Emma Hawkins | The Mindfulness Kitchen

Ultimate Hot Chocolate

By Emma Hawkins | February 18, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

Most people who know me know that I’m not a hot drinks person. Offer me a tea or coffee and I’m the one who goes ‘have you got water?’ But I have to admit that a good hot chocolate at the right time is a great thing. This week I’ve been invidulating an art exhibition in an edgy, rustic, barn kind of a place. Whilst it’s great for the art, it’s major downside is that it’s FREEZING. Luckily a flask of this hot chocolate has been there to stop me from turning into an ice cube. When it’s made with milk, cream and chocolate, not just water and powder, it becomes a thick, sweet and nourishing, which is really needed for the current weather!

I love making confectionary and so I’ve included a recipe for marshmallows here. It does take a little time to do, and I’d recommend making them at least 2 hours before you use them, so if that’s too much to ask you can easily use shop-bought ones. I will say though that these little marshmallow blobs are really good in this, and making them is really worth it!

Recipe

Serves 2

Time: 10 minutes for the hot chocolate, 30 minutes plus setting time for the marshmallows

Ingredients

For the marshmallow

150g Granulated sugar
5g Liquid glucose
1 Large egg white
3 Gelatine sheets

For the hot chocolate

450ml Whole milk
50g Dark chocolate
70g Milk chocolate
80ml Single cream
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
A few chilli flakes (optional)

To decorate

100ml Double cream, whisked to soft peaks
Some chopped hazelnuts and raspberries (optional)

Method

Begin by making the marshmallow. Put the sugar and 150ml water into a medium sized saucepan. Bring to the boil whilst stirring over a medium heat.
Once the mixture starts to boil stop stirring and leave it until it reaches 127˚C. Whilst waiting for this to happen leave the gelatine to soak in 50ml water.
Put the egg whites into a very clean metal or glass bowl and whisk up to firm peaks (a stand alone mixer is really useful for this as in a bit you’re going to have to whisk for a long time in a bit, but if you don’t have one (like me) an electric hand whisk will also work).
When the sugar reaches the right temperature add the gelatine and the water it’s soaking in and stir to dissolve.
Continue whisking the eggs and simultaneously pour the syrup into them in a slow stream until it’s all whisked in.
Continue to whisk for another 15-20 minutes until the mix is thick and holds it’s shape – the mixture should also have mostly cooled to room temperature by then.
Line a baking tray with clingfilm, and then sift a little cornflour and icing sugar in an even layer over it. Transfer the marshmallow mix into a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe blobs of marshmallow onto the lined tray. (Alternatively you can line a small tin with clingfilm, icing sugar and cornflour and pour the mixture into it to set). Leave for at least an hour (or better over night) to set completely.
When your marshmallows are ready it’s time to make the hot chocolate.
Put the milk and chocolates into a medium sized saucepan and heat whilst whisking until the chocolate is completely melted.
Then pour in the cream and add the cinnamon, salt and chilli flakes and whisk to combine. Continue to heat until it just reaches the boil and then serve…
Pour this hot chocolate into a mug and serve with freshly whipped cream, raspberries, hazelnuts and your perfect marshmallow blobs!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x

Blackforest Daquoise Gateau

By Emma Hawkins | February 14, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

One of the most stunning retro desserts out there is the black forest gateau – and it has three of my favourite things: chocolate, cherries and a woodland association. Over the years I’ve become a bit addicted to taking these delicious flavours and have put them into almost anything and everything – but nothing beats a classic cake based gateau.

That said I have adapted this slightly by adding a daquoise, aka a nutty meringue, which adds a bit of texture and brings some sweetness to contrast the rich chocolate cake and creamy filling. Whilst I think this is as good as it gets, if you’re short on time or want to go for a more traditional gateau you could leave out the meringue layers and you’d still end up with something delicious. On the other hand, you could leave out the cake and then you’d end up with a derlish layered, hazelnut and cherry pavalova!

(Note: before starting make sure you have 2 cakes tins 21cm in diameter, and an electric or stand-free mixer!)

Recipe

Serves 12

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the Daquoise

170g Chopped hazelnuts
200g Caster sugar
18g Cornflour
4 Large egg whites
Pinch salt

For the Chocolate cake

Butter for greasing
200g Golden caster sugar
7 Large eggs, separated
3tbsp Cocoa powder
2 tbsp Morello cherries (with juice)
200g Dark chocolate

For the Filling

600ml Double cream
1 tbsp Vanilla bean paste
4 tbsp Kirsch
200g Morello cherries

To Decorate

200g Dark chocolate
2 tsp Dried raspberries
A handful of fresh Cherries

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
Begin by making the daquoise. Put the hazelnuts into a small roasting tin and roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until just starting to colour. (This is an important step as it’ll massively increase the flavour of the nuts).
Leave to cool and then mix with 75g of the sugar and the cornflour. Set to one side for later.
Lower the oven temperature to 150˚C for the meringues. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Take a 21cm diameter tin and draw round it onto the sheets of baking paper to act as a guide for pipping later. Turn these sheets over so that the pencil line is on the other side of the paper to that which you’ll pipe on.
Take a super clean metal or glass bowl and put the egg whites into it.
Add the salt and then whisk with an electric hand whisk (or a stand-free mixer) until it forms soft peaks (can just hold it’s shape).
Continue whisking and add the other 125g caster sugar, one 1 tbsp at a time until it’s all incorporated.
Keep whisking until the mixture becomes glossy and forms a stiff peak.
Then take a large, stiff spatula and gently fold the hazelnuts into the meringue. From here you’ll need to work quickly as the oils in the nuts will start to deflate the meringue.
Take a pipping bag with a round nozzle and fill it with the meringue. Then pipe onto the lined baking trays in a spiral, starting from the edge of the circles you drew to the centre.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until crisp to the touch. Then turn the oven off and leave the meringues to cool in the ovens.
When completely cool take out of the oven and set to one side for later.
Now move onto the chocolate sponge. Increase the oven temperature to 180˚C. Line two cake tins, the same ones you used to draw round rings for meringue, with butter and baking paper.
Put the sugar and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until pale, fluffy and thick. You can test if it’s ready by taking the whisk out of the mixture, and if the trail it leaves is visible for 3 seconds or more it’s thick enough. Add the cocoa powder and cherries and then whisk to combine.
Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave to melt and then fold into the sugar mixture.
In metal or glass bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and mix in. Then fold in the rest of the egg whites with a large spatual until the batter is uniform in colour, with no flecks.
Pour the batter into the two tins, making sure each has the same amount of mix. Spread the mixture around the tins so it’s an even thickness and then bake for 12-14 minutes, until risen, and just firm to the touch.
Take out of the tins and leave on wire racks to cool completely.
Whilst waiting for the cakes to cool move onto the fillings and decorations. Pour the cream into a bowl and add the vanilla. Then whisk it up until soft peaks start to form – be careful not to over whisk or it won’t pipe smoothly. Transfer this cream to a piping bag with a round nozzle and leave in the fridge until needed.
Then take the chocolate and melt it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Take a piping bag with a small round nozzle and pour the melted chocolate into it.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Take a pencil and draw some trees about 10cm maximum in height. Turn the paper over and then pipe over your designs with the chocolate. It’s worth piping more than you think you’ll need in case some break. Leave these to set at room temperature. When completely set, transfer them to the freezer to make them easier to work with when it comes to decorating the gateau.
When all the elements are ready you can start assembling the gateau. Put one of the meringue layers on the plate or board you want to display it on. Top with one of the chocolate sponges, and brush the sponge with ½ of the kirsch. Scatter the cherries over the sponge and then pipe blobs of the cream over the cherries. Then put the second meringue layer onto the cream and repeat the layering of the cake, cherries and cream, although this time only pipe two rings of cream on the top of the cake.
Take a sharp knife and make small incisions in the top of the gateau where you want to position your chocolate trees. Gently peel the trees off the baking paper (a palette knife is useful for this) and stick them into the top of the gateau in the gaps you just made. Decorate with the fresh cherries and freeze-dried raspberries, and then finish with a dusting of cocoa powder!

Thanks for reading! Any comments, requests or queries don’t hesitate to ask…

Emma x

Chocolate, Orange and Thyme Pancakes

By Emma Hawkins | February 11, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

As the title of this blog is Cocoa and Thyme I thought it was about time I make a recipe to show these two ingredients at their best. Whilst it’s not yet an every-day flavour pairing, chocolate and thyme is a contemporary flavour combo that’s becoming very popular in fine dinning restaurants. Since pancake day is on Tuesday I’ve decided to incorporate it into a delicious pancake dish!

It’s a bit of an acquired flavour combo so I understand that it probably won’t be for everyone, but if you like being a bit adventurous it’s a worthwhile experiment. However, these pancakes are also insanely fluffy and delicious, so even if you’re not up for wacky flavours I’d recommend making them and topping them with whatever topping you tend to go for. In my case that’s lemon juice and sugar, but nutella, banana, golden syrup, bacon, strawberries, or anything else that takes your fancy will also go really well with these.

Recipe

Serves 4

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the Orange syrup

190g Sugar
110ml Water
190ml Orange juice
1 tbsp Cornflour
2 tbsp Butter

For the Chocolate sauce

50g Dark chocolate
25g Butter
125ml Double cream
1 tbsp Caster sugar
Thyme leaves, chopped

For the Pancakes

300g Self-raising flour
1 ½ tbsp Baking powder
60g Caster sugar
2 Large eggs
200ml Milk
Vegetable oil for greasing

Method

Begin by making the orange syrup. Whisk together the sugar and water in a pan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil.
Then, in another bowl whisk the orange juice and cornflour. Pour this mixture into the sugar and water pan and simmer whilst whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the butter until melted and then leave covered, to keep warm, until needed.
Then make the chocolate thyme sauce. Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt. In another pan put the butter, sugar and cream and heat gently until melted together.
Pour the chocolate into the cream mix and add the chopped thyme leaves. Stir until smooth. Pour into a jug and set aside until later.
Now make the pancakes. Put the flour, baking powder and caster sugar into a bowl. Mix to combine and then make a well in the centre. Add the egg and milk in the well and then whisk until combined and smooth.
Put a large frying pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable over a medium heat. Using a ladle pour a neat circle of batter into the middle of the pan. Leave to cook for 1-2 minutes, until bubbles start to form on top, and then turn over and cook on the other side.
Once cooked on both sides, (when brown spots start to form on the surface you know they’re done) transfer them onto a large plate.
Repeat with the rest of the batter, creating a stack of pancakes. In between each pancake pour a little of the orange syrup to keep the pancakes moist. Once all the batter is used pour the chocolate sauce over the stack. Serve with fresh orange segments, thyme leaves and the rest of the orange syrup and chocolate sauce.

Thanks for reading, and happy pancake day!

Emma x

Salted Caramel, Raspberry + Chocolate Brownie Pudding

By Emma Hawkins | February 1, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

When I was younger my favourite dessert was chocolate sponge with custard, and this is a bit of a deluxe adaption on that warming comfort food classic. As usual I’ve gone a bit over the top on the indulgence, but it’s totally worth it. Fudgy chocolate brownie, with a salted caramel sauce underneath, and topped with fruity bursts of raspberries is the ultimate comforting pudding.

For the keen beans out there you’ll also notice that the brownie mix is pretty similar, ney identical to that in my Mississippi mud pie recipe. The is because I’m a) short on time this week and b) it works so well in this that it made sense to rework it into this recipe. So if by chance you made and enjoyed my Mississippi mud pie you’ll probably like this to!

(Note: It’s pretty rich, so a smallish tray will feed more people than you think!)

Recipe

Serves 10

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

160g Butter
220g Dark chocolate
3 Medium eggs
210g Caster sugar
40g Plain flour
100g White chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tsp Salted caramel (Homemade or shop bought)
100g Raspberries
Cream to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a glass, 30x20cm oven-proof dish with butter and set aside for later.
Now make the brownie mix. Put the butter and chocolate into a bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt.
Take another bowl and whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy with an electric whisk. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until it leaves a trail when the whisk is taken out.
Fold the chocolate into the eggs, sieve in the flour and add the chopped white chocolate. Fold everything again until combined.
Take the caramel sauce and pour it over the base of your greased dish. Pour the brownie mix over the top and spread over evenly. Finally sprinkle over the raspberries and push them into the batter slightly.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the brownie is just cooked. Don’t leave it in the oven for too long, you want it to be gooey and soft in the middle.
Serve with fresh rapberries and cream!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x

Croque Monsieur

By Emma Hawkins | February 1, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

I’m not gonna lie to you, this is essentially a glorified cheese and ham toastie – but man is it a good cheese and ham toastie! It’s a ‘I think I just heard the hallelujah chorus when I took a bite’ kinda good if you hear me.

Unlike most toasties this one is a) French and b) has a cool cheese sauce in it which makes it incredibly tasty. It may seem like a bit of an efffort to take out a pan and make a sauce for a sandwhich, but trust me, it’s 100% worth it. You’ll also probably have some of this sauce left over, in which case keep it – it’s great on leeks, cauliflower, or with pasta and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days!

I should point out that it’s not strictly traditional to put tomatoes in a croque monsieur, but hey, this is a blog and I like a bit of a fruity/sharp tang in the middle of my toastie. But it’s totally optional, so if you’re not a fan of tomatoes don’t let it put you off.

Recipe

Serves 1

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cheese sauce

13g Unsalted butter
13g Plain flour
125ml Milk
1/2 tsp English mustard
35g Strong cheddar cheese, grated

For everything else

2 Thick slices of white bread
2 Slices of honey smoked ham
2 Cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly
100g Gruyere Cheese, grated

Method

Begin by making the cheese sauce. Put the butter into a small saucepan and melt over a medium heat.
Add the flour and stir to form a paste. Cook this paste in the pan for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk to the paste, stirring in between each addition to make a really smooth sauce. I find using a whisk really helpful here as it helps to break up the lumps, and make sure you pour the milk in slowly as otherwise your sauce will be lumpy.
When all the milk in incorporated, continue to whisk over a medium heat until the sauce thickens enough to hold its shape a little. Then add the mustard and grated cheddar cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted and all combined. Set aside for later.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Take your bread, butter it lightly and then put it, butter side up, into the oven to crisp up. Once just starting to brown take it out.
Turn the bread slices over so you’re working on the non-crispy sides. Spread the slices with the cheese sauce (about 1 tsp on each). Then put a ham slice on each bit of bread. Arrange the tomato slices on one of the pieces of bread and then sprinkle half of the grated Gruyere over them.
Put the bread slice without tomatoes ontop of the one with tomatoes, crisp side out, to make a sandwich. Sprinkle the rest of the gruyere over the top and then bake in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
Take out of the oven and serve warm with a side salad!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x