Brownie

Recipe by Gordon Ramsey

Brownie photo by anna-przepiorka from unsplash

Ingredients

  • 245g dark chocolate, broken into squares or roughly chopped
  • 200g butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 125g light soft brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 115g plain flour
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 100g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a 30 x 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.
Put the chocolate and butter into a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water underneath) and leave until melted, stirring occasionally (see Tips).
Remove from the heat and cool the chocolate down by whisking in the sugars using a balloon whisk. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix in with a wooden spoon until combined. Sift over the flour and salt and stir again until smooth and combined. Pour into the prepared tin, smoothing the top level.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until cracked around the edges and soft in the middle (it will firm up as it cools), rotating the tin halfway through baking.
If you are adding the chocolate chunks, take the brownie out of the oven after 20 minutes and vigorously throw the chunks of chocolate at the half-baked brownie so they break the surface. Return to the oven for the remaining cooking time.
Transfer the brownie to a wire rack and leave it to cool in the tin, then cut into squares before serving. Once cooled, the brownies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Alternatively, cool the cooked brownie in the tin for 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm with a dollop of thick cream.

Cheesecake

Recipe by PJ Hamel

Ingredients

  • 150g graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole graham crackers, crushed)
  • 30g confectioners' sugar
  • 85g butter, melted
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt

    • Filling:

  • 450g cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 130g granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions

Stir together all of the crust ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan, making a thicker layer on the bottom than on the sides.
Mix together the room-temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, again mixing until smooth. To avoid beating too much air into the batter, use a mixer set at low-medium speed. To avoid lumps, make sure the cream cheese is softened, and/or at room temperature.
Set the pie pan onto a baking sheet, if desired; this makes it easier to transport in and out of the oven, and also protects the bottom of the crust from any potential scorching. Pour the filling into the crust.
Place the cheesecake in the oven. Bake it for 20 minutes, then add a crust shield; or shield the crust with strips of aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of about 30 minutes). A digital thermometer inserted into the filling 2.5cm from the edge should read about 75°F and 170°F; the filling won't look entirely set in the center.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and set it on a rack to cool. Once the cake is cool, refrigerate it, covered, until you're ready to serve it.
Serve cheesecake in wedges, with fresh fruit if desired.

Cheesecake photo by olena-bohovyk from unsplash

Éclair

Recipe by Patty Stockton

Eclair photo by by razvan-mirel from unsplash

Ingredients

    Choux Pastry:

  • 250ml water
  • 110g butter
  • 120g all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs

    • Filling:

  • 625ml cold milk
  • 1 (140g) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 240ml heavy cream
  • 50g sugar
  • 51 teaspoon vanilla extract

    • Icing:

  • 30g semisweet chocolate
  • 30g butter
  • 200g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 45ml hot water

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside.
Make choux pastry: Combine water and butter in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low; add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Using a spoon or pastry bag fitted with a No. 10 or larger tip, spoon or pipe dough onto the prepared cookie sheet in strips.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 165 degrees C and continue baking until the bottoms sound hollow when lightly tapped, about 20 more minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make filling: Combine milk and pudding mix in a medium bowl according to package directions. Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer in a separate medium bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding.
Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.
Make icing: Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Drizzle chocolate icing over filled eclairs. Store in the refrigerator until serving.