Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Orange Loaf With Fresh Cream And Pineapple Curd

23|04|2015

What a thrill it was to wake up to the sun this morning! After three days of incessant rains and stormy weather, we got a glimpse of the gorgeous sunlight. The boys resumed school but the excitement went down as soon as they realized that there was no outdoor activity at the moment. The wet sand-pit dampened their spirits at first glance. The droopy wet flowers around the flower gardens weren’t as welcoming to them as they always did. But a hug from a friend made them squeal with delight. Childhood! So pure…simple..free! Can I have mine back?

Involuntarily locked up at home with no kids to tend to, I decided to clean and rearrange my kitchen and props cupboards. I thought I might find some inspiration tucked away at the far end somewhere. Within minutes, I was baking! Cleaning was postponed as soon as I spotted my loaf pans.

With a limited window to complete baking and photographing, I resisted the urge to bake a yeasty bread. With heaps of citrus at home, it was easy to settle on a simple orange flavoured loaf. To go with the loaf, I quickly whipped up this pineapple curd. Fortunately, I had pineapple juice at home otherwise I would have gone with lime curd perhaps.

The original recipe uses simple pantry ingredients except creme fraiche. I did not have any so I substituted with sour cream which always works a breeze. The loaf is sturdy with a soft texture within and thoroughly tasting of oranges. It is a great lunchbox option as well since it is easy to store and carry.
The pineapple curd is very easy to make and can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.

Orange Loaf With Fresh Cream And Pineapple Curd (orange loaf adapted with variation from here)
Serves 8-10

185 g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
3 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C fan-forced) Grease a 7 cm-deep, 11 cm x 21 cm (base) loaf pan.

Using an electric mixer,beat butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in flour, orange juice and 1/2 cup sour cream.

Pour the mixture into prepared pan. Smooth surface. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean (cover loosely with foil if over-browning during cooking). Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When serving, cut into slices, top with fresh cream and pineapple curd.

Pineapple Curd
3 large egg yolks
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup caster sugar
21/2 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch, salt

Place all the ingredients together in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, whisking constantly till mixture thickens and looks glossy. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.

Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee

17|04|2015

The Google searches initiated from my laptop, which are normally recipe oriented, since Easter are looking a bit like this ‘how to keep kids busy during school holidays?’ ‘ Apps for young children’ ‘ways to entertain kids’ and so on. Yes, I almost feel guilty having to kook them up but these vacations are a whole new thing for me. Google came up with 15,800,000 results. Yay! So, I am not alone! There are Pinterest boards on that topic too. I am finding comfort in solidarity!

Despite cooking many new dishes, I hardly got around to photographing anything. I just didn’t have the heart to make the boys wait for food while it was being dressed up and photos taken. I have done that before but now it just didn’t seem fair. It’s been awesome having them around and cooking warm lunches for them but keeping them busy whilst managing my own to-do list is an art that I am yet to master.

These Creme Brulees are perfect little treats for a busy scenario because they are so easy to make. Keep them in the refrigerator and grab one when you have a sweet craving or need a small feel-good after the kids have gone to bed. I love coffee in desserts and this one is addictive.
If you do not own a blow torch, just place the custard under a preheated grill for 2-3 minutes. However, don’t let it sit there for too long as it might overcook the custard.

Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee

2 1/2 cups single/pouring/thin cream
21/2 tsp instant coffee granules
7 egg yolks,
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tsp caster sugar

Preheat oven to 150 degrees C. Place six ramekins in a large baking tray or roasting pan.
Place the cream in a small saucepan and heat, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until warmed through (don’t let the cream boil). Remove from heat. Add the coffee and stir till blended.

Meanwhile: place the egg yolks and brown sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Gradually add in the warm coffee-cream mixture while stirring constantly with a fork. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a large jug, then pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins.

Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach half of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is just set. Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking tray. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until chilled.

When ready to serve, divide caster sugar evenly over the top of the custard in the ramekins. Using a blowtorch, caramelize the sugar till golden brown.

Cinnamon Cake With Apple Rosemary Buttercream

8|04|2015

I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend. I don’t know where the 4 days vanished because there were too many things squeezed into one short break. On the other side of the break we are suddenly into winter like weather. Daylight savings came to an end and the weather aligned itself in perfect harmony.

It rained so much on Friday and Saturday that we almost doubted if the apple picking and picnic would go as planned. But the brilliant sunshine on Sunday not only made it a perfect day for the outing but everything looked so bright, neat and beautiful. Like a big blow dry after a rain wash. This year was more about chasing little kids (and their families) around the orchards for photographs than picking fruit, for me. The rain apparently had done a lot of damage to the orchards and there were more apples on the ground than on the trees. Like every year I did not miss the giant apple pie that is sold at the resident cafe. With full bellies we headed towards the picnic destination. The scenery changed as we drove on. The fall colors showing up at every bend on the road. Finally when it was too much to just sit back and admire from the car, we had to pull over and pose in front of the orange and red hued trees. How magical is nature! In Sydney, we don’t get to see these coloured trees within the city..maybe very few. So you really can’t blame us for jumping in excitement when we managed to spot them along the country side!

The picnic spread was huge. The appetites were bigger. Friends, conversations, a breath taking setting and you realize you are constantly eating. Among other things I took my famous orange poppy seed cake to share. Famous because somehow it always gets made for picnics and outings after I get the ‘don’t make rich cakes’ look from my husband the evening before. It is never planned but I end up taking it. It lacks my usual height and drama but is always a winner in the flavor department. Since I was also taking double chocolate cupcakes with piped roses I had to agree with hubby. Finally the day ended the way we hoped it would.

Sometime during the weekend we also went to the beaches. Despite the rain I took my favorite ferry ride which is all the more exciting when you sit outside in the deck with the rain on your face. Food as always was big on the agenda and I sampled many new dishes that I am all geared up to recreate. This place has been missing some savory action so you may see a few coming up soon.

Now for this cake. While it seems so perfect for this post, it was made much before when I wanted to just test out an apple buttercream recipe. I couldn’t find many on the Internet so I wanted to give it a shot. The cinnamon cake is simple and very tasty. As an afterthought, I would like to add chopped apples to the batter next time. The apple buttercream has a very slight taste of apples despite adding half a cup of applesauce. The rosemary flavor is more prominent. I did not have a ruffle cake on the blog so I turned this into one. The ruffles are far from perfect but I love the overall moreish look of the cake.

Cinnamon Cake With Apple Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Serves 8-10

175 g butter, softened
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted
3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
Apple Roserary Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below)
Apple chips (store bought) to decorate
Rosemary sprigs, to decorate

Apple Rosemary Swiss Meringue Buttercream
4 egg whites
1 cup castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C fan-forced) Grease two 19 cm round cake pan. Line bases with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and orange rind together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined. Stir in flours, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and milk. Divide mixture equally among prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled completely, frost the cake. Place one layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread about half cup of frosting (recipe below). Place the second layer and repeat. Frost the sides of the cake. To make the ruffles, crumb coat the cake first and place in the fridge for 4 hours. Using a leaf nozzle, make ruffles in your desired size.

To Make the Apple Rosemary Swiss meringue Buttercream : Place the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water (over low heat), and whisk continuously, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the bottom of the bowl is warm to touch

Remove the bowl from the heat and whip on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks and looks glossy. The bowl should have completely cooled by now.
Add the butter, 2 tablespoon at a time, until thick and fluffy. If it begins to look curdled, continue to whip until it comes back together, before adding in remaining butter.

When the buttercream has come together, add the apple sauce and chopped rosemary and mix till smooth and well blended.

Strawberry Panna Cotta With Earl Grey

2|04|2015

Strawberry Panna Cotta with strawberry puree and hints of earl grey tea to make the perfect cold dessert that requires no baking.

Autumn may not be my favorite season but there are a few things I associate with this time of the year that I absolutely love and look forward to. When I first moved to Sydney, the things that charmed me most were the farms and the farmer’s markets. Which is funny considering Sydney has so so much to offer. I had lived a city life before that and I was moving to another happening city. As I gradually explored around the city I found myself being more drawn to the country side, the lush green fields and the fresh produce farms. That way Sydney offers the best of both worlds. A modern city with glamorous beaches and a beautiful country side. On weekends, visiting farms to pick fruits and going to a different farmers’ market became a ritual. Something I can never grow tired of. A habit that my boys have embraced with open arms. The apple orchards are my favorite and I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to adopt a little tree a couple of years back. We picked car loads of apples and for months I did not buy a single apple from the shops. Now, it’s apple season. Time to go back and the boys are already counting down till the long weekend.

This time we will be accompanied by friends and picnic gear. We hope to spend the day picking apples and peaches and having lunch under the color changing leaves of Mount Wilson. I am planning on baking a large cake or maybe cakes to take to the picnic but I also wanted to make a simple dessert to keep at home for guests. Panna Cotta is a perfect dessert to make ahead with a few ingredients and not much effort. The beauty of this dessert is that it can be flavored with literally anything and the choices are endless. I infused the cream here with an earl grey teabag and blended it with freshly pureed strawberries. Along with a slight hint of bergamot from the tea, the strawberry panna cotta dessert tastes like a creamy strawberry mousse with subtle citrus notes. Except that it has no eggs and is certainly not rich like mousse.

I hope you guys have a fun and delicious Easter. I can’t wait to share my apple picking adventures with you over the weekend.

Strawberry Panna Cotta With Earl Grey
Serves 3

1 cup thickened cream
1 cup + 1/4 cup +2 tbsp milk
1 earl grey tea bag
21/2 tsp powdered gelatine
400 g fresh strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
6 tbsp castor sugar
whipped cream, to serve

Soak gelatine in 2 tbsp milk to bloom. Warm the cream and 1 cup milk together with the Earl Grey teabag. Once the mixture comes to a a boil, remove from heat and leave aside for 20 minutes to infuse the flavor.
Place the strawberries, sugar and 1/4 cup milk in the bowl of your food processor. Process till smooth. Keep aside.

Remove the tea bag. Warm the milk-cream mixture just slightly, add the bloomed gelatine and mix. Add the strawberry puree and mix till smooth. Pour the mixture into serving glasses. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.

Serve with whipped cream and finely ground pistachios.