Under an Hour Sour Power Brownies

Try saying that in breakneck speed.

When you’ve cooked the same recipe again and again it’s easy to just forget the recipe and freestyle like crazy in the kitchen. Forget the measuring utilities… and just who really needs to measure chocolate anyway? You do need to remember the basic guidelines/ rules though otherwise you’ll be crying over split brownie. Rules always spoil things though don’t they?

Once you do have the basic brownie recipe cemented in the back of your mind (see Martha Stewart’s Double Chocolate Brownies), and to also check the oven 5 minutes before the minimum cooking time to ensure a fudgy chewy brownie, you can restyle to your hearts content.

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What’s amazing about Brownies is that Gluten doesn’t really play a big part in making them successful, it’s all about the butter, sugar, eggs and chocolate working their magic.

So in my instant need for a chocolate treat, and I didn’t want the husband to see my obsessive craving antics, I forgot the recipe and freestyled off this Martha one that I’d memorised. You know. For times where I may be stuck on a dessert island with chocolate, butter,  sugar and eggs…

My name is Sarah Kreczmer and I am a chocoholic.

I bought these preserved Sour Cherries from the posh supermarket and the classic combination of cherry and chocolate seemed an obvious but unavoidable one. I also had some of the Charbonnel et Walker fine dark chocolate left over from the Sticky Ginger, Chocolate and Orange Financier Pudding Cakes recipe, so what better way to use it?

These really do take under an hour- 45 minutes for me exact- to whip up.  But you better get memorising that basic brownie recipe for your own safety..for when you’re stranded and hiding in the Winchester Pub during a Zombie Invasion.

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Under an Hour Sour Power Brownies

(Sour Cherry Double Chocolate brownies)

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Double Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

         100g unsalted butter

            150g coarsely chopped Charbonnel et Walker dark chocolate

            55g Unsweetened cocoa powder

            90g Gluten free plain flour

            1/4 Teapoon of Baking Powder

            1/4 Teapoon of Salt

            200g Caster Sugar

            2 Large Eggs

        Half a jar of pitted Sour Cherries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with baking paper, allowing it to hang over the sides. Butter the lining.

Put the butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.

Put sugar and eggs in the bowl and whisk until combined.

Add the melted chocolate mixture to the sugar and eggs; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.

Stir in half of the pitted Sour Cherries

Pour batter into prepared pan and even out with the back of a spoon.

Dot the rest of the sour cherries on top.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes.

Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

From Paris with … Chocolat Chaud

I’m back. ‘Finally’ – I hear you cry. Oh you guys!! *blushes* and I’m married –double yay! So no longer do I have to spell out my surname ‘Kreczmer’ numerous times to people I can now simply go ‘Carter’ and pretend I’m an American news reporter. Badass.

We went to Paris for our honeymoon and I have to be brutally honest and say, although it was lovely- we did have a few issues and in retrospect we wished we just went for a lazy beach scenario. Our first hotel although it was good for a base hotel, didn’t quite have the romantic charm or attentive service that we needed for our honeymoon so we did a swift move to another which was better located in the 1st arrondissment and near to Pierre Herme’, the latter pretty much sealed the deal for me.

It was an expensive holiday, and the most affordable (and most enjoyable) for me was going to the supermarket. Yes. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc d’Triomphe -forget it, the supermarkets is where it’s at. Particularly in the Galleries Lafayette Gourmet. It was foodie heaven. I could have spent hours trying all the delicious produce but alas we was on a tight schedule and I had a feeling the husband was getting nervous with the amount of money I was spending on chocolate. I seem to however go into this ‘money-no-object’ state when I’m in foreign supermarkets; I think it’s because you never really know what things cost unless you have an amazing ability to convert instantly.

My best purchase wasn’t found in the supermarket (although they also sold it there) but in one of the most famous tea rooms in Paris – Angelina. Their hot chocolate is arguably (but debated consistently on trip advisor) as one of the best in Paris. I bought a box then…naturally.

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My return home to England was depressing to say the least, we only had a 5 day honeymoon which went a bit fast (we hope to go somewhere longer next year) and I STILL didn’t think I bought enough food back with me. Disaster! On the upside though I’m now back to share with you this recipe, which I put together in my mind on the flight back. A bit weary of cooking cake with chocolat chaud but let me tell you…this did not disappoint.

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There’s something very child-like about messing around with hot chocolate in the kitchen, I remember mixing all kinds of cream/milk/caramel syrup concoctions when I was young. This went all through university as well. You just can’t grow out of that indulgent simplicity.

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This Hot chocolate maderia cake though is not recommended for children however, it involves Crème d’Abricot (Apricot Liqueur) and I did get drunk in the process of testing. You can use any Liqueur really but I found this one a bit different and it also gives it an almondy taste that is lovely with sweet chocolate.

Either put the icing on top or use it as a side cream- this cake is particularly nice when heated up! Either way Ash loved it.

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Hot Chocolate Maderia Cake with Creme d’Abricot Mascapone Icing

225g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

175g gluten free plain flour

25g Ground Almonds

2tsp of Xanthym Gum

2 tsp baking powder

50ml milk

100g hot chocolate powder (at least 50% cocoa)

2 Tablespoons of Apricot Liqueur (and a drizzle extra)

Mascapone  100g

Cream Cheese  200g

2 tablespoons of icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Butter the sides of a loaf tin and grease well with butter.

Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light.

Gradually add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, beating all the time.

Sift in the flour, almond flour, Xyanthm gum, Baking powder, milk and mix slowly.

Fold in the sifted cocoa powder.

Place the mixture into the loaf tin

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes – 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Turn the cake out and leave to cool.

(Optional) Once cool, use a pastry brush and brush the top with liqueur evenly.

Top cake with icing :)

Icing:

Mix the Mascapone with the Cream Cheese and beat together.

Add the icing sugar.

Add the liqueur bit by bit till its to your taste.

Next blog post I’ll do something healthy :P Promise.

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No breakfast for the wicked

My fiance doesn’t eat breakfast. Well. There is only a few exceptions in his point of view, it’s either Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine; the latter being a favourite of mine i have to say. Every other option however is a complete no go unless it involves eating a caramel waffle from Starbucks. I do try to enforce healthier options, or even just something so he does eat breakfast, but some people just can’t do the damn meal.

It’s one of my favorites. I love waking up to a new day, with my tea and toast armed.

You can make it whatever you want it to be really and for me, it makes the whole waking up experience just a bit more pleasurable.

So the day after i made the Lemon and Manuka honey meringue pie i had some left over egg yolks and made this beauty:

 

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Gotta love leftovers.

Your breakfast of choice?