Hazelnut and Chocolate cupcakes.

Thanks to a recent holiday in France I have acquired a new love for Nutella – the well known hazelnut and chocolate spread; which, it turns out, is an extremely popular addition to the French breakfast table. The French teenager I spent a week with earlier in the month managed to devour a considerably large pot during the duration of my stay – even I was impressed! A standard breakfast for French children and adults alike consists of a large portion of Nutella slathered on a slice of baguette, which is then dunked into a sizeable bowl of Nesquik. Talk about a chocolate overload!

I couldn’t resist buying my own, rather large pot when I got back home (in the interest of research, of course!). My objective was to find a more interesting way of using it, instead of just the obvious, yet simple pleasure of spreading it on some toast. Cupcakes seemed to be a sensible starting point.

Ingredients (recipe from Hummingbird Bakery)

100g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

a pinch of salt

40g butter, at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1 egg

120g Nutella

for the hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

250g icing sugar, sifted

80g unsalted butter, at toom temperature

25ml whole milk

80g Nutella

Makes 12

Preheat the oven to 170˚C (325˚) Gas 3.

Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attatchment and beat on a slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the centre of each one and fill with a dollop of Nutella.

For the Nutella frosting:

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attatchment on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixture up to a high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the lighter and fluffier it becomes.

Stir in the Nutella by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top.

I would strongly recommend this twist on the standard chocolate cupcake if, like me, you are a Nutella addict. The buttercream gives only a subtle hazelnut flavour, but it is the hidden spoonful of Nutella, lurking beneath the velvety buttercream that provides the Nutella kick.

Courgette Fritters.

The courgettes are growing well in the garden so I thought I would put some of them to use and try out Jamie Oliver’s recipe for these fritters. I was a little apprehensive before I cooked my batter as I didn’t see how the fritters would hold together. However, I needed to have faith in the recipe as they stuck together no problem and could even be flipped over in the pan without falling apart. Don’t get hung up about the shape of your fritters though – it is very unlikely you will get perfectly round bites, unless your courgette matchsticks are very thin indeed. Mine ended up all different shapes and sizes, but still looked beautiful. After all...I think rustic, home made-looking food has a certain charm to it; something that you can’t buy from the supermarkets.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 large courgettes

1 large free-range egg

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 heaped tablespoon flour, sifted

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

A bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped

1 lemon, zested and quartered

A good handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Sea salt

Olive oil

½ a teaspoon cumin

Remove the ends from the courgettes and cut them lengthways into quarters. Remove and discard the fluffy white centre from each one with your knife. Then, in no particular way, slice the courgettes up into matchsticks – don’t worry about being precise and perfect, just do the best you can.

Separate the egg and put the white into one bowl and the yolk into another. Add the courgette matchsticks, white pepper, flour, chilli, mint, lemon zest and parmesan to the yolk and mix it up with your hands. You can be rough and scrunch the mixture together quite hard. Whip the egg white up with a pinch of salt until stiff, then carefully fold into the courgette mix.

When it comes to shaping the fritters, feel free to make one large one (1cm/½ inch thick) or get two non-stick pans on the heat to do a batch of smaller ones. Put a couple of glugs of olive oil into each pan and put 5 or 6 little bundles of the mixture into each pan (they’ll resemble mini onion bhajis). Sprinkle over some cumin and cook the fritters on a medium heat. They should need about 2½ minutes on each side to go golden.

If they have been cooked correctly, you will be rewarded with a lovely mixture of golden, crunchy courgette on the outside and soft, fresh courgette in the middle. They are best eaten straight away, served with the lemon quarters. I can guarantee you - they won’t hang around for long! 

Luscious white chocolate mousse.

This is a perfect dessert for white-chocolate lovers – creamy and chocolaty, yet incredibly light and fluffy at the same time. A mousse is nowhere near as difficult to make as you may think, but it is bound to impress; these pale beauties would therefore make an ideal end to a dinner party. They take less than half an hour to make and can be left in the fridge hours in advance (you could make them the day before). Your guests will be so impressed with your culinary skills they will want to eat round your house every day of the week! Ok, so maybe that is not a completely advantageous outcome – but you get the idea.

I got this recipe from Rachel Allen’s “food for living”.

Ingredients

Serves 2 (although 1 person could quite happily polish it off without any problems)

50g white chocolate, chopped

75ml double cream

½ leaf of gelatine*

1 large egg white

25g caster sugar

Melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water (also known as a bain marie). Set aside, leaving the chocolate to cool slightly. Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it is almost stiff and place in the fridge.

Place the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water for 3-4 minutes until it has softened. Drain off the water and then add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and stir to dissolve the gelatine.

Place the egg white in a medium-sized bowl with half the sugar, whisk until it’s firm and then add the remaining sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff.

Pour the dissolved gelatine into the melted chocolate and stir to mix, then fold in the whisked egg white mixture and, lastly, fold in the cool whipped cream. Pour into glasses or bowls, cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours until just set.

*Quick note on the gelatine – for some reason (heaven knows why), the standard size of gelatine leaves has been reduced. This can easily put a spanner in the works; last year for example, I made a cheesecake that was branded a complete disaster thanks to a lack of gelatine – let’s just say it was a complete flop, literally. To avoid this, you will need to experiment by adding a little more gelatine. Gelatine leaves are now around ½ the size they used to be; for this recipe I used just over a third of a sheet and it seemed to work fine. Also be aware that if you add too much gelatine, your mousse will relinquish its fluffy qualities and will start to resemble more of a rubber ball – you have been warned. 

There is, unfortunately, a further pitfall you should be aware of. White chocolate is not as stable as its plain counterpart; you must be careful when melting the chocolate that you don’t take it too far and let it seize. Instead, melt it gently and keep your eye on it, removing it from the heat as soon as it is sufficiently melted. When you add the boiling water to your chocolate mixture, it may start to split; don’t panic – just return the mixture to a gentle heat, constantly stirring, until you are reunited with a smooth and glossy paste.

The pitfalls I just mentioned should not put you off – I still regard this recipe as straightforward, so long as you follow the method carefully. If you do experience some difficulties, stay calm and carry on - it will sort itself out in the end, and boy will it have been worth it.    

As this recipe uses minimal chocolate, I found myself with a pleasing amount leftover – what a shame, I had to find another way to put it to use........

;-)

Tantalising Thai green curry paste.

I'm not a fan of favouritism, but Thai is without a doubt my preferred cuisine when it comes to curries. Don’t get me wrong – I love an Indian curry as much as the next person, but when it comes to chillies I just can’t handle the spicy heat. Instead, I prefer a milder curry which has a tang but not an overpowering warmth.

The Thai green curry paste I prepared the other day was a great success. It was so fresh and vibrant, with green chillies contributing their clean flavour more than an intense heat. The combination of fresh ginger and lemongrass is sure to put a zing in your step; perfect for cold winter nights and summer days alike.

This particular recipe for green curry paste comes from ‘Wagamama: ways with noodles’. Wagamama is a fabulous chain of restaurants specialising in noodles (as you may have already guessed). Particularly well known for their ramen; stir fries, salads and curries are also on the menu. As they say, “slurping noodles is one of those simple pleasures. The sort that leaves you with a smile of satisfaction.” This place is definitely worth a visit if you haven’t already been. What they don’t know about noodles isn’t worth knowing!

Green curry paste

Ingredients

6 green chillies, roughly chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed, thinly sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

1cm piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

Bunch of coriander stems finely chopped (leaves reserved for finished dish)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted in a hot, dry frying pan

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 teaspoon shrimp paste (can be found in most good supermarkets)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar to a fine paste.

Once the ingredients have been thoroughly pulverised you will end up with a vivid green paste that can be used in any way you like. Be creative! You don’t always have to stick to rigid recipes; feel free to adapt them at your will. I made a vegetable Thai coconut curry with mine – perfect for vegetarians, but also delicious in its own right. With a dish like this, you won’t miss meat.

Start by heating some oil in a wok (or a large frying pan); add the vegetables that take slightly longer to cook (aubergine, courgette and butternut squash work well). After a few minutes, add 2 heaped tablespoons of your curry paste (these quantities will make enough for 4). Cook for a further minute or until it loses its raw flavour. Add a 400ml tin of coconut milk and some water to loosen the sauce. Put a lid on the wok and allow to simmer for a few minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. Finally, add some mange tout and bean sprouts a few minutes before serving. Goes well with either sticky rice or noodles of your choice. Garnish with coriander leaves.

The leftover curry paste will keep indefinitely in the fridge; perfect for knocking up a quick curry when time is tight. If you don’t have the time to make a curry paste from scratch (it really doesn’t take that long), then you can always buy readymade paste. It’s not quite the same, but still makes a fine curry.

Blissful Brownies.

After trialling many different chocolate brownie recipes over the years, I have finally found one that satisfies the necessary criteria for chocolate perfection. The perfect brownie is recognized by a light brown, flaky exterior and most importantly by the dark and dense chocolatey-ness that is concealed beneath. In my mind, chewy and squidgy brownies are always superior (none of this dry, crumbly, fraudulent chocolate flavoured sponge posing as brownies – that will never do).

The recipe that I have recently been raving about comes from ‘the hummingbird bakery cookbook’ – a firm favourite of mine when it comes to baking and sweet treats. The method itself is surprisingly easy, yet satisfying at the same time. You will end up with a thick and voluptuous mixture – just try not to eat all of it in its uncooked form, I promise it will taste even better when baked! Use good quality dark chocolate to get the best results.

Traditional brownie

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

175g unsalted butter

325g caster sugar

130g plain flour

3 eggs (free range, naturally)

Icing sugar, to decorate

A 33 x 23 x 5-cm baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper

Makes about 12 portions

Preheat the oven to 170˚C (325˚F) Gas 3.

Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave until melted and smooth.

Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until well incorporated.

Finally, stir in the eggs one by one, until thick and smooth.

Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy. Leave to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar, to decorate.

The brownies had a perfectly dense and chewy interior while at the same time retaining a crisp, flaky top. Previous trials have highlighted the importance of timing; if you go a few minutes over time, the edges will go hard as mentioned in the recipe. To avoid this, keep an eye on the oven – once they have been cooked to perfection, the top will be flaky with a few tectonic cracks revealing the soft, molten centre. Bear in mind that the brownie will firm up further once cool, increasing the chewiness. I like to cut my brownies into small and perfectly formed squares for a divine chocolate mouthful - these critters are so rich, you probably wouldn’t be able to manage much more.

On this particular batch I chopped up some left over chocolate, sprinkling it on the top of the mix before baking. You could also experiment by adding different nuts (pecans and walnuts work well). My favourite brownie is achieved by mixing in white chocolate chips before cooking. Chocolate perfection.

Now, where’s the gym?

Crack out the condiments.

Anyone who knows me well enough will be familiar with my (sometimes obsessive) love for condiments. If you were to ask me to identify my favourite I would provide you with an immediate answer - mayonnaise. Or more precisely, garlic mayonnaise. There’s something about the creamy texture combined with the garlicky tang that keeps me coming back for more. A perfect accompaniment to most meals - I personally enjoy a dollop with fish and it is also heavenly when served with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and cous-cous. Yum.

There are so many different brands of garlic mayonnaise out there, although I’m a strictly free-range kind of girl so ingredient lists are carefully scrutinized. Thankfully there is an ever growing move towards free-range eggs, just take Hellman’s for an example, which now use 100% happy eggs in their products. Good on them.

Of course, your bog standard mayo can always be spruced up by simply adding a few cloves of crushed garlic (I’ll leave the quantities up to your taste buds to decide). For the purists among you, a homemade version can easily be conjured. The key components are oil and egg yolks, two naturally incompatible ingredients whisked into sublime submission. Try Delia Smith for a fool-proof recipe. Just take care not to be hasty when adding the oil to the yolks, otherwise your mayo will curdle into a sad mess. Patience is the key, so make sure each drop of oil is thoroughly whisked before adding the next.

Mayo aside, I’m a huge fan of food in general. My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach and I have often been known to look forward to a meal hours (or days) in advance. I love helping in the kitchen and particularly enjoy baking, with cupcakes and puddings being a speciality. However, with my second year of uni approaching, I am increasingly anticipating cooking for myself and friends on an everyday basis. I just hope I will be able to balance time in the kitchen with studying!