Something Complicated
By: Cresent
Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009 - 3:44am

Ingredients




gram Chocolate tool kit, about 175
225 grams Plain flour
115 grams Butter, plus extra to grease
3 Egg yolks, plus 8 egg whites
25 grams Caster sugar, plus 10 heaped tbsp
1 inch can Red plums syrup
1 310 gram can chocolate sponge with ch
250 ml Double cream
1 411 gram can fruit cocktail, drained
1 425 gram can ready made custard
2 tablespoons Stewed apple
1 teaspoon Cornflour
Icing sugar and cocoa powder, to dust

Preparation

1 1 Grate the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and sit the bowl above a pan of simmering water until melted. 2 2 Blitz the flour, 115g/4oz butter and 25g/1oz caster sugar in a processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add an egg yolk and blitz again to make a dough, adding a little water to bind. 3 3 Roll out the pastry on a floured work top to a 5mm thickness. Cut out four large discs with a cutter or saucer and line four large greased patty tins. 4 4 Prick the pastry bases with a fork and bake blind for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked and golden brown. 5 5 Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gradually whisk in eight heaped tbsp caster sugar to make a stiff meringue. Strain off the plum juice into a pan and simmer to reduce and thicken. 6 6 Divide half the crumbled sponge between the pastry cases. Spoon a third of meringue into a piping bag and pipe onto each case to cover the sponge. 7 7 Grill the tarts for 2-3 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. 8 Serve with the plum sauce and some of the plums. Dust with icing sugar. 9 8 For the Trifles: Divide the remaining sponge between two dessert glasses. 10 Whisk 150ml/ 1/4 pint double cream to stiff peaks with 1 tbsp caster sugar. 11 9 Drizzle a quarter of the melted chocolate over the chocolate sponges, spoon on half of the whipped cream and top with the fruit cocktail. 12 10 For the Souffles: Butter three small ramekin dishes well and lightly coat each with 1 tsp caster sugar. Shake off any excess. 13 11 Mix together two egg yolks, 1 tbsp custard, apple puree and cornflour, fold in a third of meringue mixture and spoon into the ramekin dishes. Bake for 8-10 minutes until risen and golden brown. Dust with icing sugar and serve. 14 12 For the Floating Islands: Place large spoonfuls of the remaining meringue mix into a pan of simmering water and poach for 3-5 minutes or until set, turning over halfway through cooking. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain. 15 13 Pour the remaining custard and double cream into a pan and heat through gently. Add the remaining melted chocolate and mix together. 16 14 Pour the custard mixture into a bowl, sit the floating islands on top and dust with cocoa powder. Serve with the remaining plums. 17 This recipe contains raw or lightly cooked eggs. Because of the slight risk of salmonella poisoning, these should be avoided by the sick, the elderly, the very young, and pregnant women.