Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Dearhearts, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial has had its one millionth page view!

Our blog is a simple record of our adventures. It doesn’t make us any money, nor do we actively promote it in any way.  I learnt a long time ago that, at least for me, the fastest way to take the pleasure out of a hobby was to turn it into a business.  With that foresight, we’ve actively and consciously rejected the offers we’ve had to “monetize the blog” or raise its profile.

That makes this milestone particularly poignant for us. It means that those of you who have been kind enough to visit and read along with us have done so because you’ve sought us out, or chanced upon our blog, and decided that you’re interested in following our journey. We feel truly blessed to have found a worldwide community of friends who share our values and goals.

To celebrate, we’re giving away TWO 500g packs of my homemade chocolate, made TO ORDER from Callebaut Belgian chocolate.  This contest is open to both Aussie and International readers (one pack will be sent locally, and the other overseas).

Here are the options available – the winners will be able to select any two of the following:

• Plain Chocolate, in either milk, 54% dark or 70% dark.  I can also mix and match the chocolates to create a blend to almost any % cocoa requested.

• Dark Chocolate Roasted Almond Bars

• Milk Chocolate Pailleté Feuilletine Bars

• Dark Hazelnut Praline Bars

• Milk or Dark Ginger Chocolates

• Milk or Dark Chocolate Golden Tickets

Please note: I will do my very best to ship the chocolates in peak condition to the winners, but if you’re in a super hot part of the world, or you know that the chocolate won’t pass your country’s quarantine rules, please let me know.  If you’re selected as a winner, I’ll send you a pair of our Fig Jam and Lime Cordial welding gloves instead!

Please enter by leaving a comment below.  Make sure you let us know whether you’re based in Australia or overseas.  Entries close at midnight (Sydney time) Friday, 5th October 2012.

What would your dream chocolate look like? Who knows, if you win, maybe I can make it for you (but no promises!).

Thank you all again for your wonderful support! It’s been an incredible few years, made all the more special for having shared it with you. ♥

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It’s school holidays, and Pete’s brothers and sisters are coming to visit!

It’s rare for the five of them to be in the same place at the same time, so we’ll be taking a small blog break to spend time with them.

I’ll be back for the October In My Kitchen post.  Have a great week! ♥

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I’ve waxed lyrical about this before, but chestnut flour really is a wonderful option for gluten-intolerant eaters. It seems to complement chocolate particularly well, and our Chestnut Flour Brownies (Mark I) were even  more popular with the masses than the original wheat flour version.

My friend Lisa has given up gluten recently, so I’ve started experimenting with new baked treats for her. I tweaked Nigel Slater’s wonderful brownie recipe to use chestnut flour, and the results were deeply flavoured and very  moreish…

• 300g (10.5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 250g (8.8oz) dark chocolate (70%) – I used Callebaut callets
• 3 large (59g) eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
• 60g (2oz) chestnut flour
• 60g (2oz) dutched cocoa (or the best quality cocoa you have)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

1. Line a 23cm square baking tin with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 175C (350F) or 160C (320F) with fan.

2. Melt 200g (7oz) of the chocolate, either in a pyrex bowl in the microwave on short bursts, or over a pan of simmering water.  Remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. If you’re not using callets, chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa, chestnut flour and baking powder. Don’t skimp on this step, as both the chestnut flour and cocoa really need sifting, or you’ll get hard lumps in the finished brownie.  Stir in a pinch of salt.

4. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and yolk with a fork.

5. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter until very light and fluffy.  Gradually mix in the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition.

6. Using a spatula, gently mix in both the melted chocolate and chocolate pieces, then carefully fold in the chestnut flour-cocoa mixture.  Use a light touch, and try to keep as much air in the mix as possible.

7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out a little moist, but free of raw batter.  The brownie will firm up on cooling, so be careful not to overbake it.  Allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.

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