Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Aussie Summer Ice Cream Tart For Australia Day

23|01|2015

Super easy ice cream tart with a biscuit base, vanilla ice cream and fresh summer fruits. No baking and totally delicious.

I was not born is Australia. Neither was I raised here. I have not lived as many years in Australia as most of the people I know do but long enough to call it my home. My stay, memorable enough to take up a gigantic amount of hard disc space on my laptop, filling it with precious memories of little boys making sand castles in different beaches and eating apples from adopted trees. My experiences, promising enough to make me dream of a great future here. A place where I can envision my children turning into teenagers and us (my husband and me) retiring into a farm-life sort of scenario, raising chickens in our backyard and planting fields of strawberries and lavender. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

When we first stepped into Sydney, we didn’t know a soul here. With 9 suitcases, some hand baggage and two sleeping toddlers in our arms, we walked out of the airport on a cold winter night. There was anxiety and ache in the heart. Of leaving behind what once meant ‘everything’ to us..moving ahead in the dark. Quite literally. Unsure of what those decisions would be worth. Decades worth of possessions suddenly mere tangibles. Equated only to baggage allowance. Upon weighing, the kids were allowed to take 2 toys each (out of the sea of toys they owned). Only one baking pan and a tray for me. Everything was weighed. Also evaluated for volume. Luggage was packed, repacked, re-organised, lists crossed out and re-written so many times that everything was a jumble in the end.

The friendly taxi driver told us ‘It’s a beautiful city but life is not easy here. Everyone has a story’
We were approaching the Harbour Bridge that stood mighty and tall against a glittering skyline. I looked out of the window at the many pedestrians hurrying past in jumpers thinking about what the taxi driver just said. It was late when we went to bed that night. A bowl of instant noodles was our dinner in the serviced apartment that we had pre-booked from overseas. I lay awake in bed for a long time, clouds of doubt filling up my mind, the reality slowly sinking in that we were in a different country among total strangers. When I opened my eyes in the morning, I was stunned. At a bright, sunny, cheerful Sydney, the one I love and relate to so much today. It is hard not to fall in love with a place so vibrant and so complete in every way. Within days, the doubts vanished. Seasons changed, experiences grew, faces became familiar and I felt belonged. Like we were always meant to be together. Sydney and me. And so like everybody else, I had a story. A good story!

I came up with this ice cream tart recipe for Australia Day as it is summer time here and I could use a lot of the gorgeous summer bounty we are blessed with to top up an otherwise super simple tart. The tart base is made of Anzac cookies (told you it’s very Aussie!) then filled with vanilla ice cream (store brought), drizzled with passion fruit puree and decorated with fruits. You could use any biscuit of your choice..even chocolate cookies. Depending on the season, feel free to use seasonal fruits that available on your side of the world. The ice cream tart as you might have guessed will keep for days in the freezer so it’s a great make-ahead option. Add the fruits just before serving with a dusting of icing sugar. A round tart pan will also work.

Ice Cream Tart With Summer Fruits
Serves 6-8

300 g Anzac Cookies
80 g unsalted butter, melted
1 litre Vanilla Ice Cream (store bought), softened
1/2 cup passion fruit puree (optional) (can substitute with lemon curd)
Seasonal fruits, to decorate
Icing Sugar, to dust

Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base and sides of a 14 by 5 inch rectangular pan (with a removable bottom). Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.

Pour the softened ice cream on to the prepared tart case. Transfer carefully to the freezer. Freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with passion fruit puree or dot with lemon curd. Top with fruits. Dust with icing sugar.

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mango And Palm Sugar Caramel

20|01|2015

I am surprised at how much I have started to like coconut recently. This comes from someone who has eaten/drank as much coconut as one would eat potatoes or drink milk as a child. I was actually never fond of milk and unfortunately there were no alternatives like almond or soy milk available at that time. There was coconut milk but in a place where one had easy access to coconut water, the water was preferred, more than the milk. In tropical countries, coconut is found in abundance. In India, where I grew up, drinking coconut water or cooking with freshly grated coconut is a way of life. People are equipped and ready to give themselves a arm workout when the need arises. Which is frequently. The grated version is used in curries, sweet dishes, rice and fillings while the milk (which is actually extracted by passing the grated coconut through a cheesecloth) finds its uses in many different dishes. Yet, I don’t have any memory of a particular liking for coconut. Maybe some of the dishes that it was used in were a favorites but not coconut itself. I guess it needed a few cakes, friands and crepes to acknowledge this liking.

In the present day I cannot imagine standing long hours trying to grate a coconut or extracting milk when it is so convenient to get hold of a packet of desiccated coconut or a can of coconut milk that is ready for consumption and is so much easier to store. Ask my mother and she will tell you that the packed variety is nowhere close to the fresh one. True! But in this turbo charged, everything-needing-attention world I could do without cracking open a fruit by hitting it on the ground (that was how it was cracked open back home).

This breakfast dish is very tropical. I have used coconut milk in the crepe batter and desiccated coconut in the filling. Then there is yogurt, fresh mangoes, raspberries, basil and a palm sugar caramel. In the sweet treats that I ate as a little girl, coconut was often paired with palm sugar, hence the idea. Other than the caramel, the dish is a healthy breakfast option so if you are on a diet, leave out the caramel and run a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey through the yogurt instead to sweeten it. The flavors are amazing together, very refreshing! If you do not have access to fresh mangoes, you could use canned ones or replace with seasonal fruits. Like persimmons, figs and even bananas.

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mangoes And Palm Sugar Caramel
Makes 5-6 crepes

1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
40 g butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups unsweetened Greek yogurt (if leaving out caramel, you could use sweetened yogurt)
2 mangoes, chopped into cubes
10-12 raspberries/strawberries
fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Icing sugar, to dust (optional)

For the palm sugar caramel
1/2 cup palm sugar, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water

Place the flour in a bowl making a well in the centre. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, eggs and butter. Let stand for 15-20 minutes. Heat a non-stick frying over medium heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of the crepe batter, swirling the pan to coat the base evenly. Cook for a minute or until edges start to brown. Turn and cook for another minute until golden. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Divide the desiccated coconut, yogurt, mangoes and raspberries between the crepes. Serve with palm sugar caramel and basil. Dust with icing sugar.

To make the palm sugar caramel, heat the palm sugar and water together until smooth and thickened. The mixture solidifies on cooling down so reheat before serving.

Raspberry, Watermelon and White Nectarine Popsicles

16|01|2015

Around Christmas, last year (Oh! that sounds so long ago though we’re talking less than a month really) we met a wonderful family. We had met only once before that during the twin’s orientation day at their new school. On that day we had excited parent-like conversations, shared anxieties and had the children pose for pictures together. Numbers were exchanged, totally oblivious to the fact that this was just the foundation to a robust, warm friendship. A bond that involved two generations of people. We met again and again and again and before the calender changed to 2015 we were like one big happy family. Random picnics and impromptu day trips weren’t such a bad idea suddenly. (If you are a parent to young kids, you know what I mean!) Home-made food found new homes and there were more reasons to bake cakes.

Amidst a kitchen full of delicious food, laughter and three children wildly racing around the house at midnight, we ushered in the New Year. ‘Let’s start a restaurant. Will there be takers?’ We giggled like school kids as the most amazing fireworks broke into the Sydney sky. A night resonating with the New Year that brought fresh hope, untold promises and an assurance that there were greater times ahead. A friendship sealed by fate and frozen in time.

So what else is frozen? 4 sweet summery treats in my freezer. There is no room for anything else and I am beaming at the thought of it. I can tell you I have made the most of our summer. Our produce is at it’s peak at the moment and though we have a little more than a month left, the stone fruits will start to dwindle. So before that happens, I am trying my best to incorporate them in my recipes. Well actually, I have been brainstorming recipes around them. You may already know this, Summer is my favorite time of the year. And I think I can paint a picture with the colors that are on display in the fruit markets right now.

These popsicles are like a pretty pink fruit smoothie on a stick. Lots of fruity goodness and quite simple to make. Feel free to replace with fruits of your choice. The raspberries I have used are frozen so you can make them even though they may not be in season where you are.

Raspberry, Watermelon and White Nectarine Popsicles
Makes 6 large Pops

1 cup frozen Raspberries
3 cup watermelon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 nectarines stoned, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup castor sugar (or 3 tbsp honey/maple syrup)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor and process till smooth. Strain into a jug, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract maximum liquid.
Pour into molds. Freeze for two hours before inserting a stick in the centre of each popsicle. Freeze overnight.

Cherry, Banana and Muesli Muffins

13|01|2015

I made these muffins yesterday in persuit of a few healthy and delicious lunchbox recipes that are going to frequent my kitchen soon. It involved quite a few good healthy ingredients so I was keen to find out if the recipe worked. More importantly, I hoped the little people for whom this was meant liked it. In our home, fortunately we have had very little issues with picky eating and such. So far so good! I’ve thought about it several times. Are my children any different than others?…maybe they are unable to voice out….maybe they are too sensitive to their Mum’s feelings…or maybe they haven’t yet explored too much outside my cooking…could I be such a versatile cook that my food appeals to two different palates at the same time? Actually, none of this is true. I try, like anybody else. I teach, by not being picky myself. We talk a lot about food and I encourage them to join me in the kitchen doing small chores and they always seem excited at the prospect.

I think the truth is that offset each other well. Could be to do with twin-hood. Children are inclined to do things in a group that they might not do as an individual. Since I have a sweet lover and another savory lover for children, it works in my favour. They probably eat everything because at least one of them would generally like what I put on the table. The other one follows. It will be interesting to see how things change (if they do…hopefully not) this year when they step into a slightly bigger world.

Coming back to the muffins, these are great. They are wholesome, filling, tasty and totally flexible. They are made of part wholemeal flour, part plain flour and part muesli. Then there is banana, yogurt and plenty of fruit inside. I used cherries which can be replaced with blueberries, strawberries, apples, peaches…basically all or any of your favourite fruits. I did not add nuts as the muesli I used had a bit of nuts and seeds in them but there is no harm in adding more. And there is a hint of spice (cinnamon) to elevate the flavours. They are moist inside and crunchy on top due to the addition of extra muesli like a streusel topping. The predominant flavour is of sweet bananas and juicy cherries. This would make a great on-the-go breakfast or snack for adults as well.

Cherry, Banana and Muesli Muffins (minimally adapted from here)
Makes 12 regular sized muffins

1 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cups muesli (home made or store bought)
60 g butter, melted
1 large banana, mashed with a fork
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cherries (pitted and roughly chopped)
1/2 cup extra muesli (for topping)
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (18 degrees c for fan forced).
Grease or line a muffin pan (12-hole) muffin pan with paper liner.

Combine the flours, sugar, cinnamon muesli in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk butter, banana, yogurt and eggs together in a jug. Pour into well. Using a large metal spoon, stir until just combined (don’t over-mix). Fold in the cherries.

Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Combine honey and extra muesli in a bowl. Spread muesli mixture over muffins. Press on lightly to secure. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 muffin comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve.