Category: Chocolate

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Girdlebuster pie

Belinda

Well, given the (Covid) year we’ve had and our waistlines are a little more “elastic” we can go out with a bang these Holidays with this easy and divine Girdlebuster pie from Nigella Lawson.

Serves 6-8

13 oz Digestive cookies or Graham crackers
3 oz soft butter, plus 3 more oz
2 oz dark chocolate pieces or chips
2 oz milk chocolate pieces or chips
4.5 cups (1 liter) coffee ice cream
10.5 oz Lyles golden syrup (Available on Amazon)
3.5 oz packed light muscovado sugar or brown sugar
1/4 tsp Maldon salt or a pinch table salt (optional)
2 tbsp Bourbon
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a food processor, process the cookies with the 3 oz of soft butter and the chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump.
Press into a 9″ round pie dish or flan dish. Form a lip of cookie dough a little higher than the dish if you can. This process takes patience as you ideally need to form a smooth, even layer.
Freeze the cookie dough-lined dish for about 1 hour so it gets really hard.

In the meantime, let your ice-cream soften in the refrigerator, just until it can be scooped.
Spread the ice-cream layer into the hard cookie lined dish to form a layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer

Put the golden syrup, sugar, remaining 3 oz butter and salt (if using) into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and letting it boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce then remove from the heat and let cool.
Once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back into the freezer.
Once frozen, cover it again with plastic wrap.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the freezer, take the whole pie out of it’s dish and cut into slices.

Baking · Chocolate · Holiday Food

Brownie mince pies

Belinda

Paul A Young’s festive hybrid mince pie recipe is a cross between a classic boozy mince pie and a gooey brownie.

For the mincemeat
250g raisins
250g sultanas
50g mixed peel
125g grated eating apple, skin on (about 1½ apples)
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ orange
60g unsalted butter, melted
125g light muscovado sugar (we like Billington’s)
60ml brandy
60ml ruby port
10g ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the sweet pastry
160g unsalted butter, softened
75g golden caster sugar
2 medium free-range egg yolks
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust

For the brownie topping
175g salted butter
80g golden syrup
280g golden caster sugar
320g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), in small pieces
4 medium free-range eggs
70g plain flour
Demerara sugar, chopped nuts or chocolate chips to decorate (optional)

Put all the mincemeat ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl with cling film, then put in the fridge to soak for at least a week (see Make Ahead below and tips).

To make the pastry, use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to cream the unsalted butter and 75g golden caster sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, then 25ml water. Add the 250g flour in 3 parts and stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully incorporated (over-mixing will make your pastry tough and cause it to shrink when baking). Cover the bowl, then chill for 1 hour to firm up.

Knead the chilled pastry dough on a lightly floured surface for 1 minute or until smooth and pliable. Roll out until 3mm thick, then cut out discs using an 8-10cm cutter and use to line a 12-hole muffin tin (the pastry should stick out over the top of the holes by 3mm or so). Chill the pie cases for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the brownie topping. Melt the salted butter and syrup in a pan over a medium heat, then stir in the sugar for 3-4 minutes until dissolved. Take the pan off the heat, add the chocolate and mix well. Add all the eggs, mixing well. Beat in the flour to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350F/175°C/fan155°C/gas 3½.

Add 1 tbsp of the mincemeat to each pastry case, pressing it flat. Spoon on the brownie mix (about ½ tbsp) to 5mm below the top of the pastry, to allow for rising, then decorate as you like. You’ll have quite a lot of mix leftover, which you can chill/freeze for another time (see Make Ahead) or use to make a batch of brownies (see tip).

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before carefully turning out. Eat warm or at room temperature.

TIPS
If time is short, use ready-made mincemeat.

Chill the brownie mix in a sealed container for up to a week, then bring to room temperature before using.

The mincemeat will keep in airtight jars in the fridge for up to 3 months.

The brownie mix for up to 3 months, then defrost to use.

The assembled, uncooked pies can be frozen, then baked straight from the freezer – just add 5 minutes to the cooking time. Leftover baked pies can be stored in the freezer, too, then warmed from frozen as needed.

What to do with the leftovers:
For brownies, put leftover mix in a 20cm square tin lined with baking paper.
Bake at 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 3½ for 25-30 minutes until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out a little gooey.
Cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares.

Chocolate · Do-ahead · Icecream

Banana chocolate chip ice cream

Belinda

Rich, creamy and studded with big chunks of dark chocolate. Simple, from-scratch recipe that anyone can make!
Recipe from food blog “Well Plated”

Makes 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks save the whites for another use
1 cup whole milk yes, it must be WHOLE milk!
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 large very ripe bananas (or 4 medium) the more brown, the better
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum or vodka*
4 oz bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped (about 2/3 cup)

Prep your workstation: Create an ice bath by placing a moderate amount of ice and water in a large bowl. Set an empty, medium bowl in the larger one on top of the ice. Pour the heavy cream into the medium bowl and set a strainer on top. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well combined.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk, sugar, and salt until small bubbles form along the edges and the sugar has dissolved. Do not let boil.

Gradually pour some of the milk into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour (I like to use a ladle for this). Once you’ve poured in some of the milk, return the saucepan to the stove over low heat. Slowly pour the yolks into the saucepan, stirring constantly. This process is called tempering and will keep the eggs from scrambling.

Continue cooking the egg-milk mixture (also called custard) over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula. Strain the custard into the bowl with the heavy cream.

Place half of the custard into a blender or food processor with the bananas. Puree until smooth then pour it back into the bowl with the rest of the custard. Stir in the vanilla extract and rum. Cover, pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, if time allows, overnight.

Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the chocolate during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze 3 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

Notes
*The addition of hard alcohol helps keep the ice cream softer and creamier. If you like the flavor of rum, it’s delicious in this recipe. If not, vodka is a flavorless addition that will still keep the ice cream creamy. If you prefer not to use alcohol, it can be omitted completely, though the ice cream will freezer slightly harder.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead

Chocolate raspberry “pudding” cake

Belinda

Nigella Lawson’s decadent but easy recipe

“I call this a pudding cake because its texture is simply a mixture between pudding and cake, though lighter by far than that could ever imply. Think, rather, of a mousse without fluffiness: this is dense but delicate with it. And it’s heavenly at blood heat, when the gooey chocolate sits warmly around the sour-sweet juicy raspberries embedded in the cake, like glinting, mud-covered garnets. This should be eaten an hour or so after it comes out of the oven. It gets more solid when cold, and loses some of that spectacular texture.
If you have any left, wrap it in foil and heat it up in the oven, or warm it up a slice at a time in the microwave before eating it.

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Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Serves: 8

1½ cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp good unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more to grease cake tin – I use the butter wrapper)
1 tbsp Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
½ cup superfine sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
9 oz good bittersweet chocolate – 70% cocoa solids (broken into squares)
¾ cup black coffee and 185ml / ¾ cup water or 2 tsp instant coffee made up with 370ml / 1½ cups water
2 large eggs at room temperature (beaten slightly)
9 oz raspberries (plus lots more to serve)
approx. ½ teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (to serve)

You will need: a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin.

Arrange the oven shelves so that one is in the middle for the cake, and another just below it. Slide a baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F.
Butter a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix the flour and unsweetened cocoa together in a bowl, and set aside.

Put the butter, liqueur, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir over low heat until everything melts and is thickly, glossily smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes.

Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the pan, and beat well – just with a spatula or wooden spoon – until all is smooth and glossy again, then gradually beat in the eggs. The mixture will be runny: don’t panic, and don’t add more flour; the chocolate itself sets as it cooks and then cools.
Pour into the prepared tin until you have covered the base with about 2cm of the mixture (which will be about half of it) and then cover with the raspberries and pour the rest of the mixture on top. You may have to push some of the raspberries back under the cake batter by hand.

Put into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Don’t try and test by poking in a skewer as you don’t want it to come out clean: the gunge is what the cake is about. But when it’s cooked, the top will be firm, and slightly cracked. Don’t worry about that: a little confectioners’ sugar will deflect attention. When it’s ready, take the cake out of the oven and put on a rack. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the tin; the cake must stay on its base.

When you’re just about to eat – and this should be around an hour after the cake’s come out of the oven – dust with a little confectioners’ sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries, and Greek yoghurt, whipped double cream or crème fraîche as wished.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Tiramisu crepe cake

Belinda

Current times need comfort food!
Tiramisu meets crêpe in this decadent, yet surprisingly easy, layer cake.

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For the crêpes (or buy them ready-made!)
12 large free-range eggs
500ml (17 fl oz) whole milk
250m (l8.5 fl oz) single cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g (9oz) plain flour
½ tsp fine sea salt
Unsalted butter for frying

For the filling
1kg (2.2lbs) mascarpone
140g (5oz) icing sugar
3 tsp espresso powder dissolved in 75ml hot water, cooled
5 tbsp brandy
200ml (7 fl oz) double cream
Cocoa powder for dusting
20g (1oz) amaretti biscuits, crumbed

You’ll also need (if making the crêpes)…
18cm (7 inch) crêpe pan or shallow frying pan

If you’re making your own crêpes, whizz the crêpe ingredients (except the butter) in a food processor until combined, then put in a jug. Heat a small knob of butter in the pan over a medium-high heat. When lightly bubbling, pour in enough batter to coat the pan, tilt until even, then cook for about 1 minute. The crêpe is ready to flip when bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a plate and cover with a damp tea towel. Repeat to use up the rest of the batter – it will make about 18 crêpes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone, icing sugar, coffee and brandy with an electric mixer until lighter and slightly thickened. Add the double cream, then whisk until combined and just holding its shape.

Place a crêpe on a serving board or plate and spread over a little of the cream with a palette knife. Repeat, layering crêpes and cream, until the crêpes have been used up, finishing with the remaining cream. Dust the top generously with cocoa powder and sprinkle with the crumbled amaretti.
delicious.

Tips
If time is short, use 18 shop-bought readymade sweet pancakes, about 18cm in diameter (3 x 375g packs of 6, widely available in supermarket).

Make up to 12 hours in advance without the cocoa powder and amaretti biscuits. Chill in the fridge, then bring back to room temperature before decorating and serving.

Baking · Chocolate · Holiday Food

Easy brown butter ginger chocolate chip skillet cookie

Belinda

This is the quickest recipe you will ever find, it’s literally a dump everything in and stir, which is always a good thing on my book.
If you’ve never tried something with ginger and chocolate before, then you are missing out—the flavors go together like a dream and this case is no exception. The result is a cookie that is crispy and yet chewy in the middle, with a gingery background that is addictive. Plus, it’s a one pot wonder and who doesn’t like that?

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SERVES 8

1 cup or 2 sticks (200 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (215 g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (90 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
5 oz (150 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375° F and grease very well an 8-inch cake pan, or just use a similarly-sized cast iron skillet.
Melt your butter in a pan that is large enough to hold the rest of the ingredients, on a very low heat, until it becomes brown and fragrant (it’ll be a very nutty aroma), stirring it occasionally, should take about 7 minutes or so.

Into that same pan, add both sugars, salt, and ground ginger and mix well with a wooden spoon. Remove the mixture from the flame and allow to cool to room temperature (otherwise your egg will cook once added!).

Add the egg and egg yolk, mixing until combined. Then add your flour, bicarbonate of soda and mix until just incorporated, then add the chopped chocolate and fold it in.

Dump the cookie dough into your prepared pan or skillet, flattening it with the spoon or your hands until even.
Bake it for around 18 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
Cut it while it’s still hot, and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Accompaniments · Chocolate · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Nuts · Vegan

Homemade Healthy Nutella

Belinda

From Food Blog “The Toasted Pine Nut”

Swap your store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread with a healthy, homemade version!
Put it in a crepe or just use a spoon, it’s vegan + refined sugar free!

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3 cups peeled hazelnuts
1/2 cup coconut sugar
splash of good vanilla essence
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 300F.

Lay your hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
Place the peeled and roasted hazelnuts in your food processor along with the coconut sugar, vanilla, sea salt, and cocoa powder.
Turn the food processor on and forget about it for about 3 minutes.
Turn it off, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and then turn it on for another 7 – 10 minutes.
Once the mixture is smoooooth and the consistency you like, transfer the chocolate hazelnut mixture to an air-tight container and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Icecream

Dreamy vegan coconut, chocolate chip ice-cream

Belinda

You only need 5 ingredients to make this creamy and dreamy ice cream!
From food blog “Two peas and their pod”

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2 13.66 oz cans chilled full fat Thai coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Place the coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until combined, about 30 seconds.

Freeze using an ice cream maker, according to manufacture’s instructions.
During the last few minutes of churning, add in the chopped chocolate and coconut.
You can serve immediately for a soft serve texture or you can place the ice cream in a container and freeze for a firmer texture.

Note-I place the cans of coconut milk in the fridge the night before or a few hours before I make the ice cream. If you don’t have chilled coconut milk, you can always place the ice cream mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes before churning up the ice cream. The mixture needs to be cold before churning.
I like Thai coconut milk brand, you can find it in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
Make sure you use vegan chocolate if you need the ice cream to be vegan.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Italian Christmas Pudding Cake

Belinda

The best of all the Italian desserts rolled into a gorgeous, moist and boozy cake.
This recipe is Nigella Lawson’s own but at the same time a conflation of a couple of Italian Christmas must-haves: the glorious, fruit-studded panettone and crema di mascarpone, which is best described as tiramisu without the Savoiardi biscuit layer, and sometimes with pieces of chocolate stirred through the mascarpone mixture.
She has brought in a cassata element, which means she adds, along with the chocolate, some crumbled marrons glaces (though any candied or dried fruits could do) and chopped pistachios.
The pomegranate seeds she tumbles over the top at the end are there for their beauty as well as to add a further seasonal touch.

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Makes: 12-14 slices

1½ pounds Panettone (or pandoro)
⅓ cup tuaca liqueur (or a liqueur of your choice)
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
⅓ cup superfine sugar
2 cups mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
½ cup Marsala
⅓ cup marrons glacés (pieces)
⅔ cup mini chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate)
⅔ cup shelled pistachios (chopped)
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Using a serrated knife, cut the panettone roughly into ½ inch slices, then use about a third of these to line the bottom of a 9 inch springform cake tin.
Tear off pieces to fit so that there are no gaps; panettone is fabulously soft and moldable, so this isn’t a hard job.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the Tuaca (or other liqueur of choice) over it so that the panettone lining is dampened. It looks like a beautiful golden patchwork made out of cake.

Now get on with the luscious filling.
Whisk – using a freestanding electric mixer for ease – the eggs and sugar until very frothy and increased in volume and lightness.
More slowly, whisk in the mascarpone and heavy cream, then gradually whisk in the Marsala and carry on whisking until the mixture is thick and spreadable. Remove a good cupful to a bowl or other container, cover and put in the fridge; this is for the top layer, which is not added until you serve the cake.

Crumble the marrons glacés into the big bowl of mascarpone cream mixture, followed by ¾ of the chocolate chips and ¾ of the chopped pistachios, and fold in. Use half of this creamy filling to top the panettone layer that is lining the cake tin.

Use another third (approx.) of the panettone slices to cover the cream filling, again leaving no holes for the cream to escape through. Dampen with another 2 tablespoons of liqueur.
Spoon on the other half of the cream mixture and spread it evenly. Then top with a third and final layer of panettone, covering the cream as before, and drizzle over it the last 2 tablespoons of liqueur.

Cover tightly with clingfilm, pressing down on the top a little, and put in the fridge overnight or for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to serve, take the cake out of the fridge, unmold and sit it on a flat plate or cake stand, then spread with the reserved mascarpone mixture. Don’t try to lift the cake off the base, as the panettone slices at the bottom are too delectably damp.

Scatter the top – and all around the cake, if wished – with the remaining chocolate chips and chopped pistachios and your pomegranate “jewels”.
These sprinklings also provide beauteous camouflage for any less than aesthetically uplifting edges of the springform base which may be visible.

Chocolate · Poultry

Spicy chocolate milk-braised chicken

Belinda

Your inner-child is screaming “YASSSS”!!

Recipe is from the website Food 52

1. Chicken poached in milk is absolutely wonderful, as evidenced by chicken potpie or any creamy chicken dish for that matter.
2. Chicken in a sweet sauce is totally a thing. See American Chinese food classics, like sweet-and-sour chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and orange chicken.
3. Chicken, chili and chocolate have a long and beautiful history in the form of mole, from the state of Puebla, Mexico.

So accept that this chicken may just be one of the most interesting things. After poaching the chicken (and I promise the milk will not curdle, and the chocolate will help keep it emulsified and beautiful. Pull the meat out of the liquid and put it over quinoa with some sautéed zucchini for a solid weeknight meal. Or stuff it in corn tortillas with a spoonful of the braising liquid and Greek yogurt.

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Serves 4
1 cup (240ml) full-fat chocolate milk
2 tbsp chili powder (I prefer the one made from ancho chiles)
2 jalapeños, stemmed and split lengthwise
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1 1 ⁄ 2 pounds (680g)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced into 1 ⁄ 2-inch-thick (1.3cm-thick) rounds
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Cooked quinoa, for serving

In a saucepan, combine the chocolate milk, chili powder, jalapeños, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and the chicken thighs. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender.
While the chicken is cooking, add the oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. When the oil just starts to smoke, add the zucchini and the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is caramelized and soft, though not so soft that it’s turning to mush. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until the garlic starts to caramelize a little.
Serve the chicken and zucchini over cooked quinoa.