Chocolate meringue pie

Ingredients:

• 225g/8oz dark chocolate
• digestive biscuits
• 25g/1oz butter, melted

For the filling

• 3 egg yolks
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 50g/2oz cornflour
• 600ml/1pt milk
• 100g/4oz dark chocolate (at least
• 70% cocoa solids)
• For the meringue
• 2 egg whites
• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla essence

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

• Put the digestive biscuits in a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into a mixing bowl. Stir the butter into the biscuit crumbs until well mixed. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 23cm/9in flan tin or dish.

• To make the filling, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a large bowl until they form a smooth paste, adding a little of the milk if necessary. Heat the milk until almost boiling, then slowly pour into the
egg mixture, whisking well.

• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook gently, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Remove from the heat. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the melted chocolate
into the mixture in the saucepan. Pour the mixture into the digestive biscuit base.

• To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until standing in soft peaks. Gradually whisk in about two-thirds of the sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy. Fold in the remaining sugar and the vanilla essence. Spread the meringue over the filling.

• Bake the pie in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Bakewell tart

Ingredients:

• 225g/8oz ready-to-roll
• puff pastry
• 100g/4oz ground almonds
• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• 50g/2oz butter
• 3 eggs
• 1⁄4 teaspoon almond essence
• 4 tablespoons strawberry jam

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/Gas mark 6.

• Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, and use to line a 900ml/11⁄2pt shallow dish.

• Beat the almonds with the sugar, butter, eggs and almond essence.

• Spread the pastry with an even layer of jam. Pour in the filling.

• Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Serve warm with cream.

Sticky plum tart

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 75g/3oz butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon chilled water
• 450g/1lb plums, halved, stoned
• and diced
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam

• Sift the flour into a blender or food processor, add the ground cinnamon, salt, butter and egg yolk. Process for 30 seconds or until evenly combined. Add the chilled water and process for a further 30 seconds. Knead together lightly, and roll out to a circle about 25.5cm/10in in diameter. Put on a baking tray and chill for 10–15 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

• Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.

• Arrange the plums over the cooked pastry, and sprinkle with the sugar. Put back in the oven for 40–45 minutes until the plums are tender.

• To finish, melt the jam in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons water, bring to the boil and bubble for 1 minute. Brush or spoon over the warm tart to glaze.

Pain au chocolat

Ingredients:

• 450g/1lb strong plain flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried yeast
• 25g/1oz lard
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• 225ml/8fl oz hand-hot water
• 175g/6oz butter, softened
• beaten egg, to seal and glaze
• 100g/4oz dark chocolate (at least
• 70% cocoa solids), broken into
• 12 squares

• Lightly grease a baking tray.

• Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, and stir in the yeast. Rub in the fat lard using your fingertips. Add the egg and enough of the water to form a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until elastic.

• Roll the dough out to form a rectangle measuring 38 x 20cm/15 x 8in. Divide the butter into three portions, and dot one portion over two-thirds of the rectangle, leaving a small border around the edge.

• Fold the rectangle into three by first folding the plain third of the dough over, then the other third. Seal the edges of the dough by pressing with a rolling pin. Give the dough a quarter turn. Re-roll and fold again, without butter, then wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes.

• Repeat the buttering and folding outlined above twice more, chilling the dough each time. Re-roll and fold twice more without butter. Chill for a final 30 minutes.

• Roll the dough to a rectangle measuring 45 x 30cm/18 x 12in, trim and halve lengthways. Cut each half into 6 rectangles, and brush with beaten egg. Put a chocolate square at the end of each rectangle, and
roll up to form a sausage.

• Press the ends together and place, seam side up, on the baking tray. Cover and leave to rise for 40 minutes in a warm place.

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.

• Brush the pastries with egg, and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Chocolate éclairs

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz butter
• 100g/4oz plain flour, sifted
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream,
• whipped
• 150g/5oz dark chocolate
• (at least 70% cocoa solids),
• broken into pieces

 
• Preheat the oven to 210°C/425°F/Gas mark 7, and grease two baking trays.

• Combine the butter and 225ml/8fl oz water in a large heavy saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the butter melts. Increase the heat, bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat.

• Add the flour to the saucepan all at once, and quickly beat into the buttery water using a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly.

• Beat the mixture to release any remaining heat. Gradually add the egg,about 3 teaspoonfuls at a time. Beat well after each addition until all the egg has been added and the mixture is glossy. Spoon the mixture into a
piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm/5⁄8in plain nozzle.

• Sprinkle the baking trays lightly with water. Pipe 15cm/6in lengths onto the trays, leaving room for them to expand. Bake for 10–15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4, and bake
for a further 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

• Split each cooled éclair and remove any uncooked dough. Fill the centre with cream.

• Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Spread the melted chocolate over to the top of each éclair, in a line along the top. Allow to set, then serve.

Apple turnovers

Ingredients:

• 500g/1lb 2oz puff pastry
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• caster sugar, to dust
• For the filling
• 200g/7oz stewed apple
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 50g/2oz raisins, chopped
• 25g/1oz walnuts, chopped

• Preheat the oven to 210°C/425°F/Gas mark 7. Lightly grease a baking tray.

• Roll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle about 45 x 35cm/18 x 14in. Cut out 12 rounds measuring 10cm/4in.

• To make the apple filling, mix together the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

• Divide the filling among the pastry rounds, then brush the edges with water. Fold the pastry in half to make a half-moon, and pinch the edges firmly together to seal. Brush the tops with egg white, and dust with caster sugar. Make 2 small slits in the top of each turnover. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 and bake for a further 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Coconut cake

Ingredients:

• 2 x packets 450g/1lb chocolate
• cake mix
• 225g/8oz desiccated coconut
• 2 eggs
• 125ml/4fl oz sour cream
• 125ml/4fl oz milk

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a loaf tin.

• Beat together the cake mix, coconut, eggs, sour cream and milk for 3–4 minutes or until smooth. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin.

• Bake for 45–50 minutes until the top is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack to cool, and serve cut in slices.