Vanilla Berry Tart

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Cakey Pear Tart Tatin

Not Too Bitter Chewy Chocolate Brownies

We made these brownies yesterday. My kids are pretty picky with their brownies. They like them with crunchy tops and fudgy-chewy bottoms.  They like them chocolate-y but not bitter.  It is quite hard to make them JUST like that, but these brownies are JUST like that. They are not wet or cakey.  They are a bit moist and a lot chewy.

A LONG time ago... maybe eight years ago, there was a REALLY GREAT recipe in 'The Age' for Brownies. If you have that could you let me know.  I want to try it again and somehow it got thrown out... sigh.   If you have a copy neatly filed away I would KISS you.  I would.  I am a bit sad I don't have that particular recipe because it was Max's favourite.   Having said that, he thinks these Brownies are JUST as good.  Maybe you would like to make some too?  Here is the recipe, my dears!

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Not Too Bitter, Chocolate-y, Chewy Brownies

Adapted from this Cook's Illustrated Recipe

1/3 cup of good quality cocoa
150ml boiling water
60 grams dark chocolate pellets PLUS
3/4 cup of dark chocolate pellets
200g melted unsalted butter
2 eggs PLUS
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 3/4 cups of plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
Spray on Canola Oil or extra butter and a pastry brush

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  You need a pan around 30cm x 9cm. I used a Pyrex one, but you could use a tin, for sure.

Prepare your pan first. Line it well with two layers of foil. The edges of the foil should rise up a bit higher than the edges of your pan so it's easy to get the Brownies out later.  Make sure the layers are nice and neat and completely covering the surface of the pan and pushed well into the corners. Now spray VERY VERY well with oil or paint VERY VERY well with melted butter and a pastry brush.  This is very important!  You do not want your sugary brownies to stick to the foil!  So go carefully and do a good job of this!

Put the boiling water in your mixing bowl and add your cocoa.  Mix quickly until smooth and then quickly add (one by one) the 60g of chocolate, melted butter, the eggs and egg yolks, the vanilla and the sugar, mixing well after each addition.  Next add the flour and the salt and then fold in the remaining 3/4 of a cup of chocolate.

Pour into your foiled and greased tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean when poked into the centre of said Mega Brownie.

YOU MUST allow these to cool fully before you cut them.  The longer you wait the chewier they will be, but DO NOT cut them before they have cooled.  There is cool brownie-chewy-magic going on!

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Let me know how you go... or post your favourite Brownie recipe in the comments (if you would like to!)

xx Pip

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

Lovely Hot Puddings
Card 8
Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Here's the thing.  The boys have cooked this three times this week.  It is simple (not that they are simple... they are not, they are smart) - it is chocolaty and it is delicious.  It is extra good with ice-cream or cream or even custard would be super great.  This is a very saucy pudding and delivers exactly what it promises.  That is a great quality in a pudding, don't you think?

Quite a few people have said that this is their very favourite recipe from the Yellow Box.  Is it YOUR favourite recipe?  Did your Mum or Nan or Dad used to cook this for you?  Are you the self saucing type?  Does that pudding photo make you queasy?

xx Pip

( :: I have been crocheting zig-zags while they have been pudding-ing along..!)

Upside Down Pear Cake

3 pears, peeled, halved and cored
175g butter
175g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of milk

grease and line your 20cm cake tin with baking paper. preheat oven to 180C.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in flour, then milk.

Place pears into bottom of the lined tin. Spoon mixture evenly over top of pears and smooth out.

Bake for 45minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then turn out onto serving plate.

Y to the UM.

via Eat Drink Live by Fran Warde

Simple Eggless Tiramisu

4 tbsp icing sugar
250g marscarpone
250ml cream
100ml espresso coffee (cold)
1 packet of savoiardi biscuits
100ml kahlua or liqueur of your choice
good quality chocolate for grating on the top


Whip the cream and the icing sugar until fluffy. Add the marscarpone and beat until well combined. In a separate dish, mix the coffee with the kahlua. Dip the savoiardi into this coffee mix and pop into a shallow serving dish. Continue dipping and popping until the dish is lined with a layer of coffee soaked savoiardi. Now spread half the cream/marscarpone on top of the biscuits. Add another layer of soaked bickys. Then finish with the rest of the marscarpone/cream. Grate some chocolate over the top and refrigerate for a few hours.