Wednesday 4 November 2009

For Fawkes’ Sake

Chocolate Gingerbread

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

My seasonal sparkler of a friend, Sarah, is having a Bonfire Night party tomorrow. Séan’s shopping for the biggest firework he can find (it’s what men do to keep themselves busy once the barbecue season’s over) and I’ve been thinking about a sweet offering which will appeal to the grown ups as well as Sarah and Robert’s gorgeous kids, Louis, Rose and Sonny.

I’ve been dying to make Dorie Greenspan’s Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread ever since Karen declared it the best she’d ever tasted. She is a woman whose judgment I trust in all things. And besides, it contains both of the major food groups, chocolate and ginger (fresh, ground and stem, oh glorious triumvirate). Just the thing to keep the cold out and the spirits up on a chilly November evening in North London.

You can find this recipe in Dorie’s bowl-lickingly wonderful book, Baking From My Home To Yours or online here, at Serious Eats.

P1170829I have 18 cute-orama mini tins, oval and rectangular, so I decided to use those rather than bake the gingerbread in one, big square. If you want to try this, bake them for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins for four or five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. You’ll need twice as much icing, too.

12 comments:

  1. Hello Denise,

    Thank you - they're all sitting on the counter in a cake box, ready to go to the party tonight, whispering to me 'try me, try me', but I'm holding out until this evening. It's a good job I'm going to be in the office all day today, out of the way of temptation...

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  2. Gud day gorgeous. Greetings from Australia. After a rough scan to see what I have been missing, I was mesmerized with your Bramley Lemon Curd. I have never heard of a lemon curd with pureed apples. It sounds too heavenly. I shall give this a go when I next get some homegrown lemons. Not sure which apples to use, but I will look into it.

    Please accept my belated condolences regarding your beloved Oscar. He sounded so special and a real character. With an almost seventeen year old jack russell, I shudder to think of her final days with us. Its just too unbearable. A really touching post Debora.

    Lemon Posset sounds so luscious and I still havent seen Julie and Julia. What am I missing!

    Your chocolate gingerbreads sound like they are the perfect thing to hit the spot on a cold North London evening. Hope you enjoy the Bonfire Party and I have to say the title of this post is so clever, so funny and so "love and a lickedspoon". Missed ya.
    Mariana x

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  3. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!! Oh, my dear, thanks for remembering how much I love this annual salute to all things yummy. We don't celebrate Guy F. day here in the States, so our men are reduced to other forms of mayhem--ultimate fighting, illegal leaf burning, football (our form), etc.

    But that's beside the point...my real point is that when you are making this delicious cake, your kitchen will SMELL LIKE CHRISTMAS...so keep the recipe on hand for later in the year. Did someone say CHRISTMAS? Oh, frabujous day...kahooo, kahey! It's coming! Is that goose getting suspiciously chubby?

    Karen, St. Nick's Tallest Elf

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  4. Mariana, Hurray! You're home - I've missed you, darling. Thank you for your wonderfully cheering message. I think you would like the apple lemon curd very much, especially if you make it with your own lemons (ditto possett). As for apples, of course we use Bramleys here but any apple which cooks down into a fluffy mass would work I think. Thank you so much for your message about lovely Oscar. We miss him such a lot, but as any pet owner knows, the price you pay for love is loss.

    Do go and see Julie and Julia - I think it will be right up your street.

    The gingerbread went down very well, I'm pleased to say - and I'm delighted you liked my little joke! And now I'm off to read your traveller's tales. I know you'll have some good ones.

    Dear Miss Elf,
    Of course everything you said/say about this lovely recipe is true. It's heaven and I'm so pleased I finally got around to making it. I will certainly make it again at Christmas which, as you say, is just around the corner...

    Love, love, love, Dxx

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  5. That's what I'm talking about: turning everything non-chocolat...chocolate!

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  6. I've been meaning to try making chocolate gingerbread for ages and that looks just the thing to get me started. So squidgy and sweet.
    And I don't think I'd ever seen the full rhyme, so thanks for that too!

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  7. Catherine - It's a wonderful thing, and no mistake. I think this might be a holiday-season winner for you, oh queen of all things chocolate!
    Nora - It's very good - the combination of three kinds of ginger, melted chocolate and chocolate chips in the batter and a luscious chocolate frosting works reeeeally well.

    Have a lovely weekend all. The sun is shining and it's a big walk with the dog followed by gardening for me. What bliss. Dx

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  8. I love the way the gingerbread looks in mini-form. I think the recipe is made for chilly evenings -- hope you and your friends felt the same way.

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  9. Hello Dorie,

    I'm so delighted you visited my blog and like the look of your gingerbread in mini form. Everyone loved them and I agree with my friend Karen, it is the best gingerbread ever. I will make it many times this season and I am sure it will become a holiday tradition in our house. Thanks again for visiting, and for all of your other recipes, many of which have given us so much pleasure over the years.

    Debora

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  10. Dearest D
    As a non-cook I think you are great - the diva of dining - but even so sometimes what I most like about your blog is your commenteers. What a lovely bunch of people they are - committed, witty foodlovers, discriminating eaters, witty dizzy commentators. Life lovers...
    I want to be in their club but lack their gifts. What about soup? I can make soup...

    love
    m

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  11. Gingerbread and chocolate is one of my all-time favorite combos! LOVE your idea of baking minis - so sweet!!

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