RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

  1. French Chocolate Tart

    April 26, 2014 by sarah

    When you read this, we will be on our holidays in Iran. Isn’t modern technology great? I have been so looking forward to this trip; exotic and unknown. I am also looking forward to sharing with you when I get back, especially on the food.

    This recipe is a stand-by for dinner parties or get to togethers because it is thrown together with minimal fuss and made in advance. Despite the speed at which it is put together, the resulting tart is luscious and very chocolaty. The taste depends on the quality of the ingredients so do not skimp and buy the best chocolate and butter you can. Hope you have occasion to use it too; please invite me!

    chocolate tart (1 of 3)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Ingredients

    • 150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
    • 135g unsalted butter, chopped
    • 55g caster sugar
    • 1 tablespoon brandy or orange-flavour liqueur
    • 3 large eggs (total weight in shells 200-220g)
    • ¾ tablespoon plain flour

    chocolate tart (2 of 3)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 180 ⁰C/fan 160 ⁰C.
    2. Generously grease a 18cm diameter springform tin. Line the base with baking parchment and grease this too. Wrap the outside of the tin with tin foil so it will be water tight up to half its depth.
    3. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter, chocolate and sugar, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove to heat and allow to cool to below body temperature and add the liqueur.
    4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly until a little foamy. Sift over the flour and then beat in. While whisking the eggs, pour over the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.
    5. Pour into the prepared tin. Sit the tin in a deep roasting tray and pour boiling water around the edge to come 2cm up the sides of the tin.
    6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are set but there is still wobble in the middle. Take the tin out of the water and cool the tin on a cooling rack until completely cool then remove the cake from the tin. Decorate with icing sugar if wished.

    chocolate tart (3 of 3)

    Category Home, Uncategorized | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  2. Easter chocolate egg nests

    March 31, 2013 by sarah

    Oh no, I’ve done it again! Despite this supposing to be a blog about baking, the recipe this week is again a non-baking one! Never mind, we all have busy weeks don’t we? And don’t these little nests look so retro and kitch? I think I must of been about 10 when I last had one but this time I made them grown up with a good proportion of dark chocolate. But don’t feel obliged to get out the expensive 70% plus coco solids chocolate. No, these were made with a cheapish bar of Cadbury’s Bournville with some milk chocolate I had kicking around in the cupboard for added sweetness. So they are frugal and yummy – a smashing combination do you not think?

    easter (3 of 8)

    easter (2 of 8)300g chocolate (any combination of dark and milk)

    25g unsalted butter

    100g shredded wheat breakfast cereal

    little chocolate eggs in colourful sugar shells

    mince pie tin

    Melt the chocolates and butter in a bain-marie or carefully in the microwave. Crumble the shredded wheat into another bowl. Once the chocolate/butter is melted, stir into the shredded wheat. Divide into 12 among the mince pie holes and gently press the middle of the mound to form a depression to hold the eggs. Put the nests somewhere cold until set then flick them out of the mince pie tin with a knife and add the little eggs. Voila!

     

     

    Category Home, Recipe Index | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Lemon curd and some non-bake baking!

    March 17, 2013 by sarah

    Though the weather today is the opposite of spring-like, I felt like making some lemon curd. The silky smooth texture with a fresh zingy flavour and eye-popping yellow colour sort of sums up Spring. I hope the sun comes soon! This was my first attempt, by the way, and I am very pleased with the result.

    _1SK1708 _1SK1714 _1SK1715 _1SK1720

     

     

     

    Makes about 700g or 3 small jars and a little left over.

     

    Grated rind and juice of 4 ripe unwaxed lemons

    4 eggs, beaten

    125g butter cut into small pieces

    350g caster sugar

     

     

     

    Place all the ingredients in a pyrex bowl over gently simmering pan of water (picture 2). Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted.

    Continue to heat gently for about 20mins until thickend and coats back of a spoon (image 3).

    Strain and pour into sterilised jars. Done!

    Keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.

     

    _1SK1718

    While the curd was thickening, I threw together a batch of rocky road (melt 125g butter and 300g dark chocolate and 3 tbsp of gold syrup, add 200g crushed biscuits, 100g mini marshmallows and any dried fruit or nuts that need using, press into tin, refridgerate).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Update 15/9/13 – made the lemon curd for the show using this recipe but reduced the sugar to 300g and added half a teaspoon of real lemon extract. This made it super zingy and so super nice.

    Category Home, Recipe Index | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

Newer Entries