BAVAROIS AU CHOCOLAT

The Queen doesn’t eat many sweets but is partial to chocolate and as children she and Princess Margaret were fond of crisp chocolate peppermint creams. This chocolate cream dessert – a favourite with the Royal Family – was created by Juste Alphonse Menager, royal chef during the final years of Queen Victoria’s reign and for her son Edward VII.

Serves 12-14

225g (½lb) sugar

1.2ltr (2pt) milk

8 egg yolks

115g (¼lb) grated cooking chocolate, plus extra for decoration 600ml (1pt) whipped cream, plus extra for decoration

6 sheets/leaves of gelatine or 6 dessertspoons of powdered or granulated gelatine

Place the sugar, milk, egg yolks and grated chocolate in a pan and simmer, stirring (do not allow to boil), until it thickens like custard. Cool, and when it is cold stir in the whipped cream and gelatine. Pour into moulds and chill to set, which could take a few hours. When set, turn the moulds out onto a dish or into bowls. Decorate with the extra whipped cream and grated chocolate. In Victoria’s day, they were served in individual glass dishes with petits fours cakes.

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Queen Victoria dines with her family