Chocolate Bread Pudding

A tasty way to use up left-over French bread.

Work plan
20min preparation
30min cooking

Calories per serving: 270

Nutritional advice
Cocoa and egg-yolks are reasonable sources of iron, so make sure your main course contains vitamin C to help absorb it.

Preheat oven to 190C

Ingredients
8x 2.5cm slices of French bread
2 tbs cocoa
50g castor sugar
300ml milk
1 whole egg
2 egg-yolks
Icing sugar

Method

1. Lay the slices of bread on a baking-sheet and toast in the hot oven for about 5 min.
2. Meanwhile, combine the cocoa and half of the sugar and mix to a paste with a little of the milk.
3. Boil the remaining milk, then add to the cocoa mixture, stirring well to mix
4. Beat the egg, egg-yolks and sugar together until they are thick and light, then stir in the milk mixture.
5. Arrange the toasted bread in a shallow ovenproof dish and carefully pour on the cocoa, taking care to soak each piece evenly.
6. Place the dish in a baking-tin half filled with water and bake for 30min, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with lightly-whipped cream.

Microwave

Unsuitable for microwave cookery

Tips
Slightly stale bread is best, so don’t throw away any left-over French bread.

Storage
Unsuitable for freezing

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Chocolate Chestnut Gateau

Turn a simple chocolate cake into a marvelous gateau

Work plan

20min preparation

Calories per serving: 515

Nutritional advice
Having such a high sugar and fat content, this really is a gateau to save for special occasions!

Ingredients
1 medium-sized chocolate cake
3-4tbs dark rum or cherry juice
115g of canned sweetened chestnut puree
150ml double cream
410g of canned stoned black cherries, drained or 375g fresh cherries

Method

1. Cut the chocolate cake in half if necessary and trickle the rum over both halves.
2. Mash the chestnut puree until it forms a smooth soft paste. Beat the cream until stiff, then add to the chestnut puree and mix well to combine.
3. Spread one-third of this mixture on to one of the cake halves and sandwich the two halves together, then spread the remaining mixture over the top and sides of the cake.
4. Decorate the top of the gateau with the cherries and serve with single cream, if desired.

Storage
This cake freezes well, keep for up to 3 months and thaw slowly.

Servings
Serves 8

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Quick Trifle

A short-cut to an all-time favourite

Work plan
10min preparation

Calories per serving :405

Nutritional advice
This self-indulgent treat has only the fresh fruit to recommend it nutritionally!

Ingredients
½ plain Swiss roll, sliced
4-5 tbs sherry
1 tin of raspberries, drained
1 can of ready-made custard
2 bananas
300ml double cream
Glace cherries
Angelica

Method

1. Arrange the slices of Swiss roll on the bottom of a serving-dish so that it is entirely covered. Pour the sherry over the cake, taking care to soak all the slices.
2. Cover the sponges base with the raspberries, bananas, and finally with the custard
3. In a small bowl, whip the cream until slightly stiffened, but not dry. Spread and or pipe over the custard.
4. Arrange cherries and angelica on the cream
5. Chill before serving, if possible.

Tip
This quick trifle should be eaten straight away, as the tinned custard does not set as firmly as freshly-made.

Variations
Any combination of fresh or tinned fruits may be used in this trifle, and sliced almonds are a popular alternative for decoration.

Storage
Unsuitable for long-term storage

Servings
Serves 6-8

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CHOCOLATE FUDGE CREPES

Light crepes with a chocolate fudge sauce – not a dessert for weight-watchers.

Work plan
30min preparation/cooking

Calories per serving: 395

Nutritional advice
The rich sauce piles on the calories in this dessert (almost trebling the calorie value) – the pancakes themselves provide only 130 calories per serving.

Ingredients

Crepes
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg beaten
1 tbs oil
300ml milk

Sauce
50g butter, diced
50g brown sugar
50g caster sugar
25g plain chocolate
1 small can of evaporated milk
1 tbs rum (optional)
2 tbs chopped hazelnuts

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl then make a well in the middle and add the egg, oil and half of the milk, stirring constantly. Beat until smooth, and then add the remaining milk.
2. Pour 2-3tbs of the batter into a hot, lightly-oiled pan and tilt the pan round to allow the batter to form an even pancake. Cook until brown then flip over and cook the other side, repeating until all the batter is used up. Keep the pancakes warn in the oven, separating each with a piece of greaseproof paper and covering with a damp cloth.
3. To make the sauce, dissolve the butter, sugars and chocolate in a small pan over a low heat then stir in the evaporated milk and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5 min, and then stir in the rum (if used)
4. Spread the sauce in the centre of each pancake, roll up and place on a serving dish, Trickle any remaining sauce over the top, sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

Microwave

1-2 As conventional method
3 To make the sauce, place the butter, sugars an chocolate in a large bowl and heat on high for 3-4 min, stirring occasionally, then stir in the evaporated milk and heat on high for 1-2min. Stir in the rum ( if used).
4 As conventional method.

Tips
Pancake batter benefits from being allowed to stand before use, so you can easily make it in advance for this dish.

Variations
Chocolate mandarin crepes: drain a few canned mandarin orange segments and place in the centre of each pancake with the sauce

Storage
Pancakes maybe frozen unfilled.

Servings
Serves 6.

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Quick Banana Ice-cream

No artificial ingredients or flavourings - just real bananas frozen in real cream!

Work plan
15min preparation
4 hours freezing

Calories per serving
580 for 4, 385 for 6

Nutritional advice
the only problem with home made ice-creams is that the real ingredients tend to make it higher in calories!

Ingredients
4 large bananas
juice of 1 lemon
300ml double cream
175g Castor sugar

Method

1. Liquidise the bananas and lemon juice, or press them through a sieve.
2. Whip the cream until it is just firm, then fold in the sugar followed by the bananas
3. Place in a plastic box and freeze for several hours until it is solid. Allow to thaw for 15min before serving.

Tips
If you have time, whip the ice-cream with a wire whisk when it is semi-frozen; this will improve the texture, making it more like commercial ice-cream.

Variations
Quick peach ice-cream: use 4 fresh peaches, skinned and stoned or a can or peaches, drained and liquidise in place of the bananas.

Storage
Keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months

Servings
serves 4-6

Baked Peaches

Work plan

10 min preparation

15 min cooking

Calories per serving: 85

Nutritional advice

This is an excellent low sugar dessert, particularly if a low sugar jam is used.

Preheat oven to 180C /350F

Ingredients

1 can of peach halves in natural juices ( ~540g)

marmalade, strawberry jam or raspberry jam

grated rind and juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tbs sweet red vermouth (optional)

Method

1. Drain the peach halves, reserving the juice and arrange in an ovenproof dish, placing 1/2 tsp marmalade or jam in each.

2. Combine the juice from the peaches with the grated lemon rind and juice, and stir in the vermouth (if used). Pour the mixture over the peaches.

3. Cover the dish and bake for about 15min then serve hot with natural yoghurt.

Using Microwave

1-2 As conventional method

3 Cover and cook on high for 4min, then serve conventionally

Tip

Low sugar and non sugar preserves are now available and are a sensible choice fir dishes such as this.

Variations

Grilled peaches: Instead of baking, place he peaches under a moderate grill for 5min

Storage

Unsuitable for freezing.

Orange with Ginger Cream

Work plan

10 min preparation

Calories per serving: 270

Nutritional advice

This dessert is rich in vitamin C and vitamin A; each serving provides twice the recommended daily adult intake of vitamin C

Ingredients

3 oranges, sliced

150ml double cream

4-6 pieces of stem ginger in syrup

Method

1. Remove some of the peel for decoration, then pare and slice the oranges and arrange in a dish

2. Whisk the cream until it is stiff, Chop the stem ginger into small pieces and add to the cream with 1-2 tsps of the syrup to taste.

3. Spoon the cream on to the oranges, garnish with the reserved orange peel and serve with dessert biscuits.

Tips: This ginger cream is also excellent with pears, stewed plums or cherries.

Variations : Yoghurt ginger cream: substitute thick set natural yoghurt for the cream.

Storage: Unsuitable for storage.