Veggischmooze Strikes Again with a Zesty Winning Recipe and our Ultra Decadent Choc Mocha Brownies 

Hi lovely followers.
So sorry we’ve been a bit lax lately with our blogs. Ruth has been short-listed for a children’s book prize and is madly writing her novel which she prays will tempt the judges. And Sarah is working hard on her University Photography homework so you will have better pics on this page.
But we are still enjoying sharing our tastes and trials with you and this week we are celebrating as we won the Zesty Challenge in the Guardian.
We are soo thrilled as this was one of the recipes we enjoyed making the most. Ruth says
‘Recently I went to Marrakech with my lovely husband, and we were lured by the glorious buttery smells of tiny pastry shops nestling in tiny dusty alleyways. These pastry shops sold the most wonderful array of delicacies – tiny finger sized pastries that begged to be tasted. Of course I had to taste and investigate the recipes.  And certainly this zesty baby was one of the best. Please try it but make double one amount is never enough!’

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/nov/09/readers-recipe-swap-zesty-citrus-felicity-cloake

 And Hey ho we were also mentioned the following week in the Guardian Cook Melted Challenge
Mind you we knew that was a good one – a family special that always works and double moorish.  So here’s the recipe and please try it
Its fab xxx

 Ultra Decadent Choc Mocha Brownies are made by melting the best chocolate we can get fair trade of course and combining it with loads of luscious ingredients
And because it’s that time of year and the first mandarins are out we thought we’d add a little grated mandarin zest to the bitter chocolate. Mmm. The sauce, Rich Chocolate Sauce  – do we need one? is made by melting more bitter chocolate with butter, soft brown sugar and a little  cream. OHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
 Ultra Decadent Choc Mocha Brownies – makes one large cakes which cut into 18 glorious chunks – but we always double and freeze one  - the perfect heat-up pud.
 Preheat oven to 180C, Gas mark 4
Prepare one square tins by lining with paper  
275g 70% fair-trade plain chocolate
275g butter or margarine
250g fair-trade soft brown sugar
50g vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 teaspoons espresso coffee or 2 teaspoons hot water to 1 tablespoon good instant coffee
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g spelt flour
75g plain flour
170g top quality choc chips
Zest 1 mandarin or Satsuma
4 large free range organic eggs

 Place the plain chocolate, the butter, soft brown sugar, the vanilla sugar and the golden syrup in a glass bowl above a saucepan of boiling water and melt the lovely ingredients together.  When completely melted remove and leave to cool. Now sieve the baking powder with the two flours into a large mixing bowl. Crack and whisk the eggs into another bowl. Then add the instant coffee plus the mandarin zest and beat them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the sifted flour mixture with the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared tins. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes when you should have a delicious crust on the top but the inside should still seem slightly soft to the touch but not runny.
Prepare the optional Rich Chocolate Sauce
 By melting 75g dark chocolate over the same double boiler with 25g butter or margarine, plus 25g Golden Syrup and 25g whipping cream together and stirring until the most luscious sauce comes together. Perfect!
Enjoy the results of a wonderful double melting dessert. xxx

 Squills of love Ruth and Sarah xxxxx