'Dio' brownie

This brownie is from my school cafeteria. The famous 'dio' brownie, as my school is Diocesan School, is a favourite throughout Auckland. Many other students for other schools ask for the recipe or for us to buy them a piece from the caf, that is, until a couple of years ago when the recipe was made public by our school releasing a cookbook which had the long awaited recipe hidden inside.

When cooked right it is crunchy on the outside and especially chewy on the inside.

ingredients:

• 300g butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips (preferably dark but can be milk)

~Preheat the oven to 150c (fanbake).  Grease and line a 21cm x 30cm tin. 

~Melt the butter and cocoa and add the vanilla and brown sugar.

~Beat in the eggs one at a time.

~Mix in the flour and add the chocolate chips.

~Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for (it says 25mins) but it may take anywhere between 20-45.  Keep an eye on it, it should be firm to the touch on the edges and still soft in the middle.

~When cool, cut into whatever size you like.  Dust with  icing sugar or  cocoa  powder.

Seafood Paella

Whilst in Nerja on the Costa del Sol in the Málaga province in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain, I went to a cooking class. There they taught us, on mass, an easy Paella. Unfortunately I couldn't get the recipe so from memory I have adapted this to suit what I believe went in. Instead of the usual rice found in a Paella I distinctly remember small pieces of macaroni pasta being put in. I remember this as I was always taught that it was rice that was in a Paella, however I guess in Nerja, things are different.

This is an adapted version of Jamie Oliver's Seafood Paella.

·      6 boneless chicken breasts or thighs, quartered

·      sea salt

·      freshly ground black pepper

·      flour, for dusting

·      olive oil

·      1 onion, finely chopped

·      4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·      2 litres organic chicken stock, hot

·      2 large pinches saffron

·      1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika

·      500 g paella rice or small macaroni

·      1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped, stalks chopped

·      2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas

·      10 king prawns

·      500 g mussels

·      2 green capsicum, diced

·      1 large cucumber, diced with skin off

·      4 tomatoes halved, then quartered

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Season the chicken pieces and dust with flour. Heat a little olive oil in a large deep pan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Place the pieces on a baking tray and into the oven for 30 minutes.

Put the pan back on the heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Meanwhile infuse half the hot chicken stock with the saffron. Add the smoked paprika, rice and infused stock and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time. In a push fold motion instead of the usual circular motion as you want to infuse the flavours into the food.

After 20 minutes the rice should be nearly cooked. At this point, pour in the rest of the stock along with the peas, prawns, mussels. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes more. In the last 2 minutes add the cucumber tomatoes and capsicum. 

Finally, add the cooked chicken and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

For the Brownies

1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1/2 cup flour
3. 1/3 cup cocoa
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6. 2 eggs
7. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
8. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9. 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Cookie Dough

1. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2. 1/2 cup brown sugar
3. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
5. 1/2 cup applesauce
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 2 ¼ cups flour
8. 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. 1. Start by making the brownies. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla and combine until well incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and stir. Pour the batter into the greased pan and put into oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brownies are set. Let cool completely.
3. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the cookie dough. Cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add vanilla and applesauce. Next, add salt and flour (one cup at a time). Stir in chocolate chips.
4. 3. Spread cookie dough evenly over brownies. Place in the fridge for 1 hour before cutting or until ready to serve.

Notes

1. Brownies will keep up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Blood Orange & Cinnamon Vanilla Tarts

Prep time

4 hours

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

4 hours 35 mins

Recipe by: Russell van Kraayenburg

Ingredients

• Italian Meringue, recipe here
• Sweet Lemon Oat Short Dough, recipe here

For the Blood Orange & Cinnamon Infused Vanilla Custard:

• 1 qt. milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Zest strips from 2 blood oranges
• 2 oz. cornstarch
• 8 oz. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 3 oz. unsalted butter

For the Tart

• 2 blood oranges, segmented with pith and zest removed
• ¼ cup honey

Instructions

Prep

1. Prepare the short dough and the italian meringue and set aside in the refrigerator
2.  to chill.

Make the Blood Orange & Cinnamon Infused Vanilla Custard

1. Place the milk in a heavy bottomed pot. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the pot. Add the seed pod as well. Add the cinnamon sticks and blood orange zest strips (careful that the zest strips don’t contain any of the pith). Bring the milk to a simmer.
2. Once the milk has reached a simmer, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature with the vanilla bean pod, cinnamon stick, and blood orange zest strips in it.
3. In the mean time, mix the cornstarch, sugar, salt and eggs together in a bowl. Set aside.
4. After the milk has reached room temperature, remove the vanilla bean pod, cinnamon stick, and blood orange zest strips
5. Bring the milk back to a simmer. Once the milk begins to simmer, slowly pour some of the milk into the sugar mixture while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Return the tempered egg mixture to the pot with the remaining milk.
6. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil, stirring or whisking constantly. Once at a boil, continue cooking for another 30 seconds to ensure the cornstarch taste is cooked out.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Mix until the butter is completely melted.
8. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill. Chill for 2 hours or until completely chilled and set.

Make the Tart

1. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out to about ⅛-1/4″ thickness. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out circles about 2″ wider in diameter than the tartlet pans. Carefully place the dough in each pan, pushing it down to fill in the corners. Cut off the excess. Refrigerate the dough in the pans for 30 minutes.
3. Once chilled and hardened again, line each tart pan with parchment paper, pressing it against the bottom and sides of the dough. Fill each pan with pie weights or dry beans.
4. Place the weighted tart pans in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough has set.
5. Carefully remove the pie weights or beans, and the parchment paper, and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool.
6. Once cool, fill each tart with enough custard to reach the top.
7. In the meantime, heat the honey in a pot over medium-low heat, just until it thins out. Top each tart with a few blood orange segments, and brush the orange segments with the honey.
8. Top each tart with a dollop of italian whipped cream, and torch the whipped cream.

Butterbeer

Butterbeer

Ingredients

• 2 cups ginger ale
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

• Place the ginger ale in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup, and microwave on high until the soda is hot but not boiling, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Gently stir in the butter to melt, then stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Don't stir too vigorously to avoid the soda fizzing up. 

• Pour the drink into mugs, and serve.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes (as from joythebaker.com)

makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cane sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 cups cold water

For the Cookie Dough Balls:

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I know we’re not baking them, it’s for flavour)

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3 tablespoons natural peanut butter (if you have a nut allergy, 2 tablespoons of yoghurt will work as a binder as well)

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 

For the Meringue:

4 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

large pinch of salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.

Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix.  The mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok.

Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cup comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before topping with cookie dough ball. 

For the Cookie Dough Balls:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and a wooden spoon) cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes in the machine.  Beat in peanut butter (or yoghurt if using) along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon a scant tablespoons size amount of dough in your hand.  Roll into a ball and place on a cookie sheet.  Make 24 little cookie dough balls, and refrigerate until ready to top the cupcakes. 

For the Meringue:

In a large pot, bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.

In a large, heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt.  The mixture will be grainy, because of the sugar.

Place bowl over simmering water and whisk as it heats.  The sugar will dissolve after about 5 minutes.  Keep and eye on the mixture, it shouldn’t get warm enough to cook the eggs.  Yucky.

Transfer the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  With a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, on high, until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes)  The mixture will be fluffy and glossy and look like melted marshmallows.  It’ll be sticky too.  Beat in the vanilla extract last.   Cover, and set aside until ready to frost cupcakes. 

To Assemble Cupcakes:

Use a small paring knife to cut a 3/4-inch whole out of the top/centre of the cupcakes.  Don’t cut the whole centre of the cupcake out… just make a little hole for the dough ball to rest without rolling off.

Place dough balls on top of cupcakes.

Place meringue frosting in a pastry bag (or large Ziplock bag) fitted with a medium-large tip.  Use your instincts for the size of the tip.  Any size (star or round) medium tip will do for frosting these cupcakes.  Pipe frosting around the edges of the cupcake and over the dough ball in a circular motion.  Frost all cupcakes.

Turn on oven broiler.  Yea… it’s about to get real.

Place 12 cupcakes on a baking sheet.  Place cupcakes under the broiler for about 1 minute.  Don’t even close the broiler door.  Keep an eye on them as they toast.  You may need to remove the cupcakes and rotate the pan to ensure that they cook evenly.  Once toasted, remove cupcakes, and toast the remaining 12 in the same fashion.

Serve cupcakes!