Frozen Raspberry Makes Ripe Return

I have been in a little bit of a rut lately, where new recipes are seldom, and if I have ventured into the "white space" abyss, I have been unable to photograph, let alone post my epicurious adventures. The back half of 2008 turned out to be a tumultuous time for me personally, but I am giddy and gleeful with the new year imminent. As I kiss 2008 good-bye, it is rather difficult not to have a permanent smile on my face at present - we are surrounded by loving friends and family, back in the deep freeze that is home - Canada, and at the most wonderful time of the year - Christmas.

We attempted to climatise and brave ourselves for the Saskatchewan winter with a short stint skiing in Whistler en route to the "land of the living skies". In Whistler, zero degrees seemed cold, but the retail therapy quickly warmed us up, not to mention the skiing itself. As luck would have it, when we touched down in Saskatchewan, rugged up in our new winter gear, Jack Frost was truly nipping at our toes ... the temperature was minus 55°C with the wind chill. Temperatures have hovered around minus 25°C ever since, but the next few days should see things change to a balmy minus 8°C. I feel like a typical Canadian chirping on about the weather, but how can you not? I cannot count how many times we have been asked with a smirk, "Is it cold enough for ya?". On the positive side, I have been able to get my hands dirty in the kitchen with an eager sous chef (my mother) and an audience that is always up for something new and different.

From Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining, this brownie recipe (titled Raspberry-Spiked Chocolate Brownies) is my favorite brownie recipe so far - absolutely rich chocolate, colliding with the sweetness of ripe raspberries. Served warm accompanied by a little dollop of ice cream and a big glass of red wine, the flavours really come alive. Make this your next happily ever after!

Ingredients & Preparation:

200 grams (7 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped (I use Lindt 75% cocoa)

250 grams (8 ounces) butter

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa, sifted

1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen*

* If using frozen raspberries there is no need to defrost them first. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Place the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place in a bowl with the sugar and eggs. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix to combine. Pour into a 23 cm (9 inch) greased square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Top the mixture with the raspberries and bake for 30–35 minutes or until set. Serve warm or cold with thick (double) cream or vanilla bean ice-cream.

Bon Appetit!

Going Bananas for Banana Bran Muffins

I went bananas today, almost literally! Thanks to a tip from a friend, I learned the Kitchenaid KS150s were on sale at Minimax as part of their stocktake sale. I had convinced myself that online shopping was the way to go to acquire one of these sexy little units, but the deal breaker was that if you spent over a certain amount at Minimax, you received a Le Creuset 20 cm pot for FREE! Add to this, the Kitchen Aid appliances were 10% off. Already in the car sleuthing out my errands when I received the tip, I high horsed it over to the shop, and within minutes the Kitchen Aid Mixer I had been scoping out for months, along with the bonus pot, were in my hot little hands. The sale was not meant to start until Monday, but for me, the sale started today. As my grandfather used to say, "you have a tongue in your head, use it." It worked! Yet another old adage which my great grandfather used to say is "a sale is not a sale unless you need it" which I can agree with, but definitely not in this circumstance. I had to grab this bargain to save my sanity along with yours. My blogosphere audience is likely dwindling due to my constant whinging about all of the elbow grease I have been using in my "bitchin" kitchen. Well, there will be no "bitchin" in my kitchen any more! The mixer is mine, and will most certainly source some inspiration for future posts (and a whole lot less complaining).

The Kitchen Aid mixer is timeless, in brushed nickel, and matches our oven, fridge and dishwasher. I am all about the matching motifs! It looks great in our industrial style kitchen in Melbourne, however I know it is hanging to head over to Young Street in Annandale (Sydney) where it would be even more at home (I am really missing our house in Sydney today). The freebie is a cute little Le Creuset pot in royal blue, and unfortunately does not and never will match my kitchen theme (I am collecting the Dune color in this range of pots), so the online garage sale continues, on eBay. For anyone that knows me well, I am an eBay addict, more so for selling rather than buying. My husband jokes that "if it is not nailed down, it will get sold on eBay." While not entirely true, I am definitely guilty of auctioning off things I do not feel I am using to their full capacity, and usually have something up for grabs on eBay every couple of weeks. It is a lucrative little enterprise I have going, and helps me justify purchasing items on my Peters of Kensington and Minimax wish list. Next cab off the rank is the Gordon Ramsay Platinum Royal Doulton China range of dishes. Divine! And a Dualit hand mixer .... mmmmm!

A special thank you to my parents who have funded today's shopping expo, combining my birthday with my husbands, along with our anniversary, to grace our kitchen with the Mac Daddy in kitchen appliances! Introducing my new "baby" and another new (but not so new) recipe. My mother is a seasoned baker, and to christen this appliance, one of her recipes was in order ....

Today's post is all about going bananas (as I have been going all day for my new toy), and for going bananas in resurrecting a family favorite - Banana Bran Muffins, a staple when I was growing up and something I often crave for breakfast or as a pick me up during the day. It goes without saying that the fiber content in these little babies is probably going to make your insides go bananas too.

Ingredients & Preparation:

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup mashed bananas (about 1 1/2 bananas)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup sour milk (add a cap full of white vinegar to 3/4 cup milk to create sour milk)

Beat above ingredients until combined.

Add the following ingredients to the wet mixture, and gently beat:

1 cup bran

1/2 cup oat bran

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins / sultanas

Spoon in to greased muffin tins (fill 3/4 full) and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the muffins are springy to touch. As the muffins are cooling, lift the muffins out of the muffin tins with a knife (they do not stick to the muffin tin, but I find it is best to lift the muffins out whilst they are warm). There is no need to use cupcake casings with these muffins as long as you grease the muffin tins.

This recipe makes 1.5 dozen. If you are doubling this recipe, use 3 eggs and double everything else.

These muffins freeze well, and are great microwaved just out of the freezer, topped off with just a dab of butter. Best served when warm so the butter melts into the muffin - throwing the health component of the muffin factor completely out of the window.

Bon Appetit!