Hazelnut Dream

Every year, I make a ridiculously chocolately Easter cake.  Even though, this year, I will be spending Easter away from my family, I could not let this little tradition go so easily.  The cake I chose is a Torta All Gianduia.  Sounds gloriously fancy, doesn't it?  Basically it's a flourless hazelnut cake, or a Nutella cake.  Despite calling for a whole jar of Nutella, dark chocolate, 6 eggs and Frangelico, this cake is surprisingly light.  Of course, the beautiful lightness comes from the whisked egg whites which are carefully incorporated but I'm also talking in flavour.  This looks like a solid, rich cake but you can very easily have more than a small slice.  It's delightfully nutty which balances out the sweetness of the Nutella and the richness of the dark chocolate.  The beautiful roasted hazelnuts on top announce to the world that this is no ordinary flourless chocolate cake and the dark chocolate ganache glistens underneath in contrast.  This cake is definitely for a special occassion and one that will now form a regular part of my kitchen repertoire.  Credits must go to Nigella Lawson and her book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, as this is a recipe that I have not messed around with - it is simply perfection as it is.

Torta All Gianduia

6 large eggs, separated

pinch of salt

125g unsalted butter, softened

400g jar of Nutella

1 tbsp Frangelico (or rum, which I used)

100g ground hazelnuts

100g dark chocolate, melted

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and prepare a 23cm springform tin.

Whisk the egg whites and salt to stiff peaks.

Separately, beat the butter and Nutella together.  Incorporate the Frangelico (or rum), egg yolks and ground hazelnuts, then fold in the cooled melted chocolate.

Add a large dollop of the egg whites to lighten the batter.  Beat this in well.

Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites, a third at a time.

Pour into the tin and cook for 40 minutes.  The cake should be beginning to come away at the sides. 

Leave the cake to cool in the tin.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Roast 100g of hazelnuts in a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before rubbing of outer skin.

Add 125mL of double cream, 125g dark chocolate and 1 tablespoon of your chosen tipple from earlier.  Heat this gently and stir until chocolate has melted.  Remove from the heat and whisk until the ganache thickens.  Pour over the top of cake and top with roasted hazelnuts.

Heaven!

F.x

An Anticipated Visit

Today was the day that I have been waiting for since the end of November.  Today was the day that I got to see my wonderful BFF, Nick! Naturally, this meant some celebratory cooking in the form of Chocolate Blueberry Tarts (blueberry in honour of my lovely guest).  And wouldn't I like to see Nigella try to make pastry in Central Queensland heat?  It is a bit of a mission, possibly best saved for winter.  Luckily, the pastry gods were favouring little ol' moi today.  Soft, crumbly chocolate pastry; creamy white chocolate mascarpone filling; and topped with fresh blueberries.  These are sweet perfection.  While they should be sickly sweet, the balance of chocolately bitterness with the subtle cream and juicy blueberries is simply gorgeous as the flavours work in perfect harmony.

As Nick and I scoot off to spend a few wonderful, girly days in Yeppoon, I urge you to look out for the recipe that I will be sure to share with you in the latter half of this coming week!

F. x

Nostalgia and Chocolate Cake

Isn't it funny how, no matter how old we are, we still long for the food of our childhood?  I regularly turn to the recipes that I have cooked a million times, after have watched my mum cook them a million times before. My tastes are very much influenced by my darling mother's cooking.  For example, I always make my custard incredibly thick.  Why?  Because that's how Mum always did it.   My lovely husband, often asks me for meals that his mother used to cook for him, giving me 'feedback' as to how I can make it "more like Mum's."  As much as I find this ever-so-slightly irritating, it is endearing too.  These are the tastes, textures and smells of our childhood and how much comfort we find in the nostalgia that comes along.  This speaks volumes for the amount of love and affection in our childhood homes, and the care with  which each meal was prepared and presented.  I hope that one day, my (future) children will have the same experience and continue our mother's recipes on as they share them with their own families.  I have previously shared my mum's delicious chocolate cake recipe, a family must-have for all birthdays and celebrations.  These are the chocolate cup-cakes that graced my lunchbox in primary school and the same chocolate cup-cakes that Mitch often has in his.  The legacy of love through nourishment continues, and how truly wonderful it is.

F. x



Home Sweet Home

This weekend, I will be travelling back to Brisbane to see my family.  After almost three months in Blackwater, the thought of returning to Brisbane to stay with my parents and younger siblings has me overwhelmed with warm fuzzy thoughts of the comfort of 'home'.  No matter how long you've been away, somehow Mum's place is always referred to as 'home' and I love that.  My Mum is my favourite cook (well on par with Maggie Beer and Margaret Fulton).  One thing that my Mum is an absolute master of is custard.  And another is pulling a homey dessert out of nowhere, on demand.  Crumble has always had a soft spot with me, for this very reason.  It was one of the things that Mum would make on a weekend (dessert is not for school nights) to accompany her champion of custards. 

Funnily enough, I found myself rubbing butter into flour one night this week, pulling together a crumble as a mid-week treat for Mitch and I.  There is really nothing more flexible.  Whatever you happen to have in the cupboard goes in.  Once you have a base of butter, flour and sugar (raw, castor, brown or a combination), throw in whatever takes your fancy.  For me, it happened to be coconut and chopped walnuts.  Thinking about it now, a little nutmeg would have also been delightful.  Juicy tinned peaches filled the bottom of darling cream Wedgewood ramekins (a present from Mum for this very purpose!), before crumble is packed over the top.  I am by no means a minimalist when it comes to crumble toppings.  Twenty minutes later, the smell of baking fills the house and out comes perfection in a jar....golden, knobbly and lucious.  The smell and taste of home.

F. x

Happy Friday!

What better way to share the Friday cheer than with a scrummy recipe?  Here is my Chocolate Caramel Slice recipe...and it tastes even better than it looks!  These are perfect for morning tea, giving away as little gifts or just to have as a sweet treat.  Believe me, you will be making these little darlings over and over again!  Thank me now because you'll be too busy munching on these later on.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Base

1 cup P flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

Caramel

1/2 cup golden syrup

125g unsalted butter, cubed

2 x 395g cans of sweetened condensed milk (heaven!!)

Chocolate

200g dark chocolate

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix together dry ingredients for the base before adding the melted butter.  Bring together and press into a prepared 20cm x 20cm tin.  Place in a moderate oven (about 180 degrees) and bake for around 20 minutes. It should have started to brown a little on top but the gorgeous smell will alert you to its readiness.

If you start getting your caramel ingredients together when you've popped the base into the oven, it seems to time itself pretty well.  Place all the ingredients into a saucepan over a low heat.  Stir until the butter has melted and then cook for another 6-7 minutes.  Don't expect it to thicken much or change in colour, just keep stirring it so that you don't burn the bottom! 

When the base is ready, pull it out of the oven and pour the caramel over the top.  Place the tin back into the oven for another 20 minutes.  The caramel will darken and start to bubble...best thing ever!

Let the tin cool on the bench before popping it into the fridge.  Leave it for a good couple of hours (I usually let it go overnight) to make sure that it is nice and cold.

While I do prefer to melt chocolate over a pot of boiling water, I use my Tupperware microwave jug for this recipe.  Break the chocolate into pieces and drizzle the oil over the top.  I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.  This ensures that you have no disasters.  When the chocolate is completely melted and is shiny and smooth, pour it over the chilled caramel.  Tip and tilt the tin to allow the chocolate to spread evenly across the whole slice.  Put it straight back into the fridge and leave until set.  This usually only takes about 30 minutes.

Lift the slice out of the tin.  To slice, I use a knife dipped into boiling water.  This stops the chocolate breaking and makes you cuts clean and neat.  Wipe the knife with a cloth in between to remove any melted chocolate.  I start by chopping off the 'crispy' edges.  (This is the favoured part in my house and hardly the scraps with all the dark, 'burnt' caramel!)  Then you can cut the slice into pieces sized to your liking.  Steal a piece at this point because you won't get a look in later on!

Too yum!

F. x

Chocolate Caramel Temptation

Just a little tempter for tomorrow's post.  You simply won't be able to go past this one!

F. x

Feeding the Soul

I truly believe that there are foods that make you feel better.  For me, banana bread is one of these.  While I am typing, I am munching away on a warm, buttered slice of banand bread and in a happy place.  Whether it is because of the crunchy walnuts, the dense banana or the naughty bourbon-soaked dates I snuck in,  this recipe is soul warming.

I started on this recipe at 7am yesterday morning, so eager was I to get into baking!  However, the warm, aromatic fug that took over the kitchen wasn't quite so appropriate for the time of day.  My first task was boiling up chopped dates in bourbon and setting them aside to soak.  They looked simply beautiful: a thick, dark potion of sweetness.  This, however, was nothing compared to the familiar, homely aromas of my amazing loaf rising in the oven later on.

While I am including the recipe for you today, what I love most about it, is its flexibility.  You can pretty much throw in whatever you have sitting around in the pantry.  Don't have dates?  Use sultanas.  Or frozen blueberries.  No walnuts?  Chuck in pecans or slivered almonds, or even leave them out altogether.  Chocolate fiend?  Substitute some of the flour for dark cocoa and/or add in some dark chocolate chips. Anything goes so enjoy experimenting with this one.

100g pitted dates

75mL bourbon

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb

1/2 tsp salt

125g unsalted butter, melted

1 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed banana

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring dates and bourbon up to the boil before covering and leaving soak for an hour, then drain.  Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C.  Sift together flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Blend together the butter and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and then add the eggs, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in the mashed banana, followed by the walnuts, drained dates and vanilla.  Add in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, stirring well.  Pour the golden batter into a prepared loaf tin and bake for an hour. 

Hot from the oven, cold or toasted this is sure to be a crowd favourite!

F. x