Flourless Chocolate Cake

This recipe is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's, and has been made countless times by the Coleman family.  It is brilliant plain, but you can also add things to it.  Raspberries are good in the summer, or this time round I soaked some chopped up prunes in armagnac, which was awesome!

250g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 medium eggs, separated
200g caster sugar (or 100g caster mixed with 100g soft light brown sugar)
50g plain flour
50g ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 160C and grease and line a 23cm springform tin

Melt the chocolate and butter together.

Beat the sugar and eggs yolks together, then add the chocolate and butter and the flour and almonds.

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold into the chocolate mixture.

Add fruit if desired, then pour into the tin and bake for c. 35 mins until it still just wobbles in the centre.  Leave to cool in the tin.

Delicious with cream.

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Ginger Crunch

The combination of maternity and gardening leave in the Lloyd household has resulted in a lot of cake being consumed.  It has been nice to try some different things, as well as the old favourites.  I couldn't get a good picture of this, and next time I might make half quantities, although it keeps well.  The recipe comes from Good Food magazine, but I can't find it online.

Shortbread
280g plain flour
125g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
180g cold butter, cubed

Ginger topping
180g butter
100g golden syrup
375g icing sugar
2 tsp ground ginger

Heat oven to 160C fan.  Line the base of a 24x34cm baking tin with baking parchment and grease the sides (or I used a rubber baking tin which didn't need either).

Put the shortbread ingredients into a food processor and blitz until they look like breadcrumbs.  Press firmly into the tin, using a spatula to level out.  Bake for 20 mins, until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

For the topping, put the butter and syrup in a pan and melt on a low heat.  Add to the icing sugar and ginger, and beat with an electric mixer until thick and fudgy-looking.

Pour over the shortbread and spread with a spatula.  Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

The Cullinans Courgette Tian

We were first given this for lunch at the Cullinans, and it has now become a staple, particularly given the courgette glut of summer 2014.

1kg courgettes, coarsely grated
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (I leave this out)
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
225g spinach
3 eggs
1 tbs chopped parsley
50g cheese (I usually use cheddar and/or parmesan)
50g rice, cooked
1 tbs breadcrumbs (I leave these out)

Sprinkle the courgettes with salt and leave for 30 mins, then squeeze out all the moisture using a tea towel.  Heat some oil in a pan and cook the onion and garlic until soft, then add the courgettes and spinach and cook for about 5 minutes.  Leave to cool a little.

Put the eggs in a large bowl and season, then add the rice, half the cheese and the parsley.  Stir well, then add the vegetables.  Put the mixture into an ovenproof dish, then sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs if using.  Bake at 190C for about 40 mins.

Charlie's Lovely Dinner (easy)

Charlie's Lovely Dinner (easy)

Found in my notebook

Pack o sausages (cut smallish)
2 long thin peppers (ditto)
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded
3 small onions, rough chop
2 large potatoes
plenty oil, olive and rapeseed
garam masala
thyme and oregano

Glaze:
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tblsp cider vinegar
thyme and seasoning
oregano
1 tsp honey/jam/sugar

Par boil taters for about 12 mins. Shake in sieve to soften edges, and season with salt. While they boil, layer veg and sausages in a baking tray with the thyme. Douse tray in oil, and sprinkle garam and seasoning, including oregano. Marry potatoes in tray, mix and, when still, add the glaze over as evenly as poss. Put tray in oven for 45 mins at 180,  stirring after 15/20 mins. Season with thyme and serve with a spoon for the sauce, and a green veg.

Rock buns

It wasn't very kind of Grandpa to eat a rock bun while Facetiming with Felix last night, but they are soooo delicious....

This is from the New World Cookery Book; my edition was given to me by my mother-in-law the first Christmas we were married (1975).  My mother had a copy too. So the measurements are in imperial: you can work it out.

8 oz plain flour

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 oz butter

2 oz lard

4 oz demerera sugar

4 oz mixed fruit (including peel)

Grated nutmeg

1 egg beaten with a little milk

Measure out the flour etc and rub in the fats – I do that in a machine.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients, then the egg mixture and draw together until it just clumps (add a little more milk if necessary, but don’t get it too wet).  Arrange in 12 rough clumps on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes (160 degrees in the fan oven).