april showers and chocolate mousse!

Another blustery wet April afternoon sent me to the kitchen in search of comfort . . .  . .and I found it in the form of Chocolate Mousse!

I've had this recipe from the amazing blog My New Roots earmarked for quite a while, and today seemed like just the perfect day for something indulgent. But, what makes this even better is that it's made from avocado and dates so it's actually good for you too!

 . . . and, it tastes amazing!

I've been aware of vegan/raw alternatives for Chocolate Mousse for a while, in terms of getting the chocolate hit without all the heavy dairy. Although I wasn't quite convinced that it really would taste like the real thing.

I can tell you, it tastes even better! Smooth and creamy, super chocolatey and it leaves you feeling great. Plus it's all good - avocado, dates, cocoa, honey - and topped off with some chopped pecans for a bit of added crunch.

Amazing Chocolate Mousse

( adapted slightly from My New Roots)

2 ripe avocados

6 dried dates - soaked to soften

1-2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp good quality cocoa powder

Scoop the flesh from the avocado into a blender - add all the other ingredients and whizz everything to a smooth paste.

Pile into serving dish and dust with some crunchy chopped nuts and you're good to go!

“Every tear is answered by a blossom,

Every sigh with songs and laughter blent,

April-blooms upon the breezes toss them.

April knows her own, and is content.” 

 - Susan Coolidge -



Vintage baking . . .

Yesterday I bought some really cute vintage ACME baking tins from the Car Boot sale . . .

. . and, I couldn't wait to christen them.

So, today I've made some baby Orange Poppyseed Cakes glazed with marmalade adapted from this brilliant recipe by Tom Dolby

Orange Poppyseed Cakes
Recipe

2 medium oranges

350g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
150g ground almonds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
3 eggs
175g caster sugar
good quality marmalade to glaze



to make cakes . . .

sllice the whole oranges thinly and poach with 400mls of water and the sugar until they are tender (about 20 mins) - leave to cool

measure the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl and mix together

puree 100g of the oranges with 75mls of the poaching water

in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until they are very pale and fluffy - you'll know it's ready when the mixture looks a bit like the consistency of whipped cream

now, fold the orange puree very lightly into the whisked eggs and sugar

fold in the rest of the dry ingredients, but don't overmix or you will knock out all the air you've worked so hard to whisk in!

spoon mixture into bun cases and bake at Gas 4 / 180C for about 15 to 20 mins until they are golden and spring back to the touch

leave to cool for a few minutes while you melt a couple of tablespoons of marmalade gently in a saucepan. Then, glaze the baby cakes liberally with the marmalade

. . . they are lovely warm from the oven! . . . and the marmalade makes them a good choice for a sweet breakfast treat too

pea green and a new camera app!

Yes, it's true ...... I have a passion for peas!

One of my favourite ways of eating them (and there are so many!) is in a pea guacamole. Especially at this time of year, when it makes a welcome change to eat food that not only looks good, but tastes fresh and zingy too!

It's really so simple to make, and can be paired with so many things. As a dip it's lovely with tortilla chips and summer crudites - or stir in some creme fraiche and heat to make a creamy sauce for pasta or chicken - or, thin down with olive oil to make a punchy salad dressing.

Today I've added it as a side with a steamed curried fish parcel This is a brilliant, quick, no fuss way to cook fish - and also requires next to no washing up!....

Both recipes are based on versions on a theme from various sources, and tweaked to my own tastes, as ever! ........ and the colours looked so vibrant together that I couldn't resist getting creative with a new camera app

Pea Guacamole
200g frozen peas - cooked for 5 mins and cooled
half a red onion
2 cloves garlic
half a teaspoon cumin
juice of 1 lime
1 small red chilli
half a small bunch of fresh coriander
olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method
- place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth
- drizzle in olive oil to the required consistency
- cover and chill until ready to serve

Fragrant Curried Fish Parcels
2 firm white fish steaks
1 tablespoon thick natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon curry paste of your choice
1 tablespoon creamed coconut
juice of half a lime
a couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander

Method

- mix together curry paste, yoghurt, coconut, lime juice and coriander and rub the marinade into the fish. Cover and chill for as long as possible - at least half an hour -
- to cook - set oven to 200 C / Gas 6
- place fish onto a double layer of baking paper, or foil and cover in the remaining marinade
- wrap the fish up into a parcel, being careful to make sure that it is sealed
- cook for 15-20 mins, depending on the thickness of the fish. It is cooked when the flesh has turned opaque

serve straight away with rice, green salad or the colourful pea guacamole

new arrival!

pretty pink and white cupcakes to welcome a new arrival!

in search of the perfect Chocolate Brownie!

You know how it is when you have a tried and tested recipe that you come back to time and again.....well, for years I've used a Mary Berry recipe that never fails to produce a dense, fudgy, chocolatey brownie every time. But, being me, I'm always curious to try out new ideas in search of the definitive recipe.

So, when I saw this recipe for Fudgy Coconut Brownies on the Good Food website I was immediately intrigued; coconut in brownies? hmmm, that's an interesting twist! I have had the recipe bookmarked for ages, but the other day was grey and miserable with just enough of a hint of Autumn in the air to make me think of the warm comfort of baking and filling the house with the aroma of chocolate! The perfect excuse to try out - Coconut Brownies!

This time I didn't make any adjustments to the original recipe because I really liked the way they turned out. Unlike other brownie recipes there is no melted chocolate in the mixture, but they tasted so deeply chocolatey that you would never guess. Despite the name there is really just a hint of coconut in the taste, but it gives the brownies a lovely chewy texture.....and they are very addictive; I had eaten two before they'd even cooled down!

Coconut Brownies

(Recipe from BBC Good Food)

100g cocoa

250g butter

500g caster sugar

4 eggs

100g self-raising flour

100g dessicated coconut

Heat oven to 180C / Gas 4 and line a 21cm square tin with baking paper - I used a standard size swiss roll tin

Melt the butter gently in a large saucepan and then stir in the cocoa and caster sugar until melted and combined. Be careful because it will catch and burn if not stirred constantly

Take off the heat and cool for a few minutes then beat in the rest of the ingredients until well mixed

Pour into prepared tin and bake for about 40 mins until set. Leave to cool in tin and then turn out, dust with icing sugar and cut up into chunky pieces

Beware - they won't last very long!

fresh peach and blackberry muffins

Following on from my foray with the summer berries and loaf cake, I'm continuing with a bit of a Summer theme.....this time with peach and blackberry muffins. It's not quite blackberry season yet so I did 'cheat' a bit and used frozen blackberries, and they turned out just fine!

...slightly crunchy on top, very fluffy inside and not too sweet, with mouthfuls of fruit that burst through the soft sugary vanilla cakiness.....

I've been searching for some good muffin recipes lately, and this one Strawberry Muffins was one I came across on the Australian website Taste.com. I did tweak it a bit, just because I can't leave anything alone!!

So, here's my version of the recipe - with tweaks - although, as you can see from the comments on the original recipe, this is a very forgiving mixture so you can be inspired to add 'tweaks' of your own! Happy baking!

Fresh Peach and Blackberry Muffins

Recipe (by Alfie)

400g self-raising flour

175g unrefined caster sugar

250g mixed peaches (cut into small chunks) and blackberries

2 eggs

300mls buttermilk

80g melted butter

3 tsps good vanilla extract

set oven to 190 / Gas 5 and put your prettiest muffin cases in to a 12 hole muffin tin

mix together all of the dry ingredients, and then stir in the fruit

mix together all of the wet ingredients

quickly add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix lightly until it just comes together - it's important not too over- mix if you want light fluffy muffins!

fill muffin cases almost to the top and then bake in the centre of the oven until they are golden and firm to the touch - about 30-35 minutes

leave to cool in tin for about 10 minutes just to allow them to firm up a little, and then cool on a cooling rack

perfect for a lazy Sunday breakfast, tea-time treat - or just because!.....