To the accompaniment of the quiet waltz of tea leaves and the sound of early spring rain, words were swirling in the cycle of flowing conversations and were settling down on the bottom of china cups.

I woke up that warm and cozy Saturday in a slow, romantic kind of mood. Penelope was still sleeping in her crib, and my husband was brewing fresh coffee that we had recently bought at the little local gourmet shop. I love these early mornings in the kitchen when it’s just us together… a time when we can enjoy the coziness and quietness of our home, without the rush of the weekdays. It is in these moments like this that nothing else matters: no world news, no weather outside, no “must-do” list. What matters is us. Here. Today. Together.

Almost every weekend my husband and I bake something together. If he didn’t have to go to work every day, we would probably be in the kitchen together cooking. He shares my passion to cook and bake, and I love him for that even more! This day we wanted something quick and easy, without a lot of extra work. I was flipping through the pages of a home baking book that I had picked up a few years ago at a store in London, and I came across this recipe for “Strawberry Chocolate Slices”… which is so incredibly easy to make.

Strawberry Chocolate Slices

Makes 16 servings

What you will need:

225 g/8 oz plain flour
100 g/3 1/2 oz caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
85 g/3 oz soft light brown sugar
225 g/8 oz unsalted butter
150 g/5 1/2 rolled oats
225 g/8 oz strawberry jam
100 g/ 3 1/2 oz plain chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips)
25 g/1 oz flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line a 30 x 20 cm/12 x 8-inch baking tin.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add the sugars and mix well. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats, then press three quarters of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spread the jam over the cooked base, then sprinkle over the chocolate chips. Place the remaining flour mixture and the flaked almonds in a bowl and mix together, then sprinkle evenly over the chocolate chips and press down lightly. Bake for a further 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into slices.

Adapted from Marks and Spencer.

In Russian: Шоколадно-Клубничные бары

Время приготовления: 35 мин

Кол-во порций: 16
Ингредиенты:
225 гр муки
1 ч л разрыхлителя
100 гр сахара
85 гр светлого коричневого сахара
200 гр сливочного масла
150 гр овсяных хлопьев
225 гр клубничного джема
100 гр шоколадных капель (белый либо молочный шоколад)
25 гр миндальных пластинок

Метод:
1. Разогрейте духовку до 190С. Просейте муку и разрыхлитель в большую чашу, добавьте сахар и хорошо перемешайте. Добавьте масло и втирайте его пальцами рук в муку, пока тесто не превратится в крошку. Смешайте с хлопьями овсянки. Выложите 3/4 части теста в противень ( размер 30*20) и надавливая пальцами распределите по всей поверхности . Выпекайте 10 мин.
2. Распределите джем по всей поверхности испеченного коржа и посыпьте шоколадными каплями. В оставшуюся часть смеси с мукой добавьте миндальных пластинок, хорошо размешайте и посыпьте сверху коржа, немного придавливая. Выпекайте еще 20-25 мин или до золотисто-коричневого цвета. Дайте остыть и разрежьте на части.