Prep time:

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 6

50g Butter

50g Caster Sugar

50g Golden Syrup

50g Flour

½tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Brandy

1/2 A Lemon Zest, finely grated

5 or 6 Cardamom Pods, slightly crushed

100ml Milk

250g White Chocolate

300ml Double Cream

3 Egg Whites

Lucinda has been a lifelong devotee of divine food – having trained in Switzerland and then in London with Anton Mosimann – and the café will offer the very tastiest daytime treasures from coffee and cake, to lovely lunches and teatime treats.

For the brandy snaps:

  1. In a small pan melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup
  2. Mix in the flour, ginger, brandy and lemon zest until well incorporate. Chill until ready to use.
  3. When ready to make, heat the oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Have 1 or 2 wooden spoons ready for shaping the brandy snaps.
  4. Place a couple of balls the size of a chocolate truffle on the baking sheet. Bake in oven until bubbly and golden in colour. Be careful not to burn as it can do so quite fast.
  5. Remove from oven and, with a metal spatula, gently take one of the snaps and roll onto the wooden spoon handle until set. You have to work whilst they are hot as they set very fast. Be careful not to get burnt!
  6. Repeat until you have made enough cigars.

For the white chocolate mousse:

  1. Place milk and cardamom pods in a small saucepan and heat gently until warm. Turn off the heat and leave the milk to infuse.
  2. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over and simmering pan of water.
  3. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Be careful not to over mix.
  4. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
  5. Sieve the milk over the chocolate and mix until incorporated.
  6. Fold chocolate mixture gently into egg whites, and then fold into the double cream. Chill until set.
  7. When ready to serve, spoon the mousse into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle with a 1cm hole. You can use a star-shaped nozzle if you wish. Pipe into the cigars until filled.
  8. Serve with fresh berries or a compote of your choice.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

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