Chocolate Crème Brûlée

You may remember my Valentine's Day post from 2013, that I wanted to make a tradition of cooking my husband something every February 14th. That year I made a chocolate cake, 2014 was a chocolate hazelnut cake. So this year I asked him to pick which chocolate dessert he would like. He picked crème brûlée. I have portioned this recipe to serve a romantic dinner for 2!

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Whisk together 2 egg yolks with 20g of caster sugar until the bright orange turns pale and thick.

In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup cream until just simmering then remove from heat.

Stir in 50g chopped dark chocolate.

Combine the chocolate cream mix with the egg yolks.

Pour into ramekins, then bake in a bain marie at 95 C for about 35 minutes.

The top should be set to touch, but there should still be a wobble.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To serve, sprinkle the tops with caster sugar and torch gently to caramelise.

Sticky Date Pudding

The simplest things in life make me feel so happy. A sunny day after weeks of rain. Climbing into bed when the sheets are freshly washed. Teddy bouncing around with excitement when I get home from work. Comfort food.

There's one dessert that is so simple, fast and easy to make, and it's always a winner at every table I serve it to.

STICKY DATE PUDDING

Place 200g pitted dates in a bowl and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Pour over 1 cup of boiling water and let stand for about 15 minutes.

Place into a blender and whizz until smooshed.

Beat together 1/4 cup soft butter with 1/2 cup caster sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time.

Alternate the addition of your smooshed dates with 1 1/3 cups of self raising flour.

Fold gently to combine, then scrape into a greased springform pan.

Bake at 160 C for about 35 minutes (until a skewer comes out clean).

Caramel Sauce

And now for the best part - the sticky part!

Place 100g chopped butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup cream in a saucepan.

Stir over low heat until dissolved.

(Sometimes I like to add a pinch of sea salt to taste!)

To serve, place a nice big slice in a bowl, pour the hot sauce over, and top with either a dollop of whipped cream or better yet, vanilla ice cream :)