Ovaltine brownies

You must be thinking I’m crazy for making brownies after all the food indulgence of the holidays, but in my defense these were made especially for my nephew: he loves brownies and I like spoiling him. :)

The recipe comes from DH magazine - oh, what a surprise – and originally called for Horlicks. Since I’ve never seen it here in Brazil, I slightly adapted the recipe to use Ovaltine instead.

I don’t mean to brag but have the feeling that these got me several points towards becoming his favorite auntie. :)

Ovaltine brownies

• 125g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (157g) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (131g) brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ cup (75g) Ovaltine
• ½ cup (78g) dark chocolate chips/chunks
• Ovaltine extra, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a square 20cm (8in) baking pan and line it with foil, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) overhang. Butter the foil well.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium metal/glass bowl set over simmering water until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the sugar and eggs and stir to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa over the chocolate mixture, add the Ovaltine and stir until smooth. Mix in the chocolate chunks/chips.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until just set – do not overbake.
5. Cool the cake in the pan, then carefully remove it using the foil handles. Sprinkle with the extra Ovaltine – it will melt and become a sticky topping – and cut into squares.

Makes 16

Pear and Honey Cake

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope you had wonderful holidays with your loved ones, with lots of good food. I thought the first post of the year should be something simple yet delicious, and golden, as I hope 2010 will be.

Pear and honey cake
DH mag #14

• 3 pears (600g), cut in half, then each half into four wedges, seeds removed
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (116g) light brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; generously butter a deep 23cm (9in) fluted flan/tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. 
   
3. Combine the pears, honey and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pears are just tender. Drain the pears, reserving the poaching liquid.
4. 
   
5. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg over the butter mixture, beat in slow speed just to incorporate then fold through the milk.
6. 
   
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the pears on top. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer – you might want to check the cake after 40 minutes.
8. 
   
9. Carefully remove the cake from the pan while still warm, spoon over the reserved poaching liquid and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Walnut and orange snowballs

This is my last holiday recipe and also the last post of the year – now it’s time to finish up wrapping the presents and start preparing the food for Christmas Eve.

I wish you all wonderful holidays – thank you for keeping me company in 2009. I hope to see you all here in January!

xx

Walnut and orange snowballs
from DH mag #36

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (105g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 cup (105g) walnuts, finely chopped
• finely grated zest of 1 large orange
• 2 ½ cups + 2 ½ tablespoons (375g) all purpose flour, sifted
• icing sugar, sifted, extra, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
   
2. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the walnuts, orange zest and flour and beat in slow speed until combined.
3. 
   
4. Roll two teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, place onto prepared baking sheets 5cm (2in) apart and flatten slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then dust well with the extra icing sugar.

Makes 55 – I got 42

Cinnamon candy canes

Oh, yes, more Christmas recipes – and get ready, because there are still a few more to come. :)

These cookies are easy to make - and shape, I promise - and the granulated sugar adds a nice sparkle to them. The recipe comes from DH mag #24, the first issue of that magazine I ever got and it was a present from my good friend Valentina. After taking a look at that issue, I immediately subscribed and became addicted – but that you’ve already noticed. :)

For more holiday inspiration, check the lovely Paul’s beautiful Christmas countdown.

Cinnamon candy canes

• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter*
• 1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups + 2 ½ tablespoons (375g) all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten with a fork
• granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Place butter, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour, egg and egg yolks and process until a smooth dough forms – my processor wasn’t strong enough to process the dough, so I prepared it on my Kitchen Aid using the paddle attachment. Lightly knead the dough, divide in two parts and wrap each one in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
2. Roll 1 leveled tablespoon of the dough to form a log (roughly 10cm/4in long). Carefully bend the top to form a candy cane and place onto prepared sheets, 2.5cm (1in) apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.
3. 
   
4. Brush the canes with the egg white and sprinkle over the sugar. Store the cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.

* the recipe wasn’t specific about the temperature of the butter, so I used it cold but not too firm (left it out of the fridge for 20 minutes or so)

(Note: pregnant women should not eat raw egg white)

Makes 40

Dark chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnut truffles

A quick look at my sweet recipe index and you'll notice that I don’t make truffles very often – I love working with chocolate, but mostly stick with cookies and cakes. To me, truffles are such a special treat they call for a special occasion as well – like that gorgeous pair of shoes you’ll only wear on your birthday or anniversary. :)

These were made for a special someone, a dear friend of mine who happens to be crazy about shoes, too – let’s just say that her last name could pretty much be Bradshaw. :)

Dark chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnut truffles
from DH mag #42

• 450g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
• 1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 40 hazelnuts, roasted*
• 1 cup (90g) cocoa powder

Place the chocolate, cream and cinnamon in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Pour into a lightly buttered 1 liter-capacity dish and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm enough to roll.

Roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into rough balls. Press a hazelnut into the middle and roll to enclose.

Place the cocoa on a baking tray, place the truffles on the tray and gently shake to coat.

* place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Place the hot hazelnuts in the fold of a tea towel and rub back and forth to remove the skins.

Makes 40 – I halved the recipe and got 25 truffles

Creamy tuna and chickpea salad

During the holidays we tend to go a little over with all the eating and drinking: I know I get carried away with making the food and end up eating more than I should. And kudos to those who can control themselves – God knows I’ve tried to be one of them, but got to the conclusion that it’s never gonna happen. :)

Lucky me I also love salads and they are perfect for our tropical Xmas – this is a very quick and simple idea, from DH's website.

Creamy tuna and chickpea salad

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed*
• 2 x 185 g cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped if too large
• 80g arugula leaves
• olive oil
• flatbread, to serve

Place the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas, tuna, spring onion and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle the arugula with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place it by the creamy salad.

Serve with crispy flat bread or toasted sourdough croutons. Alternatively, wrap in flatbread or lavash for a portable meal.

* I soaked 1 cup dried chickpeas overnight and cooked them for 40 minutes

Serves 2

Pear fritters

Pears were delicious, and I’m guessing apples would be wonderful, too – you can find the original recipe here, but I’ve adapted it to avoid having too much batter left. If there’s some, fry in small portions, by spoonfuls, and dust in cinnamon sugar as well:

Pear fritters

• 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) self-rising flour
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 2 Williams' pears, thinly sliced, seeds removed
• all-purpose flour, for dusting

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

Place the flour, egg, milk, vanilla and extra sugar in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat until hot. Dust the pear slices with plain flour and dip in the batter – you might want to use the back of a spoon to make sure the batter sticks to the pear slices. Deep-fry, in batches, for 2–3 minutes or until golden and crisp on both sides. Remove from the oil and place over some paper towels to remove excess oil.

Toss the hot pear fritters in the cinnamon sugar to coat and serve.

Makes about 20

Eggnog brûlée

Last Saturday I tuned in for my weekly dose of Ms. Lawson and they aired one of her Christmas episodes – which I confess to have seen three times already, without an ounce of guilt; she got me into holiday spirit even more with her delicious food. My holiday recipe series continues and after the spiced brigadeiros I present you eggnog brûlée.

Don’t be surprised by the hard caramel crust on top of the dessert: I don’t own a torch and therefore tried Donna Hay’s hint of running a hot spoon over the sugar topping; that failed miserably, but I was decided to have a brûlée topping no matter what – even if I had to make some caramel on the side and pour over the custard. It was a matter of honor, after all. :)

Eggnog brûlée
DH mag #36

• 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 5 egg yolks
• ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (66g) caster sugar, extra

Preheat the oven to 150°C/330°F. Place the cream, vanilla seeds and bean, cinnamon and brandy in a saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks and slowly pour the cream mixture over the egg mixture, whisking well to avoid cooking the eggs.

Return to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon – do not let boil. Pour the custard into four ½ cup (120ml) capacity ovenproof dishes and place in a deep baking dish. Pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or just until set. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool completely then refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Top each brûlée with the extra sugar and gently run a hot metal spoon* or brûlée blow torch over the top until sugar caramelizes – since I don’t own a torch and the spoon-technique failed, I prepared some caramel and poured over the set custard.

* the spoon might get permanently tarnished

Serves 4

Teriyaki chicken noodle salad

Having a little sister is a lot of fun but it also brings upon you a strong sense of responsibility.

One day, when she was 3, we were at McDonald’s – the horror, the horror – because she wanted a burger. While I was ordering the food, she told the clerk she wanted her burger without the beef! I’d recently stopped eating meat but did not even know she knew about it – until then, I’d never thought that I could actually influence someone else. And that’s why I try really hard to be a good role model for her.

I must confess I was never interested in Asian food – out of sheer ignorance – but that changed after spending time with my lovely friend Valentina; we had such delicious meals that I came home decided to add an Asian spin to my cooking. This salad was my first attempt – a wonderful influence by you, Tina. :)

Teriyaki chicken noodle salad
DH mag #47

• 1/3 cup (80ml) soy sauce
• ¼ cup (44g) brown sugar
• ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
• 6 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed – I used breast
• 270g soba noodles, cooked and drained
• 2 Japanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions (scallions), sliced
• 1 cup coriander leaves
• ¼ cup (60ml) rice vinegar
• salt

Place the soy sauce, sugar and wine in a non-metallic bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the chicken and toss to coat.*

Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the chicken, reserving the marinade, for 1-2 minutes each side. Add the marinade to the pan and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and sticky – add a little water, if necessary. Slice and set aside.

Place the noodles, cucumber, onion, coriander, vinegar and salt in a bowl and toss until well combined. Divide the noodle salad between bowls and top with the sliced chicken to serve.

* I recommend marinating the chicken for longer – 30 minutes or so – for a deeper flavor

Serves 4

Ovaltine thins with cinnamon sugar

After a visit to Lizzie’s beautiful blog – if you still don’t know it, stop reading me and go check her amazing cookies – I started feeling a little nostalgic: she posted a Calvin & Hobbes strip, and I absolutely love Calvin & Hobbes. It reminded me of when I worked as a teacher and one of my lovely students gave me two Calvin & Hobbes books as a gift - Ana Paula, if you’re reading this: xoxo. :)

Back then I did not bake as much as I do now – with two jobs and working Saturdays, it was a bit difficult – but my students were such special people I would gladly bring them cookies every day. And I’d start with these bars.

Ovaltine thins with cinnamon sugar
slightly adapted from DH mag #47

• 1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (100g) Ovaltine
• 2 ½ cups + 2 ½ tablespoons (375g) all purpose flour, sifted
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (100g) caster sugar, extra
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; lightly butter a 30x40cm (12x16in) baking tray and line it with non-stick baking paper, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) overhang*.

Place the sugar, Ovaltine and flour in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the eggs, butter and vanilla and mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs – I used an electric mixer in low speed.

Press the dough into the prepared baking tray, filling it completely.

In a small bowl, combine extra sugar and cinnamon. Brush the cookie dough with the egg white and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden – mine baked for 35 minutes.

Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then carefully lift it out of the pan – I had trouble lifting the huge uncut cookie from the pan; after a few tries, I slid a thin metal removable bottom (from another baking pan) under the foil and removed the whole thing from the pan.

Cut into rectangles/bars.

* I used a 26x40cm pan, lined with generously buttered foil

Makes 24

Rum and raisin pillows

There are movies I want to watch again right after they end – they’re so good I feel like staying in the movie theater, waiting for the next session, and the other after that.

It doesn’t happen much, but I felt that way last Saturday and would’ve probably bought another ticket for “500 Days of Summer” hadn’t my sister been with me. :)

I’m gonna be honest with you: I don’t like raisins. But these cookies were so cute I had to make them anyway – they’re pillows, after all. :)

After trying them I felt like making other recipes with raisins – immediately. And that doesn’t happen much, either. :D

Rum and raisin pillows
from DH mag #34

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (73g) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ½ cup (120ml) maple syrup
• 3 ¼ cups (455g) self rising flour
• Rum and raisin filling:
• 1 1/3 cups (205g) raisins
• ¼ cup (60ml) dark rum – I used white rum
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Make the rum filling: place the raisins, rum and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the maple syrup and flour and beat in slow speed until just combined. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of non-stick baking paper* to 5mm thick. Cut eighteen 12x5cm (5x2in) rectangles from the dough. Place 2 teaspoons of the rum and raisin filling in the center of each rectangle and fold to enclose – carefully not to tear the dough; I removed the excess rum from the filling because I thought the liquid might soften the dough.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Place the pillows onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden – mine needed 18 minutes.
Let cool in the sheets.

* can’t find non-stick baking paper here, so I used lightly floured regular baking paper

Makes 18 – I halved the recipe and still got 16

Carrot muffins

Wanna hear something sad? I baked a cake last week and while removing it from the oven the pan slipped from my hands – the cake immediately popped out of the pan, into the floor. There was nothing but crumbs that ended up in the garbage can. :(

I was absolutely devastated, but something cheered me up: my thoughts on “Julie & Julia” got published on a Brazilian magazine - I immediately felt like baking again. :D

Carrot muffins
from DH mag #2

• 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup (260g) plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 ½ cups (135g) grated carrot
• icing sugar, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line twelve ½-cup (120ml) capacity muffin pans with paper cases.

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the yogurt, eggs, oil and lemon zest in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the yogurt mixture and carrot to the flour mixture and whisk just until combined – use a fork to mix and do not overmix; the batter is supposed to be lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and cooked with tested with a skewer.
Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

Makes 12 – I used 1/3-cup (80ml) muffin pans and got 12, too

Teacup banana puddings

With all this heat, fruit goes ripe in no time – as much as Joao and I love bananas (and eat them on a daily basis) it is impossible to go through a bunch in 2-3 days.

These teacup puddings looked adorable on the magazine – I cannot resist bananas and caramel together – and were also a perfect way to use the egg whites I had left from making ice cream.

Teacup banana pudding

• 1 ½ tablespoons (21g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (175g) brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup (60m) water*
• 2 bananas, thinly sliced (lengthwise)
• ½ cup + ½ tablespoon (75g) all purpose flour
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) icing sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup (75g) almond meal (ground almonds)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 ½ tablespoons (77g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter well four 1-cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof teacups.

Place the butter (21g), brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce is syrupy. Set aside.

Place slices of the banana in prepared teacups. Spoon half the sauce over the bananas, place the teacups on a baking tray. Set aside.

Sift the flour, icing sugar and baking powder into a medium bowl and mix in the almond meal. Add the egg whites, vanilla and melted butter and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture over the bananas and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Invert the puddings onto plates and serve with the remaining sauce.

* next time I make these, I’ll be using cream instead of water to make the caramel – with water, it turned out too dark and too runny

Makes 4

Chocolate chip pound cakes

Before today’s recipe, I should warn you about something: I’m completely in love with these mini bundt pans, so get ready to see them around here quite a lot. Even a simple recipe like a butter cake gets a whole new dimension baked in such pretty pans. :D

The original recipe called for just a sprinkling of cocoa powder over the cakes, but I thought they deserved more: the chocolate glaze my mom used to pour over her delicious carrot cake. :)

Chocolate chip pound cakes
from DH mag #3

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 250g all purpose flour, sifted
• ¼ cup (60ml) milk
• ¾ cup (116g) chopped dark chocolate

Chocolate glaze:

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF; lightly grease a 20cm (8in) round cake pan and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.*

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-12 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and beat well to combine. Fold through the milk and chocolate.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the pan, then unmold into a serving plate.

For the glaze: mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over high medium until it boils and cocoa and sugar are dissolved.

Remove from heat and pour over the cake.

* I halved the recipe, used 1-cup (240ml) capacity mini bundt pans and got 4 cakes; I generously buttered the pans and unmolded the cakes right after taking them out of the oven

Serves 8