This recipe has to be one of the easiest ones I do, and the kids just LOVE it! The thing to remember, though, is the quality of chocolate that you use determines the taste of the fudge. If you use belgian chocolate, you'll get belgian chocolate fudge. If you use crappy cooking chocolate... well...
Chocolate fudge:
500g Dark chocolate
75g butter
1 tin (400g) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Butter, chocolate and condensed milk all go in a saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly until it is all melted and smooth (don't let it boil).
Turn into a bowl and add the vanilla, then whizz it up with electric beaters until it thickens up a little.
Turn out into a slice tray (use plastic wrap to line the tray) and refrigerate until set.
And that's it! It's that simple!
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Sunday 2 September 2012
Bloody Brilliant Brownies.
Well, it's been a while. What can I say? I've been busy with other stuff, and a little bit lazy, which is fine, since that's what this blog is all about.
My friend Mez had her birthday party last night and I brought along some of these awesome melt-in-the-mouth brownies. Another friend, jen, who had travelled from Sydney especially to see us and celebrate the birthday, asked if this was a lazy recipe, and it SO is!
So this one's for Jen. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo for this one, but if you've seen one brownie, you've seen them all.
You'll need:
125g dark chocolate
150g butter
1 and a half cups caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 cup cocoa
3 eggs
whatever else you want to put in them (chocolate chips, nuts, mini marshmallows, etc)
Fire up your oven to 180C
Break up the chocolate into pieces, dice up the butter and shove them into a microwave safe jug (you want something with high sides so that you can mix it about without worrying about spills.), and pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. If the beutter is melted after 1 minute, take it out and start mixing with a spatula until the chocolate is melted into the butter and it's smooth. If you need to nuke it for a little longer, do it in 20 second increments. The last thing you want to do is seize (burn) the chocolate and have to start over. That's just a waste.
Set that aside, and crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl, along with the caster sugar and vanilla essence. Use a whisk to beat it until combined, then add the chocolate mixture and whisk that until it's all combined together.
Here's the secret with brownies. Once you add the dry ingredients, you want to move (beat, stir, whisk) the mixture as LITTLE as possible. So next we're going to sift in the flour and cocoa, then slowly, using the whisk, make cutting motions and long round strokes to bring it all together. This would be the time to also add any nuts and chocolate chips or whatever you're going to put in there.
Once that's all roughly combined, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. (I like to use this corningware dish that I have. It's about 40cm x 20cm or thereabouts, and about 5cm thick. Using the spatula that you stirred the chocolate mixture with and haven't bothered cleaning yet, let's get all of that mixture into the baking dish and put it into the oven for 40minutes.
Use your first batch as a test run. Pull them out after 40 minutes, let it cool in the baking dish completely, then remove it, take away the greaseproof paper and put the slab onto a cutting board, using a long knife to slice it into long rectangles or squares, whichever you'd prefer.
If the brownies are too sticky, add 5 minutes to your cooking time next time. If they are too dry/cake-like, take away 5 minutes.
There are a couple of ways that you can finish these off. Traditionally, we dust them with icing sugar. You can just leave them as they are, or you can try this decadent, ridiculous peanut butter option:
Spread a thin layer of peanut butter (enough so that the surface is completely coated with no gaps, but not thick. If you use too much, they'll stick to the roof of your mouth and be gross.) over the top of the brownie slab before you slice it. Then melt about 150g of milk chocolate and spread that over the top of the peanut butter. Set it in the fridge for half an hour before you slice it. You want the chocolate to be set enough that it's no longer runny, and still soft enough that it slices and doesn't crack irregularly when you run the knife through it.
So there you have it. BROWNIES!
ENJOY!
Katy
xoxo
My friend Mez had her birthday party last night and I brought along some of these awesome melt-in-the-mouth brownies. Another friend, jen, who had travelled from Sydney especially to see us and celebrate the birthday, asked if this was a lazy recipe, and it SO is!
So this one's for Jen. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo for this one, but if you've seen one brownie, you've seen them all.
You'll need:
125g dark chocolate
150g butter
1 and a half cups caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 cup cocoa
3 eggs
whatever else you want to put in them (chocolate chips, nuts, mini marshmallows, etc)
Fire up your oven to 180C
Break up the chocolate into pieces, dice up the butter and shove them into a microwave safe jug (you want something with high sides so that you can mix it about without worrying about spills.), and pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. If the beutter is melted after 1 minute, take it out and start mixing with a spatula until the chocolate is melted into the butter and it's smooth. If you need to nuke it for a little longer, do it in 20 second increments. The last thing you want to do is seize (burn) the chocolate and have to start over. That's just a waste.
Set that aside, and crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl, along with the caster sugar and vanilla essence. Use a whisk to beat it until combined, then add the chocolate mixture and whisk that until it's all combined together.
Here's the secret with brownies. Once you add the dry ingredients, you want to move (beat, stir, whisk) the mixture as LITTLE as possible. So next we're going to sift in the flour and cocoa, then slowly, using the whisk, make cutting motions and long round strokes to bring it all together. This would be the time to also add any nuts and chocolate chips or whatever you're going to put in there.
Once that's all roughly combined, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. (I like to use this corningware dish that I have. It's about 40cm x 20cm or thereabouts, and about 5cm thick. Using the spatula that you stirred the chocolate mixture with and haven't bothered cleaning yet, let's get all of that mixture into the baking dish and put it into the oven for 40minutes.
Use your first batch as a test run. Pull them out after 40 minutes, let it cool in the baking dish completely, then remove it, take away the greaseproof paper and put the slab onto a cutting board, using a long knife to slice it into long rectangles or squares, whichever you'd prefer.
If the brownies are too sticky, add 5 minutes to your cooking time next time. If they are too dry/cake-like, take away 5 minutes.
There are a couple of ways that you can finish these off. Traditionally, we dust them with icing sugar. You can just leave them as they are, or you can try this decadent, ridiculous peanut butter option:
Spread a thin layer of peanut butter (enough so that the surface is completely coated with no gaps, but not thick. If you use too much, they'll stick to the roof of your mouth and be gross.) over the top of the brownie slab before you slice it. Then melt about 150g of milk chocolate and spread that over the top of the peanut butter. Set it in the fridge for half an hour before you slice it. You want the chocolate to be set enough that it's no longer runny, and still soft enough that it slices and doesn't crack irregularly when you run the knife through it.
So there you have it. BROWNIES!
ENJOY!
Katy
xoxo
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Salted Caramel cupcakes...not quite lazy, but absolutely delicious!
I was browsing through some other blogs, and came across this gorgeous, super easy recipe for the most delicious cupcake I've ever tasted...EVER.It comes courtesy of How To Eat A Cupcake, via another blogger, who she has credited for the recipe.
Please take the time to make these... It really is amazing.
You'll need:
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
1 1/4 cups plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
CARAMEL SWIRL BUTTERCREAM
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
Caramel Drizzle
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Pinch salt
Buttercream3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
250g unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature
For the cupcakes:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 160°C. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugars and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes (Mine were done at 18 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the frosting:
In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan, cook the sugar over medium-high heat until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stirring with a clean wooden spoon, continue to cook until the sugar is melted and has turned golden amber, about 3 minutes longer.
Carefully pour the cream down the side of the pan in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble and spatter), stirring constantly until completely smooth. Stir in the salt. Pour the caramel into a small heatproof bowl and let cool completely before using. (The caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.)
In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 50°C on an instant-read thermometer), about 2 minutes (It always takes about 5 minutes for me). Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the caramel drizzle (I only added about 1/2 cup) and beat until combined (or almost combined for a swirling effect), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before finishing.) Top each cupcake with a caramel candy, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and serve.
Recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.
MY NOTES: My cupcakes were done at 18 minutes. I only used 1/2 cup of caramel in the frosting.
And now for the review, which comes from Max (who will be 2 in August) "cake cake cake cake cake!" with his hands reachiing for the plate... I think that's a 5 star review!
A winter warmer to share: Jarrah white hot chocolate
I have this huge mug that's specifically for hot chocolate (it says so on the side!), but I can rarely get through the entire thing on my own.A lovely solution to a cold, wet winter's day is to curl up on the couch with my little boys and share a lovely warm mug of Jarrah White hot chocolate, complete with mini marshmallows!
YUM!
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Delicious Dinner: Duck and leek risotto
Tonight we're having a delicious duck and leek risotto. Sounds complicated, right? Nope!This delicious risotto is so simple and can easily be substituted with chicken, mushrooms, pretty much any vegetable if you happen to be the non-meat-eating kind.
You're going to need:
vegetable oil (enough to season a pan, about 2 tablespoons.
1 medium sized leek
garlic to taste, approx 1 teaspoon
1 chicken stock cube or 1teaspoon of stock powder
2 small breast fillets of duck, pre-cooked and shredded, with the fat removed.
approx. 2 cups arborio rice (i'm feeding myself and 2 boys, 7years and 2 years old. You might like to add more rice to bulk it out and get more out of your meal)
salt and pepper to taste
a great big handful of cheese
a litre or so of boiled water
OPTIONAL: a good swig (about 100ml) of pear cider
Right, let's get to it!
Monday 23 April 2012
Sweet treats: Easy, delicious chocolate truffles!
To make these gorgeous truffles, you're going to need:
1 packet Oreos
1 tub Philadelphia cream cheese
250g chocolate (dark, milk or white, just make sure it's as nice as possible. Better quality chocolate is a must for this. I used Cadbury dairy Milk)
Ok, let's get started...
Sunday 22 April 2012
I am a lazy cook!
Actually, it's more about having a very busy life than actual laziness. I have 2 young sons who love to eat pretty much anything (I'm a very lucky mum!), and their preference is for tasty gourmet treats.
But here's my secret....
I'm actually giving them great tasting, hearty, nutritious meals that are quick and easy to cook, use a minimal amount of dishes and leave me time to do things like...write blogs!
So what is this blog all about? Well, it's all about my adventures in the kitchen, and a space for me to share my lazy recipes with all of you!
But here's my secret....
I'm actually giving them great tasting, hearty, nutritious meals that are quick and easy to cook, use a minimal amount of dishes and leave me time to do things like...write blogs!
So what is this blog all about? Well, it's all about my adventures in the kitchen, and a space for me to share my lazy recipes with all of you!
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