Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate Marmite Brownies

I know, I know – you are thinking that I am weird putting marmite (or Vegemite) into a chocolate brownie!   But people thought a salted caramel was strange not so long ago so  you can kind of get where I am coming from.

What the marmite actually does here is to season and round out the chocolate and make it more chocolatey.   You could use a tsp of salt instead if you are a confirmed marmite hater but as you won’t pick out marmite as an ingredient, as it’s role here is to blend and add to the whole, in my opinion you’d be missing out.

This is a very simple, easy recipe which makes it easy to get a lovely gooey, squidgy brownie.   I’ve added roasted hazelnuts but you don’t have to (use any other nut,  or leave nuts out entirely), and if you are gluten free it works with gluten free flour or ground almonds.

So go on, surprise yourself and make a batch.  Have fun letting people guess the mystery ingredient!  Most can’t stop stuffing these for long enough to answer – they are that good!

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Poached Ginger Pears with Chocolate Sauce

The texture of of a ripe pear when you bite into it is like nothing else.  It’s slightly grainy against your teeth yet soft and yielding.  Its lightly perfumed and so juicy it runs down your chin despite your best efforts. Sadly most of the pears we buy aren’t anything like that as pears do not properly ripen on the tree.   They ripen once picked from the inside out so if you grow and pick your own they all seem to ripen at the same time or else fall off the tree and bruise.  One solution to these problems is to poach the pears whilst they are still slightly firm so that not only does the pear turn juicy and flavourful but, kept in the poaching syrup, they will keep for several weeks in the fridge.  It’s a win win.

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Pear Harvest

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Pistachio and Chocolate Macaroons

Dense and chewy, squidgy and packed with flavour these British style macaroons are very different to the light and crispy French equivalent. There is an added twist too as the middle of this macaroon contains a surprise of dark chocolate – oozing out if eaten warm from the oven but equally delicious at room temperature.  I used Pump Street Bakery’s 70% Grenada Chocolate.

I’ve made the macaroons with pistachios and almonds rather than the usual coconut to be a bit different – and don’t forget these treats are gluten free.  If you prefer you can replace pistachios with hazelnuts or any nut you fancy.  The macaroons are easily made vegan by substituting the egg with a ground flax-seed and water mix (for details see tip at end of recipe) and making sure you use vegan chocolate which most dark chocolate is!

Now for confession time, that is that these macaroons are ridiculously easy and quick to make.  Ten minutes to assemble and about ten minutes to cook.   So if you get a real craving for something sweet with your tea or coffee (they are an absolute dream with an espresso) or a friend announces they are popping round unexpectedly,  this is the recipe to reach for! Continue reading →

Chocolate Pear Pudding

I was reading in the newspapers today about something called “coorie”.   In many ways this is the Scottish version of hygge.  To “coorie in” means to snuggle up and applies to everything from log fires and sheepskins to food, exploring the outdoors – in fact everything that gives a sense of well-being.

 

Chocolate Pear Pudding is a great coorie dish. I love it as a Sunday lunch pudding. I can imagine it as an old fashioned nursery pudding in a story book like Peter Pan or Mary Poppins.  Homely, comforting, easy to make and involves chocolate – what more could you want?  I certainly would have no problem in snuggling/coorie in to  it with its soft chocolatey sponge and unctuous, juicy pears.  If you are a chocoholic serve it with more chocolate in the form of a sauce (homemade or your favourite bought one),  although it does make a little sauce of its own where the pears juice mixes with the chocolate sauce at the bottom, or try it with cream or icecream and while you are at it why not both?  Can you ever have too much coorie after all?

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Squidgy Chocolate Olive Oil Cupcakes

This is a twist on my Chocolate Earl Grey Cake.   It is gluten free and vegan.  It leaves out the earl grey stage and added a topping. Totally delicious. Somehow chocolatey, squidgy and crumbly all at the same time. Great for celebrating the forthcoming weekend on a Friday and great for lifting the spirits on a Monday. Who am I kidding?   These are great anytime – stick a candle on top and they are an instant birthday party!  They are also quick to whip up and very easy to make – particularly if you use the easy “cheat” topping.

 

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Chocolate Biscuit Cake

We used to call this dark and luscious chocolate cake Tiffin, others called it Refrigerator Cake.  Ever since Prince William used it as his Groom Cake at his wedding it is now more commonly known as Chocolate Biscuit Cake. Apparently the Princes William and Harry used to have it (and even helped make it) when they were very young.

Chopped pistachios
Ready to stir in biscuits and figs

There are lots of variations to this, the authentic “Royal version” as made by Carolyn Robb so don’t worry if you prefer dried cherries, sultanas or apricots to the figs, or shortbread or rich tea biscuits to the digestives.  You can also use pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts instead of pistachios or if nut allergic just use more biscuit.  Talking of allergies if you are gluten intolerant there are really good gluten free stem ginger cookies that go really well with this – particularly when you use soft dried apricots as the fruit element.  You can also dress this cake up by decorating it with a thin layer of melted dark/milk/white chocolate after the cake has set and then embellish it with maltesers or even chocolate mini eggs! Or do as I have here and crush the mini eggs and lightly roll in.  If you are in the USA and find golden syrup difficult to get you can use corn syrup though this makes the cake slightly softer

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Chocolate Chestnut Roulade

I always make this for my birthday – I love it that much.  The very chocolately sponge is filled with softly whipped cream,  luscious chestnut spread and studded with crumbled Maron glacé is a real indulgence.  It freezes so, if you don’t have a Birthday so close to Christmas as I do, you can make it in advance and whip it out on Christmas Eve as a Buche de Noel – perhaps covering it in yet more cream and chocolate to make it more log like like the French do.

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Salted Chocolate Caramel Mousse

This recipe makes me feel very sophisticated and very French, particularly if I serve it in small, elegant coffee cups. I can easily imagine myself as a very chic Parisian Madame as I eat it. It doesn’t need cream as the hint of salt cuts through the richness of the chocolate  The caramel element adds a lusciousness and depth that is often missing from mousses.  It can be dressed up with almond biscuits or berries or even a madeleine on the side – this time I added a mini chocolate praline egg for Easter   For entertaining it is a perfect recipe as it can be made in advance and keeps – providing you can repel marauders – for up to a week in the fridge.   In my opinion its intensity probably makes it a pudding more suited to grown ups,  but lots of children have such sophisticated palates nowadays I wouldn’t like to count them out!! Continue reading →

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