Desserts and baking

Claire's Marmalade au chocolat pudding

Using up leftovers 

Ingredients:

3 Left over pain au chocolat or croissants (from the Black Dog Deli)
3 tablespoons of marmalade
300 ml of full fat milk
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons caster sugar
Dark chocolate chips.
Butter
(Adult version) Cointreau, Triple sec, or any orange liqueur 


Heat the milk till nearly boiling, but not. Whisk the sugar and eggs together and slowly pour in the hot milk, stirring all the time. Allow to cool a bit and add the orange liqueur for adults.
Wipe the inside of a shallow baking dish with butter
Cut the pain au chocolat or croissants into slices and spread with marmalade
Layer the slices into the dish with a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips on each layer
Pour the custard over the dish and leave for 15 minutes, then bake in a hot oven till crispy on top - probably 30 mins.

In true 'leftover' style the pudding is just as delicious cold the next day!

Jill’s SCANDINAVIAN APPLE CHARLOTTE

This is a favourite of those ‘ladies who lunch’ and many more besides. It is really a new slant on the apple Charlotte of old but, unlike the dish I seem to remember being served at school, it is full of distinctive flavours and textures. Most of the ingredients can be prepared in advance and assembled before serving.

Ingredients

3 oz butter

8 oz fresh white breadcrumbs

2 oz Demerara sugar

1.5 lb cooking applies

1 unwaxed lemon

2 tbs water

2 oz castor sugar

Quarter pint double cream

Coarsely grated chocolate (good high cocoa content is best)

Method

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add breadcrumbs and fry slowly until crisp and golden, stirring frequently. When they are ready, remove from heat and blend in the Demerara sugar. In another pan put peeled, cored and sliced applies, lemon juice, water and castor sugar. Cover and cook until the apples are soft and then whisk to a smooth puree. Leave to cool. Put half the cold apple puree into a one-and-a-half to two pint glass serving dish (one with straight sides looks best). Spread half he breadcrumbs on top. Repeat with a layer of apple and breadcrumbs. Just before serving spread or pipe lightly whipped cream on top of pudding and sprinkle with coarsely grated chocolate. I have also successfully served this dish in individual small tumblers (again with straight sides).

MARY’S WALBERSWICK WADDS

Ingredients:

5oz margarine
3 tablespoons runny honey
3 oz sugar
6 oz rolled oats
4 oz self raising flour
2 tablespoons sultanas
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
1 medium carrot peeled and grated
1 medium apple peeled, cored and grated

Tin approx 8” x 10” greased and bottom lined

Method:

Melt fat in a medium saucepan
Add honey and sugar and stir
Add oats and flour and spice and mix together
Stir in grated apple, carrot and sultanas and mix well Spread evenly in prepared tin

Bake for 15 minutes Gas 4, 370F, 185C (fan oven 165C) then a further 10 minutes or until golden brown and firm Gas 3, 320F or 165C (fan oven 145C)

Finish:
Cut into 16 “Wadds” while hot and leave in tin until cool.