Marshmallow and Strawberry Jam Slice

I expect my husband's former colleagues will now be free to withdraw from their gym memberships. Those yoga buffs in the Botanical Gardens will have to go elsewhere to seek their clients. (Seriously yogis and personal trainers, we could go into business here--I keep them eating and you keep them working it off. Win win situation) Belts will once more be able to be tightened, notch after notch.
Seriously, I'm going to have to start finding other places to off load the goodie boxes. At least until all the "I will not indulge in sweet food" new years resolution wears off, and people begin to succumb once more to the beckoning of the truffles and slices and cakes.
Is there anyone out there that hasn't decided to eat more healthily this year? I'll take that as a no. Don't worry, the pictures of recipes on this blog are all completely fat free--if you can resist the temptation to make them.
Even the queen of sugar here has been painstakingly closing her eyes to the come-hither look that comes at me from the slice box every time I open the refrigerator. Marshmallow and jam slice lays cut into squares within, just waiting to be eaten.
Truth be told, I almost didn't send this slice along to Luke's work for morning tea with his collegues. "Luke" I said "I dont know if I can send this slice, it may just have to stay home with me. I just cut it up, and it looks pretty messy."
I left the kitchen and returned some ten minutes later to find the slice on the bench somewhat reduced in size. "I think we may have--mice"
The tell tale strand of sticky marshmallow trialling down my husband's chin made me laug, and then he said "You have to let me take this to work!"
So reluctantly I put the messy looking slice into the catering box and shipped it off with hubby the next morning. He returned to tell me it had been a hit, and I must put up the recipe on the blog--so here it is.
Fear not the stringy sticky mess! I found out the next day, while cutting the remainder of the slice, that if I had only let it cool down a little more before dipping the blade into it, I would have come out with neatly cut squares. After refrigeration, the marshmallow had reset and it was simple and mess free to cut. Unfortunately I took the photos of the slice after cutting it the first time, so it does look a little oozy...but oh so good!

             

MARSHMALLOW & STRAWBERRY JAM SLICE (Adapted from Coles Recipes)

1/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 cup plain flour3
Weet-Bix, crushed
150g butter, melted
2/3 cup strawberry jam
400g marshmallows (I used Pascal's berry swirl marshmallows)


Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160C if your oven is fan forced). Grease and line a  18 x 28cm slice or lamington tray with baking paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, coconut, flour and crushed Weet Bix. Combine well, then stir the melted butter in until well incorporated.
Using the back of a spoon or fork, flatten this mixture into the lined tray and press down until there is an even layer on the bottom.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden.
Remove from oven and spread the warm base with the jam. Arrange the marshmallows on the top of the jam to cover the entire surface. Return to the oven for about 7 minutes until marshmallow begins to soften. Place underneath the grill on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute for a slightly browned top.
Cool completely before cutting.

NOTES: For clean cuts, use a wet blade. Slice is best served the day it is made, or the day after. Ensure it is stored in an air tight container.

Creme de Menthe Chocolate Fudge Slice

I have a bit of a confession to make. I'm one of those people that is easily inspired to do things and then, like water on a firecracker, it often fizzles out before it really goes off. I have the best intentions of course. I suppose that comes with being sanguine in nature. As you can imagine, I'm a bit of a hoarder (so many possibilities in this!) and pintrest will be the death of me. My junk cupboard is filled with all sorts of unfinished projects--because half way through them, I get a huge inspiration for something else and have to start it before the inspiration I forget and lose the interest to do it. I don't know how that darling husband puts up with me.
Anyway, I'm pretty proud to say that my baking passion has not fizzled out (thanks to you all, and my "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" theory--which happens to be true), and neither has this blog! Unlike so many of my interests, this has somehow stayed consistent, and happily, I find myself writing Lick The Spoon's 200th post. Yes I have a baby on my knee and am writing at a painful rate with one hand, whist she chews on the other with her not-so-gummy mouth. But it's still the 200th post!
Here's a recipe I had a dream about. Yes, that happens frequently, and then I just have to create it. Minty creme de menthe filling wedged between fudgy brownie base and a corrugated layer of thick, chocolate fudge ganache. Oh my! This is a lady killer. A man killer too, as a matter of fact. I couldn't quite get the intensity of mint flavour I wanted with the creme de menthe, so I intensified it by adding a little mint essence just to jack up the flavour a notch. You can substitute the creme de menthe for 1 tsp. mint essence if you don't have any of that sublime liqueur handy, and add a few drops of green food colouring in it too. There, there's a cheats non-alcoholic version for you. Enjoy!

CREME DE MENTHE CHOCOLATE GANACHE SLICE (A Lick the Spoon Original)

Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp. green creme de menthe
3 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp. mint essence (optional)

Fudge Ganache:
200g dark cooking chocolate
2 tbsp thickened cream
mint leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir through the cocoa and brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the flour and salt. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 18x18 square baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by placing cream, creme de menthe, icing sugar and essence in a medium bowl. Beat until well combined and at the desired thickness and flavour. The filling should be thick yet spreadable.
Spread over the top of the base layer. Refrigerate while making the ganache.
To make the ganache, gently melt the chocolate using your microwave, checking and stirring every 20 seconds or so until the chocolate is almost melted.  Stir to melt the last of the chocolate. Set aside to cool momentarily. Remove the slice from the refrigerator.
Working quickly, add the cream to the chocolate and stir thoroughly to combine. The mixture thickens quickly, so mix in a timely manner and immediately spread over the top of the filling. You can add a pattern to the top of the slice by using the tip of a butter knife.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, then cut into squares.