Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Fudge Brownies are my favourite, only in small doses mind you, as they can be very rich. I found this recipe on Marriages' website, where incidentally, they make great flour for bread-making. Not that i can attest to that fact as i use Allinson's flour, but they do have a good reputation.

What You Will Need

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Makes 16

225g unsalted butter, diced
100g dark chocolate, broken up
200g caster sugar
4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
50g Marriage’s Finest Plain Flour
50g cocoa powder
A good pinch of salt
75g walnut pieces
Icing sugar for dusting
20.5cm square tin, greased and base-lined

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Put the pieces of butter and chocolate into a small heavy pan. Set over the lowest possible heat and leave to melt gently, stirring frequently, until smooth but not hot. Remove from the heat and leave until needed.

Put the sugar, eggs and vanilla into a mixing bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk or wooden spoon.  Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the nuts then transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bang the tin on the worksurface to expel any air bubbles. 

Bake in the heated oven for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the mixture comes out with moist crumbs – the mixture will continue cooking after it comes out of the oven and it’s vital not to overcook it. Note that the mixture will puff up in the oven but sink on cooling. Stand the tin on a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

Lemon bars

I made this as a tray bake, but it would also work well as a pudding served warm with custard.

Ingredients (makes 24 squares)

175g/6oz flour

125g/4oz butter

50g/2oz granulated sugar

200g/7oz caster sugar

2 tbsp flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

Juice & finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Sifted icing sugar to decorate

 

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/GM 3, 10 mins before baking. Lightly oil and line a 20.5cm/8” square cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Rub together the flour and butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the granulated sugar and mix.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and press down firmly. Bake in the pre heated oven for 25 mins until pale golden.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, mix together the caster sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, lemon juice and rind until smooth. Pour over the prepared base.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for a further 25-30 mins, until nearly set but still a bit wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack.

Dust with icing sugar and cut in to squares.

Tuna and Spinach Cannelloni

I haven't posted anything for awhile now, so here is an old receipt from Sainsbury's.

 

Ingredients

250g of Lasagne Sheets
1 Onion
125g of Mozzarella Cheese
500g of Passata Sauce
370g of Tuna Chunks
700g of Frozen Spinach

Seasoning to taste
Serves 4

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC, gas mark 4. 
2. Gently shallow fry the onion, peeled and finely chopped, until softened. Add the tuna chunks and the frozen spinach. Heat until the spinach has broken up and the mixture is piping hot. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, Cut all the lasagne sheets in half to make squares. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto the end of each square and roll up so you have 12 cannelloni. Place along the bottom of a large ovenproof dish.
4. Pour the passata over the cannelloni. Drain and tear into pieces the mozzarella cheese, sprinkle over cannelloni.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, then grill for 2-3 minutes until top is golden and the cheese is bubbling. 

Notes

Mozzarella is a full-fat cheese, so for those seeking a low-fat option a number of different cheeses can be used, Ricotta is just one such option.

Quick Chocolate Brownies

These are very quick and easy and always turn out well. Might be useful to use up any left over Easter chocolate.... This recipe makes 16 brownies.

INGREDIENTS:
45g / 1 1/2 ozcocoa
125 g / 4 oz butter
2 eggs
225g / 8 oz caster sugar
60 g / 2 oz self-raising flour
100 g / 3 1/2 oz chopped chocolate or nuts (optional)

METHOD
You need a 20 cm / 8 inch square baking pan, greased and lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to Gas 4.

Melt the butter with the cocoa in a pan or microwave. Leave aside to cool.

Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture. Sieve in the flour and fold in carefully. Add the chocolate / nuts if using.

Pour into the pan and bake for 25 - 35 mins until cooked through and springy, but don't over cook. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn out and cut up!

Butterscotch cream pie

6-8 oz rich shortcrust pastry
For filling
2 oz bitter
4 oz dark brown sugar
1/4 pint boiling water
2 tbs cornflour
1 tbs flour
large pinch salt
1/2 pint milk
2 egg yolks beaten
2 drops vanilla essence

8 inch diameter flan ring

Method
1) line the flan ring with pastry, blind bake and chill cooked flan case
2) melt butter and when golden brown add the brown sugar, stir until foaming and boil for 2-3 mins
3) remove from heat and stir in boiling water
4) place the cornflour, flour and salt in a saucepan and mix to a smooth paste with the milk, then add the brown sugar mixture
5) stir over gentle heat until boiling and cook for 1 minute
6) pour half the mixture on the beaten yolks, return mixture to the pan and continue to cook for 1 minute, add vanilla essence
7) pour the mixture into the baked pastry flan and chill flan.

Fatless sponge

2 eggs
75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
75 g (3 oz) self raising flour

1) heat oven to 180 c, gas mark 4. grease a 18cm (7 inch) cake tin
2) whisk eggs lightly in a bowl, add sugar and whisk until thick, creamy and almost white in colour
3) lightly fold in flour. place in prepared tin and bake for 30 mins

Recordings from the SALT conference, Feb 25th 2012

I thought i would share this with everyone here. It is the link to the audio recordings from the SALT (Serious About Loving Truth) Conference on 25th February, that a few of us attended and thoroughly enjoyed.

The topics covered were:

1. Conquering like David Oliver Allmand-Smith Ramsbottom Evangelical
2. Believing like Joseph (interactive) Ali McLachlan GBP Scotland
3. Submitting like Mary Oliver Allmand-Smith Ramsbottom Evangelical
4. Overcoming like Timothy Conrad Pomeroy Trinity Baptist, Dundee

"Hey everyone!

I hope that you really enjoyed SALT. God really worked through the speakers yesterday and they all spoke powerfully. I’m sure most of us were very challenged and encouraged. I think someone said yesterday, “Wow, I’m going to have to listen to the recording again. It’s like a goldmine, there’s so much I can draw out of these talks!” I heard another girl say that she was full, as if she had just had a three-course meal. Well that certainly was the case. I think that it was Ali who said it was like an energy drink, packed with caffiene. But the question is, what’s next? Are we just getting off our spiritual, conference high? Or are the messages going to make any difference to the way we conquer our daily temptation, the way we submit and the way we overcome our troubles? Let me encourage you to listen again to the talks, so that you can refresh yourself with what you heard and may God help all of us to glorify Him. So there is a link here that will take you to our audio page and you can either listen on-line or download the talks. God Bless"

http://saltguys.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/salt-talks-2012/