In these days of the virus it is best not to ask your neighbour if you can borrow a cup of sugar. They might give it to you and still not give you the sugar. But you can count on Nexus to give you that sweet stuff by the boatload. We’re good like that.

Lolly Cake

Ingredients

  • 250g malt biscuits
  • 190g eskimo style lollies
  • 100g butter, melted
  • 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • ½  – 3/4 cup desiccated coconut

Method

Crush or process the biscuits to fine crumbs and place in a mixing bowl.

Cut the Eskimo lollies into thirds and add to the bowl, along with the melted butter and condensed milk. Mix as best you can, then turn onto a clean board or sheet of baking paper and form into a log.

Roll the log in coconut, and refrigerate for several hours until firm. Serve in slices.

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

  • 500ml whipping cream
  • 250g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Add in the chocolate, and stir with a wire whisk until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and well combined. Stir in vanilla.

Taste the mixture, and if the chocolate is a little too bitter you can add caster or icing sugar until it’s as sweet as you want it.

Pour mix into a large heatproof bowl or jug, and leave to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until very well chilled. 

Whip the chocolate cream with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. It won’t take very long. Pipe or spoon into glasses or small bowls. You can serve it immediately or store in the fridge for several days.

For best results, use a good quality chocolate with 50% – 60% cocoa solids. It’s easy to split the mix – the first is over-whipping. If you whip the mixture for too long, the same thing will happen that would happen if you whipped plain cream for ages – you’ll make butter. So make sure you just whip the mixture until peaks form. The other thing that causes the dreaded splitting – not chilling the mixture long enough.

French Toast

Ingredients

  • 2  eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • ½  French loaf, sliced on an angle 
  • 4 rashers  bacon
  • 2  bananas, sliced
  • Maple syrup

Method

Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla essence and sugar in a shallow container big enough to dip the bread in. 

Heat a frying pan with a little butter or oil. 

Dip slices of bread into milk mixture, giving them a few minutes to absorb the egg without going soggy. Quickly remove from mixture and drain off any excess. 

Place in the frying pan and cook on each side until golden. Keep warm. 

Fry or grill the bacon and bananas on high heat until cooked and golden. 

Serve French toast topped with bacon, banana and maple syrup.