Ginger Spiced Rocky Road

Let’s be real now, December is right round the corner so let’s not waste time and get those preparations under way. I know there are many of us that have taken to online shopping to get ourselves ready for Christmas celebrations and boy, it will be here sooner than we think. Rocky road is a simple, no bake dessert that can make a fantastic treat and gift to your friends and loved ones during the holiday period. Bringing in those Christmassy vibes I have created a ginger spiced dessert that showcases the flavours of Christmas time.

Makes 16-18 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 200g milk chocolate, chopped
• 200g ginger nut biscuits
• 3 tbsps golden syrup
• 130g unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g mini marshmallows

Method:

1. Line a 10.5 x 8 tin with greaseproof paper and then leave aside.
2. Put the chocolate pieces, butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl and place above a saucepan that is filled with a small amount of water. Gently simmer and occasionally stir the chocolate mixture until smooth and silky. (Be sure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl and that no water touches the chocolate as this will cause it to seize up.) Once ready, take off the heat, add the cinnamon and ground ginger, mix and leave to cool slightly.
3. Place the ginger nut biscuits in a sandwich/freezer bag and give it a good bash with a rolling pin until there’s a mixture of chunks and dust. Then place the contents into a large bowl along with the mini marshmallows.
4. Pour the chocolate over the marshmallows and biscuits and mix thoroughly.
5. Place into the tin and spread it out evenly into the corners. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Dust the rocky road with icing sugar (optional) and cut into 16-18 pieces.

Enjoy!

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Aubergine and Chickpea Stew

Tired from a long day at work and want a quick but delicious dish that’s healthy and meat-free? This tomato and aubergine stew brings juiciness and crunchiness together with a special cameo of our tinned friends, chickpeas. I’ve kept this version a little less spicy but if you fancy more of a kick, add more harissa paste.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized aubergine, chopped into chunks
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp harissa paste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200ml water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of lemon juice

Method:

1. In a pan, pour in the olive oil and add the aubergine and fry for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, on a medium heat until the vegetable has browned and lightly softened.
2. Add the shallot and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the cumin, dried coriander and a sprinkling of salt and pepper; give it a quick stir.
4. Put in the chickpeas, harissa and tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the tomato puree and pour the water into the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes.
6. Squeeze in a splash of lemon and season again with salt. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes or until the water has reduced.

Best served hot.

My First Bundt Cake!

I’ve never really had a massive sweet tooth, I am definitely a more savoury kind of girl; as I’m sure you’ve seen from my recipes they are more focused on more ‘main meals’ rather than sweets and desserts. To be honest, I don’t think I am very good at the whole ‘baking thing’, but hey, I do actually quite enjoy it and am willing to give it a go.

I was gifted a bundt tin a while ago now and hadn’t got round to using it. Of course, during this weird lockdown time I thought I’d do some experimenting and give it a whirl. For my first bundt cake bake I was quite proud of myself, it turned out better than I thought it would. I attempted to make a spiced bundt cake that consisted of ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg-  delish, I know. There is definitely room for improvement though, I found that the spices were not as prominent as I’d’ve liked, the texture was soft but not as light (hence the icing to give it some added moisture) and the mixture rose a lot more than I thought it would; perhaps too much cake mix or baking powder. Considering the tin I have is smaller than the ‘standard’ sized bundt tins, the end result was bigger than I expected.

Now that I have given it a go I am slightly more confident to try again and to also try other bakes.

Hope you’re having a lovely friday 🙂

Carla x