Warm Caramel Bananas

Ingredients:

50 g butter

125ml maple syrup

4 ripe bananas, sliced into thirds diagonally

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and the maple syrup and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until well combined.

Add the banana, stir gently to coat in the sauce and warm through for 5 minutes.  Serve with ice cream of choice.

Champagne Strawberries

Ingredients

60 g caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways

300 ml champagne

500 g fresh strawberries

1. Place the sugar, vanilla bean and champagne in a saucepan and warm over low heat.  Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Cool slightly.
2. Put strawberries in a serving bowl and pour champagne syrup over them, stirring gently to coat.  Serve warm or refrigerate until cold, if preferred.

Meringue nests with raspberry cream

Ingredients

100 ml cream

40 g fresh or frozen raspberry

4 ready-made meringue nests

Extra raspberries to garnish

1. Pour the cream into a bowl and, using electric beaters, whip until soft peaks form.
2. Put the raspberries I a food processor or blender and process until pureed.
3. Gently fold the raspberry puree into the whipped cream until just combined.
4. Place the meringue nests on individual serving plates and top each with one quarter of the raspberry cream.  Garnish with the extra raspberries.  Dust lightly with icing sugar, if desired, and serve immediately.

Chocolate swiss roll

Ingredients

3 eggs

125 g caster sugar

60 g self raising flour

30 g cocoa powder

30 g dark chocolate, grated

1 tbsp caster sugar (extra)

160 ml cream

80 g chocolate hazelnut spread

150 g frozen raspberries, defrosted

30 g flaked-chocolate confectionery bar, crumbled icing sugar, to dust

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 180C.  Grease a 30x25x2cm swiss roll tin.  Line the base and the two long sides with baking paper and grease the paper.
2. Using electric beaters, beat the eggs in a bowl for 4 minutes or until thick ad place.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is pale, yellow and glossy.
3. Using a metal spoon, quickly and lightly fold in the sifted flour and cocoa, then the grated chocolate and 1 tbsp hot water.  Spread the mixture evenly into the tin and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cooked through.  Place a sheet of baking paper on a dry tea towel and sprinkle with the extra sugar.  Turn the cake out onto the paper and leave for 1 minute.  Carefully roll the cake and paper from one long side, and leave for 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, to make the filling, whip the cream and chocolate hazelnut spread in a bowl using electric beaters until firm peaks form.  Unroll the cake and discard the paper.  Spread the cake with the chocolate cream, leaving a 1 cm border.  Sprinkle o the berries and chocolate and reroll.  Dust with icing sugar and trim the ends.  Cut into slices.

Toffee nut tart

Ingredients:

150 g mixed nuts (almonds, cashew, hazelnuts, walnuts)

 90 g caster sugar

2 tbsp cream

250 g mascarpone

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

125 ml cream (extra)

18cm ready-made cooked shortcrust pastry flan

1.  Preheat the oven to moderate 180C.  Spread out the nuts on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool.
2.  To make the toffee sauce, sprinkle the sugar in an even layer over the base of a saucepan and put over low heat.  Melt the sugar slowly, tipping the pan from side to side so that it melts evely – keep the sugar moving or it might start to colour on one side before the other side has melted.  When it starts to colour, keep swirling until the toffee is a even colour and then remove from the heat.  Plunge the base of the saucepan into cold water.
3.  Stir in the cream, being careful as it will spit a little.  Stir until smooth.  Cool slightly.
4. Using electric beaters, beat mascarpone, brown sugar, vanilla and extra cream until mixed together, being careful not to overmix or it will curdle.  Evenly spoon into the flan base and arrange the nuts over the top.  Drizzle the toffee sauce over the tart in a zigzag pattern.  Chill until ready to eat.

Layered white chocolate berry crunch

Ingredients

90 g coconut macaroons, crushed

150 g white chocolate chopped into even sized pieces

300 ml cream

250 g fresh or frozen raspberries

50 g silvered almonds, toasted

1. Divide the crushed macaroons among four parfait glasses or 375 ml glass tumblers.
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring saucepan of water to the boil, then removed from the heat.  Sit the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the base of the bowl does not sit in the water.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted.  Cool slightly.
3. Using electric beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold in the melted chocolate.  Divide half the chocolate-cream mixture among the glasses, top with the raspberries, then cover with the remaining chocolate-cream mixture.  Sprinkle with roasted slivered almonds and serve immediately.

Chocolate pancakes with choco-cherry sauce

Sauce

425 g can pitted black cherries

100 ml cream

200 g dark chocolate, chopped into even sized pieces

Ingredients

125 g self raising flour

30 g cocoa powder

60 g caster sugar

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

330 ml milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

40 g butter, chopped

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

1. To make the sauce, drain the cherries, reserving 2 tbsp of syrup.  Place the cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat.  Sit the bowl over the pan, making sure the base of the bowl does not sit in the water.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and combined with the cream.  Stir in the cherries and reserved syrup.  Keep warm.
2. To make the pancakes, sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl and stir in the sugar and bicarbonate of soda.  Make a well in the center and gradually add the combined milk, egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
3. Melt some of the butter I a frying pan over medium heat.  Pour 80ml of batter into the pan and swirl gently to make a 12 cm pancake.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the underside is golden brown.  Turn over and cook for 30 seconds more or until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining batter to make five more pancakes, adding more butter as needed.
4. Place a scoop of ice cream on one half of each pancake and fold the other half over.

Dessert Mini Mango Cakes

Ingredients:

425 g mango slices

90 g butter

125 g caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

60 g self raising flour

2 tbsp ground almonds

1 tbsp desiccated coconut

40 ml coconut milk

Lime zest to garnish

2 tbsp lime juice

60 g caster sugar (extra)

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200C.  Grease 4 1 cup muffin holes and line two mango slices.
2. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy.  Gradually add the egg, beating well after each addition.  Fold in the sifted flour, then add the almonds, coconut and coconut milk.  Spoon into the muffin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
3. To make the syrup, put the lime juice, extra sugar and 125 ml water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the hear and simmer for 3 minutes, or until thick and syrupy.
4. Run a knife around the edge of the cakes and turn out.  Drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with lime zest.