Chocolate & orange soufflés
{ SERVES 6 }
40g/¹¹₂oz butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons caster sugar
3 large eggs, separated
4 level teaspoons cornflour
4 level teaspoons plain flour
2 level teaspoons cocoa
250 ml/9 fl oz milk
150 g/⁵¹⁄₂oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
grated rind of 1 medium orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
a little icing sugar, sifted, to decorate
Don’t fear soufflés. They’re very easy, despite what you might think. The key is to get air into your mixture, so it rises in the oven And fold in the egg whites slowly, not fast as many recommend. Harold McGee, scientist and author of On Food and Cooking(1984), agrees, arguing that fast mixing will damage the foam. And what he says goes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Generously butter the inside of 6 x 150 ml/¹₄pint ovenproof ramekin dishes right up to the top, reserving the remaining butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar into the dishes, tilt to cover the insides of them with the sugar, then tip out the excess. Put the dishes on a baking sheet.
Whisk the egg yolks and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar in a bowl for a few minutes until thick and pale. Sift in the flours and cocoa, then mix briefly until smooth.
Pour the milk into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then gradually whisk into the egg mixture. Return to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Take off the heat and add the chocolate and remaining butter, leave for a minute until melted, then stir in the orange rind and juice Leave to cool for 10 minutes
Whisk the egg whites in a large clean glass bowl until softly peaking. Fold a spoonful into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Divide among the dishes, run a finger around the edges, then bake for 12–15 minutes, until risen above the top of the dishes with a slight wobble in the centre. Dust with sifted icing sugar.
My mother’s roast chicken
{ SERVES 4 }
1 unwaxed lemon
1 x 1 8 kg/4 lb chicken (the best you can afford), rinsed inside and out with cold water and then drained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
about 75 g/3 oz butter, at room temperature
Gravy
200 ml/7 fl oz dry white wine
450 ml/16 fl oz chicken stock
(a cube is fine)
My wife swore that if she heard me mention this dish one more time, she’d shove it where the sun don’t beam. Well, words to that effect. Because this was such a staple of my youth, I roll it out any time anyone asks if my mother is a good cook –which is pretty much all of the time. She is, although she was always less bothered with the cakes, puddings and pies side of things: anything that requires exact measurements. Which was fine by us. All my sister and I really wanted was Findus Crispy Pancakes and Ice Magic chocolate sauce. Sadly, we had to seek those illicit pleasures elsewhere.
This is a classic recipe, cooked in the top right-hand oven of the Aga. I’ve adapted it for normal ovens. My mother insists that chopping off that dangly bit above the cavity and putting it on top of the bird improves the flavour. As it releases about a ton of schmaltz, or chicken fat, I’d agree. Buy the best chicken you can afford. Rather eat one decent free-range than four of those flabby imported beasts with all the depth of a puddle
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Pierce the lemon with a small knife and ‘shove it up the chicken’s bottom’. Season the bird with salt and pepper, inside and out, then massage the butter all over it.Cook for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and cook for a further 40 minutes. Poke a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh: the juices should be golden, not pink. If not, cook for a little longer, then retest.Let it rest for 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the gravy, spoon excess fat from the roasting tin, but leave a little in the tin. Put the tin over a high heat. When everything starts bubbling, deglaze with the white wine. Simmer while the alcohol cooks off, then add the stock, stirring all the time. Tip in any juices from the resting chicken. Boil to reduce a little, then strain through a sieve into a warm jug. Serve the chicken with the gravy.
