Tag Archives: cream

Gratin Dauphinoise

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Dedicated to our good friend Maria José…

1hr20

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of waxy potatoes (desiree/charlotte/king edward)
  • 300 ml double cream
  • 300 ml milk
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 100g grated gruyere
  • salt & pepper

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 150°C.

Peel and slice the potatoes thinly, rinse in bowl of water to remove excess starch, then drain well.

Heat cream, milk, garlic, nutmeg and some salt and pepper in a pan until boiling. Add potatoes and boil for 12mins.

Grease an oven dish with butter and then spoon in the potato slices (not the sauce) layering with half the gruyere cheese.

 Season the remaining sauce to your taste and then pour over the potatoes.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake for 30-40mins until golden.

TIP: Serve with red meat or just a green salad and some bread to soak up the remaining sauce. Mmm…

Chocolate & Cherry Roulade

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One of the most delicious deserts EVER!!!!

35 + cooling + 10 min

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 225g plain chocolate
  • 85ml water
  • 1½ tsp instant coffee granules
  • 5 room-temperature eggs
  • 140g caster sugar
  • greaseproof paper
  • icing sugar and cocoa powder for dusting

For the filling:

  • 1 can of cherry pie filling (or cherry jam with whole cherries in)
  • 300ml double cream
  • 2 deserts spoons caster sugar
  • 2 capfuls of almond essence

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 175°C.

Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base and sides of a large baking dish (about 35×25 cm).

Melt the chocolate with the water and coffee granules in a saucepan over a medium heat (do not allow to burn). Stir until it forms a glossy mixture and then turn off the heat.

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites in 2 bowls (whites into a glass/metal bowl). Beat the yolks with ¾ of the sugar until pale and fluffy (only 1 min with an electric whisk).

Fold in the the partly-cooled chocolate mixture.

In the second bowl, whip the egg whites till the foam is firm but not dry (2-3 min with electric whisk) and then whisk in the rest of the sugar.

With a large metal spoon, add a small amount of whites to the chocolate-egg yolk mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest gently, trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Spread the mixture evenly in the lined baking dish and bake for 12-15 min until the top is firm but not burnt. Do not overcook or the cake will crack badly when rolled.

Slide the cake and parchment out of the baking dish and onto a wire rack. Leave to cool covered with a damp tea-towel.

When cooled, invert the cake carefully onto a piece of greaseproof paper dusted thickly with icing sugar (use wire rack to help you turn it).

Whip the cream with the sugar and the almond essence until it forms soft peaks.

Spread the cherry pie mix and then the cream evenly over the chocolate sponge then roll up the sponge cake using the parchment to help you. Peel away and place on serving dish seam-side down.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and cocoa powder to finish (hides all cracks!!).

Sponge recipe from “Leith’s Baking Bible” by Susan Spaull & Fiona Burrell.