Monthly Archives: May 2013
Almond and Amaretto Cookies
These are great little biscuits for serving with coffee after a meal. Spiced up by the twang of Amaretto liquor, a traditional Italian digestive, they make for a nice after dinner treat.
Ingredients
- 230 gm butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tablespoon of Amaretto liquor
- 3 cups sifted flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- blanced almonds
Method:
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale
- Add the eggs and then the Amaretto and mix well
- Stir in the remaining, combined dry ingredients
- Roll into balls and place on an oven tray, press down with a fork
- Place a few blanched almonds on the top of each biscuit and gently press in.
- Bake at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes
- When cooked place on a wire rack to cool
Chocolate Macarons
I have to admit… I am not usually a fan of “French patisserie,” not at all because I don’t like it, but rather because it generally involves a lot of precision, patience and “delicate-ness” – three things of which I don’t really do well, but to be a well rounded cook, I thought I couldn’t neglect this French traditional treat (based of course on a traditional french recipe)
Ingredients
- 100gm of Almonds meal
- 150gm of Icing sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
- 50 gm of caster sugar
- 50 gm of chocolate
- 50ml of cream
Method
- Mix together the icing sugar and almond meal
- Beat egg whites until soft peaks forms and mix, add the sugar in three times, then add the cocoa powder
- Gradually add the eggs to the almond and icing sugar powder mix and mix with a spatular until smooth
- Next place small, equal spoonfuls of the mix onto a macaron tray (or else baking paper, but make sure they are all equal and placed at equal distances apart)
- Leave them for 30 mins before placing in the oven (see what I mean about patience! But this step is very important)
- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C
- After the 30 min have passed, bake for 20 min and let cool before taking off the try
- Bon appétit!
Banana Split “Revisité”
One night I needed to prepare a dessert… and fast… faced with a few (well) ripe banana, some chocolate and a couple of marshmallows, I decided to take the typical “banana split” to the next level with this wee gem.
Ingredients serves 2
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon of butter (non-salted)
- 4 marshmallows (pink and white to make it look pretty)
- Half a block of milk chocolate
- Neapolitan Ice-cream
- Wafer biscuits
Method
- Peel and slice the bananas length ways
- Heat the butter in a pan and place in banana slices
- Meanwhile, cut the marshmallows in two and brown with a blow torch (or an open fire if you are lucky enough to have one… and it is Winter)
- Bring a pot of water the a gentle boil and place a bowl over the top (bain marie) with the chocolate in it (ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) to melt
- By this time you banana should be golden, flip and ensure the other sides is golden too
- Plate up by placing the golden banana slices on the bottom, place the wafer and a scoop of each flavour of ice-cream
- Decorate with the toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate
There you have it, a gourmet take on a traditional dessert in less than 10 mins!
Kiwi Pavlova
A typical “kiwi” dessert, claimed by many Australian’s to be their own, but we all know the truth… ok ok kidding, but really it is a New Zealand invention. Simple to make, but oven better made the night before to ensure a nice crunchy exterior and marshmallow centre a good pav is sure to please for any pudding occasion!
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 Tbs cornflour, sifted
- 1 dessertspoon vinegar
- 330ml of fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon of icing sugar
- A few drops of vanilla essence
- Strawberries
- Kiwifruit
- Peaches (tinned is fine)
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 18°C and line a baking tray with baking paper
- Beat the egg whites until stiff, then slowly add the sugar, initially 1 Tbsp at a time
- Sprinkle the cornflour and vinegar over the top of the mixture and then slowly fold it in – don’t beat it
- Spatula the meringue on the tray then make any shape you want
- Place the tray in the oven then immediately drop the temperature to 130C.
- Bake for one hour then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla
- Slice fruit and decorate your Pav
Rum, Almond, Vanille, White Chocolate and Apricot Truffles
Chocolate and Strawberry Surprise Cake
Based on a basic chocolate cake recipe, this strawberry surprise cake includes a decadent layer of whipped strawberry liquor cream, together with fresh strawberries and chocolate graffiti… a fresh cake that goes down well in Summer
Cake Ingredients
- 50 g butter
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 cup plain baking flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- few drops vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup milk
Strawberry Cream Ingredients
- 330ml of fresh cream
- 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam (preferably home made chunky jam)
- 2 tablespoons of strawberry liquor
- A few drops of vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon of icing sugar
Other Ingredients
- Half a block of milk chocolate, melted on a bain marie
- 1 punnet of fresh strawberries
Method for the Cake
- Melt butter and syrup in a small saucepan (or place together in the microwave)
- Put melted ingredients into a bowl, add egg and sugar and beat well
- Sift cocoa, flour and baking powder together
- Fold sifted ingredients and vanilla into egg mixture
- Dissolve baking soda in milk
- Fold into egg mixture
- Pour mixture into two greased and lined 20 cm sponge sandwich tins
- Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched
- Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack
Method for the Cream and Chocolate Graffiti
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla
- Once whipped, mix in the strawberry jam and liquor with a fork
- Drizzle the melted chocolate on baking paper to form a graffiti and place in the fridge
Montage
- Place the strawberry cream in the middle of the cake
- Slice the second cake layer into 4 wedges, like a pizza
- Place the wedges on an angle into the strawberry cream
- Place the fresh strawberries on the top, together with chocolate graffiti et voila!