Mushroom gougère

A tasty savoury choux pastry filled with a mushroom and walnut sauce

You will need
50g margarine
150ml water
65g wholewheat flour plus 1 tablespoon
2 medium size eggs
50g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150ml vegetable stock
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Melt the margarine in a large pan, add the water and bring to the boil. Add 65g of the flour all at once and beat until the mixture leaves the side of the pan.
Cool slightly, then add the eggs one at a time beating vigorously until glossy. Beat in the cheese. Spoon the pastry around the edge of a greased 1.2 litre ovenproof dish.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
To make the filling heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and fry until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, add the stock and bring to the boil stirring. Cook for 3 minutes, until thickened. Stir in all but 2 large spoons of the walnuts, parsley and pepper to taste.
Pour the filling into the centre of the dish and sprinkle with the reserved walnuts.
Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve immediately.

It's my birthday today so i thought i would bake a cake

Happy bithday to me

Hot chocolate cake with toffee sauce recipe

Ingredients
100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
175g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
100g ground almonds
6 tbsp milk
100g plain chocolate, melted
175g self-raising flour
220g jar chocolate toffee sauce (we love Merchant Gourmet's Dulce de Leche Chocolate Toffee, from major supermarkets

Method: How to make chocolate cake with toffee sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a square 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until very light. Beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture, a little at a time, beating well. Fold in the ground almonds, milk and melted chocolate.
3. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold a third into the chocolate mixture. Once well mixed, fold in the rest, then fold in the flour. Spoon into the prepared tin, level the surface and bake for 35 minutes.
4. Prick the top of the cake all over with a skewer and spoon over the chocolate toffee sauce. Gently spread over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then slide or lift out. Cut into squares and serve hot or warm with crème fraiche.

Raspberry & banana brûlée

Try combining 2 bananas, peeled and mashed with 200ml natural Greek style yogurt and around two-thirds of a 170g pack of raspberries. Divide the mixture between 4 ramekins (or 4 small dessert dishes) and top with the rest of the berries. In a clean saucepan, gently heat 100g caster sugar. Resist the temptation to mix the sugar with a spoon – instead, gently swirl the pan so the sugar heats evenly. After a few minutes, the edges of the sugar will begin to caramelise. The sugar will melt and become a caramel colour. Pour the hot sugar over the brûlées and leave to set for about 5 minutes. Serve for a deliciously tempting treat.
Great with Sainsbury’s Muscat de St Jean de Minervois – a lusciously sweet dessert wine full of honeyed fruit favours
You will need
Bananas
Natural greek style yogurt
Raspberries

Caster sugar
Muscat de St Jean de Minervois