RECIPE - Berries and white chocolate pudding

A brilliant saucy pudding that works with any berries. This recipe is enough for 12 small ramekins or 6 medium ones.

Ingredients - sauce
1/2c water
1/2c caster sugar
400g berries
2tsp lemon juice, optional

Ingredients - pudding
125g softened unsalted butter
60g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
100g white chocolate, finely grated
75g plain flour
1tbsp full cream milk

Preparation
1. For the berry sauce, place water, sugar, berries and lemon juice in a pot on medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves then allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow it to cool. Pour sauce mixture through sieve and push through with a wooden spoon. Discard the pulp and pour sauce into bottom of greased ramekins.
2. Cream the soft butter, vanilla and sugar until soft and fluffy. Then add yolk one at a time, mixing well in between.
3. Carefully fold in grated chocolate and sifted flour with the milk until partially combined.
4. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl on low speed until soft peaks form. Then beat on high speed until firm peaks form.
5. Fold in half of egg whites into batter until mixture has loosen up, then partially fold in remaining egg whites.
6. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, taking care not to dislodge the berry sauce.
7. Place a large sheet of baking paper on a large pan and place ramekins inside, then fill with water until halfway up the ramekins. Cover pan and place on high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes until pudding is firm.
8. Remove ramekins from pan and serve immediately with ice cream.

Tips
Top the pudding with berries for a spectacular presentation.
Use moulds instead of ramekins. To serve, run a warm wet knife along the sides of the mould to loosen pudding and tip upside down onto a plate.

RECIPE - No-bake strawberry cheesecake

A simple egg- and nut-free recipe for a cheesecake with no baking required!

Ingredients
100g scotch finger (roughly 9-10 biscuits)
60g melted butter
250g cream cheese spread
250g cottage cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 packs of strawberry flavoured gelly
1 tbsp edible gelatine powder

Preparation
1. To make the biscuit base, grind the biscuits in a food processor, then mix together with the melted butter in a bowl.
2. Spoon the biscuit mixture into serving containers to roughly 3-4mm high and press it down (with a spoon or bottom of a glass) to form a firm base, then refrigerate.
3. To make the cheesecake filling, start by dissolving 1 pack of the strawberry flavoured gelly (85g) and 1 tbsp of plain edible gelatine powder in 150mL of boiling water. Set aside and allow to cool slightly for 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until well combined.
5. Slowly incorporate the gelatine into the cheese mixture with a hand mixer until all combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the moulds then refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
7. To make the topping, dissolve 1/2 a pack of the strawberry gelly in 100mL of boiling water. Stir for 2-3 minutes to allow it to cool quickly.
8. Top the cheesecake with the gelly mixture by pouring onto the back of a spoon, then refrigerate overnight to fully set.

Tips
This dessert looks fantastic in shot glasses (or clear tea light holders) as you can see the layers.
Ensure that the gelly topping is not hot (cool to touch) or it will otherwise melt the cheesecake.
By pouring the topping on the back of the spoon, it will form a nice even layer on top without ruining the cheesecake particularly if the gelly is still slightly hot.

RECIPE - Chocolate custard

A great warm-weather pudding that can be prepared in advance.

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tbsp gelatine powder
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Cream the egg yolks and sugar together in a saucepan until smooth and creamy.
2. Slowly incorporate the cornflour, gelatine powder and cocoa into the mixture with a whisk to ensure that there are no lumps.
3. Add the vanilla to the mixture.
4. Add the milk to the mixture in drips while constantly whisking to ensure a smooth consistency.
5. Place the saucepan on the stove on high heat and constantly whisk for roughly 4 minutes until it thickens, then immediately turn the heat off and whisk for a further 1 minute.
6. While still hot, transfer the custard to individual serving containers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tips
Never leave the saucepan unattended. The mixture burns easily if not whisked for a few seconds.
When the custard has thickened, you will have less than 2 minutes to transfer it into containers before a skin develops on top. Otherwise, it is very difficult to pour/ladle and the presentation is ruined.
Turn the unused egg whites into meringue drops to top and decorate the custard.
Serve in little ramekins or shot glasses for a great impact.

RECIPE - Banana choc chip pudding

A fantastic moist version of a banana muffin with NO egg, ideal for those with allergies. A perfect winter dessert served with cream, custard, fruit coulis or all of the above. Wicked!

Ingredients
60g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 large ripe banana
120g choc bits (or drops)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cream soft butter and sugar together in a bowl with a wooden spoon until fluffy and lighter in colour.
3. Combine flour and baking powder with a sifter, and carefully fold into butter mixture in batches.
4. Add milk in 2 or 3 batches, very lightly folding in mixture in between.
5. Peel and mash banana completely, and fold into batter.
6. Spoon mixture into individual (buttered) ramekins or muffin pans.
7. Sprinkle choc bits on top of each ramekin.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is brown and slightly firm.

Tips
The key to making this pudding is by really creaming the butter and making it very fluffy. In the creaming process, you want to incorporate as much air into the mixture.
Only mix ingredients until combined. It is fine to leave some flour not fully incorporated. Over-mixing will cause the glutens in the flour to seize up giving the cake a rubbery texture.
Leave bananas to ripen in a bowl until completely black, then store in freezer for when required. Over ripe bananas have a runny texture when mashed which do not look appealing but is sensational in cakes, muffins and puddings. If you get caught out without a "black" banana, try to pick the blemished bananas that are overripe from your green grocer.