Chocolate Brownie with Raspberries

How many chocoholics are out there? Hands up, please!? Well, I thought as much. If you like chocolate as much as I do, here's a recipe for you. It's adapted from Sue Lawrence's lovely cookbook "Sue Lawrence's Scottish Kitchen: Over 100 Modern Recipes Using Traditional Ingredients" (UK link/US link), but I've reduced the sugar content by one-fifth with no ill-effect to the texture, but your hips - and tastebuds - will thank you for that, trust me. You'll get a moist and flavoursome chocolate brownie with sweet-tart raspberry spots throughout.

Raspberries are one fruit/berry that really thrive in the cool and humid Scottish climate, so various raspberry desserts abound in Scottish cookbooks (think of cranachan, the traditional Scottish oat-raspberry-whisky concoction; more recent and prettier picture here). Luckily, raspberries also love Estonian climate - and my mum's garden - so I can easily access these lovely sweet-tart berries here.

My dear K. thought these were too chocolatey (what's that???), but my friends all helped themselves to a (large) second piece :)

Chocolate Brownies with Raspberries
(Šokolaadiruudud vaarikatega)
Makes 16 squares

350 g dark chocolate (55-60%), broken into pieces
250 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 large eggs
200 g soft dark brown sugar (muscovado)
100 g plain/all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
300 g raspberries (can be frozen, do not de-freeze!)

Place chocolate and butter in a small heavy-based saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost melted. Remove from the heat when just small pieces of chocolate remain (the chocolate will continue softening) - take care not to burn the chocolate! Cool a little.
Whisk the eggs until thick and pale foam forms, then add sugar in three batches, still whisking. Fold into the cooled chocolate-butter mixture, then stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Butter a 23 cm square brownie pan.
Spread half of the chocolate batter into the pan, then scatter raspberries over and top with the rest of the batter.
Bake in a preheated 170 C oven for about 40 minutes, until the cake looks baked on top. Test for doneness with a wooden toothpick - the brownie cake is done, when the toothpick remains just a little bit moist.
Remove from the oven and cool on a metal rack for about 20 minutes.
Cut into squares (4x4 seems to work well, considering the intense chocolate flavour), but let cool completely in the cake pan before removing.

Other brownie posts on Nami-nami:
Chocolate Brownies with Walnuts Recipe (January 2008)

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme Recipe

I'm not even trying to pretend that this is my recipe. It's Delia's, of course. I've only very, very slightly played around with the amounts and place my tomatoes differently on the pie - just because I think it looks nicer my way :) In any case, it's a beautiful recipe for showcasing all those lovely, ripe, juicy local tomatoes that abound at the moment. Highly recommended!

Roasted Tomato and Goat's Cheese Tart with Thyme
(Tomati-kitsejuustupirukas)
Serves six to eight

500 grams puff pastry, rolled
150 g soft and creamy goat cheese
4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
500 g ripe plum tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Maldon sea salt

Roll out the puff pastry to 30x40 cm rectangle and place on a slightly oiled baking sheet. Carefully score a line about 1 cm from the edge along the pastry, but do not cut through! This will help the filling to stay inside the pastry and the edges to puff up nicely.

Mix the goat cheese, minced garlic, thyme leaves, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on the puff pastry sheet (remaining inside the scored line).

Cut the tomatoes into 3-5 mm slices and place nicely next to each other on top of the goat cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle some olive oil on top.

Bake at a pre-heated 180 Centigrade oven for 45-50 minutes, until the pasty is golden and tomatoes have dried up a little.

Before serving, scatter some more thyme leaves on top. Cut into squares and serve.

Beetroot and Potato Salad Recipe

I love those Estonian birthday salads - the classic potato salad (a version of what's known as "Russian salad" or "Salad Olivier" elsewhere) and rosolye. But for everyday simple salads these are too time-consuming - cutting the numerous ingredients into uniform tiny cubes takes time and patience, and sometimes I don't have that. That's when the more humble and quicker versions come handy. Here's a quick salad recipe that either makes a light lunch on its own, or a more substantial meal alongside grilled meat or meatballs, for example. I also love this salad on a thick slice of sour rye bread..

Beetroot and Potato Salad
(Peedi-kartulisalat)
Serves 4

2 boiled beetroots, peeled
6 boiled potatoes, peeled
1 large salad onion
salt
sour cream
fresh chives, finely chopped

Peel the beets and potatoes and either chop into small cubes or grate coarsely.
Finely mince the onion.
Mix beets, potatoes and onions in a bowl. Add enough sour cream to bind everything together. Season with salt.
Let the flavours develop for 30 minutes in a refridgerator.
Sprinkle plenty of chopped chives on top before serving.