Wicked Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce

What's your favourite and most used foodie adjective? I love describing food, but I have to stop myself from getting too carried away and from getting too poetic. I get on a roll talking about it and I often think it must bore people who aren't as interested in food as I am. Its a bit like when the boys start talking footy, I tend to zone out and stare blankly into the distance and all I hear is blah blah blah blah.
I apologise to you if I have ever talked you into a daze with my foodie nattering. I suppose if I had, you wouldn't be here, coming back for more.
Anyway, I once worked for a wonderful woman who told me to make a salad look "sexy" for the display cabinet. I couldn't believe my ears, and wondered what on earth I was meant to do to that salad. Give it curves?
I always thought that was a weird way to describe jazzing up food. It didn't seem to be the right word to use, but I suppose some would disagree. I thought it sounded a bit off. I don't want to eat sexy food, do you?
But when I describe this dark chocolate fudge sauce as being wicked, I mean it. It is almost black with cocoa, drizzles slowly with a certain lethal attitude, is super thick and holds a deadly sheen. If it could laugh it would sound like a deep, evil chuckle. It looks so delicious served warm and drizzled over ice cream, and tastes even better than it appears. You will want more ice cream after a bowl of it, just to experience that chocolate fudge sauce again. It's the ultimate temptation, and that's why it is so wicked. To make things even better, its slightly boozy, and can be flavoured as desired. I added Frangelico liqueur to this mix, but hubby and I both agreed that creme de menthe or mint liqueur would have also been amazing.

WICKED DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE (adapted from My Sweet and Saucy)

200g good quality dark chocolate bits
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. golden syrup (corn syrup can substitute)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. instant coffee granules
1 tbsp. frangelico or other flavouring

Place the chocolate in a microwavable bowl. Cook at 20 second intervals, removing to stir before setting on for a further 20 seconds. The melting time will depend on the strength of your microwave, however when there are just small lumps of chocolate among the melted, you can just give it a good stir until it's smooth. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, place sugar, golden syrup, water, cocoa and cofee granules. Set at a medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to the boil. Cook, still whisking, for a further minute, before removing from the stovetop. Whisk in the chocolate and alcohol until smooth. Serve warm over icecream, profiteroles etc, or bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.

NOTES: I recommend using a bottle with a wide mouth that a spoon can fit into if refrigerating, as the sauce thickens when it cools. You can reheat the mixture quickly in the microwave, but be careful not to burn it. Makes about 2 cups.

Luke's Spicy Meatballs with Plum Sauce

My neighbours have a herb garden. I know this because sometimes when I go out to hang my washing, the most divine aromas waft towards me from their yard. There's a small patch they have by the fence and often I can smell they have been freshly clipped, undoubtedly for an addition to some delicious meal. I admit to having thoughts of jealousy and being tempted to nick a bit. It conjured up some lovely memories I made with my brother Peter about 20 years ago. As little kids, 4 and 6, we would duck through the neighbour's fence and pilfer strawberries from the old woman's garden. She was too decrepit to tend to it, but a large crop of strawberries thrived there every year, surrounded by a dome of netting. They were safe from the birds and so grew big and luscious, but they were far from safe from ravenous thieving little mouths and grubby hands such as ours.
I thought about how awesome that memory made me feel and then decided it wouldn't have half the thrill at the age I am now. Sigh.
My husband and I attempted a patch of our own, but it seems we have everything but green thumbs. There is always some critter that beats us to the delicious herbs we plant, and never quite enough to go around. Is there anything quite like fresh herbs? Well, I would say that Gourmet Garden's herb pastes come pretty darn close, and are super handy to have sitting in the fridge for when the caterpillars have curled up to live in all your fresh basil leaves (Don't get me started).
As part of Gourmet Garden's Cook Off, I have created or adapted a series of recipes to blog about to showcase the versatility of their herb pastes, and hopefully to shed a little inspiration to my readers.
I held a five course Gourmet Garden Dinner Party to celebrate my quarter-of-a-century birthday that hit on the 19th of this month. I invited my board of delightful reviewers and taste testers (aka the guinea pigs/ In-laws) and we had a delightful feast. I hope you enjoy the visual banquet as we had it, and get the opportunity to try a few for yourself sometime.

Course 1:

LUKE'S SPICY MEATBALLS WITH PLUM SAUCE (A Luke Original)

700g beef mince
2 tsp. Gourmet Garden hot chilli paste
2 tsp. Gourmet Garden coriander paste
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Gourmet Garden garlic paste
1 tsp. garam masala powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Roll into walnut sized balls, and fry until cooked through. Serve alone or with plumb sauce.

Makes approximately 30 meatballs

PLUM CHILLI SAUCE

1 tsp. Gourmet Garden Hot Chilli paste
 1/2 cup plum sauce

Combine the chilli with the plum sauce in a small bowl.
Stir to combine. Serve with hot meatballs.

Custard Toffee Cream Desserts

You know those times that you plan to have people over, after a big feast day like Easter, and you're not sure if you should make as much food as usual? You know no one's going to have a very large appetite if they've done the traditional chocolate egg eating. So, to make dessert, or not to?
I hate having too many leftovers, especially when it's just hubby and I who have to polish them off (trust me I don't need that temptation!) 
So I fell in love with this recipe for Custard Toffee Cream Desserts, because you can assemble them on the spot quickly, so as to only cater for as many people as feels like dessert to top off the meal. It's very simple, and very rich--like a disassembled banoffee pie with added vanilla custard. I cheated with this recipe and used store bought toffee sauce (like the goo that you usually pour over ice cream) but here's a fabulous recipe for home made caramel sauce that's to die for. I also made my own vanilla custard because I like it really thick and creamy, but for ease, I have just listed it in the ingredients as store bought.

INDIVIDUAL CUSTARD TOFFEE CREAM DESSERT (Adapted from Glorious Treats)

1 small banana, sliced (reserve one slice for garnish)
1/4 cup whipped cream
1/4 cup thick custard
1 crushed biscuit (we used shortbread fingers)
drizzling of toffee or caramel sauce

Crush biscuit and place in the bottom of the glass. Layer banana, then custard, toffee, cream, banana, custard and then toffee again. Pipe a swirl of cream on the top and garnish with a slice of banana. Serve immediately.

Serves 1

Caramel Sauce

 I don't know about you, but there's little I love more than sweet, sticky, gooey and thick caramel. It's one of those delicious things you can just about put on or in anything to create a delightful morsel. It's one of those all-rounder additions, whether it be on top of ice cream, in a pie, or spread on toast or between the layers on a cake. If I wasn't trying to cut back so much on sugar (thanks to a recent and rather uncomfortable dental trip) I would have this delicious caramel sauce as a staple in my refrigerator. The opportunities to use caramel sauce are simply endless, and this is a particularly delightful recipe discovered on From My Sweetheart, a dessertaholic's blog put onto me by The Secret Recipe Club, where we bake, blog and share.
Now really, Anne, you and I should be visiting DAA (Dessert Addicts Anonymous) on a weekly basis due to the deliciousness of your blog. I tweaked the recipe a bit to go along with a somewhat limited pantry content, and it was simply delicious. This sauce would make a delightful gift, bottles in a pretty jar with ribbon and a retro tag! Don't forget to check out Anne's version for the original recipe!

CARAMEL SAUCE ( lightly adapted from From My Sweetheart)

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp butter
large pinch of salt

Add the water and sugar to a medium saucepan, and stir to combine. Place over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, refrain from stirring. Increase the temperature to a medium heat and boil for about 5 minutes until the sauce turns a golden brown. Using a swirling motion, move the saucepan around  to stir the sauce. Be sure to keep a close eye on the sauce as it can easily burn at this point. Remove from heat and slowly add cream and vanilla essence. At this point the caramel will solidify--then add the butter and the salt. Return to the stove on a low heat, stirring continually until the ingredients are well incorporated the sauce becomes a smooth caramel. Cool for at least four hours, then bottle and refrigerate. Sauce will become thicker on cooling and refrigeration.

Makes approximately 3 cups of delicious caramel.

Sticky Date Puddings with Toffee Sauce

I once heard a real estate agent giving a client tips on improving the chances of selling their house, which had been on the market for some time. I have never forgotten it because it was to do with food. It was such a simple, clever idea and it won me over.
Brew some coffee. Bake some biscuits. Fill the house with comfortable, homey, delicious aromas. Take the time to do these simple things before a home inspection and the chance of pleasing the inspectors greatly increases.
The scent of cinnamon, the smell of freshly baked bread...these and many more smells are often nostalgic, aromas people enjoy and feel comfortable with.
Need to sell your house and have a home inspection coming up? Whip up a batch of these delicious individual sticky date puddings and your house will smell divine. Drizzle it in a splashing of toffee sauce with a ball of ice cream to top off your day!

"This has to be the stickiest, most wicked dessert recipe I know. Its texture is rich and gooey, and the stickiness contrasts beautifully with the vanilla ice cream. Serve the pudding as hot as possible. It also freezes very well, so is a great standby for busy cooks."

~Simone Logue, Simone Logue Food Company, Sydney

STICKY DATE PUDDINGS WITH TOFFEE SAUCE (by Simone Logue, from "Wicked")

180g dried dates, pitted, chopped
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 cup water, boiling

50g unsalted butter
150g brown sugar 
2 eggs
180g self raising flour, sifted

Toffee Sauce:


150g brown sugar
1 cup thin cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
20g unsalted butter 

Preheat oven to 180C.
Combine the dates and bicarb soda in a bowl. Pour over the boiling water, and set aside for 20-30 minutes, or until room temperature.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions until smooth. Use a metal spoon to gently fold in the flour, then stir in the date mixture.
Pour the mixture into regular sized muffin pans (we used silicone for ease), and bake until cooked through, for about half an hour. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning out.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until the butter has melted. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour hot sauce over individual sticky date puddings with a scoop of ice cream. Serve.

Serves approximately 10
 

Mango Chilli and Lime Aioli with Prawns

 My husband is an amazing cook. I'm not just saying that because he's my husband, it's a fact, and a sweet one at that. A man that can cook and will cook and enjoys it! There should be many more of them.
Anyway, we've decided to get the family over for Boxing Day celebrations. As seafood lovers, my husband and I have decided to have prawns for appetizers before dinner, and we found the most amazing accompaniment for those orange and white babies. We jut had to try it before hand to make sure of the fact. This recipe has been adapted by my husband from Curtis Stone's Christmas Magic. So tasty!

MANGO CHILLI AND LIME AIOLI

1 small mango, peeled, stone removed
1.5 tsp fresh peeled ginger, chopped finely (we used Gourmet Garden Ginger paste)
1 tsp chilli garlic sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

Place mango, ginger, chilli and lime juice in the food processor and blend until a puree forms. Add egg yolk and pulse until combined. With the motor still running, add the oil until you reach a smooth creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper if desired, and add coriander.

NOTES: This aioli can be made a day ahead as the flavours develop over time. You can also use sweet chilli sauce instead of chilli garlic sauce. Serve with prawns.