If you want "healthy" I have loads of recipes with fruit and veg in them and they don't all include chocolate but, since chocolate is so good against dementors I think it's a bonus and not to be messed with.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
It's not exactly cooking, but this simple recipe for fruit vinegar is one I use every year. It's basically Pam Corbin's recipe for raspberry vinegar.
1kg juicy fruit - raspberries, elderberries, blackcurrants - whatever you have too much of. Picked in dry weather so the fruit is dry.
600ml cider or white wine vinegar.
Granulated sugar.
Put the fruit in a bowl and lightly crush gently with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar. Cover a leave for 4 or 5 days, stirring now and then.
Strain through a scalded muslin cloth or jelly bag and leave to drain over night.
Measure the strained liquid, pour it into a clean pan and add 450g of sugar for every 600ml of fruity vinegar. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and then boil for 8 to 10 minutes.
Leave to cool. Bottle and seal when it's cold. It will make between 1 and 1.5 litres depending on how juicy the fruit is.
It makes a great salad dressing (over goats cheese, in particular), a spoonful in hot water is a soothing drink when you have a cough (especially elderberry) and it goes well in lots of dressings, sauces and that sort of thing.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Bring to the boil the water, sugar, lemon juice and rind, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the washed and destalked cherries, and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick and cool a little before adding the brandy.
Pack into sterilized jars and cover with the liquor.
As an aside peeps, the cherries haven't been stoned, so don't forget... you mustn't eat the stones!!!! (Re story of guy who swallowed 3 stones not long ago and nearly died from cyanide poisoning! Just thought I had better mention it!!)
I will now drink the rest of the Brandy 'cos it goes off very quickly doesn't it??
OK - this one is seriously good and rich. Boozy too. Great in winter when we need comfort food. I use 54% Belgian dark chocolate. British cake recipes and Belgian chocolate are an unbeatable combination.
CHOCOLATE ORANGE FUDGE CAKE
You need a greased and lined 9”/23cms round cake tin with a removable base and the oven should be pre-heated to 180C. For a 10” square cake, add a third of the quantities.
140g candied orange peel, chopped into small pieces
350g dark chocolate (54%) broken into pieces
225g butter
80ml warm water
85g plain flour
230g ground almonds
5 eggs, separated
310g caster sugar
15ml Cointreau or Triple Sec liqueur
Topping :-
120g butter
150g dark chocolate broken into pieces
Begin by melting the butter and chocolate together. Do not overheat. Stir in half the warm water and leave to cool.
Blitz the candied peel in a processor with the rest of the warm water. Add to the melted chocolate and stir well.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until they are stiff enough to form peaks.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar till light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture, flour, almonds and Cointreau and stir till thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it level. Bake for 1 hour or a bit longer if needed until a clean skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Cool in the tin. To serve, place it on a plate. Melt the butter and chocolate for the topping together gently and spread the mixture on the top. You can garnish it, if desired, with chopped candied orange peel.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Oooooh! Such temptations. Hubby has lots of cake recipes and doesn't need to be tempted again, but I might just let him have a look at these ones.
If anyone wants that recipe for the Persian drink again, let me know and I'll dig the book out. It's nearly falling apart now from lots of use. My Iranian friend told me that the drink is sold by street vendors in the city and very welcome.
Posts
If you want "healthy" I have loads of recipes with fruit and veg in them and they don't all include chocolate but, since chocolate is so good against dementors I think it's a bonus and not to be messed with.
Chocolate comes from beans and beans are vegetables ............. 'nuff said
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's not exactly cooking, but this simple recipe for fruit vinegar is one I use every year. It's basically Pam Corbin's recipe for raspberry vinegar.
1kg juicy fruit - raspberries, elderberries, blackcurrants - whatever you have too much of. Picked in dry weather so the fruit is dry.
600ml cider or white wine vinegar.
Granulated sugar.
Put the fruit in a bowl and lightly crush gently with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar. Cover a leave for 4 or 5 days, stirring now and then.
Strain through a scalded muslin cloth or jelly bag and leave to drain over night.
Measure the strained liquid, pour it into a clean pan and add 450g of sugar for every 600ml of fruity vinegar. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and then boil for 8 to 10 minutes.
Leave to cool. Bottle and seal when it's cold. It will make between 1 and 1.5 litres depending on how juicy the fruit is.
It makes a great salad dressing (over goats cheese, in particular), a spoonful in hot water is a soothing drink when you have a cough (especially elderberry) and it goes well in lots of dressings, sauces and that sort of thing.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Oh O.K then
Brandied Cherries.
250 ml brandy
600g cherries
115g caster sugar
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick of cinnamon
100 ml cold water
2 tsp lemon juice/ 1/2 tsp lemon rind
Bring to the boil the water, sugar, lemon juice and rind, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the washed and destalked cherries, and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick and cool a little before adding the brandy.
Pack into sterilized jars and cover with the liquor.
As an aside peeps, the cherries haven't been stoned, so don't forget... you mustn't eat the stones!!!! (Re story of guy who swallowed 3 stones not long ago and nearly died from cyanide poisoning! Just thought I had better mention it!!
)
I will now drink the rest of the Brandy 'cos it goes off very quickly doesn't it??
OK - this one is seriously good and rich. Boozy too. Great in winter when we need comfort food. I use 54% Belgian dark chocolate. British cake recipes and Belgian chocolate are an unbeatable combination.
CHOCOLATE ORANGE FUDGE CAKE
You need a greased and lined 9”/23cms round cake tin with a removable base and the oven should be pre-heated to 180C. For a 10” square cake, add a third of the quantities.
140g candied orange peel, chopped into small pieces
350g dark chocolate (54%) broken into pieces
225g butter
80ml warm water
85g plain flour
230g ground almonds
5 eggs, separated
310g caster sugar
15ml Cointreau or Triple Sec liqueur
Topping :-
120g butter
150g dark chocolate broken into pieces
Begin by melting the butter and chocolate together. Do not overheat. Stir in half the warm water and leave to cool.
Blitz the candied peel in a processor with the rest of the warm water. Add to the melted chocolate and stir well.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until they are stiff enough to form peaks.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar till light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture, flour, almonds and Cointreau and stir till thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it level. Bake for 1 hour or a bit longer if needed until a clean skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Cool in the tin. To serve, place it on a plate. Melt the butter and chocolate for the topping together gently and spread the mixture on the top. You can garnish it, if desired, with chopped candied orange peel.
Oh Obs.... I am droooooooling!!!!
That one is definitely for Christmas!
It is seriously good Linda. I need to go and talk to my courgette plants now!
Oooooh! Such temptations. Hubby has lots of cake recipes and doesn't need to be tempted again, but I might just let him have a look at these ones.
If anyone wants that recipe for the Persian drink again, let me know and I'll dig the book out. It's nearly falling apart now from lots of use. My Iranian friend told me that the drink is sold by street vendors in the city and very welcome.
Anything greatly recieved Pat!