Chocolate Meringue Pie

I admit that there is nothing better than lemon meringue pie but when i saw this recipe i had to make it! The creamy chocolate custard filling is so delicious i could have probably eaten it on it's own but because of it's richness it meant that the meringue and pastry were hardly detectable. So basically it was just chocolate pie. But don't be put off though, it was delicious in it's own right- creamy chocolatey and light at the same time but i think i love lemon meringue pie so much my expectations were too high!

Pastry:

(from green and blacks ultimate chocolate collection)

140g plain flour

30g icing sugar

75g butter

1 large egg yolk (free range!)

Sift the flour and icing sugar together and rub in the butter. Add the egg yolk and combine then shape into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once it's chilled roll out into a 24cm tart tin. The pastry is very crumbly but don't worry just fill in the gaps! Bake at 220C for 15 minutes or until golden then leave to cool!!

Chocolate filling:

4 large egg yolks

45g caster sugar

20g plain flour

350ml full fat milk

70g good quality dark chocolate

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy then sift in the flour. Heat the milk in a pan until it bubbles then pour over the egg, whisking constantly. Then pour it back into the pan and bring it to the boil continuing to whisk for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate and mix until thats melted and it's smooth and chocolatey. Leave to cool!!

Meringue:

4 free range egg whites

200g caster sugar

Whisk the egg whites until stiff as possible then whisk in the sugar, a little bit at a time so it's glossy and thick.

Pour the cooled chocolate custard into the pastry case then dollop over the meringue. Put in the oven at 180C for thirty minutes until the meringue is golden and crisp on the outside.

White chocolate and raspberry cupcakes



I think that these are the prettiest cupcakes i've ever made, and the raspberries make the icing the lovliest colour! The original recipe used blackberries in the icing instead of the raspberries but i couldn't find blackberries anywhere! And besides i think that i prefer pink cupcakes?

Recipe adapted from Green&Blacks Ultimate Chocolate Collection.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

150g butter
150g caster sugar
3 large free range eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of milk
180g self raising flour
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Start by creaming the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract and the milk. Gently mix in the flour making sure you don't over mix! Finally fold in the white chocolate chunks and divide between 12 muffin cases. Bake at 190C for about 20 minutes.

Raspberry buttercream (enough to cover 12 whole cupcakes)

230g Icing sugar
450g Butter, softened (under no circumstances use margerine or any other alternative, the icing will turn to an unattractive slop)
120g Raspberries (or blackberries if you prefer!) Leave 12 to decorate.

Beat the icing sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the raspberries and beat in. Pipe onto the cupcakes and decorate with a whole raspberry!

Chocolate Nut Brownies

I suddenly realised the other day that i couldn't possibly have a food blog without a brownie recipe on it! I have tried quite a few recipes and i always go back to this one. I've adapted it so many times that i think it's less like Nigellas and more like my own, which is probably why they quantities seem rather odd! My photography skills are lacking slightly too so i am rather disappointed that in this picture they look slightly dry? I think that is probably the last thing you want a brownie to be but (despite the picture) these are really gooey and dense. mmm..

Ingredients:

190g butter

190g dark chocolate (min 75% cocoa solids)

3 large (free range!!) eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250g light brown sugar

110g plain flour

150g mix of pistachios and walnuts (or any other nuts prefer)

Method:

In a heavy bottom pan melt the butter and chocolate and set aside to cool slightly. In a bowl beat the eggs and vanilla then add the sugar and beat well. Once the chocolate has cooled add the egg and sugar mixture then the nuts and flour, beating well.  Scrape the mix into a lined brownie tin and bake at 180C for 22-25 minutes. Be super careful not to overcook, the brownies will continue cooking slightly in the tin so they should be gooey in the middle.

Makes about 20 medium sized squares.