This will probably be my last blog post of the festive season so I’d like to wish all my friends, followers and readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. In what has proven to be a very busy year Mr. Mom’s has taken some huge steps forward and I can honestly say I can’t wait to see what the new year brings. I’d like to thank you all for the words of support- the FB likes and the Twitter retweets are like little nods of encouragement in the late-night glow of the oven. Special mention also needs to go to my family- my husband for being a “Baking Widower”; my sister (-in-law) for her endless sampling duties and my children for not crossing “the kitchen line”.

Just in time for the festive season and if you haven’t already had your fill of festive baking here’s my recipe for a festive take on the classic brownie. An indulgent twist combining the classic festive flavours of chocolate and orange. If you want to make this “child-friendly” then omit the Cointreau. In the course of research I have discovered what I would now call me ideal Christmas dessert – a slice of this brownie pie, gently warmed, topped with my Christmas cake pimped ice-cream*, and served with a glass of Alcoyne Tannat dessert wine. Serve, pop on your favourite Christmas movie (mine being The Family Stone – hence the title reference)  and put your feet up.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

FESTIVE BROWNIE PIE

Cinnamon Shortcrust Pastry
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g icing sugar, sifted
250g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
1 splash milk

Brownie Pie Filling
185g unsalted butter, cubed
185g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 eggs
275g caster sugar
85g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 tablespoons Cointreau
2 Clementines, zest and juice
100g dark chocolate chunks
100g Pecans, toasted and chopped roughly

Method

To make the pastry
Sieve the flour on to a clean work surface and sieve the icing sugar and cinnamon on top. Work the butter into the flour and sugar using your thumbs and fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture.

Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together till you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don’t work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic not the crumbly, short texture you want. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in clingfilm and put it into the fridge to rest for at least half an hour before using.

Set your oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Spray a 23cm fluted pie dish with release spray. Roll out your chilled pastry and line the pie dish. Blind bake in the oven for 15 mins lined with baking beads. Remove the baking beads and leave to cool while you make the brownie batter.

To make the brownie filling

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or bain-marie), stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled stir in Cointreau and clementine juice.

Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thickened and fluffy, then, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and mixed spice. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Sieve in the dry ingredients, and fold together.

Fold in the chocolate chunks, pecans and clementine zest.

Pour the batter into the blind baked pastry case and place in the oven to bake for 25-30 mins until a “papery” crust forms on top. You’re looking for firm edges and a slightly wobbly centre.
Remove from the oven to cook and while warm dust the top with icing sugar. For an extra seasonal touch try a flavoured icing sugar like vanilla or cinnamon.
Serve with lashings of cream or a huge dollop of pimped ice cream.

*Christmas Cake Pimped Ice-cream

If, like me, after making a glut of Christmas cakes you find yourself swamped in offcuts and trimmings one tasty use of the surplus is my pimped ice-cream. Takea 2-litre tub of vanilla ice cream and leave to soften at room temp for about 1o mins. Crumble about 350g of Christmas cake offcuts into a bowl. Add in the softened ice-cream and mix well to combine. Once fully combined return to the ice-cream tub and place in freezer to re-freeze.