Upside Down Berry Crumble

It's the start of the new school year so, obviously, I am spending copious amounts of time preparing, planing, printing, laminating, goal setting, timetable making and searching for a new job.

Every year around this time I decide I need to renew my seek.com account and peruse endless university courses thinking, "What do I really want to be when I grow up?" Inevitably I decide I like my current job enough before I find my new one. In between this realisation, however, sweet food is my one true constant and comfort….that's bad huh.  Oh well, it's Sunday night and my sanity and happiness is found smothered in berries and cream. 

 Upside Down Berry Crumble - for two

100g mixed rasperries and blackberries (I used frozen)

1/2 teaspoon white sugar 

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup plain flour (if using wholewheat flour use just less than 1/4 cup as it tends to be drier)

25g butter, melted

a couple of chopped walnuts

Whipped, thickened cream for topping

Mix the berries and the white sugar until combined then pack the berries into ramekins.

For the crumble, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and walnuts. Then add the butter bit by bit mixing after each addition to ensure the crumble does not become to wet. Pack the crumble on top of the berries and compact with a spoon (not super tight, but just so it forms a "topping" more than just a loose crumble)

Bake for 15minutes until crumble is browned, Allow to cool slightly then turn the ramekin upside down, tap the base and remove to reveal a perfectly formed berry crumble tower (or more likely, a partially collapsed berry crumble tower). Top with whipped cream. 

Be happy, things will surely get better. 

Nostalgic Vanilla Slice

Vanilla Slice was my dad's favourite bakery treat. When I was in primary school, on Wednesday afternoon dad would come to pick me up and we would go to the bakery and get sausages rolls and vanilla slices and then go to the park.

Dad would always bring along my dog, Scampy, who was allowed to eat the pastry crumbs. The park had two big ponds that my dad said were craters made by meteorites….though on reflection I'm sure they were made by the City Council.

We would eat, then walk around the ponds and look at the ducks and water fowl and turtles. There were even eels in the pond. The ponds had a bridge between them and a gazebo nearby. Around the edge were huge bullrushes and in the centre of the pond there was a little island where ducks would lay their eggs. Scampy sometimes became over excited and chased the ducks. One day she even fell into the water. Wednesdays were always the best afternoons.

Lately I've been craving vanilla slice. I didn't realise how nostalgic this sweet bakery-style treat was until I had my first bite for dessert tonight.


Vanilla Slice with Passionfruit Icing
2 sheets puff pastry
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (* or 1 vanilla bean)
1 cup corn flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 cups thickened cream
3 egg yolks
35grams butter, cubed

Slightly thaw the puff pastry sheets, line a baking tray with one piece of baking paper, place one puff pastry sheet on the paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the puff pastry sheet. Top the second piece of baking paper with the other slice of puff pastry. Top this puff pastry sheet with another sheet of baking paper (yep, that's 3 sheets of baking paper, 2 sheets of puff pastry!) Then on top of it all place another baking tray to weigh it all down. Put this layered ensemble into a 180 degree oven and allow to cook until the pastry is just puffed and lightly brown.

Combine 1/2 cup of milk and the vanilla essence (*if you have vanilla bean, at this point, in place of the essence, pour the milk into a small saucepan cut the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk then add the vanilla pod. Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes, then discard the pod).

In a large saucepan combine the other 1/2 cup of milk, sugar and flour. Whisk until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla to the flour mixture and cook on medium heat on the stove.

Stir constantly and allow to simmer. The mixture will become very thick (it's kind of like scrambled eggs/béchamel). Remove from the heat when thickened. Mix in the egg yolks and butter.

While the mixture cools, assemble one of the cooked puff pastry sheets on the base of a deep dish (about the same size as the puff pastry sheet but cut to size if necessary). Top the puff pastry sheet with the egg mixture. Place the other puff pastry sheet on top and refrigerate.

Passionfruit Icing
2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp
1 cup icing sugar

Slowly add the passionfruit pulp to the icing sugar, stir after each addition until icing is spreadable and at desired consistency. Pour and spread icing over the top layer of puff pastry and refrigerate. If icing is too thick, add a little water or melted butter. 

Christmas 2014

It wouldn't be Christmas without an update from the kitchen. In the past I have embarked on quite elaborate Christmas projects (which might not look like much, but after 2 bottles of bubbles it was a real effort) but this year I decided to avoid disaster and go with something more low key…..of course it was still wrought with disaster but on a much smaller scale.



Armed with my very Merry Mojito, I decided my baking gifts this year would be in the form of balls (insert mandatory "hehehe"). The standard Rum Balls of course, but I added in Timtam Balls and Mars Bar Balls as well. I think the Rum Balls were my best ever, the Mars Bars Balls were pretty plain but the Timtam Balls…..hold the phone Santa! These were TO DIE FOR.




I've had a lot of chocolate over the past few weeks. My birthday comes just a little to close to the end of the school year and Christmas so between November and January I am basically forced to push my body to the brink of diabetes. Timtam Balls = worth it!

I wasn't sure how to present all the balls (hehehe) but came across these cute little boxes in a party shop. The fact that they match my personal favourite Christmas colours was an absolute bonus.

The final part of my Christmas baking was to provide desserts for the family. I went with my Chocolate Mint Tart, Passionfruit & Mango Trifle and a standard Pavolva.

Merry Christmas! 

Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

The smooth combination of white and milk chocolate cream on a dark chocolate base makes this a deliciously rich and sweet dessert.

Baked Chocolate Cheesecake
Base
250g chocolate ripple biscuits
70g melted butter
Filling
2 x 250g cream cheese
1 cup thickened cream - divided into 1/2 cup and two 1/4cups
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
180g milk chocolate
100g white chocolate

To make the base, blend the biscuits in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter then press into the base of a spring-form pan and refrigerate while making the filling.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

For the filling: in a mixer combine the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of thickened cream, caster sugar and vanilla. Mix until light and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Divide the mixture between two bowls.

Place the milk chocolate and 1/4 cup of thickened cream into a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan over simmering water. Once melted allow to cool then combine with one of the cream cheese mixtures. Pour over the base and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

While cooking make the white chocolate layer. Place the white chocolate and 1/4 cup of thickened cream into a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan over simmering water. Once melted allow to cool then combine with the other cream cheese mixture.

Remove milk chocolate cheesecake from the oven and pour white chocolate cream cheese mixture over the milk chocolate layer. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes.

Allow the cheesecake to cool and then set in the fridge over night.

Chocolate Dream Tart

Chocolate Dream Tart
Be ready. You will need strawberries. You will need whipped cream. You will need willpower. It's a miracle this lasted in our fridge for more than several hours. It's one of those desserts that you portion out carefully after dinner because you certainly don't want to "over do it"….and by the morning, somehow, mysteriously, there is far less left in the fridge. The strawberries and cream really just serve to break through the rich, creamy, ganache like filling and the buttery chocolate base. Drool.

Chocolate Dream Tart
Base
250g chocolate biscuits
125g butter, melted

Line a spring-form pan with baking paper and butter. In a food processor, process the biscuits until they are fine crumbs then mix through the melted butter. Press the mixture in to the base of the pan and allow to set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Filling
250g dark chocolate
1/3 cup thickened cream
125g butter, chopped
2 eggs
3 egg yolks (preserve the whites for a pavlova!)
1/3 cup white sugar

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

Place the chocolate, cream and butter in a meltproof bowl and place over a pan of boiling water. Mix until the chocolate and butter are melted and combined.

Gradually mix the chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Pour on top of the biscuit base and bake for 15 minutes or until top is starting to set. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until set through.

Tiramisu

Earlier this year, on our "Italian Adventure" we visited beautiful Venice. It was only an overnight stay because Venice is expensive and after you've visited the main square and the Doge's Palace there are only so many shop filled, tourist crammed, cobbled stoned alleys you can handle before your feet fall off and you find you've eaten 12 different flavours of gelato in one day…..what?

We arrived on some kind of environmental day so none of the ferries were operating. Somehow, we (husband) decided it would be best to embark the 40 minute trek across San Marco to drop off our bags then head out on to the tourist packed streets. We visited a few sights and did some people watching. As the sun began to set we purchased a big bag of strawberries from a market and sat on a pier to watch the gondolas and the sun dance on the water. 

After sunset we walked by the main canal and examined the overpriced menus of several waterfront restaurants overflowing with loud tourists. Uninspired, we walked two streets back from the water down a random alley that, as we so often found in Italy, opened into a beautiful courtyard that housed a lovely little restaurant. It was just us. According to all Australian restaurant logic, minimal occupancy indicates that the restaurant serves poison as a main but this, thankfully, was not the case. We were served large jugs of wine and ate lashings of spinach and ricotta cannelloni. 

And then came dessert. Throughout our trip we tried to make a point of eating dishes that were traditional to the region. There is some debate regarding the origins of Tiramisu. Some say Tuscany, others Veneto but I have read enough convincing accounts that Tiramisu originated in Venice and that was where I ate it and loved it.  

It sure wasn't pretty but I have no regrets about eating at a non-mainstream, non-waterfront, non-tourist hotspot restaurant.  

During our trip we made many promises that when we came home we would recreate the delicious, regional flavours of Italy and this is one promise I came good on.  This is a cheats version as I chose not to make my own sponge but that will be a challenge for next time 

Tiramisu

3 eggs, separated

3/4 cup white sugar

250g mascarpone cheese

250ml espresso coffee, cooled

3 tablespoons sherry (or any sweet fortified wine or even brandy)

pre-made sponge cut into fingers 

thickened cream, whipped to serve

80g dark chocolate, finely grated to serve

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a light yellow and fluffy then beat in the mascarpone until smooth.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form then fold into the mascarpone mixture. 

In a shallow bowl combine the espresso and sherry, then dip the sponge into the liquid until it is just wet but not falling to pieces (try to do this as evenly as possible so you don't end up with some saturated sponge and other dry sponge). After dipping each sponge finger place it into a dish, pack them quite tightly. 

After the base layer of sponge is formed, top with the mascarpone mixture then make another sponge layer and top with mascarpone. This is best left to sit in the fridge and allow the flavours to develop for a few hours (or overnight if you can wait that long). Before serving top with whipped cream and dark chocolate. 

Smores Slice

These bad boys have been sitting in the back of my mind for a while now. Being an Australian, I feel like I've really missed out on the "smores culture". Apparently smores is an integral part of a North American upbringing......I can totally see why. Take your kid into the wild outdoors, light a fire and fill them full of sugar. What could go wrong? Ummm.....no really, what could go wrong? My future children will not be deprived of smores. This is a cheats version that does not require a camp fire, or the great outdoors, it's probably not half as good as a real smore but for an Australian version it'll do.

Smores Slice
I used a very small baking tray for these as I reasoned that smores would be quite decadent. My reasoning was confirmed once my mouth was coated in sticky marshmallow goodness.
90g Biscuit crumbs
30g Butter
Chocolate drops - milk and dark
Large marshmallows

Combine the biscuit crumbs and the butter and press into the base of a baking tray. Bake in a 180 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and scatter the chocolate drops over the base (I used only one layer of chocolate, being new to smores I figured it was mostly about the marshmallow and less about the chocolate?) The chocolate will begin to melt on the hot base, top the melted chocolate with marshmallows and return the tray to the oven. Change the oven setting to "grill" to allow the top of the marshmallows to become brown and crisp (obviously, watch this intently). Allow to cool slightly before cutting otherwise you will end up with a (delicious) mess.

Yoghurt & Raspberry Cake

Time is flying by so quickly. My blog reflects that my kitchen has been experiencing sever neglect. In truth, I'm still operating at full swing (over swing?) in the kitchen....but also in many other areas so it's just not transposing on to here. After 3 flat out weeks at work and 3 full weekends (of more work), this cake was the perfect way to unwind with a cup of tea on Sunday afternoon.

Yoghurt & Raspberry Cake
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup natural yoghurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups self-raising flour
3/4 cup frozen raspberries (slightly thawed)

In a mixer combine the eggs, sugar, yoghurt and oil. Mix until well combined then add the flour and continue to mix until combined. Gently stir in the raspberries. Then bake in a 180 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Icing
This cake would work soooo well with a white chocolate ganche - however, none of those ingredients existed in my home so I settled for lemon icing which was still awesome! 
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon butter
cold water
1/4 teaspoon lemon essence

Melt the butter in a small microwave bowl then add the water and the lemon essence. Add the icing sugar to a mixing bowl. Spoon about 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of the butter-water mixture into the icing sugar mixing well after each addition until the icing mixture is at desired consistency (as always, do this super slow - it's worth it in the end for spreadable icing that doesn't drip off the top)

Passionfruit & Mango Trifle

It is feeling very summery at the moment. I'm loving the last few weeks of my summer holidays and trying to get the most out of every day....and every meal. This trifle was served up by a friend late in 2013 and it has been on my mind ever since. It happened in my kitchen today.

* Note: to me, trifle is a personal thing - some prefer it more cakey, others more custardy, so I have left out measurements for somethings because the best trifle is made in just the right proportions that you like.

Passionfruit & Mango Trifle
85g passionfruit jelly crystals
passionfruit pulp
sponge cake/jam filled sponge roll (400g should be plenty, I used 200g to make 3 mini trifles)
1/4 cup malibu white rum
vanilla custard
mangoes (cubed)
250ml thickened cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar mix

Make the jelly in a shallow tray according to the instructions (add 250ml boiling water, mix until dissolved then add 200ml cold water).  Put into the fridge for about 2 hours until partially set then add the passionfruit pulp and mix through.

cut the sponge cake into small squares and lay on the bottle of the trifle dish. Drizzle the malibu over the sponge then spoon the jelly mixture over the sponge cake. Top with mango and custard. Extra layers can be added but finish with a mango layer.

In a small bowl whip the cream and icing sugar until firm peaks form in the cream. Top the trifle with the whipped cream and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night.

Old Skool Simplicity

Yeh, I spelt it like Skool. Remember MSN? I'd like to say "those were the days" but...I'd be lying.

Tomorrow is my birthday and, for a couple of reasons, I am doing nothing special. Traditionally my husband goes all out on birthdays. Particularly while we were living in Northern Queensland, birthdays became quite an event. This year however, we have been fairly busy, what with the move from country back to city, the trip to India, me starting at a new school and having 3 different admin teams in as many terms, my husband studying and changing job locations about 5 times, buying a block of land and building a house, planning another 2 international holidays......we've got stuff goin on so it's low key this year.

Being a primary teacher means that every few weeks I'm subject to singing "Happy Birthday" and forced to stuff my face with whatever delicious treat a hardworking parent has sent along. Can't you tell how much I hate it!? In fact I hate it so much I have added "Master Chef" as a homework option making it practically compulsory to bring me food on a weekly basis. Obviously I have to have a piece of everything because I am "the judge". Naturally, everybody wins except my waist.  So I thought, being my birthday, something nice would be to bring in some cake to share with the kids.

Now, it is that time of year where report cards are looming. Piles of marking and assessment are beginning to clutter my desk, car, couch. It's becoming easier and easier to select chocolate and coffee over gym and fruit (okay, honestly this has always been a problem for me). I really wanted to make some kind of impressive cake but it's midweek and for all the reasons listed above (and a bunch more) I just needed to do something easier.

I remember when I was growing up mum would make cakes that were really simple but still delicious. They had simple icing and simple decorations and they just did the job. You could cook it, whack a few candles in, sing the song and cut the thing in an afternoon. That's the kind of cake I wanted.

Old Skool Chocolate Cake
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar (or white if that's what you've got)
75 grams butter (cubed and softened)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix for about 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy, smooth and super creamy. Spoon the mixture into a prepared tin (I used a 20cm square but a 24 cm round would also work just as well). Place in the oven for about 30 minutes (check with a skewer and remove from the oven when the skewer comes out clean).

Allow the cake to cool and add chocolate icing and hundreds and thousands for that old skool touch.

White Chocolate & Macadamia Brownies with Warm Caramel Sauce

Woooaahhhh.  I need some serious stretchy pants. Two weeks of holidays has seen me drink many coffees, eat copious slices of banana bread and stuff anything remotely delicious into my mouth at a rapid pace.

This holiday has been great. Time in the garden. Time at the gym (shocking!). Time in front of the television. Time with friends. Lots of time eating, however, not much time spent in the kitchen.

For the final weekend of the break I figured I should make something epic. These have been in the pipeline for some time and I am so happy they happened in my kitchen tonight. Think chewy, chocolatey goodness.

White Chocolate & Macadamia Brownies
2 x 3/4 cups white chocolate bits
70 grams butter
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped

Melt one lot of the the white chocolate and the butter in a small bowl over a saucepan of boiling water until smooth.

In a large bowl mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the white chocolate and butter mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well combined then add the flour, baking powder, salt, nuts and extra white chocolate. Mix until just combined. Cook in a 180 degree oven for approx 23 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Warm Caramel Sauce
125ml thickened cream
95 grams brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
10 grams butter

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then let simmer for around 10 minutes until thickened. Caramel will continue to thicken while cooling.

Serve warm brownies drizzled in caramel sauce with ice cream.

Diet starts...................Tuesday.

TimTam Cake

So August brought that time of year again - Hubby's Birthday. After last years caramel, white chocolate deliciousness  it took me a while to decide what to for this year. I had a practice at this TimTam Cake and made a half batch recipe. For the actual day I made the full size cake, in all its chocolatey glory. It really was pretty spectacular - I took pictures this time which helps!

Sunday Sweets: TimTam Cream Cake

I had inspiration for this cake from here. I have changed it slightly by halving most of the recipe. My husbands birthday is just around the corner so this was my "practice cake" to ensure I don't totally embarrass myself on the big day. I have wanted to make a TimTam cake for a while and saw a few different designs online but I figured, for me, this was one the most achievable...though I was super nervous about the ganache, but in this case it turned out well. 

Cake

95 grams butter

185g caster sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup self-raising flour

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup + 2tbl spoons cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicard soda

¼ cup milk

¼ cup water

Chocolate Ganache

200g milk chocolate

150ml thickened cream (don't use long life)

Chocolate Cream Filling

65g butter

1 ½ cup icing sugar

1 tbs milk

100g milk chocolate, melted

50 g TimTams

Preheat oven to 180°C and organise your tray….something along the lines of a shallow rectangle. If you have 2 it will save you time, however, I only had one – so I had to allow extra time to cook each half of the cake.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl combine the flours, cocoa powder and bicarb soda. Transfer this mixture into a sift and sift half over the wet mixture. Add the milk and gentle fold in until just combined. Sift the rest of the flour mixture in then add the water and, again, fold gently until all combined.

Spoon mixture evenly into the cake pan/s and allow to cook (20-30min). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or if your in a hurry pop it in the fridge)

Chocolate Ganache

*the key to any good ganache is patience…I don’t have much of that when it comes to melted chocolate but it is important.

 Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to the boil over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Place in fridge, stirring often, until thickened to a spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Cream


Beat the butter in a bowl until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and milk, in alternating batches, until smooth and combined. With the beater on low, gradually beat in the chocolate. Put the TimTams in a plastic bag and crush them into small pieces (seriously, smash them up). Tip the crumbs into the cream mixture and fold through.

Putting it together

Place the base of the cake onto baking paper. Use a spatula and a spreading knife to spread the cream over the base. Top with the remaining layer of cake. Depending on how moist your cream is you may want to put the cake in the fridge at this point to allow the cream to set slightly OR just live life on the edge and go ahead and pour and spread the ganach all over the top and sides. Then refrigerate until ready to devour.

** side note: my ganache turned out perfectly….so perfectly infact that we never even took a photo of it – blog fail. On the plus side this was the “practice cake” so there will be another one to come with a ganache photo (fingers crossed!)

Sunday Sweets: Spicy Apricot Slice

Tonight I made the apricot version of this slice. It was really a last resort decision as I have really over done chocolate lately (excuse my blasphemy!). I felt like something that was sweet but fruity instead of just chocolatey. I think I got my wish with the Apricot Slice, but I have to say it is oddly different to the apple version. I can't decide if it is oddly different because it is odd, or if it's just because apple goes better with cinnamon than with apricots.

Sunday Sweets: Chocolate Creme Brulee with Hazelnut Praline

So this was new for me. I have never made Creme Brulee, let alone Chocolate Creme Brulee. This dessert was at my husbands request. Sometimes the things we do for love turn out to be the best things we possibly could have done.

I thought this dessert was doomed from the very beginning for 3 reasons

1. Creme Brulee
Here is something about me - I don't like custard. Do you chew it? Do you suck it? Is it solid? Is it liquid? It's just all kinds of wrong on texture for me. Creme Brulee is the ultimate custard dessert and I hate it. There is one Creme Brulee I remember positively, it was at a very expensive restaurant in the middle of Paris.....and I would judge it "okay". 

2. Dark Chocolate
Don't get me wrong, I like dark chocolate, but I like the kind of dark chocolate that is about 40% dark. Who seriously enjoys that 85% stuff? It is so not for me. If I'm going to be eating chocolate I expect my mouth to be filled with lingering sugary sweetness not tangy, over riding bitterness. To avoid this I used Cadbury's "Original Old Gold". It is the perfect combo of bitter and sweet and makes me feel a little bit like I'm on trend with the whole "dark chocolate" thing....even though I know I'm totally not and never will be.  

3. 24 Hours in advance 
Seriously, who the heck thinks about dessert 24 hours in advance? Okay, I do....but that's probably only because I think about dessert like all day every day. It is all I think about. I think about what dessert I will eat this week. What dessert I will eat next week. What desserts I will eat at Christmas. What dessert I will eat on my birthday. My life is mostly about dessert. However, when it actually comes to making one, I am more of a "here and now" kind of person. So, lucky I thought about this ahead of time and had the common sense to read the recipe a day in advance otherwise this dessert may not have even happened. 

Chocolate Creme Brulee with Hazelnut Praline 
310ml thickened cream
250 ml milk
200 grams dark chocolate
6 egg yolks*
1/3 cup caster sugar
55grams hazelnuts
1/3 cup caster sugar (extra)
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and get everything ready in advance. Combine the cream, milk and chocolate in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir continually until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth then remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar until thick and light in colour. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture in to the egg mixture.

Line a roasting pan with a tea towel (I know, weird right, just go with it - we'll talk about it later). Add the ramekins and pour the chocolate mixture into the ramekins until they are about 3/4 full. Pour boiling water around the ramekins until it reaches about half way up the sides.

Carefully place the filled baking tray into the oven and bake for about 65 minutes until just set. Remove from the oven and carefully remove from the water to cool. It is important to do this fairly quickly otherwise they will continue to cook in the hot water.

Allow the Creme Brulee to cool on the bench for a few hours then put cling wrap over the top and refrigerate over night.

Okay the tea towel thing - never heard of this before. I did one batch with a tea towel and one without. The one with was smooth, creamy and delicious. The one without came out all cracked and bubbly. Coincidence? Act of oven gods? Just be smart about it and don't set you tea towel on fire.

Now, you could just leave it at that - seriously, it will taste amazing at this point. However, a Hazelnut Praline is a nice addition.

Hazelnut Praline
55 grams hazelnuts
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Tip the hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins (they mostly come off super easy!) Then deposit the nuts back onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

In a small saucepan combine the sugar and the water. Stir over a low heat until the sugar totally dissolves (about 5 minutes - don't rush). Then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Cook without stirring for about 4 minutes until golden brown. While cooking brush down the insides of the saucepan with a pastry brush and a small amount of water. Once the mixture is a dark golden brown (not burnt!), quickly (and carefully) tip over the hazelnuts.

Leave the covered hazelnuts for about 10 - 15 minutes to cool and set. Break the hazelnut toffee into chunks and place into a food processor or blender. Blend until coarsely crushed. Sprinkle toffee crush on top of the Chocolate Creme Brulee and serve. OR place under the grill for about 2 minutes until the toffee caramelises. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Whew....there you go. It tastes like the richest, creamiest smoothest chocolate mouse you will
ever eat.

*Did you know you can actually freeze egg whites? Pop them in a sealed container, date them and pop them in the freezer. They whip up beautifully for any kind of meringue related desserts or a healthy egg white omelette if you're that way inclined.

Sunday Sweets: Chocolate Caramel Crumble

Lets just take a moment and really think about what attracts you to food?

What makes you decide "I will cook this oozing, crisp, decadent, chewy, chocolatey, caramelised calorie laded dessert instead of ....broccoli soup."

There is something about the words "molten caramel" that makes my heart skip a beat. I'm still not sure if I mean that metaphorically or literally.

There is just something about rivers of caramel poured hot from the pan that makes my tastebuds tingle.

What ever it is that attracts you to food, after this, it might never be the same.

Chocolate Caramel Crumble
32 Columbine Caramels (or similar caramel squares)
1/2 cup thickened cream
170 grams butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
200 grams chocolate (chips or pieces)

In a small saucepan combine the caramel and thickened cream. Melt over a low heat until the, stirring until it is completely smooth.

In a mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Mix to combine then halve the mixture. Press half of the mixture into a prepared baking tray to form the base (baking paper is your friend). Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes.

Remove base from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate. Carefully pour the caramel mixture over the top of the chocolate, allowing it to spread evenly over the base. Top the caramel with the other half of the oat and butter mixture, crumbling it all over the caramel.

Return the tray to the oven for a further 20 minutes. Now, this is important, hot caramel is like lava. It will seriously hurt if you spill it on you or attempt to eat it at this point. Remove the slice from the oven and allow it to cool on a tray. I would say let it cool to room temperature but...that is a big ask. Just make sure it won't metaphorically or literally burn your taste buds out of your mouth when you eat it.

Sunday Sweets: Spicy Apple & Oat Slice

This is an easy one which is essential at the moment. Pie Apples can be substituted with Apricots, delicious when cooled and served with a calming cup of tea.

Spicy Apple and Oat Slice
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of rolled oats (wholegrain are amazing)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
190 grams of butter, melted
400 gram tin pie apples
extra cinnamon, nutmeg and handful of crushed walnuts for topping

Combine the plain flour, oats, sugar, coconut and cinnamon and mix through the melted butter until the mixture is moist.

Spoon about two-thirds of the mixture into a small baking tray and press into the base. Top with the pie apples. Sprinkle the extra cinnamon and nutmeg over the top of the apples.

Add the walnuts into the remaining mixture and sprinkle over the apples. Bake in a 180 Celsius oven for 30 minutes.

Sunday Sweets: Lime Chiffon Pie

We are still on Cloud Lime thanks to our earlier harvest. As pretentious as it sounds, making delicious things with home-grown produce is so rewarding!

I was tempted to make another Lime Meringue Pie because....well, how can you resist?! However, reason prevailed and "trying new things" is important. Also this Lime Chiffon Pie requires the use of gelatin which I generally hate working with so it presented somewhat of a challenge. Finally, the concept of lime sugar really appealed to me as it is a combination of my two favorite flavours - sweet and tart.

To begin with, to me, this dessert was reminiscent of a graceful, elegant elderly lady. The luscious cream representing carefully blow dried and primed hair. The lime sugar, like lace gloves. However, when I came to make it, I realised that Chiffon Pie is just the extremist bastard love child of Meringue Pie. It's messy, a little conceptual and time consuming.

It's everything a Meringue Pie is not and when it comes together it is like actually eating a cloud (hence my earlier little Cloud Lime-Cloud 9 play on words....we've been doing a lot of figurative language in class this week). The end of the story is, this Lime Chiffon Pie is the lightest, fluffiest thing in my house at the moment. Considering I own this dog....

.....that is saying a lot.

Lime Chiffon Tart
Base
250gram packet butternut snap cookies
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75 grams butter
*this base actually became very hard and difficult to cut, if I were to make it again I would use my tried and true Scotch Finger Biscuit base however, this base is delicious and it works beautifully with the lime flavour 

Filling
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2 teaspoons lime rind
2/3 cup caster sugar
4 egg whites

Topping
300ml thickened cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture

Lime sugar
1 tablespoon lime rind
2 tablespoons caster sugar

As with all deliciousness, this pie starts with crushing up biscuits, adding cinnamon and melted butter. Combine all of these things and press into the base of a springform pie dish or a fluted pie dish if you're fancy and own one of those.

For the filling, separate the eggs and leave the whites to sit for the moment. Place the yolks, half the sugar (that's 1/3 of a cup!) the lime juice, water, gelatine and lime rind into a large heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a simmering saucepan of water (exercise caution with steam, hot water etc).

Get your electric mixer ready and have your iPad nearby because at this point you are in for a long wait. As your yolk mixture sits over the simmering water you need to whisk it. Choose a low setting so that you don't end up having an egg shower. Whisk the mixture until it doubles in size and resembles thick, fluffy goo.  To begin with you will say things like, "Nothing is happening."  "Is this right?" and there will be many times when you ask, "Is this done?".  Just keep whisking. Just keep whisking....and so on.

Once it's at the point where your arm is about to fall off and it looks like this (light and creamy) you are ready to give your buzzing arms a rest.

Let this mixture cool to room temperature...this might mean popping it into a little ice bath to speed the whole thing up if you are on a time limit.

While the yolk mixture is cooling, place the egg whites into a bowl and begin mixing all over again. This whole processes becomes easier if you have a mix master but if not, just keep those arms a-whisking. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (what does that even mean?) then gradually add the other half of the sugar, beating until it is all dissolved.

Fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture until it is combined. It should resemble a light, fluffy slightly goopy mixture. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base a refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).

Once the pie is set and just before serving, whisk up the cream and the icing sugar until the cream is fluffy (like everything else in this post). Smother cream over the pie filling.

Finally in a food processor, combine the lime rind and the caster sugar. Once combined this will form moist sweet-sour clumps to sprinkle over the top of the cream. Get ready to eat a tangy amazing cloud.

Caramel Sauce

I wished for chocolate and got caramel....all is right in the world!

After my "busy" rant yesterday I decided to make some time for dessert tonight. You know when you have those days when the only thing that fixes it all is caramel. Kind of like Banoffee Pie day.

Last week was hectic. On top of National Testing I was really pushing my kids to complete their English and History assessments all in time for report card writing.

I've felt like such a nasty ball of stress the last few days. It must have shown because I had a lovely student bring me in a box of chocolates with the comment, "Dad thought you were a bit stressed yesterday so we got you these to make it better." It's amazing how much a kind gesture brings you back to earth and makes you realise it's just a bit of work in the end. When did primary school become so much about back breaking deadlines? Today I've tried to slow down and give myself and my students a bit of processing time, hopefully I can keep it up. It is hard relying on twenty-seven 10 year olds to meet my deadlines.....the education system is a funny thing isn't it.

Anyway, back to dessert. This is one that has been in the back of my mind for a while. It is a quick, easy dessert.....unless of course you have to lick every last drop of caramel out of the saucepan, then it does become rather time consuming. I took this from a Bill Granger book I purchased years ago that makes my kitchen bench look fancy.

Caramel Sauce
generously serves 2 (realistically serves 4ish)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
10grams butter
Ice cream to serve

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens to your liking. Stir occasionally but it will bubble a lot if you stir constantly. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool slightly before adding to ice cream.

Sunday Sweets: Lime Meringue Pie

Yesterday's post was a little late - it was a take on our garden about a week and a half ago. As we are well and truly out of Lime season now we did a (late) harvest of our lime tree this weekend. We gathered 16 limes from our little tree then cut it right back to rest for the winter.

So with all of these limes it was time to hit the kitchen. We used one lime on a jug of zesty refreshing lime flavoured water (hold your applause) then I went looking for something a little more creative.

Being a huge fan of anything citrus and sweet the choice was clear. I have just started attempting to learn some French so why not combine my gardening, cooking and travelling hobbies into my most favourite thing of all - dessert! Welcome to Lime Meringue Pie, not too sweet, not too tart.

Lime Meringue Pie
Base
250grams scotch finger biscuits, blended into fine crumbs
90 grams butter, melted

Filling
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup lime juice (for me this was about 4 and a half limes)
1 & 1/4 cups water
60 grams butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon lime rind

Topping
3 egg whites
3/4 cup caster sugar

Base
Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter the press the wet base into a 20-25cm pie dish. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling
Prepare all of the ingredients for the filling before you begin because it all happens rather quickly once it gets going. Combine the sugar and the cornflour in a medium size saucepan on a medium heat.

Gradually add the lime juice and the water stirring until the mixture is smooth. As the mixture heats it will begin to thicken gradually. Bring it to the boil and let simmer for about a minute.

Don't let it simmer too long as the heat will breakdown the cornflour (which makes it thick) and then the whole thing will become a weepy watery mess.

Remove from the heat and add the butter, yolks and rind and mix to combine. Scoop the filling into the pie base and refrigerate until cool.

Topping
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until peaks form, gradually add the caster sugar, allowing it to dissolve between each addition.

Rough the top of the pie filling with a knife or fork then spread the meringue over the top. Bake for about 5-10 minutes until the meringue is browned. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. Don't let the meringue sit for too long as it will begin to go soggy and weep.