Oranges au caramel, Petits pots de chocolat.

Fresh and easy for these in-between times.

Photo: Sarah Crosetti for MFCH magazine. Recipes + styling by me

Caramelised oranges

Photo: Sarah Crosetti for MFCH magazine. Recipes + styling by me

Great to prep and keep in the fridge. A festive yet refreshing dessert, and very good with the rich chocolate pots. You could also make a smaller amount of caramel just before serving and spin and pull it into threads (careful !) to decorate the top of the fruit.

For 8

20 minutes preparation

2 hours chilling

6 medium oranges

½ lemon

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 -3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel the oranges raw. Cut them into thin slices and arrange them on a platter. Sprinkle them with brown sugar and the cinnamon. (Mix them together to make the sprinkling more even).

Film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Put the sugar in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook without stirring until an amber caramel forms. Drizzle it over the very cold orange salad: the caramel will harden immediately.

Serve, or you can refrigerate again for up to an 1 hour. The caramel partially melts in the juice released by the oranges, but will leave small bits of crunchy caramel here and there.

Chocolate pots

Photo: Sarah Crosetti for MFCH magazine. Recipes + styling by me

Supremely easy and decadent, serve these with some good double cream on the side. You could also lace the pots with whisky, rum or Grand Marnier if you feel like it. Choose the best chocolate you can find and serve with little Amaretti biscuits.

For 8

20 minutes preparation

2 hours chilling

500g/18 oz excellent dark chocolate

300g/10 ½ oz heavy/double cream

3 egg yolks

25g/ 2oz salted butter, softened

Heat the cream until it is barely at a simmer. Break the chocolate into pieces, remove the cream from the heat and drop in the chocolate. Leave it for a few minutes before stirring and melting it into the cream. Pour in the liqueur now if you are using and mix through gently.

Beat the eggs very lightly, just to break them up and add to the chocolate ganache.

While the mixture is still warm, stir through the butter to give it all a beautiful sheen. Pour into little pots and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.