Liver with Bacon and Onions

We bought a deep fat fryer not very long ago. Actually, it's my mum's but she's only used it once. I've never really been brave enough to deal with hot fat in large quantities so I mostly leave the actual dangerous frying to Al. He worked in a Chip shop when he was 14 (I'm sure there are some ethical/health and safety issues there but he survived) and is quite the pro.

I used to be a vegetarian. I think I've mentioned it in passing before but it seems like a long time ago now. I will now try pretty much any meat you put in front of me, just so I know what it's like. As a kid, I hated liver. My mum used to cook it sometimes and we'd have to eat it... it has such a strange texture and flavour, it's quite unlike anything else really. In my adulthood (stop laughing!) I've found that I actually really like it. I love the weird texture and the iron-y flavour. I've learnt that it goes amazingly well with onions and bacon in a rich gravy. These combine perfectly with potatoes (usually mashed) and peas.

This time, we deep fried some cooked new potatoes to go with the liver and bacon and they were delicious. Nice and crispy on the outside to completment the meltingly delicious liver and the thick gravy. As my mum is the one that cooks liver, I thought it was time I tried to make it myself. It's really easy!

Ingredients
1 large onion
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 pack of lambs liver
2-4 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper
300ml lamb stock
4 rashers of bacon

Method
Slice the onion and fry in half of the oil until lightly browned.
Rinse the liver and pat dry. Season the flour and spread onto a plate, coat each slice of liver with the flour.
Stir the leftover flour into the onions and cook gently for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the stock and bring to boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer.
Fry the bacon in the rest of the oil and remove from the pan when cooked. Add the liver to the pan and fry over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes each side, or until lightly browned.
Return the bacon to the pan, add the sauce and stir to make sure all the residue of the frying bacon and liver is incorporated well. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the liver is cooked.
Serve with mashed (or in this case fried) potatoes and peas.

We used tinned potatoes (shocking, I know) that were drained and dried thoroughly. We then fried them in oil at 170C until crispy and delicious. Obviously, these would be even better with fresh potatoes but we just used what we had.

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Slow Cooker Recipes: Mexican Hot Chocolate

I'm a little delayed but I'd like to wish you all a happy new year! I hope 2010 brings you lots of delicious food, good health and happiness. I had a lovely christmas and new year, I ate more food than is ever necessary and enjoyed every last bite.

We've had loads of snow here over the holiday period and we've more on the way. It's so cold that the screenwash on my boss' car was freezing as it hit the windscreen yesterday. We had some friends over when the snow was quite deep and decided to treat them to a nice soothing mug of mexican hot chocolate when they arrived. They certanly needed it!

The recipe is really simple and is largely assembly rather than real work. Most of the time is hands off so you're not constantly watching the pan to make sure the milk doesn't boil over. The ingredients are also simple with nothing too exotic so you may have everything you need in your cupboards without having to brave the weather with a trip to the shops.

The hot chocolate is delicious and warming. The gentle spices really lift the flavour and make it something special. I chose to garnish ours with some fresh whipped cream and grated dark chocolate though you could use marshmallows or anything else that you fancied! The drink is smooth and sweet with a good chocolate flavour. Do try to use the best quality dark chocolate you can get as it is the main flavour of the drink. The following recipe is enough for 4-5 people depending on the size of your mugs.

Ingredients
1 litre milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
115g dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
2-3 drops of almond extract
Whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve

Method
Pour the milk into the cooking pot with the cinnamon and cloves. Cover and switch the slow cooker to high. Heat the milk for an hour or until the milk is almost boiling.
Add the chocolate pieces and almond extract to the milk and stir until melted.
Fish out the spices and then, using a stick blender, whizz the mixture until frothy.
Ladle the hot chocolate into mugs and top with cream and grated chocolate.
Serve immediately.

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Cheesecake Brownies

A good chocolate brownie is one of my favourite things to make and eat. Brownie recipes range from simple cocoa rich treats to complex beasts with more add-ins than you know what to do with but I'd pretty much eat whatever kind of brownie you put in front of me. I like mine more on the fudgey than cakey side. I like chewy edges and sticky middles. I like rich chocolate flavours and simple additions. I am always keen to try new things.

I've been reading for ages about the wonderful mix of cheesecake and chocolate cake. Black bottom cupcakes for example combine a chocolatey cake with a cheesecake centre into a perfectly formed cupcake combination. They are also on my list to try. The combination extends to cheesecake and brownies. There is just something about the combination of dense chocolate brownies with a rich topping of slightly sweetened cream cheese that makes them irresistable. I must emphasise that they are irresistable; I have made 2 batches in the last couple of weeks and they've been snaffled up.

This recipe is from David Lebovitz who has a whole book about chocolate. I trusted him to provide a reliable and easy recipe and I was right to. This recipe is simple to follow and has no complicated/unusual ingredients or instructions. I've reprinted the recipe here using only the metric measures.

Ingredients
85g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
115g dark chocolate, chopped
130g sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
70g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g chocolate chips

200g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
75g sugar
Splash of vanilla extract

Method
Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the sugar, then the eggs.
Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the brownies feel set in the centre. Allow to cool before peeling the foil off and slicing.

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