eEven though our to-do lists are longer and our homes are busier than ever, something is off Christmas This gives us the extra chutzpah to bake. And not just any bread, but bread for the public. So, with that in mind, here are two crowd-pleasing recipes – a rich, hazelnut “Nutcracker” crème brûlée and a decadent chocolate fudge cake – with some advance preparation secrets and shortcut secrets to give you a head start.
Chocolate fondant cake (pictured above)
Serve this rich and decadent dessert warm from the oven at the center of the table, with ice cream (and maybe a dollop of cream too – why not? It’s Christmas!). The dough can be prepared and kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, then baked after cooling; Add an additional 10 minutes to the cooking time if you do this.
Preparatory school 5 minutes
He cooks 45 minutes
serves 8-10
250 grams of butter, Plus an extra amount of lubrication
6 large eggs
150 grams of fine sugar
250 grams dark chocolate
50 grams of milk chocolate
50 grams of malt syrup
100 ml whole milk
120 grams of plain flour
20 grams of cocoa powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Ice cream and/or icingFor service
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C)/350°F/Gas 4 and grease a large tray with butter (or spray with cooking spray). In an electric mixer (or using an electric whisk), beat the eggs and caster sugar on medium speed for five to seven minutes, until very pale and thick and tripled in volume.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, chocolate, malt syrup, and milk in a heatproof bowl, place over (but not touching) a pot of gently simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave), and stir until smooth.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs, mixing until combined.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl, then gently add them to the mixture until no streaks remain. Pour into the greased tin mold, leveling the top. Refrigerate this until ready to bake, or bake immediately for 20 minutes, until the edges are completely set and the center is still gently swaying.
Leave it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a plate and serve it to the table. Cut into slices and serve warm with scoops of ice cream and lots of whipped cream.
Nutcracker Crème Brulee
This luxurious custard can be made ahead of time. If you have a blowtorch, by all means, finish it like a regular crème brûlée, but I’ve created a crunchy, nutty, sugary topping that can be prepared in advance and drizzled over the selected custard.
Preparatory school 5 minutes
He cooks 1 hour, plus refrigeration
cold 3 hours+
makes 6
90 grams whole roast HazelnutOr nut butter
120 ml whole milk
360 ml double cream
90 grams of light brown sugar
3 large eggs
A large pinch of salt
For the upper layer
120 grams Fine sugar
60 grams grilled Hazelnut
Preheat the oven to 140°C (120°C) / 275°F / Gas 1 and place six ramekins in a deep baking dish. If you are using whole hazelnuts, blend them with the milk (and a little cream, if necessary) until you have a smooth paste; If you are using nut butter, simply whisk it with the milk.
In a saucepan, combine the cream with the milky hazelnut mixture and brown sugar and heat gently until steam rises and the sugar dissolves.
Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly but gently (you don’t want to incorporate any air). Stir in salt.
Strain the custard into a jug, then divide it between the six moulds. Fill the baking dish with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the pan, then bake for 30-40 minutes, until the custard is set with a slight jiggle in the middle. Remove, allow to cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for at least three hours (or overnight).
To prepare the hazelnut caramel layer, line an oven tray with baking paper. Heat the fine sugar in a small pan until it melts and turns into golden caramel, then add the hazelnuts, then pour them on the tray and leave them to cool completely. Once set and hardened, it turns into a fine crumb. Just before serving, sprinkle this mixture generously over the cooled custard. Alternatively, for a classic brûlée, sprinkle a thin, even layer of caster sugar over each custard and heat or broil until melted and caramelized. Leave it for a minute or two until it hardens into a glaze, then serve.
Nicola Lamb is a pastry chef and author of the weekly magazine Kitchen projects Newsletter and Sift, published by Ebury Press, priced £30. To order a copy for £27, go to guardianbookshop.com
