Lemon Meringue Muffins

Since posting this picture online, I've been asked for the recipe a few times so here it is.

First, the picture. That's Lucy, my sous chef. She's a cutie.

You'll need:
12 muffins made with my ultimate muffin recipe
4 large egg whites
230gr caster sugar
Lemon curd (if you have homemade, great- I usually use a jar)

Once the muffins are out of the oven, place on a wire rack to cool.

To make the meringue, you have to ensure that the bowl of the food mixer and the balloon whisk attachment you're using are spotlessly clean. If there's even the tiniest bit of grease, the meringue won't work. I usually scald with hot water before using and dry with a fresh towel.

Place the egg whites (ensure no yolk got in) into your mixer and mix on high until they're white, fluffy, and holding a stiff peak. Very slowly start adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time and allow to mix for a few minutes before adding the next spoonful. It should take 25-30 minutes to incorporate all of the sugar.
You'll know the meringue is ready when the mix is glossy, stiff and will remain in the bowl even if you turn it upside down.

To ensure the sugar is fully incorporated, take a fab of the mixture between your fingers and rub, you shouldn't be able to feel even the slightest amount of grittiness from the sugar.

Fill a piping bag with the meringue mixture. The nozzle you use is entirely up to your own preference but I prefer to not use a nozzle which allows me to pipe large swirls.

Once the muffins have cooled completely, cut a hole in the centre ensuring you don't cut through the bottom of the muffin case. You can buy cupcake plungers online for such an occasion but I just use a pairing knife.
Fill the hole with lemon curd (approx. 1 teaspoons).
Pipe your meringue on top.

At this stage, I use my trusty kitchen blowtorch to brown the meringue lightly but, if you don't have one, the meringues can be placed under a hot grill for a few seconds. Do not take your eyes off of them- the last thing you want is a flaming tower of meringue, or scorched paper cases.

Pizza. If you're Italian, look away now.

The weather in Ireland is currently beautiful. We've had a week of sunshine and high temperatures. It's lovely but not conducive to heavy dinners. Increasingly, I've been making batches of pizza dough and keeping it in the fridge for quick suppers served with green salad.

I've taken some time recently to work on my pizza making skills. I wanted to share the recipe plus some tips and tricks with you. Pizza devotees will, rightly, argue that some of the steps here aren't authentic. That's true but it does make for great pizza cooked in a normal oven with minimal fuss.

The dough
This makes enough dough for 2 x 10 inch thin-crust pizzas

You will need:
3 cups of flour (ideally Italian 00 or strong/bread flour)
1.25 cups warm water (quick tip- if you have a froth thermometer for a coffee machine, pop this into the water, it should gauge 105-110 Fahrenheit)
1 teaspoon quick dried yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes (optional)

To make the dough, place flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. In a jug, sprinkle yeast onto water and allow to rest for a few moments until the yeast "blooms" and the mix starts to froth slightly. Pour the yeast mix into the flour and combine lightly, ideally by hand. Add the olive oil and chilli flakes, if using. Continue combining until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and knead. When you have a smooth, elastic ball of dough, transfer to a large, clean bowl that has been lightly dusted with flour and cover with cling film. Leave the bowl in a warm room for 1.5-2hrs or until the dough has doubled in size.
You may find that you have to add a little more flour or water as you go along to get the dough to come together, this is normal.
Once the dough has risen, turn out onto a floured surface, knock back the dough to remove air bubbles and knead for at least five minutes.

If, like me, you have a breadmaker with a dough setting, you can put in the yeast, add water, allow to bloom then add the other ingredients. My machine gives me a ball of perfectly proved, kneaded dough in 90 minutes.

At this stage, you can divide the dough in two and refrigerate or freeze one for later.



If you have a pizza stone, great. Bake your pizza on that according to manufacturer's instructions. If, like me, you have neither room nor desire for such an item, don't worry, you can get crispy, evenly cooked pizza using this method.

Place your largest cookie sheet/roasting tray/pizza sheet into your oven UPSIDEDOWN and switch on to the highest setting. Allow to heat for 45-60 minutes.

Pizza sauce
Yes, I cheat a lot here.
This makes enough sauce for one pizza.

4 tablespoons of passata
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients and stir continually while heating. Take the sauce off the heat as it gets to boiling stage. Allow to rest while you're rolling your dough.

Didn't think this recipe was inauthentic enough? Wait til you see what's coming next.

Once the oven is ready, place your dough onto a piece of parchment/grease proof paper dusted with flour. Using a floured rolling pin, turn the paper clockwise slightly as you roll to give you the best chance of getting a somewhat circular base. It should be rolled very thinly. Spread half of the tomato sauce onto the pizza base and place the base AND parchment onto the tray in the oven. Allow to bake for 6 minutes.
After six minutes, remove the base (and parchment- think of them as sisters at this stage, they go everywhere together) and place back onto your countertop. Put a second piece of fresh parchment on top of the pizza dough and, bear with me here, using your rolling pin, firmly roll the half baked dough between the two pieces of parchment.

Yes, it's unorthodox but it really works. Knocking all the air out of the pizza at this stage prevents the pizza from rising any further and means you end up with a base that is perfectly cooked all the way through but very thin and crispy.
If I had an Italian grandmother, she would be turning in her grave.

Spread the remaining sauce on your pizza and add your toppings. My favourite is a Pizza Piccante inspired by my favourite Italian restaurant- mozzarella, Parma ham, pepperoni, red peppers, finely sliced fresh red chili, and oregano.
I prefer the blocks of processed mozzarella, the fresh balls may taste best in salads but I find they make the dough too soggy for pizza.

Another I love involves using olive oil instead of tomato sauce then topping the dough with beetroot chutney, goats cheese, Parma ham, red onion marmalade, and very thinly sliced slivers of pear.

Once topped, return your pizza to the oven and bake until the topping are cooked through and the cheese is bubbling- approximately 8-10 minutes.

French Style Triple Chocolate Brownies

Unsurprisingly, I love reality cookery TV shows. I love the recipes, the presentation, the dramatic music- will the chocolate fondant still be runny in the middle? Dun dun duuuuuun. Why do so many contestants go with the fondant option? There's a split second when the outside is crunchy with sugar and the centre is oozing with chocolately goo. A moment either side and it's wrong, just wrong.

I feel like screaming at the TV- "it's a moelleux au chocolate you need, a moelleux!". They never listen.

What's the difference between a fondant and a moelleux you ask? Nothing. A molleux is acceptable with a runny middle or allowed to cool and solidify into a squishy cake. This is where we can get clever. What's better than a squishy-middled chocolate cake? A squishy-middled chocolate cake dotted with nuggets of milk and white chocolate and served as brownies.

These are the best brownies ever. There will be no argument. I've done the research and none compare.

You'll need:

200gr salted butter
200gr dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids)
3 large eggs
250gr caster sugar
90gr plain flour
40gr cocoa powder
100gr white chocolate, chopped into chunks
50gr milk chocolate, chunked

Begin by melting the butter and chocolate together. This can be done in a heat-proof bowl over boiling water on the hob or by microwaving (is short blasts of 30 seconds before removing from the microwave to stir). Set aside to cool.

Using the balloon whisk of your mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on a high setting. After 2-3 minutes, the mixture will be pale and frothy, like a custard.

Remove your bowl from the mixer and, using a spatula, gently fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar. The aim is to keep as many of those frothy bubbles intact as possible, they'll be very important later. 

Work with the spatula until everything is combined.

Next, sieve in the flour and cocoa and fold in, scraping the sides of your bowl with the spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. Again, aim to keep the bubbles!

Finally, fold in the chunks of milk and white chocolate.

Pour the mixture into a 25cm x 20cm shallow tray, lined with baking parchment. The mixture won't rise very much in the oven.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (160 in a fan oven) for 25 - 30 minutes. They're done where the top has a solid papery (from the bubbles!) coating and the brownie wobbles when you shake the tray. At this stage, your kitchen will smell amazing. Not the-love-of-small-child amazing. Chocolately amazing- even better.

Resist the urge to dig in right then and there. Be strong. What happens now may sound a little unorthodox but trust me. Place the tray of hot, runny brownies in a safe place and walk away from them. Ignore them for as long as you can, ideally 24 hours but 6 will do. At this time, lift the parchment and brownie out of the tray and tuck in. They'll be very soft on the inside with chunks of milk and white chocolate spotted throughout. The top with be papery with cocoa. You won't need a big piece, it's an intense chocolate hit best served with ice-cream or whipped cream.