Cooking for Friends

by Gordon Ramsay

  Take the ginger ice cream out of the freezer 5–10 minutes before serving to let it soften slightly. Serve neat scoops alongside the poached rhubarb and sauce.

  Mixed berry tartlets with vanilla and peach cream

  These gorgeous tartlets are great for entertaining and they make fabulous desserts for picnics, too, although you need to take care when packing and transporting the delicate pastry shells. Layer them in between sheets of wax paper and/or paper towels in a sturdy airtight container. If you like, lay out bowls of the vanilla and peach cream and the mixed berries next to the pastry shells and let people assemble the tarts themselves.

  SERVES 6, WITH EXTRA VANILLA CREAM

  1 pound, or 1 recipe, walnut pastry (see Chapter 9)

  1 pound mixed berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, wild strawberries, and raspberries (3–4 cups)

  confectioners’ sugar for dusting

  Vanilla and peach cream:

  1 cup whole milk

  ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

  ¼ cup granulated sugar

  2½ tablespoons cornstarch

  3 extra-large egg yolks

  1 cup heavy cream

  1–2 tablespoons crème de pêche, to taste

  Have ready six 4-inch-diameter tartlet pans with removable bases. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a thick log. Divide the log into six equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball, flatten it with the palm of your hand, and roll out into a thin circle. Gently press the dough into a tartlet pan and trim off the excess pastry. Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the tart shells on a baking sheet and let rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

  To make the vanilla cream, put the milk in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the milk along with the bean and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Place the saucepan over high heat and scald the milk. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining sugar and the cornstarch in a large bowl, then beat in the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth.

  When bubbles start appearing around the edge of the pan, remove from the heat and gradually trickle the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring. When all the milk has been added, rinse out the pan. Strain the custard mixture through a fine sieve into the clean pan and return to the heat. Slowly stir over low heat for a few minutes until thickened. Pour into a large, clean bowl (for extra smoothness, strain the custard through a sieve into the bowl). Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line each tartlet shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Place the pans on a baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and return to the oven to finish baking, about 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the pastry cases and cool on a wire rack.

  Whip the cream to soft peaks. Beat the cooled vanilla custard slightly to loosen it, then fold in the cream and the crème de pêche to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

  Pipe or spoon the vanilla cream into each pastry shell, top with mixed fresh berries, and dust with a little confectioners’ sugar.

  Blackberry sorbet with shortbread fingers

  This blackberry sorbet takes minutes to make: Lightly poach blackberries in syrup, purée, strain, cool, and churn. While waiting for the sorbet to freeze, you can use the time to make shortbread fingers. Leftover shortbread will keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.

  SERVES 6–8, WITH EXTRA SHORTBREAD FINGERS

  Blackberry sorbet:

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup water

  1 pound blackberries (about 3 heaped cups)

  2 tablespoons lemon juice

  Shortbread fingers:

  ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

  scant ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

  1 extra-large egg, beaten

  12/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted with ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

  First, make the sorbet. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat slightly and simmer for a few minutes. Tip in the blackberries and simmer for 2–3 minutes longer.

  Transfer the blackberries and syrup to a blender and blitz until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Stir in the lemon juice and let cool completely. If you have time, chill the mixture for about an hour.

  Put the sorbet mixture into the bowl of an ice-cream maker and churn until almost firm. Transfer to a suitable container and freeze until solid.

  For the shortbread, beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in the egg. Turn the machine to the lowest setting and mix in the flour, a spoonful at a time, until the dough just comes together. Press the dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let it firm up.

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Trim the edges to form a neat rectangle. With the help of a rolling pin, transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Mark out ¾-inch by 3¼-inch rectangles using a clean ruler and a long knife. Prick each rectangle a few times with a fork and sprinkle with a little sugar.

  Bake until the shortbread is a pale golden color, 20–25 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 30 seconds, then cut along the scored lines to separate the fingers. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container until ready to serve.

  Remove the sorbet from the freezer 5–10 minutes before serving to let it soften slightly. Scoop into chilled serving glasses and serve with the shortbread fingers.

  chocolate and coffee

  When I worked in Paris, as a humble commis chef at Guy Savoy, helping out in the pastry section, I took every opportunity to improve my pastry-, chocolate-, and cake-making skills. To begin with, I got the simpler tasks: rolling hundreds of handmade chocolate truffles to serve with teas and coffees, for example. After several months of proving my aptitude and determination, I was finally allowed to make fantastic desserts on my own, many of which were exquisite chocolate creations.

  Baking with chocolate is similar to cooking with wine. You get out what you put in. It always pays to use good-quality chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids—for bittersweet chocolate this should be between 65 and 72 percent—particularly if chocolate is the dominant flavor in a dessert. Even if a recipe calls for semisweet or milk chocolate, spend a little more on buying the best quality.

  Chocolate swirl cheesecake

  Double chocolate parfait

  Chocolate chip pancakes with orange-brandy sauce

  Sticky date and chocolate pudding

  Chocolate and coffee pots

  Black Forest cake

  Dark chocolate marquise

  Coffee and almond crunch cake

  Chocolate roulade with chocolate-chestnut cream

  Chocolate swirl cheesecake

  This New York-style cheesecake is rich and creamy, and made a little more decadent with swirls of melted dark chocolate. To cut through the richness, serve with a fresh fruit compote—blueberry or a mixture of berries, or other soft, tart fruit.

  SERVES 8–10

  1½ cups crushed graham crackers

  3 tablespoons ground toasted almonds

  4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

  3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

  ¾ cup sugar

  1 cup sour cream

  1¼ pounds cream cheese (about 2¾ cups)

  2 extra-large eggs

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Preheat the oven to 325°F and butter a 9-inch-diameter springform cake pan. Use a food processor to mix the graham crackers with the almonds. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture comes together. Tip the mixture into the pan and press down with a spatula to form an even crust. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 10–15 minutes.

  Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F.

  Mel
t the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth, then remove from the heat.

  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the rest of the ingredients using a hand-held electric mixer. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and tap the pan gently to level the mixture and remove any large air bubbles. Swirl the melted chocolate into the filling.

  Bake until the filling is set around the sides but still wobbly in the center when you gently shake the pan, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside to cool slowly, preferably overnight. The filling will continue to set as it cools, and taking it out of the oven too soon may cause it to crack.

  Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and slide onto a serving plate. Best served chilled.

  Double chocolate parfait

  Rich and luscious, this French-style parfait will tempt any chocolate-lover. As I hardly need to tell you, be sure to use top-quality chocolate for both layers.

  SERVES 8

  4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa solids), chopped

  5 ounces semisweet (or milk) chocolate, chopped

  1¼ cups double cream, lightly whipped

  2 cups raspberries for serving (optional)

  Mousse base:

  ¾ cup sugar

  ½ cup water

  5 extra-large egg yolks

  First, prepare the mousse base: Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat to dissolve, then increase the heat and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid is thick and syrupy, 7–10 minutes. The temperature should reach about 230°F on a candy thermometer (the thread stage).

  While the sugar syrup is boiling, beat the egg yolks until smooth and fluffy. Carefully and slowly trickle in the hot sugar syrup, beating vigorously until the mixture is thick and glossy and has tripled in volume. Continue to beat until the mixture has cooled and the sides of the bowl no longer feel hot, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside.

  Put the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates into separate large heatproof bowls. Melt one at a time, setting the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

  Divide the mousse base between the two bowls of melted chocolate and fold through until evenly combined. Finally, fold half the whipped cream into each chocolate base.

  Line a large loaf pan or terrine with plastic wrap so that plenty of wrap hangs over the sides. Spread the bittersweet chocolate mousse evenly over the bottom of the pan, filling in the corners. Making sure the pan is level, freeze until firm, about 2 hours. In the meantime, keep the semisweet chocolate mousse in the refrigerator.

  Remove the pan from the freezer and spread the semisweet chocolate mixture on top of the frozen bittersweet mixture to fill the pan. Fold the excess wrap over the top to cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

  Remove the parfait from the freezer 5–10 minutes before serving to let it soften. Unmold onto a clean cutting board and peel off the plastic wrap. Cut into thick slices using a warm knife. Serve each slice with a scattering of raspberries, if you wish.

  Chocolate chip pancakes with orange-brandy sauce

  For even more luxury, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each serving of warm pancakes and brandy sauce. Or, for a special breakfast treat on a child’s birthday, serve the pancakes with maple syrup instead of brandy sauce.

  SERVES 5–6

  Chocolate chip pancakes:

  2/3 cup all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  pinch of fine sea salt

  2/3 cup buttermilk

  2 extra-large eggs, separated

  ¼ cup cold water

  butter for frying

  ½ heaped cup semisweet chocolate chips

  Orange-brandy sauce:

  1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  ½ cup light cream

  2 tablespoons sugar

  1 tablespoon brandy or Grand Marnier/Cointreau

  2 tablespoons orange juice

  orange sections for garnish (optional)

  To make the pancake batter, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg yolks, and water together, then pour into the well. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid ingredients to make a smooth batter. Beat the egg whites to firm peaks, then fold into the batter.

  Cook the pancakes in batches of two or three: Heat a wide, nonstick frying pan with a small piece of butter. Pour a small ladleful of batter into the pan for each pancake, then drop a few chocolate chips over the top of each. Fry until golden brown underneath, about 1 minute, then flip over and cook the other side for 45–60 seconds longer. The pancakes should puff up as they cook. Keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the rest, adding more butter to the pan as needed.

  For the sauce, combine the chocolate, cream, and sugar in a small saucepan. Set the pan over low heat and stir until the chocolate and sugar have melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the brandy and orange juice, then pour into a warm pitcher.

  Pile the pancakes on warm plates and drizzle the sauce over them. Garnish with orange sections, if you wish.

  Sticky date and chocolate pudding

  I can’t resist a pudding like this. For me, it is the perfect ending to a meal on a cold, wintry day. It pays to use Medjool dates here, as their rich, sweet flavor adds depth to the pudding.

  SERVES 8

  Pudding:

  7 ounces Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about 1 heaped cup)

  scant 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

  1 cup water

  7 tablespoons lightly salted butter, softened

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 tablespoon cooled espresso or strong black coffee

  3 extra-large eggs

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  Sauce:

  ½ cup packed dark brown sugar

  5 tablespoons lightly salted butter

  1 cup heavy cream

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter eight 6-ounce ramekins or other individual molds and line the bottom of each with a disk of buttered parchment paper (or use an 8-inch square cake pan to make one large pudding).

  Put the dates, sugar, and water in a saucepan and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved and the dates are very soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then blend in a food processor until smooth. Add the butter, vanilla, espresso, and eggs and blitz again until well blended. Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl. In two batches, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder into the bowl and fold into the wet mixture. Divide among the prepared molds. Bake for 20–25 minutes (or 40–50 minutes if using a cake pan): The puddings are ready when a skewer inserted into the center emerges fairly clean.

  Put all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth, 2–3 minutes. Keep warm, stirring every once in a while to prevent a skin from forming on top.

  When the puddings are just cool enough to handle, but still warm, run a small knife around them and unmold onto individual serving plates (if baked in a cake pan, cut into squares for serving). Peel off the parchment disk. Pour a generous drizzle of warm sauce over each pudding and serve immediately.

  Chocolate and coffee pots

  These chocolate and coffee custards are rich and meltingly smooth, and as good on the eye as they are on the palate. Because the custards are gently baked in a water bath, you can set them in pretty teacups, as I have done, or use regular ramekins for a simpler presentation.

  SERVES 4

  1 cup heavy cream

  4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa solids), chopped

  ¼ cup light cream

  2 extra-large egg yolks

  2½ tablespoons sugar

  2 tablesp
oons cooled espresso or strong black coffee

  4 tablespoons crème fraîche for serving (optional)

  chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium saucepan, scald the heavy cream, then add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the light cream, and let cool.

  Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick enough to fall in a lazy ribbon from the beaters when they are lifted out, about 5 minutes. Fold in the cooled chocolate cream, followed by the espresso.

  Divide the mixture among four 4- to 5-ounce teacups, ramekins, or other individual molds. Place the filled cups in a roasting pan. Set the pan on the bottom shelf of the oven and pull out the shelf halfway while keeping the pan level. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Carefully push the shelf back into the oven.

  Bake until the custards are just set at the edges but still slightly soft in the center, 20–25 minutes. Remove the molds from the water bath and let cool completely. Chill for a few hours or overnight.

  Remove from the refrigerator 10–15 minutes before serving, garnished with a neat little dollop of crème fraîche and some chocolate shavings, if you like.