Ingredients

Serves 8

For the puddings
350g dried bread crumbs
300g dark cooking chocolate
1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup castor sugar
12 eggs separated
1 tablespoon peppermint chips
Pinch cream tartar

For the English custard
500ml milk
½ vanilla pod, sliced in half
75g sugar
5 egg yolks

For the Sweet Chocolate Fettuccine
100g unsalted butter, softened
150g pure icing sugar
125g plain flour
20g dark cocoa powder
100g egg whites

Method

For the Puddings
Pre-heat oven to 170ºC. With extra butter and sugar, grease 8 dariole moulds and line with extra sugar.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

Cream the butter and three quarters of the sugar (reserving the other ¼ for the meringue), beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Stir in the chocolate and bread crumbs

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peak, add the sugar and continue whisking until firm peaks form.

Add a ¼ of the meringue to the pudding mix working in thoroughly. Add the remaining meringue and the peppermint chips and fold through until well combined.

Spoon into the prepared moulds, place in a baking dish and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the

For the English Custart
Place the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat and let the vanilla infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and scrape out the black seeds into the milk.

In a bowl stir the egg yolks and sugar together. Slowly add the milk stirring all the time. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and return to e medium heat.
Stir the custard continuously until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow the custard to boil or it will curdle.

Once thick, pour back into the bowl and cool completely before refrigerating.

For the Sweet Chocolate Fettucine

Pre-heat oven to 170ºC.

In a bowl beat together the softened butter and sugar.

Sift together the flour and cocoa; add to the butter mixture.
Slowly mix in the egg whites (not beaten).

On silicon baking paper or a silicon pastry mat spread some of the mixture onto the mat in a thin layer (about 1-2mm), place in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes.

Remove from oven and before it cools and sets cut into narrow strips resembling fettuccine ? whilst still warm, quickly pick up the strips and loosely roll into a ball to resemble a ball of fettuccine, dust lightly with icing sugar.