Chewiest of Brownies

Brownies are very much an American treat and for me they have to be chewy and soft; I’m not interested in cake-like brownies at all. These are easy to throw together, very forgiving, and I often make them by hand because they’re that simple to make. 

One of the best things about brownies is the universal appeal because you can make them as refined as you'd like by just adding extras to them. Want to impress the kids? Add in some marshmallows or popping candy. Want to impress the adults? Drizzle salted caramel over the top with chopped truffles. Practically anything can be added to make them into your very own creation.

For the brownies that P asked me to make for his colleagues, I’ve added in fresh raspberries and white chocolate. Just make sure the chocolate that you use is one that you’d be happy to eat on its own.

Ingredients

200g dark or unsweetened chocolate broken into pieces

100g white chocolate broken into pieces

250g butter

100g white sugar

75g brown sugar

4 large eggs

140g plain flour

50g cocoa powder, sifted

200g fresh raspberries

100g chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Break up the pieces of chocolate, cube the butter and place in a large microwave safe bowl. 
   
3. Heat together in 30 second bursts until melted.
   
4. Add the sugar and the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly.
5. Sift the cocoa powder and mix well.
   
6. Add in the flour and mix until just incorporated.
   
7. Stir in the raspberries and chocolate.
   
8. Pour into a prepared 9x12 tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Grandma Bea’s Cranberries

One of my favourite dishes for the holidays was my Grandma Bea’s cranberry dish. Not quite a cranberry sauce, but not actually a side dish either – it fits somewhere in between.  I have no idea where she got this recipe and a quick search on Google provides various cranberry salad recipes, but none of them are quite like the one my grandma made.

Like clock work you could depend on grandma to make specific dishes for holiday gatherings and they included: copper pennies, pea salad, and cranberries. I would always load up my plate with the ruby red cranberries pushing the turkey into second place.  When the meal was over and all of the leftovers were piled into the fridge, I always made sure I knew where they were hidden so I could be first to tuck in when the fullness had subsided – usually around 8.00-9.00 at night.

Now that I’m in a place where I want to start my own holiday traditions, I want to make sure my grandma’s memory lives on through this dish.  This year her cranberries will take pride of place alongside the goose I’m roasting and I know it will help make my Christmas special.

Ingredients:

300g bag of cranberries, chopped fine

150g bag of pecan halves, chopped

227g can of crushed pineapple, well drained

1 packet of lemon jelly/o*

1 packet of orange jelly/o*

200g sugar

400g cream cheese at room temp

1. Chop the cranberries with a sharp knife or blast in a food processor taking care not to blend into a puree. The cranberries need to be somewhat chunky but not so chunky as to have whole or half pieces. Once chopped place in a bowl, cover with sugar and let them macerate for 30 minutes.
   
2. Drain the crushed pineapple until almost dry and add to the cranberry mixture. Make sure there is very pineapple juice left because it will prevent the jelly/o from setting.
3. Chop the pecans into small pieces or blitz in a food processor taking care not to blend until the pecans are crumbs – you want to be able to have some bite. Set aside.
   
4. Prepare both packets of jelly/o as per the package instructions using only half of the water and combine with the cranberry and pineapple mixture. Mix in the pecans and pour half of the mixture into a square dish and refrigerate until set. Set aside the remaining mixture in a warmish area to prevent it from setting up.
   
   
   
   
5. Place the cream cheese into a bowl and mix well until it is a spreadable consistency. You could add some icing/powdered sugar to sweeten the cream cheese if you prefer.
6. Remove the set cranberry jelly/o from the fridge and spread the cream cheese evenly on top.
7. Pour the remaining cranberry jelly/ mixture over the cream cheese and refrigerate until set.

You should have a glistening white layer of cream cheese sandwiched between two layers of deep scarlet jelly/o. Make the dish the day before serving to allow the flavours really amalgamate – make sure to make enough for leftovers!