Ooey Gooey Chocolate Fondant

I was lucky enough to be bought some Paul A Young chocolate by my Dad last week. It's rated as some of the best chocolate in the country so I wanted to do something pretty special with it. Really there was only one thing that I wanted; an ooey gooey chocolate fondant.

Ingredients:
50g chocolate (dark is best but I used milk here to make it almost like a sticky toffee pudding sauce)
50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
50g plain flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk
60g caster sugar
2tbsp cocoa powder

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4, 160c. Butter two ramekins and then dust lightly with cocoa powder.
   
   
   
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over the top of a saucepan, make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Put aside the bowl to cool. 
   
3. In a stand mixer whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sugar.
   
   
   
4. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture and then sift the flour on top. Slowly fold in using a figure of 8 motion.
   
5. Pour the mixture into the two ramekins and bake for around 15-17 minutes. You want there to be some cracks on top but not overcooked. 
   

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Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Us Brits aren't so good at cookies, we're just not used to them. Biscuits are more of our thing, which I guess are just harder, crunchier cookies. Cookies are quite new to us, they are chewy, soft and tend to need to be purchased from Millie's, Subway or more recently supermarket bakery sections to get a decent one. Not anymore though...

After several experiments, most ending in near-biscuits rather than chewy cookies, I'm happy that I've finally mastered the art of cooking proper cookies. The experiments have revealed several learning points:

1. Use a mix of brown sugar and white sugar to get the right chewy:crispy ratio
2. Don't overcook them - it's tempting too, especially when you prod them and they are super soft, just leave them to cool on the baking tray for a little while before transferring to a wire rack
3. Try and use the same measurement to dollop the mix onto the baking tray to ensure evenly sized, round, cookies.

Ingredients (makes 12):

• 100g Dark Brown Sugar
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 85g Melted Butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 125g Plain Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 150g chopped chocolate (50g each of milk, dark, white)

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line two baking sheets
2. In a large bowl mix together the sugars and melted butter until well combined.
   
3. Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix well.
   
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and stir in, once combined pour in the chopped chocolate and stir until coated.
   
5. Using a tablespoon and a teaspoon scoop the mixture onto the baking trays, six to a sheet.
   
6. Pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes, checking regularly, you want them just to be slightly crisp on the edges.
   
7. Leave to cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool/gobble up!
   
   
   
   
   

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Summer Fruit Pavlova

Sunday was cheat day. It was also a belated housewarming party for us so we held a BBQ. I was tasked with providing the dessert. There was only one suitable dessert in my eyes; pavlova.

For me there is no better summer dessert than a pavlova. The crisp outer shell of meringue combined with the chewy centre and cool cream balanced by fresh fruit is unbeatable in hot weather. It also take minimal effort and serves a crowd easily. There are a couple of ingredients which may seem a bit strange, such as vinegar, but trust me that this is essential to get the nice chewy centre of the meringue. 

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

250g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1tsp cornflour

1tsp vinegar (I tend to use white wine or cider vinegar)

Carton of double cream

Fresh fruit (your choice), chopped

1. On a piece of greaseproof paper draw around a large plate. Place this on a flat baking tray and pre-heat your oven to 150c.
2. Beat your egg whites until they form stiff peaks. This can be done with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, unfortunately you just won't get the best results using sheer human effort with a whisk.
3. Add the caster sugar teaspoonful at a time whilst still beating. The egg whites will increase in volume and become beautifully glossy.
4. In separate bowl mix the vanilla, cornflour and vinegar together. Add the mix to the egg whites and sugar. Beat until incorporated. 
5. Spoon the mix onto your greaseproof paper and push it out to the edges of your circle template. Build the meringue up at the edges to create a 'nest'.
6. Pop it in the oven for an hour. Turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool whilst in the oven. (I do mine overnight)
7. Whip the double cream and mix in the fruit. Spoon it into the centre of the meringue. Decorate with more fruit.

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