With Easter around the corner, it is time to start preparing for the Easter spread – from the starters, to mains and of course, dessert.

With chocolate eggs being the major role player this time of the year, what could be more fitting that the adult version – chocolate brownies.

Wayland Green, Culinary Artist at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa gives us the lowdown on his favourite, not-so-secret, recipe for a decadent brownie fit for any Easter spread.

What you will need:

Ingredients

4          Eggs

330g     White Sugar

330g     Butter

80g       Cocoa Powder

100g     Flour

80g       Nuts (Optional)

 

Method

Start by preheating the oven to 180*C

Then, beat together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. You can either use an electric mixer or do it by hand with a whisk.

 

In a microwave container, melt the butter until liquid form, add in the cocoa powder and mix well. “Remember, you do not want any cocoa powder lumps…they are bitter,” he advises.

 

Fold the two mixtures together slowly. “A little secret weapon is to fold together slowly as to avoid losing any of the air that you whisked into the eggs,” he adds.

 

When all is folded in and combined, add in the flour and fold it through the same way as the eggs were folded.

 

Add in the optional nuts and fold through again

 

Set aside a baking tray and make sure it has been greased well or use grease proof paper.

 

Pour the mixture in and bake for 20-25min. Check with a skewer stick if the mixture is cooked. If it comes out clean then it is ready.

 

Let it cool for about 5 minutes and sprinkle with icing sugar, or you could leave it plain.

 

Then turn it out on to a wire rack and let it cool completely

 

Once cool it can be drizzled with chocolate and shaved nuts etc and slice it into any shape you desire.

 

“Why not get the kids involved. Buy some bunny shaped cookie cutters and press down onto the brownie in order to create bunny shaped brownies to fit in with the Easter theme,” he says.

 

Lastly, serve with some ice cream or cream that you whip with sugar until stiff.

 

 

 

For many, the Easter celebration is not complete without delicious food to bring the family together. There are also many food traditions associated with the Easter dinner such as tabling dishes using ham, chicken or lamb, but Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Culinary Artist, Kirstie du Toit says that this year she is going against the norm and creating a delightful Curry Fish dish for her Easter family get together.

She explains, “As the Chef in the family, I am always tasked with creating a spread for my family and this year I have opted for something slightly out of the ordinary that doesn’t take hours to cook”.

Here is how she is preparing her Curry Fish dish:

Ingredients

2kg                White Fish like hake, skin off and bones out, cut into large cubes

125ml           Cooking Oil

6                    Onions, Cut into Thin Rings

4                    Garlic Cloves, Crushed and Finely Chopped

750ml           White Vinegar

3Tbsp           Curry Powder

10ml             Turmeric

1tsp              Salt

5                    Star Anise

60ml             Fresh Ginger, Grated and Chopped Finely

375ml           White Sugar

100ml           Water

4                    Bay leaves

Method

1. In a large pot, sauté off the onions, garlic and ginger with the oil over a low heat. You don’t want to brown the onion mix.

2. Now you will add the curry powder, star anise and bay leaves and cook this out. Add a little water to ensure that your spices don’t burn. This will give it a bitter taste. (Allow about 2 minutes cooking time)

3. Then turn your attention to the fish. Coat the fish in the turmeric and add to the pot, give it a good stir so that all the ingredients are mixed well and the fish is coated.

4. Add the water, vinegar and sugar and turn up the heat so the liquid starts to boil. Let it boil until the fish is cooked through.

5. Add salt to taste.

6. Bottle the food when warm or keep in an airtight container until use.

7. If the mix is too watery for your liking you can add a mix of 2 Tbsp Corn flour and 3Tbsp water to the pot when the fish is fully cooked, but remember to stir it continuously to make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Enjoy with some fresh bread or crackers and enjoy! Happy Easter.