Valentine’s Day dessert

Beetroot Brownies with Ginger Creme Fraiche

Ingredients

• 150 gm hazelnuts
• 450 gm caster sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 170 gm plain flour
• 115 gm Dutch-process cocoa powder, sieved
• 250 gm butter, melted
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 200 gm grated beetroot, plus extra to serve
• 400 gm dark chocolate (66% cocoa solids), finely chopped
• Ginger crème fraîche
• 150 gm crème fraîche
• 10 gm glacé ginger, thinly sliced
• Seeds scraped from ¼ vanilla bean

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Roast hazelnuts on a baking tray until golden (5-6 minutes), then rub in a tea towel to remove skins, coarsely chop and set aside.
2. Combine sugar and eggs in an electric mixer and beat until mixture holds a ribbon (4-5 minutes).
3. Sieve flour and cocoa together into a bowl, then add melted butter and vanilla seeds, and whisk. Fold in egg mixture, then fold in hazelnuts, grated beetroot, chocolate and 1 tsp salt.
4. Spread into a 20cm x 30cm (3cm deep) greased pan lined with baking paper (extend paper at least 5cm over the side to make removing the brownie easier). Bake until a knife comes out dry when brownie is pierced (40-45 minutes). Cool and cut into 5cm squares, then store in an airtight container until required.
5. For ginger crème fraîche, whisk crème fraîche with the ginger and vanilla seeds, add glacé ginger, combine, then transfer to a serving bowl.
6. To serve, heat brownies in a 180C oven (6 minutes) and serve warm topped with grated beetroot, and ginger crème fraîche to the side.