Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Creammmmmmmmmm

The other day, my friends and I had a little dinner party.  It was all quite last minute but came together beautifully.  By that I mean we all stuffed ourselves silly with stupendous food. Everyone made and brought a different dish. 


This was our menu...

 Chez Mau

Starter

Halloumi Risotto stuffed peppers

 Main course

Spiced pork with red wine sauce

 Autumn vegetable selection

 Home made garlic bread

 Dessert

Double chocolate brownie with raspberry cream

Selection of coffee and teas

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And this was our pretty table...

My dish, would you believe, was the pud, so I decided to bash together some brownies as you can't go wrong with a brownie.  I always add huge chunks of white chocolate to mine because it tastes heavenly!

I went for some raspberry cream because I thought it would be nice and refreshing. 

And it was.

To make Raspberry cream...

Ingredients

300ml whipping cream

100g icing sugar

150g raspberries

All you need to do, is whisk the ingredients together until the mixture becomes firm (but not too stiff).  I highly recommend using an electric whisk here to prevent your arm falling off.

I garnished mine with some extra raspberries and a few sprigs of fresh mint from the garden.

For the brownies, I've slightly adapted a Nigella recipe...

Ingredients

180g unsalted butter 

180g dark chocolate

3 large eggs

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

250g caster sugar

120g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

whatever else you fancy...white chocolate, cherries, walnuts,...chuck in around 150g's worth

*Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

*Line your tray with foil or baking paper (better than buttering it).

*Melt the chocolate and butter together on the hob.  Then allow it to cool down a bit.

*Beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar together in another bowl.

*Combine the salt and flour in another bowl.

*Beat the eggy mixture into the chocolatey mixture and then add the flour and any other ingredients you've gone for.

*Beat it!

*Scrape it all out into your pan and bake it for 25 minutes or until the top of it is a bit paler than the inside and the inside is all gooey and delicious and chocolatey and....mmmm.....