Flavours to Savour

Flourless Sacher Torte - Rich & Dense Chocolate Ganache Enveloped Cake

2010-04-11T19:36:00.002+09:30

The Sacher Torte would have to be the world's most famous chocolate cake. First created for Prince Metternich, by Franz Sacher, a 16 year old apprentice at the court, the original recipe has been a well kept secret since 1832.

Countless variations of Sacher Torte recipes exist, this is my version of the cake which captures the richness and denseness of the original. This recipe uses almond meal instead of wheat flour so is totally gluten and wheat free.

This cake keeps well, and I often bake it the day before I ice it.

Flourless Sacher Torte

Ingredients:
Torte

   6 Eggs
   2/3 Cup Sugar
     160gr Butter
   200gr Dark Chocolate
   1 1/2 Cups Almond Meal
   Apricot Jam
Ganache

150gr Dark Chocolate
100ml Pouring Cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius, and ensure the rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
Separate the eggs and place the egg yolks and sugar into a mixer bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
In the meantime, place the 200gr of chopped chocolate and butter into a small pan and stir over a very low heat until just combined. The mixture should be tepid at all times - not hot.
Gently stir the warm chocolate / butter mixture into the creamed sugar and eggs.
Fold almond meal into the mixture.
Place the egg whites into another bowl and beat to stiff peak stage.
Stir 1/3 of the egg whites thoroughly into the chocolate almond mixture.
Gently fold the remaining egg whites through the mixture.
Pour into a greased round spring form cake tin that has had the base lined with baking paper.
Bake for around 1 hour - or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to rest for 15 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a cooling rack.
When cold, slice the cake through the middle and spread a generous layer of apricot jam on one half and sandwich together again. Remove any crumbs on the cake's outer surface by gently brushing with a pastry brush.
Prepare the ganache by heating the cream until it just comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the finely chopped chocolate until all the chocolate has melted. Stir gently, to avoid introducing too many air bubbles. Allow to cool slightly.
Pour a couple of tablespoons of ganache onto the cake and spread with a spatula to seal any crumbs and prepare the base for the remaining ganache.
Place the cake into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set the thin layer of ganache.
Then cover the cake by pouring the remaining ganache onto the centre of the cake. Working quickly, spread the mixture with a spatula to push the ganache over the edges and evenly onto the sides of the cake.
Allow the ganache to set. This cake is traditionally served with a small dollop of whipped cream.

Caramelised Popcorn - Simple, Quick and Gluten Free!

2010-04-04T11:37:00.001+09:30

Super sweet caramelised popcorn has to be one of the simplest and quickest snack foods to make, with the added bonus that it is gluten free.

To keep the amount of fat in this recipe to a minimum, I would suggest you pop the corn using an electric hot air popcorn machine, or in the microwave oven, instead if a pot with oil.

Parcelled into pretty bags, this also makes a nice simple gift for children's parties, fêtes and other celebrations.

Caramelised Popcorn

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Popping Corn

125gr Butter

2 tbs Honey

3/4 Cup White Sugar

Method:

Prepare the popcorn using your desired method.
In a small saucepan combine the chopped butter, sugar and honey and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved (5 minutes or so).
Then increase the heat a little and bring the mixture to the boil, regularly stirring to ensure the caramel does not burn.
Continue to boil and stir for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture has a light golden colour. Remove from the stove.
Place the popped corn into a VERY large bowl, or split into two large bowls, as you will need a lot of room to stir the caramel into the corn and it gets VERY HOT.
Gradually distribute the caramel over the corn by slowly drizzling the mixture over it and combine well. I find a silicon spatula works best for this. If any corn falls out of your bowl when mixing, DO NOT pick it up with your bare fingers as you may get quite a burn from the caramel. Continue to stir, to break up the corn and cool it a little.
Turn the mixture out onto a non-stick baking tray or lightly greased tray, pressing into a single layer if possible. Allow to cool.
Break into bite sized pieces.
Enjoy...

Sweet Plaited Milk Loaf - Perfect for lazy Sunday mornings

2010-04-04T00:21:00.001+10:30

I swear weekends were invented for leisurely breakfasts. This sweet milk bread or Milchzopf, as it is known in German, teams well with honey or your favourite jam, a strong cup of coffee and a newspaper. It can be served warm, cold or toasted.

There are many people that rarely or never bake with yeast because they think it's just too messy and/or time consuming - I know, I used to be one of them. That all changed when I purchased my fully automatic bread machine. All of a sudden, a whole new world of baking awaited me!

Sure the machine bakes a good loaf of bread all by itself, and many a loaf I did bake in my initial craze. But, I then soon realised the greatest benefit of this machine was that it could mix, knead and leaven the dough for a whole range of other recipes, that I could bake in my own oven.

The recipe instructions below assume you have a bread machine to mix, knead and leaven the dough. However, you can equally perform these functions by hand, and by preheating your oven to 150 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes, to create a warm environment in which to leaven your dough.

Plaited Milk Loaf

Ingredients:

550gr White Flour

250ml Milk

1 Packet Vanilla Sugar

80gr Sugar

45gr Unsalted Butter

3 Eggs

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Dry Yeast

1/4 cup Dried Sultanas (optional)

Method:

In a bowl using a balloon whisk mix the milk, 2 eggs, vanilla sugar, sugar, melted butter and salt by hand until all ingredients are well combined.
Pour the liquid mixture into the bread machine's bread pan.
Place the flour on top of the milk mixture and then sprinkle the yeast evenly over the top.
Set the bread machine to mix/knead the dough - I usually let it do its thing for about 10 minutes.
Set the first rising period to about 1.5 hours. When this time is up the dough will have visually at least doubled in size.
Punch the dough down for a minute or so, then allow to rise for another hour.
After the second rising, remove the dough from the machine and knead on a flat surface until its' stickiness subsides.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius with the middle oven rack in place.
If including sultanas, flatten the dough out with your hands and sprinkle the sultanas over the top and knead into the dough.
Divide the dough into three equal portions, shaping each into a sausage shape of equal length (40-50cm).
Grab the ends of the three pieces and securely press together, then plait the dough, ensuring to join the other end securely as well.
Lift the plait onto a baking paper lined tray, whisk the remaining egg and brush all over the top of the loaf. At this stage I like to sprinkle a thick coating of sugar over the top, but it's not a requirement.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden.
Enjoy...

Fine Custard Pear Tart - French Style

2010-03-21T20:33:00.002+10:30

With pears in season, it's a perfect time to take advantage of their current freshness and sweetness.

This is a simple tart, that is moist, sticky and slightly crunchy all in one. Imagine a fine crust, topped with an equally fine layer of real egg custard with sweet slices of pear on top. Add a dollop of slightly sweetened vanilla cream or eat it simply on its own.

Pear Tart

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough

200gr White Flour

1 Packet Vanilla Sugar

100gr Softened Butter

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt

Custard

2 Egg Yolks

250ml Cream

60gr Sugar

1 Packet Vanilla Sugar

2 Tbs Corn or Potato Flour

Topping

3-4 Medium to Large firm but ripe Pears

4-5 Tbs Apricot Jam

Method:

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the vanilla sugar, salt, butter and egg. Combine either with the dough hook of your electric mixer or by hand.
Once fully combined, knead the dough on a slightly floured bench top until the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of your baking tray - I like to use my square cake pan 33cm x 23cm and place into the greased and floured tin ensuring the dough rises up the sides of the tin by about 2.5cm.
Pre-heat the oven to 175-200 degrees Celsius. Place the racks in the middle of the oven.
Core and slice the pears into 1/2cm thick slices (I like to leave the skin on the pears, but if you wish, feel free to peel them.) and arrange, overlapping, in an attractive manner over the pastry covering the entire base.
Prepare the custard by beating the egg yolks with the cream and mix in the sugar, vanilla sugar and corn / potato flour and then pour evenly over the prepared tart.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes until the custard has set and the tart is a deep golden colour. You will notice the tart will have come away from the sides of the pan a little.
Place the apricot jam into a small pot and stir in 2 tablespoons of water - briefly bring to the boil. Whilst the tart is still hot glaze the entire top with the hot apricot jam. Allow to cool or serve warm.
Enjoy...

Homemade waffle cones: An easy way to jazz up plain ice cream

2010-01-31T17:20:00.002+10:30

I must admit, I have a bit of a thing for ice cream cones - especially waffle cones. The more cone, the less ice cream, the better!

It never occurred to me that I could make them myself until, a few years ago, I stumbled upon a waffle iron specifically designed for ice cream cones in a department store. Naturally, I had to have one, then and there, if only to complement the standard waffle iron I already owned!

Well, that was the start of a long journey to try and make the perfect cone. The perfect cone still eludes me, however, the recipe outlined below is pretty good and still my favourite to date.

The batter for this recipe must be left to rest overnight, so you'll need to plan ahead when making these cones.

Waffle Ice Cream Cones
Ingredients:
  60gr Margarine
  1 Egg
  170gr Plain Flour
  170gr White Sugar
  1 pkt Vanilla Sugar (or a tablespoon of vanilla essence)
  250ml Water

In a medium sized bowl beat the margarine with the egg until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar into another bowl and mix to combine the ingredients.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the margarine mix, alternating with the water until a smooth heavy flowing batter is achieved.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the refrigerator to rest overnight.
The next day, the batter will more than likely have considerably thickened. Add enough water until the batter is easy flowing again.
Preheat the waffle cone iron and when hot, spoon the appropriate amount of batter for your iron onto the hotplate.
Cook until golden brown.
Whilst still very hot wrap the waffle 'pancake' around the cone mould and hold the shape into place until the cone has cooled enough to hold its form. (Due to the high heat of the cone, it's best to use a clean tea towel to assist with rolling the cone.) If you prefer to make cone cases/cups, take two small bowls, where one fits inside the other and evenly drape the cone over the underside of the smaller bowl, then place the larger bowl over the top to shape.
Place onto a rack to thoroughly cool and crisp up.
Enjoy...

Laugenbrezeln / mohnzopf

2010-01-31T00:45:00.001+10:30

Schwarzwälder Landbrot

Baguette

2010-01-31T00:43:00.003+10:30

Bagel

2010-01-31T00:43:00.001+10:30

Belgian Waffles

2010-01-31T00:39:00.001+10:30

Schaumrollen - Sweet meringue filled puff pastry horns

2010-01-26T17:54:00.000+10:30

Schaumrollen, I fondly remember these light, super sweet pastries from my early childhood in Austria. I have never found the equivalent here in Australia, nor do I know if there is actually an English name for these.

A simple dessert, they consist of a puff pastry shell, traditionally either in a horn or tube shape, filled with a sugary sweet, light, and soft egg white meringue type filling.

They are surprisingly easy to make, and only require three ingredients (four, if you decide to dip them into chocolate) and some pastry horn baking moulds.

Schaumrollen
Required time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
   2 Sheets frozen puff pastry
   2 Eggs
   35gr Powder sugar
   150gr White sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 225 degrees Celsius and place rack in the middle of the oven.
Defrost the puff pastry.
Grease the baking moulds, I like to use a cooking oil spray, butter is fine too. Tip: If you have had trouble with the pastry not releasing from the moulds in the past, lightly coat with breadcrumbs after the fat, as this will stop the dough from sticking.
Cut narrow strips from the dough and roll in an overlapping fashion over the moulds. Place on a greased oven tray with the end join of the dough on the underside.
Separate the egg white from the yolk and add a tiny bit of water to the yolks and stir to make a glaze. Brush the tops of the pastry with the yolks.
Bake until golden for about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and whilst still hot, remove the moulds and allow to thoroughly cool on a rack.
Place the egg whites into a medium sized bowl and whisk until very stiff. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until thoroughly combined. Put to the side.
In a small pan, bring 50ml of water to the boil and add the white sugar. Bring to the boil again and constantly stir for exactly three minutes on high heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks bubbly and glossy. Remove from the heat.
Commence whisking the egg whites again and slowly drizzle all of the hot sugar syrup into them and continue to whisk until the mixture cools considerably.
Place the egg white mix into a piping bag and fill the horns, allowing a little of the filling mix to protrude from the ends. Lightly dust with powdered sugar or dip the topside into molten chocolate.
Enjoy...

Banana Bread: Nature's wonder fruit just became a whole lot better

2010-01-24T21:48:00.003+10:30

Banana bread - It was a favourite years ago and it's still a favourite now. Whether you call it banana bread, banana loaf or banana cake, one thing's certain, we all love it.

There are countless variations of recipes, my favourite, is simple, fast and just about foolproof. If you find yourself with some bananas that are overly ripe this is the perfect way to use them. It's also possible to use thawed frozen bananas for this - just peel and wrap in cling film to freeze.

Now you have NO excuses for throwing overly ripe brown bananas away!

Banana Bread

Required time: 10 minutes preparation, 55 minutes baking

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Plain flour

3/4 cup Sugar

1 cup Walnuts (coarsely chopped)

1 1/4 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

2 Eggs (lightly beaten)

1/2 cup Rice bran oil

3 Bananas (over ripe)

1 tsp Vanilla extract or essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease and flour a loaf tin approximately 23cm x 13cm x 8 cm.
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, I like to use a hand whisk for this.
In a medium size bowl combine all the wet ingredients well.
Lightly fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until it has just combined - it is crucial to FOLD and NOT MIX the ingredients or you risk making your loaf rubbery and tough.
Turn the mix into the prepared tin and place on a rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for approximately 50 - 55 minutes, at which stage the loaf should be golden brown. To test whether the cake is fully cooked insert a skewer into the thickest part of the loaf and withdraw- if it's not sticky and no dough is stuck to it, then the cake is done.
Allow the loaf to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then remove and place onto a rack to fully cool.
Enjoy...

Forget Apricot Jam... Try these divine Apricot Dumplings (Marillenknödel)

2010-01-17T14:32:00.006+10:30

It's summertime and the young apricot tree in the far corner of the garden has again produced a splendid crop of palate tingling golden fruit. I had been eyeing them for weeks, checking their progress, sampling the odd apricot here and there, but it was only a week ago that they were just perfect.

With too many to eat, what to do? Usually, I would make jam with the excess, but this year I decided to dry some and make apricot dumplings i.e. Marillenknödel.

You can't get a more Austrian dish than Marillenknödel - Imagine a perfectly ripe apricot enveloped in a soft dumpling dough rolled in sugary sweet crunchy caramelised breadcrumbs. It's the Mozartkugel of the dumpling world!

Every summer my grandmother made these, with extra helpings of the crumb mixture, just for me, because I could have eaten the crumbs alone by the spoonful (and I did!).

Well not much has changed, only that I now have to make the dumplings myself and I still double the amount of crumbs.

It may seem a lot of effort, but believe me, once you've tasted these you'll gladly make them again.

Apricot Dumplings

Required time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

500 - 600gr Apricots

1 Sugar cube per apricot

Dumpling Dough

1kg Potatoes

350gr Plain flour

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt

Crumb Coating

200gr Breadcrumbs

200gr Sugar

200gr Salt free butter

Method:

Wash and dry the apricots. Remove the stone by cutting half of the apricot open along the crease and replace it with a sugar cube.
Boil the potatoes in their skins until they are soft. Drain and pour cold water over them so they cool to the touch.
Peel the skins off the potatoes and press them into a large bowl using a potato press if you have one, otherwise just mash them.
Add the egg, pinch of salt and sifted flour to the potatoes and mix well until a sticky dough forms.
Separate the dough into two portions and on a floured workbench roll each into a short, fat roll. Cut slices off the dough and flatten into small rounds. Place a prepared apricot on each round and firmly seal the dough around it.
Bring some water in a large cooking pot to the boil. Whilst waiting for the water to boil, gently melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the breadcrumbs and sugar combining all ingredients well. Stir over a medium heat until the crumbs become golden and the sugar caramelises a little - be careful not to burn the crumbs. Remove from the heat.
Gently lower the dumplings into the simmering water and cook until they rise to the top and float - this is the sign they are done. Remove and drain the excess water then immediately roll them in the warm crumb mixture.
Serve warm, on a plate with some extra crumbs sprinkled over the top and a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Enjoy...

Almond Biscotti - Simplicity at its best...

2010-01-11T21:25:00.014+10:30

Why is it that some of the simplest things in life are often the best? These biscuits are no exception!

What better treat to include with an afternoon coffee than a few slices of almond biscotti (Italian for biscuits). These double baked biscuits contain no added fat and are a perfect means to utilise any leftover egg whites from other recipes.

It's difficult to believe such a tasty rustic biscuit can be made with just 4 simple ingredients - egg whites, almonds, sugar and flour.

After trying these, you won't want to go back to the store bought version - guaranteed!

Almond Biscotti

Required time: TBA
Ingredients:
  4 Egg Whites
  100gr Caster Sugar
  120gr Almonds
  120gr Plain Flour

Method:

Place the egg whites into a bowl and whip to stiff peak stage.
Continue to whip the egg whites whilst gradually adding the sugar, until a glossy mixture is obtained. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Sprinkle the almonds over the egg whites and sift the flour evenly over the top. Gently fold the four and almonds into the mix. Be cautious not to over mix, but be sure to just combine enough until no lumps of flour exist.
Grease and flour a small loaf tin, ensuring you tap the tin upside down to remove excess flour.
Pour the mixture into the tin and gently tap the tin on a counter top a few times to remove any air bubbles trapped in the mixture.
Bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees or until firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the tin for about 10 minutes, then turn out the loaf and allow to thoroughly cool on a rack.
Once cold, slice thinly (you'll need a very sharp serrated knife and use a gentle sawing motion to cut through the almonds). Bake the slices on a greased tray until golden for about 10-15 minutes at 150 degrees.
Again cool the slices on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Enjoy...

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling... Almond Crescents (Vanillekipferl)

2010-01-01T22:12:00.019+10:30

Vanillekipferl are delightful small crescent shaped biscuits originating from Vienna, Austria. Although they are traditionally made for Christmas, they can be enjoyed at any time of year and are a popular offering at Viennese cafes.

These biscuits have a very delicate flavour, that matures over the course of days, and can be stored for several weeks when kept in a cool environment.

Get ready to roll...

Almond Crescents

Required time: 20 minutes preparation, 1 hour refrigeration
Ingredients:
  560gr Plain Flour
  160gr Sugar
  400gr Butter (salt free)
  200gr Ground Almonds (or hazelnuts)
  100gr Powdered Sugar
  4pkts Vanilla sugar

Method:

Soften the butter to room temperature and cut into small pieces.
Place the flour, sugar, butter and ground almonds (hazelnuts) into a large bowl and mix / knead into a smooth dough.
Form the dough into a roll and wrap in clingwrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Once the dough has chilled take small portions of it and roll in the palm of the hand into a sausage shape and place onto a baking tray lined with lightly greased baking paper, in the form of a crescent.
Bake at 175 degrees Celsius until golden brown (approximately 15 minutes).
Mix the vanilla sugar with the powdered sugar in a wide shallow bowl.
Once the biscuits are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a minute or so.
Carefully remove the biscuits from the tray (they must still be hot for this) and quickly roll one by one in the vanilla sugar mix until fully coated.
Place on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy...

Glazed Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln) - Who'd have thought it could be so easy?

2009-12-29T23:25:00.022+10:30

Gebrannte Mandeln have long been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. The fragrance of these cinnamon spiced, sugar coated almonds instantly conjures up fond memories of Christmas time in Austria.

Australia does have the equivalent, the glazed almond, however, I am yet to taste any that are as fresh, fragrant and crunchy as those offered at any Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) in Europe. Well, that was until I made my own...

After a little research and experimentation, I discovered this delightful treat could easily and quickly be made at home, which is just as well, because they disappear in a flash...

Glazed Almonds

Required time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
  200gr Sugar
  1pkt Vanilla sugar
  300gr Almonds (raw and whole)
  100ml Water
  Cinnamon (to taste, can be omitted if you prefer)

Method:

Lightly grease a baking tray with a cooking oil spray.
Place the sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and water into a pan large enough to accommodate all the almonds and stir to combine. I like to use a large frying pan for this.
Over a medium heat, stir the sugar syrup with a wooden spoon until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture starts to boil.
Carefully add the almonds to the bubbling mix and stir them in the syrup. Stir the mix constantly, this ensures the almonds are evenly coated with sugar and that they do not over roast. (Stirring is the key to success with this recipe.)
After 5 to 10 minutes you will notice the water begins to evaporate and the almonds become covered in a cloudy crystalline sugar coating. Keep stirring, albeit a little slower to allow the pan to heat a little more and begin to caramelize the sugar.
Over the course of the next few minutes the sugar will caramelize, at this point it is critical you stir to ensure all the almonds obtain an even coating of the caramelized sugar. You may hear the almonds 'popping' from the heat, this is a good sign, you're nearly there!
Once the almonds look dark and glossy, remove the pan from the heat and stir for another minute or so to slightly cool, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Spread the almonds out into a single layer with the wooden spoon and then with the help of two forks quickly proceed to separate the almonds into single almonds on the tray.
Allow to cool.
Enjoy...