Coq Au Vin Blanc - A lighter, modern version of the classic
Ingredients (serves four)
25g butter
1 chicken, jointed
200g cubed bacon
10 shallots or small pickling onions, peeled
200g mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp flour
300ml white wine (or red if you prefer a richer taste)
500ml chicken stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme

- preheat oven to 200C. Melt butter in a large, heavy based casserole dish. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, until golden, then turn and cook for a further two minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Tip fat out and return pan to heat. Add bacon and shallots and stir fry for 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic and flour. Cook for two minutes then add wine stock and thyme. Bring to the boil. Add chicken, cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Dessert

Chocolate Dessert with fresh cream

Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh cream
1 tin of condensed milk
1 cup of boiling water mixed with 4 teaspoons of gelatin (let cool)

Method
Beat the fresh cream until stiff, then add beaten condensed milk and lastly add the gelatin mix. Place in mould and refrigerate.

For the Chocolate sauce
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 teaspoons of maisena flour
1 glass of milk
1 tot glass of port wine

Method:
In a small pan, place all the ingredients and stir until it thickens. Pass through a sieve.
Remove the dessert from the mould, turning it upside down into a dish large enough to take the sauce topping. Pour the sauce over the pudding and serve.

Floating Clouds
Ingredients:

For the clouds
6 egg-whites
4 tablespoons of white sugar

For the sauce
5 egg yolks
1 tin of condensed milk
2 tins of full cream milk
1 vanilla pod
ground cinnamon

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then add the sugar and continue to beat until the sugar is well dissolved into the beaten egg whites
in a pan, boil some water then add spoonfulls of the egg white mixture, allow to cook for about a minute, then turn and allow to cook for a further minute, then remove and drain.

Prepare the sauce. Beat the yolks with the condensed milk, until creamy. Boil the milk with the vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence. Add the egg yolks stirring all the time. take again to the stove in a bain-marie to cook slowly until the sauce thickens to a velvety consistency.
Place the clouds in a serving dish and pour the sauce over them. Allow to cool completely then place in refrigerator. Sprinkle cinnamon over them at the time of serving. Serve chilled.