AN INDULGENT TREAT!

PHOTO: SOPHIA HOME

PHOTO: SOPHIA HOME

Happy Wednesday!

I do hope your week is going well?

After the recent glorious autumn warmth and sunshine, it is a bit of a shock to wake this morning to torrential rain and bleak skies....and to drive home last night early evening in the semi dark.  Yes, I think Autumn is truly upon us now.  Although I embrace the changing season, I share with you today some pictures of our dining room table, set for an evening last week....with the late afternoon sunshine streaming in....one of the last late summer days I think.

 The table was set for a special girls' supper that my daughter Georgie and I hosted for a couple of her close girlfriends whom she was at school with a few years ago, along with their lovely 'Mums'.  With 'bubbles' flowing, a delicious dinner of seabass with beetroot, asparagus and avocado, prepared by Georgie, and much chat and laughter, it was a memorable reunion evening.  Always an honour and a treat for us Mums to socialise with our daughters, and to share their busy young adult lives and new adventures!

PHOTO: SOPHIA HOME

This 'Girls' evening would of course not have been complete without....you guessed it......chocolate!

This desert was a combined effort by both myself and Georgie....little stacks of chocolate meringue, layered with a chocolate créme patissiére, with raspberries and blueberries....

PHOTO: SOPHIA HOME

Totally indulgent.....and very yummy!

I leave you now with this delicious recipe, which we adapted from Nigella's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' book......while I my friends am off to the gym, to burn off all those calories!

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'Gooey Chocolate Stack'

For the meringue discs:

6 large egg whites

300g golden caster sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

For the créme patisiére:

6 large egg yolks

100g golden caster sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons plain flour

300 ml full fat milk

300 ml double cream

10g best dark chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

20g pistachios, chopped (optional for decoration)

Raspberries and blueberries (my own adaptation)

Preheat oven to 140 degrees/gas mark 1

The original recipe, which I usually make, creates one large 3 layered stack, but we on this occasion made six small individual stacks...either way, the above recipe is enough for both. 

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment and draw a 20 cm circle on each one....or smaller individual ones.

Whisk egg whites until stiff, add the sugar a spoonful at a time.  Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar and fold in gently.

Divide meringue between the circles, spreading evenly.  Cook for 1 hour, then turn the oven off, leaving the meringues in until cool.  

To make the créme patissiére, beat the egg yolks and sugar together, then add the cocoa and flour, whisking well.  Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan, then whisking, pour this onto the eggs and sugar before pouring everything back into the saucepan on the heat and, stirring constantly, bring it to the boil.  When the mixture has thickened, take it off the heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla.

When cool, assemble the stacks, layering each meringue with the chocolate créme, raspberries and blueberries, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios if using.

Enjoy!

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Wishing you a very happy day!

Sophia xx