dessert Archives - Page 44 of 57

Pavlova with Mascarpone, Pomegranate and Lemon Thyme

18|09|2014

Talk about inspiration! It peeks right through my window. It stares me in the face and then disappears on a whim. Dreamy clouds, cotton candy clouds, dark stormy clouds, invisible clouds, cloud babies (that one is a contribution from the boys) and wispy clouds. Clouds are a constant companion in my new high-rise home. I don’t know about you but I find them enchanting and magical. As a little girl, I was fond of a book called ‘The Faraway Tree’ by Enid Blyton. Most of you would have loved it as dearly as I did but in case you enjoy a bit of nostalgia, this was a story about a giant tree in the woods, inhabited by fairy-folk. The topmost branches of this tree lead up to the clouds beyond which exists magical lands. The story is about 3 children who come to live near the tree, the lands they explore and their magical adventures. I read this book over and over again, almost slept with it every night and re-read it as an adult deriving the same thrill and happiness that I felt as a child. Call me a child-at-heart. A romantic, maybe? I am fine with that.

As a person who eats, dreams and loves pastry, clouds remind me of meringue. You know I love meringue. If you share the love, type ‘meringue’ in the search tab on the right sidebar and you will find a host of meringue based treats. Just like the clouds in the sky, meringue is my mood-uplifter, my spring-in-the-step bringer, my pastry love. I can make meringue every day. And store away the egg yolks in different containers to be forgotten and only during a fridge clean to be reminded how many egg-whites I have cooked with in a month. A pavlova was long due on the blog after this one.

I went to pick up beautiful nectarines that are flooding the markets right now but came back with a pomegranate instead. On an impulse I decided to pair pomegranate, lemon thyme and mascarpone. It turned out to be a great combination of crunchy, marshmallow-y, creamy, tangy goodness. You can do so much with a Pavlova. Load it up as you like, shape it into the shapes of your dream without a cake pan for support and crack open its exterior to discover secrets inside.
If you don’t have mascarpone, you can use double the amount of whipped cream and of course, decorate it with any fruit of your choice. This is a great gluten-free alternative to a celebration cake.

Pavlova with Mascarpone, Pomegranate and Lemon Thyme
Serves 6-8

11/2 cups castor sugar
11/2 teaspoons corn flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 large egg whites (or 6 regular egg whites)
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
2 tbsp. icing sugar
1 pomegranate, seeds removed
a few sprigs, lemon thyme
Berry Sauce, 2 tbsp. (optional)

Preheat oven to 130 degree C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Draw a 20cm (diameter) round on the paper and place the paper pencil side down on the tray.

Combine sugar, corn flour and cinnamon in a bowl.

Using electric beaters, whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar mixture, 1 tablespoonful at a time, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue onto the prepared tray within the circle traced earlier. Shape the meringue with the back of the spoon, leaving a hollow in the centre for the filling. Bake for 1 hour, then leave to cool in switched-off oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Combine cream, mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl. Stir gently to combine (do not over-mix, or mascarpone will curdle). Gently fold in half the pomegranate seeds and torn lemon thyme leaves. Spoon mixture onto the meringue shell. Sprinkle with rest of the pomegranates and lemon thyme leaves. Top with berry sauce if using. Serve.

Chocolate Treacle Tart

15|09|2014

Would it be so clichéd if I told you how much I love sugar? All forms of sugar. The spoon-able sprinkle-able kind is of course the one I use more often but the other forms intrigue me as well. On the topic of sugar sprinkling, I am crazy for that famous shot where sugar is being sprinkled from a height. It comes through controlling the shutter speed in your camera, something which I am trying to master and have messed up my kitchen table and the floor this weekend, much to the amusement of my baby boys. But we ended up having a lot of fun. The sugar formed a slate for us to write on. We scribbled names, drew faces and laughed while the camera was completely forgotten. It feels amazing to let go when you are with children and bask in the joy of the moment without having to worry about the world around you.

Back to the forms of sugar, I am equally smitten by the other forms of its existence. Golden syrup, honey, treacle, molasses, glucose syrup and so on. Some of these are not direct by-products but they are related in some way. They are gorgeously sticky, luscious and take your desserts to the next level. The intensity and depth of flavour that these impart cannot be achieved by regular sugar or for that matter even brown sugar. I love to work with them and you may find quite a few recipes in my archives that use them. So what is a treacle tart? Simply put, it is a mixture of breadcrumbs and golden syrup baked within a pastry shell. It is so simple yet so gorgeous in the way it looks and tastes. Something unique. With golden syrup, how can you go wrong! Technically the recipe should use treacle, but you will find most out there using golden syrup. I have experimented with both individually and a combination but I think the flavours are better with the former. Plus I believe it is easier to find golden syrup in certain places than treacle.

To make things more decadent, I have covered the treacle tart in bittersweet chocolate ganache. It works like magic to complement the rich sweetness of the golden syrup mixture. Once the tart bakes, you make a simple ganache with chocolate and cream and it gets poured onto the tart.
The treacle tart is great on its own. a beauty of simple ingredients. But it’s nice to have some variety and options, especially if it involves good old chocolate. If you love caramel, this is a must try. It is close to a bi-layered chocolate caramel tart but richer in texture. You will taste a crunchy caramel-like base and a soft luscious chocolate topping. So good!

Like I always say, if you find pastry intimidating, get a store-bought crust and try out the filling. You’ll be inspired to make your own.

Chocolate Treacle Tart

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1/3 cup (50g) icing sugar
125g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small cubes
1 egg
400ml golden syrup
150g fresh white breadcrumb
grated zest of one orange/lemon

For the Dark Chocolate Ganache
200 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2/3 cup heavy/thickened cream

Place flour and icing sugar in a food processor, whiz to combine, then add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg and process until pastry forms a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a greased, 23cm loose-bottomed tart pan. Keep in the fridge till you make the filling.
Place golden syrup in a pan over low heat to warm through, add the breadcrumbs and orange zest, then stir to combine. Remove from heat, cool slightly (about 5-7 minutes) Pour into tart shell and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until set and pastry is slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool the tart to room temperature.

Make the ganache : Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream over medium heat in a saucepan. When it just comes to a boil, remove immediately and pour over the chocolate. Stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a spoon until fully blended. Pour warm ganache over the tart. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side.

Flourless Snickers Torte

24|08|2014

A flourless snickers torte made with chopped snickers and a few ingredients to create a delicious gluten free treat. Easy and perfect for a celebration.

Motherhood has it’s perks. I am not talking about the unconditional love and cuddles, cute little surprises and all that stuff. Those are too precious to even put in words. I am talking about the fun stuff. Like being able to sing nursery rhymes in the shower without being judged. Or having someone to get you the TV remote in an instant. Like eating nachos for dinner. Like having a pantry filled with candies and chocolates. Well, the kid in me is always in awe of motherhood.

I have been very excited to experiment with this recipe. For months I have imagined how candies would work in a torte. Why candies? Because there is a sense of familiarity that comes with them. A bit of childhood and nostalgia wrapped up in those bars. Basically, it is fun to make and exciting to share. If you have never made a torte before, it is nothing but a flourless cake. In this case, it is without added butter or fat too. So what gives it body and keeps it moist? It is meringue, possibly the most beautiful and scientific thing in this world. I have made this torte several times, each time with a different nut and a different variety of chocolate. I chose Snickers bars for two reasons. First, Snickers bars consists of nougat, peanuts, caramel and milk chocolate. So they are without flour. And they would be more suited to a flourless cake than any other chocolate bar.

When I was smashing Ferrero Rocher chocolates for my Mousse Cake a few months ago, my boys found it amusing and handed over two Snickers bars to me. ‘Here, add these to the cake too’ they said. That is the second reason I wanted to make a Snickers torte.

This Snickers torte is like biting into a giant snickers chocolate bar. Every mouthful will speak for itself. It is nutty, chocolate-y, oozing caramel, sticky, moist and outright delicious. It is also easy to make. Do not feel intimidated by the meringue. All you need to ensure is that you beat it to stiff peaks (peaks that hold shape when the beaters are lifted). Here’s a video from the Kitchn in case you are making meringue for the first time. Baking for me, is all about having fun in the kitchen and learning from my mistakes.
The great thing about this torte is that you can eat it even if you are avoiding gluten. This can be also made with plain dark chocolate. You can use this recipe.

Flourless Snickers Torte
Serves 8

100 g (about 1 cup) pecans, or any nut of your choice
125 g (about 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp ) sugar
250 g snickers bars, coarsely chopped
a pinch of salt
7 egg whites (from large eggs), about 1 cup
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 8-inch spring form pan.

Pulse the pecans 1 tbsp of the sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Scrape the nuts into another bowl. Use a paper towel to wipe excess oil from the sides of the processor bowl, add the snickers bars with 1 Tbsp. sugar, and pulse until it forms crumbs ranging in size from coarse meal to 1/4-inch bits. Add the chocolate to the nuts and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large clean, dry bowl at medium speed until the egg whites are creamy white and soft peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating at medium-high speed until the egg whites are glossy and stiff but not dry.

Pour half of the chocolate mixture over the egg whites and fold in with a large rubber spatula until nearly incorporated. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture, folding just until evenly incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the Torte is puffed and golden brown on top and springs back when gently pressed with your fingers. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out moist and possibly stained with melted chocolate, but not coated with raw batter. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Slide a thin knife or a small metal spatula around the sides of the Torte to release it from the pan. Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a serving platter.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Chunk Friands (Financiers)

16|08|2014

Financiers or friands as they are known in Australia are a great way of using up egg whites. Personally, I find it hard to decide between a meringue based dessert and a friand if I happen to have egg whites at home. I love making and eating both immensely. The deciding factor ultimately is whether or not I want to use my electric mixer. Friands are simple to make with a few ingredients and can be put together with just a bowl and a whisk. But that is not really the reason why I love them. Friands use nut meal, ground nuts as a core ingredient. Therefore they have a nutty flavour and a crunchy bite to them which is so addictive. And textures are an important part of my recipes.

Though friands are relatively heavier on the butter as compared to a muffin or an unfrosted cupcake, they are truly a treat. The crispy exterior and nutty buttery centre is open to many different add-ins…fruits, chocolate, coconut, nuts and so on. Any ground nut works which means you have so many permutations and combinations to choose from. For me, chocolate and hazelnut are made for each other. In this case, big chunks of chocolate melt in your month as you bite into a warm crunchy hazelnut pastry. I love to use my oval friand moulds to bake these but they result in about 6 big ones that are a bit too much for my little ones to eat. I used a regular muffin pan that yielded 10 friands.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Chunk Friands (Financiers)
Yields 10

6 egg whites
180g butter, melted and cooled
1 cup (100g) hazelnut meal
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped into small and big chunks

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease or line a 12 capacity muffin pan with paper liners.
Combine the egg whites, hazelnut meal, icing sugar, flour and vanilla essence in a large bowl. Add the butter and stir to combine. Add half the chocolate chunks and stir to combine
Pour the friand mixture evenly among the prepared pans. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chunks over each friand. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Eat warm or at room temperature.