In which level complete
Dec. 29th, 2011 12:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kylezy1. What does a girl have to do around here to get people writing Bradley/Colin rps again?
Seriously, I'm asking, I will do anything.
2. Songs of the week:
Teeth - ILLLS
Lion Heart - North Highlands
Dear Leopold - Nive Nielsen and the Deer Children
3. New recipes!
You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? In truth, after the last lot I posted, I kind of went blah about the whole idea. Giving up is kind of my ish, okay? But then the holidays hit and in the spirit of overindulgence, I was inspired once more.
Rich Ginger Brownies with Port Cream
My Mum always gets me to make some sort of slice to take into work at Christmastime and being that she's mad about ginger, I thought I'd give these a try.
175g Unsalted Butter, plus extra for greasing
200g Plain Chocolate, broken into pieces
200g Granulated sugar
4 Eggs, beaten
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Preserved Ginger Syrup
100g Plain Flour
55g Preserved Stem Ginger in syrup, chopped
Port Cream:
200ml Ruby Port
200ml Whipping Cream
1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
25g Chopped candied/crystallized ginger to decorate
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23cm/9 inch square cake pan.
Put the chocolate and butter in a pan and heat gently, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs, vanilla extract and ginger syrup into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour and chopped stem ginger and mix well. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until just firm to the touch.
Let cool slightly, then cut into 8 triangles.
To make the port cream, put the port in a pan and simmer over medium high heat until reduce to about 4 tablespoons. Remove from heat and let cool. Whip the cream until beginning to thicken, and then beat in the powdered sugar, reduced port, and vanilla. Continue to whip until it holds soft peaks.
To serve, add a spoonful of port cream to each brownie triangle, top with pieces of candied ginger and serve warm.
Verdict
I skipped the port cream entirely, as this was supposed to be finger food, so I just cut the mix into bite-sized squares. This is probably the best brownie base recipe I've come across, the cake is lovely and dense and moist. I made this again for an informal Xmas party dessert and substituted the ginger for white chocolate.
Chocolate Peppermint Creams
This is the first of two food gifts I made for an aunt and uncle. There's nothing hard about making these. It just didn't work properly and I never want to do it again.
1 egg white
3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus extra for dusting
a few drops of peppermint extract
200g semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
Whisk the egg white until stiff. Gradually sift in the sugar and mix together to form a firm, pliable mixture. Add the peppermint extract to taste and mix well together.
Lightly dust a work surface with sugar, turn out the mixture and knead for 2-3 minutes. Roll out to a thickness of ¼ inch/5mm, then cut into circles using a 1½ inch/4 cm plain round cutter.
Transfer to the prepared baking tray and let stand for about 24 hours, or overnight, until set and dry.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. When the peppermints have set, carefully dip each one into the melted chocolate using two forks. Lift out quickly, letting any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place on the prepared baking tray. Let set.
Verdict
So, I did a bit of research and every recipe I found told me to whip the egg white just until frothy. So that's what I did. By the time I'd used all my sugar, the mix was certainly pliable but not enough to handle without sticking EVERYWHERE. I couldn't roll it at all, I had to squish bits in my hand to shape it. This is after adding more sugar, of course. So I don't know what the deal was with that.
I shaped them into stars because that's the only cutter I had, and just dipped one side into the chocolate for ease.
They tasted how they were supposed to and looked good in the end, I just won't be making them again.
Mango and Brandy Chutney
This was my other Christmas gift. You have to really love a person a lot to make this because a) 6 mangoes aren't cheap and b) peeling 6 mangoes and not eating them is a hardship.
This makes almost six cups, make sure you have a big jar.
2 tbsp light olive oil
1½ tbsp mustard seeds
3 large red onions, finely chopped
4cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into matchsticks
330ml (1⅓ cups) brandy
6 large mangoes, cheeks removed, peeled, coarsely chopped
530g (2½ cups) caster sugar
330ml (1⅓ cups) apple cider vinegar
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 2 minutes or until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the brandy and cook for 1 minute. Add mango, sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the chutney thickens.
Divide the hot chutney among sterilised jars and seal. Invert the jars for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Verdict
I'm not a big chutney fan, I had a taste though and it was quite good. I had half a cup leftover and I gave that to my grandfather who loved it. So I guess if you're a chutney fan, you'll like it? I get the feeling this is one of those things that I'll be making every Christmas, it goes so well with the leftover meats.
Ice Cream For Idiots
I can't make proper ice cream without it tasting too custard-y. Anyone can do this.
2 cups of whipping cream
395g sweetened condensed milk
So, this is just the base: Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then stir in the condensed milk and whip again until soft peaks reform. Freeze overnight.
You can add anything to this, just remember that anything you want blended goes in at the same time as the condensed milk. If you want chunks of something, fold it in at the end. You could add vanilla extract and make it plain. Add instant coffee, dissolved into a teaspoon of boiling water and cooled. Add a Crunchie bar for honeycomb texture. I thought of crushing up the leftover peppermint stars and making it minty. WHATEVER YOU WANT.
I just made this for the first time today and I put rosewater in with the condensed milk, then swirled some melted chocolate in at the end to make ~turkish delight. It's not completely frozen yet but I keep going back to dip my spoon into it.
Beware it is ridiculously sweet.
-------
So that's that. New Year's resolution complete. It was a pretty yummy year.
Seriously, I'm asking, I will do anything.
2. Songs of the week:
Teeth - ILLLS
Lion Heart - North Highlands
Dear Leopold - Nive Nielsen and the Deer Children
3. New recipes!
You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? In truth, after the last lot I posted, I kind of went blah about the whole idea. Giving up is kind of my ish, okay? But then the holidays hit and in the spirit of overindulgence, I was inspired once more.
Rich Ginger Brownies with Port Cream
My Mum always gets me to make some sort of slice to take into work at Christmastime and being that she's mad about ginger, I thought I'd give these a try.
175g Unsalted Butter, plus extra for greasing
200g Plain Chocolate, broken into pieces
200g Granulated sugar
4 Eggs, beaten
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Preserved Ginger Syrup
100g Plain Flour
55g Preserved Stem Ginger in syrup, chopped
Port Cream:
200ml Ruby Port
200ml Whipping Cream
1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
25g Chopped candied/crystallized ginger to decorate
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23cm/9 inch square cake pan.
Put the chocolate and butter in a pan and heat gently, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs, vanilla extract and ginger syrup into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour and chopped stem ginger and mix well. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until just firm to the touch.
Let cool slightly, then cut into 8 triangles.
To make the port cream, put the port in a pan and simmer over medium high heat until reduce to about 4 tablespoons. Remove from heat and let cool. Whip the cream until beginning to thicken, and then beat in the powdered sugar, reduced port, and vanilla. Continue to whip until it holds soft peaks.
To serve, add a spoonful of port cream to each brownie triangle, top with pieces of candied ginger and serve warm.
Verdict
I skipped the port cream entirely, as this was supposed to be finger food, so I just cut the mix into bite-sized squares. This is probably the best brownie base recipe I've come across, the cake is lovely and dense and moist. I made this again for an informal Xmas party dessert and substituted the ginger for white chocolate.
Chocolate Peppermint Creams
This is the first of two food gifts I made for an aunt and uncle. There's nothing hard about making these. It just didn't work properly and I never want to do it again.
1 egg white
3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus extra for dusting
a few drops of peppermint extract
200g semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
Whisk the egg white until stiff. Gradually sift in the sugar and mix together to form a firm, pliable mixture. Add the peppermint extract to taste and mix well together.
Lightly dust a work surface with sugar, turn out the mixture and knead for 2-3 minutes. Roll out to a thickness of ¼ inch/5mm, then cut into circles using a 1½ inch/4 cm plain round cutter.
Transfer to the prepared baking tray and let stand for about 24 hours, or overnight, until set and dry.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. When the peppermints have set, carefully dip each one into the melted chocolate using two forks. Lift out quickly, letting any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place on the prepared baking tray. Let set.
Verdict
So, I did a bit of research and every recipe I found told me to whip the egg white just until frothy. So that's what I did. By the time I'd used all my sugar, the mix was certainly pliable but not enough to handle without sticking EVERYWHERE. I couldn't roll it at all, I had to squish bits in my hand to shape it. This is after adding more sugar, of course. So I don't know what the deal was with that.
I shaped them into stars because that's the only cutter I had, and just dipped one side into the chocolate for ease.
They tasted how they were supposed to and looked good in the end, I just won't be making them again.
Mango and Brandy Chutney
This was my other Christmas gift. You have to really love a person a lot to make this because a) 6 mangoes aren't cheap and b) peeling 6 mangoes and not eating them is a hardship.
This makes almost six cups, make sure you have a big jar.
2 tbsp light olive oil
1½ tbsp mustard seeds
3 large red onions, finely chopped
4cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into matchsticks
330ml (1⅓ cups) brandy
6 large mangoes, cheeks removed, peeled, coarsely chopped
530g (2½ cups) caster sugar
330ml (1⅓ cups) apple cider vinegar
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 2 minutes or until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the brandy and cook for 1 minute. Add mango, sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the chutney thickens.
Divide the hot chutney among sterilised jars and seal. Invert the jars for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Verdict
I'm not a big chutney fan, I had a taste though and it was quite good. I had half a cup leftover and I gave that to my grandfather who loved it. So I guess if you're a chutney fan, you'll like it? I get the feeling this is one of those things that I'll be making every Christmas, it goes so well with the leftover meats.
Ice Cream For Idiots
I can't make proper ice cream without it tasting too custard-y. Anyone can do this.
2 cups of whipping cream
395g sweetened condensed milk
So, this is just the base: Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then stir in the condensed milk and whip again until soft peaks reform. Freeze overnight.
You can add anything to this, just remember that anything you want blended goes in at the same time as the condensed milk. If you want chunks of something, fold it in at the end. You could add vanilla extract and make it plain. Add instant coffee, dissolved into a teaspoon of boiling water and cooled. Add a Crunchie bar for honeycomb texture. I thought of crushing up the leftover peppermint stars and making it minty. WHATEVER YOU WANT.
I just made this for the first time today and I put rosewater in with the condensed milk, then swirled some melted chocolate in at the end to make ~turkish delight. It's not completely frozen yet but I keep going back to dip my spoon into it.
Beware it is ridiculously sweet.
-------
So that's that. New Year's resolution complete. It was a pretty yummy year.
