Food and drink: Chocolate and raspberries

It just goes to show, you are never too old to change – anything!

All my life, I have really disliked the combination of dark chocolate and strawberries or raspberries. Then I was a judge at the finals of the Young Chefs of the North competition in Tain.

Imagine my dismay when I read that their menus had to include, after langoustines as a first course and lamb as a main, a pud involving chocolate and raspberries. I groaned inwardly as I contemplated tasting 12 different puds with a taste combination I thought I abhorred.

By the 12th taste, however, I found myself not only converted but positively hooked. (I still find strawberries and dark chocolate leave me cold – the chocolate seems to accentuate the acidity of the strawberries, which in turn kills the flavour of the chocolate – but who knows? I may change my mind.)

When it comes to serving raspberries with chocolate, I like the chocolate element to have a soft texture. So I much prefer a gungy cake served with raspberries and cream to a crisp, rich chocolate biscuit-based tart with a raspberry filling. But what I love best of all is a thick and rich dark chocolate mousse with slightly sweetened whipped cream into which raspberries have been crushed and folded – and today's first recipe gives this very thing.

The second recipe is my version of the famous frozen berries with hot white chocolate sauce as served at the Ivy restaurant in London. It's much, much nicer when only frozen raspberries are used, along with a good, dark chocolate sauce. You will see that I use cocoa powder for this sauce. I think it is the best, but if you prefer a simple substitute just melt dark chocolate in single cream and use that instead.

DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH RASPBERRY CREAM

SERVES 6

4oz/110g butter, preferably unsalted

8oz/225g dark chocolate, no less than 70 per cent cocoa, broken into small pieces

4 large eggs, yolks separated from the whites

4oz/110g caster sugar

1/2 pint/285ml double cream

1/2 lb/225g raspberries

2oz/55g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I always avoid Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, which to my mind doesn't taste of vanilla at all)

Put the butter and dark chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan containing very hot water. Allow them to melt, taking care not to let the base of the bowl actually touch the water – the melting needs to happen evenly and gently. When both chocolate and butter have completely melted, use a fork to stir them together until they have the consistency of a thick sauce.

Keep the bowl warm while in a separate, larger bowl you whisk the yolks with the caster sugar until they are very thick and pale. Fold the warm chocolate and butter into the whisked yolks and sugar.

Add a pinch of salt to the separated egg whites in their bowl. Then, using whisks that are scrupulously clean, beat the egg whites until they are

very stiff but still glossy. With a metal spoon, fold them quickly and thoroughly through the chocolate mixture, then either pour this into one bowl or into six individual glasses, measuring an even amount into each glass. Leave in a cool place to set.

Next, make the raspberry cream. Using the unwashed whisks (this saves time, and any egg white will be quickly incorporated) whip the double cream with the caster sugar and vanilla extract until the cream is fairly, but not too, stiff.

Fold the raspberries and cream together (and you really do need the small amount of sugar in the whipped cream, otherwise the raspberries will taste too sour against the chocolate).

Either spoon this over the chocolate mousse in the bowl, or spoon the raspberry cream evenly over each glassful of mousse.

I think this needs no further garnish. Absolutely resist any temptation to reach for the sprig of mint!

FROZEN RASPBERRIES WITH WARM DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Do freeze your own raspberries for this dish – don't go for ready-frozen ones.

SERVES 6

11/2 lb/675g top quality raspberries

For the sauce:

6oz/170g soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint/285 ml of nearly boiling water

3oz/85g butter, unsalted if possible

4 tablespoons golden syrup (first dip the spoon in nearly boiling water, to make pouring easier and measuring less messy)

4 rounded tablespoons best quality cocoa powder (I use Green & Black's)

Place the raspberries in an even layer on a plastic tray or a metal baking tray lined with baking parchment. Freeze.

Make the sauce by measuring everything into a saucepan and, over moderate heat, stir until the sugar and butter melt. Bring to the boil, still stirring, and boil for 4-5 minutes to thicken.

The sauce can be made several days in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge, but beware, it will thicken as it cools.

(On reheating it becomes pourable once again.) Reheat, to serve with

the frozen berries, spooned onto six plates, or in six glasses, with the hot sauce poured over each serving.

RICH DARK CHOCOLATE, ALMOND AND RASPBERRY CAKE

This is best when undercooked. It is deliciously sludgy in texture. Serve with slightly sweetened, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream.

SERVES 6

6oz/170g butter

6oz/170g soft light brown sugar

4 large eggs

6oz/170g whole almonds, dry-fried for several minutes to toast them, then allowed to cool before being pulverised in a food processor to the texture of fine crumbs – we no longer buy ground almonds as they always
taste dusty and musty

6oz/170g dark chocolate, melted

12oz/335g raspberries

sieved icing sugar, to dust over the cooked and cooled cake before serving

In a bowl, beat together the butter and soft light brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of the pulverised almonds. Lastly, fold in the melted dark chocolate. Scrape half this mixture into the base of the cake tin. Cover with the raspberries. Then scrape the rest of the cake mixture over – some raspberries will stick to the spatula and be uppermost on the cake. This can't be helped and really won't matter, but if you can, try to keep the raspberries within the mixture. Bake in a low-moderate oven, 150C/ 300F/Gas Mark 3, for 35-40 minutes. Cool the cake in its tin. Release the spring on the cake tin, carefully tip the cake upside down and peel off the disc of baking parchment, then put the cake onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar before serving.


DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH RASPBERRY CREAM
SERVES 6

4oz/110g butter, preferably unsalted

8oz/225g dark chocolate, no less than 70 per cent cocoa, broken into small pieces

4 large eggs, yolks separated from the whites

4oz/110g caster sugar

1/2 pint/285ml double cream

1/2 lb/225g raspberries

2oz/55g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I always avoid Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, which to my mind doesn't taste of vanilla at all)

Put the butter and dark chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan containing very hot water. Allow them to melt, taking care not to let the base of the bowl actually touch the water – the melting needs to happen evenly and gently. When both chocolate and butter have completely melted, use a fork to stir them together until they have the consistency of a thick sauce.

Keep the bowl warm while in a separate, larger bowl you whisk the yolks with the caster sugar until they are very thick and pale. Fold the warm chocolate and butter into the whisked yolks and sugar.

Add a pinch of salt to the separated egg whites in their bowl. Then, using whisks that are scrupulously clean, beat the egg whites until they are very stiff but still glossy. With a metal spoon, fold them quickly and thoroughly through the chocolate mixture, then either pour this into one bowl or into six individual glasses, measuring an even amount into each glass. Leave in a cool place to set.

Next, make the raspberry cream. Using the unwashed whisks (this saves time, and any egg white will be quickly incorporated) whip the double cream with the caster sugar and vanilla extract until the cream is fairly, but not too, stiff.

Fold the raspberries and cream together (and you really do need the small amount of sugar in the whipped cream, otherwise the raspberries will taste too sour against the chocolate).

Either spoon this over the chocolate mousse in the bowl, or spoon the raspberry cream evenly over each glassful of mousse.

I think this needs no further garnish. Absolutely resist any temptation to reach for the sprig of mint!

FROZEN RASPBERRIES WITH WARM DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Do freeze your own raspberries for this dish – don't go for ready-frozen ones.

SERVES 6

11/2 lb/675g top quality raspberries

For the sauce:

6oz/170g soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint/285 ml of nearly boiling water

3oz/85g butter, unsalted if possible

4 tablespoons golden syrup (first dip the spoon in nearly boiling water, to make pouring easier and measuring less messy)

4 rounded tablespoons best quality cocoa powder (I use Green & Black's)

Place the raspberries in an even layer on a plastic tray or a metal baking tray lined with baking parchment. Freeze.

Make the sauce by measuring everything into a saucepan and, over moderate heat, stir until the sugar and butter melt. Bring to the boil, still stirring, and boil for 4-5 minutes to thicken.

The sauce can be made several days in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge, but beware, it will thicken as it cools.

(On reheating it becomes pourable once again.) Reheat, to serve with

the frozen berries, spooned onto six plates, or in six glasses, with the hot sauce poured over each serving.

RICH DARK CHOCOLATE, ALMOND AND RASPBERRY CAKE

This is best when undercooked. It is deliciously sludgy in texture. Serve with slightly sweetened, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream.

SERVES 6

6oz/170g butter

6oz/170g soft light brown sugar

4 large eggs

6oz/170g whole almonds, dry-fried for several minutes to toast them, then allowed to cool before being pulverised in a food processor to the texture of fine crumbs – we no longer buy ground almonds as they always
taste dusty and musty

6oz/170g dark chocolate, melted

12oz/335g raspberries

sieved icing sugar, to dust over the cooked and cooled cake before serving

In a bowl, beat together the butter and soft light brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of the pulverised almonds. Lastly, fold in the melted dark chocolate. Scrape half this mixture into the base of the cake tin. Cover with the raspberries. Then scrape the rest of the cake mixture over – some raspberries will stick to the spatula and be uppermost on the cake. This can't be helped and really won't matter, but if you can, try to keep the raspberries within the mixture. Bake in a low-moderate oven, 150C/ 300F/Gas Mark 3, for 35-40 minutes. Cool the cake in its tin. Release the spring on the cake tin, carefully tip the cake upside down and peel off the disc of baking parchment, then put the cake onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar before serving.