Irish Foodies April 2011 Cookalong: Chocolate - Chocolate Bruno

If you are a regular reader you will know by now that the Irish Food Bloggers (and anyone else who fancies joining in) hold a monthly cookalong on the first Friday of every month.  We all cook a dish in our respective kitchens within a set theme and then post pictures and blog posts to Twitter and Facebook.  The evening is generally taken up with oooh's and aaaaah's and plenty of drooling as picture pop up and we admire each others efforts.  The theme for this months cookalong just had to be chocolate as Easter will fall later in the month. 

I had quite a few ideas in mind, what with me being a bit of a chocolate demon.  I wanted to bake a really yummy cake that my dad used to bake for special occasions.  He had pulled the recipe from a news paper but has lost it recently and so I had to go back to the drawing board.  On our recent trip to New York (more to come on this) Mr. Boo and I shared a dessert in the Blue Ribbon Bakery.  I remembered having had a decadent chocolate dessert there on a previous visit but couldn't quite remember what it was.  While perusing the menu the Chocolate Bruno caught my attention, there was no description to explain what it was so I enquired when our waiter returned to the table.  He explained that it "was a kind of flourless chocolate cake/mousse...."  He went on with his explanation but I don't remember anything after that.  Decision made. 

It was heavenly.  One of the best chocolate desserts I have tasted.  Ever.  As I have said on many occasions, I am a chocolate lover, Mr Boo not so much but he even managed a few spoon fulls.  A silky smooth, dense, almost buttery chocolate mousse set atop a white chocolate base with chunks of cookie.  We couldn't finish it, not even between the pair of us, as it was a very generous portion and I may have shed a tear as the leftovers were cleared from the table.  As I set my brain to thinking about a suitable offering for the chocolate cookalong on our return I decided I would try to recreate a version of the Chocolate Bruno to enjoy at home.

As I didn't have a recipe I had to go at it a little blind and hope for the best.  I was very pleased with my version and almost fell over when Mr. Boo volunteered the information that my base was nicer than the Blue Ribbon Bakery version.  He doesn't offer praise willy nilly where my baking is concerned, especially when it involves chocolate.  I was in Marks and Spencer the day before the cookalong and picked up one of their white chocolate Mountain Bars, white chocolate containing nuts and nougat (basically their version of a white Toblerone), thinking that would make a nice substitute for the white chocolate and cookie base.  These are really easy to make, they are basically a ganache with some egg & butter added for richness, but look really impressive and will certainly feature on dinner party menus in this house.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Bruno (my take on a Blue Ribbon Bakery dessert)
makes 6

100g White Chocolate Nougat Bar
285ml Double Cream
200g Plain Chocolate
2 Egg Yolks
20g Unsalted Butter

1.  Place a silicone muffin tray onto a flat baking tray (this makes it easier to transfer it to the fridge), or line 6 ramekins with clingfilm.
2.  Break up the white chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl.  Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt.

3.  Spoon the white chocolate into the bottom of the muffin tray/ramekins.  You just want a thin layer, approximately 3-5mm deep.

4.  Place the muffin tray/ramekins into the fridge and allow the chocolate to set.

5.  Place the cream into a heavy based saucepan and heat.  Remove from the heat just before it boils.
6.  Break up the plain chocolate and add to the cream.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

7.  Add the egg yolks and whisk in.  Allow to cool slightly.

8.  Add in the butter and stir until it has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

9.  Remove the muffin tray/ramekins from the fridge and pour the chocolate mixture over the white chocolate layer.  Return to the fridge and allow to set for at least 2 hours.

10.If you have used a silicone muffin tray you might find the plain chocolate mixture smears as you turn the Bruno's out to serve.  A little trick that I tried with great success was to pop the tray into the freezer for half an hour to make the 'mousse' nice and firm (cover the top with clingfilm or foil to avoid shards of ice falling onto the mousse), turn them out of the silicone tray and place on a flat tray and return to the fridge until you are ready to serve.  If you use ramekins lined with clingfilm simply lift the Bruno out using the clingfilm and peel the clingfilm away before serving. 

Italian Lemon Trifle

So it has been FREEZING here in Dublin since time began.  Well maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but it feels like that at this stage following the freezing temperatures of winter that seem to be dragging on into spring.  Over the last week, while the temperatures have remained more than chilly, the sky has turned the most beautiful shade of blue and a strange light has flooded the earth.  That light my dear friends is the sun.  I know, I had almost forgotten what it looked like too.  But it's back, and it is more than welcome.  I hope it is settling in for a bright and warm year ahead and doesn't plan on hiding behind the clouds too much. 

With sunny skies warming my skin I had a longing for some fresh tastes.  The cold and grey winter days called for heavy, warming, comforting foods but this change in the weather has brought a longing for lighter flavours to refresh both palate and mind.  Mr. Boo and myself had some guests for dinner on Saturday night and so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to test out a recipe idea I had thought of last year.  It was very well received around the table so I think it will be a regular fixture for summer desserts in this house.

The recipe is a mixture of a couple I have already posted on the blog here with some additions and tweaks.  I decided to use Lemon Drizzle Cake as a base for an alternative trifle.  I doused it with Limoncello, then layered this with mascarpone mixed with some icing sugar to sweeten it a little and some tangy Lemon Posset.  I'm not sure the Italians eat trifle or have a fondness for a lemon one but I decided the use of Limoncello and mascarpone warranted the Italian description in the title.  Enjoy!

Italian Lemon Trifle

1 x 1lb loaf of Lemon Drizzle Cake
6floz Limoncello
500g Mascarpone
75g Icing Sugar
1 quantity of Lemon Posset

I made the lemon drizzle cake in a 1lb loaf tin so that it could easily be cut into even slices for layering.  Alternatively you could use a shop bought Madeira cake.  I made 6 individual trifles in tumbler glasses but you could make it in one large bowl if you prefer.

1,  Make the lemon drizzle cake and lemon posset as per the instructions here.
2.  Slice the lemon drizzle cake into 1cm slices.  Lay in one layer on a plate or baking sheet and pour over the Limoncello.  Leave for a few minutes to allow to soak in.
3.  Place the mascarpone in a bowl and add in the icing sugar.  Stir through until incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

4.  Place a layer of cake in the bottom of the bowl/glass.  Top with a layer of the mascarpone mixture and then a layer of lemon posset.  Continue to layer until you have used all of the ingredients.  (If you are using individual glasses you might have to break the cake slices to make them fit.  This is fine, just press them down into an even layer.)

No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

If I were to put my house up for sale the estate agent would no doubt market my kitchen as compact, or bijoux.  That's small to me and you folks.  I could probably swing a kitten in it (note the use of the word probably, I have never attempted to), but think I would struggle with a full grown tabby.  It is a perfectly functional kitchen.  It is my favourite room in the house, filled to bursting with my very favourite things.  I spend so much time in there I like to have my favourite things around me so I can look at them each and every day.  It is full to capacity though. 

My teeny tiny baking supplies press is groaning under the weight of bags of flour and sugar and tubs of sprinkles and bottles of essence.  I always open the door with one hand blocking my face for fear of what missile will explode free from it's designated spot at the prospect of freedom from the squashed confines within.  With space being so limited I also have to show great restraint when it comes to my lust for new and sparkly kitchen machines and gadgets.  I have a food processor, a blender and a hand held electric whisk and for now I shall have to be content with my lot because there is no more room at the inn.  My longing for an ice cream maker will have to remain just that.  But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy home made ice cream.  Not since I discovered a no churn ice cream that only requires enough shelf and freezer space for a loaf tin.  Result.

Here is my version of Strawberry Ceesecake Ice Cream.  I have tried another flavour and will post more as I try them out.  I hope you enjoy this one.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 tin of Condensed Milk
600ml Double Cream
1tsp Vanilla Extract
8oz of Cream Cheese
300g of Strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
2tbsp fresh Lemon Juice

1.  Place the strawberries in a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth puree.

2.  Place all of the ingredients(including the pureed strawberries) into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until thick and quite stiff.

3.  Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin, cover with cling film and freeze until required.
4.  Allow to soften slightly before serving.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Yet another #twookiparty recipe for you folks.  I know, I know.  I went a bit mental but sure you can knock up a batch of cookies in ten minutes and they go down so easy, too easy!  I have to say that I would probably add more strawberries to these next time as I found that the flavour was very weak but they were still delicious cookies.  See what you think for yourself.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Yields approx 36
(I divided the dough in 3, baked a dozen and froze two rolls of dough to bake at a later date)

12oz Strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
100g/3.5oz Granulated Sugar
240g/8.5oz Plain Flour
2tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Coarse Salt
90g/3oz Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
160ml/5.5floz Double Cream
Granulated Sugar for Sprinkling

1.  Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
2.  Line 3 baking sheets with greaseproof paper. (If you are baking the cookies in batches line one baking sheet)
3.  In a small bowl combine the strawberries, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.

4.  Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and add the salt and remaining sugar.
5.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or rub it in with your fingers, until the mixture rembles coarse crumbs. (Make sure hands are cold if you choose to rub in the butter to ensure the butter does not become too soft.)

6.  Add the cream and stir until the dough starts to come together and then add the strawberry mixture and stir to incorporate.
7.  Using a tablespoon sized measuring spoon, or a regular measuring spoon, drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.  Flatten slightly with the tines of a fork and sprinkle with some granulated sugar.
8.  Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes (oven temperatures vary so times may be slightly different from oven to oven) until golden brown.
9.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

10. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Jamie Oliver's Party Cake

When I met Mr Boo the only reason for him to enter a kitchen was in order for someone else to hand him a lovingly cooked meal. Now I love to cook and deem great pleasure from cooking for those that I love but didn’t exactly want to spend everyday for the rest of my life cooking for someone who would not be able to return the favour every now and then. Mr Boo occasionally made murmurings along the lines that he wouldn’t mind possessing the skills to enable him to knock together a tasty dish from time to time. Then Jamie Oliver broke onto the scene and all of my prayers were answered. This little Cockney sparrow with all of his ‘pukka’ food only served to heighten Mr Boos eagerness to learn.

I could have kissed him, but there was a plane journey involved and I was spoken for, as was he so I didn’t. Anyhoo, when Mr Boo’s birthday rolled around I decided to get him Mr Oliver’s book as one of his little presents. He was delighted and wasted no time in getting himself into the kitchen and knocking out some very tasty dishes. Now, we didn’t have instant success, not by any means. I do remember one very bad night when I took a forkful of something WAY to salty but politely smiled and continued eating so as not to offend his efforts. Approximately 4 forkfuls later I had to make a mad dash for the loo where I was violently ill. I apologised, he apologised. “It was just a little to salty”, says I. “That’ll most probably be the anchovies”, says he. “How many did you put in”, I enquired. “Just the one jar” he replied. Yep that’ll do it I thought to myself before suggesting next time he trust the recipe and just put in the two fillets as specified.

Once we got that initial teething period out of the way we were flying and it became quite the tradition that of a Friday if his mam and dad popped out in the evening that he would cook a lovely romantic 3-course meal for me, complete with candles and soppy music. I loved those evenings. Something else he would do regularly but has not done in the last few years was to make me Jamie Oliver’s Party Cake and arrive at my door with it. It didn’t have to be a special occasion, just any random Friday or Saturday he might turn up outside my house in his bottle green Punto and produce this delicious chocolate concoction from his backseat all for me, because he loved me and because I love chocolate. That remains for me one of my favourite things he has ever done for me. All of that time, and love baked into a cake for me to eat and carry inside me. I don’t think a chocolate cake ever tasted so good.

As I have said he hasn’t made that cake for me for as long as I can remember. We are married and live together now so he shows his love in different ways. He might occasionally clean the kitchen, he buys pretty plants and plants them in the back garden for me to find when I have time to stop and smell the roses, he paints that room that I have been hinting about decorating and when I come home and decide I don’t like the colour he paints it a second time and only complains a little, when I hear a noise in the middle of the night he gets up from his sleep to investigate and returns with the news that all is well with the world and I can return to slumber. He does these ordinary mundane things and many more that show me he loves me every day, but he doesn’t bake me chocolate cakes that ooze cream and strawberries as you bite into them anymore. So, I have decided that I will bake him a chocolate cake that oozes cream and strawberries as you bite into it, because you know, I love him to, and I want to bake that into a cake for him to eat and carry around inside of him.

Party Cake

I have made a couple of alterations to the original recipe.  I omitted some flaked almonds and doubled the quantity of strawberries in favour of half strawberries and half raspberries, well it is National Strawberry Week after all.

3-rounded tbsp Cocoa Powder
200g/7oz Caster Sugar
200g/7oz Butter
3 Large Eggs, preferably free-range
200g/7oz Self-Raising Flour, sifted
1 rounded tsp Baking Powder
200ml/7floz Double Cream
2 large handfuls Strawberries, hulled and chopped

Chocolate Topping:
100g/3 ¾ oz Butter
100g/3 ¾ oz best quality Plain Chocolate
100g/3 ¾ oz Icing Sugar
3tbsp Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

2. Line the bases of 2 x 20cm/8” cake tins with greased greaseproof paper.

3. Mix the cocoa powder with 4tbsp of boiling water until smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, add the cocoa mixture, eggs, flour and baking powder.

5. Mix well and divide between the baking tins.

6. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes (a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean when cooked).

7. Allow to cool then remove from the tins.

8. Melt the chocolate topping ingredients in a bowl over some lightly simmering water. Stir until blended well and allow to cool.

9. Whip the double cream to soft peaks and sweeten with a little sugar to taste.

10. To assemble the cake, remove the greaseproof paper from both sponges.

11. Spread the cream over one of the sponges, and then sprinkle the strawberries on top.

12. Sandwich the second sponge on top and press down.

13. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to smooth if off and drizzle over your chocolate topping.

14. Allow the chocolate topping to firm up slightly before getting stuck in.

I've got an ouwie!

So my poor daddy was in town last week, getting some grocery shopping and feeding his DVD addiction with yet another purchase.  He was on his way home and spotted a bus ready to leave so he did what any 71 year old would do.  No, he didn't curse his bad timing and decide to let the bus go and wait 15 minutes or so for the next one to come along.  Instead he decided with hands full with bags of shopping that he would run for said bus.  And so he broke into  a mild jog and set about his mission happy in the knowledge he would be sitting on the bus in a flash and home in a matter of minutes.

So there he was striding along, an adveritsement for clean living, years of eating oily fish and doing daily sit ups paying off in his twilight years.  Then, oops, what the ...?  He was sailing through the air, watching as the pavement grew closer and closer to his face, shopping bags gone akimbo.  You see my lovely little daddy had become a victim of badly maintained public walkways in Dublins fair city and his foot unfortunately found a sunken paving stone which menacingly tripped him and brought him crashing to the ground.

Now my daddy is a very independent little fecker and sometimes forgets that he is no longer 21 and so up he got and brushed himself down, retrieved his shopping thanks to the help of a friendly passer by, and toddled on home without a word to anyone.  Had I been the poor unfortunate I would have immediatley got on the blower to my husband, then my sister, my dad and then the national papers to ensure everyone was aware of my tumble and much sympathy was dispatched in my direction post haste, but not my daddy.  He sat at home in quite a bit of pain and uttered not a word until his phone rang and then he relayed the story to my sister who of course wanted to go straight down to check on him as did my other sister and as did I when we heard.  We were under strict instructions not to go down as he was fine and only had a bit of bruising.

Two days later at a previously scheduled doctors appointment he was informed he had a cracked rib and a sprained wrist but still banned all visits, this time conceding he would not be up to much as it was quite painful for him to move about.  We all agreed we would not bother him but I secretly planned to drop down and check on him and stock up his fridge to ensure he could remain house bound for the week without the risk of scurvy or starvation.  He got wind of my evil plan and insisted I did not come down which I had to agree to, fingers crossed behind my back naturally.  So I popped in against his wishes and lasted all of two minutes(just enough time to fill the fridge and the fruit bowl) before I was sent packing.

So if you, like my daddy, have had any little accidents lately I prescribe a large slice of Lemon Posset Cake.  It is guaranteed to put a smile on even the most bruised and battered face and heal all ouwies, well maybe not heal but it will make you forget about them for a little while at least.  If you haven't had an accident, sure have a slice anyway and pretend you need the vitamins to keep you healthy.  Everyones a winner with this little lovely.

Lemon Posset Cake

for the lemon posset:

300ml Double Cream
75g Caster Sugar
Juice of 1-2 Lemons

1.  Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar.
2.  Slowly bring to the boil ensuring to stir constantly to dissolve the sugar.
3.  Once it comes to the boil allow it to bubble for a further 3 minutes while continuing to stir.
4.  After the 3 minutes remove from the heat and pour in the juice of 1 lemon while stirring.  The mixture will thicken once the juice is added.  Taste and add more lemon juice if it is not tart enough (the posset should have a sweet, tangy, creamy flavour).
5.  Leave to cool for approximately 5 minutes before transferring to a bowl.  Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate over night. (if you are short on time 3 hrs chilling should be sufficient)

for the cake:

175g/6oz Unsalted Butter (softened, plus a little extra to grease the tin)
175g/6oz Sugar
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
225g/8oz Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
2tbsp Milk
2 lemons
100g/3&1/2oz Caster Sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3.  Line the bottom of a 18cm/7" cake tin with grease proof paper and grease the sides with butter.
2.  In a bowl cream the butter with the grated zest of 2 lemons.
3.  Add the sugar and beat for 1 minute.
4.  Add the eggs one at a time while continuing to beat, then add the vanilla.
5.  Fold in the sieved flour and baking powder, then add the milk.
6.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the top.
7.  Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

8.  While the cake is baking pour the juice of 2 lemons over the caster sugar and mix to dissolve.

9.  Once the cake is removed from the oven and while it is still hot pierce all over with a skewer and pour over the caster sugar mixture.  Set the cake aside to cool.

10. Serve with generous dollops of lemon possett. Yum!

* lemon posset also makes a deliciously light dessert served in individual tall shot glasses with some almond biscuits, the above recipe will serve four. Transfer from the saucepan to the shot glasses and chill. *

Easter Cake (GF)

When we were little the Easter Bunny was always very good to us and remembered to bring us our favourite treats on Easter Sunday.  Our tastes changed as we grew and just as Santa knew exactly our hearts desire every Christmas the Easter Bunny knew which would be our favourite egg each year.  I remember having a deep love for Cadbury's Buttons, Crunchie and Caramel as well as Nestle Yorkie(even though technically not for girls) depending on the year and my mood. 

When I moved into teenage years my tastes became far more sopihistimacated and nothing but the very fine Leonidas would do.  These probably remain my favourite to this day.  A moreish, thick belgian chocolate egg and nestled inside, jewel coloured foil wrapped eggs all with different fillings.  We were always permitted a chocolate breakfast on Easter Sunday, such a luxury to my childlike self but if I am honest something I indulge my adult self in every now and then, probably a subconcious effort to relive those deliciously pampered days. 

In the weeks leading up to Easter my mam would arrive home on a Thursday with a bag of broken chocolate from Leonidas for myself and my sister, so I must now thank the clumsy easter egg dropper for this treat.  Chunks of thick belgian plain, milk and white chocolate in a little cellophane bag proffered forward were always a most welcome sight.  I am not sure anyone else knows how much I enjoyed those Easter Eggs and so it has been a good many years since I have seperated it's two halves to reveal the multi-colored bounty within.  But now that I have conjured this memory I may just treat myself this weekend.

For all of you who will be treating your loved ones to Easter lunch this year I hope you enjoy this Easter Chick Cake.  It is probably one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever baked and one that I have many times had to stop myself from baking as I would be in danger of eating it all myself only to be found in a chocolatey heap in a darkened corner Sr. Assumpta stylee.  Enjoy, and a very happy easter to you and your loved ones. x

Easter Chick Cake

for the cake
250g/7oz Plain Chocolate (chopped)
125g/3.5oz Unsalted Butter (softened)
6 Eggs (2 whole, 4 seperated. Reserve the seperated yolks to mix with the whole eggs)
175g/6oz Caster Sugar (75g for the egg yolk mixture and 100g for the egg whites)
1tsp Vanilla Extract

for the topping
125g/3.5oz Plain Chocolate
250ml Double Cream
1tsp Vanilla Extract

to decorate
Sugar coated chocolate eggs (I use Cadbury Mini Eggs, also available in M&S)
Toy easter chicks

To make the cake
1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F/Gas 4. 
2.  Line the bottom of a springform cake tin with grease proof paper.
3.  Melt the chocolate with the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
4.  Whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk until firm and then gradually add the 100g of caster sugar, continue whisking until stiff peaks are formed and the mix is glossy.
5.  In a seperate bowl using the electric whisk beat the 2 whole eggs with the 4 egg yolks, the remaining caster sugar and the vanilla essence and then gently fold in the chocolate mixture.
6.  Drop a spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and quickly stir through to lighten the mix.  Add the remaining egg whites in three batches and gently fold in.
7.  Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.  The cake is ready when it is risen and cracked and the centre does not wobble.
8.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  (if it looks like it has sunk in the centre do not worry, this is how you want it to look, trust me)

To make the topping
1.  Melt the chocolate and leave it to cool slightly.
2.  Whip the cream until firming up but still soft.
3.  Add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate.

To decorate the cake
1.  Fill the crater of the cake with the topping.
2.  Arrange the sugar coated eggs and toy chicks on top as you wish.

1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi

I'm a bit of a bore at heart. I've never been a wan for boozing and clubbing, falling over the cobble stones of Templebar at an ungodly hour of a Saturday evening and requiring strategically placed yellow stars on photographs the next day. Nope, I'm a bit of a bore. I would garner much more pleasure from an evening sat around my kitchen table with family and friends savouring mouthfuls of delicious food I have laboured over all day. I revel in these days, with the menu planned in advance and all of the ingredients bought and safely stowed in the fridge or press I rise early to start the preparations.

Saturday was one of these blissful days. I started off at about 8:30am by mixing together some chocolate truffles before safely stowing the mix in the fridge to set. Then it was onto the cake which was made in three pretty straight forward stages and left to cool. Sorted.

We were having my brother in law and his wife over but the hubby had fecked off out to visit his mammy in advance of Mothers day, the cheek, and then to the gym to pump some iron or do whatever it is the men folk do there. As I had been abandoned and the clock was ticking down it was up to me to crack on and give the house a bit of a spruce up so out came the duster and the hoover, followed by the mop. Right so that’s the dessert and the hovel sorted which was in my world good going as I usually have to shove the hoover in a corner somewhere as the doorbell rings.

2 o'clock, I could lounge on the sofa for a few hours and shovel some of those deliciously delish homemade truffles in my gob but alas no, a friend is popping in at 2:30 to show off her new babog and I am looking as my mother would have said like the wreck of the hespiss. Half an hour just wasn't gonna cut it so I had to make a very bold decision, horror of horrors I was gonna have to face my friend with a face untouched by the wonders of modern concealers, hair scraped back into a pony that would ensure no unruly frizzy bits could escape and peel my very comfy tracksuit away from my body in exchange for some jeans.

That brings me right up to 6 o'clock, perfect. Just enough time to beautify myself and prep the rest of the food. 7:30pm and I am back in the kitchen applying a little lip gloss when the hubby starts shouting at me cos he is under pressure to prep the starter and I am obviously not contributing enough to the nights preparations. I smiled politely as the only other option was to knock him to the ground and drag him around the house by the ears and point out all of the things I had spent the day doing. A nice little smack of the lips to ensure even distribution of said gloss and sure I'm only massive. With that I dressed the table and flittered about the house lighting approximately 17 gazillion tea lights to set the ambience for the evening ya see.

Ding Dong and they're here. Plenty of mwah mwahing could be heard for the next few minutes with a light sprinkling of compliments before I find myself back in the kitchen whipping up a little pre dinner cocktail which was quaffed by all and seconds promptly requested. A few hot 'head in oven' minutes later the gong sounds and three hungry souls were seated around the table and I served up the starter which hubby declared to be his creation lest I try to take credit for it, heaven forbid. Compliments all round and hubby decidedly pleased with himself removed himself from the table to cook the mojito chicken he had been so looking forward to trying http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com/2008/07/mohito-lime-and-mint-chicken.html. I joined him at the hob as my perfect hostess status was possibly in jeopardy as I hadn't knocked up a batch of my addictive Rocky Road and had numerous phone calls throughout the day from my bro in law from which I got the distinct impression he would be devastated if a plate of this did not appear at some stage throughout the night. Rocky Road chilling in the fridge and main course served there was silence again for a few minutes bar the sound of metal scraping delph until plates were clean and bellies full.

Having waited a sufficient time to talk and laugh ourselves peckish again we arrived at my favourite part of the evening - dessert. To me starters and main course are merely a means to an end and that end is dessert. The pop of a champagne cork is the most suitable herald of dessert in my book so once glasses had been filled with pretty pink bubbles the Mississippi Mud Pie arrived at the table and four very generous slices were cut and distributed followed mere seconds later by copious ooohing and aaaahing in appreciation of its chocolaty goodness and all round deliciousness. Now at this stage you would imagine we were all fit to burst and couldn't possibly manage another morsel. Well we were, but sure when I arrived at the table with tea and coffee accompanied by chocolate truffles and rocky road we heroically managed to squeeze in a taster of each before wisely vowing to only let cocktails pass our lips for the remainder of the evening and very sensibly toddling off to bed at 4 am. A very successful evening all round and another delicious dessert to add to the arsenal. Result!

Mississippi Mud Pie

I got the recipe for this from Something for the Weekend so am gonna be a bit lazy and just post the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/food/mobile/queryengine?templatestyle=one_recipe&config=db_one_recipe&SuppressCaching=1&attrib_1=filename&oper_1=eq&val_1_1=mississippimudpie_93659

Plain Dark Chocolate Truffles

(Makes, well, a lot!)

225g/8oz Good Quality Dark Chocolate (broken into small pieces)

300ml/1/2pint Double Cream

• 
  
  Place the chocolate pieces into a bowl.
• 
  
  Bring the cream to a rolling boil in a saucepan and immediately pour over the chocolate.
• 
  
  Blend until all of the chocolate has melted.  Allow to cool at room temerature (approx 1-1&1/2 hours).
• 
  
  When the mixture has set spoon out some of the mixture and roll into balls between the palms of your hands (dust hands with some icing sugar or cocoa powder to stop the mixture from stcking to them).
• 
  
  Roll the truffles in cocoa powder, icing sugar, chopped nuts, flaked cocolate or anything that takes your fancy.

Alternatively:

• 
  
  Line a square baking tin with grease proof paper.
• 
  
  Once the chocolate and cream have combined pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and chill in the fridge.
• 
  
  When the mixture has set lift out of the baking tin with the grease proof paper and place on a flat surface.
• 
  
  Dust lightly with cocoa powder, lay a sheet of grease proof paper on top and turn upside down, remove the original grease proof paper from the bottom and dust lightly with cocoa powder.
• 
  
  Dust a sharp knife with a little cocoa powder and cut into strips of approx 2cm.  Dust knife regularly to prevent sticking.
• 
  
  Once the square has been cut into strips turn the grease proof paper once and cut at 2cm intervals again to give perfect square truffles.
• 
  
  Use any remaining cocoa powder to dust the freshly cut sides.