Spiced Brown Sugar Self Saucing Pudding

When Mr B and I woke up this morning it was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and there was not a breath of wind which was in stark contrast to yesterday's cold, wet and windy weather.

We immediately began making plans for long afternoon walks in the sun, maybe a bike ride, definitely a cup of tea and lunch outside on the pergola soaking up the sunshine.

Our first stop was out to visit some friends, we curled up on their couch, drank tea, ate some of the most amazing brownies I have ever tasted, and talked and chatted and watched their little boy laugh and play....

And wouldn't you know it, by the time we left the blue sky and the sun were gone. We ran some errands and made our way home for a quick cup of tea, a crumpet drowned in butter and honey and then we rugged ourselves up in jumpers and beanies and went for a stroll in the chilly evening air.

Winter has not quite left us yet, but you know what, I don't really mind because if it's still winter, that means it's still winter dessert weather!

Last week at Mum and Dad's we had this Spiced Brown Sugar Self Saucing Pudding for dessert and I think Mum described it best when she said it was real winter food. 

This pudding has all the flavour and richness of golden syrup dumplings paired with the lightness and ease of a self saucing pudding. Serve it with a big dollop of cream and you're onto a real winner.

Spiced Brown Sugar Self Saucing Pudding - Serves 4-6
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
200g self raising flour
2 tspns allspice
125g butter, melted
1 egg
125ml milk
1/3 cup treacle
2 tbspn cornflour
1.5 cup of boiling water
Cream and Ice-Cream to serve

Pre-heat oven to 180C and lightly grease a 6-8 cup capacity baking dish.

Combine flour, allspice, butter, egg, milk, 1/3 cup of sugar and half of the treacle in a bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon into prepared dish.

Combine the remaining sugar and cornflour in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Combine the water and remaining treacle in a jug and gently pour over the batter.

Bake for 30-40 mins. Serve with cream and ice-cream.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Mr B's Brandy Snaps with Coconut Cream Filling

Today I'm going to hand you over to Mr B because he has been busy in the kitchen whipping up some delicious creations and I think he deserves all of the credit for them!

Hello BLOGASPHERE its MR B again.
So Sunday I was torn between digging a hole outside or doing some fancy work in the kitchen and as you can see the kitchen won . Turns out that making brandy snaps is really easy, the worst part is waiting the ten minutes for them to be ready to roll but when they are ready its all systems go and as I found out its all in the timing. You either burn your fingers or they go solid before you can roll them so you have to be on your game and yes I found this out the hard way LOL. All good though - the end product is welll worth it .Well I'm going to let MRS B tell you how good they are and im moving on to the next big thing so goodbye for now!

Mrs B here again - these were hands down the best brandy snaps I have ever had. I have had this recipe floating around in my collection for years now and I've always been too unsure to make it, but Mr B was not even slightly deterred and despite my hesitation, decided he would tackle it all by himself.

Mr B's Brandy Snaps

115g butter (salted)
1/2 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbspn brandy
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 tspn ground ginger

Preheat oven to 160C and line a baking tray with a silicone mat or baking paper.

Combine the butter, golden syrup, caster sugar and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Allow the mixture to bubble and cook until butter is melted and sugars have dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Working quickly, stir through the flour, ginger and brandy until combined and mixture is smooth.

Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto your baking tray - I would stick to around 6 per tray (and only one tray at a time) as they will spread out in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes. You want them to be nice and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the bench for 2-3 mins. Keep an eye on them though because they will start to harden up fairly quickly. As soon as you can remove them from the sheet without them stretching too much, you are good to go.

Remove the brandy snaps from the baking tray one at a time and drape them over the handle of a wooden or metal spoon. Press the edges together to seal. Gently slide the brandy snaps off of the handle and place on a plate or tray to cool. If you find that some of your brandy snaps go solid before you have a chance to mould them, simply place them back in the oven for 30 seconds and they will soften right up.

You will see the set up Mr B had in the photos below, it was really effective and meant that both hands are free for rolling and shaping.

Repeat with remaining brandy snaps and remaining mixture.

 Coconut Cream Filling (both chocolate and brandy versions)

For the chocolate version you will need:

1 400ml tin of full fat coconut cream

1 tbspn cocoa

1 tbspn icing sugar

And for the brandy version you will need:

1 400ml tin of full fat coconut cream

1 tbspn icing sugar
1 tspn brandy

Place the tin of coconut cream in the fridge for at least 48 hours. This will allow the cream to seperate. When you open the tin, carefully scoop out the thick cream (it should be fairly solid, almost like butter, but don't worry if there is some softer stuff in there as well.) Don't discard the leftover coconut milk / water either - heat it up and pour over chocolate pieces for a rich hot chocolate or stir through your next curry or casserole!

Place the coconut cream, cocoa and icing sugar in a bowl and blend with an electric mixer (I used my stick mixer) until smooth and combined.

Place in the fridge until your ready to use.

Follow the same instructions to make the brandy version.

Immediately prior to serving place the cream into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Carefully fill the cooled brandy snaps. If you prefer a slightly softer and chewier brandy snap, I suggest filling them a few hours prior to serving and placing them in the fridge, if you can wait that long!!

I could eat them plain, I could eat them filled, hell, I could eat the batter straight out of the bowl! They are chewy yet crunchy and just everything a brandy snap should be and the coconut cream filling is divine. We discovered it recently and in the last week alone we have made it numerous times, using it as a filling in pavlova nests served with diced banana, piping it onto some cupcakes and now as a filling for these brandy snaps and it worked perfectly in all of the above!

 

As a matter of fact, I'm off to have one now.....I might even share it with Mr B seeing as he made them!

Mrs B xx

Strawberry Eton Mess

Ok so I know we are here to talk Eton Mess and more specifically Strawberry Eton Mess.....did I mention it also involves Cherry Brandy???

But firstly I want to deviate from that for just a quick second to talk rice.

Yes rice which has absolutely nothing to do with Eton Mess except that my Mum cooked both the Eton Mess and the rice so that's my link and I'm sticking to it.

Did you know you could get black rice??

When Mum dished this black rice dish up to us a few weeks ago, I must admit the first thought that went through my head was that she was a little heavy handed with the soy sauce....

Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was no soy sauce in there whatsoever, it was just the colour of the rice. To me, it tasted a little like brown rice and with the red onion, capsicum, spinach, mushroom, paneer and some herbs it was absolutely delicious and apparently very nutritious as well!

Anyway, now that I have got that out of my system, lets get back to what we are all here for.....DESSERT!!!

Mum and Dad whipped this up the other night and it was amazing. I must say I have never had cherry brandy before and was a little concerned about it being in amongst the delicate flavours of the berries and meringue and cream but it worked beautifully and was a great twist on an old classic!

Strawberry Eton Mess - Serves 4

150ml thickened cream
150ml vanilla greek yoghurt
2 tbspns of vanilla sugar + 2 tbspns extra
4 tbspns of cherry brandy
2 punnets (500g in total) of strawberries
1 punner (250g in total) of raspberries
4 x meringue nests, crushed

Cut the strawberries in half. Combine the strawberries and raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tbspns of the vanilla sugar and the cherry brandy. Leave to macerate for 15-20 mins if you want a thick mixture or around an hour if you prefer a more sauce like consistency. (Note - we tried it with the second option and it was delicious!)

Remove 4 tbspns of the berry mixture for garnish. Lightly crush up the remainder of the berries and set aside.

Whip the cream until thick and add fold through the yoghurt and remaining vanilla sugar.

To serve combine the crushed berries with the cream mixture and then gently fold through the meringues. Divide the mixture between 4 glasses and top with the reserved berries. This dish is best eaten immediately as the meringues will soften and lose their crunch.

Enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

Tiramisu Chocolate Ripple Cake with Homemade Mascarpone

Don't you just love it when an idea comes together?

Some weeks I sit and pore over my recipe folders for hours on end trying to come up with a menu for the following week and absolutely nothing takes my fancy.

Sometimes I look through them and have so many ideas I don't know what to cook first.

But when I stumbled across a recipe for home made mascarpone I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

For as long as I can remember my Mum has been talking about Chocolate Ripple Cake and how she has never tried or made one. Personally I have to leave the room when we go to Mr B's Mothers house and there is Chocolate Ripple Cake for fear of inhaling it all, but I too have never made one myself.

I think the reason I have never made one before was because the average Chocolate Ripple Cake, whilst delicious, just didn't really excite me enough to make my own.....plus I was always slightly unsure about which direction to stack the biscuits up....

With this in mind I a) found a recipe that told me which way to stack the biscuits and b) set about re-creating one of my favourite desserts in Chocolate Ripple Cake form.

Now you certainly don't have to make your own mascarpone, but I always tend to ignore recipes that use it due to the ridiculously high price of buying it in the shops. This recipe here is not only unbelievably simple, but it will cost you next to nothing and did I mention the end result is a rich and creamy mascarpone that you will be super pleased about because you have created it all on your own!

Homemade Mascarpone

2 cups thickened cream (full fat and not ultra homogenised so not long life)
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 candy thermometer
cheese cloth / butter muslin

In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring the cream up to 88C, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn't scald.

Once it reaches 88C, add the lemon juice and whisk for 5 mins while maintaining the temperature.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 35-45 mins.

Line a colander or sieve with the cheese cloth / butter muslin and place over a large bowl - try and double it over so you have at least 2-3 layers. Pour the cream mixture into the muslin and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours (preferably 18-24). Scoop the mascarpone into a container or jar and discard the whey (there will only be 2-3 tbspns anyway).

Store in the fridge for up to a week. Not that it will last that long because we are going to use it all to make this Tiramisu Chocolate Ripple Cake!

Tiramisu Chocolate Ripple Cake

1 x 250g pkt of Chocolate Ripple Biscuits
2 cups Mascarpone
300ml thickened cream
1 tspn vanilla essence
2 tbspns icing sugar
1/4 cup strongly brewed black coffee

Combine the mascarpone, cream, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat until mixture is thick. Place in the fridge for an hour.

Take your serving plate and smear 1-2 tbspns of the mascarpone mixture in a rectangle shape.

Take one of your biscuits and brush with the coffee mixture. Place 1 tspn of the cream mixture onto the biscuit and stand up on the plate. Repeat with remaining biscuits, coffee and cream to make a row. Continue this process to make 4-5 rows.

Spread the remaining cream mixture over the cake. Chill overnight to set. Serve dusted with chocolate powder.

Holy heck this cake was good. Like awesome good.

I was really impressed with how this came out and truth be told, prefer it to the traditional versions of both Chocolate Ripple Cake and Tiramisu. The biscuits had gone beautiful and soft, the subtle coffee flavour had made it's way into the cream....and the cream....oh I could eat it by the truck load.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a small piece hidden in the back of the fridge and I plan on demolishing it before Mr B finds it!

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Strawberries and Cream French Toast Roll Ups

This week whilst I am taking it easy, Mr B is stuck with doing most of the cooking and he is doing a really good job of taking care of me. I think sometimes he is not entirely sure what to do with me because the entire time we have been together I have been active, I hate sitting still and am always cooking or cleaning (ok so like 90% cooking, 3% cleaning, 7% avoiding cleaning) or doing something, but this week I am completely the opposite, and he is completely freaked out by the whole thing.

To be honest though I didn't think it would be like this.

When the Doctor said I would need a week off to recover, I literally laughed at him and begged him to let me go back to work early and when he said No, I planned a huge long list of things I wanted to do like spring clean the house, clean out the wardrobe, go on a mega shopping spree, walk 2 or 3 times a day and cook up an absolute storm.....but now I'm thinking he had a point because I have just enough energy to get out of bed sometime before lunch, make breakfast, stare at the computer for an hour or two and then I need a sleep.
 
Sigh.

Anyway, yesterday I decided I would do something nice for Mr B and I for dessert. Something easy obviously, but also something semi-french inspired to remind us that this time last year we were leaving Paris and on our way home from our honeymoon.

It does not get much easier then these let me tell you. For a fairly simple dessert, these looked fantastic when they were all dished up and we felt like we were indulging ourselves in something decadent, plus they tasted incredible! I was actually really surprised because Mr B does not do french toast, but he loved these and asked for them again tomorrow night....it would have been tonight but then he discovered there is still Cider Jelly in the fridge....

For these Strawberries and Cream French Toast Roll Ups you will need:

6 slices of white bread, crusts removed and flattened with a rolling pin
strawberry jam
100g cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup thickened cream
2 tbspns caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbspn milk
dash of vanilla
20g butter

Combine the cream cheese, cream and caster sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Place a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on one half of each piece of bread. Top with a heaped teaspoon of strawberry jam. Roll the bread up to enclose the filling and place on a plate, seam side down.

In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. While this is happening, combine the egg, milk and vanilla and beat well with a fork.

Dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture, ensuring it is completely coated, and place seam side down into the fry pan. Repeat with remaining bread.

Increase the fry pan heat to medium-high and cook the bread for 30-40 seconds on each side or until golden.

Serve hot with whipped cream for dipping. Or I imagine they would be equally nice drizzled with chocolate (or nutella!) and a big dollop of cream on the side too.                                   

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Pear Cider Jelly with Raspberry Coulis

Is Monday morning too early to talk cider?

Possibly yes.

But it is never too early to talk dessert and this one just happens to be made with cider so we are just going to have to move past that whole no alcohol before noon thing here. Plus I'm not saying you need to actually eat it like now....I'm just saying you need to seriously consider making it now so that it will be ready for you to eat tonight when it's perfectly acceptable to drink cider / eat jelly / do both.

I first heard about a jelly similar to this being available at a local market here and when I told Mr B about it he was all sorts of excited, and wouldn't you know it, the day I took him to the market to try it.....the stall wasn't there. Mr B took it all in his stride and went and purchased himself a burger and a jam donut instead but that was just not going to cut it for me. I promised my husband super awesome Cider Jelly with Raspberry Sauce and that is exactly what he was going to get.

Roughly six weeks after that fateful day at the market, I finally got around to making it.....by then Mr B had completely forgotten about the whole episode but at least in my mind it was crossed off the list and luckily he absolutely loved it.

Pear Cider Jelly

330ml bottle of cider (I used Bulmers Pear Cider)
75g caster sugar
3/4 tbspn gelatine
1/4 cup boiling water

Combine 1/2 of the cider with the caster sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Stir in the remaining cider.

Combine the gelatin and boiling water. Stir until gelatin has dissolved.

Combine gelatin mixture and cider mixture. Stir well.

Pour the mixture into two glasses and refrigerate for 3-4 hrs or overnight.

Serve topped with Raspberry Coulis

Raspberry Coulis

3/4 cup frozen raspberries
2 tbspns caster sugar

Combine the raspberries and sugar in a microwave safe jug and heat for 60 seconds. Stir the mixture and repeat until sugar has dissolved.

Gently pour the raspberry mixture through a strainer to remove seeds.

Allow to cool and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Ice Cream Waffle Wafers...or Wafer Waffles?

Ahhhh I have been meaning to tell you about these Wafer Waffles....(or Waffle Wafers, I can't decide!) for ages now, but then I make something else and I write about that and this one just ends up as another lonely un-published draft. Well not any more.

A few weeks ago when it came our turn for dessert wars, Mr B had this vision in his head and was determined to make like an old fashioned banana split type sundae but with caramelised bananas served over ice cream and topped with whipped cream. In an effort to make some form of contribution to his vision, I meekly offered to try and make the wafers, which Mr B thought was an excellent idea. Ah hell I thought, I better try and track down a recipe! I found lots of different variations, but the one I settled on didn't use egg whites and sounded relatively simple. The original recipe did involve orange juice and white wine but I just plain old left them out!

To make these Ice Cream Waffle Wafers you will need

28g butter
65g sugar
1 egg
115g plain flour
65g cream

In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and sugar.

Add the flour, egg and cream and mix to form a fairly soft dought. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto a heated greased waffle pan and cook for 2-3 mins or until golden on each side.

Remove onto a wire rack to cool.

I found that once ours cooled they were beautiful and crispy and just like a waffle cone. To make sure they stay this way, store them in an air tight container for 2-3 weeks.....but I guarantee you they will be all eaten well before then!

Enjoy!

Mrs B x

Blackberry Fool

Mr B and I arrived at Mum and Dad's for dinner on Tuesday night and as usual we were ushered out of the kitchen to our spots at the dining room table. Having a night where I don't have to cook tea is lovely so I take the opportunity to sit and read the paper and catch up with Mum and Dad whilse Mr B spends his time trying to figure out what is in the pots bubbling on the stove and how to get at the secret desserts hidden in the fridge....

This is the vegetarian butter chicken we had for dinner (with spinach, mushrooms, potatoes and soy meat in place of chicken), topped with fried paneer and served with polenta and cheese toasties! I have never thought of frying the paneer before putting it in a curry before and it just added a whole new layer of texture that I just loved. And I think the paneer toasties are a brilliant idea - think cheese sandwiched between two slices of polenta....and then grilled till it was nice and golden and toasty - to me that sounds perfect to have with a big bowl of steaming winter soup or stew...or in this case - curry!

And this is the magical creation Mum and Dad whipped up for dessert - Blackberry Fool. The tartness of the blackberries paired with the sweetness of the creamy vanilla yoghurt is a match made in heaven.

We rarely have blackberries and that is definitely something I plan to fix because they were awesome and I have so many ideas for things I'd love to bake with them!

For the Blackberry Fool you will need:

300g thawed frozen blackberries
1/4 cup caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
300 ml thickened cream
1.5 cups vanilla yoghurt
Whipped Cream and Chocolate and Vanilla Wafers to serve

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon zest and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until berries are soft. Allow to cool and then blend until smooth. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.

Beat the cream using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold through the vanilla yoghurt.

Gently fold 2-3 tbspns of the blackberry puree through the yoghurt mixture to create swirls.

In a glass, layer the yoghurt mixture with the remaining blackberry puree. Top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate wafers.

Serves 4 - and enjoy!

Next Friday I'm off to hospital for a small procedure and whilst it may be classified as 'minor day surgery,' to me it still very much involves the word surgery and is still very scary. I mean if it was so 'minor' why have they given me 7-10 days off work to recover? And yes, a week off work will be lovely and peaceful in theory, but it's the reality of it that bothers me.....will I be in pain? will I be bored? will the surgery go Ok? Is this just the beginning?

In case you didn't know, I think too much.

Because my Dad will be at a conference interstate next week and we won't be doing our weekly dinner, Mum and Dad presented me with a 'going to hospital' pack to get me through that week at home. It included 3 of my favourite magazines, some coffee, some milk and honey brioche to dunk in said coffee, my favourite lollies and a Panda Bear heat pack. I was obsessed with Pandas when I was younger and this lil guy is just adorable - perfect to keep me company while I lie on the couch, reading magazines, drinking coffee, eating brioche and eyeing off the lollies.

I never would have thought of giving someone a pack like this but it meant the world to me last night and I just think it is the loveliest idea. I am very lucky to be surrounded by such caring and thoughtful people and I think it's that that makes me think everything is going to be Ok.

Mrs B xx

Lemon Meringue Sundaes

We are entering Week 3 of Dessert Wars......after last week's Trifling Trifle, Mr B and I had big shoes (or bowls) to fill this week, but never fear, I had a plan!

A few months ago, whilst I was having a particularly bad day, Mum came to the rescue with one thing guaranteed to cheer me up.....new cookbooks! One of the books in question was the Women's Weekly 50 Fast Desserts book - it has so many fabulous ideas in it but I couldn't go passed this Lemon Meringue Sundae!

Mum hit the nail on the head last night when she said there is just something about a lemon dessert that is refreshing....and Dad hit the nail on the head when he was too busy cleaning his glass to say anything at all!

Lemon Meringue Sundaes - Serves 4

Vanilla Icecream
4 x Meringue Nests (recipe follows if you want to make your own or you can use store brought ones)
Lemon Creme (recipe follows)
Limoncello (optional)
4 x nice glasses for serving.

To make the Meringues you will need:
4 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar

Preheat your oven to 150C / 130C fan-forced and line two trays with baking paper. I suggest spraying them with cooking spray too. 

Beat the egg whites with your electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until sugar has dissolved and stiff peaks form. The mixture will have a thick marshmallow consistency.

Now you can either spread the meringue mixture onto your trays so that you have 2 large rectangles or spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe little nests. Note that you only need 4 meringue nests for the sundaes but this recipe will make roughly 12.

Bake the meringues for roughly 45 minutes or until they are dry to touch. Turn off the oven and allow them to cool with the door ajar for around an hour.

To make the Lemon Creme you will need:
500ml thickened cream
1 cup lemon curd

Combine the thickened cream and lemon curd in a microwave safe bowl.

Heat for 60-90 seconds. Stir to combine. Allow to cool and place in the fridge to set.

To assemble your sundaes
Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the base of your glass. Crumble half a meringue nest over your ice cream. Spoon over a good dollop of the lemon creme. Repeat layers and finish with a drizzle of Limoncello.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Finding the Middle Ground....

Sometimes in life you just have to find the middle ground.

Like when there's only one Tim Tam left in the packet so you and your partner have to go halves, but he takes 3/4 of it in one bite....

Or like when you planned a romantic day out, but there happens to be a big Car Show your husband wants to go to on the same day so you end up spending the day looking under car bonnets, but together nonetheless.....

Yes it involves a little give and take, but sometimes that's half the fun!

You see Mum knows that a steak smothered in mushroom sauce is high on Mr B's list of favourite meals.

And Mr B knows that the chances of a steak being cooked in Mum and Dad's home are slim to none.

So they met in the middle and Mum did the next best thing which was to make an amazing Mushroom Sauce and serve it with a Quorn Vegetarian Cheese and Spinach Schnitzel (with a side of Mr B's favourite potato bake!)

The sauce was delicious, packed full of mushrooms and bursting with flavour from the mustard, plus it was the perfect match for the Cheese and Spinach Schnitzels.

Mum's Mushroom Sauce

375g button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tbspn butter
1 tbspn wholegrain mustard
300ml thickened cream

Melt butter in a fry pan over medium heat.

Add mushrooms and onion and cook for 5-7 mins, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden and soft.

Add the mustard and cream and stir well to combine.

Allow the mixture to simmer for 5-7 mins until thickened slightly.

Serve over vegetarian schnitzels.....or if you prefer, beef, lamb, pork or chicken.

And then there was dessert.....

Do you remember last week when I said Dad and Mr B had entered into this all out dessert war?

Mr B and I thought we had delivered the first attack pretty well, but as it turns out, Mum and Dad had a plan.

A sneaky plan that involved their super awesome Trifle.

Nothing says temporary defeat like an empty serving bowl, four full to the point of overflowing dessert bowls and the conversation around the table revolving around childhood memories of Dad and I making this ready for when Mum got home from work.....

As I'm getting older, sentimental value is more important to me then ever before. When it comes to food it's not about how fancy the meal looks or how expensive the ingredients were, it's about the memories it generates and this Trifle is one of those dishes that is incredible, both taste wise and warm and fuzzy memory wise. Now I have another happy trifle memory to add to my repertoire!

Trifling Trifle....

1x 250g jam sponge roll, sliced 2cm thick
1 x pkt of prepared port wine jelly
400g tin of fruit salad, drained with the juice reserved
2 cups of custard (banana if you can find it, but vanilla will also work)
300ml thickened cream, whipped
2 x 30g Cadbury Flake Bars, crushed

Prepare the jelly as per packet directions and allow to set in the fridge overnight. Before assembling your trifle, remove the jelly from the fridge and roughly chop.

To assemble your trifle start by placing the jam roll slices over the base and up the sides of a glass serving bowl.

Pour the reserved juice from the fruit salad over the sponge roll and top with the jelly.

Top with the fruit salad.

Pour over the custard and top with whipped cream. Finish off your trifle by sprinkling with the crushed Flake bars.

Place the trifle back in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Mrs B xx

Dessert Wars with Pastry Cream Filled Pies

Today I write to you from the bunkers, you see I'm at war. I'm not sure who declared war on who....it was either Mr B or my Dad, but either way one of them did (without discussing it with Mum or I first mind you!) and now we are in the middle of all out tactical war....dessert style.

I happen to be particularly anti-war, mainly because I don't like conflict, but I figure if there has to be a war and you have to be involved in it, it should be a dessert war or a shoe war or you know something like that.

Our side landed the first hit in the form of these Pastry Cream Filled Pies. 

These pies are a  Mr B original and I must admit when he told me how he made them, I didn't believe him and made him do it again so I could see it with my own eyes.

For those of you who have a pie maker out there, you will know that you put a piece of shortcrust pastry in the bottom, top it with your filling, finish it off with a piece of puff pastry, close the lid and minutes later you have yourself a pie. Well, Mr B put one piece of puff pastry into the pie maker, closed the lid and minutes later he had a hollow pie, perfect for filling. I have no idea how that one piece of puff pastry managed to separate and create a perfectly formed pie, albeit hollow, but I am sure glad it did (and glad I have an inquisitive husband who experiments with these things!).

When Mr B told me about his little hollow pies and his idea for filling them with something delicious for dessert, we had lots of ideas like chocolate mousse and strawberry cheesecake, but we decided to bring out the big guns and go with a beautiful pastry cream which I whipped up the night before.

When we were ready for dessert, Mr B made a small hole in the top of each hollow pie and piped the pastry cream in until they were full to bursting point. A few strawberries, some icing sugar and you have yourself a winner.

Here is the recipe we used for the Pastry Cream which we may or may not have eaten (sucked) straight from the piping bag.....

2 cups full cream milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tspn vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornflour

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt. Heat until the mixture begins to simmer.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, egg yolks and cornflour.

Add the hot milk mixture, half a cup at a time, whisking until combined after each addition.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. It should have the consistency of thick custard.

Remove from the heat and transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming.

Place in the fridge to cool. When you are ready to use your pastry cream, remove from the fridge and whisk first just to make sure it is nice and silky smooth. The pastry cream will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Mrs B xx

Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake

Earlier in the week I told you about the Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake I made Mr B for St Patrick's Day and I think it's about time I shared it with you!

Mr B and I both love Baileys soeven though we only buy ourselves a bottle as a treat maybe once a year, it has still managed to feature in some of the major moments of our life.....

....like the night Mr B and I got engaged and we sat drinking a glass of Baileys to celebrate,

.....or the night we moved into our first home together and I put a bottle of Baileys on the kitchen bench and said I don't care how much you drink but we are not going to bed until everything is unpacked!

.....or last year when we were in Ireland on our honeymoon and one afternoon whilst relaxing in a little Irish Pub I sent Mr B to the bar to get me a Baileys and milk....the whole bar went silent and the bar man leaned over and quietly asked if it was some sort of weird Australian hangover cure.....

And now we can add 'making a super awesome and delicious cheesecake' to that list.

The rich Baileys cheesecake filling paired with the Baileys whipped cream and the dark chocolate ganache is a sure fire hit in our book - so much so that when I took my Dad his regular care package of baked goodies last night, there was no way Mr B was letting a slice of this walk out the door with them. Needless to say I spent all night talking about, and flashing photos of, this cheesecake that was sitting at home in our fridge and Dad was none to pleased to discover he had missed out!


Baileys Cheesecake - easily serve 8-10. (Updated November 2013)

To make the base and the filling you will need:
1 x 250g pkt of plain sweet biscuits
75g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 tspn gelatin, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1 cup thickened cream

Place biscuits in a food processor and process until they are down to fine crumbs.

Add the melted butter and mix well. Press the mixture into the base of a lined 24cm springform pan and place in the fridge.

Whip the cream and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the Baileys and gelatin and beat until combined. Gently fold through the whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until set.

To make the whipped cream topping you will need:
1 cup thickened cream
1 tbspn Baileys Irish Cream

Beat the cream until it's nice and thick. Add the Baileys and beat until just combined.

Spread the whipped cream over the cheesecake filling and place back in the fridge for 30 mins.

To make the dark chocolate ganache you will need:
100g dark chocolate melts
2 tbspns thickened cream

Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave safe jug and place in the microwave for 40 seconds on high. Stir until smooth.

Set aside to cool for 5-10 mins until the ganache thickens slightly. Use a spoon to drizzle over the top of the whipped cream.

Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

VARIATION - I have made this cheesecake using Oreo's for the base and adding a dash of vanilla to the filling. I also gave the whipped cream topping and ganache a miss and dusted it with a little bit of cocoa instead and it was fabulous!

And here are some cupcakes I whipped up for Mr B for Easter - I was aiming for little Easter baskets and even though I was a bit rushed in doing them, but basically I just made some vanilla cupcakes, spread a thin layer of vanilla frosting on top, piped a ring of frosting around the edges and then filled the ring with jelly beans! How easy is that and I think they are really sweet and really effective!

Enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

The Not So Mythical Lemon Cheesecake

As long as I have known Mr B he has been obsessed with my Mum's lemon cheesecake.

Not bad seeing as he had never tried it.

I'm not sure how it came up in conversation, but one night Mum mentioned her Famous Lemon Cheesecake and I have to say it was met with lots of puzzled looks around the table. I'm now 27 and I don't remember ever trying it.....Dad has a vague memory of it.....but for Mum it's still there at the forefront of her mind, she included it in a book she made for me of all of her favourite and most popular recipes and even still knows the recipe off by heart!

Needless to say, over the years Mum has copped a lot of flack about the 'mythical' cheesecake. Mr B is not one to let up on anything....especially when it comes to cheesecake.

So last night when we went to Mum and Dad's for tea....our very first dinner cooked in their brand new kitchen...and after a little bit more furniture moving and a delicious frittata made in Mum's brand new oven-proof fry pan...Mum presented Mr B with her homemade (and non-mythical) lemon cheesecake! Mr B is actually lucky he didn't end up wearing it because Mum banned him from looking in the fridge all night, to the point where Dad stood guard in front of it to stop any sneaky looks, not that it stopped him from trying...or from stirring Mum up about what was actually in there.

I love this series of photos, look how excited Mr B is and how proud my Mum is....

All that was left to do now was top it the cheesecake with whipped cream and a light sprinkling of nutmeg and dig in!

Is there anything better than a big slice of cheesecake with a gorgeous buttery biscuit base, light as air filling and fluffy whipped cream?? Oh that's right there is....sharing it with your nearest and dearest. And I think it was the perfect way to christen Mum and Dad's new kitchen.

Here is a sneak peek at the kitchen in Mum and Dad's new house (and my Mum pottering around in it!).....isn't it amazing? It's so bright and there's so much space to move around and don't even get me started on the storage space. I just love it.

Now back to the Famous Lemon Cheesecake

You will need:

375g plain sweet biscuits
115g butter
1 tspn mixed spice
225g cream cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 pkt of lemon jelly crystals
1 cup boiling water
Juice and ring of 2 lemons
1 tin (375ml) of Carnation evaporated milk
Whipped cream and nutmeg to serve

Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs.

Add the butter and mix spice. Process to combine.

Lightly grease a round 25cm diameter springform tin with butter. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base and up the sides of the tin. Try and get as close to the top as you can around the sides. Place in the fridge to chill.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat well.

Meanwhile, combine the jelly crystals and boiling water with the lemon juice and lemon rind. Set aside to cool.

In a clean bowl, beat the evaporated milk until stiff.

Gently fold the evaporated milk into the cream cheese mixture.

Add the jelly mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed until all ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared biscuit case. Place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours to set.

Serve topped with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Valentines Day 2013 and Strawberry Cheesecake Poptarts

Valentines Day is extra special in our house because it also marks the anniversary (this year it was 4 years) since Mr B and I went away for a romantic weekend and during an early morning stroll along the beach, Mr B dropped down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We obviously don't need to go into the fact that my first response was 'Are you serious?' before I composed myself and followed up with a resounding 'Yes!'

 

Having to work on Valentines Day is never fun, but Mr B and I always make sure we do something special to mark the occasion. Yesterday morning, I popped out of work quickly to deliver a rose and balloon (I couldn't resist the lady bug balloon that said 'Lil Love Bug!') to Mr B's work and had previously arranged for some of the guys he works with to pick it up and take it out to him at the job site. On my way back to work I was pretty pleased with myself thinking I had the upper hand in the surprise stakes....but when I got back to work all of the ladies in the office were dancing around a big white box that had just been delivered with my name on it! I opened the box and felt just a little bit special when I saw that inside were 6 red roses, a teddy bear and a box of chocolates. I really am a very lucky lady. I rang Mr B to thank him for my beautiful gift and as it turns out, he had just received his too! Great minds really do think alike!

 

 

After work we went home and sat up in the pergola watching the lambs play in the yard while we enjoyed a drink and some peace and quiet. Our time after work in the evenings always seems to disappear in a whirlwind of making lunches and washing up and getting dinner ready and it was really nice to just take some time out and sit and relax

 

Like I hadn't been spoilt enough already, Mr B decided he was making dinner and oh my goodness what a dinner it was! Homemade lime and black pepper chicken schnitzel, potato chips and an amazing potato and lime salad - the chicken was moist and melt in your mouth tender, the chips were crispy and golden and the salad was refreshing and super tasty! From what I can gather the salad was made up of 1 cup of diced cooked potato, 1 lime with the skin removed, 2 button mushrooms, 1/3 cup of diced cucumber, 1 small tomato finely diced and a sprinkle of grated cheese.

 

Seeing as Mr B pulled out all the stops with dinner, I thought I better whip up something a little bit fancy for dessert.

Strawberry Cheesecake Poptarts - Makes 4

2 sheets of shortcrust pastry cut into quarters
1 punnet of strawberries finely diced
70g cream cheese softened
1 tbspn caster sugar
1/2 tbspn thickened cream
icing sugar and extra cream to serve

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, cream and caster sugar until smooth. Set aside.

Take 4 of the pieces of shortcrust pastry and using a skewer, trace the outline of a small heart in the centre of each one. When you are happy with your heart, use the skewer to cut your design out. You can keep the heart shaped pastry to cook up later on - maybe use them as decoration on top of pies?

Spread the remaining four pieces of pastry (the ones without the heart cut out of them) with the cream cheese mixture leaving a 1cm border around the edge. As you can see from my photos, it doesn't have to be spot on though.

Place 1.5 tbspns of your diced strawberries on top of the cream cheese mixture.

 

Place one of the pastry pieces with the heart cut out over the top of your strawberry mixture. Use a fork to seal the edges.

 

 

Place 1 tbspn butter in a microwave safe jug with 1 tspn caster sugar. Heat on high for 10 seconds and stir to combine. 

 

Brush the tops of your pastry with the butter mixture. It doesn't matter if you brush the strawberries as well.

 

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins or until pastry is golden. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and dusted with icing sugar.

 

During the cooking the cheesecake mixture will bubble up through the strawberries making these an absolutely delicious dessert, perfect for Valentines Day! It wasn't until this morning that we both went 'oh hey, they tasted like pop tarts!' Duh.... Anyway, I would also like to try them using nutella instead of the cheesecake mix because well who doesn't like nutella and strawberries!



 

Happy Valentines Day!

 

Mr and Mrs B xx