Recipe Time: Cherry and Almond Brownies

Greatings, fellow guzzlers!

In this post, I'd like to bring you a lovely little take I have on brownies. Now, I must admit that my recipe is based on James Morton's excellent brownie recipe in How Baking Works. If you only buy one book this year, buy this one. His recipes and tips are superb and I have honestly never had a better brownie, having tried several recipes over the years.

I reckon his secret is the long, slow cooking time (I actually found he slightly underestimated the time they took to cook)and the use of caster sugar. I feel it is easy to obsesses about making the brownies the gooeyest, richest ever in the history of the entire universe and actually end up ruining the result. A bit like swinging an axe, just let the material do the work and the result is perfection. And so with the caster sugar. I find it's lighter taste than, say, muscovado, sweetens the mix as it should while allowing the luxurious intensity stem from the chocolate and cocoa powder.

Where my recipe differs from Morton's is in cooking time, tin size and, of course, flavourings.

Obviously, I'm adding almonds and cherries but I also add a teaspoon of vanilla essence. I find it adds another little flavour layer to brownies, the sort that causes you to laugh maniacally on the sofa while smearing cake all over your face. Cherries and almonds are a classic combination and their heady flavours and the chewy texture of dried cherries are perfect complements for chocolate.

As for tins, I favour a 9x9 inch brownie pan over an 8x8. The reason for this that all the 8x8s I have ever found are cheap and thin. Thicker tins disperse heat more evenly and, more importantly if you do a lot of baking, are far more resistant to warping. I have an 8x8 tin and, after comparatively few uses, the thin metal has already warped sufficiently that it is useless for producing finer cakes that need to be perfectly level.

Well, after that preamble let's get on with the recipe!

Ingredients (Makes 12)

• 250g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
• 250g Salted Butter
• 300g Golden Caster Sugar
• 3 Eggs, plus 1 Egg Yolk
• 60g Plain Flour
• 60g Cocoa Powder
• 50g Whole Blanched Almonds
• 50g Dried Cherries
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method

Preheat and oven to 160°C (Gas Mark 3) or 140°C for a fan oven and prepare almonds by chopping them into large chunks. Line a 9x9 inch brownie pan/baking tin with baking parchment, doing this as neatly as possible to prevent unsightly dents in the sides of your brownies.

Beat the eggs in a bowl until combined and add to the sugar. Mix the two together gently until just combined and set aside. Beating hard will mix air into the mixture like a super incompetent meringue mix and prevent the brownies from achieving the full fudgey glory.

Break the chocolate into pieces, chop up the butter and throw together into a bowl. From this point, you can go very naturalistic and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or you can hurl it into a microwave like I do. If you chose the latter option, be very careful to keep taking the mixture out and stirring it to prevent the parts of the mixture which melt first from burning. Trust me, I've burned chocolate one in the microwave and it was disgusting.

I like to take the melty mix out of the microwave with a few little pieces of chocolate still floating around and use the heat of the mixture to finish the job. If you do this, it should not be so hot as to scramble the eggs in the next stage which is -

- gently pouring the chocolate and butter liquid into the eggy sugar. Whisk as you pour the mixture in to make sure the egg does not become cooked by the chocolate's heat but not so hard as to introduce lots of air.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, almonds, cherries and vanilla essence together and add to the wet mix. Fold in with a metal spoon until you have just reached the point where no flour is visible. With flour in the mix, there is now the threat of developing gluten which will stiffen the brownie. So, once again, keep the mixing to a minimum.

Pour into the tin, level the surface and bake for about an hour until the mix no longer wobbles or makes crackling noises when taken out of the oven.

Allow to cool, cut into twelve and serve as and when you like.

Recipe Time - Mexican Inspired Spicy Pasta Bake

This week I want to share with you a hearty dish inspired by the flavours of Mexico! If you make this, I can promise a spicy, flavoursome delight which will fill you up and leave you feeling nourished.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

300g Tubular Pasta, such as Penne or Rigatoni

1 Onion

1 Clove of Garlic

2 Green Jalapeno Chillies

50g Butter

50g Plain Flour

500g Whole Milk

150g Mature Cheddar Cheese, Coarsely Grated

1 x 400g Tin Red Kidney Beans, Drained and Rinsed

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 Cayenne Pepper

Black Pepper and Salt To Taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6) or 180°C for a fan oven.

Finely chop the onion and garlic and halve the chillies lengthwise. At this point, you can decide how hot or otherwise you want your dish. For full on fire, slice the chillies into strips and add them to the onion mix. For a milder dish, core and seed the chillies before slicing. They will still add a very gentle heat and fresh flavour to the dish, though the potency will be gone. Personally, I welcome the fire, it is good for you apart from anything else, but the choice is yours.

Heat some oil in a large pan and fry onions, garlic and chillies until soft and just showing a little colour. Set to one side.

Add butter to the pan and melt. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Combine with a wooden spoon to form a roux before returning to the heat for about 10 seconds.

Pour in the milk. Some people like to do this in stages, making sure the roux is thoroughly absorbed at each stage to prevent lumpiness. However, I have found if I use a whisk to stir the mixture the roux and milk still amalgamate well, even if I pour all the milk in at once.

That said, you may occasionally want to run a spoon around the outside of the pan to make sure none of the mixture gets caught in the corners.

Bring the sauce to the boil over a medium heat, whisking vigorously all the time. It should thicken noticeably just before starting to boil to provide a beautiful glossy sauce. Add the kidney beans, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, onions, garlic, chillies, salt, pepper and half the cheese and leave to bubble very gently, stirring occasionally.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.  Reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Add water and pasta to the sauce and stir thoroughly to combine.

Pour the mix into an oven-proof dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top has browned nicely.

Serve and make you have plenty of beer or water on hand if you are not used to spicy food!

Recipe Time - Rose Water and Cardamom Shortbread Fingers

Happy weekend, food-lovers!

Today, I am going to be writing up another of my recipes, an aromatic, Persian-inspired take on that most delightful of biscuits, shortbread.

I have to admit, while R&Ding this recipe I had some trouble getting the spice balance right - my first effort was like being smacked in the face by a spice shop - but I promise I managed to get everything working in perfect harmony.

Just for reference, as rose waters can vary, I used Nielsen-Massey's rose water in this recipe.

Ingredients (Makes 12):

200g Butter

100g Caster Sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)

300g Plain Flour

5 Cardamom Pods

1tsp Rose Water

Method:

Split open the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Either grind in a pestle and mortar or, if you don't have one, put in a plastic bag and pulverise with a rolling pin.

Soften the butter and put in a bowl with the sugar. Mix in but do not beat - the trick with shorthand is to do as little manual labour as possible to ensure a dense, crumbly biscuit. Beating at this point would introduce air bubbles into the mix which would expand in the oven.

Add the flour, rose water and cardamom and mix in, again using as little effort as possible so as not to develop the flour's gluten and produce a leathery texture. Personally, I think this is the moment to hurl the wooden spoon over your shoulder and rub the flour into the fat with your fingertips. Nothing matches the control and feel of your hands.

When the flour is no longer visible, press the dough into a ball. You can put the ball in the fridge for up to several days to improve its texture or do what I do and get on with things.

Line a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) brownie/cake tin with baking parchment. Throw the ball into the tin use your hands to spread into a nice, even layer. Prick the surface all over with a fork but don't go through the dough.

Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes but up to a day to allow the gluten to relax, increasingly crumbliness. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 160°C (Gas Mark 3) or 140°C for a fan oven.

When the oven is up to temperature and the dough has chilled, bake the shortbread for about 25 minutes, until just starting to show a little colour around the edges.

Sprinkle with caster sugar and leave to cool before cutting up into 12 fingers.

Book Review - How Baking Works (And What To Do When It Doesn't) by James Morton

This week, I am reviewing another book, James' Morton's new(ish) How Baking Works (And What To Do When It Doesn't).

I have been using it for the last few months and I have to say it is utterly fantastic. As the title suggests, the book attempts to teach the reader basic recipes and techniques and how to sort out problems ranging from hard shortbread to soggy puff pastry.

Morton's chocolate and orange cookies

Morton takes a highly methodical approach to the book's layout, with each chapter tackling a different type of bake. Cake, sponge, brownie, muffin, torte, biscuit, short pastry, sweet pastry, choux (bless you!) pastry, puff pastry, meringue and macaroons all receive their allotted space.

He is not hidebound by his principles, however, and slips in a few odd recipes where they seem most appropriate rather than leave them out. For instance, a rather excellent recipe for chocolate fondants finds its way into the brownie section.

An introduction covers "basics", a collection of need-to-know sauces and dressings such as caramel sauce, jam and the best crumble topping you will ever experience.

Morton's chocolate fondant

It also reveals a unique selling point of medical practitioner Morton's books, his scientific approach to the subject. He is far less of a "it's all an arcane mystery we must feel our way with" than a "everything is there for a reason which can be explained" kind of baker.

His introduction features a description of the key qualities of the basic ingredients of baking, sugar, eggs, flour etc, and their importance to the baking process.

This style carries on into the later chapters, where he scientifically explains the why behind each style of bake's basic process and how things might have gone wrong.

For instance, he explains the purpose of chilling shortbread before baking (it firms the butter up to prevents spreading in the oven and allows the gluten matrix to relax to produce a crumblier shortbread, since you ask).

I suspect this reason-based approach may also be due to the cheerful blokeishness which suffuses the book. There is nothing fussy about is recipes. Most measurements are in simple multiples or divisions of 100 and he has a casual disregard for scrimping and scraping to make "healthy" bakes (his advice for soft caramel is "Butter. And lots of it.").

Morton's friands (financiers)

The style of the book is very much in this vein; simple, unfussy, cheerful. The prose is conversational, as if he is speaking to the reader, and the layout is clear and simple with plenty of photographs.

I am not entirely sure about the quality of binding. I may have been unlucky but a section of pages has already detached from the spine and is hanging by the thread binding - just the sort of thing to really annoy this book-lover!

As I say, I may just have been unlucky and it is certainly not a reason to avoid buying the book. In fact, I would very much recommend you do and I'm sure Morton would roll his eyes and tell me to stuff the pages back in or glue them down.

How Baking Works is a fantastic book for a baker of any level but especially for a beginner. All the basics anyone could want are in here along with ten skip-loads of advice on how to dodge common problems and take ones baking to the next level. This book is an indispensable jewel in my collection.

Overall * * * * * - A peerless guide to baking, one could not wish for a clearer or more thorough companion.

Presentation * * * *  - A simple but clear and effective layout is enhanced by Morton's cheerful prose.

Quality of Recipes * * * * * - Outstanding, solid basics to set you up for life.

Range of Recipes * * * * * - Every basic style of baking is covered while a few more experimental recipes are included among them.

Price * * * * * - At £20, this is really good price. With this much advice it is worth £25.

Will I Take This Off The Shelf To Cook From? - Yes.

I have been reviewing How Baking Works (And What To Do When It Doesn't) by James Morton, published by Ebury Press (2015), ISBN-13: 978-0091959906

Recipe Time - Leek, Tomato and Taleggio Risotto

This week on The Hungry Seagull I bring you another delicious recipe created by my own fair hand  - leek, tomato and taleggio risotto.

Taleggio is a soft, intensely flavoured cheese, a bit like stilton crossed with camembert. Frequently, it is made from pasteurised milk, which is good news for us germ-freaks.

It is extremely versatile and I love it fresh from the packet, smeared on fluffy white bread, as much as I do melting it in hot dishes such as this risotto.

This recipe uses cherry tomatoes because their delightful sweetness contrasts really well with the tangy cheese and buttery leeks.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

4 Leeks

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

200g Risotto Rice

1 litre Vegetable Stock

400g Cherry Tomatoes

200g Taleggio Cheese

4 teaspoons Oregano

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:

Trim and wash the leeks. I also like to remove the outer leaf but that is a matter of personal preference, you may prefer to throw it all in!

Pour the olive oil into a large pan and heat. Slice the leeks into disks and, when the oil is good and hot, throw them in to the pot.

Cook the leeks over a medium heat, keeping them moving so they do not stick to the pan and burn. When they are soft, add the rice and, stirring all the time, continue to cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the first 250ml of the stock. Still stirring, cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. It is important not to cook at too high a temperature or the stock will evaporate rather than soak into the rice. Aim for a rolling simmer rather than a raging boil.

Add another 250ml of stock. Throw in the tomatoes and return to stirring to prevent the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan. After a while, the tomatoes should be soft enough to crush. Press them against the side of the pan until they burst and release their sweet juices into the risotto.

When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, add another 250ml and keep doing this until the rice is cooked. If you run out of stock, add water until the rice is cooked. It should be soft but with just a little bite.

Once cooked, add the taleggio, roughly torn up, and the oregano. Add a few good twists of black pepper - however much you like, really - and stir until the cheese is melted and evenly mixed through the risotto.

Serve immediately, preferably with a glass of white wine.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and, if you do, please let me know in the comments below!

Book Review - Real Mexican Food by Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham

This week I'm kicking off the book review section of my blog. I'm starting with my latest acquisition, Real Mexican Food by Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham.

Unsurprisingly, it's a book about Mexican food. Cruz and Fordham run Benito's Hat, a chain of Mexican restaurants in London which aims to serve up authentic, modern Mexican food.

This approach translates to the book. It feels AMAZINGLY authentic. This due to more than the use of the occasional vegetable I've never heard of (chayote, since you ask). The book is littered with little boxes explaining various ingredients' relevance to Mexican cuisine and each recipe has a little story attached to it, shedding light either on the history of the dish or the life of Cruz, the head chef.

The recipes themselves feel authentic. They feel timeless and unfussy, enduring classics, while there's a certain rugged, rustic quality to them too. The soups are chunky and the refried beans are mashed, as opposed to blitzed with some modern gadget which would looked laughably anachronistic in a Zorro movie.

My attempt at scrambled eggs with chorizo

The book is beautifully presented. Achingly so. The cover is a riot of green, magenta and gold and every pages is a different colour. The photography is fabulous, setting the food off with a careful selection of side dishes and Mexican-style tableware.

It's a perfect size, a little smaller and squarer than most recipe books, meaning it sits beautifully in the hand.

My attempt at a chicken quesadilla

I would have to criticise the book on the number and complexity of its recipes. At under 150 pages and with plenty of photographs, it is hardly extensive. There is only one burrito and one quesadilla recipe and no recipes for red or green rice.

The recipes tend to be on the simple side. To call it bish-bash-bosh cooking would be unfair, particularly as Mexican food veers that way anyhow, but some of the dishes really did not require vast imagination to construct.

That said, they are still lovely and some of the spice mixes required skill to conceive.

My attempt at an oatmeal and cinnamon drink

To road test the book, I tried three recipes. I made scrambled eggs with chorizo, a chicken quesadilla and an oatmeal and cinnamon "drink" (this served very nicely as an evening meal!).

First, some caveats. I had to adapt all the recipes slightly to suit my specific purposes. I used taleggio for the eggs, because I was out of cheddar, used quorn instead of chicken for the quesadilla because I couldn't afford well-looked after chicken and used honey instead of agave syrup for the drink because I didn't want to shell out for a bottle of sweet stuff I was unlikely ever to use again. Oh, and I forgot to put garlic in my quesadilla's marinade.

However, if there is one thing the friendly style of the book's prose encourages it's a flexible attitude to ingredients so I don't feel too bad. Besides, quorn is awesome.

The recipes worked out great. Each one was full of flavour and deeply comforting. Nothing required a fire extinguisher to the mouth yet compromised nothing in terms of taste, especially the wonderful marinade for the chicken quorn.

Real Mexican Food is a lovely book. Authentic, attractive and friendly, it is a great guide to a fabulous world cuisine. However, the book could have done with more recipes to make it truly great.

Overall * * * * - A good introduction into Mexican cooking but not without a couple of flaws.

Presentation * * * * * - Absolutely fantastic photography, design and prose style.

Quality of Recipes * * * * - Delicious and comforting, the recipes work well in the kitchen and feel extremely authentic.

Range of Recipes * * * - The book covers most of the basics but is hardly a thorough and rigorous examination of Mexican food. Could have been longer and some of the recipes were really quite simple.

Price * * * * - At £18.99 RRP I don't feel cheated but neither to I feel like I found a bargain. A fair price.

Will I Take This Off The Shelf To Cook From? - Yes.

I have been reviewing Real Mexican Food by Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham, published by Ryland Peters & Small (2012), ISBN-13: 978-1849752589

Recipe Time - Apple and Raisin Crumble

This week, I would like to share with you a recipe in which I take great pride. My apple and raisin crumble. The trick to this baby is the use of two types of sugar. Demerara adds crunch and texture to the crumble topping while muscovado adds a light toffee note to the filling. Give my crumble a whirl and I promise you will be back for more!
Ingredients (Serves 4):

For the filling:

4 Large Bramley Apples

100g Raisins

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

50g Muscovado Sugar

For the topping:

150g Plain Flour

75g Demerara Sugar

75g Oats (I like to use jumbo porridge oats for texture)

75g Butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6) or 180°C for a fan oven.

Mix the oats, flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into rough little chunks and add to the bowl. Now, I know many books will talk about mashing the ingredients together with a fork or something but, in my experience, there is nothing quite as good as using your hands. Yes, you will need a good scrub-up afterwards but it is worth it for a quick and flawlessly effective method. Plunge your hands into the mix and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until everything is combined and resembles breadcrumbs. Set this aside and prepare the filling.

Peel and core the apples. Halve them and cut them into thickish slices - you are making a crumble, not tarte fine aux pommes! Put these in a baking dish or tin and sprinkle over the raisins, cinnamon and sugar. Toss together and cover with the crumble topping.

Put in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the apples are soft and the topping has a little colour (though I never find it goes exactly golden brown). You can serve with custard, ice cream or cream but I think double cream is the tastiest option!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and, if you do, please let me know in the comments below!