Recipes for Desserts

My favourite course of a meal has always been dessert. When I lived at home, my Mum tended to concentrate on old favourites, such as Bakewell Tart, Crumbles, and steamed puddings, together with the mandatory trifle on a Sunday for tea!

Since I have had children of my own, I have experimented more and more with desserts and we always like to try out new recipes. Of course we’ve had the odd disaster, who hasn’t…..but here are a few of our favourites.

The first is a very easy mousse. The fruit in this can be adapted to suite your taste, but out favourite is raspberry.

RASPBERRY MOUSSE
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15oz of either canned or fresh raspberries
1 raspberry jelly
1 sachet Birds Dream Topping
4fl oz milk
2 egg whites
Sponge fingers or chocolate curls to decorate

If using tinned raspberries, drain them from their syrup and reserve it.

Make up the jelly to ¾ pint, using the syrup from the raspberries and water. If you are using fresh raspberries, make up the jelly with water.

When the jelly is on the point of setting, make up the sachet of Dream Topping, and whisk into the jelly, together with the raspberries.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff (I always do this in my Kenwood Chef as no other appliance I have can make whites as stiff) and stir LIGHTLY through the raspberry mixture.

Turn into a dish and leave to set.

Decorate as desired.

You will find that this mousse has a lovely light fluffy texture and tastes wonderful.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE PUDDING
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This is Jack’s absolute favourite, but I must admit that I do find this rather rich. It is a light chocolate sponge with a rich fudgy sauce underneath.

6oz self raising flour
9oz caster sugar
3 tbsp cocoa or drinking chocolate
6 fl oz milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
1 ½ oz margarine, melted
6 oz soft brown sugar
1 ½ oz cocoa or drinking chocolate, sifted
1 ¼ pint hot water

Mix the flour, caster sugar, and the cocoa or drinking chocolate together. Stir in the milk, essence and margarine.

Pour into a greased oven proof dish.

Sprinkle the mixture with the brown sugar and cocoa. Pour the hot water over the whole dish. Bake at Gas Mark 4 for 40-50 minutes. Serve hot.
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The next recipe is one that I have had for years and was passed down from my Aunt. I have recently passed this on to Daddycash, after a plea in one of his ops!

TOFFEE CREAM TART
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7 inch pastry case
¼ pint milk
2 ½ oz margarine
1 ½ oz brown sugar
1 oz plain flour
3 oz golden syrup

Heat the milk but be careful not to let it boil.

Melt the margarine and sugar, then stir in the flour. Whisk in the hot milk and stir as it thickens and reaches boiling point. Keep stirring all the time while you are waiting for the mixture to boil, then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time.

Remove from the heat, and add the syrup, then whisk the mixture.

Spread the filling into the flan case and serve hot or cold with whipped cream or custard.

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The last recipe is a gorgeous minty flan which is served cold. I always use crème de menthe in this, rather than peppermint essence and food colouring, as I like the boozy flavour better!

PEPPERMINT FLAN
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8oz digestive biscuits, crushed
2oz butter or margarine, melted
4oz milk or plain chocolate, grated

Filling:
3 egg yolks
3oz castor sugar
2 tbsp crème de menthe or a few drops of green colouring and peppermint essence
2tsp powdered gelatine
2tbsp water
5floz double cream, whipped

Mix crushed biscuits and butter together with the grated chocolate and mix well.

Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a dish.

Whisk the egg yolks then add the sugar and the crème de menthe or flavouring and colouring. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens.

Sprinkle the gelatine into the water in a bowl and cook it over a saucepan of simmering water until the gelatine has dissolved. Leave to cool, then gradually whisk it into the egg mixture.

Fold in the whipped cream and pour on top of the biscuit base. Chill until firm then decorate as desired.

This flan has a wonderful creamy flavour, and if you use crème de menthe, the mint flavour is cool and quite strong.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MOUSSE LAYER
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Cake Layer

2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

Chocolate Layer

2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup double or whipping cream

Raspberry Mousse Layer

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp cornflour
10oz raspberries (tinned are fine for this, I always sieve them as my partner hates the pips!!!)
18oz white cooking chocolate
1 3/4 cups double or whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Decoration

Whipped cream
Raspberries

Method

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease large pie dish or springform pan.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugar until creamy then beat in egg and vanilla extract. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk. Spread into prepared dish/pan.

Bake for 15/20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan.

Microwave chocolate chips and cream until smooth. Cool completely.

Spread half of chocolate mixture over cake then put in freezer whilst making mousse.

Mix sugar, water and cornflour in saucepan, stir in raspberries. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 1 minute. Cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate and ½ cup cream until smooth. Cool and stir into raspberry mixture.
Beat remaining cream and vanilla in large mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold raspberry mixture into cream.

Put mousse layer on top of cake and chocolate layer and return to freezer for ten minutes.

Spread remaining chocolate mixture over raspberry mousse and refrigerate until firm. Decorate with whipped cream and raspberries.

This is gorgeous served with home made ice cream.