Lorraine Pascale - Catwalk to Cupcake

Lorraine Pascale was born on May 11, 1973 and brought up in Oxfordshire. She was spotted by a modeling scout at age 16, and through the 1990s, she modeled for many famous designers, including Chanel, Lagerfeld, Versace, Benetton and Donna Karan. Knowing that models have a limited careert, and that there were other things that interested her, she enrolled on various courses to find out what she really enjoyed. When she took a cookery course at Leith's it all clicked into place. She completed Leith's Diploma of Food and Wine, then a two year foundation degree in International Culinary Arts in Pastry and worked in many world-renowned kitchens including Gilgamesh, Petrus, The Mandarin Oriental, and The Wolseley.

\Bak"ing\, n.

1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and hardening by heat or cold. [1913 Webster]

Baked Goods for Sale in San Juan Photographic Print
Melford, Michael
16 in. x 12 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

30 mins to 1 hour preparation time ~ 10 to 30 mins cooking time ~ Makes 16

Equipment and preparation: You will need a 20cm/8in square baking tin.

Ingredients
165g/5½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
200g/7oz dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped
3 free-range eggs
2 free-range egg yolks
1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or alternatively 2 tsp vanilla extract)
165g/5½ oz soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch salt
154g/5½oz pack chocolate biscuits, such as Oreos, broken into quarters
icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 6. Grease a 20cm/8in square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.

2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated (or chopped) chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 25-second blasts, stirring well each time.

3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.

4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.

5. Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar.

Baking Still Life with Sweet and Savory Specialities Photographic Print
12 in. x 16 in.
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Lorraine's new series, Home Cooking Made Easy, will be broadcast on BBC2 from September 26, 2011

'Home Cooking Made Easy'
On: BBC 2
Monday 26th September 2011
Time: 20:30 to 21:00 (30 minutes long)

Episode 1. Comfort
First a roasted butternut squash soup with chilli and ginger. Then there's cracked black pepper pasta. Two chocolate treats follow on - chocolate marshmallow brown sugar fudge and peppermint creams sugar rush. Plus Asian chilli jam. For dinner is five-spice baked ribs with a sticky honey sesame sauce. Dessert is Swiss roll bowl cake.

Episode 2. Favourites
First a prosciutto and brie toastie. Then chocolate digestive cheesecake with white icing - no cooking! Next, a balsamic pear salad with pancetta, gorgonzola and a warm honey dressing, plus chutney with apple, blackberries and cinnamon. Then Sunday lunch: slow roast pork shoulder with garlic roast vegetables and gravy.

Episode 3. Entertaining
First, Lorraine's perfect casual nibbles: herbed baked Scotch eggs, then goat's cheese truffles, through to mini versions of Beef Wellington. Then, the simplest 21st-century bread - no kneading and rising. Next is a Spanish paella with sherry, chorizo and prawns. For a flaming finale, Lorraine's My Big Fat Tipsy Trifle - flambeed.

Episode 4. Simple
The final episode is about simple recipes to knock people's socks off. First up are two great canapes: 'sausage roll's big night out' and bacon and mature cheddar cheese twisties. Next, Spanish Rioja braised lamb shanks with chorizo and garlic, served with fast-baked mashed potato. Then, Pain d'Epi, a stylish wheat stalk shaped bread. Next, a fabulous graffiti cake. It looks incredible, it's easy - and there's even a lollipop thrown in.