake is carrot cake, however I have made her carrot cakes in the past and wanted to do something a bit different this year. I trawled through my many books looking for inspiration and although I found some delicious sounding cakes they didn’t seem to match up to the spicy fruity nuttiness of a carrot cake. I was getting quite frustrated and decided to go ahead and bake my usual carrot cake when I hit upon the idea of changing a few of the recipes supporting ingredients and baking a special spiced carrot cake.

I switched the walnuts for pistachios, the raisins with dried cranberries, added some ground ginger along with some finely chopped stem ginger for extra flavour. I also added the rind from an orange as I think orange works brilliantly with cranberry and ginger flavours. Feeling much more content I baked away and the cake seemed to be celebrating too as it rose so tall and proud that it was reaching up above the rim of the cake tin and filled my whole kitchen with a warm spicy aroma. After it had cooled, I sliced it in half and was pleased to see the cranberries and the pastel green pistachios scattered within. I filled and covered it with a generous layer of ginger cream cheese icing, scattered over a few chopped toasted hazelnuts and decorated it with some sugar flowers I made. (Thanks for the flower mould Gigi) I know blue flowers are not very realistic but I think they look pretty.

My grandma was thrilled with the cake and I loved how the alternative ingredients gave it a different flavour and appearance while still maintaining its carrot cake status. It was wonderfully moist and full of warming spicy flavour. I was particularly fond of the cranberry and stem ginger additions, which provided little nuggets of flavour hidden amongst the spicy crumbs.

Special Spiced Carrot Cake
For the cake
250ml vegetable oil
250g light soft brown sugar
3 eggs
300 - 350g (3-4) grated carrots
50g shelled pistachios
50g dried cranberries
1 orange – rind only
375g self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
40g stem ginger in syrup

Method
Grease and line the base of a 20cm 8inch springform cake tin. Preheat the oven 180C.
Place the oil, sugar and eggs into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and creamy.
Peel and roughly grate the carrots, chop the stem ginger into small pieces and finely grate the rind off the orange. Fold the pistachios, dried cranberries, stem ginger, orange rind and grated carrot into the cake batter.
Sift over the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger and bicarbonate of soda and fold into the mixture using a spatula, turning the bowl as you go until no flour streaks remain, but do not overwork. (The moisture from the carrots will help slacken the mixture).
Spread the batter evenly into the cake tin and bake for 45 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for a further 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes before un-moulding and cooling on a wire wrack. Once cool, cut the cake in half and fill and cover with the ginger cream cheese icing.

For the ginger cream cheese icing
60g butter
160g cream cheese
500g icing sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ginger syrup from stem ginger jar
50g chopped toasted hazelnuts

Method
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth.
Beat in the ginger and ginger syrup. Gradually sieve and beat in the icing sugar into the cream cheese in batches until it’s all combined.
Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up if a little soft, before using to fill and spread thickly over the cake.
Scatter the chopped nuts over the surface of the cake and in a rim around the bottom edge to conceal any drips of icing.
Will keep for up to 5 days if stored in the fridge.

Grape Jam / Jelly

My grandmother has a friend who is very self sufficient and grows most of her own fruit and veg. Think Tom and Barbara from the old TV series The Good Life and you get the idea. She has just had a large harvest of black grapes, more than she could use herself and so gave some away to family and friends. I love how my bunch came with some leaves still attached and even a few wisps of cobweb from the spiders who like to live amongst the vines – you can’t get more natural than that!

The grapes themselves had crisp skins, were plump and very juicy. They had a good flavour, although it was a little sharp. The grapes also contained small seeds which after being used to seedless grapes from the supermarket, were a bit of a surprise. Due to this I decided to turn my bunch of grapes into grape jam/jelly. I say jam/jelly because here in the UK we call our fruit spreads jams, although I know in America they known as jellys. Now I would normally stick to calling it a jam but as the fruit in question is grape I feel I should also call it jelly because as far as I know we (in the UK) do not make any jam using grapes but I know it is a very popular fruit jelly in America. Keeping up so far?

I have never tasted grape jam/jelly before and was excited about trying it out with some peanut butter in another much loved America classic, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I am happy to report that it is a delicious combination.

I loved how vibrant and glossy the resulting jam/jelly turned out, the colour of a light red wine. My jam/jelly turned out softly set, suitable for easy spreading or pouring over yoghurt, but if you want more of a thick spread then I suggest using equal quantities of sugar to fruit.

I made little labels for the jars and gave one away to the friend who provided the grapes and I was rewarded with another bunch. I think I have read of an Italian grape tart somewhere, so that might be next on the list.

Grape Jam / Jelly
Ingredients
850g black grapes
650g caster sugar
1 lemon
1 tbsp water

Method
Cut the grapes in half and remove any seeds if necessary.
Place the grapes into a large saucepan with the juice of the lemon and the tablespoon of water.
Heat gently with the lid on for 10 minutes until the juices have been released from the grapes and they are turning soft.
Add the sugar and stir until all the granules have dissolved. Then replace the lid, leaving it slightly off to allow steam to escape.
Allow to simmer for 40-50 minutes until slightly reduced and syrupy.
Meanwhile, wash and dry 4 jam jars in hot soapy water and then place them in a cold oven and turn it on to 160C and heat for 15 minutes to sterilise the jars.
Test the jam for setting by placing a small spoonful of the jam onto a saucer and place in the fridge for 5 minutes until cool. Then run a finger through the middle of jam and if it is ready it will ripple on either side. If it ripples, remove the jam from the heat, if its too runny, then continue heating for a further 10 minutes before repeating the test.
Remove the jars from the oven and immediately ladle the jam into the jars. Be careful the jam will be extremely hot! Screw the lids on using rubber gloves (the jar will be too hot to hold).
Leave the jars to cool before storing in a cool dark place. Refrigerate once opened.
Makes 4 x 425g jars.

The Cake Slice

I have some exciting news today. My good friend Gigi of Gigi Cakes had the brilliant idea to set up a new baking group, which involves choosing a book and then baking a new recipe from it each month for a year. The idea came from us always buying new cookery books and then never getting round to baking more than one or two of the recipes. This way we are guaranteed to get through at least 12. I am also thrilled that she asked me to be her c0-host.

We have called the group 'The Cake Slice' rather fitting don't you think? For more info and a sneak preview at one of the cakes on offer visit Gigi's blog.

Daring Bakers August Challenge: Chocolate Éclairs

The hosts of this months challenge were Tony of Olive Juice and Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey? and they selected chocolate éclairs by Pierre Herme which got an instant thumbs up from my family. Éclairs are made using choux pastry, although personally I think it’s more of a batter as you have to pipe it rather than roll it out. It’s also the pastry used to make profiteroles, of which I have made often, but I had never made éclairs before so was looking forward to the attempting to pipe in straight lines. We were also required to make a crème patisserie filling and then top them of with a rich chocolate glaze.

The recipe provided was for chocolate crème patisserie and chocolate glaze but we were allowed to be creative and change one of these options if we wished. I decided to keep the chocolate glaze and vary the flavour of the crème filling. I made a large batch of vanilla crème patisserie and then divided it into three separate bowls from which I kept one vanilla, flavoured one with chocolate and for the third flavour I ground some pistachios into a paste and stirred it through the crème. I loved how just changing the filling gave the éclairs such a different appearance and flavour. I could happily have eaten the silky crème patisserie by the spoonful.The recipe makes quite a lot of éclairs and they are best eaten as fresh a possible. I made mine one weekend when we were having a family BBQ and so they didn’t go to waste. Having a choice of filling flavours proved very popular as it meant people could choose which one most appealed, vanilla for traditionalists, chocolate for chocoholics or pistachio for people who wanted something a little different. They were all a success although my favourite was the pistachio, I loved the little flecks of green and the nutty overtone and it went perfectly with the chocolate glaze.

Thanks Tony and Meeta for choosing such a great recipe. Be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers éclairs.

Chocolate Éclairs

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds bypositioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers. Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff. The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes.
Notes:

1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

•Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)

• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40 degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:

1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Cream Puff Dough:

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk

• ½ cup (125g) water

• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:

1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined bakingsheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer thepiped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk

• 4 large egg yolks

• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted

• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.
Notes:

1) The pastry cream can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze:

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream

• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:

1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce:

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)

• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 cup (250 g) water

• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream

• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10-15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:

1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.

2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

Borough Market

Last weekend I visited Borough Market in London, which is something I have been wanting to do for years. During the week I realised last Saturday was my last free weekend before returning to uni and so decided it was time for a visit. I don’t think I have ever seen such a selection of fresh good quality produce in one place before. It was fantastic! Some things were naturally more expensive than regular markets but the standard of produce made it worth while.

The market is only ‘open’ to members of the public on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and its best to get there early to avoid the large crowds which start to form around midday.

There were bread stalls offering delicious rustic loaves ranging from rye and pumpernickel to sourdoughs, granary cobs, nutty date loafs and crusty baguettes.

Stands offering paving stone sized slabs of chocolate and indulgent handmade truffles in flavours ranging from praline to gin & lime all beautifully displayed.

Stalls selling every kind of fruit and nut imaginable with some dipped in chocolate or coated in yoghurt.

Herbs and specialist sea salts infused with spices or rubbed with dried olives for all salads or meat rubs.

Bakeries offering towers of cookies and dainty little cakes. How adorable are those owl shortbreads!! Almonds for beaks and chocolate drops for eyes – I just had to buy some. They were wonderfully tender and crumbly with a slight gritty shortbread texture.

Check out the size of those Emmentaler cheeses – they’re huge! They had been matured for 17months and had a great mellow nutty flavour.

Another stalls offering a wide assortment of baklava.

Anyone for a fudgey chocolate brownie? Surly a chocoholics dream.

Freshly picked wild mushrooms. I was particularly taken with the shape of the Eryngi mushrooms at the back.

Ever heard of Parrot Fish? I hadn’t but I love their blue tinged scales.

A stall specializing in tomatoes, they looked so pretty all arranged in their rows.

I had lunch from this middle eastern stall which was offering a wide assortment of dips, salads and marinades. I had a falafel wrap with salad, houmous and tahini sauce – delicious. I also bought a pot of aubergine which had been marinated in a spicy sauce with chunks of walnuts.

I ended the day with a slice of the silkiest creamy cheesecake I have ever tasted and a slice of zingy lemon tart from this stall. It was a wonderful day and I plan to go back at Christmas as it would be the perfect place to pick up a few foodie gifts.