Duncan McBain has headed up the kitchen at The Milton Brasserie for the past two years. Here he shares his passions and a sumptuous dessert recipe.

‘I started cooking at home quite early on as my parents worked long hours. This sparked my interest in food and I took a kitchen porter job to learn more. Since then, I’ve worked my way up. I came back here two years ago and got married to Caroline, last year.

‘I love the flexibility of cooking here. Every day is different, it can be anything from soup and sandwiches to fine dining events or afternoon teas. We have a great team at the Milton. We’re all about classic food with a modern twist. Desserts are about giving the whole plate a wow factor to end your meal on a high. I’m always looking for new ideas online and in cook books, but I’m not sure I could live without my 10 year old copy of the Larousse Gastronomique.’

 

Chocolate Fondant, Mini White Chocolate Cookies, Clotted Cream Ice Cream, White Chocolate Shard (Serves 6)

Chocolate Fondant

90g unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks
20g plain flour

50g caster sugar

100g bitter chocolate (70% Cocoa)

Pre-heat Oven to 180oC, butter 6 ramekins and refrigerate. Place the butter and chocolate into a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth and glossy. Remove the bowl and leave to cool.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is pale, thick and tripled in volume. Carefully fold in the chocolate mixture, followed by the flour. Spoon the mixture into the buttered ramekins, dividing equally. Bake the fondants for 8-9 minutes. To unmould, run a thin knife around each pudding and invert it onto a plate.


White Chocolate Chip Cookies Coookies

165g butter

200g sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla essence

190g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

50g oatmeal

250g chopped white chocolate

Pre-heat Oven to 180oC

Beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamed. Add eggs and vanilla essence. Sift together all the dry ingredients and stir in the oatmeal.

Fold the dry mixture into the sugar and butter, then fold in white chocolate. Roll into balls and place on oven tray. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and serve.

 

White Chocolate Shard

200g white chocolate

Break the chocolate into a bowl standing over a pan of simmering water. (Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.)

Melt, then tip onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Leave to set then break into shards.

Plate the fondants, cookies, ice cream and shards and enjoy!