Gluten free brownie with Bailey's chocolate sauce
This recipe will prepare 8 portions of brownie. Brought to you by our superbly talented Head Pastry Chef, Dinesh Mauree.
Brownie mix ingredients:
- 225g dark chocolate drops
- 150g unsalted butter
- 250g sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 3 egg yolks
- 125g ground almonds
- 75g chopped pecan nuts
- 1 orange zest
- 1 small tin of pear halves (cut in pieces)
Put the chocolate and butter in a plastic bowl and melt it in the microwave, stir it every 30 seconds until it melts completely. Add sugar into the chocolate mix by stirring it then add egg yolks, ground almonds, and orange zest. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until it forms a soft peak, fold the egg whites in the chocolate mixture one third at a time, add in chopped walnuts and pear pieces. Pour the batter in individual moulds or in a tray, bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
Chocolate and Bailey's sauce ingredients:
- 240g dark chocolate
- 190ml milk
- 20ml Baileys
- A little sugar (optional)
Melt the chocolate in a microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Bring the milk to the boil. Gradually pour one third of the boiling milk over the melted chocolate and stir, add the rest of the milk and whisk until it becomes smooth then add the Baileys. Serve the brownie warm or at room temperature with the warm chocolate sauce and a scoop of ice cream of your choice.
Mince Pies
The following ingredients will create 12 mince pies. Award winning Executive Chef Noel Enright is delighted to share his take on this festive favourite.
Pastry ingredients:
- 200g plain flour
- 35g golden caster sugar
- 85g ground almond
- 125g butter, cubed
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 egg
Mix the flour, sugar, almond and butter in a food processor until it resembles a breadcrumb texture. Add the orange zest and egg and mix again. Roll the pastry together on a floured surface and wrap in cling film. Leave to set in your fridge for at least an hour.
Mince filling ingredients:
- 2 cooking apples coarsely grated
- 250g currants
- 250g raisins
- 250g sultanas
- 150g mixed peel
- 1 orange juice and zest
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 250g muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 75ml brandy
- 100g beef suet
Mix all the ingredients (except the suet) and leave to marinade in a covered bowl for at least a night. Grate the suet and mix it in. Use what you need and keep the rest in a sterilised jar. This will keep for next year’s mince pies if stored properly in a cool dark area.
Roll out the pastry to approximately a 3 mm depth. You will need two cutters one big enough to fill the base of your muffin tray and one to cover the top. Grease the muffin tray lightly and gently press in the pastry discs for the bases. Fill the bases with mince filling and egg wash the edges before putting the lids on and sealing them. Bake for 18 minutes at 180c for fan oven or 200c. Once ready, leave to cool for a couple of minutes before removing from tray.
Christmas Stollen Loaf
Stollen is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar. It is a traditional German bread eaten during the Christmas season, referred to Christstollen. Chef Patrick Ilhi is thrilled to share one of his favourite festive recipes.
Ingredients:
- 150g raisins
- 100g dried apricots
- 100ml dark rum
- Zest of one lemon and one orange
- 450g strong flour
- 125g ground or chopped almonds
- 85g sugar
- 7g dry yeast
- 125ml warm milk
- 150g soft butter
- 75g goose fat
Directions:
Soak the raisins overnight in the rum and add the lemon and orange zest. Put the flour, almonds and sugar in a bowl and mix it. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and add it to the flour mixture. Then add the soft butter and goose fat in and give it a good mix until firm. Cover it with a lightly wet towel and let it rest at room temperature for one hour. Fold it again and let it rest for one more hour under the towel. Roll it out into an oval shape 3cm thick and cut it in to 2-4 pieces. Fold them over length ways and put them on a tray with baking paper. Cover with a wet towel and let it rest for 30 mins. Bake for one hour at 180°c. Let it cool and brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with vanilla sugar or cinnamon sugar. Brush it with butter again and sprinkle nicely with icing sugar. Wrap in tinfoil and store for 8-10 days.
