Birthday

Meal Plan Occasions 1: Special Occasions

Occasion 5 · Birthday

Today at a glance. A birthday meal for 4 people: everybody builds their own burger at the table, then you bring out a rich chocolate cake with candles. The cake makes 8 slices, so you will have leftovers. It is best to bake the sponges the day before. Quantities are for the whole table, in metric with UK names.

Main meal

Main meal · Serves 4 · Beef

Build-Your-Own Burger Night with Wedges and Slaw

Prep: 30 minutesCooking: about 40 minutesAbout 45 minutes of hands-on workServes 4

Ingredients (4 portions)

  • 600 g beef mince, 12 to 15% fat (the fat keeps burgers juicy)
  • 4 burger buns (brioche or seeded)
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese slices
  • 8 rashers streaky or back bacon
  • 1 little gem or iceberg lettuce, leaves separated
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin rings
  • 8 sliced pickled gherkins
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise, for the burger sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, for the burger sauce
  • 1 tsp mustard, for the burger sauce
  • 1 kg potatoes (such as Maris Piper), unpeeled and cut into wedges
  • 3 tbsp sunflower or olive oil, for the wedges
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 250 g white cabbage, finely shredded
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise, for the slaw
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice, for the slaw
  • 1 tbsp oil, for frying the burgers
Make it ahead
Shape the burgers up to 24 hours ahead. Put them on a plate with baking paper between them, cover them and keep them on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Make the slaw and the burger sauce in the morning and keep them in the fridge too. Cut the wedges and keep them in a bowl of cold water, then drain and dry them well.

Method

  1. The wedges: heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Dry the potato wedges very well with a tea towel. Toss them on a large baking tray with the 3 tbsp of oil, the paprika and a little salt, and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
  2. The burgers: divide the mince into 4 equal balls (about 150 g each). Flatten each into a patty about 2 cm thick and 10 cm wide, pressing a shallow dent in the centre with your thumb, which stops them puffing up into balls. Season both sides with salt and pepper just before cooking.
  3. The slaw: mix the cabbage, carrots, 3 tbsp of mayonnaise and the lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
  4. The sauce: stir the 4 tbsp of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard together in a small bowl.
  5. The bacon: heat the grill to high. Lay the bacon on a grill tray and grill for 4 minutes on each side, until crisp. Keep it warm.
  6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until very hot. Cook the burgers for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, pressing down only once at the start. For the last minute of cooking, lay a slice of cheese on each, and add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid to melt it.
  7. While the burgers rest for 2 minutes, split the buns and toast them, cut side down, in the pan or under the grill for 1 minute.
  8. Put everything on the table and let each person build their own: bun, sauce, lettuce, tomato, burger, bacon, onion rings and gherkins, with the wedges and slaw alongside.
Burgers must be cooked all the way through
Mince burgers must be cooked right through, with no pink in the middle and the juices running clear (at least 75°C). Never serve a rare burger. Wash your hands, the board and the plate after handling raw mince. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days.

Swaps

Chicken or lamb mince in place of the beef. Sweet potato wedges. Blue cheese or a fried egg on top. Halloumi or a big portobello mushroom for a vegetarian burger.

Shopping list for this recipe

Dessert

Dessert · Serves 8

Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake

Prep: 30 minutesOven: 25 minutes, plus cooling and chillingAbout 45 minutes of hands-on workServes 8 (so there is plenty left over)

Ingredients (8 portions)

  • 175 g soft butter (out of the fridge for 1 hour), plus a little for the tins
  • 175 g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 g self-raising flour
  • 25 g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 g dark chocolate (about 50 to 70% cocoa), chopped, for the ganache
  • 250 ml double cream
  • 3 tbsp raspberry or cherry jam, for the middle
  • 1 pack birthday candles
Make it ahead
Bake the sponges the day before, wrap them in cling film and keep them at room temperature. Make the ganache and fill and top the cake on the day, or the evening before and keep it in a cool place (not the fridge). It is best eaten within 3 days.

Method

  1. The sponges: heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease two 18 cm sandwich tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.
  2. Beat the 175 g of butter and the sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk (or a wooden spoon and some effort) for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each egg so the mixture does not curdle. Sift in the rest of the flour, the cocoa and the baking powder, and fold gently with a metal spoon. Fold in the milk and vanilla to give a soft dropping consistency.
  4. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the sponges are risen and spring back when pressed, and a skewer comes out clean. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely, which takes about 1 hour.
  5. The ganache: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small pan until it is just steaming and starting to bubble at the edges (do not let it boil hard). Pour it over the chocolate, leave for 2 minutes, then stir until completely smooth and glossy. Leave it at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring now and then, until it thickens like thick custard. Do not put it in the fridge.
  6. Putting it together: put one sponge on a plate, spread it with the jam, then 4 tbsp of the ganache. Put the second sponge on top, flat side up.
  7. Pour the rest of the ganache over the top, spread it over the top and sides with a palette knife or the back of a spoon, and swirl it for a rustic finish. Let it set for 30 minutes.
  8. Press in the candles, light them, sing, and cut into 8 slices.
Cake that is not quite right
If the ganache is too runny, leave it longer. If it is too stiff, warm it over a pan of hot water for 10 seconds. If the sponges sink in the middle, the oven door was opened too early. Piled with ganache, nobody will notice.
Eggs and storing
Cooked cakes with a cream-based ganache can be kept at a cool room temperature for 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days (bring it out 1 hour before serving).

Swaps

Fresh raspberries on top. Whipped cream in the middle. Orange zest in the sponge. Chopped hazelnuts pressed into the sides.

Shopping list for this recipe
Coming up next
Occasion 6 is Christmas Day, written for one person: a T-bone steak with proper chips and peppercorn sauce, followed by a sticky toffee pudding for one.