Soft and gooey brownie

After looking around for a good brownie.
I decided to try Jamie Oliver gooey brownie for this year xmas. However I only added 50g of walnut into my brownie.

It is ok to follow Jamie recipe as for me I reduce the sugar to 300g using dark brown sugar instead of caster white sugar. I increase the flour to 80g as I dun want the brownie to be too gooey.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/bloomin-brilliant-brownies
Ingredient
• 250g unsalted butter
• 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 100g milk Chocolate
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 80g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 300g brown sugar
• 4 large eggs

Topping
• optional: zest of 1 orange
• optional: 250ml crème fraîche

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread Man from http://bakingbites.com/2007/11/gingerbread-men/

Gingerbread Men
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp (freshly) ground nutmeg
pinch ground black pepper (optional)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup coffee or water
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper, if using.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses, water and vanilla, then gradually add in flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough into two or three pieces (dough will be quite soft), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.

Preheat oven to 375F.
For softer cookies:
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to just under 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters of your choice (2-3″ gingerbread men are ideal!) to cut dough. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie cutter. Cookies should be slightly firm to the touch at the edges. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For crispier cookies:
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to just under 1/8 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters of your choice (2-3″ gingerbread men are ideal!) to cut dough. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie cutter. Cookies should be slightly firm to the touch at the edges and will be lightly browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, decorate with lemon icing (recipe below).

Makes about 30-40 gingerbread men, depending on size of cookie cutters used and whether you make them thick or thin.

Lemon Icing
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp tsp lemon juice

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Substitute milk or cream plus 1 tsp lemon extract, if no fresh lemon juice is available. Add enough lemon juice to make the icing thick and pourable, but not runny (start with 1-2 tbsp and add more if necessary. You can always add a bit of extra sugar to thicken it if you add too much) and stir until very smooth. Scrape into piping bag with a fine tip or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off and pipe onto cooled cookies. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes, until firm, before storing cookies in an airtight container.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup (serves 6)

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp celery, finely diced
600 g White mushroom, Swiss brown mushroom & oyster mushroom
1/4 fine salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (1 stalk parlet, 1 bayleaf, 4 sprig thyme, tied together)
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup thickened cream


Method
1) Heat butter, sweat shallots, garlic and celery till soft but not browned for 5 mins
2) Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cover the pan.
3) Add wine and let it bubble for a min before adding the stock. Bring the boil and skim surface. Add bouquet of garin and simmer gently for 20 min, covered.
4) remove bouquet garni and puree the soup in a blender. Dun puree too smooth.
5) Return to pot, add nutmeg and cream and cook till it just comes to the boil, then taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and serve.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Roasted Garlic Mash

6 garlic cloved, left unpeeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sinely chopped rosemary or thyme
3 baking potatoes, weight abt 750g, unpeeled and cut into small chunks
50g butter
125 ml milk
salt & pepper

Method
1) Place garlic cloves in small ovendished. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs. Cover the foil and bake in a preheated over, 160c for 35-40min, until very soft.
2) Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender
3) Remove the garlic from the oven, cooled, squeeze the cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Mash with a fork. Strain the oil from the dish through a sieve held over the garlic and mix well.
4) Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan over a low heat and heat until the butter is melted. Drain the potatoes well when cooked, transfer to a warmed bowl and mash well with a potatoes masher or fork.
5) Add the butter mixture to the potatoes and stir until smooth. Stire int he mashed roasted garlic and season with salt and pepper.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Champ

1kg of potatoes, left unpeeled
150ml milk
4-5 spring onion, finely chopped
50-125g of butter
salt and pepper

method
1) Cook potatoes in a large saucepan
2) put milk and chopped spring onions into a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for a few min, Keep warm.
3) When potatos are cooked, drain then and return to the pan, Dry them over a low heat, covered with a pc of kitchen paper. Then, holding the warm potatoes in the tea towle, peel them carefully and mash well using a fork.
4) gradually beat the spring onion flavoured milk into the mashed potatoes to form a soft but not sloppy mixture. Beat in half the butter and season with salt and pepper.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Mashed Potatoes w Garlic, Parley and Olive Oil

1kg potatoes, left unpeeled
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp milk
3 karge cloves, crushed
4 tbsp chopped flat leafy parley
salt & pepper

Method:
1) Cook the potaties ub a large saucepan of boiling water for abt 20 mins or until tender. Drain well. Once cool to handle, peel the potatoes, then allow them to dry out in a clean pan, stirring for a few moments, over a gentle heat.
2) Push the potatoes through a medium food mill back into the clean pan and stir over a very low heat to dry out further still.
3) Warm the olive oil and milk together in a small saucepan, then stir in the crushesd garlic. Beat into the potatoes puree, adding salt and peper. When potatoes is smooth and well seasoned, stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Mussels in White Wine

Mussels - 30 pcs bacon - 3 slices cut into small pcs Garlic - chopped Onion - diced Chinese Celery Whipped cream Olive Oil White Wine Method 1) Heat up pan, add olive oil and fry the bacon till crispy. 2) Add in onion then garlic, stir fry then add in mussle. 3) Add in White wine, bring it boil then add in whipped cream. 4) Add in celery and serve with bread.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•