The cheek of it! Part 3: Puddings

This post enables you to have a whole affordable and down to earth dinner party meal plan at the ready should you approve of my menus for Beef cheek and Pork Cheek. Since the cheeks aren't the most beautiful thing on the earth, unless you have some pretty good ideas for presentation (I had some daintier ones at L'Atelier Robuchon in Tokyo) I wouldn't serve it at something very formal but this is a great hearty winter dish for friends.  

I didn't do a starter but a Jerusalem artichoke soup such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's would have gone very nicely, tying in with the aniseed (baby fennel and fennel seeds) in both of the mains. I haven't actually tried the recipe though so can't vouch for it but intend to try it out soon. 

Both puddings fit the cheeky theme since they are restaurant classics in essence (pana cotta and chocolate fondant) but are the easiest thing to prepare, and relatively cheap. The panna cotta is pretty seventies but it is delicious and can be prepared a day in advance (it lasts fine after a day or two but becomes more set and definitely less delicious). 


Chocolate teacup cakes

These are a hybrid of 2 nigella recipes and a Gordon Ramsay fondant but all done in a teacup.  

Ingredients (makes 9)
200g good-quality dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
200g butter , in small pieces
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs and 4 yolks
200g plain flour

For the sticky honey glaze (makes more than enough)
30 ml water
65 ml honey (runny)
90 gram(s) dark chocolate
40 gram(s) icing sugar

To Decorate

2 crunchie (40g each) chocolate shaved off and crushed with a rolling pin.

1. First get your teacups ready (they should be good quality porcelain ones otherwise they could break in the oven). Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge.

2. Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.

4. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.

5. Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the teacups. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.

6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 8-10 mins until the tops have formed a crust. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before serving. 

7. While the fondants are cooking, make the glaze. Bring the water and honey to a boil in a smallish, though not tiny, saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate (I use my mezzaluna or 70 per cent cocoa solids buttons), swirling it around to melt in the hot liquid. Leave it for a few minutes then whisk together. Sieve in the icing sugar and whisk again until smooth

8. Glaze the fondants and then scatter the crunchie flakes over their centre. Serve!

Boozy vanilla panna cotta and ginger beer poached pears

If I am entirely honest I like the panna cotta with a blueberry coulis the best but these pears gives it a more festive feel.

For the Pears
1/2 pear per person so 2 for 4 (Anjou are sweet and delicious but any will work as long as they aren't over ripe)
500ml ginger beer or enough to coverRed food colouring (I add a teaspoon for a Christmassy touch but this is not necessary)
50g honey or 40g sugar if you don't have honey to hand
Vanilla pod
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves

Method 

1.Peel the pears leaving the stalk in tact and add to the liquid (the liquid should cover the pears so if there isn't enough add more ginger beer/wine/water) 

2. Put all the ingredients except for the pear into a pan and heat to dissolve the honey / sugar.

3. Poach the pears, covered, for 20-30 mins, making sure they are covered in the liquid. The cooking time depends on the ripeness of your pears - they should be tender all the way through when pierced with a cocktail stick. You can make these up to 2 days ahead and chill (but make sure they come to room temperature before serving). 

4. Remove the pears from the pan, then boil the liquid to reduce it by half so that it's syrupy. Serve each pear with the cooled syrup, a strip of vanilla, a piece of cinnamon and a small thyme sprig.

For the Panna CottaI use this recipe and change the flavour/accompaniment when I fancy - it's delicious with a blue berry coulis and when flavoured with rose water too.

Ingredients (makes 9 100ml servings)
4 leaves Fine Leaf Gelatine
568ml Double Cream
200ml semi-skimmed milk
175g caster sugar
1 Vanilla Pod, halved and seeds removed, using a teaspoon
optional teaspoon to a tablespoon (to taste) of Marsala or flavouring of your choice

Method
1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for at least 4-5 minutes.

2. Place the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla seeds (and flavouring if using) in a pan with a heavy base. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. 

3. Remove from the heat then take the gelatine leaves one by one, squeeze out the excess water and stir into the cream mixture until dissolved.

4. Rinse out 9 100ml pudding moulds with cold water but do not dry. I like to use little silicone moulds because it is easy to get the panna cotta out of them. 

5. Divide the panna cotta mixture between them. Cool and then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until set.

6. To serve, dip the moulds one at a time into hot water for 2-10 seconds (depending of type of mould), then turn out onto plates. 

Flo and Elle crunchie chocolate pudding, Flo and Elle panna cotta, Flo and Elle crunchie chocolate pudding, Flo and Elle panna cotta,  Flo and Elle crunchie chocolate pudding, Flo and Elle panna cotta, Food blog, food blog recipes, foodie, foodie blog recipes, London food blog, best London food blogs, best London based food blogs, London based food blogs, food blog recipes, foodie, foodie blog recipes, London food blog, best London food blogs, best London based food blogs, London based food blogs,  recipe, flo and elle recipe, flo recipe, elle recipe, flo blog recipe, elle blog recipe, dinner party recipe, elleandflo, elle and flo, elle and flo sisters, elleandflo blog, elle and flo blog, elleandflo.blogspot.co.uk, elleandflo.blogspot.com, elleandflo, elle and flo, elle and flo sisters, elleandflo blog, elle and flo blog, elleandflo.blogspot.co.uk, elleandflo.blogspot.com, flo and elle, flo and elle blog, floandelle blog, flo and elle blogspot, floandelle.blogspot.com, floandelle.blogspot.co.uk flo and elle sisters, sisters blog, flo and elle, flo and elle blog, floandelle blog, flo and elle blogspot,