Fruit with Toffee Fondue Sauce

This is an easy way to use up any leftover sauce from a sticky toffee pudding.

For 4 people you need:
Assorted fruit - we used melon, mango, apple and clementine

Toffee Sauce made from
275g golden syrup
225ml double cream
275g light soft brown sugar
100g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Boil the sauce ingredients for 5 mins till golden and bubbling. Chop the fruit roughly and dip in to the sauce. This is an excellent way to get children (and adults!) to each fruit :)

Mushroom and Tomato Baked Gnocchi

This is a simple and quick after work feast.

For 2-3 people you need:
1 packet gnocchi
1 tub 4 cheese sauce
1 punnet mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 6ths
Handful each of grated cheddar, emmental and parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil

Saute the mushrooms in the oil for 10-15 mins till dark and all the juices have run out and concentrated. Cook the gnocchi till they rise. Drain the gnocchi and mix in the sauce. Lay the mushrooms in the bottom of a baking dish and then tip over the cheesy gnocchi. Top with the tomato and cheeses and bake in a hot oven for 15-20 mins till golden and bubbly.

White Chocolate, Cardamon and Rum Truffles

***warning*** these are addictive and seriously calorific. But make them anyway :) They are the perfect counter to the dark chocolate and orange truffles I am making for Christmas petit fours.

For about 12 you need:
seeds from 7 cardamom pods
200g good quality white chocolate, broken into pieces
25g unsalted butter
150ml double cream
1 tbsp white rum
50g icing sugar

Grind the cardamon seeds to a powder. Heat the cream till just about boiling. Pour over the chocolate, rum, cardamon and butter. Whisk with an electric whisk until ribbons form (about 5 mins). Once smooth, chill till starting to harden. Roll in to balls and then roll these in the icing sugar.

Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding

Why choose between chocolate sponge pudding and sticky toffee pudding when you can have both?! this is from Rachel Allen's Food for Living.

for 16-20 portions you need:
Cake:
100g dark chocolate, melted
150g pitted dates, blitzed
300ml water
100g butter
150g light soft brown sugar
3 eggs
225g plain flour
1 tsp bicarb
1 tsp baking powder

For the sauce
275g golden syrup
225ml double cream
275g light soft brown sugar
100g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place the dates in a saucepan and bring to the boil with the water. Simmer for 10 mins and leave to cool. Make the cake base in the usual fashion, adding the chocolate and dates last. Scrape in to a lined tin and bake at 160 for 45 mins or so.

Make the sauce by placing everything in to a pan and bringing to the boil. Boil rapidly for 4 mins then serve. Perfect winter fuel.