The Food Diaries

Chocolate scones

In a small bowl whisk together 130ml light cream, milk or soy cream with 1 egg and a 1/2 tsp vanilla (I like to use vanilla paste). Set aside.

In a larger bowl mix together 275g flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbs baking powder, 25g cocoa powder (1/4 cup), and 70g sugar (1/3 cup). Pour in 75g butter (softened or melted). Stir till the mixture becomes crumbly. (Optional) add a large handful of chocolate chips or cocoa nibs.

Pour in the cream and egg mixture and mix lightly till a dough just forms. Flatten onto a well-floured surface and cut into 6-8 scones (depending on size of cutter). Brush tops with a beaten egg.

Place on a baking tray and into an oven at 190c for around 12 minutes or till baked through.

Serve with clotted cream or butter and some orange marmelade.

The Glitterati: chocolate & passion fruit tarts with silver and gold leaf sprinkles

I make no apologies for the multiple variations on the dark chocolate/passion fruit combo that appear in my diaries - it is just an irresistible combination. This recipe is also perked up with a little sparkle, a good match to the end-of-year party season.

First make your passion fruit jam. Scoop out the pulp of around 10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time.

Next up make the chocolate ganache. Heat 200ml double cream to just boiling. Pour the cream over 200g dark chocolate, which have been broken up into pieces in a bowl. Stir around till the chocolate has blended smoothly into the cream.

To assemble: spread the passion fruit jam along the bottom of 8 individual pre-baked all-butter short crust tarts. Pour the chocolate sauce (make sure it is still quite well melted) over the jam till the tarts are nearly full. Once set sprinkle with silver and gold leaf sprinkles.

Serves 8.

You may also be interested in:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH QUICHE WITH SWISS CHEESE >

Coffee & Cake - Sticky Chocolate Loaf

What more is needed to match a beautiful set of antique French coffee cups then a lovely dense chocolate fondant (with the addition of prunes and armagnac - a true match made in heaven). The following recipe is from the wonderful Ottolenghi Cookbook. Note that this cake is nearly vegan (just 1 egg and a little yogurt) and I’ve made both the regular and the entirely vegan versions (I made some substitutions) which both came out perfectly well.

Place 100g pitted prunes (preferably from Agen) in a saucepan with 100ml Armagnac or Cognac. Warm slightly and then set aside.

Put another 100g prunes in a food processor with 60ml buttermilk or yogurt, and 60ml sunflower oil and puree. Mix in 1 egg, 30g caster sugar, 60g light brown sugar, and 40ml treacle.

In another bowl mix together 115g flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 15g cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Fold into the prune mixture. Fold in 150g dark chocolate, chopped.

Pour into 2 small (500g) loaf pans lined with parchment (or in one larger pan either loaf or round). Now, cut each soaked prune into quarters and using your finger press them below the surface of the cake at regular intervals. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 170c.

Now make a syrup by warming together 80ml water and 80g caster sugar (stir to dissolve the sugar) to which you then add 2 tbsp Armagnac or Cognac (plus whatever was left from the soaked prunes). Once the cake is out of the oven poke a few holes in the cake using a skewer and brush over the syrup till is gets absorbed through. Let cool completely before removing from the tins.

Serve on its own, or with some sliced fruit (strawberries, cherries, orange) and some cream (clotted, creme anglaise, ice cream, etc.). Makes around 10 smallish but dense slices.

Vegan substitutions: 1 egg = 1/4 cup pureed prunes, 60ml yogurt = 80ml soy cream mixed with 1 tbs lemon juice. Add an extra 1/2 bicarbonate of soda to the flour mixture. I’ve also discovered a fabulous soy cream which can be whipped and served just like regular cream. It’s called soyatoo. Planet Organic in London carries it as does WholeFoods in the US. I add a touch of flavouring to mask the slightly bland soy flavour (amaretto works well).

Joël Durand Chocolate

These are my current favourite chocolates. Well, “current” as in since I first discovered them over 5 years ago in the town of St. Remy de Provence in the South of France - near-ish to Avignon if you ever fancy visiting.

Joël is best known for his seasonal selection of chocolates based on the letters of the alphabet (plus punctuation). My favourites include M (for fresh mint and white chocolate), & (for salty caramel with ginger), and F (arbutus honey).

Oh, and the great news is they ship!

You may also be interested in:

MILK CHOCOLATE AND PASSION FRUIT TRUFFLE CUPS >

Pave du Roy Gateau - An old French classic, now revived (with the added benefit of being flourless and optionally dairy-free too)

I first started making this cake as part of the Cordon Bleu Pastry degree cycle. I then brought the recipe home and made it as a special treat for a good friend’s 80th birthday (a certain Monsieur Lamorlette). Little did I know it had been a cake quite popular in his childhood (which had somehow lost fashion in between time), so resulted in a flood of memories for him. It reminds me of the power of taste (and smell in particular) in drawing back memories of the past (a la recherche du temps perdu - see Marcel Proust)

How I made it:

Slice off thin pieces of rind from 1 large orange and cut into thin strips (julienne). Blanch in boiling water a couple of times (to remove the bitterness). Bring to a boil 130g sugar with 130g water, set aside half in a bowl and then add the orange rind to the remainder and simmer till the rind is glossy and candied. Drain the rind (adding any remaining liquid to the reserve syrup), chop finely and set aside.

In a mixer beat together 1 egg, 2 yolks and 75g sugar till light and white. Sift in 15g cornstarch and 15g cocoa powder and mix delicately. Fold in 60g ground almonds. Whip up 2 egg whites till you see hard peaks forming and then add 20g sugar and beat briefly till the egg whites become glossy. Mix in a couple tablespoons into the cake batter to soften it and then fold the remaining egg whites. Bake at 200c in a 7-inch round cake tin (line the bottom with parchment paper) for between 25-35 minutes depending on your oven (till a cake tester comes out clean and the cake sponges back to the touch). Turn onto a grill and let cool.

Whip up 3 egg whites till you see hard peaks forming and then add 30g sugar and continue beating till glossy. Melt 100g dark chocolate. Fold in 2 egg yolks and 50g butter (or cooking margarine for dairy-free) into the melted chocolate. Fold in the egg whites.

To assemble: flip the cake over if you haven’t already done so (so that the flat bottom is now on top) make a small mark on the edge/side of the cake with a knife (so the cake can be easily re-aligned later), then cut the cake in half lengthwise and set the top layer aside. Mix 40ml of Cointreau or Grand Marnier with the remaining sugar syrup and dab the inside of the cake with syrup quite generously using a pastry brush. Spread some of the chocolate mousse on top (about 1/3), sprinkle with all the orange rind evenly across the top. Place the top layer of the cake (align it up!), and then dab with the remaining syrup and cover the entire cake with the remaining chocolate mousse. Decorate the sides with chocolate vermicelli (or chocolate shavings if you can be bothered making them - and the rose made of spun sugar even less!). Dust with cocoa powder using a sifter.

Serves 6-8. You can increase the quantities for a larger cake pan.

You can make the sponge cake a day ahead and leave the assembling (with the sugar syrup and chocolate mousse) anytime on the day you will be serving it.

Milk chocolate and passion fruit truffle cups

I managed to track down Pierre Herme’s sumptuous milk chocolate + passion fruit combo which he uses in his macaroons.

Place a bowl over a pan off hot water and add 40ml passion fruit pulp (about 4 passion fruits, sieved to remove the seeds), 1 tbs heavy cream and 1 tsp honey till bubbling. Add 100g milk chocolate (Lindt), broken into pieces and stir till melted and smooth. Off the heat stir in 1 tbs butter. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to cool. Using a spatula, drop the mixture into the corner of a small plastic bag (to form a cone). Snip off the end of the bag with scissors and pipe into pre-made chocolate cups, or mini pre-baked tartlets also work well (I can find both at Marks & Spencers). Garnish with coconut flakes and passion fruit jam (or some apricots cut super finely also can work well).

Note: You could also ditch the chocolate cups and roll the cold ganache in cocoa powder to make truffles.