Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Anna Shelswell-White — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Quite simply the best biscuit cake, we love this recipe to use up leftover biscuits in the most delicious way. It’s so good that you can use it as a dessert, particularly with a few raspberries or a raspberry coulis.

You will need:

2 tablespoons raisins, soaked in boiling water, rum or brandy

225g (8oz) best-quality dark chocolate (we use Callebaut 52%)

2 eggs, preferably free-range

and organic 1 dessertspoon caster sugar

225g (8oz) butter, preferably unsalted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 225g (8oz) plain biscuits, such as

Marie or Marietta, or leftover

plain biscuits 25g (1oz) chopped walnuts or

toasted almonds

To serve softly whipped cream raspberry coulis

Method:

Line a 12.5cm x 20.5cm (5in x 8in) loaf tin or a 20.5cm (8in) square tin with cling film.

Soak the raisins in boiling water for an hour or so (or rum or brandy if you want a more festive version).

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water or in a very cool oven. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Melt the butter and whisk it into the egg and sugar mixture while it’s still hot – the mixture should thicken slightly. Next add in the melted chocolate, raisins and vanilla extract. Finally, break the biscuits into large pieces and add them in. Press the mixture into the lined tin. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and allow to set in a cold place.

Serve cut into slices with softly whipped cream and/or raspberry coulis.

A Simply Delicious Christmas by Darina Allen is published by Gill & Macmillan for €27.99. It is available from all good bookshops nationwide.

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Recipe

chocolate biscuit

cake

Hazelnut Macarons: the edible Christmas pressie everyone will love you for!

Anna Shelswell-White — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 15:08:32 +0000

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These hazelnut macarons, by Darina Allen, would make a great Christmas pressie for any visitors you have popping by (or may be visiting) on the run up to the 25th. Wrap a stack in cellophane and tie with nice ribbon and you're away.

What you'll need:

50 whole hazelnuts 4 egg whites, preferably free-range and organic

250g (9oz) vanilla sugar

250g (9oz) hazelnuts

(Makes 50 approx.)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Cover two or three baking sheets with silicone paper.

Place the whole hazelnuts on an unlined baking tray and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the skins loosen. Remove from the oven and rub off the skins in a tea towel. Grate in a nut mill or whizz with a little of the sugar in a food processor until quite fine.

Whisk the egg with the caster sugar until they hold a stiff peak. Fold in the grated hazelnuts. Drop a teaspoon of the mixture onto the baking sheets and top each one with a toasted whole hazelnut. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes approx. Cool on a wire rack.

These biscuits may be stored in an airtight tin for two to three weeks.

The new, revised edition of A Simply Delicious Christmas by Darina Allen is published by Gill & Macmillan for €27.99. It is available from all good bookshops nationwide.

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Recipe

macarons

dessert

You're Invited! The Wilde Design Fair - where you should go after work today!

Admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 11:08:00 +0000

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You'll want to get your skates on and pop down to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce on Clare Street, from today, where 13 of Ireland's top designers and makers are joining forces for the Wilde Design Fair. Taking place for the next three days in the gorgeous Georgian surroundings of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce off Merrion Square, you'll find contemporary gifts and decorations and even get to meet the designers. Not only that, but many products have been made especially for this market and won't be found anywhere else, no matter how hard you look!

To mark the launch and 10% OFF everything from 4-8pm, today, we've teamed up with designer Jenny Walsh, to giveaway €150 worth of decorations!

HOW TO ENTER (There are lots of ways!)

1. 'Like' and 'share' our Facebook post

2. Retweet our tweet on Twitter

3. Give our post a <3 on Instagram

4. Be sure to 'like' the House and Home Facebook page

Featured designers include:

Jenny Walsh Design

Ursula Celano Ireland

Saba Jewellery

Heather Finn Knitwear

KaroArt

Fawn Prints

Niki Collier Design Felt

Lisa Ryder Accessories

John Shevlin Millinery

Guadalupe Creations Handmade Toys

Helena Malone Goldsmith

Dalkey Handmade Soaps

Hugh Cummins Woodturning

T&Cs apply, there is no cash alternative and winner will be announced at 12pm on Friday 11th December. One entry per social media account, only!

WIN! €1,000 to spend at Halo Tiles

Admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:04:00 +0000

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Halo Tiles & Bathrooms are providers of quality tiles for domestic tiling projects throughout Ireland. Their products are sold through a network of builders’ merchants, independent DIY stores and specialist tile retailers. The company holds the largest stock of tiles in the country, which can be supplied, nationwide, within 48 hours. With a flagship store at Tom Doyle Supplies in Camolin, Co Wexford, as well as 11 stores nationwide, they offer exclusivity on premium ranges such as Vitra and Mainzu tiles and Gala Sanitaryware.

Do you have a project you want to get started on in the New Year? Well, one very lucky reader will win a €1,000 voucher for Halo Tiles, to get them started.

For your chance to win this amazing prize, simply answer the following question:

Where is their flagship store located?

Email your answer to win@houseandhome.ie with the subject line ‘HALO TILES’ along with your contact details.

Visit Halo Tiles to browse their collection.

Terms & Conditions: Winner will be chosen at random, and notified by email by 18^th of December. Not redeemable for cash and voucher can only be used at their flagship store, Tom Doyle Supplies in Co Wexford.

The winner of this competition was Katie Curtin - congratulations Katie!

Dublin Flea Market Christmas Cracker at all new venue for 2015

Admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 14:21:00 +0000

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One of Dublin's most popular Christmas markets is relocating to the Old John Player Wills Factory on South Circular Road, this year, making it the largest indoor market in the country. In its fifth year, the Dublin Flea Market Christmas Cracker will run for three days, from December 11th to the 13th, moving from its original annual home of Smithfield's, Bock B.

"We have always sought out the 'not-so-obvious' buildings in Dublin, bringing to life the otherwise unused and forgotten about spaces," say the organisers of Dublin Flea Market, which still operates at Newmarket Square Co-op on the last Sunday of every month. Open to the public for the first time since its closure in 2005, the factory will host over 100 stalls featuring local independent traders who specialise in design, craft, vintage and handmade gifts.

This year's Dublin Flea Market Christmas Cracker will kick off on Friday 11th December at midday until 7pm and 11-6pm on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th December. With plenty of food stalls and music to get you in the festive mood, we're guessing the atmosphere alone will make choosing presents for people, lucky enough to be on your list, an absolute doddle. We are there!

CANTUCCINI BISCUITS WITH CRANBERRIES AND CHOCOLATE

Admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:30:00 +0000

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Traditionally almond cantuccini are dipped in dessert wine, such as Tuscan vin santo, and offered as an alternative to dessert at the end of a meal. These cantuccini with cranberries and chocolate tend to be softer and are suited to freshly brewed tea and coffee.

YOUR WILL NEED

200g plain flour

150g caster sugar

1 level teaspoon baking powder

2 free-range or organic eggs, beaten

100g dried cranberries

100g dark chocolate chips

Zest of ½ orange

MAKES 25 BISCUITS

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150℃. Grease a large baking tray.

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl and moisten with the beaten eggs, then add the dried cranberries, chocolate chips and orange zest.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a thick log. Cut in half to form two logs each about 5cm in diameter and 30cm long. Place on the greased tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove and cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, until the logs are cool enough to handle. Slice into 2cm-thick biscuits and place on the tray cut side up. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Spread out on a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

WIN! A gorgeous set of Max Benjamin candles, from their brand new Coffee Collection, worth €75!

Admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:24:00 +0000

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The Prize

With a Tea Collection already covered, it just makes sense for Max Benjamin to introduce a Coffee Collection. And seeing as we are big coffee enthusiasts here at House and Home, we are only delighted. Featuring five candles with a coffee base note and top and middle fragrances from a range of other spices, the fragrances are Coffee & Amber, Coffee Patchouli, Pink Pepper Coffee, Dark Coffee Absolute and Coffee & Cardamom. The Coffee Collection candles are packaged in elegant rose gold/copper tins; an interiors trend that's still going strong this season.

So, to celebrate this new launch, we've teamed up with Max Benjamin to give one lucky person a whole set of FIVE candles, to the value of €75. Coffee aromas floating throughout the house, any time, and still being able to sleep through the night? Yes, please!

How to enter

'Like' the Max Benjamin and House and Home Facebook pages
Share our status update on Facebook or retweet our tweet on Twitter
For extra brownie points, leave a comment on Facebook, or at the bottom of this article, and tell us how you take your coffee

GOOD LUCK!

T&Cs apply, there is no cash alternative to this prize, competition closes on Monday October 5th at 10am.

About Max Benjamin

Irish owned and run by brothers Mark and David Van den Bergh, the name Max Benjamin derived from their nephews' names. They have been producing high quality, scented candles since the early '90s. The collection has evolved over the years from the original Oberg range of hand poured pillar candles into what is now an international brand which currently includes 17 fragrances of luxury natural wax candles, as well as fragrance diffusers and a hand and body care range. The Max Benjamin brand has grown to become the choice of fragranced soy candles, not only in Ireland but they also supply retail outlets, department stores and perfumeries in London, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

We've got your back, Demi - we like mugs, too!

Admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 12:17:00 +0000

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Poor Demi Lovato received a tidal wave of criticism when this video went viral over the weekend. But, joking or not, we reckon she has a point. What else would hold the elixir of life that is our Monday morning coffee?

So, we couldn't let today go by without rounding up five of the best designs... enjoy!

Article, €17.50
Dawanda, €45 for two
Dust, €29 for two
April and the Bear, €8.50
Debenhams, €10.50

WIN! A €100 hamper packed with home accessories from Tiger Stores

Admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 16:40:00 +0000

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We couldn't think of a better time to team up with Danish homewares store, Tiger, than a Monday morning for the perfect pick-me-up and brilliant start to the week. With the 17th Irish store just opened in Blanchardstown, Dublin, Tiger first hit Irish shores in 2011 with a pilot store in Dun Laoghaire. We've been fans of this brand for quite some time and still get a thrill from browsing through the store; they have an ever-changing product range so vast, we never know what we're going to get. One thing's for certain though, the design will be smart and injected with tasteful humour and have an outrageously good price tag to boot.

We're giving one extremely lucky winner a hamper* worth a whopping €100 packed with the fun and interesting homeware items Tiger is so popular for.

How to enter

Simply do one of the following (or do them all for a better chance) to win this super prize!

Become a fan of House and Home and Tiger Stores Ireland on Facebook
Like and share our Facebook status update, here!
Retweet our tweet, here!
Give us a <3 on Instagram, here!

HELD OG LYKKE!

T&Cs apply, one entry on each social media outlet per person and prize is not redeemable for cash. Competition closes at midday tomorrow, September 1st, 2015!

*The winning hamper will be a collection of homewares to the value of €100. As Tiger are constantly updating their range of products, which can vary from store to store, it's not guaranteed that the products depicted above will be included - but that just leaves that lovely element of surprise if you ask us!

WIN! A €1,000 voucher for Fieaga Bath & Tile

Admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 14:30:00 +0000

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Fieaga Bath & Tile is one of Ireland’s most luxurious bath and tile showrooms. Martin Bohill has specialised in luxury bathrooms for over 25 years. With quality products, exclusive brands, spectacular design concepts and service which is second to none, they won’t fail to impress. Their 4,000 sq ft showroom in Newgrange Business Park has the latest in ceramics, showers, heating, accessories, tiles, steam rooms and much more. Their highly trained staff will guide you through step by step to create your dream bathroom. Armed with your bathroom dimensions they can create a 3D virtual design of your proposed bathroom, for free. Fieaga are based in Drogheda, Co Louth, just 30 minutes from Dublin and off the M1 motorway (Donore Exit).

One extremely lucky House and Home reader will win a voucher for €1,000 to spend as they wish on Fieaga Bath & Tile products!

For your chance to win this amazing prize, simply answer the following question:

Which business park is Fieaga situated in?

Email your answer to win@houseandhome.ie with the subject line ‘FIEAGA’ along with your contact details.

To browse their collection visit Fieaga.com

Terms & Conditions: Winner will be chosen at random, and notified by email by August, 24th 2015. Not redeemable for cash.