When I woke up today, snow was falling thickly in the gardens and the roofs and the windows and the streets! It made me very happy as we did not have a single flurry this Winter. And, I wasn’t alone; from my window I could see little children giddily going to school, trying to catch snowflakes and imagining the snowmen they would build at recess! I think this impromptu Winter Day is the perfect occasion to indulge in those beautifully Crunchy Fudgy Brownies (I took inspiration from The Simple Things’s Ultimate Fudgy Brownies but added a bit of a crunch to it with nuts, cereals and seeds!) Whether you stay cosily inside, or go for a vivifying walk in the white powder; these are a wonderful treat to indulge in! Happy Friday!
Ingredients:
5 whole walnuts
¼ cup hazelnuts
150 grams/5.30 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
100 grams/3.5 ounces unsalted butter
150 grams/5.30 caster sugar
2 eggs
25 grams/0.90 ounces plain flour
30 grams/1 ounce unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon quinoa crispies
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling
½ tablespoon pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F. Butter a square or rectanglular brownie tin, and line with baking paper; set aside.
Crack open the walnuts, and gently remove the halvesfrom the shells, so you have ten halves.
Toastwalnutsandhazelnutsin a small frying pan over a high flame until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a small plate; set aside.
In a medium bowl fitted over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt dark chocolate withbutter until silky. Stir in caster sugar, and remove from the heat. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Break in the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Then, whisk energetically for about 3 minutes, until mixtureis smooth and shiny (this is an excellent arm workout, too!)
Sift in flourandcocoa powder, and gently fold in with a spatula. When almost all the flourandcocoaare folded in, add toasted walnutsandhazelnuts,quinoa crispies andfleur de sel. Fold in until just blended and no white spec of flourremains.
Pourbatterinto prepared tin, and level the top with the spatula. Sprinkle liberally with pumpkin seeds and a pinch of fleur de sel.
Bake at 180°C/355°F, for 20 minutes, until the middle is just set and the edges are a bit cracked. Remove from the oven, and let cool for as long as you can wait (at least half an hour) before cuting into a dozen squares.
Every once in a while, I like preparing a porridge mixture I pop in the frdge before bed. There is something of a sheer relief going to bed knowing breakfast will be ready as soon as you rise. This gives you some extra time, to linger in bed maybe or to go for a morning stroll or a rugby practise in the park, or whatever else you fancy… Besides, these Pumpkin and Chia Seed Overnight Oats are chocka with energy-boosting seeds, and also delicious. A very good morning, indeed! Happy Tuesday!
In your favourite breakfast bowl, combine whole rolled oats,caster sugar,pumpkin seedsand chia seeds. Grate in about ½ teaspoon nutmeg. Give a good stir.
Then, gently stir in milkandVanilla Extract, until well-combined. Cover with cling film, and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, enjoy Pumpkin and Chia Seed Overnight Oats with a cup of teaorcoffee!
Very good and easy breakfast to start the week like a Canadian Soccer Player ;) ⚽
Today,Jules and I are celebrating the National Holiday with a barbie and this Bleu Blanc Rouge Angel Food Cake, which is light as air (and useful when you have egg whites waiting in the fridge)! Joyeux Quatorze Juillet, Happy Bastille Day!
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Buttera deep round cake pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift flourand caster sugar together. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, beat egg whites, gradually increasing speed to high until soft peaks form. Add saltandcream of Tartar, and continue beating, gradually adding sugar, until stiff peaks form. Gently fold inVanilla Extract with a rubber spatula. Then, gently fold in flour mixture, in three times, until completely blended.
Spoonbattercarefully into prepared cake pan. Level well with rubber spatula, to avoid air pockets.
Place in the warm oven, and bake at 190°C/375°F, 20 to 25 minutes, until just a light golden brown and spongesprings back when lightly touched. Let cool slightly, then turn over onto serving plate. Let cool completely.
Before serving, arrange bluberriesandraspberriesonto the cake, and dust lightly with Icing Sugar. Serve Bleu Blanc Rouge Angel Food CakewithRose Raspberry Coulis.
If, like me, you are a bit anxious about the (French) Election today, a little lightness might be in order. And there is nothing as delightfully light as this BleuBlancRouge Angel Food Cake we once had on Bastille Day! May it come with a side of steadfast democracy; bon Dimanche !
Heatmilk over a low flame. Once simmering, stir in Vanilla Extract, caster sugar, dark muscavado sugarandcocoa powder. Stir well, until perfectly blended. Add Cardamom and Vanilla Rum and, continue stirring just foamy.
