Raspberry-spiked chocolate brownies

I made these for an afternoon tea. It was a very good spread: egg nog and rum, cucumber sandwiches, beetroot sandwiches, celery and carrot sticks, dips, bread, and several delicious varieties of tea.

This was a very easy and relatively quick recipe with very pleasing results. One of the best brownie recipes I've tried to date. Not too attractive in this picture but believe me, they looked GOOD.




200g dark chocolate, chopped
250g butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 cups raspberries, frozen or fresh (you can also sub in blueberries)

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Melt the chocolate and butter. I use the metal bowl over boiling water method, stirring until smooth.

Pour chocolate in a large bowl with eggs and sugar. Stir to combine.

Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the bowl. Stir to combine.

Pour the batter into a baking tin lined with baking paper. Top with berries.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set. The centre of the brownie will have a very fudgey texture.


From a Donna Hay recipe

Miniature empanadas

I made these for a high tea. Everyone brought along a plate of home-made goodies and we ate until we could eat no more.

All of the dishes were really impressive - polenta chips with sweet potato mash and mushrooms, peking duck salad rolls, sponge cakes with tia maria custard and toffee, custard trifle with berries and chocolate mousse, four varieties of cookies, salmon rolled in seaweed with shabu-shabu noodles... and the list goes on. I felt my contribution was pretty humble, especially because I bought the pastry! Oh well.

I made mini empanadas, about 50 in total with each sheet of pastry cut into 9 pieces, but you could make normal-sized ones as easily with the same recipe.



6 garlic cloves, chopped
120g brown onion, chopped
650g mince beef
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
90g raisins
110g olives, chopped (green or black according to your preference; I used black)
1 teaspoon paprika
1.5 teaspoons salt
parsley
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
short crust pastry
beaten egg, to brush


Hardboil 2 eggs, let cool and chop.

In a pan, heat olive oil and cook garlic for 1 minute.

Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes.

Add beef and cook 5 minutes.

Add chilli, raisin, olives, paprika and salt, and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in parsley and eggs.

Fill pastry and brush with egg.

Bake at 230C for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve hot, with a squeeze of lemon if you like.


Adapted from a Bourke Street Bakery recipe