Get rid of the winter blues with these recipes you can create at home:
Jones the Grocer’s warm chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the chocolate brownie
225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
275g 64% cacao chocolate (Jones use Valrhona Noir Manjari), broken into pieces
5 medium eggs
400g caster sugar
50g cocoa powder, sifted
200g plain flour, sifted
For the sauce
250g water
100g caster sugar
160g glucose syrup
75g cocoa powder
50g 64% cacao chocolate (Jones use Valrhona Noir Manjari), broken into pieces
To serve
Vanilla ice cream
Toasted flaked almonds
Fresh cream
Method
▶ Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line a shallow 20cm square baking tin with butter.
▶ Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water and leave to melt.
▶ Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric hand whisk until thick and creamy.
▶ Add the sifted cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Gently fold the egg and sugar mixture into the chocolate mix, then stir in the sifted flour.
▶ Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin and spread out to a thickness of 3 to 4cm.
▶ Transfer to the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre is slightly wet with mix when removed.
▶ Once cooked, leave the brownies to cool in the tin, then cut into squares.
▶ To make the sauce, put the water, caster sugar and glucose syrup in a saucepan and set over high heat.
▶ Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder and chocolate.
▶ To serve, warm the brownies through in the oven, and divide among serving plates. Cover generously with warm chocolate sauce and a drizzle of cream. Finish by topping the brownies with some vanilla ice cream and sprinkling with the flaked almonds.
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Read more:
[ Comfort food: five dishes in the UAE to try this winter ]
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[ 15 fabulous UAE dishes destined for social media stardom ]
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Tom Aikens' roast beef rib
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
1 x four bone beef rib, trimmed and tied
sea salt and pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper, to taste
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
4 crushed garlic cloves
butter
Method
▶ Remove the meat from the fridge at least 45-60 minutes before you want to start cooking to allow it come to room temperature.
▶ Smear the beef with the mustard and a little oil, then season all over with sea salt and pepper.
▶ Heat a bit of oil in a smoking hot pan, add the beef and sear until golden brown all over. Add a good knob of butter to the pan along with all the herbs and the garlic. Baste with the butter.
▶ Transfer to a roasting tray with a wire rack and place in a 160°c oven for 4 hours or until the core temperature reads 55°C on a meat thermometer.
Yorkshire puddings
Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus resting
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
250ml milk
250ml water
5 eggs
250g plain flour
8g salt
1g freshly ground black pepper
beef fat, for cooking
Method
▶ Whisk together the milk, water and eggs in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and slowly add the flour, whisking continually until you have a smooth batter. Add the seasoning and pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Leave to rest in the fridge for 3 hours.
▶ Fill your Yorkshire pudding tins one-third full with beef fat and heat until searing hot. Carefully pour in the batter, then transfer to a 190/200°C oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
