SYLVABELLA

I suppose this recipe should come under the heading "Legacy" which Nigella Lawson uses in her book Nigella Bites. For her, "legacy" recipes are those handed down from her mother or grandmother. This recipe, for a very rich chocolate mousse dessert, was not exactly handed down to me by my mother, as I do not have the recipe in any of my "scrapbooks" of recipes, but it definitely brings back memories of my childhood, as it was one of my mother's 'signature' puddings, and I do remember helping her make it. I also recall that it was almost better the day after it was made, when it had spent a night in the fridge and the chocolate (milk and dark) and butter had solidified, and the boudoir fingers were soggy with alcohol.... It's a grand dessert, rich and naughty, and should be reserved for special occasions. I would make it for an alternative Christmas pudding, if I were cooking Christmas dinner (which I am not!).

After a bit of digging on the internet, I found this recipe on a French recipe site. It's the closest I can find to my mum's version. A reader of this blog contacted me to ask if I had a recipe, and now I can say I do! (Please note: this is my translation from the French!)

SYLVABELLA 

75 g dark chocolate  
75 g milk chocolate
20 boudoir fingers, soaked in Tia Maria or Baileys or something similar

2 eggs beaten
120 g caster sugar
50 g coca
300 g butter 

Melt the chocolates and the butter in a bain-marie or on a low setting in the microwave. Do not allow it to bubble or, worse, burn. Mix the eggs, sugar and cocoa together and stir until fully combined. Line a nice bowl or pudding basin with cling-film or foil and arrange the boudoir fingers around the edge. Mix the melted choocolate and butter with the egg, sugar and cocoa mixture and then pour the whole lot into the bowl. Leave the chill in the fridge. Serve with whipped or Chantilly cream. 

Keep refridgerated after serving - as I said, it is good the day after it's made....

Comments

  1. Anonymous12 February 2011 at 13:42

    Oh, this takes me back! Our family used to make this for special occasions like birthdays. I remember creating a very large one for my cousin's 21st (I'd be about 14 at the time). It always went down a storm.

    We used to make it in a large loaf tin and then cut it into slices. Definitely benefits from sitting for 24 hours.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OTTOLENGHI'S YOGHURT SAUCE

Image
This is one of those delicious, easy-to-make accompaniments that once tried you will want to make all the time. It is from one of my favourite recipe books, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook , which is full of interesting and unusual dishes based on the food served in the eponymous cafes in Notting Hill, Kensington and trendy Islington. I haven't actually eaten at an Ottolenghi cafe - yet - but I have walked past the cafe on Ledbury Road, W11 quite a few times. If you have heard of Ottolenghi, it's probably because of the giant meringues which they make and display in the window, great balls of sweetness piled up on elegant glass cake-stands. Yoram Ottolenghi, the owner, is Israeli and the food is most definitely inspired by the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, the kind of food which I love: full of spices, piquant flavours, and fresh herbs like coriander and dill. In the recipe book, this yoghurt sauce should accompany Chickpeas and Spinach with Honeyed Sweet Potato, a vegeta
Read more

MONDAY SUPPER: NORTH AFRICAN LAMB WITH CHILLI, GINGER & CHICKPEAS

Image
This recipe for a warming, fragrant lamb stew, comes from Jamie Oliver's very first cookbook The Naked Chef . He looks incredibly young on the cover, but a quick check of the copyright page confirms that this book was published in 1999, when Jamie was but a lad, and had just burst onto the scene with his first tv series. I remember enjoying it very much: he was refreshingly laid back yet entirely enthusiastic about food and cooking and I loved the simplicity of his recipes. I still do, and regularly return them - because they work. And they are easy to make! I still have a lot of time for Jamie, though I got a bit tired of seeing his gurning face on the Sainsbury's adverts (he seems to have severed his relationship with the supermarket to concentrate on other projects), because I feel he truly believes in what he does, with passionate commitment. And his recipes remaining interesting, tasty and easy to construct. This lamb stew is redolent of a tagine where ingredients a
Read more

BENEDICT BARS

Image
With a definite tinge of autumn in the air now, especially first thing in the morning (there was dew on the grass and mist in the air when I set off for work last Tuesday morning), and in the evening, my culinary thoughts start turning to homely, comforting recipes: cakes and cookies which go well with steaming cups of tea and a toes-up on the sofa. Benedict Bars originate from South Africa,wedges of shortbread with an almond and raspberry jam topping, but I first discovered them in Dorset, at a little artisan bakery called Long Crichel Bakery, which is hidden away down a lane with grass growing up the middle of it, in the village of Long Crichel, near Blandford Forum. You can buy bread and cakes from the bakery, or sample them at Long Crichel Tea Rooms in Wimborne. (for more information visit http://www.longcrichelbakery.co.uk/ ). There a many hidden foodie gems in Dorset - you just have to know where to look for them. Benedict Bars are reminiscent of Bakewell Tart in their combinati
Read more