EAT DRINK LIVE

THE ROAD TO BROWNIE HEAVEN...

                        

"I have to add a little update in here as I won't be doing a full post for another couple of days: I am the oh so proud winner of the Caesar Salad round of Hay Hay Donna Day! I'm very excited and more than a little terrified because now I have to pick the theme and host the next round which is HHDD#13, lets hope it's my lucky number! I'll make up my mind quickly I promise."

I'm hoping this is my express route to Brownie-babeness this month as this is my entry for Brownie Babe of the month: Round 2. Hosted once again by Myriam at Once Upon A Tart the deadline is today so I'm cutting it pretty fine, but I just couldn't find a brownie that demanded to be baked. I said it last time but I think it bears repeating, I like my brownies simple, what's not to love about a slab sliver of impossibly fudgy chocolateyness ( me and that spell check are going to have words someday soon ) that can be inhaled nibbled on at anytime, day or night. Though, the proverbial "if it ain't broke don't fix it" holds true here, there's no harm in having a little fun every now and then.

My road to brownie heaven came close to descending somewhere further south yesterday however, as the recipe that was eventually chosen, was for a Brownie Latte Cheesecake from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book ( yes I know it sounds gorgeous but I didn't make it, okay? ) I got started on the brownie base of the cheesecake early and had taken it out of the oven. While reading through the rest of the recipe, I realised it called for a hour and a half long bake in a water bath. Now things had begun to heat up at this stage and I had visions of an idyllic summers day (cool breezes wafting through the open door etc..) turning it something more like a scene from Dante's Inferno. No more oven time then. Fast forward a few pages in the same book and a bittersweet chocolate mousse cake made itself known: a little processor time + some whipping + a touch of folding = decision made.

I did not fiddle with these recipes except to replace 2 tablespoons of milk in the mousse with an equal amount of the Kahlua that had been part of the original cheesecake recipe. I am a fan of Ms.Boyles, ( I also have Diner Desserts and Simply Sensational Desserts ,to which she contributed ) so I decided to follow her lead ( and I'm not the most confident of meddlers ). To sum up, what we have is a Kahlua laced bittersweet chocolate mousse on an espresso brownie base topped off with swirls of whipped cream and Vahlrona chocolate covered coffee beans. Nothing too fancy then. I confess I haven't tasted this properly yet, just the bits that "fell off" as I was cutting a slice for the picture. I'm going to my granny's in darkest County Galway today and I'm keeping the cake to share with the extended family that will be there, so I will have to get back to you on it's success. I only get to visit every couple of months but plenty of food, wine and walks in the hills are always guaranteed. For some reason though, everyone always looks expectantly at my hands when I arrive to see what I have brought. I seem to have become the keeper of the dessert, I don't know why...

...the cake has been demolished and as to it's heavenliness: well, I'm not sure heaven is supposed to be this decadent! However I will continue along the road spreading the word of the chocolate gospel...

The recipes come from Tish Boyles The Cake Book

ESPRESSO BROWNIE MOUSSE CAKE

For the espresso brownie base:

• 115g dark chocolate, 60-70% cocoa solids
• 115g unsalted butter
• 1 tbls instant espresso powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 60g plain flour

For the bittersweet chocolate mousse:

• 450g dark chocolate, 60-70% cocoa solids (best quality please, the chocolate is the diva here so make sure she can perform)
• 140ml milk
• 20ml Kahlua
• 130g caster sugar
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 600ml double cream

To finish:

• whipped cream
• chocolate covered coffee beans

1. To make the brownie base: Preheat the oven to 170 C. Lightly butter the base and sides of a 9 inch x 3 inch deep spring-form tin. Melt the chocolate and the butter in a bowl over a large pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time also until combined. Lastly fold in the flour just until incorporated. Don't over mix.
2. Scrape into the tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownie for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Place on a wire rack and let cool completely in the tin.
3. When the brownie is nearly cool get started on the mousse layer. Place the chocolate in a food processor and process until finely ground. Leave it in the processor.
4. Heat the milk, sugar, espresso powder and salt over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the milk comes to the boil. With the food processor running pour the hot milk carefully down the funnel and process until the chocolate has melted. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and process until blended. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool. (If you don't have a food processor chop the chocolate finely and put in a large bowl, heat the milk mixture as before and pour over the chocolate. Leave for a minute then stir until chocolate has melted. Stir in the vanilla and set aside until cool.
5. In another bowl whip the cream until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula gently fold in one-third of the cream into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining cream until completely blended.
6. Scrape the mousse onto the brownie base and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Serves 10-12.

CLOUD 9a...?!

                        

This is barely a post and scarcely even a recipe but I felt the need to share nonetheless. I hinted at a follow up to the elderflower meringues and this is it. My hope was to have gooseberries involved in some way as elderflower and gooseberries together are a prime example of nature's matchmaking skills at their very best. Though my underground connections in the gooseberry world say that the time for picking is at hand... it's just not quite yet. There were still armfuls of elderflowers waiting to be put to use and as I was feeling in the mood to stir a vat full of a perfumed infusion I used a recipe for elderflower syrup in Tamasin Day Lewis book called Tamasin's Weekend Food. Quicker than cordial (I may get around to that yet!) I thought I could use it in whatever recipe I found for the intentionally leftover meringues.

A quick read through the fine print of the Baker & Spice recipe for overnight meringues turned up a suggestion to use some crushed meringues, fresh berries tossed in liqueur (or syrup!) and whipped cream to make a kind of Eton mess parfait... who was I to argue.

ELDERFLOWER PARFAIT

• about 3 large elderflower meringues, broken into small pieces (or plain meringues, or shop bought for a speediness)
• about 400ml fresh cream, single or double
• handfuls of fresh berries, I used blueberries and raspberries
• 1 tbsp elderflower syrup, or cordial

Elderflower syrup: Recipe from Tamasin's Weekend food

• 6 heads of elderflowers
• 290ml water
• 3 tbsp vanilla sugar, or 3 tbsp of caster sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract

1. Make the elderflower syrup by simmering the flowers with the water and sugar for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool and infuse under a lid before straining through a sieve. Whip the cream quite stiffly but don't turn it into butter! Toss the berries with the elderflower syrup or cordial and then fold into the cream with the crushed meringues.
2. Line 4 dariole moulds or ramekins with cling film and fill with the mixture. Freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving to soften.
3. If you don't want to wait just eat it as it is in a big bowl with an even bigger spoon.

Makes about 4 parfaits (depending on the size of your moulds) with enough mess leftover for you to clean up.

CLOUD 9

                         

I'm trying to think of a way to write this post without referring to the weather but it's proving difficult with a plateful of summer right in front of me. As I don't want to jinx our tentative hold on the sun, however, I'll move swiftly along.

There is a huge elderflower tree near my house that I pass almost everyday without  noticing. Until this weekend. For most of the year this unassuming tree keeps to itself, but for a brief time in late May and June huge sprays of delicate white flowers appear releasing a heady fragrance that captures your attention. I caught the scent yesterday when I brushed past and grabbed armfuls to bring home with vague notions of elderflower cordial in my head.

A cross between a Baker & Spice overnight meringue and an Elderflower pavlova from The Gate Vegetarian cookbook took hold, however and I thought I would be able to wait one day for the results... just. A couple of days off meant that my oven was free and it doesn't take too long to get the meringue mixture together (though the mixer is a little noisy just before bedtime!) The overnight bake makes the recipe virtually foolproof, resulting in a crisp exterior and pure marshmallow fluff on the inside. Usually too sweet to eat on their own, the elderflowers add an elusive perfume that cuts through the sweetness and transform these meringues into a treat that can be devoured solo. Though my little one didn't say no to a punnet of raspberries to go alongside hers. I have something else in mind for a few of these meringues, I'll let you know if it works out. In the meantime get these in the oven tonight, a tablespoon of elderflower cordial can replace the flowerheads if you don't have someone's garden to steal borrow them from.

I don't know if the summer will grace us with it's presence for very long this year, but right now I have the taste of it just within reach.

ELDERFLOWER MERINGUES

• 115g egg whites (about 3 large egg whites)
• 225g caster sugar (200g if using cordial)
• 2 tbsp elderflowers, picked off their stems (or 1 tbls elderflower cordial)

1. Preheat the oven to 150 C. Line a large baking tray with greasproof paper or baking parchment.
2. Put the egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, taking care the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture feel warm to the touch. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer to beat the mixture until very thisk and cool. This should take about 15 minutes. Very gently fold in the elderflowers.
3. Pile 6 large mounds of meringue on to the baking tray leaving some space between each one.
4. Put in the oven and immediately turn off the heat. Leave the meringues in the oven overnight, or if making them during the day leave for at least six hours.

Make 6 large meringues.

LARGER THAN LIFE

                        

I'm using my new found confidence with choux pastry (thank you Helene) to retry a recipe that didn't really work for me the last time round. The recipe comes from the book Tartine from the bakery of the same name in San Francisco. One of the most popular items on their menu are their larger than usual gougeres. Gougeres are the savoury counterpart to profiteroles, usually flavoured with gruyere and thyme although you can use different cheese and herb combinations according to your own tastes.

Last time my dough was too wet and trying to discreetly slide it's way off the tray before going in the oven. I ended up with flat, soggy gougeres, a far cry from the featherweight puffs I had been promised by the recipe. It's fair to say that I was a little unwilling to give it another try, partly because I was so disappointed and also because I wasn't entirely sure where I had gone wrong. I do love this book, written by the owners of the bakery, their enthusiasm for what they do is evident. Their style is largely French but simplified so that basic elements of the French patissier shine through in their tarts and gateaux while foregoing some of the usual spun sugars and decorative details. They also have as much passion for the more rustic style of the fruit galettes and clafoutis and the all-American cookies and brownies that no bakery should ever be without.  Beautifully captured in both words and photographs their hope seems to be to teach and inspire us readers, whether we are novices or more seasoned bakers.  Having said this, one or two of the recipes slipped under the radar and assume a certain level of experience that some of us mere mortals don't have.

Bearing this in mind I returned to the recipe with a little more knowledge and confident that I could make it work this time, or else...! I left the milk, butter and flour paste to cool before adding the eggs (last time I beat them in straight away). I added the eggs one at a time and kept an eye on the dough until it was at the consistency I wanted (thick mayonnaise), I ended up using one egg less than that called for in the recipe. Lastly I upped the temperature of the oven for the first ten minutes of cooking hoping to kick-start that puffiness before turning down the heat again. This time I got my big fat featherweight puffs with a crisp burnished gold exterior (I've always wanted to use "burnished" in a sentence, I think I'll make it my word for the week), it took only one bite to reveal the soft, eggy, cheesiness inside, flavoured with pepper and thyme.

You can make these as small perfect mouthfuls, or large as they do at the Tartine Bakery where they serve tray after tray of them hot from the oven every morning. I have only ever tried the large ones... sometimes size matters.

Recipe is mildly adapted from Tartine

GOUGERES

• 155ml milk
• 155ml water
• 140g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup plain flour or strong bread flour
• 4-5 large eggs
• 115g Gruyére cheese, grated
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• Large egg whisked with a pinch of salt to glaze
• Extra grated Gruyére for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Make the choux paste by combining the milk, butter and salt in a heavy based saucepan and place over a medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth paste and pulls away from the side of the saucepan, squishing any lumps that may have formed against the side of the pan. Cook until some of the moisture has evaporated, about three minutes.
2. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can do this with the wooden spoon but believe me your arms will not thank you for it!). On a medium speed beat in the eggs one at a time incorporating each one before adding the next. Add the eggs until you have a thick, smooth, shiny dough the consistency of thick mayonnaise. Add the cheese, pepper and herbs, mixing in with a rubber spatula.
3. To make small gougéres put the dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch plain tip. Pipe 1 inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Or use a spoon to drop the dough in 1 inch mounds.
4. For the large ones, use a large spoon to form 3-inch rounds about 1 inch high on the sheet spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush with the egg wash and top with the cheese. Bake for ten minutes at 190 C, then reduce the heat to 170 C. Bake until they have puffed, are light for their size and are golden brown, 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke a small hole in the side of each pastry to allow the steam to escape (this is unnecessary for the small ones). They can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.
5. Store in an  airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and recrisp at 170 C for 5 minutes.

Makes 30 little 'uns or 8-10 big boys.

HONEY, I'M HOME!

                         

I can't take the credit for todays post, my little one did all the hard work this time. There was a Spring Fair at her school today and everyone's homework last night was to bake something for the cake stall. Being of a determined nature she already knew what she wanted us to make. Honey biscuits.

The recipe comes from a wonderful book called Honey Biscuits by Meredith Hooper. A lovely story of a gran teaching her grandson to bake his favourite biscuits, the recipe is incorporated into the story (it has been handed down through the authors' family for generations). We have had this book for a couple of years now and I've lost count of the number of times we have baked these. Rainy days, can't face the playground days, who needs an excuse days, it has become a little butter-spattered and smells like cinnamon. Beautifully written and illustrated, it is lyrical and engaging while at the same time teaching a few basic baking skills. It also teaches children that their food comes from a little further away than the supermarket shelf, an ever more important lesson these days. But, perhaps most importantly, after about 40 minutes, you'll end up with a mouthful of warm biscuit.

I would recommend this book to anyone with kids, even if it is only used as a means to delay playing dolls for the umpteenth time. No kids? Follow the recipe below, why should you be denied the sweet, spicy smell that fills your kitchen. Though if you can borrow a little minion helper to do all the hard labour in the name of education, then do so. Never one to let her voice go unheard, someone has a few words to say:

I like reading this book because I like the pictures and they teach me where the ingredients come from and how to bake yummy biscuits. I enjoy making them with my mom. Next time I'm going to separate the egg by myself for the first time. Best of all I like eating them with my friends!

There you have it: honey biscuits made by my little one. And nothing could ever taste sweeter.

HONEY BISCUITS

• 120g unsalted butter, softened
• 120g caster sugar
• 1 large tbls runny honey
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 level tsp ground cinnamon
• 180g self-raising flour
• some extra sugar and cinnamon for rolling

1. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until they are creamy. (You can use an electric mixer but we usually use a big bowl and a wooden spoon.) Beat in the honey and the egg yolk.
2. Add the cinnamon and then the flour in three batches. Mix only until the mixture comes together in a soft dough. If it is sticky add a little more flour.
3. Shape about a teaspoonful of the dough into a ball, (or bigger if you want bigger biscuits) roll it in a little sugar and cinnamon and put it on a greased baking tray. continue until you have used up all the dough.
4. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes to cool, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes up to 30 biscuits

WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TART?!

                        

There were supposed to be three little tarts in this photo, but being a consummate professional I had to double triple quadruple check that they were up to scratch because I couldn't possibly post them otherwise. My verdict? They are good, really good. To say the least. Biased (and immodest) I may be but how could you go wrong with a crisp almost biscuity base, zingy lemon curd and smooth creamy ricotta custard. Sprinkle with pine nuts that toast lightly while in the oven and any naysayers will feel the wrath of my spatula!

A naturally flowing result of a need to use up some lemon curd, they are a lemony version of an orange and ricotta tart that featured in last months Italian issue of Delicious magazine. The lemon curd came from a need to use up the egg yolks left over from the hazelnut filling for the Crepe Cake last week. Thrifty me? All week it waited bright yellow and patient in a Kilner jar on the top shelf of the fridge while I made up and then changed my mind several times over. I had just decided on a raspberry and lemon curd tart when I flicked across this and decided I could twist it to suit my sweet needs. A little polenta in the pastry, lemon zest and juice to replace the orange, limoncello, if you have it to replace the orange flower water and lastly the lemon curd in place of orange marmalade. Incidentally if the sound of this orangey version is making you a little weak about the knees, Andrew over at Spittoon Extra made it recently and has posted the original recipe.

You can make your own lemon curd or buy a good quality shop-bought one. I chose a recipe from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book for the simple reason that it calls for egg yolks rather than whole eggs. I halved the recipe but I'll give the full one as it keeps well in the fridge. The recipe follows after the tart.

I'm sending this to an amazing global blog event called Taste of Yellow hosted by Barbara. Click on the link to find out all about this great cause.

LEMON & RICOTTA TARTS

For the pastry:

• 200g plain flour (I substituted 50g of fine polenta for 50g of flour)
• 50g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus three tbls lemon juice
• 1 egg yolk

For the filling:

• 350g ricotta, drained
• 2 large eggs
• 55g caster sugar
• I tbsp lemon juice (or maybe limoncello if you have it)
• 140g lemon curd (home-made or good quality shop bought)
• 30g pine nuts

1. To make the pastry: Whizz the flour, icing sugar, butter and the lemon zest in a processor. Add the egg yolk and enough lemon juice to make it come together to form a soft, but not sticky dough. Don't put all the juice in at once as different flours absorb liquids at different rates and you may not need all the juice. Or you may need more. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a 35cm x 11cm fluted tart tin or six 9 cm tartlet tins (you'll have some left over). You can trim off any excess pastry now or,as I prefer to do, after you have blind-baked the shells. Chill the pastry for a further 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ fan 160 C. Line the tart with baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind-bake for 10 (around 7 minutes if making tartlets). Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until crisp and golden. Cool slightly.
3. For the filling: Whizz the ricotta, caster sugar and lemon juice, 2 eggs and lemon zest in a food processor (or just beat together in a bowl until well combined, who needs to wash a food processor twice in one recipe?) Spread the lemon curd over the base ot the tart(s) and pour over the filling. Sprinkle with the nuts and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, (start checking the tartlets at 15 minutes) until lightly set. The filling won't take on very much colour. Cool slightly in the tin then remove and serve dusted with icing sugar.

Serves 6

LEMON CURD

• 8 large egg yolks
• 250g sugar
• 2 tsps finely grated lemon zest
• 180ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 115g unsalted butter

1. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium, heavy, nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, salt and butter and cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 7 to 10 minutes (do not let the custard boil, or it will curdle). The mixture should leave a path on the back of a wooden spoon when you draw your finger across it. Immediately strain the mixture through the sieve, pressing it through with a rubber spatula.
2. Set the bowl containing the lemon mixture in a large bowl filled about one-third of the way ice water (be careful that the water doesn't splash into the lemon mixture). Stir the mixture frequently until it is slightly chilled, about 15 minutes. Cover the surface with cling film and chill in the fridge until ready to use. Or else store in an airtight container.

Makes about 500ml of lemony curd.

POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME

                         

Big fat drops of water have been falling from the sky these last few days, a phenomenon that seems strangely familiar to me. It turns out that our long stretch of beautiful spring sunshine does not transform Ireland into the Cote d'Azur and I'm glad I didn't pack my coat and scarf away. Let's hope that whoever is in charge of the weather realises that three weeks of sun in April does not a summer make.

Not having to feel guilty about being chained to the oven while the sun chastises me through the kitchen window I am contributing to another blogging event, which I came across while drooling over Kieran's Kahlua Brownies. With the impossible to resist title Brownie Babe of the Month, it is hosted by Myriam over at Once Upon A Tart. I bake brownies four or five times a week to sell, and the recipe I use is Nigella's from How to be a Domestic Goddess. I am of the opinion that less is more when it comes to brownies but Myriam was looking for recipes that push the boat out, so I did a little trawling (no appalling pun intended) and came up with a Darwinian evolution of two recipes.

Part of a quintuple chocolate brownie recipe in Dorie Greenspans Baking: From my home to yours combined with a recipe for turtle brownies (I don't know why they're called that either) found on Epicurious (sorry this post seems to be littered with links (and brackets.)) Dorie's recipe for a brownie that contains chocolate in five different guises has a suggestion to try salted cashew nuts as an added extra so I thought of taking her up on her kind offer. Seeing as brownies are an American creation and American's tend to have something of a sweet tooth I was hoping to get some caramel in there somewhere. The Epicurious recipe had a brownie topped with a caramel and pecan layer so the two kind of melded together with a variation of Dorie's dense chocolate chip brownies ending up with a layer of salted cashew nut caramel on top. Sweet.

I did threaten promise you another chocolate inspired recipe and I hope this one nudges a boundary or two. I can't think of what to name them so I'll just call them Salted Cashew Nut Caramel Layered Chocolate Chip Brownies. Enough said.

SALTED CASHEW NUT CARAMEL LAYERED CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES

FOR THE BROWNIE:

• 70g plain flour
• 30g good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 115g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 175g dark chocolate (I used 60%)
• 2 tbls strong coffee
• 200g demerera (or caster) sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g milk chocolate chips, or chopped up bars of milk chocolate

FOR THE SALTED CASHEW NUT CARAMEL:

• 150g caster sugar
• 80ml golden syrup
• 3 tbls water
• 80 mls double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 175g roasted, salted cashew nuts

1. To make the brownies: Line a 9 inch square tin with foil and preheat the oven to 170 C. Sift the flour cocoa and salt together and set aside. Melt the butter, chocolate and coffee together in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Don't let the mixture get to hot and don't let any steam come into contact with the chocolate. Stir gently until smooth and leave to cool for five minutes.
2. Using a rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture, you don't want to get air into the batter and don't worry about graininess. Stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth glossy batter. Gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Lastly, stir in the milk chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the pan.
3. Bake for about 35 minutes (but start checking before this) or until a thin knife, or skewer comes out streaked but not coated in batter. Transfer, in the tin, to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
4. To make the caramel: Over a moderate heat bring sugar, golden syrup, water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium sized, heavy-based saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil, without stirring, until the mixture turns a golden caramel colour, about 10 minutes. I could have taken my caramel a little further but I was nervous of burning it. Still tasted good though! When you have the right colour remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the double cream and vanilla. Mixture will bubble and steam briefly. Stir in the cashew nuts and immediately pour over brownie layer. Cool completely in tin on rack. Leave to set for about 4 hours, if you can.

Serves? It depends on how big a brownie you want!

MY SWEET HOT BUNS

What?! They're buns, they're sweet, they're hot and I made them. And they ended up being quite the pain in the buns neck to make. For that reason I almost didn't post them, but I didn't use up nearly 5lbs of flour and a pound of chocolate for nothing. These are hot cross buns chocolate style. I may have mentioned before that I have no love for raisins and every year at Easter when I smell these spiced rolls I feel I'm missing out so I thought that this would be an appropriate adaptation for Easter, and even more appropriately Good Friday when they are traditionally eaten (in Christian countries at least.) When I checked just now on Wikipedia to find out a little about their origins I discovered that chocolate hot cross buns have become popular in Australia, so while I was under no illusions about the originality of my idea I am feeling a little deflated. Not exactly something you can rustle up first thing in the morning but if you give them a go you can adapt them to accommodate your favourite spices. I desperately wanted to try these with chili (powder or fresh) but I chickened out at the last minute. Orange zest could be good in a Terry's chocolate orange kind of way.

The first attempt: I had already decided that the mellow spices (cinnamon, ginger etc) used in the traditional hot cross buns were also a good match to bittersweet chocolate so all I had to do was replace dried fruit for chopped up chunks of chocolate. So, Nigella's Feast in hand I got my mixer out and made up the dough  which I then put in the fridge to rise overnight (Nigella says it improves the flavour and texture.) The next day, smug in my goddessliness I opened the fridge door to an unchanged lump of dough. The yeast was dead, and no-one was talking. All the evidence was dumped in the bin.

The second attempt: Same recipe but with a shorter counter-top rise because I was running out of time. This was a little more successful; I waited until the last minute to mix in the chocolate, because I still wanted a pale roll to show off the contrasting choc chips, and the dough rose for the first proving. I then shaped the dough and cut the little crosses and left them to rise again. They didn't rise as much as I would have liked but I brushed them with egg wash, dribbled on their flour and sugar paste crosses ( replacing 1 tbls of flour with a tbls of cocoa to complete my chocolate transformation,) put them in the oven and half an hour later I was rewarded with tough buns. To add insult to injury my beautiful chocolate crosses were too bitter as Nigella's recipe contained no sugar. At this point she and I were forced to part company.

My third attempt: I turned to my Baker and Spice bread bible. I am nervous using this book because it often calls for dough starters which take days to prepare but this recipe uses fast-action yeast so I felt more confident. Never let dough sense your fear. There is an extra step in this recipe where you have to make up the yeast sponge about two hours beforehand, but at least then you'll know if there's a yeast serial-killer on the loose before you pour all your ingredients (and heart and soul at this point) into the bowl. The yeast sponge showed suitable, cauldron style, activity and I continued with the recipe with only one slip-up; I put in too little liquid. The dough tolerated my clumsiness letting me add in the extra milk and ten minutes later I had a soft, silky ball (of dough) that felt elastic and alive as I kneaded it; I was feeling very optimistic. I shaped the dough into little rolls and left them to rise again, which they did! All that was left was to glaze with an egg wash and pipe the sugar paste (I didn't substitute cocoa this time) into the indented crosses. Then into the oven and more crossing of fingers until they emerged glossy and fragrant waiting to be soaked in sugar syrup. And there they were hot, sweet, sticky buns ready to be devoured. What??!

CHOC CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

• 1 sachet fast-action yeast
• 200ml warm water (about 20 C if you have the means to measure the temperature)
• 870g strong white flour & extra for dusting
• 230ml cold water (about 10 C)
• 25g skimmed milk powder ( I used 230ml ordinary milk because I forgot the milk powder)
• 100g caster sugar ( I might increase the sugar if I make these again to compensate for the bitter chocolate) 
• 15g Maldon sea salt, ground fine
• 85g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 40g ground mixed spice
• 250g chopped dark chocolate 60-70% cocoa solids ( original fruit quantities if you must know; 100g raisins, 70g dried apricots, chopped and 80g candied citrus peel, chopped)

Piping Paste

• 4 tbls plain flour
• 1 tbls caster sugar
• 1 tbls cold water

Glazes

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbls milk
• 100g sugar
• 50ml water

1. Make the sponge: In a large bowl whisk together the yeast and the warm water until the yeast has dissolved. Stir in 200g of the flour. Cover the bowl with cling film ands leave in a warm place for two hours or until the sponge has risen by at least one-third and is clearly active, with lots of bubbles.
2. Put the remaining 670g of flour in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and add the sponge, cold water, milk powder, sugar, salt, butter egg and mixed spice. Switch on at the lowest speed and work for 8 minutes, when you will have a very soft dough. Add the chocolate, turn up the speed to medium and knead for 1 minute only. Remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 more minute and form into a ball. Put into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently press out into a rectangle to deflate. Weigh the dough, then divide into 24 equal pieces, using the scales to be precise. I'm not sure this step is necessary these are meant to look home-made after all. Form each piece into a ball. Line baking trays with non-stick baking parchment and arrange the balls on the trays in lines, almost touching. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until the buns have doubled in size and joined together. Don't rush this rising stage if they havn't doubled in bulk after the 45 minutes then leave them for another little while.
4. During the second rise preheat the oven to 250 C. Also make the piping paste for the crosses by mixing the flour and sugar with the water.Put into a piping bag fitted with a small, plain nozzle, a small freezer bag with the corner snipped off would also do. Beat the egg yolk and milk together for a glaze.
5. Using the back of a knife, indent a cross on the top of each bun. Brush with the egg glaze, then pipe a cross in the indentation. Put the buns in the oven, TURNING DOWN the temperature to 180 C as soon as you close the door. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the buns are golden and darkening around the outside edges. Like bread rolls they will sound hollow when tapped on the base.
6. Transfer to a wire rack. Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Brush this glaze over the buns. try to resist pulling them apart until cooled to room temperature.

Makes 24 buns.

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

Happy Mothers Day! I don't usually go in for these Hallmark style events but seeing as I'm also profiting from the giving of gifts to well deserving mums it would be hypocritical of me to whine. After battling through crowds of fathers, with kids in tow, juggling armfuls of flowers, chocolates and cake to get my small mountain of baking onto the shelves this morning I hoped the mums at home were taking full advantage of their annual day of leave (and getting a cupcake into the bargain.)

I remember making breakfast in bed for my mum when I was old enough to burn toast and boil the egg dry in the saucepan, but with six kids in the house breakfast was as good as it got. Call it Mother's Morning if you will. So how did all this pampering get started? Though mother goddesses have been celebrated since pre-history, the always reliable Wikipedia tells us that Mother's Day, as we know it, originated as a Christian festival that falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent, when children in apprenticeships and service returned home to their families to celebrate at their "mother" church bringing gifts of cake and wildflower bouquets for their own mums (wouldn't it be wonderful if some sort of combination of the two could be found?) From the religious beginnings in the seventeenth century the gradual secularisation has led to the flower and chocolate fueled frenzy of today. Apparently Mother's Day is the most popular day of the year to eat out in a restaurant in America though they celebrate theirs on the second Sunday in May. It seems to have begun in the US as a call by mothers for peace during the Civil War and Woodrow Wilson declared the first official national Mother's Day in 1914.

Whatever the origins may be it is good to stop for a moment and realise that there isn't a machine that produces meals at the end of each day, does the laundry, hoovers, provides taxi services and kisses us goodnight. So while all us goddesses (domestic or otherwise) are being worshipped today we will accept your tributes graciously and we will eat cake (if someone will bake one for us.)

This recipe is adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

VANILLA CUPCAKES

• 227g unsalted butter, at room temperature (this is a 1/2 pound pack just unwrap and throw it in the bowl)
• 400g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 180g plain flour
• 220g self-raising flour
• 230ml of milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

BUTTER ICING

• 700g icing sugar
• 200g butter, softened
• 90ml of milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C and line two muffin tins with 24 paper cases. Sieve the flours together in a bowl with the salt and set aside. Stir the vanilla into the milk.
2. Put the butter in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Or use a large bowl and a hand held mixer. Beat the butter on a medium speed until soft and creamy about 30 seconds. Add a third of the sugar and beat for one minute, then another third of the sugar and beat for another minute, add the last of the sugar and beat for a further three minutes until very pale and very fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time making sure each one is well incorporated before adding the next one (beat for about one minute after adding each egg.) Scrape the sides of the bowl down as necessary.
3. Now reduce the speed to low and add the flour and milk in stages starting with a third of the flour. Beat slowly just until the flour disappears into the batter, add half the vanilla-milk and beat again until just incorporated. Beat in another third of the flour until incorporated, followed by the rest of the milk,beat in and finish with the remaining flour. It is important to incorporate the flour and milk quickly but gently or the cupcakes will be tough instead of beautifully soft. I usually fold in the last of the flour with a spatula. You should end up with a batter that is quite thick but with a soft dropping consistency (a blob of batter should fall easily off a spoon). If the batter is too thick add a little extra milk a tablespoon at a time.
4. Divide the batter between the paper cases and bake the cupakes for 25 minute or until golden and springy in the centre. Cool in the tins on a wire rack for ten minutes, then remove to the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the icing; beat the butter and 300g of the sugar together at a high speed until fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla, you might want to reduce the speed for this! Beat again until incorporated and add the remaining icing sugar gradually until you have soft and fluffy vanilla scented icing to pile onto your cupcake. You may need to add more sugar or milk to get a good consistency.
6. When the cupcakes have cooled, ice generously with buttercream coloured as you choose and sprinkled with whatever you desire.

Makes 24 cupcakes (easily halved)

IS IT A COOKIE? IS IT A CAKE?

Actually, it's a cookie in a cake. This comes from an American recipe book (only in America would they feel the need to combine cookies and cake!) and is the perfect thing for Sunday afternoon baking, even a groggy Sunday afternoon. The cookies in question are Oreos which have been readily available in Ireland for a long time now; I got mine at my local petrol station. They come in boxes of 16, the recipe calls for 14 or 15, I'm sure you can find a mouth to shove the last one into.

I was thrilled to find this recipe because it called for a patterned bundt tin and I had had one gathering dust in my cupboard for about six months. I found it in TK Maxx and couldn't resist it despite not having a clue what to make in it. You can also find them in kitchen supply shops, my local one in Limerick is The Kitchen Range, although I am sure the cake could be baked in a 9 or 10 inch spring-form tin with some adjustment to the oven time.

Take the butter, eggs and sour cream out of the fridge at least an hour before you start , to come to room temperature, cut up the cookies and after that let the mixer do all the hard work. The smell of this cake baking is beyond words (this is my fifth attempt at this sentence so I should know). Just make it. Please.

This recipe is by the great Maida Heatter

OREO COOKIE CAKE

• 14 to 15 Oreos cut into quarters with a sharp knife
• 330g plain flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarb of soda
• 227g unsalted butter (1/2 lb packet is perfect)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• few drops of almond extract
• 300g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 240 ml sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C. Butter and dust with flour whatever tin you are using, making sure to get into all the grooves if it is a patterned tin. Sift together the flour, salt and bicarb and set aside.
2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at a medium speed until soft. (A bowl and a hand mixer are fine too). Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the sugar, and beat to mix well ; at least 3 minutes.Then add the eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated after each addition.
3. On a low speed add the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the sour cream in two additions, scraping the bowl as necessary and beating only until incorporated. It is important not to overmix at this point. I usually fold in the last lot of flour with a spatula.
4. Place a few spoons of the batter into the bottom of the pan and with the back of a spoon make a little trench in the mixture. Now add the cut-up Oreo cookies to the remaining batter and fold them in very gently you don't want them to turn into crumbs. Carefully fill the tin with this mixture and again make a shallow depression with the back of a spoon. This is to compensate for the cake rising in the middle. It will still rise but not as much.
5. Bake for 1 hour, until a skewer inserted gently into the cake comes out clean and dry. The top should feel springy to the touch. The cake will be cracked on top don't worry about this. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Then cover the tin with a rack and turn the tin and rack. remove the tin and let the cake cool. I just dusted the top with icing sugar and a little cocoa powder but you could drizzle with a chocolate glaze .

Serves about 16 portions.