Sams Through The Looking Glass: April 2009

Banana Bread

Recipe

Ingredients
125g Unsalted butter, softened
175g Light soft brown sugar
2 Eggs
280g Plain four
1 tsp Baking soda
pinch of salt
125ml Milk
3 med Ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp Vanilla extract
75g Walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven 180c. Lightly oil the loaf tin (I use a 10 inches x 4 1/2 inches)

Cream butter and sugar until smooth.

Add one egg and beat well. Add the other egg and continue to beat well.

Sift in half of the flour with the soda and salt and mix well.

Mix in the milk then the remaining flour.

Fold the bananas into the mixture with the vanilla extract (and walnuts, if using)

Tip the mixture in the tin and level.

Bake for 1 hour until cake tester comes out clean and not sticky.

Cover the top with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes before turning out.

Dust with icing sugar and cut into thick slices to serve.

Chocolate Brownies

Recipe

You'll need a 33cmx23cmx5cm baking tray lined with parchment paper

Ingredients
5 eggs
500g Caster sugar
120g Plain flour
100g Cocoa powder
250g Unsalted butter, melted
30g Dark chocolate, roughly chopped
30g Shelled walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170c.

Put the eggs and the sugar in a bowl and using a handheld electric whisk, beat until light and fluffy.

Add the flour and cocoa powder and beat until combined.

Pour in the melted butter and mix through.

Add the chocolate and walnuts (if using) and mix in by hand.

Spoon into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-35 mins or until the top is firm but the centre is still soft.

Leave to cool in the tray, then turn out on a wire rack.

Lamb Shanks

Recipe

Tat's 31st Birthday/ Stephen Jones Exhibition @ the V&A

Met up Tat and H for Tat's birthday dinner at that Japanese place in Chinatown. I can't remember the name... even though I've been there numerous times.