Thursday, February 15, 2007

Bad Day Not by Daniel Powter

Well, partially bad day as in the tarts department. I used a muffin tin which was too big and they collapsed because they were too small and ran all over. Being one who enjoys looking at food blogs and all the perfect food pictures there, well, me......I like to be different.
Too bad because they were actually really tasty and the pastry was perfect. Here are the several tarts I manage to pry out of the tins........

I figure in about a week this guk will be soaked enough to remove out and off....

Dinner turned out perfect though. And the wine, delicious... a smooth French Pinot Noir....

I gave baking one more try and thanks to Jamie Oliver, I made his "Bloomin' Brilliant Brownies"......

Jamie Oliver`s Bloomin' Brilliant Brownies

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups sweetened dark chocolate pieces used (Our Compliments Belgium Fondue Chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Optional: zest of 1 orange
• Optional: 250ml crème fraîche

Sprinkle with cocoa and
Top with .......
-----CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE-----
1/3 cup Semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon Shortening


FOR CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE, place chocolate chips and shortening in small resealable plastic bag; seal. Place bag in bowl of hot water for several minutes. Dry with paper towel. Knead until blended and chocolate is smooth. Snip pinpoint hole in corner of bag. Drizzle chocolate over brownies. Allow chocolate drizzle to set before storing in single layer in airtight containers.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.

If they didn`t turn out it was a stop at the donut shop on the way into work to get a big box of donuts. But they did! Their more of a fudgey brownie and not extremely sweet. Though I still do like the sweeter cakey ones best plastered in chocolate icing!
If anyone would like the tart recipe though, I`d be glad to post it. It`s from a Bed and Breakfast in the States.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can't fault Jamie Oliver for a good recipe! As for the tarts it is the taste that really matters, and if they were yummy that's all that counts! I'm going through the 'testing' phase of my own-recipe for hot-cross buns ~ and will post the bread recipe, hopefully this weekend!

Have a good one :D

Anonymous said...

All your baking looks delicious even the ones that got stuck, we all have baking diasters from time to time but if it still tastes good who cares?

Anonymous said...

I admire anyone who will post a goof! Mine is not a perfect kitchen either.
Supper looked wonderful~ brownies too.

Unknown said...

It all looks good to me - mind you, I'd eat anything!!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Tea. Thanks for posting this. Now I know I'm not the only one who makes a terrible mess when things go wrong in the kitchen! Baked things are terribly temperamental, aren't they? Those brownies look wonderful. Thanks for the recipe. Buon weekend to you, too.

Anonymous said...

Dinner and the brownies look really good - as for the tarts, well that happens to all of us occasionally, most of us aren't brave enough to show the failures as well as the successes though.:):) Rowan

Kahshe Cottager said...

Absolutely nothing better than runny butter tarts no matter how they look! Even though the brownies look picture perfect, the butter tarts are still my fav. I gained 5 pounds just looking at your baking efforts!!

Unknown said...

darn it now I'm hungry.

Stephne said...

Hello, thank you for popping in so glad you like my goodies, when i get set up i will post images of my sewing room for you to see, until then i will keep you updated on my collections of bags, pillows and cushion.....x

Louche said...

Those brownies look amazing. Right I know what I'm doing with the rest of my day. Now where did I put my chef hat.

squire said...

I used to love it when my moms cake would "rise" to much and crack open in the middle. She would make extra icing in fill in the hole.

Sigrun said...

What a good meal, Tea, and the strawberrys, yam yam! You are a fan of Jamie Oliver?

Sigrun

BendingPeak said...

Looks amazing!!!
Yum,
~BendingPeak

Dan said...

Tea, the tarts still look extremely tasty, but the brownies are ... ambrosia. Can you send me some via Air Mail? :)

Tea said...

dan.....if they hadn`t ate them all :)

Christine Boles said...

MMMmmm, looks good! Thanks for sharing!

Boxwood Cottage said...

You really know how to make someone hungry Tea!