Lemon Surprise Pudding

We've got a bit of a Nigel Slater appreciation society* going on in our house at the moment so I bought K these as a belated Christmas present from Amazon to help inspire him. However, it was actually me that cooked the first item from them: A delicious Lemon Surprise Pudding
It was absolutely gorgeous- the mixture magically separates whilst cooking into a sponge top with a delicious lemony custard underneath. Yummy!

*They've already knocked Gordon R off the shelf as there isn't room for all of them. Sorry Gordon. Jamie O made the cut but possibly only because his book coordinates in colour with these new ones. We're a bit fickle like that, ya know.... ;)

Domestic Goddess?

The boy child is at nursery, the baby is asleep so I decided to get on with some baking in aid of a charity coffee morning that I run on Thursdays.

This weeks offerings have come from my kitchen bible- Nigella Lawsons 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' (love that book!) I had loads of ripe bananas hanging around so rather than waste them I've made her banana loaf (minus the rum as I didn't have any) and some chocolate brownies (which should have a disclaimer that you might as well rub them straight onto your thighs seeing as that's where they're heading anyway with all that butter, sugar, eggs and chocolate!!)

Banana bread

100g sultanas

175g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2tsp bicarb of soda

1/2tsp salt

125g unsalted melted butter

150g sugar

2 large eggs

4 small very ripe bananas mashed

1tsp vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to gas mark 3/170 degrees c.

2. Put flour, baking powder, bicarb, and salt into a medium bowl and combine well.

3.In another bowl mix the butter and sugar until blended. Beat in eggs one at a time and then the mashed banana. Stir in the sultanas and vanilla extract.

4. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time, stirring well.

5.Scrape into a loaf tin and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 mins. (Mine was quite well cooked after 30 mins so I then covered it with foil for the rest of the time to stop the top burning)

Brownies

375g melted unsalted butter

375g best quality dark chocolate

6 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

500g caster sugar

225g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to gas 4/180 degrees

2. Line a brownie pan (approx 33 x 23 x 5.5cm tin)

3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a large pan.

4. In a bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.

5. Let the chocolate mixture cool for a bit once it's melted then beat in the sugar and eggs mixture and then the flour and nuts. Beat to combine smoothly and then scrape into the lined pan.

6. Bake for about 25mins. When it's ready the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle but the middle should still be dense and gooey.

Enjoy! :)