Rich Chocolate & Beetroot Brownie

I think you will all agree that the success of the carrot cake has paved the way for experimenting with other root vegetables in desserts. I had never thought of adding beetroot to something sweet before, but after watching a couple of episodes of River Cottage, I thought I should give it a try and I fell in love! I LOVE chocolate and I really like beetroot and I can honestly say that they work really well together. It is rich but yet slightly lighter than the typical fudgey brownie.

For the recipe, I grabbed a copy of 'River Cottage Everyday' by the master himself Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Here's what you will need if you would like to recreate it for yourself, it makes about 20 slices.

Ingredients - 

• Electric mixer (you can certainly make this by hand too, however my mixer is my favourite kitchen tool)
• 250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 250g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa, broken into pieces, personally I prefer NZ made Whittakers)
• 3 medium eggs
• 250g white sugar
• A pinch of sea salt
• 150g flour, white or wholemeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 250g fresh beetroot, boiled until tender, cooled, peeled and grated

1. Prepare a square baking tin, approximately 20 x 25 cm with baking paper and set the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
2. Next, cut up the beetroot for boiling. This part takes the longest so it's best to do this first and then you can make the brownie mixture. I recommend wearing gloves for this part as beetroot is one of the hardest stains to remove from your clothes and your skin. Boil the beetroot in a medium sized pot, half filled with water for about 10 minutes (depending on the size) until tender when pricked with a sharp knife. Then strain and leave to cool.
3. Break your chocolate block into smaller pieces and melt together with the butter in a saucepan on a very low heat, stirring constantly. It should look glossy and runny, no lumps. Don't let it burn, otherwise the chocolate will never taste the same.
4. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until combined, then add the melted chocolate and butter and whisk until smooth.
5. Sift in the flour and salt and gently fold in the grated beetroot - be careful not to over mix otherwise the brownies will be tough.
6. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, depending on the depth of your pan. When they are done, a knife inserted into the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Then remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan
7. Serve warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream for a delicious pudding, or enjoy in the afternoon with a cup of coffee. Enjoy!