Apple-y, Donut-y Fabulicious-ness

As you can see, these Apple Fritters from blogger Seemingly Greek (as featured on one of my favourite blogs, Best Friends for Frosting) are so good that they have me inventing new words!  All the sweet, crunchy outer - light inner that you are after in a donut without the hassle of yeast and everything else that goes along with making a donut from scratch. 

These apple fritters were the easiest things to make and even better, don't go soggy when you make them in advance and store them in the fridge.  While this site is American, and recommended a typical American glazed approach, I simply coated the fritters in caster sugar as soon as I took them out of the pan.  They are just mounds of golden delicious-ness and mind-blowingly phenomenal.  Whether you have them hot out of the pan with a dollop of icecream or sneak a little nibble out of the fridge, these will not disappoint any sweet craving you might have. I recommend that each and every one of you share in this bliss and make them this instant.  Comfort food at its best.

F. x

Chocolate Hazelnut Deliciousness

Well hello, my lovelies.  Hasn't it been a while?  Even though I have continued to create delicious morsels, it has taken a certain telecommunications company a ridiculously long time to sort out our internet situation in our new home.  However, good things come to those who wait (and goodness knows how long it feels I have waited!) and here I am again.  Just to make up for such a long absence, I am going to share with you one of my favourite recipes for a sweet fix - naturally, chocolate-based.

This Chocolate Hazelnut (faux) Fudge is easy as pie, and even easier than that.  It combines two of my most favourite ingredients, dark chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.  Both of these ingredients are just too fabulous on their own so you can only imagine how wonderful they are in combination.  The reward you receive for such a small amount of work is to die for....beautiful dark squares bejewelled with crunchy hazelnets. Oh, yes please!

The thing to keep in mind with this recipe is that even though I have used hazelnuts (I just happened to have them in the pantry at the time), any nuts that take you fancy would suit.  I am yet to try with pistachios but love the idea of the visual aspect, bright green contrasted against the dark chocolate...amazing!

For this delightful Faux Fudge you will need, 350 grams of chopped dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 30 grams of unsalted butter, a pinch of salt and 150 grams of chopped hazelnuts.  Pop the chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat, stirring to melt.  What you will get is a stunningly smooth, glistening and luxurious chocolate lava, too good for words.  Stir the nuts into this mixture well and feast your eyes as you pour into a 23 centimetre slice square (or something similiar).  Use a spatula to smooth over the top.  This step, while being incredibly important, also works in the cook's favour and you can sample your wares prior to setting.  Allow the fudge to cool and refrigerate until set.  If you can leave it alone long enough to set, turn the fudge block out onto a board and cut into small squares. Nothing is better than cutting into the monochromatic fudge block to discover the bright hidden treasures that are the hazelnuts. Even though the glutton in you will be tempted to make the portions slightly larger, believe me, less is more with this rich indulgence. I then layer the pieces between baking paper and keep in the freezer.  This just allows it to keep for longer, although the fridge is also fine.  Surprisingly, the fudge is still soft enough to eat, kept in the freezer, but if you can't leave it for five minutes before you munch, watch out for those nuts!

F. x

Mr and Mrs Strawberries and Cream

Well this Mr and Mrs are now residing in Blackwater!  Everything is going well despite a few initial hiccups.  Sadly, I arrived to an oven that is not in working order so naturally, am DEVASTATED! I am now on the countdown until it gets fixed - be prepared for updates.  Not one to be a downer, I have been trying to work around this slight speed bump by hunting down "no oven required" recipes.

Seeing as it is unbelievably toasty warm in happy little Blackwater, I felt it apt that my first Central Queensland post be a heat extinguishing number.  Introducing my delightfully refreshing Strawberries and Cream Sparkling Iced Tea.  Gloriously crimson in colour, icy cold and deliciously fresh with strawberries and lime, all this tea needed was a touch of sparkling water for added class and glamour.  Serving it up with lunch, which my husband had come home for (in itself so quaint and country) I felt need to "man it up" a tad with the most fabulous "tousche" glass for my Mr.  Seeing how adorable they looked together, I couldn't help but take a quick snap of our Mr and Mrs Iced Teas.  Now let me whole-heartedly assure you that these tasted just as amazing as they look and definitely hit the spot!

F. x

New Years Resolutions

They say that you should start a new year as you mean to continue. For me, of course, this translates to baking! Having spent a fantastic evening bringing in the new year with some of my favourite people, cocktails and amazing food, a long and involved recipe was not what I was looking for today. Maximum output for minimum effort for moi, please! This wonderful (cheat's) cheesecake was absolutely perfect for the occassion. I ask that you do not judge too hastily. Usually, where cheesecakes are concerned, I am a purist. Creamy, rich baked cheesecakes are my speciality but today was not the day to be spending hours in the kitchen...

My cheaty raspberry cheesecake begins with the simplest base known to man: digestive biscuits and unsalted butter. This is pressed into a springform pan and popped into the freezer. The 'cheesecake' is blissfully easy: cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice mixed then folded into double cream. Once this is poured over the base, and put in the fridge for as long as you can wait (this was about an hour for us) a good quality fruit conserve is spooned over the top. Wow! Simple, yet beyond fabulous!

My wish for the new year is that everyone achieves all that they hope for, in the company of people who they love and cherish. I cannot wait for what this year has in store. I am excited about the amazing people I have yet to meet, the incredible recipes I am yet to bake and for future experiences that I am sure will blow my mind.

Happy 2012!
F. x

Pistachio Perfection

Stolen from her book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, Nigella describes these as "the world's most elegant macaroons" and within my narrow realm of macaroon experience, I would tend to agree.  They are delicately waxy in appearance and pale jade in colour; the perfect combination of nutty and sweet, crunchy and chewy.  Suiting all purposes, they are made for sharing, or enjoying with a quiet cup of coffee during a stolen moment of peace and quiet.

Both the macaroons and buttercream begin with an aromatic "nut dust" as the pistachios are ground in a food processor with icing sugar.  This dust alone is stunning.  Once folded into the stiff egg white mixture, the batter takes on the appearance of pale green foam, reminiscent of the foam left on the beach during windy weather.  Piping the mixture onto baking trays is an absurdly delicate process as you attempt not to squeeze out all of the lovely, airy lightness from the mix.  I must admit to having flashes of pistachio pancakes emerging from the oven!

After leaving the first tray in the oven slightly too long, I achieved perfection at nine minutes with batch number two.  I had that fantastic sense of achievement which can only be experienced when successfully attempting something for the first time.  Proud as punch, I was taught a devastating lesson in patience as the first mound I touched (prodded) collapsed.  The still warm macaroons were not yet ready to touch. Of course, I was obligated to peel the now-flattened specimen off the tray to try.  It would have been mockingly cruel to leave him there beside his puffed up, majestic counterparts.  So I had no choice but to wait for the finished product if I was to continue my self-satisfaction.  The recipe for macaroons is definately not the one to pull out when you are looking for some instant gratification.

Buttercreamed, sandwiched and piled onto a serving dish, these macaroons prove themselves to indeed be "the world's most elegant macaroons."  They are classic, charming and well mannered in their appearance, flavour and textures.  Simply lovely, darlings!

F. x

Like your grandma used to make

"Everyone seems to think it's hard to make a cake (and no need to disillusion them)"

Nigella Lawson.

This is no dainty, light, lady-like cake.

This cake has a presence, an authority.

This cake is not about restrained, understated flavours.

This is a cake like your grandma used to make.

It has probably been ten years since I have attempted a carrot cake and there is no real reason why I haven't made one in so long.  My lovely new Frankie recipe book appealed to the nanna in me and so that is why I have carefully followed the recipe of someone else's nanna.

Wet ingredients first blended together to a gorgeous golden and syrupy consistency - the smell of ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg already emanating from the mixture.  Dry ingredients sifted were added, a little at a time and well combined.   Finally, the ingredient that makes this cake what it is...carrot.  This batter of this cake is quite thick and heavy but manages to be runny at the same time.  One all mixed together, it's time to play the waiting game.

Almost as soon as it enters the oven, the spicy aroma wafts from the kitchen.  This is the smell of home: patchwork quilts; bed socks; and flannelette pyjamas.  It is very lucky that my oven has a glass door because otherwise, my cake may have taken all night to cook based on the number of times I went to admire it rising in the oven.  The recipe called for one hour cooking time.  However, I used a slightly smaller tin than stated and so my golden beauty took almost as hour and a half.  My baby left to cool in its tin; I covered with a tea towel and bid it good night.

As is my custom, I rose early this morning and couldn't even wait to have breakfast before finishing off my cake.  I whipped together the cream wheese and butter I'd left to soften overnight (always prepared) and squeezed in a little lemon juice to take the edge off the copious amounts of icing sugar I then mixed in.  The cream, clean white frosting fits this cake perfectly.  I adore the tang of the cream cheese and the sweetness which complements the spices in the cake.  This recipe is an absolute classic.  To describe it as out-dated would be ludicrous; to describe it as old-fashioned is apt and hints towards the feelings of nostalgia and comfort it provokes.  As it is, this cake is everything is should be and more.  To be honest, it can only be made better by a pot of Earl Grey and a good book.  Look out C.W.A., here I come!

F. x

Mint Mousse Magic

As soon as I discovered this Nigella recipe, I just had to try it out.  I am a huge fan of white chocolate and will quite happily nibble away until my tummy can't take the sickly sweetness any longer.  This lucious richness can overpower in some desserts which is the only reason I can imagine that someone may be put of white chocolate. If you are such a person (or you happen to be married to one, as am I) than this is not a dessert to shy away from.  The peppermint in this recipe seems to tone down the white chocolate, and while incredibly subtle becomes the hero of the dessert.  White chocolate provides the initial flavour hit, while the peppermint discretely comes through at the end acting as palatte cleanser.  Admittedly, this doesn't mean that the sweet richness is eradicated completely and even though it looks a little stingy, a small portion is a must if you don't wish to find yourself beaten by an unassuming mousse.

Having had a particularly stressful day, this recipe was exactly what I needed.  It is so perfect in its simplicity and yet presents so elegantly, given the impression of a lot of time and effort when the reality is quite the opposite.  The making of this mousse encompasses quite a number of my most adored techniques.  Firstly, the melting of the chocolate.  Now normally, I am the first to pop the chocolate in my Tupperware microwave jug and stir every thirty seconds at the ping.  Tonight though, I employed the technique of glass bowl over boiling water and let my mind still as I focussed on the transition of the chocolate from matte to glistening and smooth.  Chocolate set aside to cool, I beat out my nervous, anxious energy on the egg white, cream and peppermint and whipped them into a luxurious softly-peaking mixture.  Feeling relaxed and content, I gently folded the cream into the chocolate.  I find folding to be a gorgeous, mind-stilling action which is entirely satisfying as two mixtures seamlessly come together, maintaining the beautiful whipped lightness of the cream.  By the time I was spooning the soft, creamy mousse into shot glasses, I may as well have had a massage in a candle lit room, all the stresses and tension of the day forgotten. All of this before I'd even managed a taste!

Needless to say, once chilled, these went down a treat.  Topped with mint leaves for a little drama, the delectable shots of heaven provided the perfect conclusion to a slightly heavy pasta main.  Happy days.

F. x