a sticky affair

cake and other things

2011-06-18T22:54:00.000+10:00

Dear readers,

I’m sorry about my absence of late. I’ve wanted to squeeze in a post (I can’t count how many times I’d click on the blog wishing I had something to share), but May was just the kind of month where there was never enough time. The next thing I knew it was the first day of winter – and I had caught the obligatory cold that comes along with it. Which a few days of honey-lemon tea and chicken soup fixed.

But I’m happy to report as of next week my finals will be finished, I’ll be on my long awaited break, and there will definitely be a recipe. For now, I leave you with pictures of leftover birthday cake (I’m 19!), which I’ve been consuming at a ridiculous rate. I actually had full intentions to bake my own spectacular ruffled-purple-frosting-covered-vanilla-buttercake, but Dad was very insistent on getting the cake himself. And really, if there are two cakes in my fridge, chances are I will ~~devour~~ finish one of them entirely on my own. I’m already feeling a little happier writing this post, despite how short it is.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

daring bakers: maple mousse filled pecan nest

2011-04-30T00:45:00.004+10:00

Intent on spending my one week mid semester break catching up on some work, baking and getting more posts up on the blog, I made out a list of all the spectacular things I would bake. The first were a batch of raspberry jam doughnut muffins, fluffy and golden with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, but not one decent photo to show just how lovely they were. Approaching the Easter long weekend, I made a batch of hot cross buns with a recipe that hasn't failed me for the past two years; but they came out slightly undercooked. Convinced my kitchen and camera were in no mood to co-operate with me, I waited a few days until embarking on this month's challenge, creating an edible container to hold maple mousse. I completed the challenge with almost no hiccups, but when it came to sitting down and writing this post, I hit complete writers block.

What I've learnt from this challenge is not try and make your own crust. I was convinced I could make a very simple dump into a bowl and mix pecan crust with a combination of ground pecans, sugar, flour and butter. I pressed the mixture into two cake tins and put them in the oven, hoping for the best. Once they were baked and cooled, I took out the latch on the first tin and the whole crust collapsed. Although, I had some sort of bakers luck on my side, because after about 20 minutes in the freezer, the second crust came out of the tin crack free, standing on it's own. Clearly the recipe needs some tweaks, so if you do go ahead and make this, a basic pie or tart crust sturdy enough to hold a thick filling will work fine.

The second component of the challenge, the maple mousse follows a slightly different technique than most mousses; stirring the bloomed gelatine into heated maple syrup, then folding the whipped cream. It yields a beautifully light in the mouth mousse, but still rich and creamy. I did find the mousse a bit too sweet, but it may just be a personal preference, because my grandma finished the leftover mousse almost all on her own :).

This tart is a little more complicated than things I'd usually make, but like me if you have a day to spare, baking is the way to go. The pecan crust is just barely sweetened, and the oat crumble gives a nice crunch, separating the mousse and the macaroon layer. The macaroon layer was a last minute addition, I wanted something to make the tart 'nest' like and inspiration struck in the confection isle of Woolworths where I saw a package of something with toasted coconut over the top. Molly's recipe comes together so easily, essentially stirring everything together in the one pan, shaping then baking. It's chewy and sweet, balancing right between the crisp crumble and creamy mousse. It was definitely a fun challenge, so a big thank you to Evelyn.

The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at The Daring Kitchen!

Maple Mousse filled Pecan Nest

Maple Mousse:
1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp. (3.5g) gelatine
3/4 cup (150ml) cream

Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks then pour in a little bit of the maple syrup in whilst whisking to temper them. Stir into the maple syrup until combined.

Measure out 2 tablespoons (30ml) whipping cream into a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Microwave the gelatine mixture in 10 second intervals until the gelatine is completely dissolved.

Whisk the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside. Leave the mixture at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes, whisking occasionally until it has the consistency of raw egg whites.

Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Oat Crumble:
30g rolled oats
35g plain flour
20g brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
50g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 175 C. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then pour in the melted butter, stirring together until a clumpy mixture forms. Spread out on a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Macaroon Layer:
Adapted from Orangette
1 cup (75g) lightly packed sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup (25g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (about 2) egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the first three ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan, and stir to combine well. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, about 10-12 minutes, until the mixture is pasty but not dry. (The uncooked mixture will look sort of granular at first, then creamy as it heats, and then it will slowly get drier and drier. You want to stop cooking when it no longer looks creamy but is still quite gluey and sticky, not dry.) Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Spread out the coconut mixture on a large baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 150 C.

Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Shape the mixture into two rough 4 inch circles (or whatever width your tart cases are). The circles shouldn't be too thick, just under a centimetre tall. If you have any of the mixture left over, shape into small domes, like a traditional macaroon. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown.

To assemble the nest:
Divide the mousse between two 4 inch cases, leaving a 2-3cm gap from the top. Spread a layer of oat crumble over the mousse, then top with one of the macaroon circles (you can break the edges of the macaroon circles a little to make it fit more snugly over the tart). Decorate with Easter eggs on top.

chocolate filled ginger cookies

2011-04-13T14:12:00.004+10:00

I bought a scale last week. It's blue and bright, shaped like a plate, and yes, it was the highlight of my week. I've been experimenting with cookies since, because cookie experimenting is what one does when they purchase a scale. You see, ever since I came across the basic ratio for a cookie, it's been at the back of my head to buy a scale and make some. The basic ratio for any cookie is 1-2-3, 1 part sugar, to 2 parts fat, to 3 parts flour. It's fairly simple to follow, and means you can make any substitutions, as long they adhere to the ratio.

The first batch of cookies I made were chai inspired ones. The cookie dough itself came together easily; a basic mixture of wholemeal flour, butter and sugar with the addition of cinnamon, cardamom and black tea leaves. I don't know whether I had my expectation set too high, but the cookies simply lacked in something. Not enough spices and sugar left them a little bland, and the texture was off - not quite chewy, not quite crisp either.

They lacked in what my year nine history teacher would call oomph.

Any time someone would sounds a little bored and monotonous he would exclaim "Stop, Stop! Put some oomph into it!".

A few adjustments later, these chocolate filled ginger cookies hit the spot. I increased the sugar and ginger, ensuring they're in no way lacking in the flavour department, and rolled them out much thinner, resulting in lightly browned, crisp cookies. And each one is sandwiched with a ginger spiked chocolate filling, adding just enough sweetness to bring it all together. I think they're my new favourite cookie.

Chocolate filled Ginger Cookies

Scant cup (120g) wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
70g butter
1/3 cup loosely packed (50g) brown sugar
1 egg yolk

Chocolate ginger filling:
100g dark chocolate (60%-70%)
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and spices, then set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, and the sugar is combined. Add the egg yolk and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients, beating until it's just combined and a lumpy dough is formed. Knead lightly and shape into a disc, and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 175 C.

Line baking trays with baking paper. Roll out the dough 3mm thick, and cut out with desired shapes. Alternatively, you can roll the dough into truffle size balls, and press down with a spoon. You'll get a thicker cookie with a slightly softer centre.

Transfer to the trays and bake for 12-18 minutes, until crisp and just golden around the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. (I found that the cookies on the bottom third of the oven finished in the shorter time given)

To make the chocolate filling, break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, along with the ginger and butter. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Let it cool a little; it should be the consistency of nutella, then dollop a heaped teaspoon on a cookie, and gently sandwich together with another. Eat lots of cookies. Makes about 13 sandwiched cookies.

(Note: The 'button' cookies are inspired by these adorable shortbread buttons from forty-sixth at grace)

daring bakers: hazelnut meringue filled yeasted coffee cake

2011-03-27T22:53:00.001+11:00

There's been a lot of hazelnuts around here lately. It's not on purpose, just every time I stumble on a new baking project that requires nuts, I'll find myself buying another bag of hazelnuts. I'm known to do this sort of thing with all things I really like, I'll repeatedly listen to one song for a week, or I'll make the same lunch every day for a week. Repetition is my form of love. But enough about my strange tendencies, let's talk about this cake.

It's a meringue filled yeasted coffee cake, layers of buttery bread with sweet meringue in the middle. Upon reading the recipe I thought the meringue would form into it's sugary crispy state when baked, but that's where the beauty of this cake lies. The bread itself is nice, not too sweet at all, slices in even pieces and as the daring bakers' have shown, it works beautifully in sweet and savoury recipes. But hiding in the midst of this unassuming bread is this beautiful meringue filling. I folded ground hazelnuts into it, and once baked, the hazelnuts absorb some of the sweetness, as well as the centre of the bread. The meringue forms into a moist, almost sponge-like filling. It's perfect inside this coffee cake.

It also makes excellent toast. The bread hardens up a little in the fridge, but lightly toasted in a pan over the stove, the bread softens up and the hazelnuts become a little more roasted. You could spread yours with butter if you'd like, but I've enjoyed mine with a drizzle of honey.

The original challenge was to make a wreath shaped cake, but a few bakers were saying the filling leaks out, so I went with a braid instead, which is much simpler to make than it looks (photos and directions in the recipe). The dough is lovely to work with, sticky at first but after a few minutes of good kneading it turns to a soft, but firm dough. After it's first rise it's fairly easy to roll out into a rectangle, and in no time at all you'll have a loaf of this warm, simple and light cake. I also love that such a wide variety of fillings can be used, from fruit to chocolate to nuts and savoury combinations of cheese and ham. Thanks Jamie and Ria for hosting this month's challenge!

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Hazelnut Meringue Filled Yeasted Coffee Cake

Cake:
2 cups (300g) plain flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 package (3.5g) yeast
90ml milk
70g butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest of a lemon
1-2 teaspoons poppy seeds, for decoration (optional)

Meringue Filling:
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup (110g) hazelnuts

In an oven preheated to 190 C, roast the hazelnuts for 4-5 minutes, until golden and the skins are blistering. Once cooled, process in a food processor until finely ground, but not pasty. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup (112g) of flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Stir in the lemon zest and nutmeg.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and 1/2 cup (75 g) flour and beat for a further 2 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (using any of the remaining flour) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes (I left it in the fridge overnight). The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass), beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form. Gently fold in the ground hazelnuts.

Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 16 x 10.6-inch (about 41cm x 27 cm) rectangle. With the long side facing you, spread the meringue filling in the middle third, leaving a one inch gap on the top and bottom.

To make the braid, first make two cuts on the top of bottom of the middle third, where meringue filling is. Fold over the two flaps on the end of each third, sealing the filling in.

Make 1 inch diagonal cuts on the sides of the dough, from the top corner to the centre. Fold over the strips, alternating between each side, creating a braid.

(Note: The directions to make the braid are from Flo Braker's Baking for All Occasions)

Gently transfer the roll to a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap, allowing it to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°.

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash and sprinkle over the poppy seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

For Japan With Love

2011-03-17T21:19:00.004+11:00

It's still difficult to comprehend the enormity of the disaster that has hit Japan. My grandmother lived in Japan for a few years in the 1960s. She's been to a lot of places, but it's always been Japan that she speaks most fondly of. She's always told me how humble yet strong the people are, and as a foreigner it was a country she felt completely welcome to. Their strength is still evident, from the 85 year old woman who outran the tsunami on a bicycle, to the 4 month old baby found safe and alive under the rubble.

I get a feeling of helplessness every time footage of the tsunami sweeping through comes on. Houses swept away like leaves, boats being broken by the same ocean they sail freely on. But we can help.

Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours came up with a simple idea - a bloggers day of silence on March 18th. Below are links to the chosen charity of For Japan With Love, as well as other organisations that are helping the relief effort. I'm sure you've heard it before - but any amount will help, and do spread the word :)

The Japan for Love page has a link to donate to Shelter Box, an organisation that delivers boxes of aid with enough supplies for a family of ten.

Save the Children are providing immediate humanitarian relief in the form of emergency health care, and setting up bases to help the most vulnerable families and children.

Australian Red Cross are providing earthquake and tsunami affected areas with emergency relief, equipment and recovery assistance. They're also sending aid workers to assist longer term disaster management operations.

Medecins Sans Frontiers have sent over a team of ten in Sendai that have set up mobile clinics and are providing emergency care to the elderly.

crunchy granola

2011-03-14T00:36:00.009+11:00

Ideally, every morning I would wake up wake up fresh faced with a spring in my step. Of course, despite my most persistent attempts to sleep at a decent hour, most mornings I’ll wake up dreary eyed and wishing for more sleep. After the few seconds of disorientation between sleep and not sleep, the routine begins – brush teeth, change clothes, make sure all books are packed, and oh, breakfast. Unfortunately, breakfast gets delegated to Least Important Meal of the day. It becomes an afterthought, something simply part of a routine.

But then, I decided to make granola.

For someone who eats cereal on almost a daily basis, I have absolutely no idea why it took me so long to make my own. It was just one of those things that I would see popping up occasionally in blogs and magazines, but when I'd be deciding my next baking project it would get overlooked. I'm sorry Granola, because you are spectacular.

As with all homemade goods, there’s a much greater satisfaction in eating something and knowing exactly what’s in it. This is a nice granola that’s not too sweet, with a nice balance between oats and nuts. And the ‘Crunchy’ in its title isn’t just an adjective for embellishment; this granola certainly lives up to its name. I’m not sure whether it’s the fact that I let it get to an almost too dark shade of brown or the combination of ingredients, but it manages to stay crunchy even with a good dousing of milk. And the combinations are endless; I like mine heavily spiced and added ground ginger and cardamom, but feel free to substitute these for your favourites. I made a second batch with almonds instead of hazelnuts, and puffed rice and sesame seeds, and I’m definitely going to try out different sweeteners. I’m adding chocolate next time too.

And who said granola should only be for breakfast? I was so completely smitten with the first batch I had with milk for breakfast and with warm custard and poached fruit after dinner. I even made a sundae with vanilla ice-cream and melted chocolate topped with granola. But my favourite remains with a nice dollop of yoghurt, honey and cinnamon are just so wonderful with tangy yoghurt. And now, I will stop talking so you can make yourself a batch and secretly eat it in spoonfuls out of the jar (it's okay, I won't tell).

Crunchy Granola
Adapted from Cuisine

3 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup pepitas, sunflower or sesame seeds
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup sweetener (such as maple syrup, barley malt, rice syrup, honey or a combination)
1/4 cup safflower or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup dried fruit (optional)

Place all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, in a large bowl and combine.

Add the wet ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are well coated. Spread this mixture on an oiled baking tray.

Set the oven to 160C and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a nice golden brown. Stir occasionally to break up the lumps and turn the tray to cook the granola evenly.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and fold in the dried fruit.

Allow the granola to completely cool before storing - and hiding away - in airtight jars.

P.S - If you’re like me and love snacking on the clusters, when the granola has finished baking, transfer the mixture to a large, flat plate or tray and let it cool completely in the dish. Before transferring it into a container for storing, gently break it apart with a spoon - a large portion of it should remain clumped together.

daring bakers: earl grey panna cotta and chewy pecan florentines

2011-02-27T23:58:00.007+11:00

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that my summer break ends on exactly the last day of summer. Hot days, blue skies and flowery dresses are what holidays are made of.

Last week my friends and I planned a ‘cooking night’. I’ve forgotten how fun cooking in a group can be. Where baking is precise and exact; forget one ingredient and a cake could be a disaster, I think there’s a bit more leeway in cooking. Forget one ingredient, you can easily substitute another in most recipes.

It’s probably why our cooking night was such a success. The menu was simple - mushrooms on toast, a radish salad and roast vegetables. It also helps that my friends are almost like family now. When V. came in, the first thing she did was open the pantry and look for something to eat. When there was nothing in there she poured herself a bowl of my grandma’s freshly made dhal and well, made herself at home. And there’s my other friend J. who walked in and immediately asked my grandma for curry. In between slicing, washing, frying and mixing we discussed our holidays, degrees, and every other topic that teenage girls can discuss for hours. I barely remember the meal itself, but whenever I think of being in the kitchen with them, it brings a smile to my face.

When I look back on my holidays, I think of that dinner, and this dessert.

Earl Grey Panna Cotta.

When the challenge was announced I almost immediately decided on the flavour. Tea works so well in a dessert like panna cotta, where the flavours are usually steeped into the cream. And so, my mind went to my absolute favourite blend of tea, Earl Grey. It’s a little citrus-y, a little floral, and with milk and spoon of honey, my afternoon is complete.

Panna Cotta itself is a simple dessert with a base of four ingredients – milk, cream, sugar and gelatine, relying on the quality of the ingredients rather than any fancy techniques. Case in point, I made the whole thing whilst watching Law and Order and The Good Wife. I heated the cream and milk, then stirred in the tea leaves. The smell of the tea steeping in cream is better than any perfume in the world.

The next morning when I tried a little, I was completely smitten. If there were ever a dessert to make you swoon, it would be this panna cotta. Speckled with a few stray tea leaves and coloured a gentle brown, there's a distinct tea flavour, but the cream rounds off everything, leaving it sweet and delicate. With the right amount of gelatin, it sets to a just firm, unbelievably creamy custard like consistency, that simply melts in your mouth. It's the kind if thing you know you shouldn't be having too much of, but if no one sees you sneaking another spoonful out of the fridge, it doesn't count.

The Florentine cookies were where I landed into a bit of trouble. I went to the grocery store in the morning to pick up some ingredients. Standing in the cereal aisle, pondering between rolled or quick oats, I put a bag of rolled oats in my basket, despite my clearly having written on my list 'quick oats'. I didn't realise something was off until I was mixing the batter, and realising the consistency was much thicker than what I imagined. I thought the addition of pecans might have been the cause, and added another two tablespoons of milk. Just before putting them in the oven I double checked the recipe, and finally saw what I had overlooked. The oats. The oven was preheated and trays lined, so I popped them in and hoped for the best.

Florentine cookies, when made correctly, I imagine are crispy, lacey wafer thing cookies, generously sandwiched with chocolate. Because of the rolled oats, mine barely spread at all, resembling clumpy cookies. But you know what? They tasted fantastic. They remind me a little of anzac biscuits, but with a more distinct caramel flavour, which goes so well with the pecans. It's crisp around the edges and chewy in the middle, and because they were too thick for for a filling, I piped dark chocolate on them instead. And with the panna cotta, it's a little like having tea and cookies.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Earl Grey Panna Cotta with Poached Plums

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Tea leaves from three earl grey teabags (three heaped teaspoons)
Pinch of salt

Combine the cream, honey, sugar, salt and half the milk in a saucepan. Heat the mixture until warm, then add the tea. When the mixture begins to boil around the edges turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let the tea infuse for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining milk into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes, until the gelatin is completely hydrated. Reheat the cream mixture then whisk in the gelatine, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Strain the mixture (Don't worry if some of the tea leaves get through), then divide amongst the glasses/tea cups/moulds. Note: If you plan on un-moulding the panna cotta, lightly brush the dishes with a little oil before pouring in the mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Makes 6-7 servings.

Poached Plums
Two plums
2-3 teaspoons sugar (You can increase this amount depending on how sweet you'd like it to be)

Cut each plum into quarters and arrange in a single layer in a saucepan. Add just enough water to come up halfway on the plums. Sprinkle sugar on top. Let the mixture boil, then simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the skins begin to blister and the plums are just tender. Let it cool completely, then remove the skins and divide the pieces amongst the panna cotta, spooning the syrup on top.

Chewy Pecan Florentine Cookies

75gm unsalted butter
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup pecans, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon golden syrup/dark corn syrup
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
100gm dark or milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).Line your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.

To the melted butter add oats, pecans, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of a tablespoon or spatula.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and crisp around the edges. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in a microwave, or over the stove in a double boiler.

Peel the cookies from the silpat/parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).

Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate. Alternatively, you can drizzle the chocolate over the cookies or pipe designs on them. Makes just over twenty cookies.

black forest brownie cake

2011-02-18T01:01:00.002+11:00

I am the type of person who simply adores birthdays. I think it stems from a childhood with birthdays full of friends, buttercream, balloons and presents. But now I find other planning someone else's surprise party much, much more fun. A few weeks back I had a friends surprise party, and it was planned almost to perfection. His girlfriend took him out during the day, and we came to his house in the afternoon, baking chicken wings, frying potato wedges and cleaning his backyard. We huddled up in his backyard just before he came back and it would've been a complete surprise was it not for a friend who arrived at the exact same time as the birthday boy. We laughed it off, and spent the night with food and friends. Celebrations make people happy, which is why I love February. It's the birthday month in our household, with the second week marking my dad's birthday, and a week later my Grandma is opening presents. In between, there's last minute rushes to buy the secret present (that will often turn out to be not-so-secret) and plenty of favourite meals and cakes being made in the kitchen.

Apparently being older makes birthdays less significant, because my Dad and Grandma barely share the amount of enthusiasm for their own birthdays as I do. Nonetheless, simple and low key can be just as satisfying. There were no streamers or confetti for my Dad's birthday this week, instead my Grandma and I spent the day in the kitchen. I baked the cake in the morning, and placed the last cherry on top by late afternoon. My grandma marinated the lamb and kneaded the dough for the roti, and just before my Dad arrived back from work we put fresh flowers on the table. It couldn't have been a better evening.

I came across this cake almost a month ago, but instantly knew it was the one for my Dad. It combines two of his favourite things, brownies and black forest cake. The cake lives up to all I imagined it to be, undeniably decadent, the thing chocolate lovers dream about. The brownie base is like any other, chocolate and butter melted together, then mixed with flour, sugar and eggs. It yields a fudge-like brownie spiked with cherry with a dense crumb from the wholemeal flour in place of plain. Ganache adds another layer of chocolate, creamier than the base but with just as an intense hit of chocolate. Rings of cherries on top make it pretty enough to be the star of any party, and the cake is so rich, it simply demands to be shared. It's the perfect birthday cake.

Black Forest Brownie Cake
Adapted from Sunday Life

Brownie Cake:
180g dark chocolate
180g unsalted butter
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
110g wholemeal flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
180g macadamias, hazelnuts or walnuts
60 ml cherry liqueur, or syrup from the drained cherries
700g jar of morello cherries, drained (I used black cherries)

Chocolate Ganache:
200g dark chocolate
30g butter, chopped
80ml thickened cream

Preheat oven to 180 C. Line and grease a 22cm/9 inch springform pan. Melt chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate mixture and nuts into batter. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs on it.

Allow cake to cool in tin then turn out. Trim top to make even it even, if necessary, then flip cake over. Gently prick top all over with a fork, then slowly pour cherry liqueur over cake.

For the ganache, place chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted. Add cream and stir until combined. Set aside to cool slightly before using.

Spread top and sides of cake with ganache. Allow cake to sit for 5 minutes, then repeat. You may have a little ganache left over. Decorate with cherries and serve with creme fraiche, if desired.

daring bakers: white chocolate and pomegranate entremet

2011-01-29T18:26:00.011+11:00

It's funny how quickly blogging seems to become a hobby. Every week I look forward to when I'll have time to sit down and write a post, and when a busy week comes along, like this one, I'll find myself longing for a few more hours in each day to write something. One of the best decisions I've made so far has been to join Daring Bakers. I'm only three challenges in, yet every month has been something I'd never consider making myself before. And seeing everyone else's ideas and interpretations at the end of each month is what makes participating in each challenge such a fun and exciting learning experience. The challenge for this month was to make a biscuit joconde imprime, which is a thin almond sponge wrapped around small desserts known as 'entremets'. I started having doubts the moment I saw the length of the recipe, but reading through it fully, it did seem achievable.

We were given free reign to choose a filling and create a design with the decor paste. The dessert actually came together much easier than I imagined. My piping skills, as you can see, are still a little rusty, but that of course doesn't affect the taste. The sponge is light and airy, with a faint hint of almond. The white chocolate bavarian cream is what the name says, oh so creamy and sweet, the texture sitting between ice cream and gelée. Still looking for a final element, I searched through one of my christmas presents, Flo Braker's wonderful book, Baking for All Occasions, which is sure to help overcome any sort of baker's block. I came across a recipe for pomegranate gelée, which is perfect in this dish. There's only a small layer of it, but it's tart and sweet enough to cut through the cream and sponge, balancing out the whole dessert. While time consuming, planning ahead does make the task of putting all the elements together much easier, and I certainly learnt a lot from the challenge. Thank you Astherothe for hosting the challenge this month!

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

White Chocolate and Pomegranate Entremet
The measurements I've provided below for the Joconde sponge and paste are less than half the original recipe, but make enough to cover the base and sides of two 4 inch pans.The sponge bakes very, very quickly, mine was done in less than 7 minutes, so remember to keep watch on it. Also, I baked mine on baking paper with no problems, so it's completely fine if you don't have a silicone mat.

Joconde Decor Paste:
80g unsalted butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg whites
2/3 cup cake flour
Food colouring (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use a stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
Fold in sifted flour.
Tint batter with colouring to desired colour, if not making cocoa variation.

Joconde Sponge:
3/4 cup almond meal
3 whole eggs, separated
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cake flour
1/4 cup + 1 tbs icing sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.

Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)

On medium speed, add the egg yolks a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )

Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.

Fold in melted butter and set aside to be used later.

Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:
Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto a baking tray lined with a silicone mat. (This is to adhere the mat to the tray)

Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.

Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.

Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approximately 15 minutes.

Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.

Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)

Preparing the Joconde Mould:
Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.

Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height.

Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)

Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mould, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mould, if one cut piece is not long enough.

*Note: If not ready to use. Lay cake kept whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze.

White Chocolate Bavarian Cream:
Adapted from Spoonfuls of Germany via Epicurious

1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon gelatin
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup icing sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
70g white chocolate, chopped

Chill a metal bowl and the whisk attachment of an electric mixer in the freezer for a few minutes. Then whip the cream until it stands in soft peaks. Chill until needed.

Soak the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water for 10 minutes.

Beat the egg yolks with the confectioners' sugar in a large metal bowl until they are pale yellow and have a thick, creamy consistency.

Bring the milk and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk does not scorch at the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in white chocolate until it has melted completely. Slowly pour this mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly.

Transfer the mixture to a double boiler, or place the metal bowl over a pot of gently boiling water. Continue stirring until the mixture coats a wooden spoon.

Gradually stir in the dissolved gelatin and place the bowl over a large bowl of ice water. Make sure that the mixture is lump-free. If you discover any lumps, quickly strain the cream through a fine sieve. Continue stirring vigorously until the cream starts to cool and stiffen. Gently fold in the whipped cream until combined. Divide the mixture between the two joconde imprime cases, leaving a 1/2 cm gap from the top (there will be a little left over). With a small spatula or the back of the spoon, smooth the top of the cream, and push the edges up slightly. You want to make a small 'well' to hold in the jelly later. Refrigerate until needed.

Pomegranate Gelée:
From Flo Braker's Baking For All Occasions

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon water

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved. Do not let the mixture boil. Transfer to a bowl or cup and chill until it has cooled completely and slightly thickened. Pour over the top of the two entremets and refridgerate until completely set.

rosemary and lemon shortbread

2011-01-23T07:27:00.003+11:00

My first disappointment in the kitchen was a batch of shortbread. I was ten and overconfident in my baking abilities, and decided to make a batch of my Dad's favourite cookie for his birthday. I don't remember measuring flour or mixing dough, but what stays with me is pulling out a tray of what was supposed to be buttery sweet shortbread and instead seeing cookies that were a much to dark shade of caramel. I had burnt almost half of it, and we stood around the bench, breaking off the salvageable parts. But my Dad still ate it with a smile on his face, declaring them excellent cookies. I'm certain I've strayed away from making shortbread all these years because of this.

But this shortbread? It's a completely different story.

The dough came together with ease, soft yet firm enough to be cut out, and baked to be a pretty pale gold, but speckled green and yellow from woody rosemary and fragrant lemon. A crown of sugar on top, it's crisp around the edges, slightly softer towards the centre but not at all dry. All the flavours are subtle, you can just taste the rosemary, get a hint of the sweetness of the honey, and there's a slight lingering saltiness that rounds off each bite. There's a sort of quiet confidence about it, it may not be the prettiest cookie or hold the appeal of a chocolate chip cookie, but I'm sure it will please anyone.

Rosemary and Lemon Shortbread
Adapted from Gourmet
1 rounded cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon lemon zest
85g unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 150 C.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, rosemary and zest in a bowl.

Mix together butter, honey, and icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, then add flour mixture and mix until dough resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it just comes together, about 8 times. Halve dough and form into two discs. Refrigerate for about ten minutes before rolling out.

Roll out 1 disk between 2 sheets of parchment into rectangle. (Note:I found that lightly flouring the bottom sheet of parchment helps to lift off cookies if you use cutters) Remove top sheet of parchment and cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters or cut into rectangles. Place on a lined baking tray. Repeat with second disc of dough. Sprinkle the dough with sugar.

Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yields about 18 cookies.

almond and peach galette with honey thyme glaze

2011-01-14T00:20:00.004+11:00

I love it when things come together seamlessly.

I woke up feeling the familiar urge to bake something. Our pantry was completely stocked, and there were blueberries, strawberries and cherries in the fridge, nectarines and peaches ripening on the counter. Summer's harvest left me with no shortages in choices regarding what to bake with. I decided on a simple peach galette. I made the tart dough in the morning, and after a few hours began rolling it out in the afternoon. Peaches were tossed in sugar and flour, and soon the galette was in the oven. Peaches this year have been better than previous ones, but I still don't think I've had a truly perfect peach. They're overflowing with juices, sweet, but somehow something still feels amiss every time I bite into one. In the final ten minutes of baking, I was feeling the same way about the galette - it would probably turn out fine but it just needed something.

That's where the honey thyme glaze comes in. I was browsing a few recipe sites, when I came across these honey and thyme roasted apples. I went out to the backyard, picked a few sprigs of thyme and mixed it with warmed honey. It was perfect. I'm not even sure how to explain the flavour. Have you seen Ratatouille? There's a scene where Remy takes a bite of a strawberry. It's delicious. Then he takes a bite from a piece of cheese. It's just as good. Then he eats the two together and there's fireworks, sparkles and an explosion of rainbows behind him. That's pretty much how I felt taking my first bite (though it wasn't nearly as dramatic). The thyme's flavour is slightly amplified in the mellow honey, and on top of the galette it seeps into every crevice, mingling with the sweet juices of the peaches. Somehow, it all works together, and while the peaches remain the star, the honey and thyme are in the background, doing their magic. And it's all encased in a buttery shortbread like crust.

I'm not the only one in love - my family and I finished it in two days and my Dad is still asking for more.

Almond and Peach Galette with Honey Thyme Glaze
Tart Crust from Bon Apetit, February 2005

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
130g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 peaches, halved, stoned and sliced into 1/2 cm pieces
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme

For the crust:
Blend powdered sugar, almonds, and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and blend until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Mix in egg yolk. Add flour. Using on/off turns, blend until dough comes together in clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Leave the dough out for half an hour at room temperature to allow it to soften before rolling out.

For the filling:
Toss the peaches in flour and 2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet the peaches are. Knead the dough for a few minutes until soft and pliable. On a floured surface roll out to a rough 40cm circle. Arrange the peach slices in a circle, leaving a 4-5cm gap on the edge. Fold the edge over the filling, making small pleats to hold it together. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Bake at 160 C for 40 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and cooked through and the peaches are soft. Transfer to a wire rack.

Heat the honey in a microwave for 20-30 seconds until it reaches the consistency of a thick syrup. Stir in thyme, then liberally brush the top of the galette while still warm.

pistachio and walnut baklava

2011-01-07T00:00:00.006+11:00

This time last year, I was absolutely filled to the brim with excitement. Other than the anticipation every new year brings, I was preparing for a trip overseas to India and would be starting my first year of university the month after. 2010 was all I imagined it to be.

I'm slowly adapting to university life, and learning more than I ever imagined about my areas of study - law and economics. I've made so many new and wonderful friends, and my friendship with my high school friends only continues to grow. And in the space of the six months this blog has been up and running I've discovered so much more inspiration and talent in the world of food blogging. I thank you all. I'm not one for new years resolutions, but I do hope to continue with the blog, make more friends, spend more time learning and baking in the kitchen and seize more opportunities. I hope your 2011 is everything you wish for and more.

Baklava, a sweet pastry of Turkish/Greek origins is one of the things I fell in love with in 2010. It was my Grandma who introduced me to it, when, on one of her shopping trips she discovered a small cafe where you get a free baklava with every coffee. Their coffee is average - warm and comforting but nothing extraordinary, which is why I'm certain the real reason people are heading there is for their baklava - roasted nuts encased in crispy thin layers of filo pastry sweetened with a honey syrup that leave your fingers and mouth sticky with sweetness. The syrup is essentially what makes the baklava, it gives the pastry a slight chewiness and the nuts absorb a good amount of the syrup, keeping the baklava sweet and moist.

Pistachio and Walnut Baklava
Sort of adapted from SBS Food

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3-4 cardamom pods
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon rosewater essence
1 375g package filo pastry, thawed
3/4 cup pistachios
3/4 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the sugar syrup:
Combine the sugar, water and cardamom in a saucepan. Bring to the boil for 15 minutes. When the syrup becomes slightly viscous, remove from heat, add the rose water, lemon juice and honey and mix through. Leave aside to cool.

For the nut mixture combine nuts in a food processor, until roughly chopped, taking care not to process too much or the nuts will become pasty. Stir in cinnamon.

To assemble the baklava:
Cut out 24 sheets of filo pastry, to cover the base of the baking dish. Cover with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out.

In an 11x7 inch tray, brush melted butter the base and start layering filo sheets, by placing one sheet down on top of the buttered surface below, and brush melted butter on the top side of each sheet. Make eight layers then spread half the nut mixture in an even layer over the pastry. Cover with another eight layers of filo pastry. Repeat again. You should end up with 3 layers of filo pastry, and two layers of nuts. Bake at 150 C for 20 minutes, then increase to 180 C and bake for a further 10 minutes. If the top layer of pastry begins to brown too much, cover with foil. The baklava is done when the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.

Pour the hot syrup over the hot pastry. Let it settle and cool before cutting it. Enjoy!

daring bakers: stollen

2010-12-27T10:57:00.008+11:00

This month's challenge of making a Stollen seemed to divide the Daring Bakers into two categories, those who like fruitcake and those who don't. I'll admit, I fall into the latter category, so when this month's challenge was announced, I was imagining the ridiculously sweet fruit cakes, overladen with mixed peel and too many glacé cherries. However, with a few changes I was able to make something that I family and I really enjoyed.

The first thing I did was half the recipe, especially after reading the original recipe made a stollen weighing nearly 3-4 kilos. I completely omitted the peel and reduced the amount of raisins, adding lemon, honey roasted macadamias and fresh ginger. And I was pleasantly surprised with the result. While traditional Stollen is a dense heavy bread, my one turned out to be more of a lightly spiced, lemon scented bread with the occasional crunch of a nut. The recipe makes a lovely yeast bread, rich and moist on the day of baking, and not too sweet despite the layers of icing sugar. However, it's best eaten after a couple of days, toasted and liberally buttered, with the layer of icing sugar caramelising into the most delectable sugary crust.

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book and a Martha Stewart demonstration.

Stollen with Ginger and Honey Roasted Macadamias

3 tablespoons rum (or 3 tablespoons hot water with 1 tsp rum essence)
1/8 cup lukewarm water
1 package (7g) active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
70g unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 3/4 cups plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 1/2 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey roasted macadamias
1/4 cup raisins

40g butter, melted, for brushing
1/2 cup icing sugar, for dusting

To soak the raisins:
In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum and set aside.

Pour 1/8 cup warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup milk, 70g butter and fresh ginger over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and lemon zest.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the raisins and macadamias and mix with your hands or on low speed with the paddle attachment to incorporate.

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly. The raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180°C with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Punch dough down, knead for a few minutes then shape into two loaves. Cover with a tea towel and prove for a further two hours at room temperature, until about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany colour, and should register 88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.
Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.
Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first. The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar. Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

P.S: Hope everyone had a fun filled and joyful Christmas! Have a happy and safe holidays and wishing you all a fabulous 2011. See you all next year!

cherry and ricotta tarts

2010-12-22T23:27:00.005+11:00

I'm still anxiously waiting for summer to appear in it's full glory. It's strangely cool for this time of the year, I wake up in the mornings and the first thing I do is put on a cardigan, which is a little unsettling considering it's the end of December and usually by this time of the year it's all bright yellow sunshine, balmy nights and sitting in front of a fan the entire afternoon.

Despite the weather giving no indication of the season, the fruits certainly are. I've been having the sweetest nectarines, the juiciest peaches and beautiful mangoes almost every day.

And who could forget cherries. These cherry and ricotta tarts are so very simple to put together, if you make the tart cases before hand the filling can be completed within ten minutes. I originally made these around the same time last year when I had some left over dough and ricotta in the fridge. This time I used David Lebovitz's super easy french tart dough, which yields a wonderfully flaky crust with minimal effort. I also made the addition of rosewater, which isn't too strong but you can just get the faintest whiff with each spoonful.

Cherry Ricotta Tarts
Makes four 2 1/2 inch tarts

For the Tart Dough:
From David Lebovitz

90 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
150 g (1 slightly-rounded cup) flour

For the Filling:
3/4 cup ricotta
100g dark chocolate, grated
2 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
250g cherries, pitted and halved
1 teaspoon rosewater

Preheat the oven to 410º F (210º C).

In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt.

Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges.

When done, remove the bowl from oven (and be careful, since the bowl will be hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly, until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Divide the dough between 4 mini tart pans and use a small spatula to spread it around.

Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell with the heel of your and, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tart mould. Reserve a small piece of dough, about the size of a raspberry, for patching any cracks.

Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork 2-3 times, then bake the tart shells in the oven for 15 minutes (mine were done in 10), or until the dough is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and if there are any large cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to fill in and patch them.

Let the shell cool before filling.

In a bowl combine ricotta, dark chocolate and icing sugar and divide the mixture between the tart shells, about 2-3 tablespoons for each tart. Toss the cherries in rosewater and top the tarts with them.

They're best eaten after being refrigerated for half an hour or so, which lets the ricotta filling firm up slightly and the pastry will hold together better.

mexican wedding cakes

2010-12-13T21:43:00.005+11:00

A few days ago, our family friend's two adorable children came over to play. They're two and four and bursting with energy so we spent the day chasing 'monsters', running around the grass and drawing silly pictures. Eventually, when everyone had tired out a little we sat in front of the Christmas tree and I turned the lights on. The eldest, X. who's just begun to talk in full sentences, silently watched the lights turn from blue to yellow to purple and summed up the entirety of Christmas in one word.

"Magic."

And with all the houses adorned with lights, bus drivers dressed as Santa Claus (Well I've seen one!), and the happier mood everyone seems to be in, he's not that far off.

Which is why these cookies are also for the wonderful blogging event Jeroxie is hosting, CSR's Bake a difference, which encourages everyone to bake presents this year instead of buying them, and donate the money saved to Mission Australia (Clicking on the image will take you to the donate page). I'm quite sure everyone would appreciate freshly baked cookies for Christmas, and it's plenty more fun baking presents yourself then trying to trudge through the massive crowds at this time of the year.

These cookies are so, so good. Melt-in-your-mouth shortbread like, but with a generous coating of icing sugar and a hint of cinnamon that dissolves away to buttery, nutty goodness. I used walnuts for this batch, but I do intend to try them with other nuts, I think hazelnuts would be a lovely combination as well. The only mistake I made was rolling the balls a little to large and rather than resembling snowballs they were more like the average, circular cookie. So just remember to make smaller circles, about 1.5cm-2cm, as they do expand and flatten slightly during baking.

Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Tea Cakes
From Good Living
1 cup pecan, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour and sugar and process. Add butter and sugar and pulse to form a dough.

Shape dough into a disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.The dough can be frozen at this stage.

Sift icing sugar and cinnamon together in a large dish and set aside.

Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan-forced). Make small rounds, about 2cm wide with the dough, place on a lined oven tray and bake for 20 minutes until lightly coloured. Remove from oven and rest on tray for a few minutes then roll in the icing sugar to coat. Coat them once more when they have completely cooled. Makes about 40-50.

orange and white chocolate scones

2010-12-08T15:28:00.002+11:00

In a household of three, baked goods will often last for a while.

Despite halving recipes and reducing quantities most things I bake will last for a week or more unless we have guests over or I give them away. Sitting on the counter or in the fridge is the norm until someone eats the last slice of cake. But these scones (don't be fooled by their humble appearance!), they're a completely different story. I made my first batch on Friday afternoon, a slight different variation - with blueberries and white chocolate and by Sunday the only remnants left were a few crumbs at the bottom of the box.

The texture of these scones sit right in between a cake and a biscuit. There's the perfect, just golden, gentle crust like you would find on a baked bread, but the inside is soft and moist, almost like a cake. They're at their best right out of the oven, and being too impatient to wait for them to cool completely, I broke off a small piece to try, and between my Grandma and I we ate nearly half of them that same afternoon.

Whilst normally I find white chocolate a little too sweet and heavy on its own, the little chips in the completely unsweetened dough provide a welcome burst of sugar, and pair wonderfully with the gentle hits of citrus from the zest. I like them on their own, but you could have them with almost anything - a smudge of butter or a dollop of jam.

Orange and White Chocolate scones
Adapted from The Age (CWA show scones)
Makes 9-10

2 cups self raising flour
Pinch of salt
Zest of an orange
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream
1/2 -3/4 cup milk, plus extra for brushing

Sift dry ingredients, then stir in zest and chocolate chips. Cut in cream and milk with a knife.

Work quickly into a dough on a floured bench. Flatten into about a 1.5cm rectangle. With a plain round cutter make circles and place onto a lightly floured or greased tray

Bake on the top shelf of a very hot oven (220-230C) for about 10-12 minutes.*

*Times and temperatures may vary according to your oven.

daring bakers: strawberry and rhubarb crostata

2010-11-27T22:00:00.009+11:00

I'm so happy to be posting my first Daring bakers' challenge! From the moment I received the email telling me I was officially a Daring Baker to the time this month's challenge was announced I was almost going a little crazy with how excited I was. When I discovered the challenge was to make a crostata (an Italian tart), my mind was immediately flooded with possible filling ideas, with everything from curds and creams to fruits and jams. Eventually I settled on a coconut lemon curd tart, and I envisioned a bright sunshine yellow crostata. But fate seemed to have another plan for me, and on a Tuesday morning as I was flicking through the newspaper to find the weekly Good Living magazine, right on the cover of it was the most gorgeous, glistening red strawberry and rhubarb crostata. The sight of the perfectly browned pastry, with little pieces of strawberry and rhubarb peeking out from under was enough to throw all thoughts of lemon and coconut from my mind.

Strawberries and rhubarb are truly a match made in heaven, and they shine in this crostata. What I like about the filling is its simplicity; a small amount of sugar, a bit of zest and custard powder to thicken the juices is all that's needed. And what you get is fragrant strawberries mingling with the gentle tartness of rhubarb, encased in a sweet shortcrust pastry. This pasta frolla recipe may just become my new go-to tart dough. The texture of the crust is just perfect, flaky and buttery enough to almost melt in your mouth but just firm enough to hold together all the filling. It's not too difficult to put together - even by hand and by the suggestions of some other Daring Bakers I grated the butter first, then froze it for 10 minutes or so which made the process of rubbing it into the flour much easier. The recipe made more than I required for one tart, so with the remaining dough I made some biscuits which were just as lovely.

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crostata
The only changes I made were for the filling, I reduced the amount of sugar as the pastry was sweet enough and the mascarpone, you only need a small dollop to go with the crostata, though it would be just as lovely with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And if you decide to make biscuits as well, they will be done within 10-15 minutes.

Pasta Frolla:
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar or a scant 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt
1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Grated zest of half a lemon
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Filling (Slightly adapted from Eat Ate by Guy Mirabella via Good Living):
6 rhubarb stalks, sliced into 2cm-3cm pieces
500g strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons custard powder
Grated zest of a lemon

Sweet Mascarpone:
250g mascarpone
1/2 tablespoon icing sugar
Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

Making pasta frolla by hand:
Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.

Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.

Make a well in the centre of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).

Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.

Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Making pasta frolla with a food processor:
Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.

Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface

See step 3 above and continue as explained in the following steps (minus the lemon zest, which you have already added)

Preheat oven to 200 C. Once the dough has been chilled, roll it out on a floured surface to a rough 30cm circle. Use it to line a 22cm tart pan. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile, mix rhubarb, strawberries, caster sugar, custard powder and lemon zest in a large bowl and toss well. In a separate bowl, mix mascarpone, remaining lemon zest and icing sugar and set aside. Spread the filling into the tart and bake the crostata until the pastry is golden, about 45-50 minutes. Serve straight from the oven topped with the sweet mascarpone.

coconut cupcakes with lime frosting

2010-11-23T23:22:00.000+11:00

I've had quite the coconut filled week.

It started with this whole coconut that had been lying in our fruit bowl for about a week. One afternoon, my grandma said we should try breaking it open. The first course of action was to use the back of a knife and making a couple of sharp knocks across the centre of the coconut. This did absolutely nothing. There wasn't even the faintest mark. The next plan was to get my Dads' hammer. Sitting on the tiled floors I started hitting the coconut sporadically, and for a couple of minutes even this was doing nothing. I was quite close to going outside and throwing the coconut on the concrete. Fortunately, the coconut did eventually open and as it would turn out, it had gone off. I did manage to get quite the workout though.

Then, on one of the week nights my grandma made the most beautiful coconut chicken curry; fragrant spices bathed in coconut milk, with tender pieces of chicken floating around. And so, the open can of coconut milk presented the perfect opportunity for me to make these cupcakes I had been eyeing for a while.

These cupcakes were originally named 'coconut clouds' from the Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook, and paired with a marshmallow frosting. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand for the frosting, but the cupcakes certainly live up to the name. They're oh so light and crumbly, and while the coconut flavour is not as strong as I would like, you can just taste the shredded coconut on your tongue with each bite. I think the addition of a teaspoon of coconut essence would make them more to my liking. But if you're looking for a light, not too strong flavoured coconut cupcake, this is for you. And the lime frosting is all tangy and sweet, just the way I like it.

Coconut Cupcakes
Adapted from The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook

1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup + 2 tablespoons plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 egg white, extra
100g softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut milk
Toasted coconut, for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Using a food processor, process the coconut until very fine - about 3 or 4 minutes (If you're using fine desiccated coconut you can skip this step). Add coconut to a bowl with sifted flour salt and baking powder. Mix evenly until combined.

In a separate bowl combine eggs and egg whites. Do not beat.

In another bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition. After the last addition beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and sugar has almost dissolved.

Add the eggs a quarter at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half of the coconut milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over-beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Lime Frosting

60g unsalted butter
Zest of a lime
1 3/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon lime juice

Beat the butter and lime zest with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add half the icing sugar and beat until combined. Add the lime juice, then the remaining icing sugar and continue beating until the frosting looks pale and fluffy.

chocolate éclairs

2010-11-17T23:57:00.010+11:00

The one thing I enjoy about holidays the most is the abundance of time. Waking up to sunlight streaming through the blinds instead of the beep of an alarm, catching up on novels that haven't been touched in months and simply relaxing. And of course, there's more time for baking and eating. While I love the mornings, my favourite time of the day is afternoon tea. It's almost a ritual in our house, the daily cup of tea around 4pm. And now that it's spring, we can sit out on the porch, with the view of all our gorgeous flowers in full bloom and watch the occasional butterfly flit past. Oh yes, it's lovely.

We really do love our tea, and my grandma and I will purchase any new and interesting tea we happen to come across. In fact, there's a whole cupboard in my kitchen dedicated to just this, filled with numerous Twinings teas, peppermint, darjeeling, chammomile and a lone jar of coffee amongst it all. While my Dad doesn't share the same excitement about trying new teas (he is quite content with his regular black tea), he'll still try them all with our insistence. And of course, tea is never complete without something sweet and baked on the side. And if my grandma and I had our way, we would have a victorian-esque high tea everyday. But that might be just a little too much sugar, so most days we'll make scones, muffins, biscuits or a light bread for the afternoon. But some days it's nice to indulge a little, and these éclairs are just perfect.

While éclairs take a little more effort than whipping up muffins, the end result is definitely worth it. Crispy thin choux pastry, filled with the sweetest, silkiest pastry cream, and to top it off a layer of dark chocolate. What's not to love?

Chocolate Éclairs
Adapted from Good Weekend

Choux pastry shells:
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt
Pinch of caster sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
60g butter
3 eggs
100g chocolate, melted
Chopped nuts, for decoration (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C. Sift flour and set aside.

Heat the milk, salt, sugar and butter in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Add the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, forming a ball. This should take around 20 seconds.

Return the saucepan to the stove over a low heat and continue to beat it for 1 minute. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat at a high speed for 30 seconds. This will take some heat out of the mixture and release steam. This can also be done by a wooden spoon. When the mixture has cooled slightly reduce the speed and add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each to incorporate thoroughly. The finished dough should be soft and glossy.

Place the dough in a piping bag with a large, plain nozzle and pipe 9cm lengths onto a lined and greased baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Place the pastries onto a cooling rack. With a sharp knife make a tiny slit at one end to allow the steam to escape. Leave to cool completely before filling with pastry cream.

Pastry cream:
3 egg yolks
300ml milk
1 vanilla bean or two teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon plain flour

In a saucepan, heat milk and vanilla bean on a medium heat just to the boil.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment beat the egg yolks, sugar and flours until it looks pale and smooth.

Once the milk has boiled, remove from the heat and pour 1/3 into the egg mixture. Mix and then pour back into the saucepan with remaining milk.

Return the saucepan to a medium heat and, stirring continuously; bring the pastry cream gently to a boil. Stir for 30-60 seconds until it has thickened. Remove from the heat, pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool completely.

To assemble the éclairs:
Make a small hole on each end of the eclair (I used the end of a chopstick). With a small round tip, pipe the pastry cream into each bun until the cream is visible on the other end. Alternatively, make a slit on the entire side of one shell and pipe the cream into the opening. Dip the top of each bun into the chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts, or leave them plain.

carrot cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting

2010-11-03T12:32:00.007+11:00

Every week or so before exams, we have this thing called 'stuvac'. It stands for student vacation, which sounds just lovely. Right? In fact, it's an incredibly misleading name. It's one week given before the exam periods to ensure all students have a ample amount of time to study and revise. It's probably my most disliked week in the whole year. Because for the entire week, there's only one thing on my mind - studying. And any time I decide to take a break and do something else - whether it's watching an hour of TV or browsing the internet, there's that little voice in the back of my head telling me to go study.

And of course, there's that other not so good habit of mine. I'll constantly feel like eating. Every hour I'll go downstairs and open the fridge or pantry searching for something to snack on. And inevitably, I'll reach for any thing with chocolate in it. Which leads to me consuming a much too large amount of chocolate through out the day, and by the end of it I have that heavy feeling of eating just a little bit too much sugar. Monday morning this week, the first thing I made sure to do was make these delightful carrot cupcakes. And suffice to say, they definitely suppressed my sporadic chocolate cravings.

Carrot cupcakes with ginger cream-cheese frosting
Adapted from Epicurious

The recipe called for a quarter cup of crushed pineapple, but I didn't have any on hand so I substituted that for a quarter cup orange juice and a teaspoon of zest. What I love about these cupcakes is that they're super moist and not too sweet. And oh, the ginger cream cheese frosting is fantastic. It's amazing what two teaspoons of fresh ginger will do to an otherwise basic cream cheese frosting. You'll definitely be licking the bowl and spoon.

1 cup plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 1/2 cups finely grated peeled carrots
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, oil, eggs and zest in large bowl until well blended. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture in 2 additions, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in carrots and orange juice. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Ginger cream cheese frosting
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar and ginger; beat until fluffy and smooth.

lamington slice

2010-10-30T22:14:00.003+11:00

I'm not the most organised person, if you take a look at my room, you'll know exactly what I mean. It's not messy in the did something explode in here? kind of way, it's simply cluttered. Overflowing drawers, bookshelves with every corner filled, folders and papers lying around over my desk. Somehow, I still know where everything is; the lined paper I use to write out notes in my second draw, spare pens and notepads in the first, and my toys from kinder surprises and happy meals in the little cupboard next to my door. I know I should clean out everything more often, but I'm terrible at throwing away things. I like keeping things 'just in case'. Old notes, pictures, newspaper clippings are all strewn in different places around my room. I still have all my high school notes neatly labelled and filed on a shelf, in case for some reason I ever need them again.

The other day, I was rummaging through one of my drawers, and tucked away between a few sheets of paper was a little plastic card holder, slightly larger than the size of my palm, filled with little wallet sized pictures of my friends. Dorky school photos, pictures taken in those little photo booths and some from birthdays and other occasions. I completely forgot what I was looking for, and with a smile on my face took out each picture one by one, reminiscing about school and all the good times we had together.

Its only been a year since finishing high school, and considering how this year has blitzed by, it really isn't that long. But even with the majority of my friends living within half and hour, it's still difficult to see them with clashing uni timetables and simply not enough free time. Of course, there's facebook, msn, phone calls to stay in contact but it's never the same as having a face to face conversation. I use to worry that the lack of seeing each other would make us grow apart, but I don't think it has. So when I do get to see them, it feels even more special, but at the same time our friendship is how it's always been, we'll have laughing fits over something so small, then forget what was even funny in the first place, and talk for hours on end about nothing. And old pictures are a reminder of what amazing friends I have.

I'll probably throw out my high school notes one day, but some things I'd like to keep for a very long time.

Lamingtons - supposedly named after a Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington (I giggle every time I hear 'Lord Lamington'). They're little squares of sponge cake dipped in a chocolate sauce then sprinkled with coconut, sometimes filled with jam and cream too. What I like about this recipe is that it's a little easier to assemble, as you simply pour over the chocolate sauce, yet you still get the lovely combination of chocolate and coconut. I should warn you, these are addictive. Especially on the day they're made - you won't be able to stop at one.

Lamington Slice
From Donna Hay

125g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1 cup (75g) shredded coconut

chocolate icing
3/4 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3-4 tablespoons boiling water
20g unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 160°C (320ºF).

To make the chocolate icing, place the icing sugar, cocoa, and butter in a bowl, then adding the water one tablespoon at a time, whisk to combine, until it reaches a pourable consistency. Set aside.

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until well combined. Stir in the milk. Spoon into a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. While still warm, cut into squares and carefully pour over icing. Top with coconut. Makes 18-20 pieces.

SIFF - Master Class with Andy Ball

2010-10-17T19:08:00.001+11:00

To put it simply, the master class at Bel Mondo was fan-tastic.

Ever since making the booking for the class, I was giddy with excitement, and at the same time feeling a little nervous. I'm not sure why though, because the moment I walked into Bel Mondo I was put at the ease with the very cheery bartender and Andy Ball himself, who was the nicest chef ever (okay, he's the only chef I've met but that's besides the point).

I arrived about 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time and a couple of the other attendees were already seated near the bar talking with Andy. I probably won't stop gushing about Andy throughout this post, but I'm in no way exaggerating when I say he was really great about everything, and made the class fun and engaging for us all.

So, for the Masterchef viewers out there, the class was conducted very much like a traditional 'master class'. There was a table set up behind the dining area with seats around for us to watch while Andy demonstrated each recipe allowing for us to ask any questions, take notes and occasionally help out. We were each given a very detailed recipe book for us to follow along with as well. After making each course, we'd go back to our seats and the waiters would bring out the respective dishes. Andy and the Maitre'D also sat with us during the meal, and we had some really great conversations with them. This was definitely one of the highlights of the night; an opportunity to speak with such amazing people and hear all about the stories they have of daily restaurant life and being involved in the food industry for so long.

apologies for the blurry picture :(

And now for what you guys really want to hear about - the food. There were three courses, each paired with a Brown Brothers wine. We received lots of tips throughout the night on adapting the recipes for home cooking as well as presentation of food.

First up, the entrée

Sauté scallops and confit pork belly with capsicum purée and nicoise vegetables

Have you ever heard of nicoise vegetables? I haven't. It's a fancy name for a mixed salad. Up and til about two weeks ago, I had never had scallops before, and now I'm a pretty big fan of them. These ones were lightly pan fried, until just cooked, so they were still a little pink in the middle and tasted even better with the sweet yellow capsicum purée. The pork belly was pan fried as well, and while the scallops were slightly firm, the pork was almost meltingly soft. And look at the curly little radishes! I bet you're wondering how they turn like that. Well it's simpler than you think, simply slice them thinly and leave them in a container of water in the refrigerator. A short while after, they will have developed a nice little curl.

Next, the main course.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder with pea and mint risotto and caramelized garlic honey purée

For me, the highlight of this dish was the risotto. The slow cooked lamb - cooked for eight hours in oil leaving it incredibly tender and moist was absolutely wonderful, but I was pleasantly surprised with the risotto. When you hear risotto, often images of a porridge like, mushy rice comes to mind but this was just the right amount of creamy, without the risotto completely breaking down. And the addition of peas gave it a lovely green colour as well as slightly sweetening the dish. The little slick of sauce in the right hand corner of the dish was the caramelized garlic purée, which I think there definitely should have been more of. It's a combination of roasted garlic, honey and red wine vinegar, resulting in a sweet, slightly acidic sauce without an overwhelming garlic flavour. On the side was a simple tomato salad, which was needed as this was quite a rich dish. The portion in the picture looks quite deceiving, it's a very large serving, I wasn't able to finish it, despite how good it was. Though that was partly because I wanted to save some space in my tummy for dessert.

I feel there should be a drum roll before the dessert, because it seriously deserves one.

I was waiting in anticipation for this all night, because who doesn't get excited with the prospect of warm gooey chocolate fondant. Now, it doesn't look like much at first, just a harmless little chocolate cake...

Warm chocolate fondant with lemon curd purée and vanilla bean ice cream

But the moment you cut it open, and you see the chocolate slowly ooze out and you know you're in molten chocolate heaven.

See what I'm talking about?

The fondant was served with a deliciously tart lemon curd and a sweet vanilla bean ice cream that helped cut all the chocolate. It was also lovely watching Andy do the presentation for the dish, delicately brushing on the chocolate sauce on the plate, then the little drops of lemon curd, sprinkling a spoonful of chocolate crumble, and gently topping it with a quenelle of ice cream. Someone even commented "are you sure you're not an artist?" It was like seeing an artist at work.

All, up it was great night, where I learnt so much from the people around me, and it was truly a privilege to watch Andy Ball cook. And a shout out to the thirteen others I had the pleasure of experiencing the class with, it was great meeting you all and I think we can agree we all had a fantastic time together.

As for recipes, I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to post them up, but if I am you'll definitely be seeing the chocolate fondant again soon!

The other class running as part of the Sydney International Food Festival is unfortunately booked out, however Bel Mondo may run more classes in the future, so visit the website for more announcements.

Bel Mondo

tel 02 9241 3700
fax 02 9810 4392

Gloucester walk, The Rocks, Sydney 2000, Australia

Anna of Morsels and Musings is posting a weekly round up of the events from the Sydney International Food festival, so check out her blog out for more happenings around Sydney!

If you would like to submit an event to the round up details of how are here.

berry almond crumble

2010-10-11T21:55:00.008+11:00

It's been eight months since I started University. And now, I'm finally enjoying it. It's a culmination of things; realising I've made some great new friends, enjoying my degree and meeting some wonderful new teachers. One of the recurring rumours I heard before was that in uni teachers don't care about you as much as they did in high school. What I'm finding now though is the complete opposite, my lecturers are funny and some are great conversationalists and they're all incredibly smart people who bring a world of knowledge to the subjects they teach.

It's a bit like starting high school all over again, so many new things, sometimes wishing things would go back to how they were before, and finally, settling in and having a fantastic time. I still feel like a newbie most of the time, but the routine is beginning to kick in now, and I'm feeling a bit more like a real uni student each day now.

I think what I like more about uni life is the sense of independence and freedom you get. It's up to you to decide how much effort you'll put in, whether you'll attend lectures or not, and then there's all the exploring you get to do. My campus is only about 40 minutes away from home, but it's still lovely to take a walk around the surrounding areas, discovering new shops and places.

And of course, there's more time to ponder the important things in life. Like food. I'm only at uni three days a week, and whenever I'm home I'll find my thoughts inevitably drifting to the kitchen, and what I could be doing in there. And Sydney's very temperamental weather means craving delicious warm crumble is perfectly normal in the middle of spring.

So I made this berry almond crumble.

Berry Almond Crumble

Crumble of any sort is up there with decadent chocolate cake and warm caramel puddings as the ultimate comfort food for me. The biggest difference is how easy it is to put together. I usually make something like this after a day at uni, then eat it straight out of the ramekin, with a cup of tea, in front of the television. Almond goes wonderfully with the berries, adding a lovely nutty aroma and there's just enough to let you it's there when you eat it. The berries set to an almost jam like consistency the next day, and you can grab a spoon and have it straight out of the fridge the morning after. I've used the same crumble topping with stewed apple and other variations, so you can replace the berries with any other fruit you might have on hand.

For the crumble topping
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
75g butter, chopped into cubes

For the berries
3 cups frozen or fresh berries
3 tbs water
1 tbs sugar

In a saucepan, heat the water and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the berries, and cook for a few more minutes until berries are slightly softened and syrup thickens. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, almond, meal, oats, sugar and cinnamon and mix together until combined. Using our finger tips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients, until mixture resembles sand.

Divide the berries between four 1-cup capacity ramekins, or a similar sized baking dish. Spoon the crumble mixture on top, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

The crumble keeps for quite a while in the fridge, though it is best enjoyed while its just out of the oven, nice and warm.

SHF - mini raspberry cheesecakes

2010-09-21T22:17:00.007+10:00

It's the little things that make me happy. Seeing the first berries and mangoes pop up in the grocery stores. Planting new flowers in the garden. Seeing the sun out for longer. All the things that make you realise that spring is definitely in the air. And speaking of little things, you should definitely make these mini cheesecakes.

Because bite size desserts are addictive. Especially bite size cheesecakes. They're small, cute, and look so innocent you can help but eat more than one. Or two, or three. I've always had a soft spot for cheesecake, there's something very satisfying about digging into fluffy, sweet cream cheese with a biscuit crust. These raspberry swirl ones are even better the day after, so save some for later if you can!

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes
Adapted from Taste

1 cup (about 10) finely ground Oreo biscuits (including filling)
40g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
375g cream cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a muffin pan with paper cases or baking paper.

Mix ground Oreos and butter in a bowl. Divide mixture pans, pressing down well. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove and cool.

Mash the raspberries to a pulp with back of a fork. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down well, then discard seeds.

Place the cream cheese in bowl of an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy.

Add the caster sugar in a slow, steady stream, beating until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Pour cheese mixture over biscuit bases.

Place small drops (about 1/2 teaspoon) berry puree on top of cakes and use a wooden skewer or toothpick to carefully swirl through cheese mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes until just set. Open oven door and allow cakes to cool completely in switched-off oven. Makes 10

Enjoy!

These were made for SHF #69 hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen with the theme Bite Size Desserts.

Raspberry Cheesecake

one big macaron

2010-09-11T23:46:00.007+10:00

Every time there's an occasion related to my Dad, I ask the same question

"So, what would you like?"

With my grandma, I have a pretty solid idea of her favourite desserts. My dad on the other hand, I really have no clue, because it changes year to year and depends on what he's eaten recently. Last weekend was Father's Day, and his answer was macarons. AS most people will know, macarons are incredibly fickly things. There's just so much that can go wrong, and I've only made nice ones once in my numerous attempts. But I set my sights on making a giant macaron for my Dad.

Unfortunately, things don't always work out. The macaron was completely footless and had many cracks. The lemon curd I made as the filling turned out fine, and it didn't taste all that bad, but it was nothing like a macaron should have been. However, I did learn two important things, one, I need more practice at making macarons, and two, pancakes fix everything. No, really they do. Especially a stack of big fluffy pancakes drenched in orange syrup.

Pancakes
3/4 cup + 1 tbs self raising flour
2 tbs baking powder
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift flour and baking powder together. Make a well in the centre, then stir in milk, egg and vanilla until you have a smooth batter. In a heated pan, ladle in batter and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes.

Orange Syrup
Juice and zest of one orange
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs butter

In a saucepan, heat butter and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add orange juice and simmer until it thickens slightly