Rosemary and Garlic Black Angus Roast

3lb Beef Sirloin or Black Angus Beef Roast
2 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper
Two onions finely sliced
Two or three carrots chopped into chunks
2 sprigs fresh rosemary 
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
Stock, enough to come half way up the beef in the roasting pan
Marsala 
Corn  starch to thicken the gravy if desired.

Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan or cast iron pan, season beef with salt and pepper, and brown the roast all over. Transfer roast to roasting pan and add onions, carrots, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves stock and Marsala.
Season well with more salt and black pepper
Cover with foil or a lid and put into a very slow oven 325 degrees for 2-3 hours, turning every hour.
When ready remove the meat and wrap in foil and cover with a tea towel to rest and keep warm.
It will stay warm for half an hour to an hour wrapped this way so there is no need to panic. Plenty of time to do the yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. 

Add the stock and Marsala to come half way up the roast

***Strain out juice from vegetables from the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan into a small saucepan.  Add 2 TBSP cornstarch to a small glass and add enough COLD water to make a semi pasty slurry.  Heat juices in pot to boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and when the gravy starts to thicken, remove from heat.  Re-season , if necessary and serve over top the sliced beef.

Quick and Super Easy Soft Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

1. Luke warm water- 1 and 1/2 cups
2. Instant yeast-1 tbsp
3. Granulated sugar-2 tbsp
4. Unsalted butter,softened-2 tbsp
5. All purpose flour-4 cups
6. Salt-to taste

For topping

1. Butter,melted- 2 to 3 tbsp
2. Salt- to taste

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl,combine together warm water,yeast and sugar.Keep aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.

Add butter, salt and 2 cups flour, mix until combined.

Add remaining flour and mix well. Knead to form a soft dough for about 10 minutes.(you can use a stand mixer ,if desired)

Cover the dough using a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a  warm place until doubled in volume ,for about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and turn it on to a lightly floured surface.

Using a serrated knife cut the dough into two equal parts. Divide each half into 12 equal portions( I halved the recipe and divided the entire dough into 12 equal portions).With lightly floured hands,roll each portion into balls and place it in a greased baking tin. I used a round aluminum cake pan.

Cover using a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place until doubled,for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 f

Lightly brush the rolls with melted butter.Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until it turns golden.

Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven ,brush them with remaining butter.

Notes: I halved the recipe.

Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Strawberry & Cream Filling

Cake
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the center. Line the bottom of 1 9″ spring form tin.{If you can't, use two 9×2 inch round cake pans}
Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. {Do not use a mixer}.
Combine water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla in a large measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined, a few lumps are OK. Turn batter into prepared tin {or divide batter between pans if using 2}, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes for 1 or 35-40 minutes for 2.
Cool cake on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack.. Leave cake upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
Slice into 4 layers, and sandwich with filling {recipe follows}. Allow to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then frost with the chocolate ganache and decorations {recipe follows}.
Filling
Ingredients
300 ml whipping cream
200 g strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation
First prepare filling: Place strawberries, sugar,  and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan, and simmer till it becomes thick and jam-like and add vanilla. Cool completely.
Beat cream and powdered sugar to medium stiff peaks, and gently fold in cooled strawberry mixture, taking care not to release the volume of the cream.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
200gms dark chocolate, room temperature
150ml whipping cream, room temperature
Preparation
Place the chocolate and 100 ml of cream in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 30-40 seconds {if the weather is warm as it is here, else try for minute}. You can also simmer it in pan until the chocolate melts. Stir well to combine both into a smooth ganache.
Give the cake one basic thin coating with this ganache, and reserve some for piping decorations. Add the remaining 50 ml cream and mix until smooth.