Irish Cream Parfait

Take from Menu pages.. Pics to follow

http://www.menupages.ie/recipes/jacobs_ladder/recipedetail.aspx?recipeId=17

• For the stock syrup:
• 300ml water
• 400g granulated sugar

• For the parfait:
• 500ml stock syrup
• 2 egg yolks
• 27ml water
• 60g granulated sugar
• 90ml Baileys (or any cream liqueur)
• 150ml double cream, whipped

1. For the stock syrup: Bring all the ingredients to the boil and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool and store in the fridge until needed.
2. For the parfait: Put the egg yolks and 20ml of the stock syrup into a mixing bowl and use an electric whisk at high speed to combine them. Meanwhile, boil the water and sugar together to make a light brown caramel. Immediately add the caramel to the egg mixture and whisk at high speed until it has doubled in size stop whisking and allow the mixture to cool. Add the Baileys and fold in the whipped cream. Pour the mixture into four 75mm steel ring moulds, or a bread tin lined with cling film, and freeze overnight

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Chocolate brownies and Baileys parfait

Heres a little recipe for dessert that I tried for a friends (Vini and Sue) dinner party recently .

The rich chocolate and nut brownie needs something light to counter it, and the Baileys parfait works well (though maybe itself a bit rich too)

Anyway the details.

Chocolate and nut Sundae

Inspired by Jame Oliver's recipe

I halved the measurements since I have a morbid fear of making too much rich desserts.... Make a dish that seres 14.. then eating it all myself.. Not good... so I try to reduce the measurements instead.

100g butter (I used normal salted.. I think a bit of salt enchances the flavour desserts)
• 125g dark chocolate (70% ), broken up
• 80g chopped nuts (cashew and hazelnut)
• 30g cocoa powder, sifted
• 70g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 180g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
100 ml cream (for extra moistness)

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease a 9 inch by 6 inch baking dish with butterg. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the nuts, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and cream and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.