Apple Tart with Cardamom Ice Cream

Serves 6

For the Tart
• 3 large Braebum or Pink Lady apples
• 300g puff pastry
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 5 cardamom pods, crushed

For the Ice Cream
• 250ml double cream
• 250ml milk
• 10 cardamom pods, crushed
• 100g sugar
• 6 egg yolks

Method
• Peel, cored and quarter the apples. Lay them out on a paper-lined tray to dry for an hour or two, uncovered. Not a problem if they turn brown, as they will be caramel coated.
• To make ice cream, place double cream, milk and cardamom in a pan and bring to boil, once simmered turn off and leave to infuse for 45 minutes.
• Whisk together sugar and yolks, add infused crème, pour into saucepan and stir over low heat to a crème anglaise consistency. Pass and leave to cool. Churn in ice cream machine till smooth.
• Roll out pastry to tart or template size. Place on tray and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
• Cut butter into thin slices and spread over the bottom of ovenproof dish/pan. Sprinkle over the sugar and then dot the cardamom pods around the pan. Arrange the apple quarters neatly around the pan. Place pan over medium heat until butter and sugar have dissolved and formed a light caramel, remove and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 200°C/ Gas mark 6. Drape the pastry over the apples and tuck edges down side of pan. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool.
• Turn out and portion as desired, serve with scoop of cardamom ice cream.

Chocolate Fondant

Ingredientes
• 250g unsalted butter
• 5 eggs
• 5 yolks
• 125g caster sugar
• 250g dark chocolate
• 50g flour (sieved)

Method
• Beat eggs, yolks and sugar until pale
• Melt chocolate and butter over a bain-marie
• Fold chocolate into egg and sugar mixture
• Gently fold in the flour
• Pour into buttered, floured moulds
• Bake at 180°C/ Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes until centres dome.

Chocolate and Mocha Pots


Ingredients
• 15ml strong coffee
• 475ml milk
• 75g caster sugar
• 225g dark chocolate
• 2 egg yolks
• 10ml vanilla essence
• 30ml Tia Maria or any coffee liqueur

Method
• Preheat oven to 160°C
• Put coffee into saucepan, stir in the milk then add the sugar and place on stove
• Bring to boil till sugar dissolves
• Remove pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it is melted and smooth
• Stir in the coffee liqueur and vanilla
• Whisk the egg yolks to blend them and slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture till well mixed in.
• Pass the mixture and pour into cups or ramekins
• Place in bain-marie pan
• Bake for about 30 minutes until custard is set
• Cover and chill completely before serving


Chocolate Marquise

Serves 6

Ingredients
• Six 6cm diameter rounds of light sponge cake, 5mm thick
• Brandy
• 115g dark chocolate
• 5 egg whites
• 50g caster sugar
• 300ml double cream, lightly whipped

Method
• Brush the rounds of sponge lightly with a little brandy and place in the bottom of each of six 6cm round moulds.
• Place the chocolate in a bowl over hot water and let the chocolate melt, stirring constantly.
• Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, fold in the sugar and then fold in the whipped cream. Fold this mixture into the chocolate.
• Spoon the resulting chocolate mousse into the moulds and place in the fridge for about two hours.


Coffee and Baileys Crème Brûlée

Ingredients
• 150g mascarpone cheese
• 100ml double cream
• 50ml milk
• ½ vanilla pod
• 2 eggs
• 60g caster sugar
• 50ml Baileys
• Coffee essence to taste

Method
• Pour cream and milk into a saucepan. Split vanilla pod and scrape seeds into milk and cream. Bring up to boiling point.
• Combine the mascarpone cheese, eggs and sugar and whisk to a smooth consistency.
• Pour milk and cream over the egg mixture and whisk well. Mix in the Baileys and pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
• Add coffee essence until you reach the desired flavour.
• Pour into ramekins and place in a bain-marie and cook in a preheated oven to 160°C for about 40 minutes.
• When cooked let cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
• Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the brûlée lightly with caster sugar, glaze with gas burner.


Crème Brûlée

Ingredients
• 14 egg yolks
• 500ml cream
• 300ml milk
• 250g caster sugar

Method
• In a saucepan gently heat the milk and cream.
• In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks and sugar together thoroughly.
• Add the warmed milk/cream to the egg yolks and sugar mixture and stir well. Pass through a fine sieve.
• Pour into individual dishes and cook in a bain-marie in the oven at gas mark 1/140°C.


Crème Pâtissière

Ingredients
• 6 egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour
• 400ml milk

Method
• In a pan cream the egg yolks and sugar together well, then mix in the flour.
• Bring the milk to the boil in another pan then whisk a little into the egg yolk pan.
• Add the remainder of the liquid and cook over a gentle heat, stirring to a smooth cream for no longer than 5 minutes.


Christmas Pudding Ice Cream

Serves 4

Ingredients
• 150ml cream
• 300ml milk
• 75g sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons liquid glucose
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• a small Christmas pudding

Method
• In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.
• Put the milk, cream, glucose and vanilla pod in a pan and bring to the boil.
• Pour slowly on to the egg and sugar mixture whisking all the time until smooth.
• Return the mixture to a clean pan and heat gently stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard.
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool removing the vanilla pod.
• Caramelise the Christmas pudding and blitz in a blender to crumb.
• Add to the cooled custard and churn in an ice cream maker.

Ice Cream Base


Ingredients
• 600g egg yolks
• 750g caster sugar
• 3000ml milk
• 1150ml double cream
• 2 tablespoons glucose syrup

Method
• Boil milk and cream
• Add glucose syrup
• Hand whisk egg yolk and sugar
• Mix above

For chocolate ice cream add 400g dark chocolate
For vanilla ice cream add 2 vanilla pods into milk and cream mixture and vanilla compound taste.


Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce


Ingredients
• 300g butter
• 100g cocoa powder
• 120g 64% chocolate
• 600g sugar
• 340ml evaporated milk
• a few drops of vanilla essence

Method
• Melt the butter and cocoa over a low heat
• Heat the evaporated milk with the sugar
• Add the chocolate and vanilla essence
• Mix in the melted butter and cocoa and bring to the boil
• Cool till use


Iced Chocolate Parfait


Ingredients
• 4 tablespoons water
• 200g caster sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 200g chocolate
• 200ml double cream, chilled
• 6 tablespoons milk, chilled

Method
• Mix water and sugar and cook to the fine thread stage (110°C/230°F)
• Place the 8 egg yolks in a bowl and pour the boiling syrup over them little by little whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until the mixture has cooled.
• Add 200g chocolate gently melted in a bain-marie.
• Whisk cream with the chilled milk until very firm.
• Blend the cream with the cooled mixture of egg and syrup and pour into a parfait mould.
• Leave in the freezer for at least 6 hours.


Orange and Cointreau Sauce


Ingredients
• 2lt fresh orange juice
• 1kg caster sugar
• 200ml Cointreau

Method
• Reduce orange juice by half, add sugar and bring to the boil
• Remove from heat, add cointreau, pass and cool


Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar

6/8 portions

Ingredients / Panna Cotta
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ¼ teaspoons gelatine / 3 gelatine leaf
• 2 cups single cream
• 1 ¼ cups plain yogurt / Greek
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup caster sugar

Ingredients / Strawberries
• 750g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

For Panna Cotta
• Add gelatine to water to soften
• Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt and vanilla to smooth blend
• Heat remaining cream and sugar over a medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and cream comes to simmer, remove from heat.
• Add gelatine, stirring to dissolve gelatine.
• Mix hot cream-gelatine mixture into yogurt mixture
• Place mixture in desired serving container equally
• Refrigerate overnight

For Strawberries
• Toss strawberries, vinegar, sugar and pepper in a large bowl to combine.
• Let stand for 20 minutes before use.
• Spoon strawberries over panna cotta to serve.


Raspberry and Yogurt Ice Cream

Ingredients
• 250g raspberries
• 100g caster sugar
• 300ml yogurt / you can use good quality fruit yogurt

Method
• You can use frozen raspberries, but do defrost them
• Mash the raspberries or puree them in a liquidiser
• If you like your ice cream smooth, sieve out the seeds
• Mix the sugar and yogurt in to the puree
• Rest for at least an hour in fridge before churning your ice cream