Recipe: White chocolate and raspberry trifle

175g white chocolate – broken into small pieces

Two egg yolks

25g granulated sugar

150ml milk

85g double cream

2½ tablespoons of icing sugar

Sponge – enough for the bottom of four wine glasses

Raspberry jam

225g raspberries

Two tablespoons Crème de Menthe

A little fresh mint

In a bowl, cream the egg yolks and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon until thick and creamy. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-based pan and gently bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and immediately pour it over the egg and sugar mixture, whisking until it thickens a bit and coats the back of a spoon. If it doesn’t thicken, return it to the pan and place over a gentle heat whisking all the time until it does but be careful that the eggs don’t scramble. Add the white chocolate and allow the mixture to cool, covering with some sprinkled icing sugar and cling film to prevent a skin forming.

Spread the sponge generously with jam and place in the bottom of four wine glasses. Then divide the Crème de Menthe and raspberries between them. Keep a few berries to decorate the completed dessert.

Pour the white chocolate custard over the raspberries and sponge and put the glasses in the fridge for an hour or so to allow to set.

To serve, decorate with the remaining raspberries, some sprinkled icing sugar and fresh mint.

Recipe: Rich chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

500g Callebaut chocolate
10 Free range egg yolks
10 Free range egg whites
250g Organic butter
200g sugar

Method

Heat a pan of water and place a bowl on top.

Place the butter and chocolate in the bowl and gently melt, remove from the heat once melted.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale, fold the mix into the chocolate mix, take your time with this , little at a time is best.

In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until a stiff peak is achieved, fold the egg whites into the warm chocolate mix then chill for 4 hours in the fridge before serving.

Recipe: Chocolate tart

For the pastry
250g plain flour
100g diced butter
100g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
Two eggs at room temperature

For the filling
400g good-quality cooking milk chocolate
200ml milk
300ml double cream
Seven eggs
70g caster sugar

For the glaze
300ml water
350g sugar
120g cocoa powder
240ml double cream

Method
To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and add the diced butter. Using the fingertips, lift the butter up with the flour and rub gently with the fingers, letting it fall back into the bowl.

Once the mixture resembles a uniform crumble, add the sugar and salt and mix well. Then add the eggs and mix again, carefully bringing the mixture together to form a smooth ball. Wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (gas mark 5). Roll out the pastry enough to line an 8in flan dish, trim to fit and prick the base with a fork a few times. To bake blind, cover the pastry on the bottom and sides of the flan with foil and weigh it down with a handful of dried beans or pasta. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and cool. Turn the oven down to 140°C (gas mark 1).

To make the filling, break up the chocolate and place in a mixing bowl. Put the milk and cream in a saucepan, bring to the boil, pour over the chocolate and mix. Place a small mixing bowl containing the eggs and caster sugar over a pan of simmering water. Whisk while it’s heating until it turns white and thickens. Fold the egg and sugar mixture into the chocolate with a large metal spoon using a cutting action rather than stirring them together.

Pour the mixture into the pastry flan case and bake for 20 minutes (turning the tray after 10 minutes). Allow to cool and then refrigerate until firm.

For the glaze, bring the water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan. Add the cocoa and cream, bring to the boil again and allow to reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Do this until it looks like melted chocolate. Allow to cool a little and pour the glaze over the tart, smooth with a pallet knife and allow to set.

For a final flourish you could use a blow torch to “dust” the top of the glaze – one second should do it, otherwise you’ll melt the tart. When serving, to get a smooth cut, use a knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried.

Recipe: Chocolate pot, Berry compote

Serves six
For the chocolate pot:
400ml milk
250ml double cream
200gm chocolate
Four egg yokes
45gm caster sugar
A few drops (half a teaspoon) of vanilla essence – not vanilla flavouring

Method
For the blueberry compote:
200gm blueberries
Juice of one lemon
20gm caster sugar
One whole vanilla pod
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (gas mark 1).
To cook and serve the chocolate pot you will need six ramekins. First, in a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy. Gently heat the milk and cream together in a pan until boiling. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate until it melts. Immediately, pour the milk and cream onto the eggs and sugar, whisking as you do so.
Divide the mixture equally into the ramekins and place them in a roasting dish into which you then pour hot water, half way up the ramekins. Place the roasting tin in the oven and bake until set. How long? It depends on a number of factors but probably around 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the blueberry compote, place all the ingredients into a pan and, stirring, bring to the boil. Remove the vanilla pod and allow to cool.
To serve, place the chocolate pot onto a plate with, perhaps, some fresh fruit (strawberries are sublime with chocolate) and serve the blueberry compote alongside.

Recipe: Chocolate ganache

For the Ganache
7 oz Chocolate
5 oz double cream
2 oz butter

Method
Grate or shave the chocolate
Boil the cream and butter, add to the chocolate
Mix until completely smooth
store in the fridge until required.

Recipe: Rich hot chocolate fondant

Serves six
For the fondant
250g of plain chocolate
250g of unsalted butter
Two eggs
200g of caster sugar
135g of plain flour
30g of cocoa powder

Method

Grease six ramekins with butter, dust them with some of the cocoa powder and chill them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water in a pan . Once it's all melted, gently mix in the butter.

Sieve the flour and remaining cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Then, using a metal spoon, rather than stir gently fold in the butter/cocoa powder mix. Spoon the mixture into the ramikns until each is 3/4 filled. Tap each to remove air bubbles, cover with cling film and chill for at least a couple of hours.

This can be done well in advance, as you can do the final cooking after you've finished your main course. Heat the oven to 200c, bake the ramekins for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then turn them out onto the serving plates. You could serve them with a chocolate sauce, cream or ice cream.