Three comfort food recipes to try at home

From warm brownies to roast beef to yorkshire pudding, here are three recipes for comfort food you can re-create for yourself this winter

Warm chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce. Courtesy Jones The Grocer

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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Tom Aikens' roast beef rib. Pots, Pans & Boards

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.