Ingredients

For the cake:

• 250ml coffee (cold)
• 1 tbsp cognac
• 250g powder sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp instant coffee Expresso
• 300g butter, softened on room temperature
• 38 (300g) petit-beurre cookies

For the chocolate mirror glaze:

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 gelatine leaves

Method

1. Make a big cup of coffee. Let the coffee cool in an oven dish or large mixing bowl. Add a splash of cognac.

2. Place the powder sugar and eggs in the mixing bowl. Beat both ingredients until smooth and foamy.

3. Brew a small cup of extra strong coffee. Use instant coffee for this.

4. Cut the soft butter into cubes. Beat the butter little by little into the egg-sugar mixture. Add a spoonful of the strong coffee. Beat well until you get a smooth buttercream.

5. Place a layer of dry biscuits on a serving dish for a crispy bottom. Spread a layer of crème au beurre on top. Then build another layer of cookies, but dip them first in the baking dish with cooled coffee. Spread another layer of butter cream on top. Repeat these steps until you have a nice stacked cake. Brush the sides of the cake with the butter mixture as well. Let the petit beurre cake rest for an hour in the fridge.

6. In the meantime, place cold water and the gelatine leaves in a small bowl. Leave for 5 minutes. Place cocoa and water in a medium saucepan then mix until virtually lump-free. Add a splash of cream to the cocoa mix and stir. It will loosen up. Add remaining cream and sugar, then gently continue to mix to combine. Turn stove onto medium high heat. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove from the stove. Add the gelatine leaves, then stir until they dissolve and you have a smooth glossy glaze. Cool on the counter for 2 hours. Just before pouring over the cake, strain the glaze into a jug.

7. Remove the cake from the fridge, transfer onto a rack. Starting at the end of the cake, pour the glaze on, moving towards the other end of the cake, to make the glaze spread across the surface and drape like curtain down the sides. For the most perfect surface, try to do it in one motion without breaking the pour. Ensure all sides are fully coated – if not, quickly do a little pour down the sides to coat the naked patches. Let the mirror glaze set for around 10 minutes, before moving the cake to a cake platter. Leave in the fridge overnight then serve.

Ingredients

• 150 ml acacia honey
• 3 2/3 pears, quartered
• 375 g sheet of butter-puff pastry
• Vanilla ice-cream, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Cook honey in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat until dark caramel in colour (10 minutes), remove from heat and let bubbles subside. Pour the caramel in a 25 cm-diameter cake form. Arrange pears over caramel, to fit snugly, and stand until cool.

2. Meanwhile, using a plate slightly larger than the cake form as a template, cut a round of pastry. Place over pears, tucking in edges, then bake until pastry is risen and dark golden (35 minutes).

3. Let the cake rest for 5-10 minutes, then place a large serving plate over the form and carefully invert onto plate (be very careful, the caramel will be hot).

4. Serve immediately with vanilla ice-cream.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup full-fat natural yogurt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• olive oil for frying

Method

1. In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix until evenly combined.

2. Add yogurt to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Place dough on a floured surface and knead. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

3. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let it rest for 45 minutes.

4. When the dough has rested, break into small balls, roll out and flatten with a rolling pin. Roll into a sheet and cut out circles (you can use a teacup).

4. In a small pan, add enough oil to allow the dough to float in on low heat. Fry each side until golden (3-4 minutes). Drain on a paper towel once removed from the oil.

5. Serve with any toppings you like – powdered with sugar, jam, yogurt, feta cheese.

Ingredients

• Olive oil for frying
• 250g bacon
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1kg Veal, cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 x 330ml bottle Belgian beer (Dark Leffe)
• 500ml beef stock
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• Fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp honey
• Fries, to serve

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C. Heat a splash of olive oil in a Dutch Oven casserole (with a lid) and fry the bacon for a few minutes until starting to crisp and release their oil. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat, then fry gently for 10 minutes until softened.
2. Meanwhile, heat a splash more oil in a large frying pan. Working in batches, brown the veal all over, then set aside on a plate. Stir the flour into the onions, then add the veal and any juices, the tomato purée, mustard, beer, 500ml stock, bay leave and thyme. Bring up to a simmer, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 2½ hours until the meat is tender.
3. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and add 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix well.
4. Serve with fries or potato puree for mopping up the gravy.

Ingredients

• 200g amaretti (Italian almond biscuits)*
• 125g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
• 2 x 250g punnets strawberries, halved if large
• 2 tbs icing sugar, sifted, plus extra to serve
• 600ml thickened cream
• 2 tsp finely grated lime zest
• Pulp of 2 passionfruit
• 1/3 cup (95g) thick Greek-style yoghurt

Method

1. Grease a 22cm loose-bottomed tart pan.
2. Place the amaretti in a food processor and whiz to fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse a few times to combine, then press into the base and sides of the tart pan.
3. Chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
4. Place the strawberries in a bowl and toss with the icing sugar. Set aside.
5. Place the cream and lime zest in separate bowl and beat with electric beaters until stiff peaks form. Strain the passionfruit pulp into the cream mixture, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible and discarding the seeds, then gently fold to combine. Fold in the yoghurt.
6. Fill the tart shell with the cream and arrange the strawberries on top. Serve the tart dusted with extra icing sugar.

Making a frangipane tart could be made even more easy by buying a ready-made crust pastry. Just roll out the dough, press it gently into a round tart form and spoon in the almond filling. The filling itself is just almond flour with some sugar and eggs – easy! The topping could be a world of adventure where you are the Master Chef. Spicy nuts, melting cinnamon apples, fresh rhubarb and raspberries or a French classic sweet, delicious pears. The choice is entirely yours.

Once baked, the tart could be served cold or warm. Some prefer it with dollop of vanilla ice-cream or a special fruity strop. For me, the tart is perfect as it is. We cut a slice. But, for expert tart lovers one slice could never be enough. We happily reach for second helpings and all is bright and right with the world.

Ingredients

Method

Pastry:

1. Blitz the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until a bread-crumb like texture forms. Add the lemon, vanilla and egg and pulse 10 times. The mixture will still be pretty dry and crumbly. Turn out onto a clean surface and gather and press together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and ideally overnight.
2. Grease a 26-28cm tart tin. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench to about 3mm thick and line the tart tin, pressing firmly into the sides of the tin. The pastry will be hard to roll out at first but don’t worry, it will soften as you go. Think of it as an arm workout! If it rips at all or you find that one edge is too thin, it is easy to use the leftover pastry scraps to patch it back together.
3. Trim the pastry to form a neat edge – I usually just roll my rolling pin over the edge to cut through the pastry. It normally leaves enough extra pastry scraps to line another mini tart tin as well, but this is totally up to you.
4. Rest the lined tart tin in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.