Black Forest Crumpets

•  Black Forest Fruits
• 1 cup(140g) frozen mixed berries, thawed
• 1/2 cup(60g) frozen sweet cherries, thawed
• 1 tbspsuperfine sugar
• 2 tspkirsch (optional, or sub with regular brandy or another booze)
• 1/2 tsptangerine or orange zest
• 1/2 tspvanilla bean paste
•  ____________________________________
•  Caramelized Crumpets
• 4 tbsp(60g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup(50g) sugar
• 4crumpets or English muffins
•  ____________________________________
•  For Serving
• 5 oz(150g) cooking chocolate (I like to use a mix of milk and dark)
•  whipped cream
•  superfine sugar
• 4cherries, stems on (optional)
•  edible gold dust (absolutely optional and really quite unnecessary)

Preparation

1. 1.

   First make sure to thaw the frozen fruits. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. 2.

   For the crumpets, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Transfer to a medium bowl with the crumpets and mix to coat them completely. Place the crumpets on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp, golden-brown, and caramelized.

3. 3.

   Put the thawed fruits into a bowl with the sugar, kirsch, tangerine zest, and vanilla. Roughly crush the fruits with a potato masher or whisk, then mix well.

4. 4.

   Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted, then let cool so it doesn’t melt the cream.

5. 5.

   Top each crumpet with a quarter of the fruit mix, followed by a large spoonful of whipped cream. Sprinkle the cream with some sugar. Spoon on the chocolate, top with a cherry (and some gold dust if you’re feeling extra), and serve.

6. 6.

   Make ahead:Prepare the Black Forest fruits up to 2 days ahead and keep refrigerated.

7. 7.

   Note:I like to dust these with cocoa powder to offset the sweetness.