November - chocolate temptations
NOVEMBER offers a lot to look forward to; rich warming stews, thick soups and hot spongy puddings are high on our list of meals as the colder weather gets under way.
Somehow chocolate is especially satisfying during the long, dark winter months, and this month there's some delicious mouth watering chocolate recipes for you to indulge in.
Also November is the month when we should traditionally be making our Christmas puddings, so I've included one with chocolate in it, which will make a subtle difference to the flavour of your Christmas pudding.
So it's a month to enjoy and, with the added anticipation of Christmas approaching, when children start counting the days until it arrives, we all get caught up in the excitement of the festive season, and next month sees me taking the heat out of Christmas cooking with my 'easy Christmas Day recipes.
SPICY CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
A light, hot and fluffy dessert, which needs to be served immediately.
Serves 4.
Ingredients: 4 eggs, 75g butter, 50g plain flour, Pinch of mixed spice. 300ml milk. 110g plain dark chocolate. 50g caster sugar.
Method: Grease a l litre souffl dish with butter. Separate eggs. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in flour and spice, cook for 1 minute. Add the milk slowly, stirring until mixture thickens. Beat in chocolate and sugar and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, beat in egg yolks and add to chocolate mixture. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Pour into prepared souffl dish and bake in preheated oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for 30-35 minutes.
PEAR AND CHOCOLATE FLAKE BROWN BETTY
This is an unusual 'take' of a more familiar version of the Brown Betty pudding, using apples. Try my version using pears and chocolate as an alternative - you will not be disappointed!
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients: 50g butter. 450g pears, peeled, cored and sliced. 175g white breadcrumbs. 75g brown sugar. Rind and juice of lemon. 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 chocolate flake bars crumbled. 2 tbsp golden syrup.
Method: Butter a 1 litre pie dish. Put in a layer of pear slices. Mix breadcrumbs with 50g sugar, lemon rind, spice and flake. Alternate crumb mixture and pears in layers, finishing with a layer of crumbs. Heat syrup with lemon juice, and pour over the top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and dot with a little butter. Bake in preheated oven 180C, 375F, Gas Mark 5 for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot or cold with cream.
CHOCOLATE BANANA LOAF
A quick 'melt and mix' recipe that gives a moist, rich sticky and delicious cake.
Ingredients: 150g butter at room temperature. 150g plain chocolate. 150g light muscavado sugar. 2 medium bananas, weighing about 100g each, mashed. 3 eggs, beaten. 200g plain flour. 2 tsp baking powder. For the icing: 110g plain chocolate, broken into pieces. 25g butter. 50g icing sugar. 1 tbsp milk.
Method: Gently heat butter, sugar and chocolate in non-stick saucepan until melted. Remove from heat. Add banana and eggs, sift in flour and baking powder. Mix to a smooth batter. Pour mixture into greased and lined 900g loaf tin and bake in preheated oven 150C, 300F, Gas Mark 2 for 1 hour until cake has risen and feels firm in the centre. Remove from oven, cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to cool completely. Icing:
Melt chocolate with butter in non-stick saucepan. Sift in icing sugar, then stir in milk and beat well. Spread over the top of the cake, using a flat-bladed knife, making swirls in the chocolate. Allow to set then serve in thick slices.
CHOCOLATE PLUM PUDDING
Adding chocolate to your Christmas pudding really does make a subtle difference and enhances its flavour; I am asked for this recipe time and time again as Christmas approaches.
Ingredients: 175g plain flour. 1 tsp mixed spice. tsp grated nutmeg. 75g fresh brown breadcrumbs. 110g shredded suet. 110g raisins. 110g currants. 110g chopped stoned dates. 225g sultanas. 1 large apple, grated, grated zest of 1 lemon. 75g dark brown sugar. 75g plain chocolate, chopped. 2 eggs, beaten. 300ml stout.
Method: Sift flour and spices into a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, suet, dried fruits, apple, sugar, peel; and chocolate. Mix together and gradually stir in eggs and stout. Leave mixture covered overnight. Turn into a greased 1 litre pudding basin, and cover with greased paper and a pudding cloth. Steam for 6 hours. Re-steam for 2 hours before serving with hot rum sauce.
Shopping for fruit and veg:
Beetroot, purple sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, celeriac, celery, pumpkin, salisfy and Swedes. At their peak: turnip, carrots, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, chicory, leeks, garlic and parsnips.
At the beginning of November all flat fish are very good – Dover and lemon sole and plaice, but prices will begin to rise as the month goes on. Still the peak time for game, including pheasant, partridge, and wild duck. Grouse will be nearing the end of its season on 10 December and is better stewed than roasted just now.
Plenty to choose from as the winter months approach.
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Weather for Sudbury
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
