Whoa, did someone says Guinness? And Chocolate? Guinness Brownies

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Guinness. Lovely Guinness. Wonderful on its own, and it would seem, pretty good with chocolate too, but in honesty I already knew that, as evidenced here and here.

Because Guinness is good for you, I fervently believe that these brownies will have health giving properties. It is a mere detail that they contain stuff which may not form part of a calorie controlled diet, for the reason that these are so beneficial is that I defy anyone not to sit down with one of these bad boys and a cuppa and not feel completely restored, or else just a little bit better about the trivialities of life. Here is some photographic proof of the restorative properties of Guinness, from a small visit to Dublin more years ago than I would like to admit.

Has Guinness

Gets smiley

This is not necessarily a shameful attempt to get in early on the whole ‘what shall I cook for St Patrick’s Day?’ internet traffic, more an encouragement for those who may be pre-disposed to celebrate the day with a pig under their arm/wear a ‘Kiss Me, I’m Irish’ t shirt/don a snazzy leprechaun hat to do something slightly less predictable. Actually, scratch that. This blog is no place for sanctimony and so this is not the time and place to tell people how to live their lives.  You crack on with whatever it is you’re planning, but make these brownies as well, because they are amazingly glorious. In fact, don’t wait ‘til St Patrick’s Day to make them. Make them now.

You’re welcome. Slainte!

Guinness Brownies, adapted from 'Baked in America' by David Muniz and David Muzniak

Makes 12 humungous ones

Ingredients:

8oz plain flour

6oz plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

½ tsp salt (or taste the batter once it’s mixed; you might need a smidgen more)

12oz dark chocolate - I used 72% cocoa. Go big or go home.

6oz white chocolate

6oz unsalted butter, cubed

6 large eggs at room temperature

12oz caster sugar - original recipe says granulated but, not for me.

1 tsp vanilla extract

16fl oz Guinness, at room temperature

9oz milk chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190c

Grease a 12 x 9 x 2 inch pan really, really well. I then line it with foil, in a bit of a cradle style so I can lift the brownies out afterwards.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients – the flour, the cocoa, the salt.

Place a heatproof bow over a pan of simmering water and melt the white and dark chocolate and the butter. Don’t allow the bottom of the heatproof bowl to touch the simmering water or you risk the chocolate seizing. Set aside to cool a little. You don’t want it so hot that it will ‘cook’ the eggs when you add them.

Talking of eggs – in yet another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes light and creamy and the beaters/whisk leave a ribbon like trail when you pull it out of the mixture.

Put the mixer onto medium and carefully add the melted chocolate mixture, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Ensure that the mixture is completely amalgamated together. Reduce the speed to low, add the vanilla and then add the flour mixture in stages, allowing the flour to mix completely into the batter before adding more. Do not overbeat.

Finally, continuing with the mixer on low, add the Guinness, and mix until everything is well combined.

Carefully pour the batter into the prepared tin, giving it a bit of a shake so it all levels out and fills the corner of the tin. Once the mixture has settled, scatter the chocolate chips over the top.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre emerges with set crumb, not raw mixture. Do not overbake. The mixture will probably shrink from the edges of the pan.

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting into big slabs/removing them from the tin. I put mine in the fridge to speed the process a bit. I have no idea if this is correct but patience and Guinness and chocolate have never really gone together in my life, so….

Full of Eastern Promise - Pistachio Yoghurt Cake with White Chocolate and Cardamom Frosting

 

 

A rather tenuous link here between the phrase that makes me think of Turkish delight and the fact that this has rosewater in the frosting, but what I will say is that this is from Silvena Rowe's wonderful book 'Orient Express' which is full of luscious recipes from the eastern Mediterranean and (slightly further) beyond... and the cake is full of pistachios...so when I say Turkish I am not that far from the actual truth.

 

This is a cinch to make if you have food processor. The basic gist is that you just blitz the stuff that needs to be blitzed and then add the rest of the ingredients and then blitz some more. Put it into a prepared tin and you are done. And since I found myself a 10 cm cake tin, it means I can have my cake and eat it, since I don't have to make a full size cake and then be responsible for eating it all. Which unfortunately in the long term is probably a good thing.

 

Anyway, the coarse texture of this cake marries well with the cream topping, and even though I had no rose petals to garnish (a month too early for my garden, I fear) this cake still looks beautiful unadorned, the swirl of frosting hiding the nutty, ever so slightly verdant centre. Try it; it's lush!

 

Pistachio Yoghurt Cake with White Chocolate and Cardamom Frosting adapted from 'Orient Express' by Silvena Rowe

 

I halved the recipe below to make a cake that cuts into 4- 5 slices. The ingredients below make a cake that cuts into 8 - 10 slices

 

For the cake

 

200g ground pistachios

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

150g unsalted butter

225g self-raising flour

185g caster sugar

3 eggs

125ml thick yoghurt ( I used strained Greek yoghurt 0% fat - it worked!!)

a pinch of salt (optional)

 

For the frosting:

 

100g white chocolate

200g cream cheese

1/2 tsp rose water

1 tbsp icing sugar

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1-2 small edible roses

1 tbsp icing sugar

 

 

Method

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 6. Butter and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

 

 

 

Blend the ground pistachios, cardamom, butter, flour and sugar in a food mixer. Then combine with the eggs and yoghurt in a mixing bowl.

 

 

 

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the oven for one hour. Cover the cake with foil halfway through cooking then allow to cool on a rack.

 

 

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and allow to cool. In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese with the rose water, then add the cooled chocolate. Sift in the icing sugar and sprinkle in the ground cardamom. Mix well until you have smooth cream.

 

 

 

Serve cake accompanied by the chocolate and cardamom cream. Sprinkle with edible roses and dust with icing sugar. (I just covered my cake in frosting instead of serving it separately; a frosted cake is such a pretty thing!)

Avec mes excuses à mes amis français ... C'est Clafoutis! Cherry, kirsch and white chocolate clafoutis.

I have been lucky enough to spend a little time in Limousin, in France, where this dish originates. I always feel that when I attempt something French, it has to be "la bonne chose" but then I discovered that French women have their own little ways of producing famous dishes that I decided I should be less hung up about it and be prepared to experiment a little. Which is why, when I saw this recipe, I had to try it and personally, I believe it to be the best clafoutis I have made to date. I used cherries, so faithful to the original recipe then, but I was intrigued by the seam of white chocolate which melted betwixt fruit and custard that, when cooked is not at the forefront, but I believe you would miss it if it wasn't there. I think it is also the first time I have cooked a clafoutis where the whole custard has been set, but earlier failures may be due to my ineptitude rather than 'recipe fail'.

The custard contains ground almonds. The recipe suggests that after letting the custard stand for a while, you put the custard through a chinois or other sieve. I didn't, and personally liked the slightly rough texture of the ground almonds in the custard. Each to their own if you ask me.

Cherry Clafoutis with Kirsch and White Chocolate (from 'Summertime' by Galton Blackiston)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

11oz large pitted black cherries (on this occasion I used good bottled cherries and it was pleasant enough. Cherries in season would be stunning)

4 tbsp kirsch

1 1/2 oz plain flour

2oz ground almonds

2oz caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for buttering ramekins, or dish

10fl oz double cream, plus extra for serving

half a bar of good white chocolate (this equalled nine squares for me; I used Menier)

icing sugar, for dusting.

Method:

Place the cherries and kirsch in a bowl and leave to marinate for about an hour or so.

Meantime, prepare the batter: Place the flour, ground almonds, caster sugar, eggs, melted butter and double cream in a mixer and mix until thoroughly combined. Leave to settle for a little while and then pass through a sieve if you are of a mind to. I didn't.

Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4

Place six, large well buttered ramekins (or use a big bowl like I did) on to a baking sheet.

Divide the cherries and white chocolate between ramekins, if using. or just put the cherries at the bottom of a big bowl and top them with pieces of white chocolate. Reserve the liquid from the cherries and add to the custard batter and mix well.

Pour the custard over the cherries and chocolate.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 - 40 minutes for ramekins, nearer an hour for one big bowl. You're looking for a light brown sponge like topping. If you think the top is browning but the centre isn't setting, lightly cover the top with foil and keep checking. This is what I did about 40 minutes into the cooking process.

When out of the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve warm, with cream.

Bon Appetit!