Recipe from the Blaggers' Banquet - a sumptuous chocolate fondant from Trish Deseine

Much has already been written about the Blaggers' Banquet so I thought I'd share the recipe we were given by chocolatier Trish Deseine for this sumptuous chocolate fondant I made for the dessert component of the banquet. Trish very kindly also donated her moreish 72% chocolate for us to use in the fondants which you see in the photo above

Trish's chocolate fondant is a brilliant mise-en-place dish in that you make it up the day before and it actually improves with time, so if you're wondering what to do for Christmas or New Years I'd recommend foregoing more complicated desserts for this easy-peasy fondant

Trish Deseine's favourite Chocolate Fondant Cake Recipe:

1) Melt 200g Chocolate by Trish 64% cooks chocolate buttons with 200g pure, semi-salted butter in the microwave (honest). Add 180g sugar, stir a bit and let it cool before breaking 5 eggs into the melted chocolate one by one, stirring well after each one.

2) Add a tablespoonful of plain flour and cook at 180° in a floured 22 cm cake tin for 20 minutes or so. Take it out of the oven when it's still wobbly in the middle.

Trust me, it's a chocoholic's bombshell of a dish - I made 10 of them the night before the banquet and I swear the smell of sweet chocolate still suffuses my Bloomsbury flat...

As a final word on the banquet let me extend a huge thank you to the food and drink suppliers I dealt with in the run-up to the banquet who were generous and helpful in equal measure:

Abel & Cole

Barber's 1883 Cheddar

Billington's

Brockhall Farm

Firefly Tonics

Fish for Thought

Lahloo Tea

Laverstoke Park Farm

Peter's Yard

Riverford Organic

Sainsbury's

St. John Restaurant


The fundraising for Action Against Hunger continues online, so if you want to save yourself the tedium and stress of Christmas shopping why not bid on some of the fantastic prizes we've blagged for the Ebay auction here


Blaggers Banquet Menu: 15 November 2009

Menu conceived by Signe Skaimsgard Johansen with Charlie Nelson, Neil Rankin and Danny Kingston

Canapés and table nibbles:

by Danny Kingston aka Food Urchin

Fresh goats’ cheese and pomegranate crispbreads with a salty vanilla twist and fresh chives
(Brockhall Farm, Abel & Cole, Peter’s Yard and Halon Mon)

Buffalo mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil brochettes with a pesto dip
(Laverstoke Park, Abel &Cole and Purely Pesto)

Crispy chicken skin bites
(Silfield Farm)

Cheddar Gougeres with thyme
(Barbers 1883, Abel & Cole)

Spicy Bar Mix
(Munchy Seeds)

The canapés were offered with a choice of the following (also available throughout the evening from the bar):

Apple Wood Badger Cider was via Positive PR
Chapel Down Pinot Reserve 2004
Albarino Laga de Bouza 2007 (The Wineaux )
Sipsmith’s Gin martini
Sipsmith’s Vodka Martini
Sipsmith’s Gin or Vodka and Fevertree tonic
The Blaggertini (Sipsmith’s vodka, Chegworth Valley Apple and Raspberry juice. Galliano Balsamico)
Cornish Cocktail (Bramley & Gage Quince Liqueur, Chapel Down Sparkling Wine)
Black Velvet (Chapel Down Sparkling Wine and Porter)
Marston’s Pedigree
Innis & Gunn
Fullers London Pride
Daas White
Chapel Down Brut
Chapel Down Porter
Firefly Tonics
Chegworth Valley Apple Juice
Chegworth Valley Apple and Blackberry Juice

Starter:

by Charlie Nelson aka Eat My Nels
Monkfish and beetroot tartare with tomato salsa
(Fish for Thought, Abel & Cole)

Paired with:

Brewery Hill Chardonnay/Viognier 2008 (Naked Wines)
Main Course:
by Neil Rankin aka The War on Cookbooks

Grilled buffalo steaks with bearnaise sauce
(Laverstoke Park)

Spiced winter beef stew
(Donald Russell)

Lamb hotpot
(Donald Russell)

served with a selection of seasonal vegetables from Riverford organic and handmade sourdough bread from St John Restaurant

paired with:

Quinta do Lagoalva 2004 (Casa Leal and Viniportugal)
The Pastor's Blend Journey's End 2007

Dessert:

by Signe Skaimsgard Johansen (yes that would be me)

Golden Chocolate Fondant served with Crème Fraiche
(Trish Deseine, Easy Tasty Magic and Sainsburys So Organic)

Titillating Jellies from Bompas & Parr

Paired with:

Lorca Fantasia Malbec 2008 (Naked Wines)
Castello Romitorio Morellino di Scansano 2007 (The Wineaux)

Cheese:

Barbers 1833 Vintage Cheddar
Brockhall Farm Chive Goats Cheese
Trethowans Dairy Gorwydd Caerphilly
A selection of deliciously fragrant cheese from Pong’s (each table had a different cheese)

Served with Peter’s Yard crispbread and a selection of seasonal fruit from Abel & Cole

Paired with:

Albarino Laga de Bouza 2007 (The Wineaux )

And to finish:

Coffee from Square Mile, with milks from Sainsburys and Brockhall Farm
Lahloo Tea
Chocolate truffle by Lahloo tea and Damian Allsop

We also used ingredients throughout the menu donated by the following:

Abel & Cole – herbs
Billingtons – sugar
Halen Mon – flavoured salts
Hill Farm – extra virgin rapeseed oil
Maldon Salt – salt and pepper
Riverford Organic – assorted vegetables
Sainsburys – all dairy produce except cheeses and goats milk
Silfield Farm – chicken used for stock

A final word of thanks goes to Danny, Charlie and Neil for being so unflappable on the day of the banquet - they made a stellar team and I hope we'll get to work together again on the next Blaggers' Banquet!



Photo at top of page courtesy of FoodbyMark