Chocolate Brownie.....the dark, rich and easy one....

I have recently embarked upon an indulgent mission to find the perfect chocolate brownie recipe. I started with the previously posted, double layer chocolate brownies. Yummy, but not quite perfect.

I have now decided to start from basic and build-up to perfection! Hence this easy recipe which produces great brownies, quickly! Importantly for me, they have good dose of nuts to add texture and produce the cracked top that all the best brownies should wear.

The flavour is greatly enhanced by the quality of your cocoa powder, so use the best you have. I prefer to use Green and Blacks cocoa powder, which you can get from most supermarkets. Incidentally, they have some lovely recipes on their website if you're a chocolate lover, including:

• White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake
• French Truffles
• Rich Chocolate Pots

I'm yet to try, but when I do, you'll know!


Easy Chocolate Brownies (makes about 20)

Ingredients

• 350g butter
• 140g cocoa powder
• 6 eggs
• 675g caster sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 3tsp vanilla essence
• 100g chopped walnuts

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c/GM 4

Step 2: Line a deep baking tray (about 20cm x 30cm) with greaseproof paper

Step 3: Melt the butter and cocoa in a saucepan

Step 4: Whisk the eggs and then whisk in the sugar, flour and vanilla

Step 5: Add the cocoa mixture and nuts to the eggs. Fold through to combine.

Step 6: Pour into your tin and bake for 45 minutes or until springy to the touch (don't overcook or you'll loose the dense but soft centre)

Step 7: Cut into squares while warm (leave to cool for about 15 minutes first) and serve


Top Tips

• These last several days in the fridge if sealed in an airtight container

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Berry Nice Low Fat Vanilla Panna Cotta

There are times with puddings when you throw any attempts at low-fat out of the window and revel in the sheer naughtiness of what you're eating (my Chocolate Pavlova Supernova is a case in point). Any attempt to swap devilish ingredients for those slightly less hip-scaringly bad would ruin the whole essence of what these dishes are about.

However, there are also times when calorie-consciousness creeps through and, as much as you may want a creamy dessert or sweet, soft cake the guilt factor is too high and they are resisted.

This dessert is perfect for those times (also good for dinner parties which may have featured a heavy main course or a hot summers day). It's light, creamy, fruity and refreshing all at once. Additionally, it's easy to make and low-fat, substituting double cream (a usual feature in a panna cotta recipe), for the far more angelic natural yoghurt. How many reasons do you need to try it out?!

I don't think you need to advertise this as low-fat, because it still manages to taste like a treat and therefore passes the man test where other low-fat, tasteless dishes may give rise to scorn and disdain.

You could easily adjust the compote too to reflect seasonal fruit. A spiced plum compote would be great for Autumn and a cranberry compote super for Christmas.

Berry Nice Vanilla Panna Cotta

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 sheets gelatine
• 420g low-fat natural yoghurt
• 300g frozen berries
• 40g icing sugar

Step 1: Place the sheets of gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften


Step 2: Combine water, gelatine and honey in a heatproof jug. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add both to the jug.

Step 3: Stand jug in a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatine dissolves. Remove jug from water and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Discarding pod when cool.

Step 4: Combine honey mixture and yoghurt in a bowl and then pour into 4 125ml moulds (I used ramekins). Cover and place in fridge for 3 hours/overnight

                                                   

                                                    

Step 5: Combine berries and icing sugar in a saucepan and heat on a low heat for about 5 minutes. Only stir occasionally to ensure fruit keeps its shape. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until required.

Step 6: Remove from mould (see top tips) and serve with berry compote

Top Tips

• To easily remove the panna cotta from the mould either wipe round the outside of the mould with a very hot cloth (if using metal moulds). Or, if using porcelain moulds, stand briefly in a bowl of hot water to loosen the panna cotta from the sides
• When it’s loosened, place your serving plate on top and flip over so the panna cotta drops out in the centre of your dish
• Don’t rush the removing part or you hard work will be ruined!

Hope you enjoy,
Helen x

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Chocolate Pavlova Supernova...

Pavlova is a bit of a retro dessert that wont go away. Whilst banana splits and peach melba have been set-aside for future reinvention, unworthy of the dinner table in their age old form, the pavlova has always managed to keep itself en courant.  With toppings, meringue flavours and scented creams to vary, you can take the basic components and create something different and wonderous each time. I was thinking that pavlova is the Madonna of the dessert world....old but attractive, constantly reinvented and a bit of an attention seeker...anyway, I digress...

Created in the 1920s and named after the famed ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, it's billowing white case, topped with thick cream and tart berries is a welcome sight to behold. Also, if you are sparing with the cream (but where's the fun in that?!), it's quite a low fat dessert option. Justification, if you ever required it, to indulge.

This recipe started with the name. Driving along, I thought of Pavlova Supernova and decided I needed to create a Pavlova worthy of such a title. I needed to veer away from the traditional and develop something special. As I would be taking my creation to a chocolate-lovers household, I knew I needed to start there.

Challenge 1 solved - Chocolate meringue base

Then I needed to think through the cream. Options, options...hazelnut cream for a nutty, toblerone inspired cake? Maybe coffee cream with amaretto stirred through for a tiramisu-flavoured pavlova....No, this needed to be sweeter and naughtier. This was not about sophistication but pure, indulgent, calorific pleasure..

Challenge 2 solved - Caramel cream filling

Finally, the topping. No healthy berries for me, something else was required here. Shards of caramel scattered over the top? Maybe crushed peanut brittle spiced with cumin? Crushed, chocolate cookies heaped over the cream., hmmmm, not quite right, and then......

Challenge 3 solved - Crushed Crunchie and Maltesers topping

So, there it was. The three components of my Pavlova Supernova, ready to be created and shared! This recipe is definitely worthy of it's grand title and I think it's suitable evolution of the Pavlova. It's really not hard to make, but it is hard to stop eating (forget calorie counting with this one!). An explosion of chocolate, crispy, creamy naughtiness, coming your way...

Pavlova Supernova

Chocolate Meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 200g caster sugar
• 20g cocoa powder, sieved
• 2 tsp cider/white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour

Cream

•  1 tin of carnation caramel
• 400ml of double cream

Topping

• 1 bag of Maltesers
• 1 bar of Crunchie

Step 1: Preheat oven to 140°C. Line baking sheet with baking paper. Whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry. Mix sugar and cocoa powder and then whisk, a tablespoon at a time, into the egg whites. Keep whisking until it’s thick and glossy and then fold in the vinegar and cornflour.

Step 2: Spoon mixture onto the baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon to form a large circle. Bake for about 2 hours or until the meringue is firm and crisp. Cool in the oven for about 2 hours, or until cold (e.g. leave overnight)

Step 3: Whisk the double cream until stiff. Add, a tablespoon at a time, 2/3 of the caramel, whisking after each addition. Spoon the caramel over the meringue, leaving an edge of about 2cm. Take a fork and apply, some of the remaining caramel to the top of the cream to create swirls in the top (think raspberry ripple).

Step 4: Crush the topping ingredients (I use a small food bag and a rolling pin) and scatter generously over the top.

Step 5: Cut into slices and devour!

Top Tips

• Plan to make the meringue the night before (less hassle and you can leave it in the warm oven overnight after cooking time has finished)
• Apply the topping as late as possible (moistness will affect the crispiness of the Maltesers) 
• Have tins of Carnation Caramel on standby - very, very useful for quick desserts (e.g. spread over pastry and top with apples and bake to make a quick tart. spread over a biscuit base, cover with sliced bananas, top with cream and grated chocolate to make a quick banoffee pudding etc....)

Helen x

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Marshmallow Mayhem!

I'm so excited about posting this!

Those that know me well, will be aware that I have an unhealthy obsession with sweets. Ever since I was little I have been obsessed with trying every form of sweet available. One of the best cakes I've ever eaten was made by my mum for my 18th birthday. A giant carrot cake, covered in white icing and Haribo Starmix! It's got to the extent that friends even take pictures of sweets for me on their globe-trotting travels (thank you CN!)

I've progressed through the ranks of the humble penny sweet, to every single variant of Haribo and now I'm peaking at making my own. Over the past few months I have been buying molds and experimenting with recipes in order to reach my goal of creating my very own bag of 'Helebo'..or something that sounds slightly more appetising!

It starts here, with marshmallows...Who knew you could make these at home?! I have been so, so impressed with this recipe. The mayhem element refers to the amount of mess you make in the process, but this is such a cool thing to make that I can get over it.

Ingredients below will make a giant mound of 30 fluffy squares of fun!

• 460g granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp glucose syrup (you can get this from the cooking section of most supermarkets or try golden syrup if you can't find it)
•  360 mls water
• 4 tbsp powdered gelatine
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites
• 75g cornflour
• 75g icing sugar
• Food colouring (I used natural colouring in pink & blue)
• Food flavouring (I used strawberry)

1. Line a deep tin (suggest a roasting tin) with tin foil and spray with flavourless cooking oil. Mix together the icing sugar and cornflour and shake a few spoons onto the foil to prevent the marshmallow sticking. Put the tray to one side (I used two tins to create the 2 colours)
2. Put 180mls of water, granulated sugar and glucose into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until dissolved. Then up the heat to boil the mix until it reaches 260c (I just boiled it aggressively for a few mins until it looked crazy hot as I've not got a food thermometer - I'd leave it simmering for a while first though as it'll be another 15 minutes before you need this..)
3. To prepare your gelatin mixture, put the remaining 180mls of water in a saucepan with the vanilla extract and pour over the gelatin. Stir once and leave to absorb for about 5 mins. Then, heat the mixture on a low heat until it becomes liquid and add your colouring and flavouring (if you want multiple flavours/colours you'll need to start separating things into separate pans at this stage - extra mayhem for you - you'll need about 2 tsp each of flavouring and colouring for this amount, though it's really based on your personal taste)
4. Whisk your egg whites until soft peaks form
5. When your syrup is at 260c, remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture (this will foam up - be careful!). Then pour this slowly into your egg white mix whisking all the time (clearing a food mixer makes all this a lot easier). Once combined, you'll need to whisk on a medium-high speed for about 10 minutes until it holds it shape (soft peaks).
6. Pour into your tin/s and smooth the top out. Then you'll need to leave to set for 12 hours
7. Once set, put spoons of your cornflour/icing sugar mix on your kitchen surface and turn out your marshmallow (put it upside down on the surface and slowly peel off the foil). Using a sharp knife, dusted with powder, cut your marshmallow into your chosen shape, ensure all of the edges are coated in the powder to prevent stickiness

That's it (phew!!). It's lots of effort and mess but they taste amazing! They keep for up to 1 week in an air proof jar, but are best eaten within a few days of making. They'll get stickier the longer you leave them so, every day or so you might want to add more of the icing sugar coating.

 I think they'd make a really nice gift....

...or a cool dessert with fruit.....

...I made these by dipping strawberries in the mix and leaving them on a few spoons of the powder mix for 12 hours. Yummy, yummy!!

I can't take any credit for the recipe, it's from a professional cook called Elizabeth LaBau who has a great picture step-by-step guide here (worth looking at first I think). One little cheat worth thinking about, is not adding the colours until you're about to pour into your tins (i.e. make one big mix, split into a few bowls, add your add your colours/flavours separately and then put into your tins). I also want to experiment with lemon zest and fresh fruit chopped and mixed in. You could also cover the edges with chopped nuts, cocoa powder or maybe hundreds and thousands!

Hope you like and maybe try for yourself!

Helen x

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