Cassandra Samuels is my final guest in the Virtual Kitchen series and she’s brought a bowl of chocolate mousse with her, a fitting end to the fictional feast. Cassandra writes Regency romance and her first book, A Scandalous Wager was published by Escape on November 7.

What are your memories of your mothers cooking as a child?

Mum was a pretty good cook but not very adventurous. She really enjoyed it when my sisters and I started trying our hand at cooking and introduced new meals.

What was your favourite dish as a child?

Like most kids it was spaghetti for a long time but I always liked pancake night the best. My father is Dutch and I don’t know if this is a European thing or not but we always rolled them up and then cut them into bite-sized bits to eat. I’d never had a pancake with lemon and sugar until I met my English born husband.

Do you like to cook?

I love my slow cooker. When you are a busy with the day job, being a mother and trying to write a book, the humble slow cooker quickly becomes your most trusted kitchen appliance.

What are some of your favourite books about food?

I write Regency Historicals so Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management is a Victorian guide that has been an eye opener into how food was thought about at that time. Not only about how to make food but how to serve it and present it.

Is the food in your stories important?



It isn’t central to the story but they do eat. Aunt Petunia in my debut book is quite partial to a sandwich or two.

Your favourite snack?

If I am being good it is usually a nice nut mix, if I am not being good it is usually chocolate – any type of chocolate 

What’s your latest book?

My debut novel is called A Scandalous Wager and will be available for download from Amazon and other good e-book retailers on November 8th, 2014 through Escape Publishing.

What do you love most about this book?

I had so much fun writing this book. Lisbeth and Oliver are both very strong people who have had a lot of hard times between them. I enjoyed helping them through their journey so they could find a home for their wayward hearts – in each other.

Share one of your favourite recipes – anything you like, cake, martini, Peking Duck, cheese on toast …

Easy-peasy Chocolate Mousse.

All you need is:

1 egg

600mls of thickened cream

1 packet of Cadbury dark chocolate buds (you could also use milk if you like a milder flavour)

Firstly put the chocolate buds into a blender and add just the yoke of the egg.

In another bowl wisk the egg white until it forms soft peaks.

Warm the cream on the stove until hot (don’t boil) stirring the whole time.

Then add the warm cream to the blender with chocolate and egg and blend. The hot cream should melt the chocolate.

Then add a little of the chocolate mixture to the egg white and fold gradually adding more of the chocolate mixture until it is all blended.

Separate into nice glass cups for serving and chill for a few hours.