The Fabulous Baker Brothers Recipe For Sticky Sticks With Chocolate Sauce

Hot, sticky doughnut fingers with hot chocolate sauce fresh from The Fabulous Baker Brothers' kitchen          Makes 10

I love food programmes and I have a new favourite. Channel 4 have two new cooking stars with the new programme called The Fabulous Baker Brothers. 

The Fabulous Baker Brothers stars brothers Tom, a baker, and Henry, a chef who runs the local butcher's shop next door. With five generations of baking tradition behind them, Tom and Henry take viewers into the heat of the artisan kitchen and unlock the trade secrets of baking, which have been honed through years of practice and passion.
The series is packed with hearty recipes and interesting twists as each episode the boys roll up their sleeves and take viewers through their delicious recipes. But it's not just about bread and pastry, as each dish has hearty fillings, tempting toppings and tasty accompaniments that bring in stacks of delicious flavours.

Here is the recipe for Sticky Sticks With Chocolate Sauce  from the very first episode which can be watched on 4od. Click HERE to view it ( opens in a new window)

Now for the recipe which is so simple and so delicious that your kids (and the rest of your family and friends) will love and ask for again and again.

Ingredients

• 400g water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 130g self-raising flour
• 130g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 20g granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Zest of 1 orange
• Plenty of caster sugar, for rolling

For the chocolate and stout dunking sauce

• 100g dark chocolate
• 2 tsp sugar
• 50ml double cream
• 50ml stout
• Small knob butter
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. In a pan, bring the water and oil to the boil. Mix the flours, salt and 20g sugar in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot water mixture. Using a fork quickly mix the water in. You should have a stiff sticky dough, but don't overwork it.
   
2. Heat the vegetable oil to 170°C in a fryer or heavy-based saucepan. Quickly with light hands roll the dough into longish sticks. Place a few at a time into the fryer. They should take about 3-5 minutes to cook until they are golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
   
3. Lift out of the oil, drain on kitchen paper. In a tray mix the orange zest with a good amount of caster sugar, then toss with the hot doughnuts to coat.
   
4. For the sauce, place the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently. Stir until the butter and chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy. Don't heat too much as the chocolate and cream will split. If you don't fancy stout then milk is an acceptable alternative.
   
5. While the sauce is still warm dip the sticky sticks and devour.
   

Cook's tip: CAUTION – Resist the temptation to eat the sticky sticks right away as the they will burn your mouth. Wait at least 30 seconds after they've been cooked and rolled in the sugar.

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My Nana's Crème Caramel Recipe

As a boy, every now and then, my Nana Helen ( God rest her soul) used to make these creme caramels as a treat and I have loved these ever since! They are not that difficult to make but they are fantastic to eat! Give it a go and you will never look back. Your own home made creme caramels are ten times better than pre-made supermarket ones.

Ingredients

2 eggs, medium size
3  egg yolks, medium size
2 tbsp water
125g / 4oz caster sugar
500ml / 1 pint whole  milk
125g / 4oz caster sugar
½ vanilla pod halved lengthways, the seeds scraped (or 4 drops of high quality vanilla essence)


Method

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/325F/Gas Mark 3.
Over a medium heat, bring the water and sugar to the boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes to a rich brown caramel colour, remove the hot saucepan from the heat and strain into 4  ramekin moulds, (5cm deep x 8cm).  Reserve the moulds in a deep ovenproof baking tray.
Mix the milk and the vanilla and bring to simmering point for 3-4 minutes to allow the vanilla to infuse. In a mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks with the sugar.  Slowly whisk in the milk. Strain the mixture into the caramel moulds.
Place the tray in the pre-heated oven.  Pour boiling water into the tray so that the water level reaches the same depth as the crème mix inside the moulds. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool down and then refrigerate for 2 hours.  This dessert can be prepared one day in advance.
To release the crème caramel from the mould, press the blade of a knife against the mould in-between the crème caramel and take it around in a full circle, then turn it upside down onto the serving plate (you can also serve it in the mould in which it has been cooked.)

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