March 21, 2015

beer brownie.


yuhuh, you heard me. the way to EVERY mans heart. fact. i made it for valentine's day because a. he loves brownie, b. I love brownie and c. it has beer AND chocolate chips in it! SOLD! i really don't have to say too much, the treacley taste of heaven with a chunky choc chip bottom layer (they fall helplessly to the bottom of the tin) is pretty convincing on its own. go, bake, be merry.



Beer Brownie

makes 12 large or 24 small brownies


Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup Guinness or other dark beer, or cold coffee
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with baking paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  3. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water. In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter until it just turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour the brown butter into the chocolate and stir until combined. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the stour (or coffee).
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugars until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all of the ingredients are well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing.
  6. Slice into 12 large or 24 small brownies.
  7. To store, cover the pan in plastic wrap and keep on the counter for up to one week.

recipe is courtesy of the awesome Joy the Baker.

March 1, 2015

paris pastels.


last friday after work i took the train to paris to visit my gorgeous sister for the weekend. unbelieveably it's been a year since i was last there so it was time to make my way back for my fix of crepes, almond croissants and choux pastry (this pretty much sums up my visit). of course there's more than food to love in paris but it always leaves my tummy full (note the head sized lemon meringue pie that we queued an hour for) and my heart inspired. my first visit to paris was on my own in 2005 and i stayed in a dodgy hotel near the arc de triomphe (i wanted to be in the thick of it), lived on quiche and chocolate filled donuts for 3 days (bought from the same bakery as she understood my crappy french), avoided the metro and i came home feeling a little less than inspired. the second time around was with two of my best friends and we stayed in an eclectic (read vintage floral bedspreads and cold showers) apartment in montmarte, drank lots of wine, picniced at the eiffel tower, shopped for vintage dresses and indulged in numerous nutella crepes (see here). i had a ball and i was in love. third time around was just before i landed myself a full time job here in rotterdam so i shopped myself silly at the markets, wandered the passages and drank copious amounts of tea with my sister. i still have designs ready to be developed into screenprints from the treasure filled laneways of les puces. each time i've been i've discovered something new and found inspiration in the (parisian) ordinary. last weekend we saw koons at the pompidou, ate the best crepe of my life, dined at a restaurant that serves its dishes in a yorkshire pudding, fell in love with the pastel street of rue cremieux, wandered the tuilleries and rue cler and ate the biggest and best almond croissant. it was a dreamy weekend, and not the sort you hear about from loved up couples honeymooning there in summer. paris is raw, delicious and edgy. she's also arty, charming and soaked in history. next time around it won't be taking me a year to jump on a train. paris, je t'aime.