Liam/Nigel Slater's chocolate espresso cake

Liam/Nigel Slater's chocolate espresso cake

When it comes out of the oven this cake will be moist or even sticky in the center but the top will go crispy after time. I have, in the past- when feeling most chocolaty- tripled this recipe and made a chocolate fridge-cake base for it, meaning that technically it could feed an army of 50. However my family was determined to prove Slater's statistics wrong and it was all eaten within the week!

serves 8

180g dark chocolate

3 teaspoons of very strong coffee

140g butter

5 eggs separated

200g golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

90g of plain flour

1. Preheat oven to 180*c or gas 4



2. Line your tin/s.



3. Melt chocolate.



4. Then add coffee and melted butter to the chocolate.



5. Stir well.



6. In an other dish beat egg whites until stiff then fold the sugar into them.



7. Now, in yet another dish, mix together the rest of the dry stuff.



8. Mix egg yokes with chocolate.



9. Fold chocolate into egg whites.



10. Sift the rest of the dry stuff into what you have made.



11. Stir the mixture tenderly with a large metal spoon and don't knock out the air!



12. Put into your tin and bake for 35 minutes.

I like to cover the cake in fruit and other tasty things but it still tastes good on its own.

hi

Flap's Leeks Vinaigrette

As many people who know him can confirm, leeks are one of Flap's favourite foods to cook. The list also includes Quinces, Pears (especially from the tree in the garden) Swedes and any clear soup that involves boiling leftovers or using 'vegetable juice' (see point 4. below). Leeks vinaigrette is delicious and unusually for one of Flap's dishes, is actually quite elegant.

Leeks vinaigrette is possible only with young, slim leeks. Older, fat ones, when cooked, are too hard to cut with a normal knife and can therefore cause awkward moments - even anger - at the dining table.

Once the skinny baby leeks have been bought, the cooking and serving processes are easy:

1. Remove any outer leaves that are damaged and the loose dark green growths at the top;

2. Snip off the roots end and make all leeks the same length;

3. Boil in salted water - young leeks can take as little as five minutes;

4. Drain thoroughly by standing the leeks upside down in a collander; (I save the water they've been cooked in, as leek juice makes a fine contribution to a soup);

5. Make a vinaigrette of your choice to serve with the leeks when cool;

6. If you're feeling extravagant, cook asparagus sticks separately and serve with the leeks.