Head chef Ellis Manchee has for the past eight years been learning his craft working alongside owner and executive chef Darren Bennett. ‘Darren is a good teacher and now leaves me to get on with it,’ says Ellis. His favourite dishes to prepare are either the lobster or pork belly, which is currently their most popular, marinated in garlic and sea salt overnight then cooked slowly in pineapple and star anise. Here Ellis shares the recipe for one of the most popular desserts on the Magic Mushroom menu.
Ingredients
Serves 10
For the Terrine
600g of dark chocolate
225g of double cream
325g of butter
6 egg yolks
85g of castor sugar
For the candied orange
2 oranges
100g of castor sugar
For the orange caramel fudge
200g of condensed milk
100g of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of clucose
50g of golden syrup
65g of butter (chopped)
90g of white chocolate
Zest from two oranges
Method
To prepare the terrine, melt the chocolate in a bowl over boiling water (bain marie), put the cream into a pan and bring to the boil. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then add the egg yolks and mix together. Add the melted chocolate into the cream and then add to the mixing bowl and stir well. Line a terrine mould with cling film and pour in the mixture. Place in the fridge for 24 hours to set.
To prepare the candied orange, peel two oranges, cut the peel into thin strips (julienne), place the peel into a pan and bring to the boil. When the peel boils, remove from heat and refresh under cold water. Do this three times. Place the peel back in pan, cover with water and add 100g of castor sugar, place on the heat and reduce by half until sticky in consistency.
To prepare the orange caramel fudge, line a baking tin with parchment paper. Place the condensed milk, brown sugar, glucose, golden syrup and butter in a pan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, but do not let the mixture boil. The mixture should look glossy. Increase the heat to medium and simmer. Stir constantly for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate and orange zest. Pour into a tray and smooth over. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for six hours.
Serve your guests with a slice of terrine, topped with caramel fudge pieces and candied orange for a truly special end to your dinner party.
Get the taste
The Magic Mushroom Restaurant
Barleylands Road
Billericay
CM11 2UD
01268 289963
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