Saturdays that are meant for guest posts just keep coming in such a fast pace!!!! By the time I fix up one guest post and start working on the next, my hands and legs shiver at the thought whether I would be able to put up a proper introduction to each guest post I receive. It feels so nice that my "Be My Guest" section has attracted some really nice bloggers, as well as the bloggers who I absolutely adore have so wholeheartedly come and become a part of this series... :)
One morning, I received an email from Singapore. She had seen
my guest post at
Rekha's space and then came up-to my blog. She noticed that I had quite a bit of guest posts and just decided to drop in an email. That is how I got introduced to Megha, who blogs at
Me In Blog Land. Hers is not an exclusive cookery blog, but what I loved is that she mended all her passions beautifully at one single space. She has a lovely style of writing, which is very simple and just flows. I guess if you read the post below of hers and hop on to her blog as well, you would agree to me. I am so happy that she came by and asked me if she could guest post, and see what she got for me!
Megha mailed me with a choice, which I left to her, but then wanting to do justice to my blog name, she chose these delectable looking gooey bars... A bit of work in there but just look at the end result. I wish screens were not only meant for staring at pictures, but if you could actually put your hand in and just grab a peice! Let's move on what my guest for the day has to say...
A big hello to the readers of The Big Sweet Tooth!
My name is Megha and I blog from sunny Singapore. I am
originally from the charming city of Mysore in South India. I am a dentist by
profession but am currently pursuing a career in the field of biomedical
research (that’s a long story!). Writing has always been a hobby of mine so
blogging is something that came quite naturally to me. I blog about the four
biggest passions in my life - food, travel, movies and books.
I’ve always wanted to do a guest post on another blog but I
wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. To me, it isn't much different to
being a guest in someone’s home. A blogger invites you into their virtual home
out of affection and trust which is a pretty wonderful gesture. I don't know many
food bloggers on a personal level and being a lazy blog reader, I have only
begun interacting with fellow bloggers within the blogosphere off late. I saw
Rafeeda’s guest post recently on a blog that I follow and after taking a peek
at her lovely space, I saw how welcoming she was towards other bloggers to do
guest posts on her blog. She is a mother of two lovely little girls and despite
that, she manages to keep her blog running at breakneck speed with posts of her
own, guest posts, hosting events and what not. Kudos to her for that! I thought
it couldn't hurt to drop her an e-mail and in uncharacteristic fashion, I did!
She replied almost immediately and was very nice about the whole thing. Picking
what to make for someone else’s blog took longer than I thought it would. I had
with me one sweet and one savoury dish so I ultimately sent her this dessert
(no prizes for guessing why!) that you see here.
During a recent visit, my sister gifted me with a recipe book
from Marks & Spencer titled My Little Afternoon Tea Book. I flipped through
the pages and caught sight of the recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Marshmallow
Bars. I was drawn to the lovely photos and made a mental note to try it. I
still consider myself a novice baker so I was wondering if it would turn out
just like in the book but once I did, my fears were somewhat allayed.
Initially, I was a bit hesitant about sending this recipe to Rafeeda because
marshmallows usually contain gelatin but I discovered that nowadays you easily
get either halal certified brands and brands that are suitable for vegetarians.
This is an interesting and versatile dessert with different layers of flavours
and textures. You can make in advance for parties, potlucks or lunch boxes. It
has chocolate, jam and marshmallows….what’s not to love!
Before I continue, I'd like to thank Rafeeda for welcoming me
into her personal space! I enjoyed doing this guest post for her :)
So without further ado, here is the recipe. I hope you try it
(and like it!).
Chocolate Raspberry Marshmallow Bars
Total time required: 75 min (Preparation time: 15 min;
Refrigeration time: 20 min; Baking time: 20 min; Assembling time: 20 min)
Recipe level: Moderately easy
Makes: 15-18 bars
Recipe Source: My Little Afternoon Tea Book
Ingredients:
250g (2 level cups) all-purpose flour
40g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) icing/confectioners’ sugar
150g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
160g (1/2 cup) raspberry jam, slightly warmed
250gm (2-3/4 cups) white marshmallows*
1 tsp vanilla extract
80ml (1/3 cup) cream
130g (3/4 cup) unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped (Optional)
200g chocolate (milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate), roughly
chopped
2 tsp vegetable oil
Method:
1. Keep all the ingredients you need ready. Sift the flour,
icing sugar and a pinch of salt together. Lightly grease a 6-1/4x10-1/2 inch
(16x26 cm) baking tin and line with parchment paper, extending the paper over
the sides and grease again. I didn't have that specified size so I used a 8x8
inch square tin.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F/Gas 6)
3. Add in the egg, butter and vanilla extract to the sifted
flour mixture and mix with your fingertips until the ingredients come together
in a soft dough. Spread the dough in the lined baking tin uniformly. Chill the
tin in the fridge for 20 min.
4. Bake the dough in the tin for 20 min. Keep aside to cool
slightly. Meanwhile, warm the raspberry jam until the consistency gets a little
runny. Spread the warm jam evenly over the base.
5. Place the marshmallows and cream in a saucepan and stir for
about 5 min on low heat until the marshmallows have melted. Pour this
marshmallow layer over the raspberry jam.
6. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the marshmallow layer
7. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, add the oil and
microwave for 2-3 mins (stirring in between) until the chocolate is velvety
smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a
simmering water bath.
8. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanuts. You may feel that
the chocolate is less but it will be just about enough to cover the entire
surface. Gently spread it around until all the corners are covered.
9. Refrigerate until set. Cut with a long sharp knife into
squares or fingers. As you can see, the chocolate layer in a few of mine
cracked a little. If you can get clean cuts while keeping all the layers
intact, then you are a goddess :)
10. Enjoy as it is or with a glass of cold milk
Notes:
* I used the Ego brand of barbecue marshmallows which I take to
believe doesn’t contain gelatine (since it is not listed in the ingredients)
and it uses seaweed extract and corn starch instead
I like dark chocolate and my desserts not too sweet so I used
70% dark chocolate in this recipe. Depending on what you like, you can modify
the type of chocolate used in this recipe (I would recommend not using white
chocolate though)
If you don't want to use raspberry jam, you can also use other
jam flavours like strawberry, orange, blueberry or apricot
If you are not a fan of peanuts, you could skip them entirely or
else use slivered almonds or chopped walnuts or chopped pecans. The nuts add a
nice crunch to the bars
Cheers,
Megha
Wow... looks so delicious, doesn't it??? Thank you so much Megha for being a part of this little journey of mine... really appreciate your sincere gesture of coming over... :)
Wishing all of you a very happy weekend ahead... :)