Dinner for Jo and Liza featuring cheese and onion sandwich and baked chocolate fudge cake with white chocolate terrine and salt caramel sauce

Jo and Liza have just gone home after dinner. The menu was:

Cheese and Onion Sandwich
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AA Home Cooking Competition entry
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Baked chocolate fudge cake with white chocolate terrine and salt caramel sauce

Cheese and onion sandwich

This was a goats cheese split in two with a red onion marmalade. The cheese was pane using thyme in the breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It was served on a bed of rocket with a garnish of re-onion marmalade and small red onion rings.

I'm pretty sure this went down well as just as she was cleaning her plate, Liza declared "It was GORGEOUS!!!! Especially the goats cheese (and I hate goats cheese)".

Ingredients:
3 whole goats cheeses
5 slices worth of white breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Thyme (fresh or dried)
100g seasoned flour
Rocket leaves
Balsamic and olive oil dressing (mixed in a 1:5 ration)
Onions rings:
A few small rings from the core of a red onion
Milk
Seasoned flour
Red onion marmalade:
1oz butter
Red onion, thinly sliced
2 dsp White wine vinegar
1 dsp Demerera sugar
1 tsp Chilli flakes
150ml water (or red wine)
Bay leaf

Method:
1. Firstly make the sweet onion marmalade. Heat the butter in a pan, add the onions and fry for 1 minute. Add the sugar and caramelise lightly together.
2. Pour over the liquids, add the bay leaf and chilli and leave to cook over a gentle heat until reduced and has a jam consistency - about 25 minutes (this can be made well in advance). Chill until ready for use.
3. Top and tail the crusts from the goats cheese and slice in half. Put a generous spoon of marmalade on one half and sandwich the cheese together again. Chill to set.
4. Mix the breadcrumbs with a generous helping of thyme. Dowse the goats cheeses in seasoned floor, then egg, then in the breadcrumb mix. Repeat the egg and breadcrumbs layers for a second time. Chill to set.
5. For the onion rings dip them in milk and then the seasoned flour.
6. Deep fry the rings until golden in oil at 180°C.
7. Deep fat fry each cheese in oil at 180°C for about 3 minutes (or until golden).
8. Serve the cheeses on a bed of dressed rocket salad, with a quinelle of marmalade on top and scatter over the onion rings.

Main course

I'll not be putting the details up about the main course until the closing date for the AA Home Cooking Competition has passed. However, I will say that the main course was tweaked a little since Astrid's visit.

Baked chocolate fudge cake with white chocolate terrine and salt caramel sauceThis was a chocolate cake with a dark chocolate biscuit base, black cherry jam, chocolate fudge layer and topped with a meringue. The white chocolate terrine was served with a salt caramel sauce. the idea of this dessert was to satisfy Jo's request for baked alaska, caramel chocolate fudge cake and black forest gateaux. I didn't have time to make a trio of puds so combined all the elements into one! I think she was happy, she did say that "[the meal] was very tasty. I do recommend the cake".

Added to the fun was that Jo was picture messaging (on her brand new shiny phone) her friend, Emma from Norwich, with details and pictures of each course. Apparently I am to cook for Emma soon. They've also requested a take-away for Jo to take with her on her visit on Friday.

Recipe is based on elements from several recipes taken from What's Cooking Chocolate, Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Ingredients:
Baked chocolate fudge cake:
8oz dark chocolate digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs.
40g butter, melted
4tbsp black cherry jam
3 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
4tbsp cornflour
1 pint milk
100g dark chocolate, melted
Iced white chocolate terrine:
2tbsp granulated sugar
5tbsp water
300g white chocolate
3 eggs, separated
300ml double cream
Salt caramel sauce:
50g caster sugar
1.5oz butter
1tsp vanilla extract
200 ml double cream
1tsp sea salt, ground

Method:
1. Mix the melted butter and biscuit crumbs. Press into an 8" spring-form cake tin. Chill to set.
2. Spread the jam over the base.
3. Beat the egg yolks, 50g of sugar and cornflour until they form a smooth paste. Add some of the milk if necessary.
4. Heat the milk until nearly boiling then whisk into the egg mixture.
5. Return the mixture to the pan and cook gently until thickened. Chill and then pour over the base when cool. Chill to set.
6. Whisk the egg-whites until soft peaks. Whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff and glossy.
7. Pile the meringue on to the pie and bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.
Iced white chocolate terrine:
1. Line a 1lb loaf tin with cling film.
2. Gently heat the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 1-2 minutes until syrupy. Remove from the heat.
3. Break the white chocolate into the syrup and stir until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool slightly.
4. Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture. Leave to cool completely.
5. Lightly whip the cream and then fold into the chocolate mixture.
6. Wist the egg white to soft peaks the fold into the chocolate mixture.
7. Pour into the loaf tin and freeze.
8. Remove from the freezer 15minute before serving.
Salt caramel sauce: (adapted from Sauces by Michel Roux)
1. In a thick bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Set over a very low heat and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved completely.
2. Continue to cook until the mixture turns an attractive caramel colour. Immediately, take the pan off the heat and stir in the salt and cream.
3. Mix well and cook the sauce over a medium heat for five minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Pass through a fine sieve and leave to cool to room temperature.