Brownies

Brownies... Venice style :D

110g plain chocolate, broken into pieces, 110g butter, 225g caster sugar, 2 eggs, beaten, 110g plain flour, sifted, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 110gc hopped walnuts, pinch of salt

Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Stand the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water until it melts. When melted, take the bowl off the heat and stir in all the other ingredients. Spread the mixture into a greased, 18 x 28cm shallow baking tin and bake in a preheated oven, 180°C/350°F/Gas 4, for 30 minutes. If you can resist, let the mixture cool in the tin for 10 minutes - it will sink a little bit. Then cut the brownies into 8-10 'squares' and cool on a wire rack.

Africa for Norway

Now the tables have turned... It's Africa for Norway ;))

Roast carrot soup with pancetta croutons

Like usual another delicious Good Food recipe...

700g carrots, cut into batons, 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, skin on, few thyme sprigs, plus extra to garnish, small knob of butter, 2 onions, finely chopped, 700ml chicken stock , made up with 1 cube, 6 tbsp double cream
For the croutons: 6 slices pancetta, 2 thick slices rustic bread , cut into soldiers (we used sourdough), drizzle olive oil

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the carrots, half the oil, the garlic and thyme in a roasting tin. Season and toss everything together. Pop in the oven and roast for 45-50 mins, or until tender and beginning to turn golden.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large saucepan. Tip in the onions and cook over a low heat for 10 mins until soft. When the carrots are done, remove from the oven. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and pop in the saucepan. Tip in the carrots and discard any woody thyme stalks. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
To make the croutons, wrap the pancetta around the soldiers, leaving the ends of the bread exposed. Put on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and grind over some black pepper. Bake for 10 mins until the pancetta and bread edges are crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
While the croutons are cooking, blitz the soup with a hand blender, then sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing to get as much liquid through as possible. Add 5 tbsp of the cream, heat through and season. Adjust the thickness with a little water, if you like. You can chill the soup for up to 1 day at this point, or freeze for 2 months. Reheat before serving. Serve drizzled with the remaining cream and garnished with thyme, with the croutons.

Adele - Skyfall

The best Bond ever....

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

450ml (16fl oz) whole milk, 15g (½oz) cornflour, 50g (1¾oz) best possible cocoa powder, 75g (2¾oz) golden granulated or caster sugar, pinch of salt 

Mix 100ml (3½fl oz) of the milk with the cornflour to a smooth paste. Set aside. Mix together the cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the remaining milk to simmering point, then pour in a steady stream over the cocoa mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Return the mixture to the hob in a stainless-steel pan, cooking over a very low heat at barely simmering point. Stir the bottom constantly to prevent scorching; it can easily catch, so take care. Cook for six minutes, then add the blended cornflour, whisking again to prevent lumps. Return to a simmer and cook for two minutes until thickened and smooth.

Strain the mixture into a clean container and cool in an ice-water bath, stirring often to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least four hours (this 'ages' the ice cream so that the water and fat cells mingle and the ice cream has better body and melts more slowly once frozen).

Freeze and churn in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Serve with cashew nuts and a pinch of lightly toasted ancho chilli seeds ground up with sea salt, or with sweetened whipped cream and grated dark chocolate.

The Script - Six Degrees of Separation

Wisconsin Cheese Soup

1 cup sliced carrots, 2 cups chopped broccoli, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cups milk, 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine carrots, broccoli, water, and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a large saucepan, cook onion in butter over medium heat until onion is translucent. Stir in flour and pepper; cook 1 minute. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil, then stir in cheese until melted. Stir in reserved vegetables and cooking liquid. Heat through, and serve with fresh crusty bread.

Havasi Drum & Piano Project - Freedom

Totally amazing artists, an unexpected concert, a lovely evening ;)

Mushroom & Leek Tarts

3 cups flour, coarse salt and pepper, 2 3/4 sticks butter, chilled, 6 tablespoons ice water, 2 pounds mixed mushrooms - stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced, 2 large leeks, thinly sliced into rounds, 16 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature, 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

In a food processor, pulse the flour and 1 tsp. salt to combine. Cut 2 sticks butter into small cubes. Add to the flour and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Drizzle in the ice water; process just until the dough starts to form a ball on the blade. Knead briefly to blend. Halve the dough; pat into 2 disks.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees . on a floured surface, roll out each dough half into a large rectangle or circle. Transfer to two 5-by-14-inch rectangular or 9-inch round tart pans; press in evenly. Prick the dough all over with a fork; refrigerate for 10 minutes. Cover the dough with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights; reduce the oven to 375 degrees . Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the crust to a rack to cool completely.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook until most of their liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are soft and brown, about 10 minutes; season and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 2 tbsp. more butter and the remaining mushrooms. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter in the skillet. Add the leeks and cook until softened and just barely browned, 6 to 8 minutes; season.
in a small bowl, whisk the goat cheese, milk, eggs and a generous pinch of pepper. Divide the goat cheese mixture between the crusts; spread to cover. Divide the leeks between the tarts, sprinkling evenly on top of the cheese. Cover with the mushrooms. Return the tarts to the oven; bake just until the cheese mixture sets, about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the tarts with parsley and thyme. Serve within 3 hours.