Chocolate molleux, walnut brittle, raspberry sorbet and chantilly

Chocolate molleux, walnut brittle, raspberry sorbet and chantilly

Chocolate molleux

200g dark chocolate

200g white chocolate (and a few extra pieces for gooey bits in the middle)

8 eggs

100g plain flour

300g unsalted butter

200g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a tin or several ramekins.

Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain marie.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and flour together.

When the chocolate and butter has melted, pour it into the egg-sugar-flour mix.

Whisk it together until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the case and dot in some white chocolate pieces into the batter.

Either cook immediately, or put into the fridge until time to be used.

Cook the molleux in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the mixture has risen a few centimetres.

Serve hot or cold, it still tastes delicious!

If you serve straight out of the oven, this is the time when it is gooiest (gooyest?gooiyest?HELP!)

Walnut brittle

Walnut brittle is best made a few hours in advance - preferably left to set overnight- or it will turn out liquidy like mine..

120g caster sugar

30 ml water

100g walnuts

Cover a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Melt the sugar and water over a medium heat in a saucepan.

When all the sugar has dissolved and you have a light golden syrup, set it aside in another container to cool.

Toast (not burn) the walnuts in a pan with NO oil or butter. You do not need any excess flavour, and the walnuts already contain oil.

Blitz the walnuts into a chunky powder (a bit like crumble with different sizes).

When the syrup and walnuts have considerably cooled down, mix them together and pour into the lined baking tray.

Tilt the tray to spread the mixture as thinly as possible.

Leave the walnut mixture to dry out in order to turn into walnut brittle.

When serving the walnut brittle, gently break it into shards and serve as an accompaniment to a main dessert (such as a chocolate molleux).

Tip: put hot soapy water into the saucepan as soon as you have finished with it, otherwise the syrup will be a demon to get out because it sets.

Raspberry sorbet

MAKE SEVERAL HOURS IN ADVANCE in order for the sorbet to freeze!

500g raspberries (fresh or frozen)- I use frozen as they tend to be cheaper than fresh yet all the flavour has been retained)

citrus juice (most recipes say lemon juice, but I think orange juice works well with raspberries)

150ml water (or champagne for a twist. Depends how drunk you want to make your guests...)

100g icing sugar

Make a syrup by melting the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat.

When all the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat up until the sugar solution begins to boil, and then take off the heat to cool.

In another saucepan, put in the raspberries and squeeze your lemon/orange over.

Heat the raspberries until you have a juice.

When you have your juice, push through a sieve into your syrup. It's not nice to get seeds in your teeth.

Mix together and put in the freezer.

2 or 3 hours after you have put the sorbet into the freezer, get a fork and chisel bits of it off and mash it all up.

Put the sorbet back in the freezer to set.

Chantilly

600 ml double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar (more or less to taste)

tsp vanilla extract or essence or pod (NEVER FLAVOURING!)

Whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until soft peaks form.

Chill in fridge until ready to use.

Tip: chantilly is really good for using in choux and other pastries.