Chocolate Bundt Pudding

We were at friends' house for dinner a few Saturdays ago and it's become a pattern for me to bring dessert to people's houses now when we're having meals... sometimes if we're not having meals! This time I had seen Patsy's blog post on a Choclate Bundt Cake recipe and was keen to try it, especially seeing as it was a "healthier" one. Plus who doesn't love chocolate cake? Well my husband but that's neither here nor there!

I halved the recipe below and used a smaller bundt tin and served it warm with warm chocolate ganache (recipe below too)

Chocolate Bundt Pudding

Ingredients
Non-stick cooking spray with flour
3 ounces dark chocolate, fiinely chopped
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 180˚C. Spray the inside of you bundt pan with cooking spray in preparation.
2. Mix together the chocolate and boiling water in a bowl and cover. Set to the side for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
3. In separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda.
4. Using a mixer, mix the chocolate together with the sugar, oil and vanilla. Then gradually mix in the flour mixture until well combined and smooth.
5. Pour the batter into your oiled bundt tine and bake for 50 minutes, leave to cool a little but not completely.
6. Slice and serve with ganache

Ganache

Ingredients
170g dark chocolate
3/4 cup single cream

Recipe
1. Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Stir in the cream until smooth.

Creamy pasta with mushroom and bacon

When the cat's away the mice will play... apparently!

Regular readers of this blog will know my husband is a rather fussy creature when it comes to food. So when he tells me he won't be home for dinner or won't need dinner made for him I get rather excited thinking about what I can have that's usually off the menu when he is around.

Today was one of those fun days. I had all sorts of ideas about toad in the hole, chicken and broccoli bake, baked fish, sticky chicken wings and so so sooooo much more. The dentist interrupted most of these plans by numbing my mouth in order to work on a tooth that has been keeping me up the past 4 nights - I can't complain really because my tooth feels so much better already! I had a flick through a Christmas present again, Tana Ramsay's Real Family Food, and spotted her pasta with mushrooms and bacon recipe and decided that was the way forward - easy for the slightly gummy eater to enjoy

This was a great dish, also quick and easy to throw together for a weeknight meal - it's a pity the hubster won't like it! While I was making it I wondered was it like the Spaghetti Carbonara and while similar this recipe was much simpler in preparation but had better flavour.



Creamy pasta with mushroom and bacon
Based on Tana Ramsay's recipe from Real Family Food

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
8 rashers of streaky back unsmoked smoked bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 medium onion finely diced
1 garlic clove minced (or cheat like me with 1/2 tsp of "easy garlic" - jar of pre minced garlic)
250g mushrooms, diced or sliced
100ml white wine
100g dry spaghetti per person (or your pasta of choice)
200ml single double cream
25g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (I subbed this for some dried parsley but think fresh would be better)
grated parmesan to serve


Recipe
1. Put a saucepan of water on to boil for the pasta and follow packet instructions.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, then fry the bacon pieces. After a couple of minutes add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion starts to colour.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated.
4. Add the cream and gently simmer for 3-4 minutes.
5. Drain the pasta and return to the saucepan. Mix in the sauce and parsley, then serve with grated parmesan on top.



In other news, the Irish Blog Awards 2010 have now opened nominations and will be closing them on 5th February, so get in there and get voting regardless of whether you're in Ireland or not!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I didn't think home made sweet and sour could be as good as what you get from the take aways, but this recipe was a success in our house, not only with me, but with my fussy hubby who'll only ever order sweet and sour chicken from the Chinese! This one's definitely going on the list of things to make again!

Rob gave me Tana Ramsay's 'Real Family Food' book for Christmas so one of the first things I did was to go through it with the post it tabs and bookmark everything I want to try out. Amongst those that were tabbed was her recipe for Chicken Skewers with Sweet and Sour Sauce. I've used this as a basis for this sweet and sour chicken dish and adapted a bit to make it more of a cantonese style dish instead of skewers with dip.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
Handful of chopped red pepper

Marinade
3 limes, juiced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp plain flour

Sauce
150ml water
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp salt
Handful of pineapple pieces from a tin (with natural juices)
1 tbsp juice from tin of pineapple
2 tsp cornflour mixed in 2 tsp water


Recipe
1. Mix together the marinade ingredients then add the chicken strips. Leave to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the chicken and pepper (do not add excess marinade) and cook through for 5-10 minutes stirring often.
3. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce (except the cornflour in water) and bring to the boil. Stir in the cornflour mix and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Stir sauce in with the chicken and peppers and serve immediately.

My Christmassy Terrine

Are you tired of Christmas dinner by now? If not you should give this a go, Even if you are what the heck, try it anyways.

I spotted a recipe in a magazine before Christmas (I think it was Sainsbury's own mag but not entirely sure) which I read and kept the idea in mind for during the Christmas period. The original recipe looked beautiful with dried apricots, nuts and cranberries all mixed in but I had to leave these out of my version of this recipe for husband to be able to enjoy it too.

This was rather tasty and really very easy to make but looks a bit more complicated and impressive - I love things like that!



Ruth's Christmassy Terrine

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsbp olive oil
18 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon
8 skinned and boned chicken thighs, diced into a mix of small and large pieces
150g pork mince
2 slices of bread, blended into breadcrumbs
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp sage
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp lemon juice
salt
pepper

Recipe
1. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Leave to cool for a bit.
2. Line a loaf tin with the streaky bacon, leaving a few to the side
3. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a bowl then pour into the bacon lined tin.
4. Cover the top with the overhanging bacon and layering extra bacon over the top.
5. Cover over with tin foil and place in an oven dish. Part fill the dish with hot water and place into the oven at 180˚C for 1 hour.
6. Remove from the oven and carefully drain off any fat. Leave to cool.



This can be served hot or cold, if you want it hot place a few slices in the oven at 180˚C for 5-10 minutes
Great served with some roast root veggies, potatoes and cranberry sauce.

5 minute microwave chocolate cake

Ever need a quick chocolate cake fix? Then this is it!

I had heard about this little beauty years ago but it slipped my mind until a colleague in the world of youth and children's work reminded me about it because she had used it as part of a children's talk and in planning our Christmas family service I remembered it again. After all that it just seemed right to make it and I did a couple of times in practice and also as a practice for my own cookery show by making it during the church service! Nigella better watch out!



5 minute microwave chocolate cake

Serves 3-4, but I made it stretch to about 20 -30 that Sunday with all the kids wanting a little piece.

Ingredients
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)
a splash of vanilla extract

Recipe
1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
4. Pour the mixture into a 10cm diameter cake tin and cook for 4 minutes at 1000 watts
5. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired and decorate with icing, or for an even quicker option chocolate spread!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!