Coffee Éclairs

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 100g Plain Flour
• Pinch Salt
• 75g Butter
• 150ml Water
• 3 Eggs

Filling:

• 2 Eggs Yolks
• 5 tbsp Caster Sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cornflour
• 3 tbsp Double Cream
• 4 tsp Instant Coffee in 200ml Water
• 50g Butter

Topping:

• 100g Chocolate
• 2 tbsp Double Cream

Method

1. For Pastry, Melt Butter in Salt and Water
2. Bring to boil then tip into pan with Flour
3. Beat firmly with wooden spoon until smooth
4. Lightly heat mixture until glossy (2 mins)
5. Allow to cool
6. With electrical whisk beat Eggs into mixture one at a time
7. Pipe the mixture into fingers on a baking sheet and Bake @200C (15 mins)
8. Reduce oven to 180C and continue to bake (15 mins)
9. Allow to cool
10. For Filling, beat together Egg Yolks, Sugar, Cornflour and Cream
11. Gradually beat in Coffee and then bring to boil
12. Remove from heat and stir in Butter
13. Cover with cling film and leave to cool (1 hour)
14. For Topping, in a bowl over a pan of water melt the Chocolate and Cream
15. To assemble, slice the Pastry in half and spoon then filling into the middle
16. Spread the topping over the top

Monte Carlo Smoked Haddock

Ingredients

• 2 fillets of Smocked Haddock
• 800ml Milk
• 1 Onion
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cloves
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 500g Spinach
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
• Eggs

Sauce:

• 25g Butter
• 2 Shallots
• 4 Mushrooms
• 2 Sprigs of Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Glass of White Wine
• 500ml Fish Stock
• 150ml Double Cream
• Chives

Method

1. For Sauce, over a low heat fry Shallots in Butter (5 mins)
2. Add Mushrooms, Thyme and Bay Leaf and continue to fry (5 mins)
3. Turn up the heat, add White Wine and reduce by half
4. Add the Fish Stock and reduce by 2/3
5. Finally add Double Cream and Chives, simmer (5 mins)
6. For fish bring Milk, Onion, Bay Leaf, Cloves, and Peppercorns to near boiling point
7. Gently place fish into milk (skin side up) and poach (5 mins)
8. Remove fish and peal off the skin
9. Meanwhile wilt the Spinach
10. Place Tomatoes in boiling water, then remove skin and seeds, then chop into chunks
11. Poach the Eggs in boiling water and White Wine Vinegar (3 mins)
12. To Serve, place fish onto dish cover with Spinach, then the poached Egg
13. Surround fish with Tomatoes and pour over plenty of Sauce
14. You can serve with mash Potatoes – if your greedy like me

Sweet Potato Gratin

Ingredients

• Sweet Potato
• Garlic
• Chilli
• Double Cream
• Peanut Butter
• Lemon Juice and Zest
• Parmesan Cheese

Method

1. Thinly slice Sweet Potato, then boil – just to soften (5 mins)
2. In a bowl, mix together Double Cream, Peanut Butter, Lemon Juice and Zest
3. Season the Cream mixture well
4. In an oven dish, layer Potato, sprinkle over Garlic and Chilli, then spoon over some Cream mixture
5. Repeat for several layers
6. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese
7. Bake @190C (30 mins)
8. Serve with Salad

Pistachio Brandy Snaps

Ingredients

• 50g Butter
• 50g Demerara  Sugar
• 50g Golden Syrup
• 50g Plain Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• Whipped Cream

Topping:

• Plain Chocolate
• Pistachio Nuts

Method

1. On a low heat dissolve Butter, Sugar and Syrup – careful this mixture will get very hot (15 mins)
2. Remove and allow to cool a little
3. Add Flour, Ginger and Lemon Juice and stir well
4. Put a 4 teaspoons of the Mixture on a Baking Sheet, well separated (the mixture will spread out into a disk)
5. Bake @180C until bubbling and deeper brown (10 mins)
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little – don’t let them cool completely or they will be too brittle to roll
7. When cool but still flexible roll around a wooden spoon handle and leave to cool completely
8. Repeat with another batch of 4
9. To finish, melt Chocolate in a bowl over simmering water
10. Dip the Brandy Snap into Chocolate then chopped Pistachio Nuts
11. Allow Chocolate to set then  pipe Whipped Cream into each end

Soufflé Suissesse

Ingredients

• 25g Butter
• 25g Flour
• 250ml Milk
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 4 Eggs Whites
• Single Cream
• Comte Cheese

Method

1. Butter four ramekins and chill
2. Melt butter, then fry Flour (1 mins)
3. Gradually whisk in Milk until smooth
4. Bring to boil
5. Take off heat and whisk in Egg Yolks
6. Cover and allow to cool
7. Whisk Egg Whites with pinch of Salt until firm peak
8. Beat a third of Whites into Yolk mixture
9. Carefully fold in rest of Egg Whites
10. Tip mixture into ramekins and Bake @200C (7 mins)
11. Pour Cream into separate oven dishes and season
12. Grate Comte Cheese
13. Remote Soufflés from oven, tip out into Cream dishes
14. Sprinkle over Comte Cheese and return to oven (5 mins)
15. Serve immediately

Strawberry Pannacotta

Ingredients

Pannacotta:

• Vegi Gelatine (1 1/2 sheets)
• 300ml Double Cream
• 200ml Milk
• 80g Caster Sugar
• Vanilla

Coulis:

• Strawberrys
• Lemon Juice
• Caster Sugar

Method

1. Bring Cream, Milk, Sugar and Vanilla to Boil
2. Remove from Heat and whisk in Gelatine
3. Allow to cool a little, then pour into glasses
4. When completely cool, chill (at least 2 hours)
5. For coulis, blend strawberries with lemon juice and caster sugar
6. Serve Pannacotta with coulis on top