Monsieur Bon Bon's Secret Fooj

This is very different from my grandmother's Chocolate Fudge recipe but is equally delicious and easier to make. The golden syrup adds a bit of texture and gives it a lovely glossy finish.

This recipe is credited to Ian Fleming, author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car but perhaps better known as the creator of James Bond 007.

As a child, my brother was the proud recipient of the three volumes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and this recipe is included at the back of Vol. 3. In the story, Madame Bon Bon gives the recipe of her world famous fudge to the Potts children as a reward for helping to prevent a burglary at their Parisian chocolate shop. Here it is, carefully written out by my grandmother on a scrap of paper. Enjoy!

450g granulated sugar

1 small tin of condensed milk (about 400g)

110g butter

1 tbsp water

4 tbsp dark chocolate (40g)

1 tbsp golden syrup

Butter a square tin (about 20cm)

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Melt slowly over a low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and is absolutely smooth. Then turn up the heat and boil very quickly (stirring occasionally) until it forms a soft ball when a sample is dropped into cold water. This takes about five minutes.

Remove from the heat and beat well with a wooden spoon.

Pour the mixture into a flat greased tin and when slightly cooled, mark into squares. Leave to set.

When cold, DEVOUR!

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Blackberry and Apple Pudding

A simple tray bake using autumn fruits to create a warming pudding. If you've been blackberry picking and have some windfall apples to use up, so much the better.

This is a pudding version of the Dorset Apple Cake recipe with the addition of blackberries and a crunchy sugary topping.

This is from my mother's recipe book with instructions for baking it in an Aga cooker. I have adapted it for an electric oven and omitted the pecans. I also served it with whipped cream, as it was easier and there were no instructions for making the recommended sauce!

75g unsalted butter, softened

225g golden caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

150g self raising flour, sieved

½ tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced (I used Bramley apples)

150g blackberries

Extra caster sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 160ºC.

Lightly grease and line a small roasting tin or dish, approximately 35cm x 23cm x 5cm.

Sieve the flour and mix in the nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between the two. Then add the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix everything together. Lastly, fold in the chopped apples and two-thirds of the blackberries.

Pour into the prepared tin and level out. Sprinkle over the remaining blackberries and some caster sugar and put in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Also good with custard!

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Chocolate Marquise

Sounds posh and it is posh! But it's so easy to make and has a definite wow factor! A rich mousse-like chocolate dessert that requires no baking. Made in a loaf tin, it is refrigerated overnight and served in slices with your choice of fresh fruit.

225g dark chocolate

100g unsalted butter

175g icing sugar

3 eggs

½ tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp boiling water

Line a loaf tin with cling film.

Sieve the icing sugar. Separate the eggs.

Break the chocolate into a small bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Melt and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar until pale. Add the egg yolks one at a time, followed by the coffee, and then the melted chocolate. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold one third into the chocolate mixture to lighten it (I used a metal spoon for this), then fold in the remainder making sure you combine everything together. Pour it into your lined loaf tin and spread out evenly. Put it into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Sauce

150ml water

100g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

Put the water and sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Take it off the heat and allow to cool before putting it into the fridge to chill overnight.

The next day, lift the marquise from the loaf tin and invert onto a plate. Discard the cling film. Leave to stand for about half an hour and then cut into slices. Dip your knife in hot water to make slicing easier. Serve with a spoonful or two of the chocolate sauce.

The printed recipe shown here, found in my mother's book, serves this with glazed apricots steeped in rum which sounds wonderful. I just added a few strawberries for a bit of colour and to cut through the rich chocolate.

I also used a 900g (2lb) loaf tin which made the marquise quite shallow. I didn't mind this as it gave a smaller portion size which will suit some for this rich chocolate dessert.

If you want a larger and deeper slice, use a 450g (1lb) loaf tin.

Enjoy!