Golden Food Zone

Ingredients
180 g butter , plus extra for greasing
150 g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting
300 g sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large free-range eggs
75 g dark chocolate
75 g white chocolate
100 g hazelnuts
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas 3. Grease and dust a 15cm x 25cm baking dish.
Melt the butter and sugar in a pan over a medium heat
Stir in the flour and vanilla, and crack in the eggs, then divide between 2 bowls.
Chop the dark and white chocolate, keeping them separate. Chop the nuts.
Mix the cocoa, dark chocolate and half the nuts into one bowl, then stir the white chocolate and remaining nuts into the other.
Place alternate spoonfuls into the prepared dish, swirling it through.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients
50 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 tablespoon runny honey
12 gratings of whole nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
50 g raisins
50 g currents
50 g candied citrus peel
1 tablespoon dark rum
plain flour , for dusting
300 g puff pastry
1 large free-range egg , beaten
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and honey together, then stir in the spices. Add the dried fruit, candied peel and rum and stir until well combined.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to about 2.5mm thick. Using a 10cm pastry cutter or small saucer, cut out 10 circles. You might have to roll it out and cut it again, in which case be sure to fold it over itself rather than scrunch it up as you will damage the layers.
Spoon the filling into the centre of each disc, leaving a little empty space around the edges. Brush either side of the filling with a little egg. Bring the sides of the pastry up into the middle and crimp slightly to make little purses.
Turn the cakes over so the fold is on the bottom and very gently roll them into oval shapes with your rolling pin, being careful not to burst them.
Place the cakes on the tray and, with the tip of a knife, make 3 little cuts on each. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm.

Ingredients
55 g unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
55 g self-raising flour
55 g caster sugar
1 large free-range egg
1 piece of stem ginger in syrup
1 orange
1 ripe pear
golden syrup or reserved ginger syrup

Method
Start by making 2 greaseproof paper discs to top the puddings: place 2 teacups or ramekins upside down on greaseproof paper, draw round them, then cut out the circles, just inside the line.
Lightly grease one side with butter, then grease the inside of the teacups or ramekins.
In a food processor, blitz the flour, sugar, butter and egg to make a batter.
Chop and add the ginger, finely grate in the orange zest, then pulse once or twice.
Peel, core and cut the pear into 1cm chunks.
Pour a little golden syrup or reserved ginger syrup into the base of each cup or ramekin, then top with half the chopped pear each.
Divide the batter between the two, then lightly press a circle of paper on top, butter-side down.
Cook in the microwave on full power for 4 minutes, or until it feels springy to the touch.
Leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then carefully turn out and enjoy with lashings of hot custard.

Ingredients
600 g ripe plum tomatoes
½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
½ a lemon
red wine vinegar
125 g Comté cheese
125 g Gruyère cheese
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
200 g handcut higher-welfare wafer-thin ham , (I like a mixture of smoked and cured
WHITE ONION SAUCE
2 onions
1 large k**b of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons plain flour
700 ml semi-skimmed milk
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 whole nutmeg , for grating
CRÊPES
30 g unsalted butter , plus extra for cooking
120 g plain flour
2 large free-range eggs
70 ml semi-skimmed milk

Method
Score a cross on each tomato, then carefully plunge them into a large pan of boiling water for 45 seconds, then drain in a colander and place in cold water. Peel away and discard the skins, then deseed the tomatoes and chop the flesh into 1cm chunks.
Pick and finely chop the basil leaves, finely grate the lemon zest, then toss both with the tomatoes, a good splash of vinegar and a good pinch of sea salt.
To start the sauce, peel and finely chop the onions. Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat, add the onions and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft, stirring regularly.
For the crêpes, melt the butter and let it cool a little while you pile the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle, whisk in the eggs, then gradually whisk in the milk and 70ml water until smooth. Stir in the melted butter, then leave to sit while you finish the sauce.
Stir the flour into the onions to make a kind of roux, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Stir in the mustard and a few scrapings of nutmeg, season, simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Put a 26cm frying pan on a medium heat with a tiny k**b of butter. Once melted, add just enough batter to coat the base of the pan, gently swirling to cover. Cook until lightly golden, then flip and cook on the other side.
Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping out the pan with a ball of kitchen paper and adding a tiny k**b of butter each time – you should end up with 6 crêpes.
Meanwhile, grate and mix the cheeses, pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves, and tear up the slices of ham.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
Get yourself a deep ovenproof pan, 26cm in diameter. Repeat layers of crêpe, sauce, tomato (leaving any juices behind in the bowl), ham, cheese and parsley until you’ve used up all the ingredients, finishing with a layer of just sauce and cheese.
Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling, resting for 10 minutes before serving.
Delicious served with a mixed garden salad with a French dressing made with walnut oil, and I also like to shave some walnuts on a box grater over the top of the salad for added crunch.