daddy's day chocolate brownies

chris is away on a stag weekend (camping in the countryside - meant to be fairly civilised...) and is only due back tomorrow evening, so all our father's day celebrations will need to be crammed into the short space of time between his return and lola's bedtime.

so me and lola are preparing by making chocolate brownies

i have taken the recipe from a beautiful little book i have called edible gifts by kay fairfax, which i am alarmed to see costs £34.95 on amazon - mine cost £8.99!!! it is full of inspirational homemade gift ideas for foodies and beautiful photography to complement it.

desribed in the introduction as 'a chocoholic's dream come true' and knowing what a sucker chris is for a proper rich, gooey brownie, how could i resist?! i didn't have the size tin specified so went for the closest i had, a bit shorter and deeper, and added 5 mins to the recommended cooking time.

ingredients

brownies

170g butter

3 free range eggs

325g golden caster sugar

75g cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

75g plain flour, sifted

250g dark chocolate drops, or finely chopped if using a bar

150g nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

( i only had 50g of walnuts so they has to suffice)

chocolate cream

100ml double cream

125g dark chocolate drops, or finely chopped if using a bar

cake tin, 28 x 18 x 1 cm, lined with baking parchment extending 5cm beyond the long ends.

method

1. melt the butter gently in a small saucepan

2. put the eggs in a bowl, whisk lightly, then whisk in the sugar. stir in the melted butter, cocoa and vanilla. using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the flour, stir through the chocolate and the nuts if you are using them.

3. pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in a preheated oven (160c) for 25-30 mins until just firm in the centre and still moist at the bottom.

do not overcook the brownies, they are not meant to have the consistency of a cake and should be moist and gooey in the middle. they will dry out as they cool.

4. remove from the oven and let stand, still in the tin, on a wire rack, until completely cool.

5. using the overhanging paper, carefully lift the brownies out of the tin onto a flat board and peel off the paper. dust with cocoa powder or cover with chocolate cream. cut into squares.

chocolate cream

1. put the cream in a saucepan and heat until; just simmering. add the chocolate and stir til smooth and glossy*. cool in the fridge for about an hour til firm enough to spread over the brownies.

* we managed to overheat the cream a bit and as a result the sauce went a bit grainy - we added about 25g of butter and 25ml cold double cream and gave it a good beat and it came back to a lovely shiny gloss.

we are trying to resist eating them until tomorrow - so i'll let you know the verdict then - but they certainly look good - and with that amount of butter, sugar and dark chocolate i don't see how they can fail to taste pretty spectacular!

we didn't manage to resist - we had to check it after all...

the flavour is glorious, and the texture, certainly at the edges, is perfect. the middle is currently a bit too gooey ( maybe another 5 minutes more would have helped in my deeper tin) but it is a lovely, fondanty experience, the flour is cooked - it just requires a spoon to eat it. i think it will probably have dried out enough by tomorrow to serve in the traditional brownie style!

shopping for chocolate by the sea

if you happen to be around south west ireland this summer, or indeed looking for a spectacular place to go, do make your way to st finian's bay and visit our little chocolate factory by the sea.

travel the picturesque ring of kerry and turn off the main road between caherciveen and kenmare onto the far less frequented and incredibly scenic skelligs ring you will happen accross the skelligs chocolate factory (there are signs if you are lucky enough to spot them or click here for directions). set directly across from the fascinating, everchanging, sheltered stunner of a sandy beach that is st finian's bay. a visit to skelligs chocolate factory chocolate counter is a great way to sample a few of our best sellers, catch a glimpse of the chocolates being made in the open plan workspace (during the week) and of course buy a bountiful supply of chocolates for you, your friends and your family. there are special offers and a range special products only available from our factory counter.

during the summer the counter is open:

june

monday to friday - 10am - 5pm

july and august

monday to friday - 10am - 5pm

saturday and sunday - 12pm- 5pm

youthful entrepreneurs, adventurous connoisseurs

how do you get your class of thirty 10 year olds, inspired about enterprise day? the answer is to find a friend who has a chocolate factory and invite her, under strict instructions to come armed with 'samples galore' and ask her to tell chocolate based business stories that will inspire a zest for marketing, making money and life in general!


the friend was me and this week i found myself back in a classroom again, not as a drama teacher but an entrepreneur. i was nervous and slightly worried about how i would keep their attention but minutes into the lesson, i realised it was going to be fun!


they were full of questions and enthusiasm. their own product ideas were great and they were eager to learn sales and marketing techniques in order to make the most of enterprise day.


best of all, despite a sample of strawberry flavoured white chocolate, the consensus in the class was that sea salt was our ultimate chocolate, closely followed by lime and black pepper.... hooray for the next adventurous generation of chocolate consumers!!!

grandma susie's chocolate milkshakes

grandma susie says that the advantage of being a grandma is that when all your granddaughters come to visit you can produce fabulous chocolate milkshakes topped with excessive amounts of squirty cream and extra chocolate. we spent a glorious sunny week at grandma susie's indulging in such treats!

the advantage of writing a blog about chocolate is that when we get home we have an excuse to recreate them and earn big brownie points with our girls!

cocoa bean's hot chocolate mixes are great for this recipe and this is a great alternative way to use them in this fabulous hot weather; the cinnamon and chilli ones make a cool variation.

cool chocolate milk shakes

(serves 4 if parents are making them

or 2 if grandma is...)

5 tbsp chocolate drops

2 tbsp vanilla sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp chocolate icecream

1 pint of cold milk

squirty cream

place the chocolate, sugar, cocoa and a little milk in a saucepan and gently heat until the chocolate melts and the sugar dissolves.

remove from the heat and whisk in the icecream and remaining milk.

pour into glasses top with the cream and adorn in the most fanciful ways with straws, umbrellas and chocolate shavings.

homegrown strawberries

our garden is beginning to yeild a small crop. radishes and rocket are now plentiful and the strawberries, though less than prolific, are beginning to show their tasty selves.

pasta disaster

the dinner party was on the whole a success, however in an attempt to be sociable and organised hosts we made the ravioli too far in advance and the goats cheese ones disintergrated into a sloppy, sticky mess. the mushroom ones were luckily rescuable and delicious and more filling than we had anticipated. 2-3 of the size i gave below were plentiful with accompaniments. the walnut sauce was a bit odd as the pasta was too delicate to mix into it therefore it didn't get warmed. the shortbread stacks were a resounding success except we had to wait a while before tucking into them as we were as stuffed as the pasta...

summer dinner party

the sun is shining and we have friends coming over for dinner tonight so we are preparing, at a leisurely pace, a simple meal that we can enjoy out in the sunshine.

chris is presently rolling out fresh pasta for handmade ravioli; we have opted for two fillings to create a contrast; half are destined to be rich wild mushroom and half a lighter goats cheese and spinach and topped off with nigella's walnut pasta sauce which we are hoping will tie to the two flavours together. all a bit of an experiment it has to be said.















if the main course turns out to be an absolute disaster then at least i am fairly confident that the dessert will be delicious - a stack of handmade shortbread with vanilla creme fraiche and fresh local raspberries. the secret to this is a very thin layer of white chocolate on the bottom layers of shortbread to make sure the biscuits don't go soggy from the creme fraiche.

ice cold white wine i think is in order...

i'll give you our guests verdict tomorrow but for now these are our recipes to serve 4 for a light dinner, you can bulk it out with garlic bread and salad (we are having a tiny salad from the garden; the slugs spared very little...)-

basic pasta recipe
ingredients
300g '00' flour, sifted
pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil
3 free range eggs
extra flour for dusting
extra beaten egg for sealing ravioli

method
combine the flour and salt and pile on a clean work surface, make a well in the centre
break the eggs into the well
gradually bring the flour in from the edges and combine with the eggs- patience is really key to this process (which is why chris is making ours instead of me)
add the olive oil and continue to mix til it forms a soft dough

on a lightly floured surface knead the dough until it is smooth and silky

wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 mins

if you have a pasta maker then roll throught the palin roller until the dough passes through the tinnest setting. alternatively roll using a rolling pin til the dough is almost transparent. the thinner the dough the more delicate the ravioli. make sure you keep your surface well floured so the dough doesn't stick and tear but don't allow the dough to become too dry either!

as soon as the desired thickness is achieved lay a strip of dough on a clear surface and blob your fillings on at various intervals- we tend to make a few quite big ones per person rather than lots of little ones so we do about a tbsp of filling in the middle of a 3" square - paint the egg mixture around the filling (to ensure a good seal) then lay a piece of pasta of a corresponding size over the top.

using a sharp knife slice between the ravioli and trim to neaten. gently squeeze any air out of the little parcel. repeat!

just before serving bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. cook the ravioli in batches for 2 minutes and serve immediately.

wild mushroom filling
ingredients
1oog portabello mushrooms
50g shiitake mushrooms
20g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked
1 clove garlic, sliced
20g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
glug of white wine
125g ricotta
30g finely grated parmasen
lots of freshly ground pepper
a pinch of salt
50g portabello mushrooms and 25g shiitake mushrooms, finely diced

method
finely chop the first 170g of mushrooms
fry in the butter and oil
add the garlic
add the white wine and allow liquid to reduce
remove from the heat
when cool blitz til smooth in a food processor
blend with the cheeses, reserved mushrooms and seasoning

goats cheese and spinach filling
ingredients
100g baby spinach, wilted and chopped
75g soft goats cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
a spinkling of freshly grated nutmeg

method
mix it all together!

nigella's walnut sauce
ingredients
90g walnuts, shelled
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 slice granary bread, crusts removed
75ml whole fat milk
15g parmasen, grated
2 tbsp good olive oil
salt and pepper
handful of parsely, chopped

method
toast the walnuts til they give off a nutty aroma
soak the bread in the milk til soft
put 75g of the walnuts, the garlic, soaked bread and parmasen in a blender and blend til smooth and creamy
add oil and seasoning and blend again
place in a large bowl

cook the ravioli

reserve a cup of the cooking water and then drain

add the pasta to the sauce (add a little of the cooking water if it seems too thick)

serve sprinkled with remaining walnuts and parsely.

shortbread stack
ingredients
115g plain flour
115g butter
60g caster sugar
30g white chocolate, melted
300ml creme fraiche
seeds from one vanilla pod
as many raspberries as you can lay your hands on, or strawberries, or blueberries, or....
icing sugar to dust

method
preheat the oven to 220c
combine the flour, butter and caster sugar and rub together until they have the texture of breadcrumbs
knead into a dough
on a floured surface roll to approx 1/2cm and cut into squares or shapes using biscuit cutters
arrange, spaced out generously on an ungreased baking tray and bake for 5-6 mins until golden at the edge
leave to cool on the tray

when cool paint the biscuits with a thin layer of the melted chocolate
allow to set

combine the creme fraiche and vanilla seeds

just before serving, stack up the dessert starting with a biscuit, then creme fraiche and rasberries, biscuit, creme fraiche, raspberries, biscuit and dust with icing sugar
serve