Noosa Food Festival

Last month we visited one of our favourite places, to do one of our favourite things - Noosa (which is sentimental to us because it's where we got married) to go to the Noosa International Food Festival. What a great weekend. We often go up to Brisbane for Mothers Day and I'm always envious when I see the ads for the Food festival the following weekend, so this time, we decided to move Mothers Day and take my Mother in Law for a weekend away. We started off the weekend on Thursday evening with a fun, light hearted, food themed concert. The QLD Virtuosi orchestra, along with special guests were a great source of entertainment, and this was almost the highlight of the weekend. It certainly kicked the festival off to a great start.

On Friday morning we breakfasted at our wedding reception spot, Berardo's on the Beach. It was a great experience as usual with amazing service, delicious food and what a view! It is a fave of ours, but also, being in one of the most stunning locations, a fave of some of the weekend guests to Noosa, the Chefs. Not only did we spot Neil Perry walking into the restaurant and sitting down at a table when we were outside chatting on the boardwalk admiring the beach, but we even featured in his Instagram snap of the occasion! (See us in the foreground with Noosa beach and National Park in the background!)

Saturday was our day to hit the festival and the rain that had sprinkled on Friday afternoon cleared up, leaving the only memory of it as the squelchy mud beneath our feet! We spent a lot of time glued to the main stage with chef after chef showing off their beautiful dishes. David Thompson from Nahm restaurant, which we were lucky enough to visit on our trip last year to Thailand, prepared a spicy stir fry, and Guy Grossi and Jacques Reymond also demonstrated some fascinating techniques.

Another highlight of the festival was High Tea by the River. In a sun drenched marquee with views of the Eric Pernoud (a local patissier) and Adriano Zumbo. What a delicious spread! We had different flavoured eclairs from Pernoud, ranging from traditional flavours to some distinct and unexpected ones; Cheesy bites from Ian Curley and then Zumbo's macarons and a pineapple and popping candy verrine that popped and tingled in our mouths. We certainly enjoyed everything that we were served and the Chefs were very gracious coming round to visit the guests at the table. I think Zumbo probably had his photo taken with every guest that attended!
river, we were treated to some great sweets and savouries from Ian Curley,

All in all, Noosa gave us another fabulous weekend and we left with more memories of a great festival and town!

White Chocolate Mojito Cheesecake

I haven't joined the SABH hop for a while as I'm trying to cut down on the desserts that I was preparing, and even monthly was getting a bit too much for our waistlines but I thought, given the theme, I would hop back in!

My hubbie's favourite dessert is cheesecake. Probably Mango Cheesecake. With the mango season only just beginning, I was able to convince him that for a dinner party dessert, and for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop hosted by Nic from Nic Cooks, it was time to try a different variety that's been on my list of recipes to try for ages (since I saw the recipe in Delicious Magazine in November 2009!): White Chocolate Mojito Cheesecake. It definitely had the kick and flavour of a mojito with the creaminess of a normal cheesecake. It was really simple to make, and because it didn't require baking, or even much cooling, was fantastic for making in the morning for the evening party.


White Chocolate Mojito Cheesecake (serves 6)

Ingredients

For the base
150g ginger biscuits
20g butter

For the filling
juice and zest of 3 limes
110g caster sugar
100ml Bacardi (or another kind of white rum)
1 cup of mint leaves
120g white chocolate
400g soft cream cheese
250g mascarpone

For serving
handful of pistachios
sprinkle of kitchen grade lavender (optional)

Method

• Melt the butter
  
• Whiz the ginger biscuits in a food processor, add the melted butter and pulse to combine
• Split the crumb mixture between 6 low ball glasses (or other serving glass) and put in the fridge to chill
• Bring sugar and 60 ml water to boil in a saucepan and let the mixture simmer for about 5 mins till it makes a syrup
• Add lime juice, zest, rum and mint and muddle with the end of a rolling pin to bruise the mint. Let this sit for 20 mins or so to infuse
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (a bowl over boiling water), then leave it to cool slightly - but not till it goes hard!
• Put the cheese in the cleaned food processor and whiz till they are
  
  creamy and combined. Pour in the strained mojito syrup and keep whizzing till it's mixed. Scrape in the white chocolate and whiz just a little till it's all combined.
• Spoon the cream mixture over the crumbs and chill in the fridge till ready to serve
• When it's time to serve sprinkle over edible lavender and some crushed pistachios (crush with a mortar & pestle, or put some in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin) - the real recipe suggested edible flowers, but I couldn't find any. They would look pretty!

Toblerone Tipple

I was looking for a simple cocktail dessert to go with a Jamie's 30 Minute Meal I was preparing and went back to my (late) childhood to a dessert I remember my parents making.

It's a quick an easy recipe - perfect for the 30 minute meal concept and I've no idea where it came from, but I've suitably adapted it from the original!

This recipe does come with a warning. It's perfect for the boozy Sweet Adventures Blog Hop cocktail blog hop hosted by JJ from 84th&3rd and is inspired not only by my childhood, but my hubbie's recipe for the Toblerone creamy cocktail!


Toblerone Tipple - makes 6 low ball or large wine glasses

Ingredients

600ml thickened cream
250g mascarpone cheese
4 tablespoons honey
1 x 30ml measure of each of the following liqueurs:
Sabra (Israeli choc. orange liqueur, could substitute with Cointreau but not quite as good)
Kahlua
Baileys
Frangelico
24 Chocolate Chip cookies
Sprinkle of cocoa for serving

Whip the thickened cream until just before it forms stiff peaks;
Add the mascarpone and honey and whip a little more till just combined;
Mix the 4 liqueurs in a plate or shallow bowl;
Spoon a layer of cream on the bottom of each glass;
Dip 6 chocolate chip cookies in the liqueur mix and leave to soak for a few seconds;
Place one choc chip cookie in each glass;
Layer again alternating between cream and soaked cookies - I did 3 layers with 2 biscuits halved for each top layer, as the glass was wider at the top, but you can do 4 layers if you prefer;
If there is excess liqueur mix, drizzle this over the final layer of cookies;
End the layering process with a final layer of cream;
Cool in the fridge until ready to serve;
Just prior to serving sprinkle a little coooa over the top before digging in.

Zuppa Inglese Gelato

When I heard of the License to Chill Sweet Adventures Blog Hop hosted by the Kitchen Crusader, I was really excited because one of my favourite kitchen appliances is our ice cream maker. I was thinking of all the different flavours of ice cream that I am still to make....hmmm.... rum and raisin.... rocky road......ZUPPA INGLESE!

When I was in Italy as a kid over 20 years ago, I discovered this amazing gelato - half creamy, custardy ice cream and half trifle. Then, when we were in Florence on our honeymoon and on the day of my birthday I discovered it again! I started doing a bit of research on what exactly is in a Zuppa Inglese - the original trifle, rather than the gelato variety, and it turns out that it is savoiardi biscuits soaked in an Italian liqueur called Alchermes, a spirit infused with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla flavours. Not having come across this before in Sydney (although I'd love to find it) I decided to replicate the flavours in my Zuppa Inglese Gelato and soak the biscuits in Pipeclay Tawny Port from Pieter van Gent winery in Mudgee which has many similar flavours through it - I'm sure you could substitute with any Australian Tawny to get the same effect as my dessert.

Zuppa Inglese Gelato

500ml Milk
125ml Cream
Cinammon stick
1 vanilla pod (I used 1 teaspoon of Queen Vanilla Bean Paste instead of the real thing)
8 cloves
5 egg yolks
110g caster sugar
8 Savoiardi Biscuits
125 ml Pipeclay Tawny Port
Cocoa powder to sprinkle

Put milk, cream, cinammon stick, vanilla pod (or paste), cloves into a saucepan over a low heat;
Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with the sugar until the mixture is thick, creamy and looks like a ribbon when you lift the whisk out of the bowl;
When the milk mixture is a at almost boiling (you can see little bubbles starting to appear around the edge of the saucepan), pour quickly into the egg mixture. Be careful to keep the cinnamon stick in the saucepan when you pour it;
Whisk it all together for a few seconds, till combined, and then pour it back into the saucepan;
Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over a low heat until the custard thickens. You'll know it's ready when the custard coats the back of the wooden spoon, and holds the position when you run your finger through it;

Sieve the custard into a jug or bowl, and discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves;
Cool the custard in the fridge;
When the custard is cold, churn in the ice cream maker according to the instructions;

Once churned, it's time to layer the gelato and soaked savioardi biscuits;
Soak the savioardis in the Tawny Port till they are completely covered by the port, but not totally soaked through;
Layer one scoop of gelato with half a savioardi; repeat this twice but in the 3rd layer use a whole savioardi and finish by a layer of the gelato;
Put back in the freezer until ready to serve;
Serve sprinkled with some cocoa powder.

Mojito Sorbet

Thinking of tropical climes, for the Sweet Adventure Blog Hop hosted this month by Nic from Dining with a Stud, always makes me crave a great cocktail - something refreshing and cool to soothe the sizzle of the day. There are some classics I love when on vacation like Pina Colada or Sex on the Beach, but one of the most refreshing after a long day on the beach is a Mojito, zesty lime and muddled mint with a hit of rum and plenty of ice. Delicious!

And, what better to cool you down during these hot evenings than a sorbet. I decided to have my cake cocktail, and eat it too with this easy to prepare, fun to eat summer dessert

Mojito Sorbet

1 cup of caster sugar
1 cup water
rind of 2 limes
juice of 5 limes
1/4 cup of loose mint leaves sliced thinly + whole leaves to garnish
60ml bacardi

Make a sugar syrup by dissolving the caster sugar in the cup of water. Leave to cool;
Mix the remaining ingredients (reserving some whole mint leaves for garnish) into the cooled sugar syrup;
Churn in the ice cream maker following the instructions of the machine;
Serve in Martini glasses decorated with a mint leaf as a refreshing end to a summer meal.

Anyone for Pimms Jam?

High tea is synonymous for me with 3 tiered cake plates with scones with jam and cream, cucumber sandwiches and other sweet goodies (like the pictures you see in the Sweet Adventure Blog Hop hosted by Le Delicieux) accompanied by a classic English refreshing drink, Pimms! I thought I'd combine a few of these together in my Sweet Adventure creation for this month: Scones with Pimms Jam and cream!

The jam makes way more than you need for the recipe, but it's also good on toast, Victoria Sponge and over ice cream, as it's more runny than store bought varieties. I also made mini bite sized scones to take to work for morning tea, but you can make them as large as you want depending on the cutter you use!

Pimms Jam (Based on a recipe I found on the ITV website)

750g strawberries, hulled
225g cucumber
1kg jam sugar
rind of 1 lemon
rind of 1 orange
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 2 oranges
4 mint leaves
50 ml Pimms

Quarter the cucumbers, remove the seeds and slice into approx 1/4 cm slices;
Simmer in a little water for 10 mins or so, then remove from heat and drain;
Add all the remaining ingredients except Pimms and mint to a large saucepan and leave for 30-45 mins to mascerate;
Add the drained cucumber and bring to the boil for 10 -15 mins, breaking down the whole strawberries as they become tender, to your liking;
Leave jam mixture to cool for 10 -15 mins;
Add Pimms and finely sliced mint leaves and stir well;
Decant into sterilized jars and allow to set in the fridge.

Scones (based on a recipe from the trusty Readers Digest's The Cookery Year)

450g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

85g butter

120 ml water

120 ml milk

Preheat oven to 200C;

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl;

Add butter and either rub in or use a mixer/food processor till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs;

Gradually add milk/water mixed together till it forms an elastic dough – you may not need all the milk/water mix;

Knead on the benchtop till smooth and roll out to approx. 1 cm thick;

Cut with pastry cutters to the desired size;

Lay quite close together on a preheated baking tray;

Brush with left over milk/water mixture;

Bake for 10 mins till risen and golden.

Assembly

Whip 150 ml cream till it forms stiff peaks

To assemble the scones, half each scone and spoon a little jam onto each half and then either pipe or quenelle a small dollup of cream on top! Enjoy with a glass of Pimms or a pot of tea!

Liqueur Coffee Sauce

When I saw this months hop "Feeling Saucy" hosted by The Kitchen Crusader I leafed through my new Michel Roux "Sauces" for inspiration and whilst not exactly in the book, chose a liqueur coffee sauce. I figured a vanilla pannacotta would be an excellent base for any sauce and thought when I'd come to my final decision that I would create an affogato pannacotta dessert, with the pannacotta instead of the ice cream and quite a runny sauce that would be excellent over ice cream or cake as well as the pannacotta.

Liqueur Coffee Sauce

100ml Golden Syrup
120ml Strong Coffee
50g Butter
100ml Cream
2 tablespoons Kahlua

• Melt the golden syrup with the coffee;
• When the syrup has melted, add the butter and stir in until melted and glossy;
• Add in the cream and reduce slightly on a low heat;
• Finally add the Kahlua;
• Drizzle over pannacotta (or ice cream).

White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

I had so many ideas flying around in my head for the Sweet Adventures "Berry Nice to Meet You" Blog Hop hosted by the Hungry Australian this month that I was a week late to post - well not just that, but also that I had friends around for lunch and thought it a much better occasion to crack out a berry dessert for them! I had thought about something alcoholic, but with a 3 year old as one of the lunch guests I thought the better of it, and it ended up being a great hit - raspberries are her favourite!

As a kid, I always loved raspberry ripple ice cream, there were never enough ripples though. Not so when you make your own! This experiment had lots of ripple through a deliciously creamy white chocolate ice cream.

White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

White Chocolate Ice Cream
5 egg yolks
110g caster sugar
250ml milk
500ml thickened cream
150g white chocolate


Raspberry Ripple
300g Raspberries (I used frozen ones)
30g sugar

For the White Chocolate Ice Cream

Melt the white chocolate with the milk and cream over a low heat;
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar till thick is a very light cream colour;
When the milk/cream/choc mixture is almost at boiling point, whisk to combine with the egg yolk/ sugar mix;
Return to the heat in a clean saucepan and stir constantly over a low heat till thick and custardy;
Remove from heat to cool, then refrigerate till cold;
Churn according to the ice cream maker instructions

For the Raspberry Ripple
In a food processor, whiz the raspberries and sugar together;
Pass through a sieve to make a smooth purée
Refrigerate till required.

Putting it together
When the ice cream is churned, scoop half into a container;
Pour over the purée;
Scoop in the other half of the ice cream;
With a knife (not sharp) swirl the purée through the ice cream to make the ripple;
Put in the freezer to freeze through completely;
Serve with fresh raspberries.

Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Frangipane Tart

Maggie Beer Inspired Mini Frangipane Tarts

I have been wanting to try making a frangipane tart for a while and when I heard that the Sweet Adventures Blog hop hosted by Dining with a Stud was to be 'nuts' I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it. Having never tried one, I thought I'd better go with a tried and tested recipe, so I found Maggie Beer's Rhubarb Frangipane in an old MasterChef Magazine. I wasn't happy, though not to try something a bit adventurous for the blog hop. My hubbie suggested choc orange as a flavour combo to go with nuts, and when I saw hazelnut meal in Woolies I was convinced that would be a great match. Not content to jump straight into adaptation, I made the original one too but did them in a muffin tin so we could have mini versions of both! They were pretty rustic looking, because the pastry is quite tough to work with in such a small hole, but both worked really well, and they were the perfect size for being able to taste both! Personally I preferred the original with the tart rhubarb, but all the guest loved the chocolate orange hazelnut flavour - rich and gooey with the melted chocolate inside and perfect for chocaholics!

I am not going to post Maggie's Rhubarb Frangipane recipe here, but just the Choc Orange Hazelnut Frangipane. It's based very heavily on Maggie's in the method, but obviously the ingredients differ! Also, I used her pastry recipe with sour cream recipe too - Thanks Maggie for the inspiration today :-)

Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Frangipane Tart

Maggie's Sour Cream Pastry
100g cold unsalted butter
125g plain flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
60g sour cream

Blitz the butter, cocoa powder and flour in a food processor till it resembles breadcrumbs;
Add sour cream and blitz again till combined;
Pour out onto the bench and knead until smooth;
Shape, cover in cling wrap and cool in the fridge for 30 mins

Tarts
Pastry as above
zest of 1 orange
65g unsalted butter
85g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier or Cointreau would suit - I used Sabra, a Choc Orange Liqueur)

Choc Orange Hazelnut Tarts

1 tablespoon plain flour
100g hazelnut meal
12 squares of dark chocolate
1/4 cup of marmalade
Pastry
Preheat oven to 200C;
Split pastry into 6;
Roll out cooled pastry till it's about 2 mm thick;
Line hole of a muffin tray with thin pastry;
Trim the edges and smooth out in the tin;
Repeat in 6 of the muffin tray holes;
Pierce the base of the pastry with a fork about 3 times each;
Place in the freezer for approx 15 mins;

Tart
Meanwhile, you can start to make the frangipane filling - cream the butter and sugar with the orange zest in the food processor until light and creamy;
Add the egg and beat till combined;
Add the tablespoon of liqueur and blitz again;
Add hazelnut meal and plain flour and process again until combined;

Pastry
Blind bake the pastry for 10-15 mins (cover the pastry with a small sheet of baking paper and pastry weights);
Remove pastry weights and baking paper and return to the oven for 5 mins, or until the pastry is crisp and cooked;
Remove muffin tin from oven and cool slightly;

Tart
Reduce the oven temperature to 170C;
Split the frangipane mixture between the 6 pastry cases;
Push 2 blocks of chocolate into the frangipane mixture;
Put into the oven for 20 mins;
Remove from oven and carefully spread a small teaspoon of marmalade on each of the tarts;
Return to oven for 10 mins or until the filling has puffed up and the marmalade has melted to create a glaze;
Serve warm with thick pouring cream.

Pumpkin Pie

We have an American gal from Texas staying with us right now, so when  we were on our way home from work, I asked her about pies from the US to get some inspiration for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop this month. Pumpkin pie immediately sparked my interest as I have heard that in the States Pumpkin Pie comes right out of a can and into a pre made pastry case, so I thought it might be a challenge to make one from scratch, but where to start? Fast forward to a few mins later when I sat down to think about our menu for meals for next week. I pulled my June '06 copy of Delicious Magazine from the shelf, opened it at a random page to start flicking through, and there it was....Jill Dupleix's recipe for Sweet Pumpkin Pie. It was a sign! So, here we are!

Jill's recipe calls for store bought shortcrust pastry. Whilst I'm a fan of this for making quick pies in my pie maker, today's pie for a Blog Hop called for a home-made pastry too. I also jazzed up the presentation with a blow torch to the marshmallows on top. Whilst this recipe is heavily based on Jill Dupleix's, I adapted it a little too, so here goes:

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry
200g Plain Flour
100g Chilled Butter
Pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons of water

Filling
1 Butter nut pumpkin
3 eggs
60g fine breadcrumbs
200g brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
250ml evaporated milk
Marshmallows to decorate

• Preheat the Oven to 200C;
• Halve the pumpkin and lay seed side down on a greased baking tray. Cook until tender for approx 45 mins (fan forced);
• Meanwhile, prepare the pastry: In the food processor blitz flour, salt and butter till it resembles breadcrumbs; Add water to bind, 1 tbsp at a time. When it starts to form clumps turn it out onto a floured bench top and knead till smooth;
• Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins;
• After chilling, roll out the pastry to around 3mm thick. Prick the base a few times with a fork and return to the fridge for around 20 mins to chill again (this prevents the pastry from shrinking in the oven);
• Line pastry case with the pastry, and then cover with baking paper and pastry weights;
• Remove pumpkin from the oven and turn off fan;
• Blind bake the pastry for around 10 mins, then remove weights and baking paper and bake for another 10-15 mins until browning;
• Meanwhile, remove 350g pulp from the baked pumpkin and set aside to cool;
• Into the food processor, add the three eggs and whizz gently to lightly beat;
• Add the pumpkin flesh and process till smooth;
• Pour in spices, sugar, breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Beat till combined;
• Finally add evaporated milk and blitz till all mixed in and smooth;
• Pour the mixture into a slightly cooled pastry case and return to oven for 25 mins or until the filling is set;
• Remove from oven to cool slightly (can be served warm);
• To serve, line white marshmallows around the outside of the pie. Blow torch to brown the marshmallows;
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or pouring cream.

Thanks as always to the #SABH team, especially the Kitchen Crusader, for hosting this month's Bloghop!

Chai & Port Poached Pear Cheesecake

It was my hubbie's birthday weekend so not only did I have to join the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop with a tea inspired recipe, but I had to make his fave - a cheesecake. Well, what better than combine them both. I drink the odd tea to keep warm at work, but I'm not generally a tea person - much more into coffee (can't wait for the coffee blog hop!) I didn't want to wuss out though being out of my comfort zone, and of course I wanted to give it a go. I did choose a tea with a familiar favour though, to combine with the other ingredients.



Chai & Port Poached Pear Cheesecake (adapted from a recipe from "Eating for Goodness Sake" )

Poached Pears
4 pears
1 litre of Chai tea
500ml Tawny Port

Biscuit Base
200g Scotch Fingers
100g Butter
pinch of cinnamon

Filling
225g Cottage Cheese
70ml Sour Cream
75g Icing Sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond essence (or Frangelico!)

Icing Sugar to dust on top

Method

• Peel, core and quarter the pears;
• Poach the pears till soft in the tea and port, then leave to cool in the poaching juice;
• Reserve the poaching liquid for sauce
• Preheat the oven to 170C
• Melt the butter for the base;
• Whizz the biscuits in the food processor;
• Add the butter and a pinch of cinnamon to the biscuits and whizz till forms clumps;
• Press the biscuit crumbs into a greased 20cm spring form pan;
• Line the biscuit base with the quartered poached pears;
• Whizz the ingredients for the filling together till smooth;
• Pour the filling over the pears;
• Bake in the oven for about 20 mins or until the cheesecake has set;
• Remove from the oven and cool
• Meanwhile bring the reserved poaching liquid to the boil to reduce
• Turn out of the spring form pan and dust with icing sugar
• Serve with extra poached pear and drizzle some of the reduced poaching liquid.

Getting Lemon

Lemon & Lemon Myrtle Macarons

In Cockney rhyming slang "don't get lemon" mean's "don't get smart" - lemon - lemon tart - smart - get it?

Well today I was feeling a little "lemon" for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop - Lemons, hosted by Le Delicieux. Inspired by visiting Zumbo's patisserie the other week, I'd made my mind up a few weeks ago that I was going to try macarons for the next hop (just as well it wasn't a pudding hop!) and was excited to see the lemon theme.

As it was my first time making macarons, I followed a recipe but added a little Australian twist, so I'm happy to share my Lemon & Lemon Myrtle Macarons (based on the exploding lemon macaron recipe on the BBC website):



Lemon & Lemon Myrtle Macarons
Ingredients (makes 40 - 20 macaron sandwiches)
Macarons
4 egg whites (at room temperature)
80g caster sugar
110g almond meal
220g icing sugar
zest of 2 lemons (keep 1/2 a lemon for the juice in in the butter cream)
1/2 teaspoon of lemon myrtle powder
a few drops of yellow food colouring

Lemon & lemon myrtle butter cream
125g butter
75g icing sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of lemon myrtle power

Method

For the Macarons
Grease and line 2 baking trays with baking paper
Beat the egg whites till they form stiff peaks
Gradually add the caster sugar and beat till glossy
Sieve the almond meal and icing sugar
Add the lemon zest
Fold a little of the egg white mixture into the dry mixture
Add a few drops of yellow food colouring and continue folding the egg white mixture in, till all combined
Fill a piping bag with the macaron mix and pipe 40 small 1.5cm diameter circles onto the trays
Leave them to rest at room temperature for 20 mins
Preheat the oven to 170°C
When the macarons are no longer sticky to touch, put them in the oven for 10 mins, switching the trays after 5 mins
When the macarons are just crisp remove them from the oven

For the Lemon Butter Cream
Squeeze the 1/2 lemon and add lemon myrtle powder to the juice, and allow to infuse
Cream the butter
Add the icing sugar and beat till combined
Add 2 tablespoons of the juice to butter cream and blend
Manage the consistency to a smooth spreadable paste by balancing the juice with icing sugar (add more juice if the butter cream is too stiff, and add a little icing sugar if it's too wet

When the macarons are cool, spread a generous layer of butter over one macaron and sandwich another on top. Serve and enjoy :-)

Tiramisu Martini

I am always looking for quick but impressive desserts to make for dinner parties when I don't have a lot of time to prepare. We were out all day with some international foodie guests at the Fish Market for lunch and  Zumbo's Patisserie at the Star for dessert, so I didn't have any time to put a fancy, technical dessert together.

I decided to whip up this delicious classic: a quick Tiramisu which I jazzed up a bit by serving in Martini Glasses. For the Sweet Adventure Blog Hop, hosted this month, by Kitchen Crusader, it was a perfect dessert to feature with 3 distinct layers with different textures and flavours on each, making up the perfect "pick me up!" (that's what Tiramisu means)

Tiramisu Martinis
makes 6 Martini Glasses

3 Eggs Separated
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
250g Mascarpone Cheese
Small cup of Espresso Coffee, cooled
1 tbsp liqueur (I used Kahlua)
Small packet of Savoiardi biscuits
3 tbs Grated chocolate

• Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and creamy. It's done when it's almost white;
• Add Mascarpone and beat until just combined, taking care not to over beat, or the cheese might start to split;
• Put the Espresso and liqueur into a shallow bowl;
• Dip biscuits into the coffee mix quickly, and set aside;
• Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the Mascarpone mix;
• Put the first layer of biscuits in the bottom of the Martini glasses;
• Layer Mascarpone mix followed by grated chocolate and then add another layer of biscuits, remainder of the Mascarpone mix finishing with a layer of grated chocolate;
• Refrigerate to set, but take the glasses out of the fridge half an hour to an hour before serving to soften slightly.

Love at First Bite: Valentine Cheesecake

Valentine Cheesecake

My hubbie loves cheesecake. He doesn't have a favourite flavour or type, just as long as it's cheesecake, so despite pouring over recipes in the run up to Valentines Day looking for a romantic dessert, I couldn't get past cheesecake! Conveniently, I'm confident making them now (after many!) and I love them too!

I've been wanting to try one of the cheesecakes from last June's MasterChef Magazine for a while, so the "Love at First Bite" Blog Hop seemed a perfect time. The Alice In Wonderland Cheesecake looks so impressive it kind of ups the cakes...I mean stakes!

Instead of the Alice in Wonderland theme though, I thought I'd go for a Valentine's theme. I had it pictured in my head, beautiful hearts instead of the raspberry circles of the original. However, the raspberry purée mix seems has a mind of it's own. No matter how heart-shaped I moved the piping bag nozzle in the cheesecake, I ended up with a weird round shape! Oh well, I crossed my fingers that it would taste good. In the end it was a smooth, not too sweet, delicious cheesecake and I worked on the heart shapes again directly onto the plate with the left over raspberry purée.

For my ever so slightly adapted for Valentine's Day recipe (instead of the original Alice In Wonderland Cheesecake) keep reading...

Triple Chocolate Profiteroles

Tripe Chocolate Profiteroles

For the death by piping bag, I mean chocolate, Sweet Adventure Blog Hop, I knew I needed to go a bit more out there than my regular chocolate desserts. I decided to do a twist on an old favourite, the profiterole. I had a bad experience the last time I tried to make profiteroles so I needed to prove to myself I hadn't lost my choux pastry touch that had been one of my signature desserts since I was a child. I also didn't want to go too overboard and fixate on the "death" part rather than the "chocolate" so I couldn't make it too rich for us to be able to eat! I decided to add cocoa to the profiterole mixture and then feature a liqueur that my hubbie loves to put into creamy after dinner cocktails, Sabra. Sabra is an Israeli Chocolate
Orange Liqueur, that way I could make the cream more subtley chocolatey (and give it a zing of alcohol).

So here it is, the chocolatiest profiteroles I've ever made - Death by...


...Triple Chocolate Profiteroles!

Sabra, Chocolate Orange Liqueur

Profiteroles
200ml water
85g butter
4tsp caster sugar
100g flour
15g cocoa powder
3 eggs

Sabra Cream
200ml cream
2 tbsp Sabra

Chocolate Sauce
250g dark chocolate
200ml cream
2 tbsp Sabra

Makes about 30 profiteroles

• Preheat the oven to 200. 
• For the choux pastry, heat water, butter and sugar in a saucepan until the butter melts;
• Meanwhile measure out the flour and cocoa and place it in an easy to access bowl;
• When butter has melted, turn the heat up and drop the flour mixture in all at once;
• Remove from heat;
• Stirring rapidly, combine the flour mixture and water mix together till the mixture comes away from the side of the saucepan;
• Cool slightly;
• Whilst the mix is cooling, beat the 3 eggs;
• Gradually add in the egg mixture to your choux pastry mix, combining the egg in full before you add more, until the mixture is smooth and glossy;
• Grease a baking tray;
• Fill the piping bag with the mixture and pipe small, 1.5cm diameter rounds onto the baking tray;
• Place the baking tray in the oven and cook for about 25mins until the profiteroles are crispy on the outside, and cooked through; 
• Cool before you use the profiteroles.

• For the Sabra cream, whip the cream until stiff peaks form;
• Add in the sabra 1 tbs at a time, whisking in each tablespoon;
• Fill a piping bag with the cream.

• For the chocolate sauce, add the chocolate and cream into a double boiler and heat gently until the chocolate melts;
• Just before you drizzle the sauce over the profiteroles, add in the Sabra and stir well.

Serving Suggestion

• To assemble, cut a small hole in each profiterole;
• Insert the piping bag nozzle into each profiterole and fill with the Sabra cream;
• Place 3 profiteroles in a bowl (I used Martini glasses);
• Drizzle a spoonful of chocolate over the profiteroles and serve the rest on the side.
• Eat and enjoy!

A few notes -  I can't often be bothered with piping bags, but I've just discovered the Multix disposable piping bags - they're really easy to clean cos you don't need to! 

If you don't want to buy a whole bottle of Sabra, you could substitute with any liqueur in your cabinet (it just might not be triple chocolate if not a chocolate liqueur!)

Edible Gifts - Kahlua Truffles

Kahlua Truffles

One of the benefits of working with a food blogger is that my colleagues sometimes get to taste the fruits of each weeks labour. This Christmas, I thought I would make something just for them. I decided to try out my own variation of rum truffles that I used to make as a kid, instead of rum, using Kahlua. The truffles are super rich so a few are plenty and one bite keeps your chocolate intake up over the holidays! They aren't exclusively a Christmas chocolate. In the past I've made them for Valentine's Day gifts and filled Easter Eggs with them, so they're pretty versatile - for any day of the year where Chocolate is an appropriate gift (read, any day of the year!) I chose a festive presentation and gave everyone a little box decorated in Christmassy style!

I learnt (the hard way) that a lower grade percentage of chocolate is better so used a 40% cacao, not higher (for the successful attempt!)

Kahlua Truffles
This makes about 70 truffles

600g dark chocolate
85g butter
6 egg yolks
6 teaspoons of Kahlua
Cocoa Powder (for decorating)
Truffle cases

• Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until smooth;
• Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly
• Gradually add in one egg yolk at a time whisking as you go blending in the mixture so it's smooth and silky;
• After adding in the egg yolks, add the Kahlua gradually too whisking as you add;
• Chill in the fridge overnight;
• Using a melon baller or a small ice cream scoop, scoop out enough mixture to make into little balls;
• Roll in cocoa powder to lightly cover;
• Place in truffle cases.

Mont Blanc Meringue Nests

Chestnuts seem to be traditional in the UK more than in Australia around Christmas. The smells of hot chestnut sellers in the street are a common scent on the main street of Edinburgh, and for a break whilst Christmas shopping it's a treat to warm your hands on a bag of the smoky, soft nuts.

© Catherine Kennedy -
Beneath the Water

In Australia, "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is just a line of a Nat King Cole carol, somewhat inappropriate for a scorching summer day, so the Aussies need a different way to enjoy chestnuts in December.

For this Sweet Adventure Blog Hop I thought I'd suggest a way....

...Mont Blanc Meringue Nests.

Supposedly named as the dish resembles the highest European mountain, Mont Blanc when referring to dessert, includes a chestnut purée and is usually topped with whipped cream (I substituted pouring cream in my dish).

The taste of the chestnut cream is very distinctive so when I ran my finger through the cream left on the food processor blades (yes, I still lick the bowl!), childhood memories were reignited of dinner parties round my parents table. The flavour is hard to explain, but a fabulous combination the nutty flavour with a hint of sweetness and a dash of sherry and it balances the sweetness of the meringue perfectly. The meringue nests are a perfect end to a December festive meal, generous and elegant but light at the same time.

Mont Blanc Meringue Nests (adapted from the recipe in an old favourite: Reader's Digest, the Cookery Year)

Serves 12

Meringue nests
6 egg whites
330g caster sugar
2 pinches cream of tartar (anyone wondering what this is and why you use it, here is a great post I found from A Pie for a Pie)

Chestnut cream
150g butter
100g caster sugar
425ml can of chestnut purée
35ml dry sherry

To serve
Pouring cream
Raspberries

Meringue nests

• Preheat the oven to 100°
• Spray oil and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Spray the top of the paper lightly too!
• Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. 
• Gradually add the sugar and cream of tartar. 
• Beat well till all the sugar has been completely combined and the mixture is smooth and silky and holds it's shape.
• Take a large spoonful of mixture and use the back of the spoon to shape into a round base on the baking tray. You need to fit 6 rounds (about 10cm diameter)
• Repeat for all 12. You should still have plenty mixture left.
• Fill a piping bag with the remainder (using the large star nozzle).
• Pipe a ring of rosettes around the circumference of the meringue circles making a nest.
• Place trays in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there till the oven is cool, preferably over night.
• When I made mine, I sneakily (and v. carefully) moved them all after 2 hours so I knew they hadn't stuck to the baking paper before I left them overnight.
• Store in an air tight container until you serve them, or they might get soggy!

Chestnut cream

• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
• Gradually add a spoonful of chestnut puree and beat in well. Be careful not to add too much at once as the mixture might curdle.
• Keep beating until all the chestnut puree is combined.
• Next, add the sherry gradually, one teaspoon at a time, continuing to beat well to incorporate each spoonful. (The process of adding the puree and sherry is much easier in a food processor as I leave the motor running and drop the spoonfuls down the shoot!)
• You can either leave the cream aside or assemble the meringue nests straight away. Just don't assemble the meringue nests until you are ready to serve.

Assembly

• Spoon the chestnut cream into the meringue nest centre.
• Decorate the plate with raspberries and a drizzle of cream.
• Serve with the pouring cream on the side for those who want more!

Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie Pavlova

Being part of a pavlova blog hop meant that in order to add something a little different to the mix, creativity was the key. I looked around my kitchen and had heaps of lemons, and thought about making a lemon meringue pie. Then it dawned on me that instead of a pie, I could do an upside-down version and use it as my pavlova entry!

Straight lemon curd I felt would be a little overwhelming on the already sweet pavlova base, so I merged the traditional cream with some home made lemon curd to make a tangy creamy topping.

Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie Pavlova

To balance against the sweetness, I picked raspberries and blueberries which aren't as sweet as other fruit.

I wanted to replicate the pie base texture so I crumbled a little lemon shortbread on the top. It was a nice addition giving a little extra texture as well as the crisp pavlova shell.

The result was an indulgent dessert! Perfect for a summer evening!

Pavlova

4 Egg whites
200g Caster sugar (for 5 egg whites: 220g caster sugar, for 6 egg whites: 250g caster sugar)
2 tsp corn flour
1 tsp vanilla essence

• Pre heat oven to 100º;
• Line a baking tray with baking paper;
• Whisk egg whites till they form hard peaks and the bowl can be turned upside down without the egg whites moving;
• Slowly add the caster sugar spoon at a time;
• When sugar is combined and mixture is glossy, add corn flour and vanilla essence;
• Scoop the mixture on to the lined tray and cook for 1 hour - 1 hour 20 mins until the outside is just crisp;
• Leave the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door open for a few hours till the oven is completely cold. Close the door and leave till cool. 

Home-made Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd
this makes extra lemon curd but it can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks

2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
165g caster sugar
80g butter
zest and juice of 2 lemons

I used my saucier for making the lemon curd, but I don't know if this is a gadget that features in many kitchens. For those who don't have every gadget under the sun:

• Stir the eggs with sugar until the mixture is smooth; 
• Add the zest and lemon juice; 
• On a low heat, stirring constantly, gradually add the butter; 
• Keep stirring until the mixture is thick. This will probably take about 20 -30 mins; 
• When thick, pour into a jar and cool completely.

Before the Oven - Lemon
Shortbread Crumb

Lemon Shortbread Crumb
this makes 12 fingers - you only need 1 for the pavlova recipe so if you want to drop a step, just use a bought shortbread finger!

125g plain flour
80g butter
40g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon

• In the food processor whiz the flour and butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs; 
• Add the caster sugar and zest, and combine;
• Knead the mixture till smooth and shape into a 2cm diameter sausage;
• Wrap with Cling film and chill for 30 mins; 
• Preheat the oven to 170º; 
• Slice the chilled shortbread dough into 0.5cm slices; 
• Lay on a baking tray and bake for 10 - 15 mins until golden brown; 
• Remove from the oven and cool.

The "finished" product

Assembling

300ml thickened cream
handful of raspberries
handful of blueberries

• Whip the cream until it reaches a stiff peak consistency;
• Gently fold in half of the lemon curd. Try not to completely combine the curd, but swirl it into a ripple effect;
• Top the pavlova with the lemon curd cream mixture;
• Decorate with raspberries and blueberries;
• Crumble 1 small shortbread piece over.