Mandarin almond cake

It's been awhile but I've been baking up a storm especially as every event definitely needs cake. When Pepe requested a cake to take to his work's for morning tea, I knew what to do with the recently picked mandarins from Fords Farm.

And surprise surprise it was a winner, picking up a prize for the delicious cake as well as many requests for the recipe.

So with that in mind, here's the recipe.

Mandarin almond cake

Ingredients

4 mandarins

250g caster sugar

6 eggs

250g almond meal

1 tsp baking powder

Icing sugar to serve

Method

1.       Place mandarins in a small pot and bring to boil. 

2.       Boil for 1 hour until soft. (Make sure you check that there is water in the pot or else you'll end up with a burnt mess.) Drain and blitz into a puree and allow to cool.

3.       Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius.

4.       Grease and line a 22cm spring form cake tin with baking paper

5.       Use a mixer to beat eggs and caster sugar until well combined for 5 minutes. (It'll look frothy but makes for a light tasting cake)

6.       Stir in the mandarin puree, almond meal and baking powder.

7.       Pour batter into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour until top is golden.

8.       Allow to cool in the tin and dust with icing sugar.

Serve warm, cold and even the next day if there is any slices left.

Happy New Year 2016 mochi ricecakes

The soft chewy texture filled with red bean filling oozing with that first bite, that's when I fell in love with mochi. I vividly remember as an after school snack, mum would purchase these favourite treats of mine. Wrapped in clear plastic, 6 mochi balls of pink, white and green filled with red bean which I would devour in a few minutes.

To celebrate Chinese New Year 2016, I thought I would attempt to make rice cakes of some sort. This meant experimenting with different flours to attempt hoddeok, a sweet Korean pancake which reminded me of the street stalls in Korea selling these tasty treats filled with cinnamon peanut sugary goodness. With that down pat, my next experiment was to try mochi.

Scouring the internet for an easy recipe, they varied from baking the glutinous mix to some fiddly and time consuming methods. I adapted Maagchi's "Korean style mochi rice cakes" recipe for my purposes. I found that you'll need to work quickly with the mochi to make the most of the elastic quality whilst its warm to cover the balls of red bean or black sesame paste. The kids will love stretching out the mochi and attempting to enclose their filling of choice.

The Koreans call this dish chapssaltteok whereas the word mochi is a Japanese word that simply means “rice cake.” The Korean version of chapssaltteok uses the colour green which is created with green tea powder. I found that mochi came in three different colours, white (plain), pink (with 2 drops of red food colouring), and green (with 1 teaspoon green tea powder or 2 drops of green food colouring).

I would of liked to make the filling but due to time constraints, I opted to try the ready made pastes. Next task for me is attempt to make the white sesame filling that hubby loves so much.

You'll never buy mochi again once you discover how easy it is to make it. I recommend you devour a few before the kids and hubby have discovered that you have made these delicious delights.

Makes 10 mochi balls

Ingredients

Filling
Red bean paste
Black sesame paste

Ricecake
1 cup glutinous rice flour
sprinkling of potato starch/ or mung bean starch powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of water
2 drops of food colouring of your choice, I opted for green

Outside coating
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup black sesame powder

Method

1. Roll your paste into 10 balls 2-2.5cm diameter for easy insertion into the rice cakes. I found putting the paste in the fridge to harden slightly made it easier to roll into balls. Or sprinkle a little starch powder to prevent the paste sticking to your hands when you roll into balls. Set aside to use later on.

2. Place glutinous rice flour, salt, sugar and two drops of green food colouring into a microwave-safe bowl.

3. Add water to the rice flour and mix well. (It may look like a liquid mix rather than dough, but don't worry)

4. Cover the rice mix with plastic wrap and cook on HIGH 3 mins in the microwave. (Watch the mixture slowly rise and fall before you have a ricecake)

5. Remove the rice cake from the microwave. (Be careful taking off the plastic wrap or else be blasted with hot steam, this happened to me). Mix the rice cake with a spoon for 20 seconds.

6. Cover the rice cake with plastic wrap and put back in the microwave for HIGH 1min.

7.  Knead the hot rice cake with a spoon as the best you can for about 1-2 minutes. This is the key part to get that soft chewy texture.

8. Sprinkle your choice of starch powder on your cutting board. Pull out the rice cake with a spoon into a sausage shape.

9. Wet your hands first, to stop the rice cake sticking to your hands. This way you can attempt to shape your rice cake into a rectangle about 15 cm x 5 cm. (Somehow I managed to flattened my rice cake into an oval shape that was 15cm long and 2-5cm in width) 

10. Cut the rectangle into half with a sharp wet knife and cut 5 even perpendicular cuts, to make 10 pieces of rice cake. Cover the rice cakes with plastic wrap to keep them from getting dried out.

11. Take one piece of rice cake, flatten and stretch out to a round circle about 5 cm in diameter.

12. Add a sweet red bean ball or black sesame ball to the middle of the piece of rice cake. Pull the rice cake over the ball and seal by dabbing a little water to join the edges with your fingers. Roll the mochi to look like a nice round ball. (If the rice cake starts sticking to your fingers, add a little starch powder to prevent this.)

13. I wanted to add an extra dimension of taste, so I dabbed water on the outside of my mochi and rolled this in coconut which the kids loved. Hubby is more of a black sesame fan, so I rolled a few mochi in black sesame powder for him.

14. Repeat this until you’ve made 10 pieces of chapssaltteok/mochi ricecakes.

15. Eat a couple before the kids discover them.

Handy hints

*Red bean and black sesame paste can be found at Asian grocery stores.
*Place paste in the fridge as this hardens this slightly and makes it easier to roll into balls
*Potato starch and mung bean starch can be used. I prefer the mung bean taste so I went with mung bean starch.
*It's extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave, so be careful with removing the plastic wrap.
*Work within 5-8 minutes of the dough being cut to make nice smooth round balls for presentation

Cherry Tart

Cherries, cherries cherries.

We've always headed to Young, cherry picking capital in NSW for our yearly supply of cherries. With the best time to go being November to December, invite your friends and family to go picking. Indulge in everything cherry, whether its cherry jam, pickled cherries, cherry wine or cherry port. Or pick a few kilograms and wow your friends and family with this delicious cherry tart.

This year, I've written a "How to go about a day trip to go cherry picking in Young" guide for all of those that ask about my cherry picking weekend. (http://www.weekendnotes.com/day-trip-to-cherry-picking-capital-young/)

Make sure you have a couple of drivers for the 4 hour drive and discover Young in a day or two. My hubby thinks I'm crazy as I've driven there and back in a day a few times now. But I totally recommend that you visit Young and taste their plump red cherries and be impressed.

Cherry tart by Bill Granger

Pastry

125g unsalted butter

90g caster sugar
175g plain flour
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons almond meal

Filling

170mL cream

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons plain flour

550g cherries, halved and pitted (fresh is best)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a 24cm round tart tin.

2. To make the pastry stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the flour and salt to stir to make a soft dough.

4. Transfer the dough to the tin and press evenly into the base and side of the tin with your fingertips.

5. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes or until pastry is slightly puffy. Remove from oven and sprinkle the almond meal over the base.

6. To make the filling, whisk together the cream eggs, vanilla and sugar.

7. Add the flour and whist until well mixed.

8. Arrange the cherries, slightly overlapping over the pastry base and pour the cream filling evenly over the cherries.

9. Return the tart to the oven for a further 40-50mins until the filling is firm.

10. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice cream.

 

This didn't last very long in my household, yummy!

Cherry Clafoutis

This is a dessert I can never say correctly and hubby just laughs whenever I attempt to say this. Admitting to this fact, please don't ask me how to pronounce it.

I recently made this dessert and I can say its a light and delicious dessert that the kids and I demolished this in minutes.

A little warning though, I kept the cherry stones in as it keeps the shape and flavour of the fruit intact. Please let your guests know before serving. Or you could pit the cherries but I was little time poor to do this.

Ingredients

500g fresh dark cherries
1 tbs caster sugar
2 tbs kirsh (I omitted this due to not having any)

Custard
2 eggs
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar

1/4 cup (50g) plain flour
1/2 cup (125mL) sour cream or crème fraiche
1/2 cu (125mL) cream
grated rind of 1 lemon

butter for baking
icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius.

2. Place the cherries in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle caster sugar and kirsh, (if using) over them.

3. Bake 5-6mins or until cherries are cooked but still firm. Set the cherries aside and reserve cooking juices.

4. For the custard, beat the eggs with a mixer, then add caster sugar and beat until frothy.

5. Carefully add the flour and combine, then add 1 tablespoon of the reserved cherry cooking juices, sour cream, cream and lemon rind.

6. Dot a small baking dish with a little butter and spread half the custard over the base of the dish.

7. Spoon in the cooked cherries to cover the custard, then add the remaining custard.

8. Bake for 25-30minutes, the top will be golden and the cherries will appear as little mounds in the custard.

9. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar.

Tips and findings

I have made this a couple of times and even had leftovers cold the next day. Its one of those desserts that does taste good either warm or cold.

My fave lemon tart

This recipe is made with homegrown lemons which are their best during the winter. As I'm getting over a cold, I wasn't going to say no to a bagful of bright yellow lemons. What better treat is a lemon tart for an afternoon tea or served as dessert after dinner on these cool evenings.

Your guests will be in for a treat with this one. I've had a few requests for this one, so I've finally written it down. A creamy tart filling with the perfect pastry crust. Totally divine, if I say so myself. This delectable tart was gobbled down quite quickly before you could say, 'Can I have some more, please?'

Ingredients

Sweet pastry

300g cups plain flour

150g unsalted butter cubed

120g icing sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

Zest of 1 lemon

Filling

3/4 cup caster sugar

zest of 1 lemon 

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 eggs


Serves 8

 

Method

1. In a food processor, combine flour, butter, salt, icing sugar until it forms a coarse crumb like appearance.
 

2. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract into the food processor and mix until combined.
 

3. Shape pastry into a disc and cover with plastic film and place in the fridge for 30 mins.
 

4.  Make a cartouche* with baking paper to cover the base of the 20cm flan pan or 20cm springform cake pan. Basically a circular shaped piece of baking paper so the tart crust doesn't get stuck on the bottom.

5. Roll out pastry between baking paper and the plastic film used to wrap pastry.

6. Place pastry into a lined 20cm flan/cake pan. Use your hands to mould pastry around the flan/cake pan. Cut off excess pastry around the flan/cake pan with a knife.
 

7. Prick the pastry lightly with a fork and refrigerate for 30mins. (This is so the pastry doesn't shrink and to add as much of that delicious filling as you can)
 

8. Preheat the oven to 180C degrees and bake the pastry case with baking paper held down by dried beans for 15-20 mins.
 

9. Remove baking beans and return pastry case to bake for another 10 mins. Before taking out to cool.
 

10. Turn the heat down to 150C. 

11. Whisk together sugar, zest, lemon juice, cream, vanilla extract and eggs one by one. 

12. Pour the lemon filling into the pastry case and cook 35-45 mins or until the mixture is set.

13. Serve as is or with a dollop of icecream.


Handy hints
 

*How to make a cartouche.
I usually start with a square, fold in half to get a rectangle, fold in half again to get a square, then fold again along the edge of the folds to get a triangle. You will want to use the end with no edges or else you'll end up with 2 semi circles. Place pointy end to the centre of the 20cm cake pan and cut off the larger end of the triangle to fit within the cake pan. When you unfold the baking paper, it should be a perfect circle.

Basque burnt cheesecake

Researching our next trip to the Basque region, I came across a recipe for a Basque burnt cheesecake. In readiness for our trip to San Sebastian and the food to eat, I was excited to learn that this is a place where you have to eat dessert first.

Not due to the fact that this is a Basque tradition but if we were to fill ourselves on savoury tapas, all this delicious cheesecake from the cafes will be gone. 

This must be the easiest cheesecake to make and equally delicious. I'll be sure to make a trip to the cafes in San Sebastián to get my fill of this cheesecake. 

And yes dear sister, it's meant to be burnt as the sugars form a delicious crust  which I can't get enough of. Will make it for you soon. 

Ingredients

600g cream cheese

4 eggs

275g caster sugar

300mL thickened cream

1 tbs plain flour 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. 

2. Grease and line the bass and sides of a 23cm springform cake pan with baking paper so the paper comes 2cm above the rim of the pan. 

3. Beat the cream cheese using electric beaters until smooth and creamy. 

4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 

5. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the cream, then add the flour and beat until smooth. 

6. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan gently on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. 

7. Bake for 50mins or until the top is dark brown and cake is set with a slight wobble in the centre and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the  pan. 

9. The cake is best eaten within a few hours of baking. (Actually is still really good til the next day). 

Handy hints

The recipe did ask for double cream (fat content of 48%) as it is the most versatile cream because it withstands boiling and whips and freezes well.

But I opted for the thickened cream (fat content of 35%) which does an equally good job for this cheesecake and for whipping into cream.

Decadent Chocolate Fondants

I haven't forgotten you all and I've been on adventures to Taiwan and Hong Kong which I will need to fill you in at another time but I needed to stop and write a recipe for my decadent chocolate fondants.

I recently ate at Big Stone Tapas in North Sydney and I couldn't get over how amazing the chocolate fondant dessert was. It was one of the things I missed most on my travels was being able to cook and bake for my family.

I decided to rectify this to replicate a quick and easy chocolate fondant that could be whipped up whilst we enjoyed our family dinner of spaghetti bolognese.

Serves 6

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
100g sugar

100g plain flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcius

2. Use a thin slice of butter and use this to grease the ramekins. (I use a pannacotta mould as I wanted these to be small as these were rather decadent)

3. Add chocolate and butter into a microwave dish with lid and place in the microwave for High 50 seconds. The chocolate wouldn't have completely melted but stir this mixture around and it will melt due to the residue heat from the butter.

4. Add eggs and egg yolks with the sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk for 3 minutes until pale yellow in colour.

5. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mix and fold in the 100g of flour.

6. Divide the mixture into the ramekins and place on an oven tray.


7. Bake for 8-10 mins or until the surface is cooked but still soft in the centre.

8. I like to serve mine with a dollop of yoghurt as it is a rather rich dessert.

Quick apple pie

I love apple pie and I thought I'd share my love for these with the kids. This is my quick option for a midweek dessert. It's easy to add different fruit such as pear to mix it up. It's a definitely hit and I've been asked twice this week if I'm making this again for dessert. 'Of course' was the answer.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 apple thinly sliced (I keep the peel on)

1/2 pear thinly sliced with skin (optional)

2 sheets of puff pastry

Sprinkle of cinnamon

1 tsp of brown sugar

20g butter

20g currants

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
 

2. Cut the sheets of puff pastry in half so you end up with 4 rectangular pieces of puff pastry. 

3. Place 6-8 slices of apple and 2 slices of pear on the bottom half of each of the rectangle of puff pastry

4. Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples

5. Add 1 tsp of brown sugar on each of the apples

6. Sprinkle a few currants on top of the apple filling

7. Add a knob of butter on each apple filling 

8. Fold the puff pastry over to close the parcels and press the edges down with a fork. 

9. Brush melted butter over the top of each square parcel. 

10. Bake for 12-15 mins until golden in colour. 

Sublime apple & cinnamon cake

I am craving cake. People may crave chocolate or sweets but I tend to crave cake. It's a blustery day out today and I've already made the most of it with a morning swim with the kids. Poked around a pile of dry leaves on the search for lizards and as while Mr4 was trying to catch them, my girlfriend discovered that it really is true, the tails detach and squirm around. We uncovered the trail of a snail and helped it on its way and before long it was time for afternoon tea, All I had to work with was a granny smith apple, a lime, and the usual cake making ingredients. The results were a moist delicious cake, I've already cut myself a 2 pieces before the kids and my inlaws are back from a visit to the museum. I'm not sure there will be much to devour when they get back.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 & 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp bi carb soda
pinch of salt
zest of 1 lime

Wet ingredients
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of melted butter

1 apple sliced thinly (I keep the skin on)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius and grease 18cm  (5.5inch) diameter cake tin
2. Mix all the dry ingredients into a big bowl
3. Then add the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and whisk up with a fork.
4.Cut the apple into quarters, remove core the put through the food processor to cut into thin slices.
5.Fill 1/4 of the cake tin with the batter, then add 2 layers of the apple.
6. Add another layer of batter to the pan then top with the apple slice until the batter mix is finished.
7. Bake for 40-50 mins, until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
8. Allow the cake to cool before placing onto the serving plate.

Handy hints

I always cut out a circular cut out with baking paper to place on the bottom of the cake tin so you never have an incident where the bottom of the cake gets stuck.

Use a food processor or mandolin to cut the apple thinly.

Sweet Potato Pie

With a Canadian friend leaving to go back to the States, I thought I'd make my version of pumpkin pie, a sweet potato pie for her farewell. The cinnamon and ginger spice aromas wafting through the house, I couldn't wait to have a slice.

I thought I'd also follow the current food fads and make a paleo sweet potato pie. The filling is rich, smooth and thick served with a delish date almond pie crust and yoghurt. It is on the light side of sweet but the maple shards and extra maple add that extra hit of sweetness if need be.  With a nod of approval from my American friends, I think this one's a winner.

Serves 6-8
 

Ingredients

Sweet potato filling

500g sweet potato 

400mL coconut milk
200mL water
 

Pastry
10 dried dates

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g unsalted butter 

260g almond meal

I egg white
pinch of salt

Spice filling

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

finely grated zest of half an orange

60mL (1/4 cup) maple syrup
2 eggs and extra yolk

Shards for decoration

40g (1/4 cup) seed mix (I used sunflower kernels and pepitas)
1 tbs maple syrup
 

Dollop of Greek yoghurt

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius 

2. Grease a 24cm quiche pan with butter

3. Place sweet potato, coconut milk and water in a on over medium low heat and simmer for 25 mins or until soft. Cool

4. Whizz dates in the food processor until finely chopped.

5. Combine dates with almond meal, vanilla, butter, 1 egg white and a pinch of salt. 

6. Press mixture into the base and sides. Prick base with a fork. Then bake for 15-20mins until dry. 

7. Whizz sweet potato mixture, spices, zest and 60mL (1/4 cup) maple syrup in a food processor. 

8. Add remaining 2 eggs and yolk and whizz to combine. Pour filling into base. Bake for 45 mins or until just set

9. Toss seeds in remaining 1 tbs maple syrup. Bake on a baking paper lined baking tray for 8-10mins until golden. Cool then break into shards

10. Top pie with yoghurt, shards of seeds and extra maple syrup. 

Happy Chinese New Year, Year of the Sheep Pineapple tarts

I love the vibrant red and celebrations that go hand in hand with Chinese New Year. I thought I'd partake in the festivities and make pineapple tarts. The pastry crumb on these tarts are divine, and the pineapple jam is sweet but not too sweet. I couldn't stop myself and bought not one but two pineapples as they smelt so good. I have been wondering how to make these tarts look like sheep, as it is the Year of the Sheep and I think they turned out ok.

Hoping my bestie is impressed with these tasty pineapple treats. Will have to let you know how these compare to the sweet pineapple treats we try in Taiwan in the not to distant future.

 

Pineapple Filling Ingredients:

2 ripe pineapples
250g sugar

Muslin square to contain the following
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise

Method

1. Remove the tops and bottoms of the pineapple then cut off the peel around the pineapple
2. Use a food processor to blend for a minute or two.
3. Wrap cloves, cinnamon and star anise into the muslin and tie with cotton twine.
4.Throw muslin into a saucepan with blended pineapple and cook at medium high.
5. Stir every couple of minutes until the pineapple juice has reduced and thickened to a jam consistency (this took just under an hour for me)
6. It's ready when it turns a nice golden in colour, spread out onto a dinner plate to cool.
7. Once cool and roll the pineapple jam into a cylindrical shapes or a fat caterpillar. (You will need to do this first before attempting the pastry).

Pastry Ingredients

Pastry
250g butter
50g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp salt

For glazing
Keep the egg white and add a dash of milk and lightly beat til required

Dry ingredients
350g plain flour (all purpose flour)
50g corn flour
25g rice flour (optional, if you have it)

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light in colour.


2. Place egg yolks one at a time, beating the mixture until well combined.

3. Add vanilla essence and salt and whisk until fluffy.

4. Fold in dry ingredients (plain flour, cornflour and rice flour) and mix to form a dough. It should be a light crumbly shortbread texture.


5. Roll a tablespoonful of dough into a 5cm long tube in your palm, then gently press down with index finger to flatten the dough into a rectangle shape, around 0.5cm thick and 4cm wide.

6. Place the rolled out pineapple jam on the edge of the rectangle shape and roll the dough to wrap around it to form a small elongated roll. Pinch the edges to close in the pineapple jam. Roll between your palms a couple of times to secure the edges.

7. Place the roll on a baking tray lined with greaseproof baking paper. Repeat until all dough mixture and jam filling used up.

8. Preheat oven at 180°C.

9. Use a fork and draw lines on top of the tarts or perhaps attempt to make a sheep, since it is the Year of the Sheep.

10. Brush the rolls with glaze mix.

11. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

12. Cool on wire racks before storing in an airtight jar.