Crepe

Blood orange crepes with sweet ricotta and homemade fudge sauce

Serves two (or three) very lazy homebodies (the crepe batter will make 3 or four crepes depending on the size)

Sauce

• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until mixture bubbles. Continue cooking bubbling sauce for 3 or four minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly while you make the filling and crepes.

Filling

• sliced segments of 1 blood orange
• 1 cup ricotta into which you have mixed 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Crepes

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange liquer (I always keep a big bottle of vodka into which I pop the pith-less rind of several oranges - it kicks the ass of any commercial orange liquer)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated blood orange rind

Whisk all ingredients together well. This amount will make three large crepes or four slightly less large ones.

Heat a crepe pan over medium heat. Melt a knob of butter in the pan. Use a teacup or ladle to deposit one portion of the batter at a time into the pan. Cook crepe through without flipping. Turn out onto plate and make the next crepe.

Assembly

Place a crepe in the middle of a plate. Spread a portion of the ricotta mixture in a line doewn the centre of the crepe. Top with 3 or 4 orange segments (depending on how many you have) and drizzle over chocolate fudge sauce. Roll crepe gently up. Drizzle with a little more sauce over the top.

Self-saucing sour cream chocolate pudding

For a 9x12 pan, you'll need:

• 125g plain flour (approximately 1 + 1/4 cups)
• pinch of salt
• 120g fine sugar (approximately 3/4 cups, less 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 60ml cocoa (1/4 cup)
• 125 ml milk (1/2 cup)
• 125 ml sour cream (1/2 cup)
• 85g melted butter (approximately 1/3 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 100 gm good dark chocolate broken into small chunks (the size of two regular chocolate bars)

• 185g sugar (approximately 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 250 ml very hot water (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all ingredients (except the last 5) together in a mixing bowl. Quickly pour the batter into the bottom of an ungreased 9x12 inch baking pan, using the back of a large spoon or spatula to even the layer out in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chunks over the top of the batter. Thoroughly mix the last 4 ingredients and gently pour over the top of the batter in the pan.

Pop the pan into the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake rises and cracks on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

If you're making this in individual pans, the cooking time will be shorter.

I thought a nice variation on this recipe would be to substitute strong coffee for a portion of the hot water used in the sauce.

Dark Chocolate Tart

For the Pastry:

• 180g butter
• 75g granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 225g pastry flour

Process all the ingredients in into a homogenous paste, roll into a ball and chill in the fridge, covered in cling flim, for a hour. Roll out between two sheets of clingfilm, and line a 25cm tart tin with the pastry. Trim. Blind bake for 25 minutes at 180C (350F). Set aside.

For Filling:

• 2 eggs
• 3 yolks
• 45g granulated sugar
• 150g butter
• 200g dark chocolate, in pieces

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler, or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the other ingredients until they mixture becomes thick and fluffy. Pour chocolate into the egg mixture and beat until combined. Pour into tart shell and return to the hot (180C/350F)oven for 5 minutes. The tart won't look set, but trust me, it is as cooked as it should be. Set the cooked tart aside to cool completely. Serve with cinnamon whipped cream.