Chocolate pots with homemade cinder toffee - recipe

This is the pud I made for Marc's birthday dinner on Wednesday.  It's really two recipes and you definitely don't need to make both together (although it is a good combination!).

I remember buying cinder toffee from Darwen market with my Grandpa when I was little - the stuff there was chocolate coated, which you could do with this homemade version too.  To stop the cinder toffee melting, the easiest way to do this is by drizzling melted chocolate over the set toffee.

Both the cinder toffee, also known as honeycomb or hokey pokey apparently, and the chocolate pots are very quick and easy to make and can be made in advance.  I had a hard time not scoffing all the cinder toffee before the big day though - be warned!

Chocolate pots
Ingredients: (makes enough for 6 small espresso cups)
1 x 100g bar good quality dark chocolate
300ml tub double cream
Couple of drops vanilla extract

Method:
Break up the chocolate in a glass bowl.

Gently bring the double cream to the boil in a saucepan.

Pour over the chocolate and stir to mix well.  Add the vanilla extract.

Pour into individual espresso cups cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to set.  The chocolate pots will keep well for a couple of days.

Cinder toffee (Nigella's recipe)
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup
1 and 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Method:
Grease a baking tray and put aside.

Put caster sugar and golden syrup into a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Roughly mix.  Turn heat on to medium and let the caster sugar and syrup melt.  You can gently swirl if necessary but you mustn't stir once on the heat.

Once the mixture has melted, cook for a further 3-4 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Take off the heat and immediately add the bicarb of soda.  Whisk together.  The mixture should fluff up into a golden cloud.  Pour into your pre-prepared baking tray and leave to set.  Break into pieces once set.

Cheeky cherry pavlovas and a Geordie joke - recipe

A Geordie is having tea with the Queen.  She says "Will you have a
cream cake or a meringue?"
He replies "Nah, ya not wrang pet, ah'll have a cake!"

I have to admit, I didn't get this joke on first telling but Marc (a bona fide Geordie) thought it was absolutely hilarious, so I thought I'd share.

I've been doing some research into the difference between a meringue and a pavlova.  Opinion seems to be split, so I'm not entirely clear...  Some say that the difference is that a meringue is solid and dry throughout, whereas a pavlova is crisp on the outside and squidgy in the middle.  In which case, these are most definitely pavlovas.

I used Nigella's recipe, which worked well, although I found you have to whisk the eggs more than she recommends.  My version below.  I topped my pavlovas with whipped cream, sweet, juicy cherries and a sprig of mint from the garden.  You can use any fruit you fancy.

Ingredients (makes approx 12 mini pavlovas):
4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
250g caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 or 2 baking trays (depending on size) lined with baking parchment

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

Whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Gently add in the sugar, spoonful by spoonful, whilst still beating. Sprinkle the cornflour, a few drops of vanilla and the vinegar on top and fold in to combine.

Draw small circles on the baking parchment - I used a highball glass.  Use a dessert spoon to dollop the meringue mix onto the baking parchment, using the circles as a guide.  Make indentations in the middle of each meringue with the back of the spoon.

Place in the oven, turn it down to 150ºC/gas mark 2, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave them in for another 30 minutes, then take out of the oven to cool.**

Top with whipped cream and fruit and serve.

**Once cool, the pavlovas keep well for 2-3 days in an airtight container.